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2019/12/13 09:37:18
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
Some 14 years ago I moved away from GW games in favor of other miniature games, but with those dying a slow death in my local area and other players becoming harder to find, I think it is time for me to return to the game that is still going strong.
Back when I stopped during 40k 3rd or 4th edition I had played Adepta Sororitas for years, mained a dark angels army (deathwing and regular) with great pride, and even dabbled in Tau before I sold the lot and moved on.
Upon returning, I find my beloved sisters FINALLY getting that long overdue update!... And I hate it. So no go for me .
I have settled on the Tau. What do I need for it? I am looking for combined arms (mechanised infantry with diffrent types of battlesuits). What are purchases to look for? What are traps and pitfalls? Is the hammerhead gunship still a thing?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/13 09:38:12
I have died a thousand deaths, and I will die a million more.
2019/12/13 10:01:05
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
Not aux fait with playing Tau, so not much help with Hammerhead etc. My own experience vs Tau is they still throw out a goodly amount of Dakka, though they do not seem any more inclined to leave their castle than before. Their Overwatch shenanigans make charging them more risky. Are you able to make them mobile enough to contest objectives (the way to win currently), and durable enough to hold them? Shooting has been ramped up to 11 in 8th.
The latest updates for Marines make them a hard nut to crack, not as easy as their third ed incarnation for Tau. You may want to look at ‘how to beat Marines’ before deciding on an army list.
Cheers,
M
2019/12/13 10:05:45
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
What sort of level are looking to return at? Planning to go play he big events, planning to just play locally, a mix etc?
A Song of Ice and Fire - House Greyjoy.
AoS - Maggotkin of Nurgle, Ossiarch Bonereapers & Seraphon.
Bloodbowl - Lizardmen.
Horus Heresy - World Eaters.
Marvel Crisis Protocol - Avengers, Brotherhood of Mutants & Cabal.
Middle Earth Strategy Battle game - Rivendell & The Easterlings.
The Ninth Age - Beast Herds & Highborn Elves.
Warhammer 40k - Tyranids.
2019/12/13 10:55:02
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
AaronWilson wrote: What sort of level are looking to return at? Planning to go play he big events, planning to just play locally, a mix etc?
Mostly beer and pretzel games with friends, maybe a few local events every now and then. My higly irregular work schedule makes major events difficult.
I will start small and grow until i am satisfied. Which I never am. I will finish painting before buying new stuff, though. I cannot afford another mountain of unpainted miniatures.
I did see that marines get a lot of love from gw (what else is new, right?)... but I am still pretty set on tau.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/13 11:01:09
I have died a thousand deaths, and I will die a million more.
2019/12/13 13:53:07
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
To be fair Marines have been a trash-tier army for most of 8th edition, they got too big of a boost because of how badly they were performing.
If you haven't played since 4th ed you'll be pleasantly suprised at how quick GW has been to adjust points and tap power levels up or down as needed. When the edition dropped they updated every army in the game to the new rules structure all at once in three or four Index books right out of the gate. They're doing an annual points adjustment and another annual "Big FAQ" to clarify things that aren't working as intended, they released a pretty significant errata on the Iron Hands within a couple of weeks once it became obvious how overpowered they were. For the company that let Orks go the entirety of 4th on their 3rd ed codex, that's a phenomenal improvement.
I really wanted to write a nice post for T'au. So here's that post. But read the spoiler text if you want my honest opinion:
If you're going for a beer and pretzel game with T'au, then I'd recommend just steering clear of spam of any kind. Buy one of everything and 2 of something if you have a lot of fun with it. Yes, Hammerheads are still a thing, though the Ion Cannon version is generally held in higher esteem than the Railgun. The two main traps I know of are:
#1 - Spamming the best stuff (triple Riptides, triple Commanders, triple Skyray Gunships, etc.) makes for feel-bads. Really, any time you have a list and you say to yourself "all I need to do is shoot once and I'll probably win", and you're setting up a situation where you will make at least 1 person feel bad.
#2 - Basic battlesuits are generally seen as vastly inferior to other options, so full-battlesuit lists generally aren't seen any longer. They still look cool, but until GW gives them some ability different from Commanders and Riptides (whom both get better shots and better weapons and additional abilities), they won't ever feel as valuable to your force, and you'll constantly be saying to yourself "but I could make my list better if I drop these" and you'll only be taking them for fluff purposes (which can really make you feel bad).
Spoiler:
I'm sorry to say, but I can't ever really recommend T'au to players unless they're in love with anime or they just want to play competitively. T'au are NOT a beer and pretzels army, and I can't recall an edition where they ever were. They are so supremely dedicated to the shooting phase that they make the game very boring. That doesn't mean they're unbalanced or OP or anything, just boring in a beer & pretzels capacity. They shoot, then stuff other than your shooting stuff dies, then they shoot more as they move back, then either their shooting stuff dies or it doesn't, then the game ends. This doesn't tend to really be enjoyable for EITHER player. Worse still, once you see what does work and what doesn't, it becomes extremely hard to justify not taking those items, which only exacerbates this issue. If you play competitively, then this is just an obstacle to overcome, and there becomes interesting play decisions again when you play against really good players. That's the fun of competitive play; there's some really amazingly good stuff out there, and when those things fight each other the game becomes balanced again. But on a beer & pretzels level? Uninteresting. It's either bad and you feel bad for playing it, or it's good and you and your opponent feel bad for playing it, or it's middle of the road and you and your opponent feel bad because the game becomes less interesting. I'd say go with the Dark Angels. Space Marines are pretty strong right now, some would say OP, but they are still fun, they have interesting rules that lead to interesting play, and right around the time you start realizing that other basic chapters are getting more support than you, bam, Psychic Awakening will have caught up with you and Dark Angels will be getting caught up with their own new special stuff.
Galef wrote: If you refuse to use rock, you will never beat scissors.
2019/12/13 22:24:54
Subject: Returning player, help a man get his bearings
Good luck with your new army- I'm bummed to hear about a Sister player turning away from the Emperor's light. I like the new book, and I'd be curious about what drove you away.
2019/12/14 00:55:55
Subject: Re:Returning player, help a man get his bearings
