http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/17.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net At the weekend I ran a small tourney. The format was 3 games at 1k, no special characters, 1hr 45mins per game. I was keen to see how the new TauDex performed. My main aim was to construct a list including as many different units as possible while remaining vaguely competitive. I'm not particularly interested in spamming amazing units - more interested in the viability of some of the new stuff thats in the dex. So Please no 'why didn't you take 3 Riptides/ Ionheads' etc.

My list:
HQ1 1 ethereal

T1 20 kroot pulse rounds
T2 12 fire warriors pulse rifles
T3 12 fire warriors pulse rifles
T4 10 kroot sniper rounds

F1 4 pathfinders carbines, markerlights
F2 9 vespid neutron blaster inc. strain leader

H1 1 broadside Hy Mp, sms, 2 mp drones
H2 1 hammerhead ionhead

E1 3 crisis suits missile pods


Thoughts on the list [before using it]:

HQ
For me the etheral is a no-brainer at this PV. Partially because I like ethereals, and they are now very useable. But they are also the cheapest HQ choice. I doubt I will field a suit commander again at the 1k level as ethereals are just so good and a bargain points-wise.

Troops
Fire warriors and Kroot are now much better IMO. They both had their abilities extended, and took a points drop to boot (and let’s be honest Kroot were never a good CC unit except against static vehicles).
For me the biggest plusses for these units are the ethereal buffs to pulse weaponry and kroot getting access to markerlight use. The Kroot sniper unit is interesting as well as I think it fits with the idea of kroot 'hunting'.

Fast Attack
Probably the most overdue rule change in 40k: pathfinders not having to purchase an overpriced devilfish. I can’t tell you how much of a relief it was to see this in the new dex! I toyed with 3 units of 4, which was cheap but I wanted to field vespid instead.
Vespid are one of the few units to have gone up in PV. This will put many people off, especially as other fast attack choices[esp. drones] got better. But I love these guys and they are now viable in my book. They have so many special rules it’s unbelievable, but probably the biggest factor in them becoming playable is a 4+ save, which makes them that little bit more survivable.

Heavy support
The missile broadside was something I only noticed after the 1st FAQ went up limiting the missile pod drones to broadsides only. Until then I hadn't really considered it but this thing is an absolute tank. 8 S7 shots at 36 inch range, 4 of which are TL. Another 4 TL shots that ignore cover. Impressive.
The ionhead has probably received the biggest buff in the dex, because of Ion overcharge. For me, this is now an auto-include at this PV. I’d imagine ebay is doing a roaring trade in Ion cannons right now.

Elites
Crisis suits have always been a mainstay of the Tau army. Their role has changed I feel - the old 'must take 3 support systems' rule meant they were always pretty expensive. You can now field a unit of MP armed suits for not much more than 100points. Coupled with the small points drop, these are an auto-take.


General [pre-tourney] list thoughts:
Light armour fears me. MC Fears me [though maybe a bit less than light armour as I don't have much low AP weaponry]. High volume of fire is going to decimate most infantry armies, elite or horde. Fast moving bikes etc. could be a problem. But generally the list looks strong.. people are probably questioning the vespid unit costing nearly 20% of the overall list cost but they are so versatile now I think they merit inclusion. Flyers might be a problem, but at 1k am I going to face many?






Game 1 Tau vs. Eldar
I have not played my old sparring partner and fellow dakkanought Brother Bartius for over a year, so it was appropriate that my second game of 6th ed. Tau was against him, like so many of my early forays into 5th ed.

BBs List

Avatar
Farseer
2 units @~10 guardians w/ scatterlasers
1 unit 5 rangers
unit of 3 war walkers w/ scatterlasers
2 wraithlords w/ scatterlasers

Misson/ Deployment: Crusade, Hammer & Anvil



Pre-game thoughts

Brother Bartius is a bit ring-rusty but knows the capabilities of his eldar well, so I know I'm in for a tough game. The number of S6 shots in his army does trouble me but the lack of AP means I have at least a change of saving. I expect the avatar to be constantly fortuned and out front. I'm unsure of the role of the wraithlords [babysitting objectives maybe?]. I do have one more scoring unit than Bartius which may be an advantage, and also quite overwhelming numerical advantage [which is always nice].


Early doors
We get night fighting. THe wraithlords are not there to babysit objectives, they are the Avatars minders. Nearly the whole Eldar army rushes forward, pouring scatter laser fire into my lines but generally I take minimal damage. My precious fire warriors are hidden out of LOS behind a glacier.



On the other hand, my infiltrated Kroot blob are in the open and get decimated by war walker scatter lasers, losing 13 of their number [but they don't run].
My early turns are blessed by very good luck - I ignore the fortuned Avatar and manage to take down both Wraithlords in turn 1 with sheer volume of fire and some terrible saves from Brother Bartius [including a spectacular quadruple of 1’s].

Eldar Advance


Midpoint
The fortuned Avatar is a bullet magnet, I spend a turn pouring fire into him and only remove 1 wound. He falls short with his charge and takes a pumelling in overwatch, losing another wound. The guardians settle into cover in the middle of the field, on a key objective. The rangers hold the other one, but the kroot are closing in.



The middling battlefield:



Last act
The avatar gets in with one wound remaining:

..but he can't make the fire warriors flee [the nearby ethereal helped here].

BB has rolled terribly for saves, most notably a double 6 on the most recent fortune roll. The rangers are blown away by a combination of suit missile pods and Kroot rifles, but I can't get the kroot to their objective as I have run out of time. The Ionhead has wrecked a walker and then wipes a unit of guardians aided by the broadside SMS. Even though I got first blood, it looks like I might lose as the Avatar is contesting my objective, and the bloodied but unbowed guardians claim one in centre field.

But the vespid save the day..

they jump in - kill some guardians, charge the remaining ones [only getting in because of fleet], and contest the objective by a hairs breadth. Victory to the Tau by the narrowest of margins.


Post-game thoughts

Very, very unlucky rolling for Brother Bartius. I was probably outplayed for much of the game, but Ion blasts, overwatch and fleet vespid came to my rescue. The new Ion head is amazing. The missile broadside is unspeakably good. The ethereal really toughens the mental resolve of the fire warriors.. flufftastic and effective. Good job on that one Mr. Vettock!

Games 2 and 3 to follow…
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5535365.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5535365.page GMT Stuart_Kinnaird is one of my few regular opponents these days and we know each other well.. I expect a flyer and maybe some guard allies.

Stuarts List


Master of the Forge
Tac squad 1 flamer multimelta
Tac squad 2 flamer multimelta
Tac squad 3 flamer ML
Tac squad 4 flamer ML
Attack bike w/ MM
Dread w/ plasma cannon

Mission/ Deployment: Big guns, Vanguard strike

Pre-game thoughts

Not the sort of force I was expecting. Still, 40 marines not to be sniffed at, even with the SM dex showing its age. I think my volume of fire will be enough to take them down, my main concern is the dreadnought getting into my lines. But the mission should favour me as I have 6 scoring units, I outrange my opponent and he doesn't look to be particularly mobile.

Idiots note:
There is a mix up with objectives[my fault]. Stuart thinks [correctly] the map is as shown in the book and I think as the controlling player I get to chose whatever corner I want - not so according to p119 brb. Stuart therefore places objectives in what he thinks will be his corner, and ends up being in on the same table edge but at the other corner. Blatant misreading of the rules by me, and the game is most certainly a bogey. Still interesting to see how the TauDex performed though.


Early doors
Stuart splits his forces. 2 Tac squads go for the forest on his table edge housing 2 objectives. The kroot blob infiltrate nearby:


I have my Fire warriors, ethereal and crisis suits on the same flank on the other side of a mysterious river. 2 Other Tac squads, master of the forge and dreadnought go on the opposite flank:




The single Objective on this flank is in my deployment zone, nearby some sniper kroot. The rest of my force is quite central. Stuart siezes the initiative and his guys pour forward, inflicting damage on both units of Kroot. The 20-model blob fares better due to their being in natural verdant environment. In return the Kroot, Fire warriors and Ionhead team up to annihilate one Tac squad and decimate the other. I get first blood by missile-spamming the attack bike, it looks like the marine assault is already blunted.




Mid Point
The two unscratched tac squads led by the master of the forge “cross the rubicon”, which turns out to let them re-roll their armour save!


They focus their fire on the nearby sniper Kroot and annihilate them.


The remnants of the last tac squad on the other flank charge the Kroot.. but are so weakened that the Kroot beat them down.


This flank is now completely uncontested.


Last act
The two tac squads decide to advance out of the mysterious river, blowing up the two missile drones on the broadside. However they are now in the open and are taken to bits by the Ionhead and pathfinder-guided vespid [the vespid faring surprisingly well in CC]. The broadside finishes off the dreadnought to complete a tabling.

Post-game thoughts
Clearly this game is more of a ‘what-if’ due to the deployment bungle. However faced with 40 marines the Tau didn’t blink. The main advantage I had was my range, and there were not really many fast-moving threats for me to deal with. Once the MM-toting attack bike had been taken out it was a case of outranging lots of tactical marines. Another factor in my favour was a relatively sparse table, meaning my AP3 weapons were much more effective. If Stuart had kept his force together I wonder how that would have panned out.. especially with the threat of a charge from a dreadnought. But overall it’s another case of lots of shots=win.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Game 3 Tau vs. Dark Eldar
I was playing dakkanought Caranthir, and with 2 wins apiece this is probably the tourney decider. I’m looking at his list, packed with light vehicles and T3 infantry, thinking: auto-win. But I know Caranthir is a very good player, having won tourneys in the past. But just because of the lists, I’m confident.

Caranthirs List

An HQ – angry pointy eared pirate chick
8 wyches in a raider with Dark lance
8 wyches in a raider with Dark lance
7 wyches in a raider
4x venoms with an assortment of small units riding inside
Mission/ Deployment: Scouring, Dawn of War

Pre-game thoughts

I played dark elder in a recent tourney with my sisters and netted quite a straightforward win. This coupled with my better range should make things easier than it was with a sisters army. However, a couple of factors balance things out. 1- Caranthir is a very good DE veteran. 2- we are on a LOS-blocking ruins table, and his warlord trait is stealth ruins.

Early doors
I have a fire warrior castle in the centre, broadside on the right in ruins, vespid on the left in ruins. I decide to outflank the big Kroot blob to grab an objective late on.


Caranthir has his vehicles hidden behind big ruins, gets first turn and its night fighting. He turbo boosts 2 of his raiders up my right flank next to my broadside, but almost entirely out of LOS.



On the other (vespid) flank, another raider does the same.


The DE shooting breaks the Kroot snipers who run. The turn after that it’s the crisis team who feel the overwhelming venoms wrath. I have a frustrating 1st shooting phase- I can see hardly anything due to Caranthirs excellent use of LOS blocking terrain. The vespid try and take out their nearby raider, but can’t even manage to glance it. The broadside can’t see anything and its SMS can’t get past the armour of the raider. The Ionhead takes a dark lance off one raider but can’t hurt the other one.

Midpoint
The two raiders disgorge their wytch cargo, who charge and tie up the broadside in CC. The vespid are charged and wiped by their wytch opponents. The splinter cannons on the venoms start work on the fire warriors, who go to ground to limit the casualties along with FNP 6+. The Ionhead immobilizes a raider: this is probably my biggest achievement so far. The wyches win combat against the broadside and run it down.

Endgame
The kroot outflank near a Dark Eldar objective, and with the help of fire warriors, finally take out a venom. They take a turn of shooting without fleeing, and in their turn attempt to multi assault 2 small units for a glorious objective grab.. but get beaten back and run down. The fire warriors attempt to rush an objective but I miscalculated their move and they fall well short of scoring. The wyches take a turn of shooting but have the luxury of 3+ ruin saves and FNP, and although I haven’t taken much damage, it’s an overwhelming objective victory for the Dark Eldar.

Post-game thoughts
Um.. I played a better general? That is part of the answer but not all of it. The terrain helped, as did the warlord trait which granted stealth ruins. The other big part in the jigsaw was the high mobility of the Dark Eldar. Few other armies have the mobility to utilize LOS blocking terrain as effectively as the fast moving piratical pointy-ears. Was my deployment flawed? Possibly. I thought the broadside would be safe due to the volume of fire it puts down.. but this is useless if it can’t see anything! Also re-deploying it does decrease its accuracy somewhat [too right! I hear you say]. If I played this game again I’d probably castle everything in a massive blob and move the blob en-masse to the highest value objective. As it was my limited fire lanes neutered the destructive potential of my fire warriors completely. Caranthir was a worthy winner of the Tourney [his second victory in its 4-year history].


And in the end?
I love the new dex. Love it. The best thing [as other Tau have pointed out], is its versatility. I haven’t even thought about mech, or riptides[ok, ok so I’ve thought about *them*], or flyers, or gun drone squadrons, or other HQ choices. As I said to dakkanought embraceyourinnergeek, this should keep us out of trouble for a few years.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5535432.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5535432.page GMT
I do feel that had I won our game that it would have been a bit unfair as my army had taken a pounding throughout the game, bad rolling or not. If the game had gone on I would have lost heavier than I did.

Thanks for running such a quality event with such a great bunch of opponents.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5537627.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5537627.page GMT Sean is sneeky and calculating, definatly a dark eldar at heart and I'm sure a deserving winner
Where did you have the event btw?

Anyways glad to hear your enjoying your new codex mate.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5537783.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5537783.page GMT
@hh thatnks! it was in the basement of a certain tax-dodging cafe, you know the one.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5539412.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5539412.page GMT
Looking forward to trying the match up at some point!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5541409.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/522722/5541409.page GMT