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.

im considering an experiment in audacity
a tau foot list with no kroot and no vehicle period
that means no piranhas pathfinders hammerheads or devilfish

behold


Tau Army List
ARMY NAME:
Total points: 2001

created by: Eal'ta
author: Joe(yeti)

++++ [HQ] ++++

Points: 313
% of Army: 15.64

Unit cost: 195
XV8 Shas'el
--- [AFP, CIB, Targeting array, Shield Drone, Shield Drone, HW Multi-tracker, Bonding knife]
XV8 Shas'vre BG
--- [Burst cannon, Missile pod, Multi-tracker]

Unit cost: 118
XV8 Shas'el
--- [TL Missile pod, Shield generator, Shield Drone, Shield Drone]

++++ [Elites] ++++

Points: 468
% of Army: 23.38

Unit cost: 141
3x XV8 Shas'ui
--- [TL Missile pod, Flamer]

Unit cost: 186
3x XV8 Shas'ui
--- [Plasma rifle, Missile pod, Multi-tracker]

Unit cost: 141
3x XV8 Shas'ui
--- [TL Missile pod, Flamer]

++++ [Troops] ++++

Points: 630
% of Army: 31.48

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]

Unit cost: 105
Fire Warrior 'ui
--- [Pulse rifle, Bonding knife]
8x Fire Warrior 'la
--- [Pulse rifle]


++++ [Heavy Support] ++++

Points: 590
% of Army: 29.48

Unit cost: 230
XV88 'vre
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, Shield generator, Bonding knife, HW Target lock, Shield Drone, Shield Drone]
XV88 'ui
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, Shield generator]

Unit cost: 180
XV88 'vre
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, A.S.S., Bonding knife, HW Target lock]
XV88 'ui
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, A.S.S.]

Unit cost: 180
XV88 'vre
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, A.S.S., Bonding knife, HW Target lock]
XV88 'ui
--- [TL Railgun, SMS, A.S.S.]
-----------------------
Total model count: 72
-----------------------

Very curious, I'm interested in seeing how it goes for you.

I hope well
I face lascannon spam way to often to care about vehilces
the basic idea is

HQ1 dives headlong into troops and diminish capacity to take control of objectives early game.
HQ2 joins the first broadside team and becomes a dammage sponge
BS 2 and 3 create corner firebases with FW support
Fire Knives attack high priority vehicles.
Other crisis suits harass everything they can shoot

I plan on winning via late game grabbing rather then reach and hold

I'm not sure the list will work well, but if you really want it then lets try making it better.

First off, drop all the Shield Generators. They are way too expensive and you get the same result with free cover saves anyway. Shield Drones? Yes. Shield Generators? No.

Drop the CIB, its just not a good weapon. Take missiles instead.

Target arrays on the TL missile suits is a better buy. In a list like this, with no buffer or movement blocking units, if you're in flamer jump range you're even more toast than you would be in a normal tau list. You need the range and extra accuracy more.

In the Broadside unit that currently has Shield gens, take TA instead. I'm not a fan of A.S.S. Broadsides, the tiny amount of movement has only been worth it for me in DOW missions. Other than that TA or Plas/MT suits have performed much better. You also don't need the full 'Vre upgrade, save 5 points and just do team leader instead. You don't need the extra CC stats.


I'm still skeptical about the concept, but go for it anyway. I think a bunch of Piranha would almost completely fix it, Piranha for vehicle/movement blocking, Drones for mobile cover/assault blockers.

Creeping Dementia wrote:I'm not sure the list will work well, but if you really want it then lets try making it better.

First off, drop all the Shield Generators. They are way too expensive and you get the same result with free cover saves anyway. Shield Drones? Yes. Shield Generators? No.

Drop the CIB, its just not a good weapon. Take missiles instead.

Target arrays on the TL missile suits is a better buy. In a list like this, with no buffer or movement blocking units, if you're in flamer jump range you're even more toast than you would be in a normal tau list. You need the range and extra accuracy more.

In the Broadside unit that currently has Shield gens, take TA instead. I'm not a fan of A.S.S. Broadsides, the tiny amount of movement has only been worth it for me in DOW missions. Other than that TA or Plas/MT suits have performed much better. You also don't need the full 'Vre upgrade, save 5 points and just do team leader instead. You don't need the extra CC stats.


I'm still skeptical about the concept, but go for it anyway. I think a bunch of Piranha would almost completely fix it, Piranha for vehicle/movement blocking, Drones for mobile cover/assault blockers.

i normally use piranhas allot

i use generators because i rarely miss TL weapons so TA's are a waste
missiles give me 2 kills CIB gives me three
against vets with a heavy weapons team to absorb a wound that is important for leadership purposes
i didn't check that on the vres normally i dont

flamers do more damage then a missile does and there are times my suits need that aspect to them

as for cover our board doesnt have much
we have enough cover for a normal game but in terms of good places to drop down a unit and give a free 4+ with no intrusion there arent many
what we do have is good LOS blockers that require allot of angles and maneuvering thus mobile broadsides
that little movement is the difference between a punisher dying or not

I'll back all of CD's advice except: I favor A.s.s. for XV88s. And given what you said about your table's terrain, keep it.

I'd trade out *all* the Shield Gens in the list and fill up on SDs instead. 'Vre down to 'Team Leader' points too. Anything left over, maybe a Team Leader upgrade for a XV8 and Target Array, or, possibly transports. **

All that aside, this 6, unit 54 FW (no transport) list is going to get clocked. And hard. Alpha-Striking DE, BA (StormRavens) or any DropPodding armies are going to ... clobber, no, pwn, no ... man, I can't come up with something appropriate.

Or inappropriate.

It is just way too large and slow to avoid 5e's faster lists. Once the FWs get caught in h2h, then the XV8s won't have much to shoot at, and they'll get caught soon after that, considering that your XV8s probably use them for Cover. Space Wolf scouts will eat two FW units for breakfast when they show up.

Do you own any D'fish or are you really trying to bring 'gun-line' back?

**I'd consolidate the 6 FW units into 4, full strength. You could use the other FWs as Pathfinders, provided you own d'fish models.

All that aside, this 6, unit 54 FW (no transport) list is going to get clocked. And hard. Alpha-Striking DE, BA (StormRavens) or any DropPodding armies are going to ... clobber, no, pwn, no ... man, I can't come up with something appropriate.

i face guard eldar and SM so ya

this is an experiment trying no vehicles

notice the SG's are on things with SD's already
the idea is the models and drones get 4+ and soak fire

In addition to what previous posters stated, I feel that you need to get more plasma or melta into your list, as it is, you have 1 fireknife squad, a CIB, and some railguns which can reliabliy take out MEQ/ TEQ. If you faced FnP Blood Angels, you'd be toast (well....most Tau lists would be toast, but yours more than most)

I'm very surpised that you are not including kroot, they seem like a must have, especially because you are deploying in a gun-line.

All in all, this is experiment is novel, but it will be clocked by a lot of lists, but as you stated, you are facing specific armies in your meta. So go to town

docbrown: Sorry, I missed the intent line on your first post. IG, Eldar and SM? Huh.

Okay, skipping all that 'transport' non-sense I was yammering, I'd still toss the SGs.

First off this isnt a gunline list
this is a dual firebase list
The lack of plasma is due to the lack of FNP at our table which is due to S8+ spam
Kroot are removed because they are nice but i find them lacking. Small arms fire destroys them. They are a nice offensive weapon with(IMHO) more power then we give credit for. However no save and poor leadership mean in times of need they can be removed quickly. Adding a shaper makes them to expensive. Ergo Firewarriors.

I know people have this hate going on fore them but FW teams have never been a negative in my list. Even in the worst games i find them doing something of value. Meanwhile the #1 saying at our table is "Kroot DIe"

I agree with most of what was said here.

I would suggest to make this list work:

1st Maxing out broadsides! This is usually mandatory at 2000 pts.
2nd Mobilization is a problem, so why not get devilfish?
3rd If you get devilfish, why not get pathfinders to give all your fire warriors increased BS for more daaakkkaa!


Something like this:

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

1896 Pts.

Spend what's left on a crisis battlesuit commander fashioned to your liking.

docbrown wrote:First off this isnt a gunline list
this is a dual firebase list

54 Fire Warriors is *not* gun-line?

I'll fly that in another thread and see how many tau players disagree with your opinion.

And *every* tau list, with 10+ Crisis Suits, and a big FW contingent, *is* a dual fire base list ... FWs doing their thing and the jumpers doing theirs. 'Course, with b-sides, don't you have a "trio firebase list" ?

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

12 Fire Warriors
Warfish
240 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

6 Pathfinders
72 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

3 Broadsides
A.S.S.
240 Pts.

1896 Pts.

hell no
9 broadsides is to much power if it means sacrificing all my crisis suits
i can make a deathrain drop a vehicle i cant make a broadside drop a 50 man conscript squad
In your list all your points are dropped into warfish which are great but dont do much in terms of offensive power
i dont want to move my FW quickly so there is no need
I hate Pathfinders
They do great.
But they take all the fire.
I can never plan or depend on a pathfinder to be effective because he will either die or miss.

and id rather have 6-9 man vs 4-12 man its much more flexible.

and no the SD heavy unit is not a firebase. Its more of a heat generating damage sponge designed to take fire away from other things

the list went ok
we changed to 1850 so i dropped some FW teams
i incorperated some piranhas because i knew i needed some melta

the list basically nuked everything in sight
only one vehilce remained(basilisk) but it was surrounded by wreckage and in accesible

The FW tac teams seized and held the middle ground holding all units in their deployment zone

all that was left for the guard eldar opponents was a melta charge after the 2 vehicles my teammate(SM) brought

Unfortunately mortars and seige cannons left all my troops wide open

my teammate sunk all points into termies and honor guard
suicide droped melta tac squads and left his others out to dry

he incorporated a chapter banner in order to give fearless then kept it away from everything

my opponent said it best
this was a success of the tau and a failure of his teammate