Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I played two games against pretty hardcore Tau lists this last weekend and I have to say, this list has merit!

I ran this:

TSF
Pinion:
Chappy - raven's fury, mb
2x5 scouts - cloaks, bolters, mb
5 scouts - cloaks, snipers
2x5 tacs - grav cannon
5 tacs - multi melta, combi-melta, mb
5 assault marines - jump packs, mb
5 devs - 4 lascannons

Suppression force
2x whirlwinds
land speeder

Skitarii maniple
2x5 vanguard - alpha conversion field
onager - nuetron laser, cognis manipulator (claw, IwND)

Holy Requisitioner
Dominus - rainment of the technomartyr, eradication beam
breachers - torsion cannons, arc claws (will be switching for the heavy arc rifles)
destroyers - grav cannons and phosphor blasters

The first game was against this list:
CAD
'mander - iridium, 4+ invul, ignores cover, PEN chip
2x5 fire warriors
2x4 pathfinders
1x5 pathfinders
3 crisis suits - double missile
3 crisis suits - double fusion
3 'sides w/rail & missiles ('mander chilled with them)
riptide - burst, smart missiles, FnP, interceptor

Riptide wing
3x 'tides w/ion & missiles, FnP and interceptor

So I got to go first and we played hammer and anvil, tactical escalation. Getting to go first, and NOT getting seized on game me a shot. I deployed everything, after rolling the warlord plus 3 units get to infiltrate. I wanted to mitigate the interceptor. (though in my 2nd game I outflanked/deep struck and it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would) I managed to take 2-3 wounds off of 3 of his riptides between the tactical squads grav cannons, the destroyers and the ignores cover lascannons. His first turn saw me lose my chappy and ENTIRE assault squad to 1 freaking blast template from a riptide. I REALLY dislike the marker light rules...I responded by killing 2 of his riptides AND all of his marker lights on the next turn. From this point on it was downhill for him. I was pleasantly surprised to see my force able to take blows and strike back, which is something I only see with my Eldar. The destroyers managed to keep one guy alive continuing to shoot til turn 4 and they got charged by a riptide...dominus should have killed that thing if I'm honest, but whatever. We ended dead even because the game ended turn 5. We got to turn 6 I probably table him.

Game 2 list:
'mander - ignores cover, 4+ invul, PEN chip
3x4 pathfinders
3x5 fire warriors
3 missile crisis suits
3 rail sides w/missiles ('mander here)

riptide wing
3x ion/missile w/interceptor & FnP

So this game I decided to deep strike/outflank some stuff to see how the interceptor would hit. I lost 3 assault marines from the chappy's unit and 1 scout to 3 riptides firing. Hooray cover saves! This game really brought out to me the downside of the maelstrom deck. He scored every card he drew, every turn. So 1 card turn 1, 2 cards turn 2, etc...I was down A LOT by the end, even though he finished the game with 2 fire warriors left and I had quite a lot of firepower remaining. Game goes to 6 or 7 and I actually could have come close to catching up, but of course it finished turn 5 again...highlight was a riptide (with a 3+ invul) getting vaped by a lascannon devastator ON OVERWATCH! hehe

Both games were enjoyable and showed me that the Talon Strike force can be competitive, just with help. The skitarii and ad mech helped a bunch! I think I might try without the skitarii next time though and put the raptor wing back in with the suppression force. The vanguard just pretty much died before doing anything lol I would run the icarus array next time on the onager as well, the nuetron laser did kill his commander in 1 shot, but that was pretty much it in 2 games of shooting.

Thanks for reading!

Been toying with a Talon Strike force army with skitarii in pods (via Raptors CAD). Hadn't considered the Holy Requisitioner. I think its definitely an idea to explore (especially if you can sneak in a comms relay or Lais Issadon) but you should know that formation can't include Kataphron Destroyers. Its 2-3 Breachers only.

oh, that would change everything LoL My opponent would be upset so I'll keep that on the the down low. Now, I was disappointed that they only hit on 4's. That stinks. I LOVE the skitarii models and doctrinas, but I like the admech units better in-game. Maybe just running the normal admech formation will work, but I have to keep them alive for a turn...VSG?

Cool report!

I'm going to post this into the Riptide discussion thread so we can learn a thing or two

Riptide wing is nasty for sure. Kind of boring to roll up and face 4 though. Not a lot of imagination used to come up with a 4 riptide lists. It was kinda unimaginative, but at the end of the day I should have pulled out a win on the first game and had a good chance, except for my maelstrom deck, to just roll my 2nd game. If he didn't score EVERY CARD HE DREW, I had that game won. Tactically and logistically I had it won. ANYWHO, I still don't want to play Tau at a tournament. They just ignore so many rules that you can rely on, SO EASILY it makes playing my marines unfun at times. Chappy plus 5 assault marines? No worries I have 1 shot to take them out...WTF!?

#rantover