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.

This is my 2000 points for a local tourney, I have 100 points to spend but don't know what to spend it on. I need C&C on this and on the list, please.

HQ:
Shas'El w/ AFP, missile pod, flamer, HW multitracker, HW targetting array

Going to join up with flamer suits to deal with light vehicles and anti-horde

Elites:
XV8 x2 w/ Plasma rifles, missile pods, multi-tracker
+team leader w/ Plasma rifle, missile pod, multi-tracker, bonding knife

Anti-MEQ, nuff said

XV8 x2 w/ TL flamers, Missile Pods
+team leader w/ TL Missile pod, flamer, bonding knife

Anti-GEQ/ light vehicle control

Troops
2x(FWx6 w/ pulse rifles)
+Shas'ui w/ bonding knife

Objective holders/ moving cover for suits. They will advance foward to take objectives if needed

FWx6 w/ pulse rifles
+Shas'ui w/ bonding knife
+devilfish w/ drones, disruption pods, flechette

Sit back and hold back objective

Fast Attack
2x(Pathfindersx8)
+Devilfish w/ drones, disruption pods, flechette

Markerlight support and devilfish is used for foot FWs

Piranha x2 w/ fusion blasters, flechette, disruption pods

They will deny lanes of movement, find back armour shots, and contest objectives.

Heavy Support:
Broadside w/ ASS
+team leader w/ ASS, target lock, bonding knife, 2x shield drones

Pure anti-vehicle, these are the land raider poppers

2x(Hammerhead w/ burst cannons, railguns, flechette, multi-tracker, disruption pods)

Mobile anti-vehicle

The main plan is to deploy everything together and the foot FWs, who would be in reserve

On turn 1, move everything 12 inches, except for the broadsides and pathfinders(firing for the transports) They would act as a distraction and a firebase/ markerlight base. They enemy would hopefull go for the broadsides b/c of their potential threat. I would then move the rest of the army towards the middle of the field and take them in the side. Now I'm shooting for the heavy-hitters. Once I have eliminated the mobility, I would then focus on the troops to eliminate objective holders, then I would mop up the rest.

In my experience with this list, I have done well in objective games yet suffer in killpoints as I field 19 (including drones)

As stated before, C&C welcome

Your notation is a little confusing for me - I will assume you're taking groups of 3 suits, and work from there, as this gets us close to the 1900 points you mentioned you were at. There is also no HW TA available for suits, so I'll assume you mean TL.

1. Drop FW squads down to 6 bodies, dropping the shas'ui with bonding knife. How often are you going to get either 1 or 2 firewarriors left on the board to make the BK useful? Not often in 6 man squads (and a 7 man squad is just a big 6 man squad).

2. Drop FDs off the devilfish. You can get more mileage out of the 30 points elsewhere.

3. Your commander is confused, as is your flamer squad. TL Flamers + MP does a very different thing than TL MP + Flamer. Figure out if their job is to suicide kill horde or if their job is to crack light armor, and build them to suit. Adjust your commander from there.

4. Once all that is sorted, add another team of three suits, and sprinkle a few shield drones around your suit teams, and I think you'll be at a pretty effective list.

Your notation is a little confusing for me - I will assume you're taking groups of 3 suits, and work from there, as this gets us close to the 1900 points you mentioned you were at. There is also no HW TA available for suits, so I'll assume you mean TL.

1. Drop FW squads down to 6 bodies, dropping the shas'ui with bonding knife. How often are you going to get either 1 or 2 firewarriors left on the board to make the BK useful? Not often in 6 man squads (and a 7 man squad is just a big 6 man squad).

2. Drop FDs off the devilfish. You can get more mileage out of the 30 points elsewhere.

3. Your commander is confused, as is your flamer squad. TL Flamers + MP does a very different thing than TL MP + Flamer. Figure out if their job is to suicide kill horde or if their job is to crack light armor, and build them to suit. Adjust your commander from there.

4. Once all that is sorted, add another team of three suits, and sprinkle a few shield drones around your suit teams, and I think you'll be at a pretty effective list.

Sorry, that's how I am used to writing lists and it was late so the brain wasn't really working

1. The FW squads are six strong, just one is the shas'ui, but I will take out the shas'ui with bonding knife, I just wanted to increase the survivalbility of the squad.

2. Sounds good, should I drop the FD off of the hammerheads too?

3. The reason for the confused flamer squad is that I don't have enough MP, once I get the bitz, they will be a squad of 2 deathrains (I'm going to downsize so that when the commander joins up with them, they dont have that much of a footprint) with flamers.
The commander will now be MP, AFP, TA, (2x shield drones?)

4. That's what I wanted to do, and now it seems I might have enough point to fit them in.

Any other suggestions? the one so far have been very helpful

I would advise to keep the FDs they do horrible (read: awesome) damage to hordes and you look like you are out of useful places to put those 30 points anyways. (unless used for shield drones?)

But Id say the biggest problem is the 2 x pathfinder teams instead of 1.
In most 2000 points lists you see they points are used towards something else. Such as adding extra Battlesuits to your squads. Which gives them the extra killing power they need.

Your list looks rather similar to my 1500 point one. (except you have 2 pathfinder squads, 2 Piranha and a extra HH rail -I have an ion in its place)

my 1500 list is 1 Commander (Centurion, HWDC+2SD), 2 VX8 (Helios) suits, 2 VX8 (Heatwave suits), 2HH (rail,ion), 3xDF+6FW, 2xBSides

And I plan to turn that 2nd HH into a Rail when I get the actual model piece (I will remove the FW leaders to do so) And for 2000 point battles I plan on adding 1 pathfinder team (removing 1 devil fish from the firewarriors) add more suits and either fill my FWs or throw in even more suits (stealths if can).

I would drop them off the HH also, but I think they're better placed here if you want some. That said, any time you are looking at a Tau list and trying to improve it, the first thing to do is to remove every non-vital piece of wargear, and really compare and understand what you're passing up to take it all points wise.

TL MPs can be a pain to model - I work from the position that a TL MP is not even supposed to be 2 MPs, but instead an MP with better targeting, and create my TL MPs by putting a big sensor (made from a burst cannon primarily) on the flat edge of the MP. Not really relevant, but a different way to think about this modeling pita.

Depending on how many points are left at that point, I would look into adding one of the following next:

broadside #3
10 Kroot for bubblewrap on the BS

mythological wrote:Shas'El w/ AFP, missile pod, flamer, HW multitracker, HW targetting array

Target Arrays are in the "Support System" section, not the "Wargear" section, and therefore cannot be taken as 'Hard Wired'. The TA has to take up the 3rd Hard Point. You'll have to drop something, like the flamer.

mythological wrote:XV8 x2 w/ Plasma rifles, missile pods, multi-tracker
+team leader w/ Plasma rifle, missile pod, multi-tracker, bonding knife

XV8 x2 w/ TL flamers, Missile Pods
+team leader w/ TL Missile pod, flamer, bonding knife

You and Jokorey have already discussed fixing your suits. As for not having the extra MP bit to mount of the model for a Deathrain ... Is the tourney scene *that* anal about WYSIWYG?

mythological wrote:Broadside w/ ASS
+team leader w/ ASS, target lock, bonding knife, 2x shield drones

This is 2 b-sides, yes?

mythological wrote:
2x(Hammerhead w/ burst cannons, railguns, flechette, multi-tracker, disruption pods)

I give my railheads Target Lock so the BCs can hose infantry and the RG can pop a tank.

Overall, you're equipping to deal with hordes? If so, try the BC/MP/MT FireStorm Config for your suits. Nice and cheap in points and they pour out the horde punishment.

mythological wrote:+devilfish w/ drones, disruption pods, flechette

Your extra 100 points ought to be spent on SMS for both Devilfish, eliminating the drone KP, and increasing the D'fishes' fire power. SMS, MT, TA and DisPod is enough. Flechettes if you're facing hordes.

That's roughly half your extra 100 points; perhaps add FWs. A full unit for FoF makes for a great weapon, but 6 of them ... not so much.

Or an additional FireStorm.

So,
SMS x2,
Target Lock for the HH
and a FStorm. Almost your 100 points.

Taken the suggestions into consideration and here is the revised list:

HQ:122
Shas'El w/ AFP, MP, TA, Stimulant Injectors

Elites: 477
2 squads of (XV8x3 w/ plasma rifles, MP, multi-trackers
one is team leader w/ bonding knife)

XV8x2 w/ burst cannons, MP, TA

Troops:480
FWx8 w/pulse rifles

2 squads of (FWx8 w/ pulse rifles
+devilfish w/ SMS, multi-tracker, disruption pods, TA)

Fast Attack:376
Pathfindersx8
+devilfish w/ SMS, multi-tracker, disruption pods, TA

Piranhax2 (one squad) w/ fusion blasters, flechette, TA

Heavy Support:560
Broadsidex2 w/ ASS
one is team leader w/bonding knife, drone controller, 2x shield drones

2 Hammerhead w/ burst cannons railguns, flechette, multi-tracker, Target lock, disruption pods

The bigger changes are:

-Added a squad of fireknifes
-Dropped Deathrain team
-Added firestorm team (going to deploy with commander)
-Changed firewarrior squad sizes to 8, got rid of bonding knife shas'ui
-Changed devilfish into warfish to elimate KPs
-Removed one squad of pathfinders