Tau vs Space Wolves/Raven Guard Allies (6th)
This was my first game in a few years, but I talked about the changes in
40k with my friend a fair bit, so I had a reasonably good idea about what still worked and what didn't.
I knew my first game would probably be against my mates Tau, and I also knew what he liked to use and and his playstyle, so I catered my list for his Tau. I doubt this list would have done any good against cheesey Tau, thank goodness he doesn't play that way.
Space Wolves: Primary Detachment
Rune Priest: Terminator Armour, Combi-Melta. Useless Warlord Trait. Mounted with 1st Grey Hunters Pack in Drop Pod.
1st Grey Hunters Pack: 8 Grey Hunters, 1 Meltagun, Drop Pod.
2nd Grey Hunters Pack: 10 Grey Hunters, 2 Meltaguns, Drop Pod.
Skyclaw Assault Pack: 10 Skyclaws, Flamer.
Long Fangs Pack: 5 Long Fangs, 2 Missile Launchers, 2 Lascannons
Allied Detachment: Raven Guard
Librarian: Terminator Armour, Storm Shield, Mastery Level 2. Mounted with Sternguard.
Sternguard Veterans Squad: 9 Veterans, 2 Combi-Gravs, Drop Pod
1st Tactical Squad: 10 Marines, 1 Meltagun, Rhino
2nd Tactical Squad: 10 Marines, 1 Grav-Gun, Rhino
Tau: Primary Detachment
This is from memory.
Ethereal: Mounted in Devilfish.
Tau Commander: Weapons unknown. Most likely missile pods.
1st Fire Warrior Team: Mounted in Devilfish
2nd Fire Warrior Team: Mounted in Devilfish
3rd Fire Warrior Team:
Kroot Carnivore Squad: Armed with Sniper Rounds.
Riptide: 2 Shielded Missile Drones.
Crisis Team: Armed with plasma weapons.
Pathfinder Team:
Drone Squad:
Hammerhead Gunship: with Commander Longstrike.
Broadside Team:
Skyray Missile Defence Gunship:
Pre-Game:
The list my opponent was using was optimised against my other friends Eldar, and I managed to convince his lazy side to not make a new list for me. I know that sounds unfair but I was used to the previous editions bottom of the barrel Tau, and he's been playing the entire time I haven't.
I knew how my opponent was going to play, he would play conservatively mostly, keeping his Tau far away as possible. Also he'd try and table me because then he wouldn't be close enough to get into assault range. He mostly plays against Orks and Eldar, neither of which Shock and Awe armies, so I thought to myself if I could disrupt him in the beginning with my Pods, the rest of the army could be swept away in the ensuing assault. Basically rush him and make him panic to make mistakes.
The table we use isn't regulation, so we played Dawn of War, placed terrain until we were satisfied and rolled The Scouring.
I ceded the initiative, immediately regretted it and tried to seize and failed.
Deployment:
I decided to deny flank, so did he apparentlyand our armies lined up.
My two Tactical Squads on my left flank in their mounts, both assault squads near the center, Long Fangs on a hill near the center, and the Whirlwind far right on its lonesome, all hugging cover.
Tau Commander on the right with the Drone Squad behind a wall. Next to them the Skyray. 3 Devilfish deployed near the center to the right. The center one had the Ethereal, Fire Warriors mounted in their transports on either side. We call it the party bus formation. The 3rd Fire Warrior Squad was held in reserve. Commander Longstrike on his left flank with the Crisis Suits hiding behind something as usual.
Tau Turn 1
We both moved our Scouting units, his eye bugged when he saw all that marine armour go. My happy face ended pretty quickly when his turn really started. His Pathfinders scouted forward with half of the unit in a small forested area.
His Riptide, moved forward alongside his Pathfinders, and his Crisis Suits who had nothing to shoot at made maximum move distances to try and get into range of my Long Fangs. He diembarked both units of Fire Warriors.
My plan somewhat worked when he concentrated fire on my Assault Squad and Rhinos. The dice gods looked at me kindly this day when a Skyray, Broadsides and Longstrike managed to collectively strip a single hull point off one rhino. The assault marines on the other hnd weren't so lucky and had half their strength wiped out by the Riptide and Drone Squad.
I placed one objective behind a hill to the left of my Long Fangs, and the other near my Whirldwind. He placed one with his Commander and Drones behind the wall and the other behind a wall on his left near his Hammerhead.
I didn't really pay attention to his Markerlight rolls or whatever powers his Etheral used, so just assume they were going off and being effective the average amount.
Imperium Turn 1
Having weathered Tau shooting, the Imperium assault could begin!
The Drop Pod Sternguard came in without scatter just to the right of his Commander and Drones, while the Hunter Pod with the Rune Priest scattered a little to come just in front of his Party Bus (the three Devilfishes). The Assault Marines moved in line to assaut the Pathfinders while the Skyclaws did the same but for the Riptide, but not too close, I didn't want Whirlwind friendly fire. My two Rhino's seperated slightly with the left one moving to the left and forward and the right straight.
The Sternguard lived up to their promises and unloaded everything they had at the Commanders unit, including Psychic Shriek, killing enough to force a check, which they failed (xenos aren't very brave). They were so close to the table edge that when they ran off the battle they just kept running. Nabbing myself slay the warlord, first blood and a kill point in one fell swoop. The Rune Priests unit fired at a unit of Fire Warriors, removing a handful. My Rune Priest cast Jaws of the Wolf World at his Broadside team, but they somehow managed to pass their iniative tests.
The Whirlwind did brilliantly and wiped out half of the Pathfinder team. My Long Fangs less so, with the Missile Launchers hitting and taking one hull point off the a Devilfish, and the Lascannons missing (they hit once the entire game).
The Assault Marines emptied their bolt pistols at the Pathfinders removing a few more, while the Skyclaws managed to chip the paintwork on the Riptide but not anything else.
The Skyclaws didn't live up to their promise, rolling 40 dice, Toughness six and 2+ meant they did zip. It hit back and they ran. Pityful.
Assault Marines on the other hand wiped the Pathfinders off the board, leaving them wide open to an insane amount of fire the next turn.
Tau Turn 2
The Tau forces rallied and spent all of their fire on the marines ahead of their lines. The Crisis Team continued its long trek towards my lines. They might have been quicker if they didn't try and hug cover at all times. Longstrike moved atop a hill to gain a better firing position. His Broadsides attempted to get away from the Rune Priest, but ended up putting themselves in a better position for being sucked into a void.
The Assault Marines were killed to a man, while the Sterngaurd took slight losses, while the Hunters were nearly killed to a man, the Rune Priests Terminator armour making the saves from all the shots coming from his right flank.
Again his anti-armour did poorly and took another hull point off of a Rhino, although he did use some of that fire to try and kill the Rune Priest and his unit. Invulnerable saves!
At this point he unloaded ALL remaining seeker missiles at something, but it doesn't matter what because they did nothing. Seriously he should have used their points on Stingwings and close combat Crisis Suits because they were useless.
Space Wolves Turn 2
My Sternguard I moved to secure the wall that the Commander recently vacated, while the Hunters and Rune Priest moved into position to light up those Broadsides with Jaws. I disembarked my right Rhino and moved the marines halfway into the forest which the Pathfinders had held ever so briefly. I didn't know what to do with my other Rhino so I moved them for cover and line of slight blocking because it was missing hull points.
The Whirlwind fired at the Crisis Suits, but of course they survived unscathed. Longstrike wasn't so lucky and Exploded to a volley from my Long Fangs (a missile).
My remaining marines concentrated on the disembarked Fire Warriors and the Skyray who still had its markerlights. Between the Sternguard, Librarian and a handful of shots from the remaining Hunters an entire squad of Fire Warriors disappeared.
My Rune Priest did what I wanted and Jaws of the Wolf World'd the Broadsides in one fell swoop. They then went and melta bombed a Devilfish because they could.
Tau Turn 3
His Kroot came in from reserve, I didn't think he would use such a daring tactic as Outflanking them, coming in on my far right edge. They fired at my Whirlwind but thankfully did nothing.
His Crisis Suits on their long trek were JUST out of range to shoot at my Whirlwind. Not much movement on his side, but his shooting killed all of my remianing Hunters, and leaving my Rune Priest on one wound.
His situation was pretty dire, but he still had a Riptide, his ethereal and a unit of Fire Warriors in reserve. He nearly called it, but when he rallied he actually came pretty close to turning this game around.
Imperium Turn 3
I moved my Sternguard towards his party bus, trying to tighten the noose. My other Rhino disembarked its Tacticals and moved to secure the wall and objective the Sternies vacated. My brave Rune Priest turned his attentions to the Riptide, it passed its Iniative test. The Long Fangs took their momentum forward and exploded the Skyray.
The Whirlwind turned its attention to the Kroot, who could ruin my backfield. The missile scattered so badly it might of hit the running Commander and his Drones.
My Tacticals unloaded their weapons at who they could, but didn't make much of a difference.
The Rune Priest gathered himself and charged, the Riptide, did nothing, then got Smashed into a fine paste. Didn't think that could happen but this was a learning experience.
Tau Turn 4
His reserve Fire Warriors came in, bolstering their numbers, and with their ethereal still alive they would reap their revenge.
The Crisis Suits and Kroot fired at my Whirlwind, but I might as well have fielded Land Raiders because he couldn't touch my amour that day. Also, Cover Saves.
Imperium Turn 4
Third Drop Pod finally came in, scattering a little, in front of the full strength Fire Warrior squad. Leaving everything pretty much were it was, my options were limited.
The Whirlwind made its points back when it fired on the Kroot, they failed their morale check and ran off the board. Long Fangs took aim at the Ethereals Devilfish and destroyed it, but some how the weediest
HQ in the game survived. My Sternguard then shot him to pieces. The new pack of Hunters Meltagunned the last Devilfish.
Tau Turn 5
Seeing my backfield as a lost cause, and with a new juicy target, the Crisis Suits started making their way back.
His Firewarriors and Crisis Suits focused their fire on the new pack of Hunters, reducing them to 5 men, but being Astartes they decided to stick around. I'm not sure what exactly the Riptide was doing over these last few turns, I think he was keeping it away from everything.
Imperium Turn 5
With the game probably coming to an end, I ran my Long Fangs towards their objective, and the Whirlwind to secure its own. I attempted to kill off the last unit of Fire Warriors, but I didn't have enough firepower in range, the half strength Hunters and only half of the Tacticals were in range. The remaining Hunters went to secure the last objective.
The game ended and we shook hands like gentlemen.
16vp-4vp
Post Game:
My plan went better than I expected in some parts, and not at all in others. I was lucky his list wasn't as effective as it could have been, I think the next time we square up things won't go as smoothly. It also helped that his heavy weapons failed to take out my armour, but then again my Tactical squads were mostly holding positions, they could have just as easily walked the rest of the board. Also his Ap3 weaponry spent all of its time trekking towards my lines. If he had one or two Crisis Teams on his side where I was dropping my strike would have faultered.
I thought my Skyclaws would do better, their flamer was useless (forgot to fire it), so a Powerfist will definatly be included next time. I really wanted that Riptide scalp.
I will be changing my list next time I play him, he knows what to expect this time, so I will have to mix things up to give myself whatever edge I can. His playstyle won't change, just his unit selection. He just got another Riptide... The Tactical squads will probably be swapped out for a single squad in a Laserback, their additional firepower wasn't great, a Lascannon will help. Maybe a squad of bikers accompanied by a Rune Priest or Wolf Lord. Also I need to learn how to utilise reserves properly, not having the bodies on the field makes me nervous, but that untouched unit coming in halfway can really make the difference.
I'm not a win at all costs player, otherwise why would I be using Space Wolves, but its a great feeling putting thought into a battle plan and it paying off.
Pictures next time! (maybe)
