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I haven't played 40k since 5th edition, but the one thing that I've noticed is that most players groan at the thought of playing against Tau. I have a bunch of Tau from when I used to play, and I'd like to make a 1500 pt. army list that *doesn't* smell like cheese and anger. Winning is nice and stuff, but with standard issue S5 infantry guns and cannons that can shoot across entire rooms, I don't need too much help with that. Would you guys mind helping me with writing a fun, balanced list that won't get me stabbed in the parking lot post-game?

Well, it seems to me that people have a problem with static gunline Tau armies, possibly in conjunction with 1 or more Riptides.

So just don't do that. The codex has plenty of possibilities as a medium-range highly mobile army with a heavy infiltration/outflank component using crisis suits, vespids (yes, vespids), kroot, stealth suits, outflanking pathfinder special-weapons teams and so forth.

Vespid, vespid anywhere, no one will expect it, and it will lower your oppenants guard, and vespid have awesome models and aren't as bad as some people say.

We joke that the motto of Tau is 'oh we ignore that'

Cover - ignore that
Psychic phase? We ignore that
Assault phase? Oh you mean the overwatch phase?
Movement phase? Ignore that

Part of the reason playing Tau is so boring is that they really do nothing except the shooting phase. You know when you play against them that you will run all your units forwards and either get shot down before you make it or make it to close combat and immediately win.

So while some of the tau hate is definetly about their cheese. A lot of it is about their complete one dimensionality.

Right now, I'm looking at using fully mechanized FW, a couple of teams of infiltrating Pathfinders, and a bunch of Crisis Suits. Will that be more fun to play against than the usual? Are the Devilfish too cheesy?

Devilfish are not cheesy at all. Your list idea shouldn't cause anyone other than the absolute worst players any real problems. Tau are not a particularly strong army in 7th and it is the Tau gun line that is poor to play against and one of their better builds. The cheesy Tau stuff is as follows:

Riptides (and Forge world variants)
Missilesides
FBSC (best thing available to Tau I personally run 2)
Crisis teams as troops
Hazard suits
Farsight Bomb (though greatly needed in 7th is still a powerhouse)
Skyrays

Stay away from that stuff and the Tau codex quickly goes down hill.

 FlingitNow wrote:
Devilfish are not cheesy at all. Your list idea shouldn't cause anyone other than the absolute worst players any real problems. Tau are not a particularly strong army in 7th and it is the Tau gun line that is poor to play against and one of their better builds. The cheesy Tau stuff is as follows:

Riptides (and Forge world variants)
Missilesides
FBSC (best thing available to Tau I personally run 2)
Crisis teams as troops
Hazard suits
Farsight Bomb (though greatly needed in 7th is still a powerhouse)
Skyrays

Stay away from that stuff and the Tau codex quickly goes down hill.

FBSC?

gseed2p wrote:
FBSC?

Firebase Support Cadre I think? Purchasable Dataslate for 6 Broadsides and a Riptide: http://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Dataslate-Tau-Fireblade-Support-Cadre-Interactive-iBook-Edition

Some of the most fun games I've had with people are those that use a crisis suit heavy team and bounce all over the board. I started the game playing tau and I understand how some people get annoyed with tau players, you can still run missilesides and Riptides and have a good time. Maybe try a farsight list with crisis teams and be very mobile rather than standing and shooting if that's what people are complaining about

I'm just saying, I played a match just today with Tau. I am a Salamander player, and he used Shadowsun. He had 2 riptides and we still had a blast. (pun intended)

As said above, one of the main keys to me not hating this guy was the fact HE MOVED THINGS. He didn't even bring an ADL! When both sides are actively moving and engaging each other it is WAY more enjoyable.

Go figure!

Kung-fu crisis suits...nuff said.

But really, avoid the riptide and maybe avoid markerlights.

Maybe run some stealth suits, hammerheads, piranhas.

Maybe make kroot a large part of the army...

You shouldn't have to pick certain units just because people don't like them. I personally hate playing against drop pod armies and certain stars but I don't ask people to change their lists because I don't like it. That's very arrogant. As long as the person I'm playing is fun and I get along with them then it doesn't matter what they are using as you have a good time no matter what. If people are wanting you to change your lists because of their own personal preference then they are the kind of people you probably won't enjoy playing anyway. I've had my tear cup handed to me loads of times when playing tau gunlines but still had an ace time because of the person using them.

So, do mechanized FW, some pathfinders, CQ crisis suit squad + commander, and a hammerhead sound like fun? I know I'll enjoy playing that kind of list, but do you think that you would?

Grey Knight alpha strike is far more boring to play against than Tau (even gunlines).

SpankingApe wrote:
You shouldn't have to pick certain units just because people don't like them. I personally hate playing against drop pod armies and certain stars but I don't ask people to change their lists because I don't like it. That's very arrogant. As long as the person I'm playing is fun and I get along with them then it doesn't matter what they are using as you have a good time no matter what. If people are wanting you to change your lists because of their own personal preference then they are the kind of people you probably won't enjoy playing anyway. I've had my tear cup handed to me loads of times when playing tau gunlines but still had an ace time because of the person using them.

There's a difference between asking someone to change a list and what the OP has asked. The OP asked what he can take to make sure his army is fun to play against. I'm not going to want to play against an army with 6 waveserpents and 3 wraith knights (at least not more than once) but I'm also not going to ask him to change the list, ill just find a different person to play against.

Agreeing what type of game you want to play is a big part of 40k, even tournaments have list building restrictions (e.g. 1 CAD + 1 formation). While I agree saying "please don't bring any drop pods" is silly, finding a different opponent is perfectly reasonable.

Mechanised Firewarriors with Stealthsuit and character support.

It'll be interesting to lay against, you'll actually move more, and you'll do better in maelstrom of war missions. Actually take pulse carbines if fighting at medium range, and look at stealthsuits for ninjas with fusion guns...

Alternatively, try and build a full (ish) kroot army; throw in Knarloc Riders and Great Knarlocs and use Aun'Shi as a counts-as master shaper....

You don't, Tau players don't care about fun. The only thing they hunger for is to rub your nose in them beating you even though they let the cheese do all of the work.

 Vespid wrote:
Vespid, vespid anywhere, no one will expect it, and it will lower your oppenants guard, and vespid have awesome models and aren't as bad as some people say.

Vespid + Kroot Riders w las cannons on the back. Then Hunting packs of kroot hounds. If you need to make this kroot spam viable, take 3-4 cardes. Win.

Recently I've started to move away from my static "pile 32 fire warriors behind an ADL and have crisis suits waiting to jump forward with air support(the razorshark is actually really good)", which is a playstile that really annoys people.

Now, I have a Y'VAHRA suit, and 6 crisis suits (one is commander) and they deep strike around a stealth team's homing beacon, while the fire warriors and pathfinders surge forward in conjunction with the deep striking on turn two.
I no longer really use vehicles, even the razorshark, and I enjoy playing it, and it provides a less static way of playing tau.

natpri771 wrote:
You don't, Tau players don't care about fun. The only thing they hunger for is to rub your nose in them beating you even though they let the cheese do all of the work.

Bitter much? Tau aren't that great this edition, FE are their only competitive option as they struggle for mobile scoring. This just sounds like a bad player upset that a local Tau player is better than him.

Use Crisis suits as troops combined with kroots, markerlight drones and Hammerheads. Use a lot of terrain, infiltrate the Kroots into the terrain, use the Crisis suits high mobility to dance around the opponent (using the terrain and ability to move-shoot-move) and snipe/pieplate with the Hammereads. Drones to raise BS or ignore cover.

Take some of the less used parts in the Tau armory, such as the Airburst.

I've started using units/combos that I've never seen before and both me and my opponent have loved playing with them on the board. Some unit combos i've been running and how they work:

DarkStrider in a Dfish with 10 Pathfinders:This is a super fun combo that can pack some major firepower (I wiped out a full Missle Pod/Markerlight crisis team/commander squad in one round of shooting) Equip the pathfinders with 3 rail rifles and a Pulse accel/recon drone. The Dfish gets TLSMS,D.pod,Flachette (use the dfish to intercept chargers) I also bring a solo HRR broadside suit with Positional Relay so I can drop these guys on the side that I want.

Ethereal w/ 2marker drones in a full Sniper Drone squad:This combo is absolutely MVP when deployed properly. You get 27 BS5 Sniper shots @ 24" and 5BS5 Markerlights, So you can either decimate something 24" or 5ML support/9sniper shots @ 36", I always place these in a ruin for a 3+ cover save and just start markerlighting away until my opponent is foolish enough to get within 24" with something beefy.

Also I used to hate stealth suits but I've been using a squad of 6 w/ 1FB TL/ML, 5CDS and 2 gun drones. Each game I've used these so far they've saved over 20 wounds and managed to kill a couple vehicles/units. I don't really mind if they can't shoot anything but as long as my opponent is shooting at them then they earn their points back imo. that 2+ cover save or 3+ armor is amazing

And the Razorshark: This thing is such a beast. You can move across the entire board almost first turn if you wanted and since all your weapons are turret mounted you have a 360 degree firing range. These guys can easily fly past vehicles/flyers and pump 6 STR7 shots (plus 2 seeker missles) into their rear armor. And after all thats said and done you can drop a pie plate on whatever you want. I use these to clear the skys/ground of vehicles then start pie plating his troops off objectives. Lots of fun and seeing your opponent laugh@ your razorshark then cry later as it rips them apart is glorious

when I played Tau, I would just build what I liked, but I was always mobile, because I thought it fit the tau fluff better. you hear a lot less whining when you move your models