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Farsight 165 pts

Support Commander w/ Drone Controller, Puretide Chip, Neuroweb System Jammer, Onegar Gauntlet, Command and Control Node, Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite and 2 Gun drones 171pts

4x Body Guard w/ Fusion Blaster, Plasma Gun, Target Lock, and 2 Gun Drones 364points

3x Body Guard w/ 2x Plasma Gun, Target Lock, and 2 Gun Drones 273pts

Yes it would be 973 points lol, but you would have 9 crisis suits and 16 drones, all told there would be 38 wounds in the squad. Farsight and the drones would all have to fire at the same target but you would get 2 TL plasma shots and 32 TL pulse carbine shots.

The Crisis suits could all pick out different targets but you would get 4 TL Fusion Shots, and 20 TL plasma shots from them(if in rapid fire range).

All of the shots in this squad would ignore cover, be twin linked, and have the tank hunter special rule.

Also with JSJ you could get around the board with this unit. In your backfield you would still have enough points for a couple Riptides, some pathfinders, and maybe 3 medium sized squads of fire warriors.

Only problem with this squad would be moving it and dangerous terrain tests. I could make one of the body guard the support guy and make the commander a shooter but it won't make that much difference I figure, trading some TL BS 3 shots for TL BS 5 shots, as the weapons would all stay the same.

When I get Shadowsun I will add her in, but I don't have her yet.

...Why are you giving the Command and Control Node and Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite to a BS5 commander instead of a BS3 bodyguard?

 Savageconvoy wrote:
...Why are you giving the Command and Control Node and Multi-spectrum Sensor Suite to a BS5 commander instead of a BS3 bodyguard?

Thats a good question, when I redo it, it will probably be switched around. I didn't realize bodyguards could take more than 1 signature system until it was all written up. Regardless with all of the shots being twin linked BS 3 or BS 5 on between 3-4 shots isn't going to make all that much difference.

Adding Shadowsun in will make a big difference, but I will lose some gun drones. All in all the total point cost probably won't change much switching all the support systems to a bodyguard dropping the commander and adding Sahdowsun.

I like the bomb, and I'm very much looking for actual battle reports of players using it. It looks like a lot of fun, but very difficult to use properly.

In order of priority, I'd do this:
1) get vectored retrothrusters. Getting stuck in melee is no fun when you want to shoot. You test vs Farsight's I5.

2) A counter fire defense system is 5 points on your support commander and lets your drones fire with bs 2 on overwatch, which will double the number of hits.

3) Get double plasma for the support commander w/ advanced targeting system for character/special weapons sniping and move the no-shoot signature systems to a bodyguard.

Let us know how they play out!

I really dont understand the farsight bomb, near 1k pts of non scoring models!. Would anyone think this is competitive? or just for fun games.

MarkyMark wrote:
I really dont understand the farsight bomb, near 1k pts of non scoring models!. Would anyone think this is competitive? or just for fun games.

You drop a unit equipped entirely with twin linked AP1/2 weapons which ignore cover and can split fire into the opponents backfield with no scatter. Any tanks parked back there get vapourised by fusion blasters landing in Melta range and using puretide for tank-hunter. Any MCs get taken down by weight of fire with puretide for monster hunter. Otherwise you use puretide for counter-attack, so any enemy charging you gets to face around 30 S5 attacks (5 of which are WS5, I5 and AP2) hitting back. EDIT: Counter attack only goes on the model with it, so get Stubborn instead to stick around before using the VRT to Hit & Run away.

It's a deathstar you can't ignore or reliably evade since it can kill anything, fights at range and is highly mobile. So you have to deal with it somehow or you aren't going to have any scoring units of your own left. Whilst you're trying to do that the Tau player can seize objectives with their troops.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

MarkyMark wrote:
I really dont understand the farsight bomb, near 1k pts of non scoring models!. Would anyone think this is competitive? or just for fun games.

You drop a unit equipped entirely with twin linked AP1/2 weapons which ignore cover and can split fire into the opponents backfield with no scatter. Any tanks parked back there get vapourised by fusion blasters landing in Melta range and using puretide for tank-hunter. Any MCs get taken down by weight of fire with puretide for monster hunter. Otherwise you use puretide for counter-attack, so any enemy charging you gets to face around 30 S5 attacks (5 of which are WS5, I5 and AP2) hitting back.

It's a deathstar you can't ignore or reliably evade since it can kill anything, fights at range and is highly mobile. So you have to deal with it somehow or you aren't going to have any scoring units of your own left. Whilst you're trying to do that the Tau player can seize objectives with their troops.

I think as far as death stars go, it has something special going for it. However, except for anti-assault, it lacks in proper defense. Crisis suits are, after all, just 3+. There's the build with Shadowsun included for stealth+shrouded, that could be something. There are some nice synergies there, but I really want to see some battle reports where this unit does all that it's supposed to be doing. One problem is that if your deep striking, you're not using a large portion of your army at least the first turn. Infiltrating with shadow sun might work, or just give everyone dual missile pods and fire away at range

What would you get for the rest of the army to complement a unit like this?

I can do the same with 30 sternguard in drop pods for around the same, but its 30 wounds yea but it is also 6 different squads with up to say 60 plasma shots.

You can bubble wrap your juicy tanks or reserve them, and can deploy so you would only be able to get one tank or elite unit, you can have interceptor weapons that will make cost you a few wounds. There is a lot you can do to minimise the impact of a single unit like this yes you will kill a few things when you deepstruck down but against a good player it is doubtful just that will win the game.

You may last two turns, but in those two turns you have to kill 1k points of a army to get your points back, I just dont see it happening. I am hoping to grab a game tonight against someone using a farsight bomb, whether they deepstrike them or not I dont know but I reckon I could easily have it in a one turn with my current two competitive lists.

There will be a bat rep up soon by jy2 with deathstars, tau are one of them

Ironically Tau counters the Farsight bomb nicely. 2-3 Riptides will just drop their str8 ap2 pie plates on it when it deepstrikes in and call it a day for much cheaper points cost. They can tank incoming fire with 2+ 3++ FNP with anything that survived and then mop up the rest on their turn with str7 ap3 snapshots with a markerlight assist to raise their BS.

D6Damager wrote:
Ironically Tau counters the Farsight bomb nicely. 2-3 Riptides will just drop their str8 ap2 pie plates on it when it deepstrikes in and call it a day for much cheaper points cost. They can tank incoming fire with 2+ 3++ FNP with anything that survived and then mop up the rest on their turn with str7 ap3 snapshots with a markerlight assist to raise their BS.

LOL I have thought the same thing, but can you imagine the footprint of the unit I layed out? If you worry about Riptides wrap drones around the side the Riptides would be hitting, still would be nasty as hell. Kinda funny that the best counter for a Tau deathstar is other Tau.

Played against a farsight bomb tonight, they deepstruck down next to a ten man horror squad, managed to kill 6 of them as I went to ground, flew my lord of change over, took all their shooting with no wounds thanks to 4 fnp, two skyfire riptides also shot at him giving one wound. Charged in taking one wound on overwatch challenged and ista killed farsight then swept the unit, my LoC was str8 because of staff of change so i would have killed 4 wounds worth anyway if challenged was denied.

I have read on here to use a libby with gate and termie armour, i think it really needs that as then they wont get swept which I think is their major issue, At that point in the game I was using my two DP's with enfeeble to enfeeble a riptide each then smash attack them insta killing them, otherwise the farsight bomb would have been enfeebled and str6 horror shots (9d6 worth potentialy) would have been shot at them (the drones were killed this way)

the nice thing about the farsight bomb is that it lands without mishap. That means that the entire unit can land between two expensive enemy units. If you're playing against Tau, that player has to wonder if his BS3 template will scatter or not onto his units.

MarkyMark wrote:
Played against a farsight bomb tonight, they deepstruck down next to a ten man horror squad, managed to kill 6 of them as I went to ground, flew my lord of change over, took all their shooting with no wounds thanks to 4 fnp, two skyfire riptides also shot at him giving one wound. Charged in taking one wound on overwatch challenged and ista killed farsight then swept the unit, my LoC was str8 because of staff of change so i would have killed 4 wounds worth anyway if challenged was denied.

I have read on here to use a libby with gate and termie armour, i think it really needs that as then they wont get swept which I think is their major issue, At that point in the game I was using my two DP's with enfeeble to enfeeble a riptide each then smash attack them insta killing them, otherwise the farsight bomb would have been enfeebled and str6 horror shots (9d6 worth potentialy) would have been shot at them (the drones were killed this way)

Pink horrors? He only killed 6 of them because they went to ground? Did he not have a support commander giving the bomb's weapons ignore cover?

Nah he wasnt running one of those, my saves were pretty darn hot though, espicaly thanks to re roll 1's. He had two riptides hammerhead aegis with quad gun, two pathfinder units two 6 man fire warriors and 12man firewarrior unit plus the bomb

Noise marines and a pair of heldrakes

Crimson-King2120 wrote:
Noise marines and a pair of heldrakes

I was thinking the same. My 4 squads of noise marines, 2 helldrakes and 2x2 oblige would tear this up. In the meantime my nurgle spawn, maulerfiend, daemonettes and seekers and sometimes a DP would be raising Hell downrange.

I've tryed out the bomb with a Libby with gate and null zone, it worked very well you could make your unit better by making use of the new faq and take 2 of the same weapons

Helldrakes while are effective vs the bomb they are far from a hard counter to it there are a lot of drone wounds to soak up firepower as for noise marines and oblits how are they going to survive the bombs alhpha strike ?

 Kendowned wrote:
I've tryed out the bomb with a Libby with gate and null zone, it worked very well you could make your unit better by making use of the new faq and take 2 of the same weapons

Helldrakes while are effective vs the bomb they are far from a hard counter to it there are a lot of drone wounds to soak up firepower as for noise marines and oblits how are they going to survive the bombs alhpha strike ?

It's pretty easily to predict where the bomb will drop, and if you set up/move correctly its very easy to 'force' the bomb to drop somewhere your opponent thinks is optimal, but in reality it is optimal for you to kill it.

Farsight bombs are definitely not something to mess with, but my ordinance has a great time with them (provided all of my tanks are nice and spread out).

A player using the bomb needs to know A) what it can kill reliably B) what can kill it reliably, if you know these things in a game the bomb is very hard to deal with. Ordinance bar the riptide with ewo or barrage weapons isn't a problem as in the assault move you spread out and you get max 3 hits with a big blast.

I used the bomb and it did very well.

The problem is, that you really need the full loadout incl. shadowsun. Every dirty trick must be in there. If you forget things like the retrothrusters or the ignore cover thing, you are out.

And Kendowned is right: You really need to know, what it can kill reliably and what can kill it reliably.
Against fast assault armys, you have to resist the urge to use tankhunter/monsterhunter, when you need stubborn that round ect.

You also have to clearly see, that it isnt omnipotent. There are counters to it and you have to be aware, when the opponent tries to lure you into a trap.

Still, its very fun, as Its very mobile and just DESTOYS units in the shooting phase.
With my necrons, it often feels, like I shoot and shoot and shoot... and hardly anything happens. With the Farsight Bomb, Things DO happen.

I have done an ALMOST exhaust study of the farsight shadowsun death star in this thread here

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/521966.page

I have also played it in 3 games winning all of them, my most recent battle report of 2 games can be found here.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/523830.page

Furthermore, a fella is doing a deathstar face off batrep witht he farsight shadownsun bomb, that won its first match with barely any losses against a loc pinkhorror deathstar, see the cool batreps with pics here (this is being done by jy2)

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/523830.page


FARSIGHT SHADOWSUN SHOULD NEVER DEEP STRIKE! you need all that dakka from turn 1, deep striking makes no sense.....keep at max range and fill em full of holes!

Brickolage wrote:I like the bomb, and I'm very much looking for actual battle reports of players using it. It looks like a lot of fun, but very difficult to use properly.

here ya go. If your opponent brings a deathstar (of more points than the farstrike squad), then yeah, he can be cool. Otherwise....

 Kendowned wrote:
I've tryed out the bomb with a Libby with gate and null zone, it worked very well you could make your unit better by making use of the new faq and take 2 of the same weapons

Helldrakes while are effective vs the bomb they are far from a hard counter to it there are a lot of drone wounds to soak up firepower as for noise marines and oblits how are they going to survive the bombs alhpha strike ?

Easy. The alpha strike will kill 2 units at most and the rest of the 2x2 oblits and 5 man noise marine squads will chew them up.

My farsight bomb has a SM librarian in it, so I can deep strike every single turn

The key to a successful farsight bomb is to remember that it is not your only offensive unit and your strategy should not be it vs entire enemy force. I infiltrate 40 kroot snipers and outflank pathfinders to support it. No tau unit should ever ever try to fight alone, no mater how scarry it thinks it is.