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Hello folks,

I am new to this Forum as well as to 40k tabletop as a whole. Though im very into the vast lore and universe of 40k.

Finally a good friend of mine agreed to start his first army alongside me and I took the path of the greater good (obviously).
He trusts in the Emperor and goes with the Astra Militarum and while I do not know exactly what he will player, I am sure of a Leman Russ and some Guardsmen, as he bought the starter kit.

Further to that I dont know anythieng and try to stick to a balanced army, keeping in mind he will have some heavy hitters on the field as well as a horde of infantry.
While looking up some unit reviews, there was a specific strategy which I think could be pretty fun as it is not full of battlesuits but gives the foot soldiers some love.

++ Battalion Detachment (T'au Empire) [27 PL, 8CP, 499pts] ++

Battle-forged CP [3CP]
Detachment CP [5CP]
Gametype: Matched
T'au Empire Sept Choice: Bork'an Sept

+ HQ +

Cadre Fireblade [2 PL, 42pts]: Markerlight
Cadre Fireblade [2 PL, 42pts]: Markerlight

Commander in XV8 Crisis Battlesuit [7 PL, 123pts]: 2. Through Unity, Devastation, Advanced targeting system, 3x Missile pod, Warlord
.. Puretide engram neurochip

+ Troops +

Strike Team [2 PL, 38pts]
.. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Markerlight, Pulse rifle
.. 4x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle
Strike Team [2 PL, 35pts]
.. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle
.. 4x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle

Strike Team [2 PL, 38pts]
.. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Markerlight, Pulse rifle
.. 4x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle
Strike Team [2 PL, 35pts]
.. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle
.. 4x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle

+ Heavy Support +

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits [8 PL, 146pts]
.. Broadside Shas'vre: 2x High-yield missile pod, 2x Smart missile system, Advanced targeting system, Seeker missile
.. 2x MV4 Shield Drone

++ Total: [27 PL, 8CP, 499pts] ++

The main idea is a mobile infantry (Would you like to know more? ) which is capable of fighting enemy infantry at long range while doing a hard punch if they get close. Three shots per model in rapid fire range at 18", thanks so Cadre Fireblade and Bork'an sound not that bad.
Hopefully making my cheap fire warrior into capable to contest with the imperial guards and secure objectives.

Against the inevitable Leman Russ and heavy fire support that will try to vaporize my tiny blueberries, I will have my gloriest moment in turn one... if that 27PL is underdog enough to get that crucile first turn.
Positioning the broadside and commander together and calling kayon while adding the "Command and Control Node" stratageme as well as "Through Unity - Devastation" should scrap off a decent amount of that 12 wounds from Leman Russ.
After turn 1, the the commander is free to roam behind my line with 42" range and 6x BS2+ AP-2 missles on board.

This will be my first game, so what do you guys think? Is this a fun but competent army to start with?
Any experiences with Tau/ Astra Militarum or feedback in general would be much appreciated! :-)

Greetings,
SirSheppi

Welcome to the 40K universe! You have a solid start and have made some good choices. At 500 points, I would be surprised if your opponent runs more than one Leman Russ, so you should have the damage output between the Commander and the Broadside to deal with it. My only concern is only bringing two Shield Drones. If your opponent gets first turn, the Leman Russ probably kills the Broadside and then you're in trouble. Two Fireblades at this points level is probably unnecessary, especially since you have Markerlights in your Strike Teams, so I would drop one to take four more Shield Drones. Then I think you have a pretty tasty 500 points.