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My friend and I are new to 40K and we've been playing some smaller 750 point games.

Recently I switched to Speed Freeks from foot slogging and our last game was a blowout; the Tau were almost all assaulted and wiped out on the 2nd turn.

My friend isn't sure what to do against fast assaulting armies with Tau and is looking for some advice.

The Ork list (roughly)
Big Mek w/ KFF
Trukk w/ 12 Boyz, Nob, Red Paint, Ram, Stikkbomm Chuckka
Trukk w/ 12 Boyz, Nob, Red Paint, Ram, Stikkbomm Chuckka
Trukk w/ 12 Boyz, Nob, Red Paint, Ram, Stikkbomm Chuckka
Trukk w/ 11 Boyz, Nob, Red Paint, Ram

The Tau List (roughly)
Commander w/ Plasma Rifle, Cyclic Ionic blaster(?), Shield Gen
2x Crisis Suits w/ Fusion Blasters, Plasma, Shield Generators
6x Stealth w/ Burst Cannons
12x Fire Warriors
12x Fire Warriors

The board had a ton of terrain. We used the method where you fill up 25% of the board with terrain, then spread it around so there's 25% coverage of the entire board. Terrain placement wasn't competitive, but there was a lot of it. It meant that even the Trukks that weren't in range of the KFF had cover saves.

First turn, the Orks advanced 13" and fired Big Shootas. The Orks didn't want to advance to within rapid fire range of the Tau. The Tau put some glancing hits on two trukks during shooting, but because he deployed his troops on a hill, he couldn't shoot if he backed up.

Second Turn, Trukks advance 6", deploy to within 6", run and assault both units of Fire Warriors and the Stealth Suits. The Fire Warriors were in supporting fire range of each other, but both were going to be assaulted, so he decided to fire at different units. Predictably, the Orks won the assaults and the sweeping advance. The Commander was in range of the Stealth Suits for supporting fire, but that Assault went about as expected with the Stealth suits wiped out.

I know the first thing he should be adding is Marker Lights. He's concerned about them being overpowered as we're just playing for fun. I've told him that it's an integral part of his list and if he's not using them, he's passing on a very valuable tool.

Second, he used terrain badly - he was avoiding terrain with the suits to avoid dangerous terrain tests, but left himself too close to the Orks. I explained that it's really not much to worry about; you need a 1 to take a wound, then you still get a save. Plus, I don't have any AP, so the units that were far enough away were moving farther to get in cover (4+) when he has a 4+ Invulnerable and a 3+ save (ie. Cover save not relevant). The Fire Warriors on a hill was probably a bad idea, too. Their armour save is equal/better than the cover save and I didn't have any AP.

Beyond these things, what are the typical Tau tactics against a fast assault army like Orks or Dark Eldar?

Thanks!

The best tactic available is to be mobile. Darkstrider is great for your fire warriors to run them back. Also he needs to work on his jump pack movement to stay out of combat. I wouldn't use plasma and fusion against a fast assault army, use missile pods, (great at wreaking trucks). Finally if he had a vehicle with free gun drones, they make a great screen for assault since they jump back and let the fire warriors shoot then jump in from to provide a small but effective screen.

This is a great topic for me. My brother just got in to the hobby and is putting together a Tau army. I will make sure that no matter what he gets, I will try to get in to his face.

However, I did play a 1300 pt game against someone at the FLGS this weekend with my orks against a tau. I got tabled.

I think mostly it was because of my strategy, but what really hurt me was jump-shoot-jump, him staying on top of terrain (where my bikes couldnt go), and me not being able to take out his marker lights.

If you are going against a speed-freak army with a kff, use those markerlights to remove the cover save provided by the KFF.

And against orks, you will want more shooting and will not have to worry so much about armor penetration.

Spread your units out around the board that way the enemy cant go from assault to assault.

His main flaw is he has a commander in a weird role. If he wants to be firewarrior heavy he should have ethereals and/or cadre. Commanders are for more elite heavy lists where you have minimal troops. Without a few big guns or a heavy crisis team to bolster the commander isnt that effective.
Also shield gen is a bit too pricy to me.

Blow up those trukks! It's not hard, and in doing so you make each boys squad very worthless. 6-7 survivors aren't going to do much walking across the board.

If it is possible try switching up the fusion-guns on the crisis suits for missile-pods. It will give them a lot more synergy with the commander and will offer long range firepower that will absolutely punish the poor buggies.

Waaaghpower wrote:
Blow up those trukks! It's not hard, and in doing so you make each boys squad very worthless. 6-7 survivors aren't going to do much walking across the board.

This is what you have to do. The thing is, you have to do it very quickly.

I've played many games against Tau, and if my Kustom Force Field blocks the railguns, then it's too late. Even if you get the Trukk blown up in its assault range, it can (and often will) scatter into your gunline, bringing those Orks even closer! (Anecdote: I once had a trukk roll into a Fire Warrior squad. The explosion failed to harm the Boyz, but killed 1/2 of the Fire Warriors!)

Honestly his tau list just sucks, shield gens and many of his weapons aren't effective against orks. In general they aren't effective at all unless paired with a focused group.

A good tau list needs a core of strng 5 shots. Either from BC's, gun drones AND firewarriors.

Marker lights aren't amazing vs this list, deathrain suits/riptides/hammerheads will make a mockery out of it though.

If I could make a couple fast and simple
Choices to this list: switch the suits to TL middle pod / missile pod and get HYMP broadsides

I feel like his list doesn't know his tau style. The two big types are heavy fire warriors or heavy suits. If he wants to expand with suits he need anti infantry suits. His suits are build for anti vehicle not people. No matter what army he faces he will outgun them so he will get assaulted. Kroot aren't to bad as a screen. Vespids are good against marines (experience at that one). Devilfish make them highly mobile. Hammerheads will, pun intended, feel like your tactics took a hammer to the head. And the best thing pathfinders. Don't use the stupid rail rifles you want lights. Target wise and watch as Tau fire warriors hit you on a 2+. Not sure how they work but the rule stats they can increase your BS in overwatch. (don't batter me, friend plays tau and I fight a 72 man fire warrior list and path finders)

First off, thanks for the comments everyone!

I feel I should clarify that we're not tailoring our lists against each other. We're generally aiming for "all comers", friendly (ie. not tournament) lists. As such, he has a core of FW, BC's for the Str5 and some "problem solver" Suits for things that Str 5 can't handle.

Does the point limit of 750 cause a problem? We're going to be expanding to 1000 soon and that will probably add a Riptide to the list.

Does it matter who gets first turn? Should he deploy back from the edge of the deployment zone if he's going second and right on the DZ line if he's going first?

It does and doesnt. Everything for Tau costs less than 300pts even when fully loaded including with pointless upgrades (One exception, Missilesides with Skyfire rather than Intercepter) that actually get used and are viable. But at that point range, its nearly half your army to take one. '
Tau troops arent as important as most armies, but that doesnt mean you want to take 2 groups of 5 firewarriors every game and call it good. Id find that point level hard to do anything thats not a firewarrior + cadre or Ethereal bubble. Tau can function at this level, but theyre a bit limited.

Orks are fine at that point level because Boyz are the strongest point-wise model in their codex, and thats about all you get at that level anyway.

Almost everyone i know plays between the 1250-1750 range, 1250 being the i want a fast game point but still allows a big toy or two and 1750 being the actual game.