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My friend plays tau, and when i play him he always sits his broadsides down and shoots the hell outa me with them.
What is the best way to take them out? (i play marines btw)

If you can get thunder hammer/storm shield terminators even remotely close to them, your storm shields will let you weather enough fire to charge them.

This is one of those instances where jump pack marines shine.

Space Marine Snipers work very well especially w/ Telion as he ignores the shield drones. 10 Space Marine Snipers firing at them helps as if you kill one of the drones they have to take a pinning check.

Even dropping assault marines can work wonders if one has a power weapon. Their WS is extremely low, and their toughness isn't all that great.

Basically get them tied up fast, DS Terminators, Assult Marienes, Bikes, transport spam, drop pods, all you have to do is get them shooting at something besides your heavy tanks and you'll win.

1. Assault marines (preferably with Shrike).
2. DPing Dreads rigth in their face (pop smoke when you land, and assault the next turn).
3. Shrike assault termies out of a LRC (27" possible assault range).
4. Tie them up with Scout Bikers in a first turn assault (sgt with PF)

That is just a starter list. Anything that can block their LOS or tie them up in CC early will limit their effectiveness.

I'd agree with the majority of posters here. I'm a Tau player and LOVE my Broadsides. Assaulting them is usually the way to go, but people tend to forget their alternate weapon system.

Most of my friends tend to overload their shots at my Broadsides. All those shots coming in pretty much guarantees they're going down.

But that's IF you don't mind using a turn or two shooting at them. If the opponent is fielding Broadsides and Hammerhead...

@Alerian:

3. Shrike assault termies out of a LRC.

So you are advocating Shrike fly alone or with another squad behind the LRC and join up at the end of movement, cause he can't get in the LRC.
Brain fart.

My 7 Cents.

1.) Termies out of a land raider dont work, because he still gets at least 1 turn of S10 AP1 Twin Linked shooting before you can advance, meaning your land raider has a decent chance of doing nothing unless you take more than 1.

2.) Assault marines work ok, he still gets to shoot at them before they assault, but you'll probably get that power weapon in there anyway.

3.) Scouts w/ CC weapons and shrike means a charge before he gets any shooting. This is my preferred option.

4.) Another good one is DSing a shooty squad with plasma next to him. Sternguard are great for this, especially when combined with a librarian. 1 turn of combi-plasma shooting with 5 sternguard means 10 BS4 plasma shots, 6-7 hits, 5-6 wounds, no armor saves. If he didn't give them 2 shield drones and park them in cover, that is the entire squad dead.

Sanctjud wrote:@Alerian:

3. Shrike assault termies out of a LRC.

So you are advocating Shrike fly alone or with another squad behind the LRC and join up at the end of movement, cause he can't get in the LRC.

My 7 Cents.

I advocate having Shrike with Assault marines. Since the INAT FAQ and John Spencer's ruling have allowed Shrike to infiltrate a unit (yes, I know, that is RAI not RAW), and every tourney that I have been in does the same, it is a very nice combo. Even if you end up in an event that doesn't allow Shirke to infiltrate assault mariens, i still prefer them with sim as an Outlanking force...24" assault range from the side really puts a cramp on your opponents deployment/movement.

Shrike and his sqaud can easily pull off a first turn assault (where it is allowed), as can the Fleeting LRC+ Assault Termies with there possible 27" assault.

I think snipers are the most cost effective way of dealing with the broadsides.

Dal'yth Dude wrote:I think snipers are the most cost effective way of dealing with the broadsides.

Space marines can only take snipers in groups of 10, as space marine scouts.

10 BS3 sniper rifles is 5 hits, 5 hits is 2.5 wounds, less than one of which is a rend. assuming 3 wounds, you only get 0.5 dead broadsides, or 0.16 if he took shield drones. assuming 2 wounds, 1 rend, you get 1.3 dead broadsides unless he's parked in cover or has a shield drone.

@Alerian:
First turn assault from pitched battle deployment is impossible for shrike if you go first and if they can't infiltrate.
The armies start 'more than' 24" away from each other.

The ass termies in LRC 'can' get that first turn charge though.

My 7 Cents.

Don't space marine snipers pin? All you need is a pin check with their LD.

Can you math hammer the TH/SS termies in assault vs the snipers on a point by point comparison?

My broadsides become ineffective through shooting, not assault. They fail a LD check and run off the board.

Sanctjud wrote:@Alerian:
I was actually pointing out that Shrike can't get in a LRC, which is something I think you were proposing.

So termies in a LRC can NOT outflank.
You still get the 27" effective charge range of the termies in a LRC deployed or from reserves as normal, no outflanking for them.

My 7 Cents.

Then you thought wrong...

I NEVER said, nor did I imply that Shrike can be in a LRC. Neither did I mention Shrike outflanking a LRC. You are putting words in my mouth, and I don't appreciate it.

I was talking about an alpha strike agasint the Broadsides with a 27" assault range (they have at most 1 turn to destroy the LRC, and it will have poped smoke). I was also taking about first turn assaults with Scout bikes...not outflanking with them either. In fact, the ONLY time I mentioned outflanking was with Shrike and assault marines, and then only if you weren't allowed to infiltrate them. Outlanking requires coming in from reserves roles, which can often happen too late, as the Broadsides will have already done their dmg.

Everything I recomended was a first or second turn answer to broadsides. Assault marines (preferably infiltrating and fleeting with Shrike), DP dreads (first turn drop), termies in LRC that gain fleet from Shrike (first or second turn assault), Scout bikes (first turn assault). As you can see, I did not recommend anything coming in from reserves to take care of Braodsides.

Whoops, you are right.
Was mixing infiltrate and fleet.

Sorry, that was brain fart right there.
Editted post to cross out the incorrect stuff.

My 7 Cents.

It's ok

I was really confused on why you thought I was talking avout outflanking with LRC termies, though. Now it makes sence.

I love Shrike against shooty armies for that Fleet. He makes a mockery of anything that wants to sit back and shoot, as he makes sure that there is not enough time.

Also, since most tourneys do allow Shrike to infiltrate an assault marine squad (as per RAI), his flying marines can take out most fire support units turn one.

Lucky you, not so in my gaming group.
But I've tried Shrike + Scout spam, was fun for 1-2 games, and REALLY boring/dried up afterwards.

Hasn't gunlines (in general) been shoved to the wayside. I think Shrike+fleets hammers the final nail, not the first....with mech being almost advertised by GW as 'the way to go'. IMO.

My 7 Cents.

Dal'yth Dude wrote:Don't space marine snipers pin? All you need is a pin check with their LD.

Can you math hammer the TH/SS termies in assault vs the snipers on a point by point comparison?

My broadsides become ineffective through shooting, not assault. They fail a LD check and run off the board.

They do pin, but at Ld8 it's far from worth banking on, especially considering you only kill a single broadside in the best case scenario.

10 space marine scouts are 140 points for 1 dead broadside. This is before camo cloaks, heavy bolters/missile launchers, etc.

5 assault termies are 200 points. 10 attacks, hitting on 3's is 6-7 hits, 5-6 wounds, no armor or cover saves, the entire squad dies, with the possible exception of shield drones. On the charge is 15 attacks.

That, my friend, is called a shutout.

Assault Marines.

Take a powerfist.

Deep strike, charge, instant-death them.

I play chaos but fight Tau quite often

Raptor/Assault Marine with PW, with melta/plasma

You can never go wrong with a good ol Lascannon

@Cheese Elemental:
You mean vangaurd vets, not assault marines.
Even then, you have to hope you get within 6-7" away from a deepstrike, hoping you don't scatter into them.

But yes, something fast that can tie them up in combat with a powerfist is one solution........to almost anything.

My 7 Cents.

Attack bikes with Multimeltas. Boost in for a 3+ cover save, and then shoot him up. Each shot that gets past the shield drones is a dead broadside.

If you can't assault like a beast, you can wear them down, lascannons are quite effective.

As I like to say, pump enough shoots into them and they WILL fail some 2+ saves.

Plain old assault marines really are the way to go.
Shooting them is what they survive best.

A unit of 3 Broadsides, each individually kitted (for wound allocation).
Team Leader with 2 Shield Drones.
An Attached Shield Commander (2+ save, FNP and two more shield drones)

That's a Sv2+ unit that has 5x iSv4+ models.
This unit can fire 3x T-link railguns, 2x T-Linked Plasma Rifles, 1x Plasma Rifle & a SM system at up to Bs5.
They can reduce cover save to nothing, so feh to turbo (with marker lights).
That is 9x Str6+ AP2/1 shots at 12", 6x Str6+ AP2/1 shots at 24", and 3x at 72"
It eats all SM units trying to out shoot it.
It laughs at a unit firing less than 5x S8+ AP2/1 shots

Assault marines, focusing all attacks vs. the broadside part of the unit.
Then sweep. In close combat you don't need to kill all of them, just wound them more.
Trying to shoot them to death is far too energy intensive.

Terminators (in a Raider) are to close in points to be an economic counter.
Especially when the target is the only unit that can easily pop their ride.

Outflanking scouts with a Powerfist.
Assault Marines.


I would highly suggest not trying to out duel a Broadside team with Lascannons.

two deepstriking squads-
One with bolter to rapid fire the drones away,
The second with fusion to insta-death them.

Scouts really are a cheap effective way to deal with TAU, bikes or CC or Snipers.


Also, Telion in a Sniper Squad can ignore the Drones and just tag the normal guys.


Scout Bikes can first turn charge Tau if MArine goes first he can multiunit charge more than one vehicle and wipe them out. They come with Krak grenades. They also come with a STR 6 which is useful in that you can swing behind and pick off rear armour.


Scout Bikes are a nasty piece of work and more should use them or don't I mean I dont want my Crisis teams and Tanks charged on the first turn before I can get away.

Well try and get into CC with em (termis in LR or Assault Marines come to mind). Or, blast em with Lascannons. They fail a save, they get insta-gibbed. Same with large Vindicator templates or your chaplains orbital barrage thingger.