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Posted By torgoch on 04/20/2006 10:50 AM

97 ? Shas?el with plasma, missile, array, tracker
Why would you bother taking a Shas?O ever again?

I thought about this. Torgoch has a point. The main benefit of a Shas'o is Bs5, all other numbers on the statline are secondary. +1W might make a difference, as can Ld10. But its not 25pts worth.
So the above shows that we have a new Torgoch pattern Commander.
However as I will prove, this does not sound the death knell of the Shas'o.


Why Take the Torgoch shas'el?

Essentially you get a Bs5 Commander for 15pts less than a Shas'o. As there is no premium price for a hardwired multitracker anymore this translates into a direct saving.


Why take a shas'o?

Firstly because in order to outfit a Torgoch pattern Shas'el correctly you need to use up a support slot for the targeting array, which cannot be hardwired. By deploying a Shas'o this hardpoint is freed for other equipment. However in defence of the Torgoch shas'el there are only two potentially viable support systems to outfit the Commander with:
1) Shield Generator. This is not necessary as a Commander should be easily screened and is expensive at 20pts.
2) Command Control Node (C3 node). Now this is worth the effort.


Value of a Command Control Node.

The C3 node assists any unit making target priority test within 12" by allowing the tester to use the Commanders leadership. This is frankly an essential piece of wargear in many new Tau armies for one reason - markerlights. Tau have only mediocre leadership and may have difficulty passing target priority tests. While you can spend a markerlight hit to avoid a target priority test that is wasteful and preceding markerlights also need target priority assist. C3 nodes provide Ld10, similar in some ways to a Chapter Master for your Tau! Target priority is important for any army, but it is doubly important for Tau. If a Pathfinder team fails its priority target test and is forced to fire at a screen rather than the tooled up assaulty Command squad just behind it that one failed roll may cost you the game. Other teams might pass, but Tau need the security of bringing its full firepower to bear and that often means markerlights.


How do I make the most of a C3 node?

If you have ever played (or faced) Imperial Guard you will notice how units are 'snaked' so that models from each unit are within 12" of and officer. Do the same. Deploy your Shas'o in your firebase and Prioritise any Pathfinders and Broadside suits first


Can I give a C3 node to a Shas'el?

You can and it will save you 25pts, however you now get target priority trsts on Ld9 rather than Ld10 and your Commander is now bs4, unless you remove a weapon to make troom for a Targeting array, and dropping firepower on a Tau Commander is a waste.


Its this cost effective?

You cant easily evaluate a C3 node in terms of fire/cost efficiency as it doesnt shoot anything. But if you were to asccount for the value of a markerlight at between 12pts and 30pts dependant on circumstances and value a C3 node as equivalant to one successful markerlight hit (i.e. two markerlight shots) the extra expense of 25pts is visibly worthwhile.


Should I only take a shas'o with C3 node then?

Not at all. Some Tau armies don't need target priority assist, and work on the principle of forgoing markerlights in favour of more battlesuit and fire Warrior firepower. After all to use the example above you dont need to priority target a Command squad if you gun down the screen and target the Command squad. Not all Tau armies work the same.

The second circumstance where the Torgoch pattern is superior is if you are using mobile Tau. If you have no firebase and deploy most of your army from Devilfish it will be difficult to catch enough of your army in the 12" range and Broadsides/Pathfinders are usually absent from mobile lists.


What should I arm my Shas'o with?

As you will be hanging back to provide Ld10 for Pathfinders, Broadsides and other critical units it pays to equip yourself with long range weaponry (missile pod) and its wasteful not to give any Bs4 or 5 Crisis suit a plasma rifle. So Fireknife is the optimal configuration. Other configs would work, but as the Commander is stuck with the firebase long ranged fire support is optimal.


What do you call this loadout?

The "Firebase Shas'o", simply because its a variant of Fireknife and is designed to lurk in a firebase.


Firebase Shas'o: Plasma rifle, missile pod, Connand control node, hardwired multitracker. 122pts.


Comments welcome.

So far I've found that if you going to have a static firebase, Shadowsun provides a much better investment, she may cost more and not have the long distance firepower but the Ld10 bubble is awesome and you can save some points by not upgrading your infantry squads with Shas'uis.

dont be hasty giving things names. you can still take a shas'el with twin missiles and plasma and HW multitracker, its now 1 pt cheaper than it used to be

that shas'el is just a fireknife with BS5. i'm refering to them as FK5 but thats not 'internet official'..

why've you called it a C3 node also? i've been calling it the command and conquer node, but hey...


anyway quibbling aside, i agree that C&C node gives you a reason for shas'o when you would otherwise have just saved 15 pts with a TA'el
and that this is important in a LD8 infantry army, particularlly with broadsides and pathfinders as they wont be wanting to shoot the closest target all the time


the other reason perhaps for a shas'O is if you bling him up to be really strong, and play really aggressive with it. ill advised but funny.

eg shas'O, plasma, fusion, vectored thrusters, stim injectors, multitracker - 75+20+12+10+10+5 = 132
this guy is to use hit and run, to bounce forwards into the enemy (side/armour) aggressively. hey, i didn't say it was a good idea. i'm not sure if you can hit and run after combat with a vehicle, so if he can't then he's not so useful.

shas'O, plasma, fusion, cyclic ion blaster, iridium armour, stim injectors, 2 shield drones, multitracker - 75+20+12+15+20+10+30+5 = 187
haha comedy bling. deepstrike this sucker, he's suprisingly durable to shooting, with all the 2+ on the drones and whatnot. iridum slows him, but if he deepstrikes it only costs him 11.5" average over 6 turn game

I think this is a really good and insightful article. We need more of this type of stuff on here.

I've started work on a general crisis suit article, which i'll be posting on here at some point. It might be a while, however, as I'm overwhelmed with work, but , iIf you don't mind, I'll take some of this on board, in a synpotic form - of course full credit will be given.

Also, Spooky is right. We shouldn't be too hasty about naming things - lord knows I don't want anymore 'torgoch' things floating around - unless they are something that is counter-intuitive.

Droidman - Shadowsun is a spaecial character, and therefore not always welcome. Noone is going to cry cheese at a Firebase Shas'o. also Shadowsun costs a lot and really needs to get close in. she is therefore incompatible with the role of a firebase lurker.

Spooky - Maybe I was hasty in dubbing a new Torgoch suit, but i think the Firebase suit is a good name. Who knows it may also catch on as a Dakka. I could always name it after Happypants. Hmm, maybe not.

C3 is a real military term and means "Command Control and Communications", later expanded into "Command Control Communications and intelligence" C3I and now C4I adding Computerised at the front. "Command and control" exists as itself and is called C2 but refers to the command structures of centralised backward armies like the Soviets, it would be very suitable for the Imperial Guard, but totally inadequate for the Tau. C3 encompases C3I and C4I in modern parlance and refers to more advanced battlefield command.

The Shas'o examples you gave will be fun, but are analogous to what you can do with a Carnifex if you dont mind blowing a few hundred points. Firebase is intended for regular competitive play as is a Shas'el Fireknife with targeter.

The TA'el configuration posted above has been just about standard for any Tau player I've seen thus far.

For the Shas'o, the C&C node makes sense if you're using a strong, non-mech firebase. I ran it in a few test games with a meched up army and your conclusion is correct. It's simply not worth it.

Another point worth mentioning regarding the shas'o: it's also useful for a vector/stim close combat harassment suit. It's a bit counterintuitive for a lot of Tau players to grasp the idea of the suit, but some of us have been tinkering around with the idea and it's certainly interesting, if nothing else. Nobody likes their backfield heavy support elements in assault, after all...

Ezz

yea, i like the way you shoot & charge, sit in combat suriviing unless there's a pfist, jump out into your turn, and can then re-shoot & charge the target. to tie up the devs, and grind them.

or you can bounce off down the flank.

i thought of another reason to take the shas'O, its so you can have 3 guns or 3 hardpoints as well as the BS5.
eg. plasma fusion CIB is only 127,
on an 'el its 102

so its a 24.91% increase in hits, for a 25% increase in price, bargain!

Not really pertinent to the tactics discussed, but 'C3' was the C&C computer from Classic Battletech. I imagine that's where the name came from.

c3= Command, Control and Communications.