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2017/04/17 23:28:14
Subject: Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 4!*
Hello! I've wanted to play out a Tau Civil War campaign for years now. Finally, it is happening. A buddy of mine is piloting the evil Empire, and I will be captaining the Enclaves. I apologize for the lack of fully painted, or indeed well painted models occasionally on display. I'm a mediocre painter on a good day. Without further adieu, let the Eastern Fringe burn!
Forging the Narrative, for those inclined, a prologue:
Spoiler:
Tau Empire Prelude:
Aun'lo was tired. Tired of the spineless equivocators who so clearly had begun to doubt the Greater Good. First among them was the now disgraced Commander Farsight who had deserted with an entire battlefleet almost a century earlier. Who knew if the traitor still lived? What Aun'lo knew for certain though, was that the Tau would never be great, never be a true galactic power, if they doubted their shared purpose. If they failed to enforce the discipline of the castes and the wisdom of the Ethereals. Now, after a lifetime of service, he had the chance to stomp out this traitor and his legions. The Farsight Enclaves were a constant reminder that the Tau could not even master their own little corner of the galaxy, let alone challenge Humanity for supremacy. They were a thorn in his side and he would ensure they were wiped not only from the histories, that had already been done, but from existence. Aun'lo savored the last drops of a Sa'cean cognac, letting the warming liquid dance across his tongue. As he gazed down from the bridge of his flagship to a once verdant moon of Lub'Ghral, he knew he would soon savor victory too.
Farsight Enclaves Prelude:
Errrrrruhhhh Errrrrruhhhh Errrrrrruhhhhh - The sirens of the listening station blared in rhythmic alarm as the quick reaction force readied for the assault from orbit. The elite force was chosen for their vigilance and commitment to be stationed on this tiny, desolate moon. They trained for just this moment; their entire lives honed for this inflection point, many knew their lives would also come to an end. This was no drill. Shas'O Q'ung gazed intently on the holographic display in the command center. He looked with silent horror at an invasion fleet larger than perhaps all the forces of the Enclaves. The sentry drones at the limits of the system showed a truly massive invasion fleet. This could only be meant for one purpose: extermination. At the vanguard of the Tau Empire fleet, he would first have to contend with a raiding party that was already descending into orbit. Q'ung donned his battlesuit helmet and knew that his life would end today. It would be well spent if he could hold the station long enough to get out a warning to the Enclaves so a defense could be made ready.
Mission and Lists:
Mission: The Raiding Party (1000)
Deployment: Modified Dawn of War. 4x4 battlefield. All forces must deploy within 6" of their table edge.
Whichever force has more points within 3" of the listening station at the end of the game is the winner. Tau Empire automatically receives the first turn, the Enclaves cannot seize the initiative.
Lists:
Tau Empire CAD
Ethereal Aun'wi, apprentice of Aun'lo: Warlord Trait Through Unity, Devastation (Re-roll 1's within 12", one use only)
3 Stealth Suits
5 Strikes
5 Strikes
5 Breachers: Devilfish: Disruption Pods, SMS Y'Vahra Riptide Battlesuit
2 Tetras
4 Marker Drones
R'Varna Riptide Battlesuit
Deployment: Tau Empire (Sept Sa'Cea) "The Raiding Party"
Deployment: Farsight Enclaves "The Quick Reaction Force"
Empire: The Y'Vahra bounded across the table to alpha strike the unit of Ghostkeels, hoping to detooth them by lowering the fire team bonus. My opponent said he just wanted to kill one, and kill one he did! The Y'Vahra failed its nova charge and took a wound attempting to add D3 shots to his Ionic Discharge Cannon. The R'Varna also advanced and fired an impressive volley, 21 hits! That tripling effect on monstrous creatures really hits hard but the Ghostkeels show the worth of their stealth fields and tank them all!
Enclaves: The Ghostkeels fire back at the Y'Vahra, removing another two wounds. The Y'Vahra is grievously hurt and hanging on by a thread. But he lives to fight another turn. The Ghostkeels fan out to try to nerf the effect of those deadly plasma flamers on the Y'Vahra to no avail.
Empire: The Y'Vahra advances again undeterred by the alarm systems screaming inside her suit's viewfinder. She melts four stealth drones with her plasma flamer and puts another two wounds on a Ghostkeel. The Keels are really hurting. But the Y'Vahra is too aggressive! She is cut down in overwatch as she attempts to assault the Ghostkeels. The Sa"cean stealth suits are jumping in front and behind of the listening station as they take shots at the Ghostkeels and remove a wound. Aun'wis team of Breachers in the Devilfish back up against the listening station preparing for the arrival of the Enclaves Deep Strike reserves. The R'Varna nova charges its engines to run forward and charges down the left flank of the Enclaves.
Enclaves: All the Enclave Crisis suits drop in, with one fatality as a flamer suit falls to his death during orbital entry. The Burst suit mishaps as well, placed by my opponent in the far corner of the battlefield. The other flamer suit burns four firewarriors alive, while the other squad falls back after losing two to missiles. Shas'O Q'ung and his bodyguard bombard the R'Varna with Plasma rapid fire and take three wounds off of the monster who will probably fire four times again next turn. The fusion suit takes a hull point off of the Devilfish, stunning it in the process.
Empire: I lost some pictures here but the R'Varna finished off the Ghostkeels without nova charging its guns, instead it boosted its invulnerable save to 3+ to help against that plasma team. The Stealth suits shoot the Enclave drone team and make them run. It's a close run match! The Enclaves have lost all their Ghostkeels, the Empire the Y'Vahra and its firewarriors.
Enclaves: The fusion suit slags the Devilfish thanks to some marker support from the Tetras. The flamer suit is already in position to fry the Breachers inside. But they tank all the armor saves! Aun'wi presciently ordered 6+ Feel No Pain and his bodyguards responded, inspired by their leader. Q'ung and his bodyguard take two more wounds off of the R'Varna with plasma rapid fire but that 3++ is hard to break through.
Empire: The Stealth suits descend from their perch on the listening station to help defend Aun'wi, who wills his warriors to greater accuracy (reroll 1's). They obliterate the flamer suit with pulse blasters and the Stealths take care of the fusion suit. The R'Varna fires at Q'ung but his armor is impenetrable. R'Varna charges! And kills the bodyguard in close combat. Q'ung's resolve is tested, but he holds. He faces his own death fighting this monster.
Conclusion: I again lost some pictures but both sides moved in towards the listening station with everything that could on turn 5, hoping to have the most points within 3" to fulfill the victory condition. Q'ung and R'Varna are trading blows just outside the range of the objective. It went to turn 6, which the Empire desperately needed, and R'Varna slayed Q'ung in combat with a deadly Smash attack; as he had presaged. But R'Varna's consolidation move was just 1", not enough to get within 3". The game did not go to turn 7, and the Enclaves claimed victory with 194 points to just 91 at the listening station. If the R'varna had consolidated better, the Empire would have had it.
Consequences for Game 2: Protecting the listening station long enough meant that the Enclaves are able to get out a warning message to the four planets in the system. The Enclaves defenses will be ready once the Empire's battlefleet is ready to make planetfall. The Enclaves will seize the initiative automatically, if they so choose, but the Empire must deploy first in Game 2. I hope you guys enjoyed this, I'm really excited to finally be fighting the civil war. I'll try to get more Sa'Cean models painted up for the next battle, though as I said, I'm not a great hobbyist so that may not be a huge improvement :::( Until next time!
This message was edited 9 times. Last update was at 2017/07/17 15:16:12
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/04/18 13:48:49
Subject: Re:Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign
Aun'lo was furious. He had entrusted his now dead apprentice to take the listening station swiftly, ensuring surprise for the main thrust. Now the entire system knew of his arrival, and he'd lost a secret R'Varna experimental battlesuit to the enemy. He cursed himself. He should have sent the expert to lead and made Aun'wi observe. He would not make the same mistake twice. He summoned Commander Shadowsun from her frigate and gave her command of the strike force that would make planetfall on Lub'Grahl. If the most skilled hunter in the Empire could not secure victory this time, perhaps this expedition was doomed to fail.
Farsight Enclaves Prologue:
O'Shovah was meditating in his spartan quarters when the raid on the listening station began. Afterwards, he thought he had discerned a subtle menace in what he had come to refer to as the fabric of the universe. He couldn't quite put a finger on when he began to presage certain events, and that unsettled him. But deep in his subconscious an unsettling truth nestled. The very same force that had extended his life thrice the normal span of a T'au was also giving him insight into the dark reality of the universe's greatest mysteries. If he knew this in his conscious mind, he suppressed it. A man of honor as pure and unsullied as Farsight would have to commit ritual suicide if this was ever acknowledged. Besides, a more pressing matter was at hand, the survival of this experiment of his in self-governance and meritocracy. His Enclaves existence was at stake, and he would lead their defense, as always, from the front.
Mission: Man the Barricades! (1500) Modified Hammer and Anvil Deployment, 4x5 battlefield. All forces must deploy within 18" of their short table edge.
Major Victory: Defender is victorious if no enemy unit at the end of the game is within 3" of the fortress. Attacker is victorious if a unit is wholly on the fortress at game's end. If achieved, that unit gains one of the following special rules for the remainder of the campaign: Shred, Feel No Pain, Twin-linked, Fearless, Preferred Enemy. In addition, the Empire will automatically Seize the Initiative in Game 3, if they so choose.
Minor Victory: Whichever faction has more points within 3" of the fortress scores a minor victory. +1 to roll for deployment in Game 3.
List Note: I have modified the profiles of the Warlords to make them more resilient, ensuring at least their narrative survival. In addition, I have allowed Forgeworld units to be taken within alternative force organization charts. (One can only hope!)
Tau Empire Hunter Contingent
Contingent HQ
Commander Shadowsun: Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die
Bodyguard: Flamer, Burst Cannon, Target Lock
Hunter Cadre
Commander: 2 Missile Pods
3 Stealth Suits
5 Strikes
5 Strikes
10 Breachers: Devilfish
Y'Vahra Riptide Battlesuit
Skyray
Armored Interdiction Cadre
Hammerhead: Railgun
Hammerhead: Ion Cannon
Hammerhead: Ion Cannon
Skyray
Farsight Enclaves Combined Arms Detachment
Commander Farsight: Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die
Aun'lo was furious. He had entrusted his now dead apprentice to take the listening station swiftly, ensuring surprise for the main thrust. Now the entire system knew of his arrival, and he'd lost a secret R'Varna experimental battlesuit to the enemy. He cursed himself. He should have sent the expert to lead and made Aun'wi observe. He would not make the same mistake twice. He summoned Commander Shadowsun from her frigate and gave her command of the strike force that would make planetfall on Lub'Grahl. If the most skilled hunter in the Empire could not secure victory this time, perhaps this expedition was doomed to fail.
Farsight Enclaves Prologue:
O'Shovah was meditating in his spartan quarters when the raid on the listening station began. Afterwards, he thought he had discerned a subtle menace in what he had come to refer to as the fabric of the universe. He couldn't quite put a finger on when he began to presage certain events, and that unsettled him. But deep in his subconscious an unsettling truth nestled. The very same force that had extended his life thrice the normal span of a T'au was also giving him insight into the dark reality of the universe's greatest mysteries. If he knew this in his conscious mind, he suppressed it. A man of honor as pure and unsullied as Farsight would have to commit ritual suicide if this was ever acknowledged. Besides, a more pressing matter was at hand, the survival of this experiment of his in self-governance and meritocracy. His Enclaves existence was at stake, and he would lead their defense, as always, from the front.
Mission: Man the Barricades! (1500) Modified Hammer and Anvil Deployment, 4x5 battlefield. All forces must deploy within 18" of their short table edge.
Major Victory: Defender is victorious if no enemy unit at the end of the game is within 3" of the fortress. Attacker is victorious if a unit is wholly on the fortress at game's end. If achieved, that unit gains one of the following special rules for the remainder of the campaign: Shred, Feel No Pain, Twin-linked, Fearless, Preferred Enemy. In addition, the Empire will automatically Seize the Initiative in Game 3, if they so choose.
Minor Victory: Whichever faction has more points within 3" of the fortress scores a minor victory. +1 to roll for deployment in Game 3.
List Note: I have modified the profiles of the Warlords to make them more resilient, ensuring at least their narrative survival. In addition, I have allowed Forgeworld units to be taken within alternative force organization charts. (One can only hope!) Finally, at the larger point levels I cannot field cohesive color schemes separating the Sa'Cea models from the desert scheme. Thusly, you'll see some Empire models in desert camo. I hope the narrative keeps things clear for everyone.
Tau Empire Hunter Contingent
Contingent HQ
Commander Shadowsun: Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die
Bodyguard: Flamer, Burst Cannon, Target Lock
Hunter Cadre
Commander: 2 Missile Pods
3 Stealth Suits
5 Strikes
5 Strikes
10 Breachers: Devilfish
Y'Vahra Riptide Battlesuit
Skyray
Armored Interdiction Cadre
Hammerhead: Railgun
Hammerhead: Ion Cannon
Hammerhead: Ion Cannon
Skyray
Farsight Enclaves Combined Arms Detachment
Commander Farsight: Eternal Warrior, It Will Not Die
Battlefield: A lost Imperial hive city on Lub'grahl!
Empire Deployment:
Enclaves Deployment:
Empire:
I massively underestimated the firepower of the Armored Interdiction Cadre, especially within a Hunter Contingent. He was already twin-linked within 6" of the center Ghostkeel model so he used his marker hits to ignore cover, and a lot of firepower was AP3 or better. He killed all but one stealth and put 3 wounds on a Keel; the next shooting phase was going to be worse because the Keels didn't have any drones left to take the Ap3 shots. I knew I was playing from behind from here on out, the Enclaves' hope rested almost solely on my reserved Stormsurge.
Enclaves:
I made another mistake here, which was to advance the Ghostkeels to shoot instead of jumping them behind the fortress at least until backup arrived. This pretty much sealed the fate of that unit as they would bear the sole brunt of the Armor's firepower for two turns in a row.
Empire:
The Armored Interdiction Cadre is no Riptide Wing, but it's nasty enough and if 8th edition makes vehicles tougher to kill and improves the strength of blast weapons as rumored, it's entirely plausible that it will be a more popular formation. The Enclaves are on the ropes! I need my reserves! The Y'Vahra rolls an epic 12" thrust move and jumps onto the parapet to await the arrival of the Stormsurge. I lick my chops hoping to D-missile her into oblivion.
Enclaves:
All my reserves came in; giving me a burst of hope that I might deal the Mont'Ka Killing Blow as the fates intended! Farsight deep strikes behind enemy lines with a fusion bodyguard while the Breachers accompany the Stormsurge walking on from my left flank. The Stormsurge makes quick work of the Y-Vahra, rolling that coveted 6 on the D chart, while failing to do much else. Farsight and his bodyguard explode the Cadre's Skyray, that should help my Stormsurge survive as the Empire's remaining markerlights won't be twin-linked and that's 6 less seeker missiles I have to worry about.
Empire:
Wow. The empire strikes back indeed! Even without the Cadre's Skyray, he makes quick work of my Stormsurge with wounds to spare. The Cadre and Breachers combined for 22 wounds AP3 on it and my shields and Feel No Pain were not enough to stay alive. This was a stroke of genius on the part of my opponent. He hung his Y'Vahra out to dry just as Shadowsun would with her Kau'yon The Patient Hunter strategy! Then he dumped out the Breachers and let me have all his firepower. I was cooked and I knew it.
Enclaves:
I went into full retreat mode here. I dumped out the forward squad of Breachers to deal with his disembarked Breachers, but everything else pulled back and I started moving Farsight back towards the fortress, but he had a loooong way to go. If the game ended on turn 5, I was certain to lose. I wasn't out of it, but I needed all my points to be on the fortress. Farsight killed a squad of Firewarriors on his way back as I went into survival mode.
Empire:
My opponent moved in for the kill. He started pushing all his tanks forward to the fortress while harrying Farsight with his missile commander and Firewarriors.
Enclaves:
Farsight killed another tank on his way to save the day. His Dawn Blade is an absolute beast.
Empire:
My opponent crowds the fortress with points while protecting his rear armor from my remaining Ghostkeel.
Enclaves:
Farsight gets in position with his thrust move to charge another tank on turn 6 but alas, the it's a 2 and the game ends! Major Victory to the Empire! 647-550 within 3" of the fortress. The Railgun Hammerhead will inherit Preferred Enemy for the remainder of the campaign! In addition, the Empire captures secret planetary defense plans inside the fortress, gaining automatic Seize the Initiative in mission 3, while the Enclaves must deploy first! See you next week, I hope this is as enjoyable to read as it has been to play
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/22 17:02:05
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/05/04 16:15:48
Subject: Re:Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 2 up!*
Aun'lo called Commander Shadowsun into his chambers. He had just finished watching her glorious victory on his datascreen. "Well done O'Shaseera, you are a true master tactician. The loss of a Y'Vahra is grievous, but I see how essential it was to bait O'Shovah into over-committing his forces. Bravo. Now, I want you to deliver the death knell to this insurgent. Wipe out their forces on Lub'Grahl. Once we have a beachhead in this system, these Enclaves are finished.
Enclaves Intro
O'Shovah meditated on his mistakes in the Hive City. He overextended himself for no reason. He should have kept his forces close to the fortress, venturing out only far enough to sabotage incoming Empire units. He would not repeat his mistake. His apprentice had bested him using her patience, now he would turn that against her. He would use his superior mobility to deliver a swift alpha strike to her armor, then sit back and crush her remaining forces under the withering fire of his Stormsurge. He had to succeed. If he lost Lub'Grahl, it would send the entire system into panic, and one of his remaining planets may even try to sue for a separate peace. He had to win here before he could press the attack.
Mission: Take No Prisoners, Leave None Alive
Deployment: Dawn of War
Major Victory: Either side can achieve a Major Victory if their opponent's Warlord is killed, and they have scored more Kill Points over the course of the game.
Minor Victory: Have more kill points remaining than your opponent at game's end; your Warlord must live.
War of Attrition: This mission's length is automatically 7 turns.
Consequences for Game 4:
Overrun: If one side achieves a Major Victory, their opponent brings 100 fewer points in Game 4.
List Analysis: Both sides have exactly 13 Kill Points, but the list construction is radically different. The Enclaves have more concentrated firepower across 3 key units (Surge, Crisis), whereas the Empire has more disparate but no less deadly firepower across 6 units (Hammerheads, Ghostkeels). The Enclaves also have a few more command points, so we'll see how much that matters. It should be a very tactical game, and hope fully I won't make too many mistakes as it will be just my 3rd game of 8th edition. Battle Report will be up no later than Sunday, 6-11-17.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/06/07 16:30:31
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/05/22 02:08:05
Subject: Re:Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 3 Mission, Fluff and List up!*
Loving this campaign series! I just started getting my own Tau army together but I'm waiting to build them up until the new edition drops and I can confirm how my suits can be built. I'm a fairly novice player and hobbyist so hopefully I can learn the ways of the Killing Blow and Patient Hunter from both of you. Keep up the awesome work!
2017/06/07 16:30:59
Subject: Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 3 Mission, Fluff and List up!*
Due to the delay, I decided to finish the campaign in 8th edition. Thanks to the leaks, I am pleased to announce Game 3 battle report WILL post no later than Sunday June 11th! Possibly your first Tau 8th edition report on the site? We shall see. I have played two 1000 point games of 8th already; and I'm loving the changes.
I updated the mission and lists for 8th, but here it is for your convenience at the end of the thread:
Fluff Intro for those so inclined:
Spoiler:
Empire Intro
Aun'lo called Commander Shadowsun into his chambers. He had just finished watching her glorious victory on his datascreen. "Well done O'Shaseera, you are a true master tactician. The loss of a Y'Vahra is grievous, but I see how essential it was to bait O'Shovah into over-committing his forces. Bravo. Now, I want you to deliver the death knell to this insurgent. Wipe out their forces on Lub'Grahl. Once we have a beachhead in this system, these Enclaves are finished.
Enclaves Intro
O'Shovah meditated on his mistakes in the Hive City. He overextended himself for no reason. He should have kept his forces close to the fortress, venturing out only far enough to sabotage incoming Empire units. He would not repeat his mistake. His apprentice had bested him using her patience, now he would turn that against her. He would use his superior mobility to deliver a swift alpha strike to her armor, then sit back and crush her remaining forces under the withering fire of his Stormsurge. He had to succeed. If he lost Lub'Grahl, it would send the entire system into panic, and one of his remaining planets may even try to sue for a separate peace. He had to win here before he could press the attack.
Mission: Take No Prisoners, Leave None Alive
Deployment: Dawn of War
Major Victory: Either side can achieve a Major Victory if their opponent's Warlord is killed, and they have scored more Kill Points over the course of the game.
Minor Victory: Have more kill points remaining than your opponent at game's end; your Warlord must live.
War of Attrition: This mission's length is automatically 7 turns.
Consequences for Game 4:
Overrun: If one side achieves a Major Victory, their opponent brings 100 fewer points in Game 4.
List Analysis: Both sides have exactly 13 Kill Points, but the list construction is radically different. The Enclaves have more concentrated firepower across 3 key units (Surge, Crisis), whereas the Empire has more disparate but no less deadly firepower across 6 units (Hammerheads, Ghostkeels). The Enclaves also have a few more command points, so we'll see how much that matters. It should be a very tactical game, and hope fully I won't make too many mistakes as it will be just my 3rd game of 8th edition. Battle Report will be up no later than Sunday, 6-11-17.
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/06/10 14:52:45
Subject: Re:Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 3 Mission, Fluff and List up!*
My opponent deployed very aggressively, placing his Ghostkeels, Stealths and Shadowsun forward up my right flank, hoping to alpha strike my Broadside and drones with his Stealths and the Raker Keel so that his Fusion Keels could target my Commander. His armor sat in the back, as with their extreme range, they could pick off what they wanted from pretty much anywhere. The infantry went in cover.
Enclaves: Deployment
We decided that placing an eligible unit in a Manta hold still counted as a "drop" for deployment purposes, but because of the Fish and embarked Breachers counting as one drop, the Enclaves would finish deployment first. With the new edition rules that meant they would go first. We were in a little bit of a pickle with the rules change because we wanted to reward the Empire for the game 2 win, while abiding by the rules for 8th edition. So we modified the reward for Empire from the last game to a 2+ Seize the Initiative. Treating that as a guarantee, I deployed my Surge to the rear, out of the Keel's fusion range accounting for movement, and I reserved Farsight and his Crisis teams.
The Ambush is Ambushed:
Enclaves Turn 1:
Welp; he rolled a 1 for his Seize, re-rolled with a Command Point and rolled 1 AGAIN. Wow. This was a huge boon for the Enclaves. His skirmishers were hung out to dry in range of virtually my entire army. I smelled blood and brought Farsight and his Crisis teams in from their Manta holds. They wouldn't be able to benefit from Kau'yon, which I popped with the Commander, but I needed their damage output to maximize the alpha strike. I spread the markerlights around on the Keels, landing 3-3-2, with the two being on the Raker. So everyone would be re-rolling 1s, D missiles would fire at normal Ballistic Skill and no penalties for movement on heavy weapons or advancing with assault weapons. Sweet. I ended up firing everything at the Keels that could and overkilled the last one with just a single wound overage. My opponent burned a command point to reroll a 6+ save at one point, but being limited to one of the same Stratagem per phase, there was little he could do. The Stormsurge with Advanced Targeting is nasty because all those shots that normally do not have a rend value now do. The D missiles are a bit underwhelming but with a Command Point re-roll I was able to wound with 3 and cause 5 mortal wounds. I rolled spectacularly with my Crisis suits, whose fusion did most of the work inside the 12" -1 to hit bubble of the Keels. I charged Farsight into the closest unit of Stealths rolling a 9 and decided what the heck and charged the Crisis in as well, rolling a 10. The dice gods seemed to be with the Enclaves today. His overwatch did nothing and I killed two Stealth suits, whiffing pretty hard with Farsight (I forgot that Farsight can re-roll 1s to hit in combat, doh!) He was hoping to fail his morale, because then with consolidation there would be just one unit in front of my Warlord. But alas, he rolled a 2 and held. Dice gods indeed.
Empire Turn 1:
My opponent took the shift of fate pretty well, but he mused that it was probably over. I tried to buck him up, because after all he could still deny me a major victory by killing Farsight. He retreated Shadowsun and the remaining Stealths and drones, screening her with as many models as he could. He used his armor to take 4 wounds off the Stormsurge but a 4+ invulnerable save is realllllly good. It should have been a lot more but with a Command Point Re-roll making a clutch save on one of the Railguns, there wasn't as much bite from the tanks as we expected. The combat with Farsight and friends resolved with the final Stealth suit falling to the Crisis, with Farsight forgetting his centuries of martial prowess today. Still, the Empire was now playing a fully defensive game.
Pressing the Attack:
Enclaves Turn 2:
I spent all my shooting trying to get rid of the Stealth suits and Stealth drones around Shadowsun but believe it or not my army could not get through all that -1 to hit! Enough remained so that I could not target Shadowsun with those nasty fusion blasters so I resorted to a charge. I dealt 2 wounds with the Dawn Blade and when it was her turn to activate, Shadowsun fell back. Now Farsight was the one hung out to dry. Ugh. I should have moved 8" and advanced....back towards my own line. The problem is, that isn't cinematic haha. I had to see if Farsight could slay her by his own hand; that would have been amazing.
The Patient Hunter:
Empire Turn 2:
Now with his own chance to smell blood,, my opponent re-positioned to deal a killing blow to Farsight and his lonely unit of Crisis screening for him. In the end, it was Shadowsun who slew Farsight by her own hand with two deadly fusion shots to the head after two failed invulnerable saves and a third after a Command re-roll. A Major Victory was now beyond my grasp, once again, because I was impetuous. I was leaning in a little too much to the personality of my general. The Patient Hunter strikes again!
Avenge Our Leader:
Enclaves Turn 3:
The Breachers finally got to hop out and lay some pain. Generally speaking, I tried to spread my damage around across all the Empire infantry units to cause failed morale tests and add more casualties in that phase. Everything essentially having Split Fire now is very powerful. This generally worked as the only things left were a Stealth Drone and 4 Pathfinders. I even charged my Devilfish in to wipe out a unit of Pathfinders! Hilarious that you can do this now. I just try to imagine they're getting run over, instead of slapped with some type of sensor node. My Breachers were exposed but due to the two failed morale checks they helped cause (I spread their shots over both Strike units) I think it was a good trade.
Empire Turn 3:
The Breachers got wiped by a volley and charge by the remaining Pathfinders. I love that Tau find themselves charging a lot in 8th. Because you go first, it's a cool and cinematic way to add that last casualty or two that could force a failed morale check. The armor piled some more wounds on the Surge, and Shadowsun nearly slagged the Devilfish, but we ended up calling it.
Mopping Up:
Game Review:
I had 9 Kill Points remaining to the Empire's 4 (or, Victory Points as they're simply called now). I think it could have been very close had we gone to the end because if the tanks lived long enough, they might have been able to wipe out my small drone and firewarrior units in the back. Still, we decided I too would probably score one or two more which would put the likely final score at about 11-9. A surprisingly close game given my opponent's horrible luck at the outset; he recovered well and I was foolish to leave Farsight out there in the wind. Leading from the front is cool and all, but in a mission in which protecting your general was paramount, I let him do too much.
Consequences for Game 4:
Another Victory Like This One and We'll be Cooked: The Farsight Enclaves may choose the deployment map for Game 4.
Some 8th edition thoughts:
Tau shooting is still devastating, if not more so. Fusion Blasters are absolutely terrifying. We actually don't need to get as close as we once did for them to be effective. Rolling 2d6 instead of 1 and picking the highest for damage is good, but I'm not sure it's worth staying in half range. They're good enough with the single d6, and if you roll a 1 for damage, you may choose to burn your command reroll for that phase on a new damage roll. Split Fire on everything is a huge improvement for an army like Tau, who basically surrender two phases of the game (psychic and assault). Speaking of assault, you will find yourself charging all. the. time. Especially with units with the "FLY" keyword, who can fall back and still shoot. So Stealths, Crisis, Keels, Commanders, et cetera can hide in combat without penalty against other shooting units. Sure, you're not going to do this with Berzerkers, but against many units, you're better off charging into combat and falling back when it's your turn to activate. Also, Command Points. My initial thought was to try to squeeze a brigade detachment into 2000 to maximize them but I didn't feel like I needed more than I had. Perhaps that's because we called the game early, but still, I'm not sure it would be worth leaving the Stormsurge at home for 6 Command Points.
Things that got better: Crisis, Commanders, Broadsides, Hammerheads, Pathfinders
Things that stayed roughly the same: Stormsurge (Lost Stomp but gained resiliency at about the same points cost).
Things that got worse: Markerlights. Ugh, we knew a nerf was probably coming but wow, you cannot depend on them anymore. Granted, our markerlight sources got cheaper as well, but I would have liked a 6th hit to grant twin-linked. I think it's still important to have a few sources of marker support, but overall they're just not what that once were. Perhaps that will help them stay alive, as I think they got bumped down the target priority ladder.
Alright, I'm going to wait on game 4 until the 8th edition rules for Forgeworld units are released. In fact, it's essential because game 4 will be 2500 points and I can't get there intelligently without my Forgeworld suits haha.
Until then, good luck out there in this brave new world of 8th.
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/06/11 07:48:42
Subject: Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Game 3 up!*
Well, markerlights got worse but as a platform, Pathfinders are cheaper, faster and accelerator drones are pretty good. Well worth a worse save compared to firewarriors.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/06/11 21:13:01
Rule #1 is Look Cool.
2017/07/01 13:34:29
Subject: Tau Civil War: Empire vs. Enclaves Escalation Campaign **Update: Fluff/Mission/Lists Up for Game 4!*
Aun'lo was positively giddy. O'Shaseera had felled O'Shovah, by her own hand no less. And it was under his command. This would go down as one of the greatest feats in T'au martial history. Of course, the battle itself had otherwise been a painful loss of forces. But without their leader, who among the traitors would stand and fight? As he pondered the implications, all glorious no doubt, O'Shaseera stepped into his chambers. She said nothing, stepping to the window overlooking the planet Lub'Grahl as its gentle rotation continued, unfazed by the loss of O'Shovah.
"Commander, I will ensure you receive a triumphal parade on T'au for slaying the traitor. We can replace a few battlesuits, they cannot replace their leader. Well done."
Shadowsun turned to face the Ethereal and wore a disgusted look on her face, "I want no honors for my deeds this day. O'Shovah should be given every funeral ritual befitting his stature as one of our race's great leaders."
Aun'lo was taken aback. Funeral rites? This betrayer had already been wiped from the histories. He tried to shake off her comment, chalking it up as grief for her erstwhile mentor. "O'Shaseera, I have sent my water caste negotiators out to each of the four planets in the rebel system. I have issued an ultimatum. Come to heel now, and all will be forgiven. We will reintegrate this system back into the Empire. Of course, some will pay the price. But I'll let the new Ethereal governors of the planets decide whom will feel the blade. In any case, I expect that within a day or two, we will have regained all rebel territory and then we can consolidate our forces with the Fifth Sphere Expansionary fleet."
Shadowsun turned back towards the planet, a continent-sized storm was brewing, its lightning visible from orbit. "You did not know O'Shovah at all... They will fight."
Enclaves Prelude:
Commander O'Dahyun called a war council of O'Shovah's top lieutenants. As second in command, he could have simply taken charge, but that's not how he was built. Farsight's firm insistence on meritocracy bred a unique kind of leader. His three chief lieutenants climbed the ranks with a combination of personal courage, daring, objectivity and humility. Had they been more typically ambitious, or stubborn or domineering, the Enclaves' cause would have been doomed. But because they were wired as they were, they had at least the potential to salvage the defense of the system. Shas'nel Ka'ahn and Shas'nel Po'ren entered the command bunker.
"What word from the streets Po'ren?" Asked the Shas'O.
"Our agents in the news agencies are doing their best to spin the loss of the Leader as a willful act of martyrdom. No one alive has lived under the tyranny of an Ethereal. It's counter-intuitive but I think that's working against us. The T'au water caste are spreading rumors of an extermination of the system if the governors don't surrender. We need a victory; a huge one."
"And Ka'ahn? What of our remaining forces?"
"Well, the governors are holding back their reinforcements for the System Defense Fleet, in fear of invasions on their own planets. Without Farsight, I don't think we're going to get them to budge."
"So what does that leave us with?"
"Two choices. We can go into a guerilla stature right now. I just don't know if the population has the wherewithal for it. It may play into T'au propaganda; working against us. Or, we can try to pool all remaining resources for one even fight. If we lose, their water caste are going to divide and conquer and make a separate peace with every planet except Vior'Los, which they'll probably vulcanize with a Rail bombardment. If we win, maybe we can convince the planetary governors to sally out with their forces and drive the invasion fleet from the system."
"A Formidable foe, unfathomable stakes, little chance of success; what are we waiting for?"
They all cracked smiles, and walked confidently to their deaths.
Mission: Scorched Earth
While Matched Play, the player who destroys more Power Ratings in their opponent's army is the Victor. When a unit is completely destroyed, score the power level adjusted for unit size and upgrades to the vanquishing player. A differential of 10 Power Level or more scores a Major Victory.
Lists: A few special home brew characters just for the finale!
Tau Empire Battalion Detachment- 6 Total Command Points
Aun'lo: Master of the Elements: Aun'lo may summon all four elemental powers simultaneously-73 (Power Rating 5)
Shas'nel Ka'ahn: Double Shot Pulse Blaster (Assault 4), Make Every Shot Count: Once per game, a unit of Ka'ahn's Breachers may re-roll all failures to hit while shooting. 3+ Save, 6+ Feel No Pain, Leadership 9- 84 (Power Rating 5)
Shas'nel Po'ren: Master Scout: Shas'nel Po'ren and one Farsight Enclaves Pathfinder unit within 6" gain +1 to any bonuses they receive from cover. -53 (Power Rating 3)
The Battlefield: The dead hive city of Damcletia is being buried by dunes. The Empire forces have deployed in the ruins, anticipating the arrival of the rebels; and lying in wait just as the Kau'yon doctrine teaches.
Tau Empire Turn 1
The inherent problem with a Kill Point mission is that it gives a huge advantage to going first...or so the conventional wisdom implies. But, as the Enclaves go to choose the deployment type, and as I chose Hammer and Anvil (and it was a 4x8), my opponent's Y'Vahras were in a pickle. Leave them back, and I could swoop in with my reserves on my turn 1 and do heavy damage. Vault them forward and the Ghostkeels and Stormsurge would go to work. My opponent elected to thrust them forward into cover and pray. If both Y'Vahras made it out alive, then he could overrun my entire table half.
Farsight Enclaves Turn 1
Welp. I rolled hot, continuing the trend from last game, and managed to just barely remove one of the Y'Vahras after firing everything at one of them. Even in a 2500 point game, that was a grievous blow.
Tau Empire Turn 2
My opponent got his revenge; just one Y'Vahra with a little help from the R'Varna smoked the Stormsurge with wounds to spare, and charged my Devilfish. His Stealth team began to make short work of my Pathfinders, and Shadowsun put four wounds on a Ghostkeel just within her range.
Farsight Enclaves Turn 2
My Ghostkeels pushed into the city while my Breachers led by Ka'ahn tried to counterattack against the Y'Vahra with Farstrike's Hammerhead joining in the carnage.
Tau Empire Turn 3
Shadowsun and the Broadisde teamed up to bring the nearest Ghostkeel down, and he started screening his R'Varna with the Devilfish and Marker Drones. Yes, I could jump out, but at least I couldn't charge his R'Varna (which lacks the FLY keyword). Smart play.
Farsight Enclaves Turn 3
I swooped out of my Manta holds for the Mont'ka, surrounding the R'Varna as best I could. A lone Stealth suit, barely drawing breath, dropped the teleport homer to put the Flamer suits in range before collapsing. It was super cinematic. Still, the R'varna still stood with a third of its wounds and was revving its NOVA reactor for a counterattack. On the other side of the city, Commander O'Dahyun zeroed his range finder in on O'Shaseera and prepared to exact his revenge for her felling of O'Shovah. Shadowsun was vaporized in a cloud of ionized fusion energy. Killing Blow indeed.
Tau Empire Turn 4
His Stealth team was cleaning up in the center, but things weren't looking good. The R'varna was dying, although it killed a ton of drones via Savior Protocols and two Crisis suits. The YVahra already lay dead in the sand. His Breacher team advanced towards mine, shot, and charged as they scratched and clawed at their erstwhile brethren. It was starting to dawn on the Empire forces that their expedition may never leave this system, that they might rot and turn to dust on this barren post-imperial colony, now destroyed by the civil war.
Farsight Enclaves Turn 4
The flamer suits advance into range to burn a squad of strikers out of a building, the Broadside falls to the last remaining Ghostkeel and O'Dahyun. Darkstrider stands alone, striking enemy Breachers with the but of his Carbine and looking for a mano-a-mano challenge against Ka'ahn.
Conclusion
We called it at turn 4; my opponent just couldn't survive another turn. He thought he was doomed by the aggressive move with the Y'Vahras but I think we doomed him with the mission design. A 4x8 was reasonable for 2500 points, in fact its recommended in the 8th edition rule book, but allowing me to choose the worst deployment type for my opponent's army was too powerful. I intended that to be a throwaway bonus due to the close nature of the Enlcave victory in game 3 but it was actually critical. Thanks to my opponent for being a sport and piloting the Empire forces. I think I convinced him to get into 40k! Though a Tau player he is not. Chaos all the way.
Fluff Epilogue, for those inclined:
Spoiler:
Farsight Enclaves Epilogue:
O'Dahyun embraced Ka'ahn as they surveyed the battlefield, the sound of distant pulse carbine fire echoing through the streets as their forces polished off the expeditionary fleet.
"Well fought brother, where is Po'ren?"
"He fell."
They stared in silence, unable to meet the other's gaze. Another soul gone in this senseless war. Po'ren would never think another thought, never feel another feeling. His consciousness, his sentience, such a precious gift of fate lost to the sands of time forever. At least they could live in peace. Surely, the Empire would let them rest now.
Tau Empire Epilogue:
A bodyguard dashed across the great hall, his feet barely registering a sound on the plasteel floor.
"My Lord Aun'Shi, a small corvette has just limped into Ta'u space. Our sentries report that the Forbidden Zone expedition has been annihilated..."
Aun'shi lifted an eyebrow, but looked unperturbed. "Aun'lo was unworthy of an Ethereal's cloth. I was against placing him in charge of the expedition in the first place. Now vindicated, I will insist to the High Council that I lead the next invasion fleet myself."
Tau Civil War: Part 2 coming after our codex is released! Thanks to all who read along, it was a lot of fun!
