Well a rematch it seems was in order and I was surprised today with the chance for a game. Some quick re jigging was in order for the marine list to bring it up to the revisions, so it ended up -
200 Thunderhawk
175 Assault Marines
050 Chaplain
250 Devestators
050 Librarian
350 Terminators
050 Chaplain
275 Warhound
275 Warhound
300 Tac
075 Hunter
025 Razorback
300 Whirlwinds
075 Hunter
200 LandSpeeders
300 Tac
075 Hunter (we debated removing this due to marine cost increases, but I can't be that mean!)
Based on the WYSIWYG army that arrived on the doorstep (I would choose stuff a fair bit differently but still its fairly numerous). Edit slight mistake here with me copy and pasting the tac formations. Should be only one razorback in the game. Oh and also said the tac was the bts as again the marines were unaware of the cost increases which put both the terminators and tac in the same bracket.
I'm doing well here, very little computer time allowed! I think I shall abandon thought of a neatly illistrated battle and just transcribe my notes!
The Tau force.
I was constrained by my opponents insistence that I couldn't just take a lot of one thing, 'those drones' or Orca. So I quickly tried the following.
850 Manta
150 Tigershark
200 Firewarriors (loaded in Manta)
075 Etheral
075 Skyray
200 Firewarriors
200 Firewarriors
250 Scorpion
100 SC
225 Stingray
075 Skyray
075 Drones (loaded in tigershark)
050 Heavy drones (ha, wasn't 'those drones')
175 Tetra
150 Piranha
150 Piranha
I initially wanted an all skimmer force, but with the Manta it wasn't viable so tried for a fair bit of GM support instead.
Terrain
Similar to the last battle (ha, saved a map!)
I groups the marine objectives together, as were the Tau objectives.
Deployment
The Tetra and Piranha deployed forward in cover. The firewarriors garrisoned as well, in the the open but on overwatch. The other Tau lurked in cover with their AA covering the other elements. The Manta drop point was 60cms away from the blitz in a rough diagonal.
The Marines had a strong centre (last games air attacks had left a mental scar) with a Warhound on either flank. The Landspeeders were slightly forward on overwatch.
Turn 1
Much umming and ahhing. The FW on overwatch essentially cover against assaults the troops at the rear and could probably bring down a terminator or two. After much deliberation the chaps turned up in assault cannon range of the stingrays, something of a surprise for me, especially considering the Manta born FW would have to come out at some point.
Marines init
I expected some sort of warhound action but was to be surprised. The Terminators opened up into the stingrays hitting three despite being in cover. Naturally only the skyray failed its save. Next with a retain the thunderhawk came in. Using the older smaller bases to crowd together and the thunderhawk to block los the firewarriors couldn't fire. Everything assaulted the 'dreaded' scorpion which only managed a point of damage on the Thunderhawk as it came in. Despite the lucky death of an assault marine and that shield thingy the skorp lost and was wiped out by combat resolution. So I still have never got to use one!
The Tau decided to gamble now the SC was dead and the Tetra do a co-ord fire action with the two piranha. It swept forward, tried to keep to cover as much as possible and lit up a warhound and a tac formation. The Piranha then both attacked the warhound, the first advancing to strip the shields and do a point of damage (lucky it wasn't more or it would have broken - was also why the tetra didn't fire at it), the second bringing it crashing down! Now the risk - the Manta rolled to activate, succeeded and tried to get closer to the marines, only to scatter away. So instead I moved back out to roughly 50-60cm range (out of easy crossfire distance and to irritate the land speeders whose range I had planetfalled into) and vaporised a warhound, keeping the firewarriors onboard. And I'm out of library time.
It was now apparent that the game was going to be on two halves of the board. To assist the troops on the other side the whirlwinds shot up some firewarriors, killing 2. After some thought no retain as there was nothing else apparently to hurt the marines that could defend themselves.
Immediately the Tau tried to prove this wrong using the tetras to spot for the 2 unsuppressed stingrays, sadly they were too busy doing whatever Tau do and just marshalled.
The BTS tacs firefighted the tetra, leaving 2 to get out of 30cm.
Swooping in the tigershark destroyed the thunderhawk, missing with everything bar the gm, helped by a just in range stingray.
The other Tac doubled to try and get into a better position on the Manta, and shot a bit at the damaged piranha, seeing one, but missed.
The shot up firewarriors marshalled and sent a few shots at the assault marines, killing another.
The Landspeeders were then sent to fight some piranha, sending one crashing to the earth.
The other firewarriors sustained and wiped out the 2 remaining assault marines despite some being unable to see due to cover.
Tetra failed to rally, no one else had any real problems.
Turn two
A lot rested on the init roll, with the marines trying to set up a daring 2 tac assault on the manta, but it was a draw and the Tau went first, meaning it was all pretty much over.
The Manta swooped in on the BTS, disgorged the firewarriors and opened fire, killing everyone bar a rhino and a hunter (most of the fire was AP bar the TK and MW stuff) who fled. Retaining the stingrays advanced round to the Devs, crossfiring them and killing 3.
The terminators moved into cover and poured assault cannon fire into the damaged firewarriors, managing to break them in a display of lucky shooting.
The tigershark buzzed in, disgorging heavy drones to crossfire the terminators, but in a pitiful display of shooting and excellent display of saving both elements only killed one terminator (should have gone for the devs). Outraged I stopped thinking and tried to retain with the firewarriors but failed and out of range of everything they trooped forward towards the terminators.
The whirlwinds shot ineffectually at the piranha, but with the Land Speeders also sustaining they were eventually wiped out.
The Piranha zoomed off and finished off the BTS.
Finally the tacs abandoned their side of the board and doubled forward to fire a  bit at the firewarriors.
Tetra rally, termies shift most of the bm, dev rallies, FW fail, TS gets away with just a bm from the hunter.
Turn 3
Marine init
The Marine side of the board was lost, with the whirlwinds facing 1200 points of troops. To that end they fired one last time into the Firewarriors, no doubt before bailing out. This nervousness was clearly a problem and only 1 firewarrior fell. The terminators attempted to engage but failed and instead shot up a heavy drone.
The stingrays then open up on the terminators, just getting a crossfire, and cutting down two, sending the rest reeling. I am now faced with a choice. Use the manta on the whirlwinds, probably wiping them out, or hit the tacticals and secure my side of the board. In the event the retain is a fail so the whirlwinds who are unfortunately lined up get vaporised.
The tacticals zoom forward and break the firewarriors, occupying two objectives. The Land Speeders retain and shoot forward to just get the blitz but can't quite get the range to the heavy drones as well after much measuring.
Said drones then go and break the remaining Devastator. Then the fearless Firewarriors go forward and take both objectives. The Piranha fail to activate and go diagonally back towards my side setting themselves up to maybe go get the blitz or come back to hunt tacs. The Tigershark activates, takes a point of damage from the Hunter hit then blasts two land speeders off the blitz.
Large FW rally, as do the dev stand and Tetra and land speeders. Terminators fail with the other FW and the drones fail to shift bm's along with the piranha.
Turn 4
Marine init
The tacticals and the 3 remaining speeders assessed their chances. Opposing them were some firewarriors who would have to double in, 3 heavy drones with two bm's and the stingrays, cruising for meat. The tacs did their best, moving in and opening up on the stingrays but only one died. The speeders retained and break the heavy drones taking the blitz.
The firewarriors then take an objective and the blitz. The Manta doubles back and breaks the tacticals. The tigershark fails to come in, but its not needed with the stingrays breaking the landspeeders and its all over but for the mop up and capture moves.
Conclusion. I think the marines had a fair bit of both good and bad luck, I didn't play as well as I should but at the end of the day they didn't have enough to cope with the Manta (the assault was a non starter in retrospect as Lee was under the impression the transported troops couldn't get out and fight as well for some reason), especially once the Warhounds were dealt with. The fearless firewarriors might have been overkill considering they were backed by a manta.
Question, when you shoot with arty at a formation partly in cover do you have to choose in cover for everyone or just shoot those not in cover, or roll for each individual unit?
Finally my notes aren't that clear and this disjoined write up hasn't helped, anything not clear just say! (I've written this off and on when I've been allowed on the computer
and my notes aren't even clear to me, so lots of this is from memory!)
)