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Hey guys; tau is one of my main armies i have had since their conception in 4th ed. So i have been tossing ideas in my head. A friend of mine gave me the idea of doing layers with the list. So 'ere we go.

Shas'el with HWMT, Missle Pod, PlasmaGun, Stimulant Injector, Shield Generator
Shas'el with HWMT, Missle Pod, Plasmagun, Shield Generator

Crisis Team
Shas'vre with HWDC, 3 shield drones, Multitracker, Missle, Plasma
Suit#1 Multitracker,Missle, PLasma
Suit#2 same as above

10 Firewarriors with Devilfish, disruption pods, multitracker
10 Firewarriors with DevilFish, Disruption pods, tracker
2 units of 10 kroot

2 pirahana's with fusion blaster, disruption pods
2 pirahana's with fusion blaster, disruption pods
2 broadsides with sms
2 broadsides with sms
2 broadsides with plasma guns

that rounds out to about 1850? THoughts?

I prefer shield drones instead of the gens for the 'Els also you can't have three drones for your Battlesuit team. I personally always like a suit heavier army and I haven't tested out the usefulness of piranhas, so I can't say anything about them.

Having just picked up Tau and only having made theoretical lists, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to throw Target lock onto the broadsides so they can split their fire against all the mech that tends to pop up nowadays.

And why do people tend to use kroot more than kroot hounds. Hounds seem cheaper and more effective at cc since they can at least get their high initiative attacks in. Unless kroot shooting is more useful than it appears to be.


I've seen battle reps where piranhas have been used effectively as walls partly because the opponent seemed baffled at how to handle all those vehicles with saves. I'm interested to see how it would work against an opponent who has an idea that its coming.

Oops, looks like you forgot your anti-horde. Have fun against a waaaugh.

Ailaros wrote:Oops, looks like you forgot your anti-horde. Have fun against a waaaugh.

While I agree with the sentiment, I believe I'll attempt to actually offer some useful advice.

How about some Hammerheads in place of Broadsides? Submunition Rounds could help against the aforementioned Hordes.

Monster Rain wrote:

Ailaros wrote:Oops, looks like you forgot your anti-horde. Have fun against a waaaugh.

While I agree with the sentiment, I believe I'll attempt to actually offer some useful advice.

How about some Hammerheads in place of Broadsides? Submunition Rounds could help against the aforementioned Hordes.

I would agree with Monster.

I would get two hammerheads, just to be safe.

I would also give your devilfishes SMS and Targeting Arrays.
I never liked piranhas... they are just so overpriced, even if they can tote a Fusion Blaster at move at high speeds.

Also, I calculated this list as being 1715 points, so you can put 135 more points into it. (Which I would put partly into your Devilfish and upping your Fire Warrior units to two squads of 12)

KamenRiderW wrote:Shas'el with HWMT, Missle Pod, PlasmaGun, Stimulant Injector, Shield Generator
Shas'el with HWMT, Missle Pod, Plasmagun, Shield Generator

I'd go Target Arrays for BS 5 and then Shield Drones.

KamenRiderW wrote:Crisis Team
Shas'vre with HWDC, 3 shield drones, Multitracker, Missle, Plasma
Suit#1 Multitracker,Missle, PLasma
Suit#2 same as above

How do you figure 3 Shield Drones? Only 2 per Drone Controler. Also, why 'vre and not Team Leader? Save a couple points? The stat increase for VRE is worthless.

KamenRiderW wrote:
10 Firewarriors with Devilfish, disruption pods, multitracker
10 Firewarriors with DevilFish, Disruption pods, tracker

MTs so the drones can shoot? Not worth it IMHO.

KamenRiderW wrote:
2 broadsides with sms
2 broadsides with sms
2 broadsides with plasma guns

A.s.s. MT or TA? I'd add Shield Drones to b-sides every time.

I was waiting for someone to call the three drones.

Actually, you can take more that two drones... reference this thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/290728.page

I would allow someone to play like that, though not everyone would probably allow that.

The Bringer wrote:I was waiting for someone to call the three drones.

Actually, you can take more that two drones... reference this thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/290728.page

I would allow someone to play like that, though not everyone would probably allow that.

I found the flaw in FocusedFire's argument on the 4th or so line:

"Under the drone rules there is no modification that requires the battlesuit to be equipped with a drone controller in order to purchase drone. "

40k is a permissive rules set. You *may* do X. This unit *may* do Y. This unit cannot do Z. This unit *must* do V.

Not having a modification that requires something is not permissive, therefore a flaw. There's nothing that says my Stanley claw hammer can't double as Orbital Bombardment, that when striking the table, any models that do not land back on their bases are destroyed and removed from play.

See the fallacy in that?

A good friend of mine plays tau, and from what I've seen you really don't need that many firewarriors. Pathfinders would be a nice addition, increasing BS or reducing enemy cover is very nice.

Kroot also make good cheap utility units. If they go to ground in a forest they can get a 2+ cover save. Great for holding objectives, until the enemy gets a big ole flamer on ya, but then he's attacking cheap kroot and not crisis suits. Plus they can infiltrate/outflank which doesn't hurt. Just never get the shaper he seems pretty useless.

Also 1 Shas El might be enough I would think. I would stock up on more suits (with a PR and MP I think) otherwise all other advice has been stated (I especially agree with less broadsides, more hammerheads)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
edit: didn't see you already had kroot in your list so feel free to ignore that part : P

Brothererekose wrote:

The Bringer wrote:I was waiting for someone to call the three drones.

Actually, you can take more that two drones... reference this thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/290728.page

I would allow someone to play like that, though not everyone would probably allow that.

I found the flaw in FocusedFire's argument on the 4th or so line:

"Under the drone rules there is no modification that requires the battlesuit to be equipped with a drone controller in order to purchase drone. "

40k is a permissive rules set. You *may* do X. This unit *may* do Y. This unit cannot do Z. This unit *must* do V.

Not having a modification that requires something is not permissive, therefore a flaw. There's nothing that says my Stanley claw hammer can't double as Orbital Bombardment, that when striking the table, any models that do not land back on their bases are destroyed and removed from play.

See the fallacy in that?

It is allowed by the fact "A model in a battlesuit that has access to the Armory may also choose up to 100 points from the Battlesuit Wargear list."

Drones are in the wargear list. Bam.

The Bringer wrote:It is allowed by the fact "A model in a battlesuit that has access to the Armory may also choose up to 100 points from the Battlesuit Wargear list."

Drones are in the wargear list. Bam.

Bam nothin'.

The Special Issue stuff is listed there, too; Failsafe & StimInjector, etc. Are those available to *any* suit? No. The suit has to be given permission in its "army list entry", that is, it has to be a 'vre upgrade.

So there are restrictions on how some wargear gets acquired.

The Drone Controller entry lists such a restriction. 2 drones.

C'mon, TB, we both know how drones are actually *acquired* by suits and FWs. And that a player who tries to push the 3 drone set up is going to get howled down.

There's no Easter Egg/Loop Hole for 3 drones.

On the contrary, in the wargear section special issue items are clearly restricted, but no rules restrict the buying of drones. Neither does the drone controller restrict the buying of drones.

I know that they probably didn't intend for it to be like that, but honestly I wouldn't mind if anyone was running around with more than two drones, as long it was still in the parameters of RAW. (1 of every drone + 2 of your choice)

The Bringer wrote:On the contrary, in the wargear section special issue items are clearly restricted, but no rules restrict the buying of drones. Neither does the drone controller restrict the buying of drones.

I know that they probably didn't intend for it to be like that, but honestly I wouldn't mind if anyone was running around with more than two drones, as long it was still in the parameters of RAW. (1 of every drone + 2 of your choice)

You also cannot allocate wounds to "wargear" then.
So "shield drone" does nothing at all.

Models may fire weapons. If they're not a model, they may not fire anything.
Thus "gun drones" and "marker drones" do absolutely nothing under the not-a-unit interpretation.

It's a pretty stupid argument IMO.
All of the drones have clear stat-lines with WS, T, W, A, Ld, etc. It's indisputable that they are models.
As models they DO give up kill points, it does not list an exception for models bought as wargear

What you are trying to do is against RAW entirely as well as against RAI and against common sense.