Second aspect discussion topic.

Please use this thread to comment on the structure and options of the Tau list in EA. This primarily includes:

- units which are currently in the main list which should be moved to section 6 non-tournament options, or removed entirely.

- section 6 non-tournament units which should either be moved to the core list, or removed entirely.

- new units that currently do not feature anywhere in the list, but should be added to either the non-tournament section, or main force list.

Pleaase note that I am very hesitant to add more units to the core list unless this enhances the theme of the list or there is a strong requirement for them.

There will be some cross-over bewteen this thread and the alternative 'Tau units' thread.

Thanks.

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Special Rule Change:
Change:All enemy units within 30cm range and LOF of at least one unit with markerlights are considered to be marked. However,
Tau units that are broken or have marched that turn cannot use their markerlights. The action the markerlight unit is carrying
out does not have any impact on guided missiles (except ‘March’, as noted above).
Guided missiles must either be guided by a markerlight or be fired unguided. If they are fired unguided, they follow all the
normal shooting rules. If a missile is guided by a markerlight, the firing unit does not need a line of fire to the target unit and
receives a +1 to hit modifier. However, hits may only be allocated to units from the target formation that are marked by a
markerlight. Apart from that, all the normal shooting rules apply. Tracer missiles which are fired unguided from orbiting
spacecraft may only be targeted at War Engines – Tracer missiles which are fired guided from orbiting batteries function as
normal.

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LiTS, I think if you force ML-only GMs you will see most target lighting happening in your half of the table as a/most of your units start in your half at game start and b/more of your units that get into the enemy half will be depleted in short turn if they do get there. While this seems how it should work, I'm foreseeing very little coverage across a game. This does tone down ML usage but I'm not sure if it's too strenuous. Forcing players to take more ML units (most of them are extremely fragile BTW) means less actual hard fighting formations due to their cost. I would foresee people having to rely more on stealth formations just to make this work reasonably well, and they aren't cheap formations.

If this is implemented - which I don't necessarily have an issue with other than what I outline above then I would like to see perhaps cheaper ML units. e.g a 4 unit Stealth formation costing 175-200 points??? (ball park). This incidently is 12 Stealth suits(3 to a base) which is how many there are per pack to buy....

Force Structure views


I think there are far too many options per formation - for my liking anyway. I'd really like to see us cut back the options available to formations - perhaps that depending on what type of formation they are e.g Cadre or Support etc.

Here's a possible idea structure(I specifically left out points costs). While it's not a quantum leap from the current list, it is different.

TAU CADRES
Formation     Units
Fire Warrior Cadre - 8 Tau Fire Warrior Teams. Upgrades: any except Supreme Commander and Networked Drones-May have 4 Devilfish Troop Carriers  
Battlesuit Cadre - 4 XV8 Tau Crisis Battlesuit Teams. Upgrades: any except Networked Drones

SUPPORT
Pathfinders - 4 Tau Pathfinder Teams.  Upgrades: Pathfinders, Stealth, Gun Drones, Tetras - May have 2 additional Devilfish Troop Transports
Stealth - 6 Tau XV15 Stealth Battlesuit Teams. Upgrades: Stealth
Broadsides - 6 Tau XV88 Broadside Battlesuits. Upgrades: Broadsides
Hammerheads - 6 Tau Hammerhead Gunships. Upgrades: Skyray, Tetras, Networked Drones
Stingray - 4 Stingray Missile Gunships. Upgrades: Stingray, Skyray, Networked Drones
Scorpionfish - 1 or 2  Scorpionfish Super-heavy Missile Gunships
Gun Drone Wing - 4 Tau Gun Drone Squads. Upgrades: Gun Drones
Pathfinder Tetra - 6 Tau Pathfinder Tetra Light Skimmers. Upgrades: Tetras, Piranhas, Pathfinders

The upgrades list stays pretty much the same as they are generally just repeats of unit types.

If you look carefully and compare it to the current list you have small adjustments that pare down the numbers of add-ons formations you can take. I aim certain unit upgrades at certain formation types.

On the Force Structure as a whole, I would prefer to see what we do to formation structures before I cast my views i.e if we do end up changing Stealth to a 4 unit formation(in light of LiTS ideas on GMs) then affects how that formation is adjusted in the force structure.

If we keep the same old formation/unit structures we have now however...


SCORPIONFISH - if this is truly a problem unit and we really have to adjust how many we have in the list I'd make this a SC upgrade only.

VESPIDS/SWORDFISH - relegate to section 6

More to come....

Yeah, that would be the most likely result.  It might allow for bringing the MSTs back into the main list, since all of a sudden you don't have any survivable ML units (ie, ML units that can go into the enemy's half of the board and survive more than the next activation!).

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I'm definately in favour of LitS's ML and GM plan, and we can certainly give MLs to other units in that case, such as Fire Warriors, who use them in 40k.

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Epic: Hive Development Thread

Why not drop the Fire Warrior formation down to a base 6 Fire Warrior units with a 3 Devilfish upgrade, so it more closely matches the FW packs for sale?  

One pack of Fire Warriors, one Gun Drone set (well, half of one) and one Devilfish pack will get you the the mechanized formation.  Allow a Fire Warriors upgrade as well, if you want to bulk it up.

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Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Lots of interesting stuff on this and the other thread with the minimum of bitching I do have stacks to add on both when I get the time. Meanwhile on the ml'ing of the enemy my standard tactic way back when was to use a co-ord fire action. So pathfinders double and light, then 1-2 others fire. Effective range for this with 30cm move was 90cm max, with tetra 100cm max. That enough for you? Minimal exposure to enemy fire as well here.

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Why not drop the Fire Warrior formation down to a base 6 Fire Warrior units with a 3 Devilfish upgrade, so it more closely matches the FW packs for sale?

Apparently the Tau do everything in multiples of 4. Should not then the FW be based 4 to a stand (with one or more drones - curiously enough the same way I would do it if rich enough to buy FW as opposed to using eldar plastics).

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'Abolish red trousers?! Never! Red trousers are France!' – Eugene Etienne, War Minister, 1913
"Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography."
General Plumer, 191x

Perhabs as inspiration.

In Apocalypse Reaload there are some formations for the Tau:

Farstrike Battlesuit Force:
2-4 Crisis Teams (2-4 Units in Epic) plus 0-2 Broadsides Teams (= 0-2 Units in Epic)

Fire Warrior Counter-Strike:
2-4 Fire Warrior Teams (=4, 6 or 8 Units in Epic) in Devilfishes (= 2, 3 or 4 in Epic)

Skysweep Missile Defence Wing:
2-4 Skyrays and one Devilfish. All have Networked Mrkerlights which are connected to AA-Systems.

Firestream Piranha Wing:
3+ Piranha Teams (= 3+ Units in Epic) plus 0-1 Tetra Team (= 0-1 Unit in Epic)

Nighthunter Stealth Group:
3-5 Stealth Teams (= 3-5 Units in Epic)

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Unfortunately BL, I don't see those groupings working in Epic because 40K is a differnt game.

Sure? The Fire Warrior Counter-Strike is exactly that what you and Chromas suggested for the Fire Warrior Cadre.
Same for the Farstrike Battlesuit Force and the Battlesuit Cadre exept that here you can take Broadsides too.
And the Nighthunter Stealth Group is one unit smaller than Chromas suggestion.

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