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With the amount of objective games I play, I tried to make a list that could solidly hold objectives while still maintaining taus outright firepower.
What do you all think?


HQ (226pts)

Shas'el
Airbursitng fragmentation projector
Cyclic ion blaster
Multi-tracker
Hard-wired drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Shas'el (106pts)
Independent Character
Hard-wired blacksun filter
Hard-wired multi-tracker
Twin-linked missile pod
Hard-wired drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Elites (345pts)

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (186pts)
Shas'ui
Missile pod, Multi-tracker , Plasma rifle
Shas'ui
Missile pod, Multi-tracker, Plasma rifle
Shas'ui
Missile pod , Multi-tracker, Plasma rifle

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (159pts)
Shas'ui
Targeting array , Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array , Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array , Twin-linked missile pod

Troops (390pts)

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fast Attack (181pts)

Pathfinder Team (181pts)
8x Shas'la

Devilfish (85pts)
Marker Beacon
2x Gun Drone,
Burst cannon,
Disruption pod

Heavy Support (358pts)

Hammerhead Gunship (180pts)
2x Burst cannon
Blacksun filter
Disruption pod
Multi-tracker
Railgun Sensor spines
Targetting array

XV88 'Broadside' Battlesuit Team (178pts)
Shas'ui
Shas'ui Team Leader
Hard-wired blacksun filter
Hard-wired drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Total:1500

Ok, in my opinion, I think you should drop 3 fire warriors, and upgrade the first commander to a shas'o, I know the internet in general disaproves of shas'o but I swear by them, for +25pts (2.5 fire warriors) you gain +1 BS, +1W +1WS +1LD +1A. The BS5 is a brilliant imo if you are using the ion blaster, since you want to get as many AP1 wounds as possible. The additional wound is useful for absorbing medium arms fire or lucky CC attacks from a bad CC unit that you'd otherwise kill. The +1LD speaks for itself, and the +1WS means marines hit you on 4s instead of 3's and coupled with the +1A you can hit back with some actual potency if a unit you couldn't quite finish off with shooting gets an assault into you.

The second commander appears to be wasting 5pts on a multi tracker when he has a twin linked weapon anyway, buy a target lock instead?

Also im not entirely sure of your overall plan and such, what do you want the first commander doing, will he be joined with one of the crisis teams? loning it? or accompanying a FW team

If he's joining the crisis team, I find the improved leadership (even better if shas'o) to be brilliant for keeping them from breaking when one of them dies. Theres nothing worse than a couple of spare bolters getting lucky and sending your crisis team running off the table with their puny Ld8 for such an expensive and important unit. Also, if he is joining them, may I suggest dropping the airbursting launcher for a plasma rifle? granted I dont actually the use airbursting launcher anymore so perhaps im forgetting any usefulness they have but for me the plasma rifle is just so good. AP2 and due to being a character precision shots. Idk about your overall meta but the amount of MEQ and TEQ models I encounter almost always makes them worth it.

Also with the broadsides, why take the team leader with the HW goodies? Maybe im missing something but surely hardpointing the blacksun filter on one and then the drone controller on the other not only saves you 5 pts which can go towards a bonding knife somewhere (or coupled with the +5 from the shas'els useless MT an additional FW or a targetting array on said shas'el) but is also required (broadsides require 1 hardpoint to be filled)

my two cents

Not a bad list at all. The biggest thing I noticed is that your second HQ is illegal. You have the TLMP, but then all other wargear is hardwired. You need to fill the 3rd hardpoint before you start hardwiring gear.

Also, what is the support system that you have chosen for your broadsides? Each one needs to choose a support system so I suggest you give one suit the drone controller with the shield drones and the other the BSF.

The last thing is your troops choice. 11 FW is a rather odd selection. I'd run either full 12 man squads or squads of 9. Reason being you need the same number of casualities from a 9 man squad as an 11 man squad before you have to take a morale test. So, you'll need 30 points to either bump up to full 12 man squads or go down to 9 man squads, because I would go the 9 man route and add a 4th squad. Hope some of this helped.

Brakkus40 wrote:

The last thing is your troops choice. 11 FW is a rather odd selection. I'd run either full 12 man squads or squads of 9. Reason being you need the same number of casualities from a 9 man squad as an 11 man squad before you have to take a morale test. So, you'll need 30 points to either bump up to full 12 man squads or go down to 9 man squads, because I would go the 9 man route and add a 4th squad. Hope some of this helped.

Thought that to then saw the points. It is a full 12 man squad, 11 shas'la + 1 Shas'ui.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I would also be temped to swap the the fireknife squad for a bladestorm squad. The deathrain squad should eat all the MP targets already.

I stand corrected

Thanks for the feedback so far guys, my plan is to have the el with TL mp to join the death rains, and the o to John the bladestorms, here's the updated list with all your feedback taken into consideration.

1500pt Tau Empire 6th Ed (2006) by Amis Roster (Primary Detachment)

Tau Empire 6th Ed (2006) by Amis (Primary Detachment) Selections:

HQ (234pts)

Shas'o (128pts)
Blacksun filter
Command & control node
Cyclic ion blaster
Multi-tracker
Plasma rifle

Shas'el (106pts)
Blacksun filter
Target lock
Twin-linked missile pod
Hard-wired drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Elites (363pts)

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (204pts)
Shas'ui
Burst cannon, Multi-tracker, Plasma rifle, Targeting array
Shas'ui
Burst cannon, Multi-tracker, Plasma rifle, Targeting array
Shas'ui
Burst cannon, Multi-tracker, Plasma rifle, Targeting array

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (159pts)
Shas'ui
Targeting array Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array Twin-linked missile pod

Troops (390pts)

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la
Shas'ui

Fast Attack (157pts)

Pathfinder Team (157pts)
6x Shas'la
Devilfish
Marker Beacon
2x Gun Drone
Burst cannon
Disruption pod
Landing gear

Heavy Support (353pts)

Hammerhead Gunship (180pts)
2x Burst cannon
Blacksun filter
Disruption pod
Landing gear
Multi-tracker
Sensor spines
Targetting array

XV88 'Broadside' Battlesuit Team 173
Shas'ui
Blacksun filter
Shas'ui
Drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Total 1497


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Would it be a good idea to drop the el for a aegis defense line?

After double checking my codex, it seems your BC/PR suit team is illegal. You can't have 3 suits, all with 4 hardpoint options. The suits will want either a MT or TA, but can't have both. I have never been a fan of BC on crisis suits, since we can get it in mass elsewhere in our codex. Also, why the Command & Control node? Do you expect your commander to be around enough units in order to make it useful? You can make him an El and swap it for a TA and get the same BS as an O for 15 points less.

Command and Control Node doesn't do anything anymore...

And yeah the suits are illegal.

And just a question, would you rather have the 3 squads of 12 FW or 3 squads of 9 and 1 squads of 8? Each squad would have an 'ui still, and you would provide more targets for the enemy? Except in KP games it seems like it would be more useful to have

You could even drop one unit down to six and have it jump in the DF for the late game objective grab? Just ideas.

Finally your HH is actually 185 with that load out by my maths. Double check, its entirely possible I am wrong.

Ok, reworked one more time.

HQ (206pts)

Shas'el (118pts)
Cyclic ion blaster
Hard-wired blacksun filter
Multi-tracker
Plasma rifle
Targeting array
Hard-wired drone controller
Shield Drone

Shas'el (88pts)
Target lock
Twin-linked missile pod
Hard-wired drone controller
Shield Drone

Elites (369pts)

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (210pts)
Shas'ui
Multi-tracker
Targeting array
Twin-linked plasma rifle
Shas'ui
Multi-tracker
Targeting array
Twin-linked plasma rifle
Shas'ui
Multi-tracker
Targeting array
Twin-linked plasma rifle

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (159pts)
Shas'ui
Targeting array
Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array
Twin-linked missile pod
Shas'ui
Targeting array
Twin-linked missile pod

Troops (390pts)

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fast Attack (181pts)

Pathfinder Team (181pts)
8x Shas'la
Devilfish (85pts)
Marker Beacon
2x Gun Drone
Burst cannon
Disruption pod

Heavy Support (353pts)

Hammerhead Gunship (180pts)
2x Burst cannon
Blacksun filter
Disruption pod
Multi-tracker
Sensor spines
Targetting array

XV88 'Broadside' Battlesuit Team (173pts)
Shas'ui
Blacksun filter
Shas'ui
Drone controller
2x Shield Drone

Frost, re - read the rules for equiping suits. They are confusing, but your first squad is still illegal. And redundant. You only need a MT if you have two different weapons, which with TL PR you don't. So if you want to go for TL PR then drop the MT.

I agree to re-read the entry on equipping suits and that your list is difficult to read. Also, don't pay for the TA on the HH as it is already included on it

Sorry about the crisis suits, had a hard time getting that, but I think I understand it now. Here's the updated list with the multi trackers gone and all suits legal (at least I think so, correct me if I'm wrong)
Also sorry if it was har to read, I did it from battlescribe on my phone, I tried to make it easier to read this time.

HQ (214pts)

Shas'el (118pts)
Cyclic ion blaster
Hard-wired blacksun filter
Multi-tracker
Plasma rifle
Targeting array
Hard-wired drone controller
Shield Drone

Shas'el (96pts)
Targetting array
Hard-wired black sun filter
Twin-linked missile pod
Hard-wired drone controller
Shield Drone

Elites (354pts)

XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (195pts)
3xTargeting array
3xTwin-linked plasma rifle


XV8 'Crisis' Battlesuit Team (159pts)
3xTargeting array
3xTwin-linked missile pod

Troops (390pts)

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fire Warrior Team (130pts)
11x Shas'la with pulse rifle
Shas'ui

Fast Attack (181pts)

Pathfinder Team (181pts)
8x Shas'la
Devilfish (85pts)
Marker Beacon
2x Gun Drone
Burst cannon
Disruption pod

Heavy Support (353pts)

Hammerhead Gunship (180pts)
2x Burst cannon
Blacksun filter
Disruption pod
Multi-tracker
Sensor spines

XV88 'Broadside' Battlesuit Team (173pts)
Shas'ui
Blacksun filter
Shas'ui
Drone controller
2x Shield Drone