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the_scotsman wrote: That story was awesome. God, how much I've missed reading a story without a seemingly omniscient, invulnerable protagonist.
I like the short story, really good.
But a couple of questions to people with Tau knowledge.
Spoiler:
Do they have a habit of doing that to their allies? I don’t really remember much of this, ore that they take anyone in.
Was it just because of what he said, the slip of the tongue?
I mean they killed all the Kroot too, so it can’t have just been an imperial ‘superstition’ that the Tau mentions..
Basically, the fourth sphere expansion disappeared into the warp, beta testing the Taus new longrange warp drives.
The fifth sphere (Shadowsun) was sent to find them, and they brought along their usual kroot and human allies.
They find the fourth sphere and the fourth sphere guys start shooting up all the non-Tau. that was hinted in the earlier story, and likely what happened here.
"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"
"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"
"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"
"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"
That was a good story, nice to see the 4th sphere guys expanded a bit with GW also deciding to kill off any chance of gue vesa rules
'I've played Guard for years, and the best piece of advice is to always utilize the Guard's best special rule: "we roll more dice than you" ' - stormleader
"Sector Imperialis: 25mm and 40mm Round Bases (40+20) 26€ (Including 32 skulls for basing) " GW design philosophy in a nutshell
It's interesting that The Eight are called out as getting datasheets as a preorder thing for the book, I wonder if something ends up happening with the Fourth Sphere survivors going over to the Farsight Enclaves?
Yet no, as he staggered and stared around he could see more T’au firing upon shocked Gue’vesa as they emerged from cover. Nearby, he heard the crack of Kroot rifles and the alien mercenaries’ harsh shrieks as their former allies butchered them.
This is rather weirdly phrased, as it can mean either the Tau butchering the Kroot or the Kroot butchering the Gue'vesa.
Yeah, its not clear. I think the Tau are killing the kroot and the kroot are returning fire, but it could be that the kroot are also Order 66ing the Gue'Vesa and shrieking out war cries.
Still, good to see that the Tau are no longer goody two shoes and do consider their "allies" to be expendable if the Greater Good commands it.
Sounds more likely they're trying to write out the Gue'vesa so they don't have to produce models for them.
Yet no, as he staggered and stared around he could see more T’au firing upon shocked Gue’vesa as they emerged from cover. Nearby, he heard the crack of Kroot rifles and the alien mercenaries’ harsh shrieks as their former allies butchered them.
This is rather weirdly phrased, as it can mean either the Tau butchering the Kroot or the Kroot butchering the Gue'vesa.
Yeah, its not clear. I think the Tau are killing the kroot and the kroot are returning fire, but it could be that the kroot are also Order 66ing the Gue'Vesa and shrieking out war cries.
Still, good to see that the Tau are no longer goody two shoes and do consider their "allies" to be expendable if the Greater Good commands it.
Sounds more likely they're trying to write out the Gue'vesa so they don't have to produce models for them.
Well they never bothered before... I read it as the Kroot killing the humans.
Sad really - so many cool possibilities for new models and conversions in the Tau lore.........and they make another Shadowsun model.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 18:12:51
I AM A MARINE PLAYER
"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos
"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001
Yet no, as he staggered and stared around he could see more T’au firing upon shocked Gue’vesa as they emerged from cover. Nearby, he heard the crack of Kroot rifles and the alien mercenaries’ harsh shrieks as their former allies butchered them.
This is rather weirdly phrased, as it can mean either the Tau butchering the Kroot or the Kroot butchering the Gue'vesa.
Yeah, its not clear. I think the Tau are killing the kroot and the kroot are returning fire, but it could be that the kroot are also Order 66ing the Gue'Vesa and shrieking out war cries. Still, good to see that the Tau are no longer goody two shoes and do consider their "allies" to be expendable if the Greater Good commands it.
Sounds more likely they're trying to write out the Gue'vesa so they don't have to produce models for them.
Well they never bothered before... I read it as the Kroot killing the humans.
Sad really - so many cool possibilities for new models and conversions in the Tau lore.........and they make another Shadowsun model.
Auxiliaries being pushed to the background so they can produce more EPIC HUGE Gundams is something I'm not big on. A coalition of xenos races was one of the Tau's better hooks. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years Kroot end up being filtered out into their own, standalone army.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 18:16:09
..one of the things i liked most about the Tau was the possibility of gue'vesa, and a revitalization of multiple races in the Tau. frankly the most recent battlesuit they employ are not things id ever get.. they look to wrong to me.
is this story an isolated incident, or is this human purging going to be far more common?
oh well, first steps to dissapointment and all that...
Yet no, as he staggered and stared around he could see more T’au firing upon shocked Gue’vesa as they emerged from cover. Nearby, he heard the crack of Kroot rifles and the alien mercenaries’ harsh shrieks as their former allies butchered them.
This is rather weirdly phrased, as it can mean either the Tau butchering the Kroot or the Kroot butchering the Gue'vesa.
Yeah, its not clear. I think the Tau are killing the kroot and the kroot are returning fire, but it could be that the kroot are also Order 66ing the Gue'Vesa and shrieking out war cries.
Still, good to see that the Tau are no longer goody two shoes and do consider their "allies" to be expendable if the Greater Good commands it.
Sounds more likely they're trying to write out the Gue'vesa so they don't have to produce models for them.
Well they never bothered before... I read it as the Kroot killing the humans.
Sad really - so many cool possibilities for new models and conversions in the Tau lore.........and they make another Shadowsun model.
Given the way it was talking about the kroot I think they were being gunned down by Tau as well, but it's pretty ambiguously worded.
Hopefully the 4th sphere is just giving players a lore reason to not run auxiliary forces and not the new norm so GW doesn't have to worry about ever doing more auxiliary forces. The suits get boring after a while.
'I've played Guard for years, and the best piece of advice is to always utilize the Guard's best special rule: "we roll more dice than you" ' - stormleader
"Sector Imperialis: 25mm and 40mm Round Bases (40+20) 26€ (Including 32 skulls for basing) " GW design philosophy in a nutshell
xttz wrote: Any confirmation yet if this SC set is £60 like the other recent ones?
We'll usually see the prices on Mondays or Tuesdays. We haven't seen them yet.
Previews-wise? We'll see a Psychic Awakening short story today, the first preview of The Greater Good today and then we'll see them through the week.
I'm expecting to see four previews--Guard, Tempestus, Genestealer Cult, Tau and not necessarily in that order.
My online supplier just posted
Start Collecting! Genestealer Cults - £60 RRP - Due 15/02/20
pretty great level of discount overall (even if I like the Goliath better than the Ridgerunner)
Assuming all the prices are accurate(I'm thinking they are, but still--doesn't hurt to make this clear): Start Collecting GSC would be the same price as Tau or Skitarii, meaning $95(USD). Shadowsun will be the same price as Junith Erita, meaning $45(USD). Kelermorph will be the same price as the Nexos, meaning $30(USD).
GSC comes out to $160 for the items inside, meaning you save $65(USD).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 19:16:25
Imateria wrote: Not really impressed with the dispersed fusion blasters, but I do like the longer range on the high output variant.
I thought it might be a bit much to hope for that she'd get the generic <SEPT> keyword but as I'm likely to run her ina Sa'cea detachment she wouldn't lose too much anyway.
Dispersed ones seem a bit crap to be honest. The bonus you get from having two shots is lost once you take into account that the focused one has twice the chance of wounding T4 - and if we start talking about T5 models then the extra damage comes into play.
Back to the drawing board Fio'la!
For 1 CP it makes a lot of the weapons Tau have pretty strong. Ion-Hammerheads become a lot more reliable and for the Yhavara it becomes absolutely deadly.
It's looks good on paper but less so in practice, imho.
This new strat lets a single model (non-Titanic, so no Stormsurge, Taunar, etc) with Heavy weapons with a random number of shots shoot the maximum possible number, for 1 CP (ie Heavy D6 -> Heavy 6 for a turn).
Now:
- the Ghostkeel only has the Fusion Collider (Heavy D3) that fits the bill, but making it Heavy 3 for a turn seems to me like a poor investment of a CP. Poor BS and only one random Heavy weapon on the model;
- the Riptide only has the Ion Accelerator (Heavy D6), but one of the effects of the Nova Reactor abilty already allows it to shoot as if it were Heavy 6. This strat is situational if you need the 3++ and you have at least 2 Riptides (otherwise, just use the Branched Nova Charge strat);
- the Hammerhead has the Ion Cannon that may work nicely with this: Heavy D6 8 -2 3 becomes Heavy 6. Juicy, but Hammerheads see little play thanks to no Saviour Protocols;
- the FW R'Varna has two Heavy 3D3 6 -2 3 guns, so shooting 18 shots is not bad at all. Problem: even if it looks like a Riptide, it has no FLY so it can get tagged into combat;
- the FW Y'Vahra is where the fun is with this strat: one Heavy 3D6 6 -2 3 flamer (auto-hits) and one Heavy 3D3 10 -3 3 mw-dealing weapon that instantly become Heavy 18 and Heavy 9 respectively... But it's a 400+ points model with relatively short range. We're not seeing many Y'Vahras on the field not because it doesn't put out enough damage, but because it's expensive, relatively fragile and easily screened out.
I can see this strat being useful for the big FW suits but it's not game-breaking imho. If it helps in shaking up the Tau meta consisting in Drones, Commanders and Riptides, it's a welcome addition.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 19:22:31
Auxiliaries being pushed to the background so they can produce more EPIC HUGE Gundams is something I'm not big on. A coalition of xenos races was one of the Tau's better hooks. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years Kroot end up being filtered out into their own, standalone army.
Or filtered out entirely (officially or not). Naked t3 infantry that are worse at shooting and aren't notably better in CC don't have any place in 8th edition. Even as cannon-fodder they don't really work, as tau are relatively cheap and get the various army buffs innately. The only salvageable kroot are the dogs, and only because nothing else in the tau army does the same thing.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 19:36:23
I can see this strat being useful for the big FW suits but it's not game-breaking imho. If it helps in shaking up the Tau meta consisting in Drones, Commanders and Riptides, it's a welcome addition.
This. The FW suits are so expensive that even with the strat they aren't that powerful, useful, but is it better than having triptides? The FW suits are both over 400 points once given drones and support systems, which puts them at the same cost as a crusader with 10 fewer wounds and a lower toughness. The FW suits would need something like an 100 points drop in order to be great and to see use frequently.
I can see this strat being useful for the big FW suits but it's not game-breaking imho. If it helps in shaking up the Tau meta consisting in Drones, Commanders and Riptides, it's a welcome addition.
This. The FW suits are so expensive that even with the strat they aren't that powerful, useful, but is it better than having triptides? The FW suits are both over 400 points once given drones and support systems, which puts them at the same cost as a crusader with 10 fewer wounds and a lower toughness. The FW suits would need something like an 100 points drop in order to be great and to see use frequently.
Exactly. A Bork'an Y'Varha gets two super duper weapons but with ranges 18" and 14", respectively. It still has BS4+ (it matters on only one of the two weapons), T7, W14 (13 since it suffers a wound to shoot, and decreases even further every turn), 2+/5++ and it needs a ton of Drones. I love mine and I try to play it whenever possible (also because of how much it costed me), but it's increadibly easy to be played around and it's a massive bullet magnet. Unless I commit 15-20 Drones to protect it, it never lasts beyond Turn 2.
We're talking about 413+150/200 points, almost one third of a 2000 point list.
xttz wrote: Any confirmation yet if this SC set is £60 like the other recent ones?
We'll usually see the prices on Mondays or Tuesdays. We haven't seen them yet.
Previews-wise? We'll see a Psychic Awakening short story today, the first preview of The Greater Good today and then we'll see them through the week.
I'm expecting to see four previews--Guard, Tempestus, Genestealer Cult, Tau and not necessarily in that order.
My online supplier just posted
Start Collecting! Genestealer Cults - £60 RRP - Due 15/02/20
pretty great level of discount overall (even if I like the Goliath better than the Ridgerunner)
Yeah, objectively though the Ridgerunner is a much better piece. Goliaths are trash, neophytes are much better just run on foot with one of the two defensive cults.
Ridgerunners are the best ranged antitank GSC have full stop after the point drops.
"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"
"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"
"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"
"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"
I can see this strat being useful for the big FW suits but it's not game-breaking imho. If it helps in shaking up the Tau meta consisting in Drones, Commanders and Riptides, it's a welcome addition.
This. The FW suits are so expensive that even with the strat they aren't that powerful, useful, but is it better than having triptides? The FW suits are both over 400 points once given drones and support systems, which puts them at the same cost as a crusader with 10 fewer wounds and a lower toughness. The FW suits would need something like an 100 points drop in order to be great and to see use frequently.
Exactly. A Bork'an Y'Varha gets two super duper weapons but with ranges 18" and 14", respectively. It still has BS4+ (it matters on only one of the two weapons), T7, W14 (13 since it suffers a wound to shoot, and decreases even further every turn), 2+/5++ and it needs a ton of Drones. I love mine and I try to play it whenever possible (also because of how much it costed me), but it's increadibly easy to be played around and it's a massive bullet magnet. Unless I commit 15-20 Drones to protect it, it never lasts beyond Turn 2.
We're talking about 413+150/200 points, almost one third of a 2000 point list.
Just put of curiosity from someone that once wanted to do 100% Suits, how are Hazards right now? Never seen them once this edition.
CaptainStabby wrote: If Tyberos falls and needs to catch himself it's because the ground needed killing.
jy2 wrote: BTW, I can't wait to run Double-D-thirsters! Man, just thinking about it gets me Khorney.
vipoid wrote: Indeed - what sort of bastard would want to use their codex?
MarsNZ wrote: ITT: SoB players upset that they're receiving the same condescending treatment that they've doled out in every CSM thread ever.
the Tau strat is only broken if they have a unit that's low in point cost with a LOT of heavy d6 weapons.
that said this kinda annoys me as I'd rather see GW buffing weapons with low shot rate and a variable damage. A Lascannon needs buffing more then an assault cannon, to use a marine analogy
Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two
A unit of 10 Aberrants costs as much as a V'vahra and could barely touch it before. Now it just get's vaped in overwatch, even if the Tau army never actually even uses their shooting phase.
A unit of 10 Aberrants costs as much as a V'vahra and could barely touch it before. Now it just get's vaped in overwatch, even if the Tau army never actually even uses their shooting phase.
This is dumb.
sure except thats what I mean, the only shooting that needs a buffing are single shot random damage weapons. If GW found ways to encourage people to take Heavy 1, Damage 1D6 weapons over heavy 1d6 damage 1 weapons, it'd be better for the game over all because suddenly the dedicated anti-armor units aren't also scary anti-infantry weapons that will delete entire squads in over watch
Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two
Yet no, as he staggered and stared around he could see more T’au firing upon shocked Gue’vesa as they emerged from cover. Nearby, he heard the crack of Kroot rifles and the alien mercenaries’ harsh shrieks as their former allies butchered them.
This is rather weirdly phrased, as it can mean either the Tau butchering the Kroot or the Kroot butchering the Gue'vesa.
Yeah, its not clear. I think the Tau are killing the kroot and the kroot are returning fire, but it could be that the kroot are also Order 66ing the Gue'Vesa and shrieking out war cries.
Still, good to see that the Tau are no longer goody two shoes and do consider their "allies" to be expendable if the Greater Good commands it.
Yeah, it's the kind of plot progression that best fits 40ktbh, the larger Tau Empire as a whole doesn't follow that mentality so it's not like there's a drastic change in their original approach, but it's showing that as the Tau expand further into the galaxy, their creed is being tested and challenged, thus evolving as result.
I don’t particularly like the story because the Tau purging them like that is not subtle. Maybe those are the traumatized Tau from the 4th Sphere expansion, but maybe not. We don’t have enough information.
I am not saying the Tau cannot have a dark side but it is just too ham handed them purging like Imperials. A more subtle way might be to just keep throwing the auxiliaries into combat until they are all gone. That way they go to their deaths, unknowing that they are really being expended. Then the Tau can look suitably solemn and sad, and milk it for PR. The most dangerous chains are the ones you don’t even notice are there.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/02/03 21:16:44
H.B.M.C. wrote: That new strat is superior to the Bork'an one in every way, and everyone can use it, and it costs the same.
How do they not see that?
I mean... its always going to be power creep. Although in this case its easy because the Bork'an stratagem is kind of crap.
As people have said, its going to be obnoxious on forgeworld suits, can see that being potentially faq-ed out. Not sure I'm persuaded on "its a lot of points". Yes but the Y'Vahra is already obnoxious even if its fragile. Mass drones is a thing.
Ignoring Forgeworld, as GW tend to, guaranteeing 6 shots on Ion Cannon Longstrike is nice and all - but hardly seems game breaking.
But it's a 400+ points model with relatively short range. We're not seeing many Y'Vahras on the field not because it doesn't put out enough damage, but because it's expensive, relatively fragile and easily screened out.
