Dakka Detachment 1 Adepticon 2008 Tau Army

Full Army Picture

Army Introduction

This is the army profile for the Dakka Detachment One army for the Adepticon 2008 Team Tournament. For more information about how the Adepticon team tournament works, please visit www.adepticon.org.

Dakka Detachment members are: Blackmoor, Centurian99, Janthkin & yakface.

We decided to form an Adepticon team via Dakkadakka, and since none of us live in the same city (or anywhere near each other really) so creating a unified army for the tournament has always been a challenge.

In 2006 we brought mechanized Imperial Guard and then in 2007 it was Stealer shock Tyranids. In both cases, each of the four team members built and painted their own portion of the army and then brought it to the tournament. This led to a very disjointed look and feel to the army.

For Adepticon 2008, we tried something different and created a new Tau army from scratch.

The reason we took mechanized Tau was because we felt that the Adepticon team tournament has always heavily emphasized objective taking in their mission selection and that a mobile army fufills that role perfectly. Also, in order to capture objectives, your units have to be at half strength or above. Because of this we decided to stick with a more shooty style of army as opposed to a close combat force which tends to get pretty torn up running across the board into fire and tends to end games on the opponent's side of the table as opposed to on top of objectives.

This essentially narrowed our choice down to either mechanized Tau or Eldar. We have also always attempted to pick army builds that are a little outside of the normal 'power build', so we decided to stay away from Eldar (we thought many people would be using it) and go with Tau instead.

Living in different cities while trying to create a unified army was definitely a challenge. All the models were assembled by either Janthkin or Centurian99 (and then shipped to Janthkin). Janthkin then base-coated all the models using his airbrush and then shipped the models to be painted by either Blackmoor, yakface or Centurian99. After the models were finished being painted, they were then sent to Centurian99 who based them and built the display base. Some final crazy painting touches were done at the tournament hotel the night before, and viola! You have a fully painted 4,000 point Tau force in under a year.

Take a look at our army lists for the tournament. The four armies were split into four colors which were then painted onto various areas of the models. The army colors are: Green, Grey, Red & Yellow.

Unit Photos

Commanders

We wanted our Commander models to stand out from regular Crisis suits and since we were already using Forgeworld Crisis suit models we decided to go with the Shadowsun model to represent our Commander (plus it fits with the Tau Commander model in Dawn of War).

• Models assembled, converted and based by: Centurian99
• Models painted by: yakface & Janthkin (basecoat)

Crisis Suits

We decided to go completely with Forgeworld Crisis Suits simply because they look waaaay better IMHO than the GW models. We actually ended up using one less Crisis suit then we had planned to in our original army list (in Blackmoor's yellow army). Unfortunately when Janthkin shipped the Crisis suits to Blackmoor one model was buried in packing material and Blackmoor never noticed it!

When we got to the hotel in Chicago we suddenly discovered we had one less Crisis suit than we had in our army list and the panic began. After some quick army list shuffling, converting and painting we added an extra seeker missile, upgraded his commander and gave one of his existing crisis suits an Air-bursting fragmentation Projector to make up the missing points.

• Models assembled by: Centurian99
• Models basecoated by: Janthkin
• Models painted by: Blackmoor & yakface (highlights)
• Models based by: Centurian99

Stealth Suits

The Stealth suits were painted differently from the rest of the suits in the army to represent their stealth technology. The green areas of the model were airbrushed by Janthkin in the same style as the vehicles' camo pattern.

• Models assembled and basecoated by: Janthkin
• Models painted by: yakface
• Models based by: Centurian99

Firewarriors and Devilfish

The Devilfish were base-coated with a green camo pattern via Janthkin's airbrush. Centurian99 then painted the gold and other detail areas. Yakface finished off by adding a few highlights to the models.

• Firewarriors assembled and basecoated by: Janthkin
• Firewarriors painted by: Blackmoor
• Firewarriors based by: Centurian99

• Devilfish assembled and basecoated by: Janthkin
• Devilfish painted by: Centurian99 & yakface (highlights)

Pathfinders

These pathfinders were an addition to the army made after the team 'tournie'. They were used in the 2008 Vegas GT as Forgeworld Tetras aren't allowed in official GTs and I needed another way to get markerlights into the army.

• Models assembled and painted by: yakface

Kroot

• Models assembled and base-coated by: Janthkin
• Models painted by: yakface
• Models based by: Centurian99

Tetras

• Models assembled and basecoated by: Janthkin
• Models painted & based by: Centurian99

Piranha TX-42

• Model assembled and basecoated by: Janthkin
• Model painted & based by: Centurian99

Broadsides

Again, we used the Forgeworld Broadside models because they just look so much better than the standard GW ones.

• Models assembled & converted by: Centurian99
• Models basecoated by: Janthkin
• Models painted by: Blackmoor & yakface (highlights)
• Models based by: Centurian99

Hammerheads

• Models assembled and base-coated by: Janthkin
• Models painted & based by: Centurian99 & yakface (highlights)

Objective Markers

We kind of forgot that we needed objective markers for Adepticon, so Centurian99 was able to whip these up and paint them in one evening. Not too shabby for a last second concept!

• Models assembled and painted by: Centurian99

Team Army Lists

Creating the army lists was, as always, a team effort. Once we decided on the semi-mechanized Tau army concept, Centurian99 (as the only player on Detachment One with experience playing Tau) did some research to familiarize himself with the new Tau codex, and presented a variety of builds for discussion. We reached a quick consensus on a few points that made designing the rest of the armies relatively simple.

First, each army had to be at least somewhat distinctive from its fellows. A common Team Tournament build involves taking four identical armies. While this can simplify things and ensure consistency (as each round of the team tourney pairs two members of a team together), it's quite frankly boring, and doesn't allow players to make use of the floating choices.

Second, each army had to have at least two rail guns. The S10 AP1 shot was simply too valuable against a variety of potential opponents, and although the other HS choices are good, none of them match the range or efficacy of the rail gun in dealing with those targets that you need a rail gun against.

Third, Fireknife-pattern Crisis Suits (plasma rifle/missile pod/multitracker) would be the rule for our suits. Although other suits can be situationally better, the Fireknife-pattern suit is the most flexibly effective suit available.

Fourth, the armies would not be dependent on markerlight support. Markerlights are simply too expensive to get in the quantities we'd need for a markerlight-dependent army.

Fifth, all the commanders would be different from each other.

Sixth, maintaining some mobility would be a primary consideration.

Once we had agreement on those points, the army lists came together relatively quickly. The toughest decision was really about whether to utilize some Special Characters as some of our HQs - in particular, Commander Shadowsun and Shas'O R'myr. Eventually, we decided against them, because their high points cost was far too limiting in terms of the rest of our army.

After that, we divvied up the "floating" selections and each player decided what units they just had to have in their army. Centurian99 played around with various combinations until each player was relatively satisfied with the army list they had.

Red Army

• Played by: Centurian 99
• Floating Force Organization Choice: No extra Force Organization choice

HQ

• Commander (Shas'o) w/ cyclic ion blaster, plasma rifle, hard-wired multi-tracker, stimulant injector, vectored retro-thrusters -- 135 pts

ELITES

• x3 Crisis Suits w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker. Team Leader w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, flamer, hard-wired multi-tracker, hard-wired drone controller (x2 shield drones), bonding knife -- 230 pts

TROOPS

• x12 Firewarriors -- 120 pts
• Devilfish w/ smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array -- 120 pts
• x10 Kroot -- 70 pts

FAST ATTACK

• x2 Tetras w/ targeting array -- 110 pts

HEAVY SUPPORT

• x2 Broadsides w/ advanced stabilization system. Team Leader w/ twin-linked plasma rifle, hard-wired multi-tracker, hard-wired drone controller (2 shield drones), advanced stabilization system, bonding knife -- 215 pts

TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1,000

Centurian99 fielded the Red Army, which used the stock Team Tourney Force Org Chart. Without having to worry about fielding an extra Elite, Fast Attack, or Heavy Support choice, Centurian99 decided to put some of those points into his commander. As a result, he has the only Shas'O in Dakka Detachment One, configured vastly differently than his fellows. With feel no pain and hit and run, the Red Commander was designed to advance aggressively, and disrupt units in the enemy backfield. Mathematical analysis indicated that the plasma rifle/cyclic ion blaster combo was the most effective combination possible for a suit designed to operate at those close ranges. The Troops ended up being identical across all four armies, to provide a solid core. The fire warriors and "warfish" combined firepower, resiliency, and mobility, while 10 Kroot provided a cheap infiltrating scoring unit that could at the very least provide a sacrificial assault unit. With spare points, the Red Crisis Team Leader ended up with a flamer for the "just in case" situations that occasionally arise, while the Tetras provide mobile markerlights and cheap scoring units, along with some other nifty rules, such as a fast skimmer with the Scout USR. Advanced Stabilization Systems allowed the Broadside team to move and fire, and with the leftover points, the Red Broadside Team Leader upgraded his smart missile system to twin-linked plasma rifles.

Green Army

• Played by: Janthkin
• Floating Force Organization Choice: Extra Elites choice

HQ

• Commander (Shas'el) w/ cyclic ion blaster, twin-linked missile pod, hard-wired multi-tracker, hard-wired blacksun filter -- 91 pts

ELITES

• x2 Crisis Suits w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker. Team Leader w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker, hard-wired drone controller (x2 shield drones), bonding knife -- 164 pts
• x6 Stealth Suits -- 180 pts

TROOPS

• x12 Firewarriors -- 120 pts
• Devilfish w/ smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array -- 120 pts
• x10 Kroot -- 70 pts

FAST ATTACK

• Tetra w/ targeting array -- 55 pts

HEAVY SUPPORT

• x2 Broadsides w/ advanced stabilization system. Team Leader w/ hard-wired drone controller (2 shield drones), advanced stabilization system, bonding knife -- 200 pts

TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1,000

Janthkin took the Green Army and its extra Elite choice. Finding the points to field a full squad of 6 stealth suits proved tricky, and resulted in his Shas'el commander having only a BS of 4. Twin-linking the missile pods and including a cyclic ion blaster with its five shots helped compensate somewhat for the poorer BS.

Grey Army

• Played by: yakface
• Floating Force Organization Choice: Extra Heavy Support choice

HQ

• Commander (Shas'el) w/ plasma rifle, missile pod, hard-wired multi-tracker, hard-wired blacksun filter, targeting array -- 100 pts

ELITES

• x2 Crisis Suits w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker. Team Leader w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker, hard-wired drone controller (x2 shield drones), bonding knife -- 164 pts

TROOPS

• x12 Firewarriors -- 120 pts
• Devilfish w/ smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array, seeker missile -- 130 pts
• x10 Kroot -- 70 pts

FAST ATTACK

• Tetra w/ targeting array -- 55 pts

HEAVY SUPPORT

• Hammerhead Gunship w/ railgun, smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array, target lock -- 180 pts
• Hammerhead Gunship w/ railgun, smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array, target lock -- 180 pts

TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 999

With the extra HS slot, yakface's Grey Army was the obvious place to put the Hammerheads, which allowed us to ensure that every army had 2 rail guns available. Fielding two of them cost a significant amount of points, necessitating the 2-suit Crisis Team and restricting him to a single Tetra. With the two submunition templates, however, yakface's Grey army was potentially the largest threat to horde armies.

Yellow Army

• Played by: Blackmoor
• Floating Force Organization Choice: Extra Fast Attack choice

HQ

• Commander (Shas'el) w/ cyclic ion blaster, missile pod, multi-tracker, targeting array -- 92 pts

ELITES

• x1 Crisis Suits w/ missile pod, plasma rifle, multi-tracker. Shas'vre w/ airbursting fragmentation projector, missile pod, plasma rifle, hard-wired multi-tracker, hard-wired drone controller (x2 shield drones), hard-wired target lock, bonding knife -- 189 pts

TROOPS

• x12 Firewarriors -- 120 pts
• Devilfish w/ smart missile system, decoy launchers, multi-tracker, targeting array -- 120 pts
• x10 Kroot -- 70 pts

FAST ATTACK

• x2 Tetras w/ targeting array, blacksun filter -- 120 pts
• Piranha TX-42 w/ twin-linked fusion blaster, decoy launchers, targeting array, seeker missile -- 85 pts

HEAVY SUPPORT

• x2 Broadsides w/ advanced stabilization system. Team Leader w/ hard-wired drone controller (2 shield drones), advanced stabilization system, hard-wired blacksun filter, bonding knife -- 203 pts

TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1,000

The original plan for Blackmoor's Yellow Army had it with a full-sized Crisis Team of 3 models, all Fireknife-pattern. On arrival in Chicago however, we discovered that one Crisis Suit had been misplaced along the way, and we were a suit short. After a long discussion, Blackmoor decided to reinforce his anti-horde ability by adding an airbursting fragmentation projector to his Crisis Team, giving it a large blast marker that ignored cover saves. This necessitated upgrading the Team Leader to a full Shas'vre and giving him a hardwired target lock. Centurian99 crash-converted an airbursting fragmentation projector from various tau bitz, and other units were upgraded with additional wargear to make up the points difference. Blackmoor also fielded the extra Fast Attack choice - a Pirahna TX-42 (another ForgeWorld kit). With upgraded side armor and twin-linked weaponry, the TX-42 gained additional resiliency and reliability at the cost of its gun drones.

Tournament Results

We came in 5th place overall, winning the 'close but not quite' award (given out to the team with the highest overall score that doesn't win any other major award).

Here's a breakdown of our score:

• Overall: 370
• Battle: 191
• Sportsmanship: 52
• Painting: 39
• Theme: 29
• Total Heads: 20
• Total Mulligans: 7
• Quiz: 8

In the first round we played against Cassius Belli's Godzilla Tyranids. In the second round we played against a Blood Angels army. In the third round we played against a mechanized Tau army. In the final round we played against a mechanized Eldar army.

Overall, we were pretty pleased with our performance given our high level of inexperience with the Tau army and a complete lack of the ability to play any practice games with each other or the army in general.

Tournament Pictures

You can see some tournament pics (and battle reports) in this article: Dakka Detachment 1 Adepticon 2008 Battle Report

Categories: Tau Army Profile  | Warhammer 40,000 Tournament Report