[Saucy-Stealth06]

Hello,

First and foremost i would like to apologize because the frequency of threads similar to this one. i am very new to this hobbyand i do not understand many aspects of 40K. I like the artistry involved in the creation of armies, and from what i have read and seen so far i like Tau the best. I have some gerneral questions: What is the significance of certain color schemes? What are good strategies for painting and construction? What are good strategies for Tau armies? What are the Tau basics? What do different Tau creatures do like Kroot and Fire Troops? What special lingo do i need to know like HQ?


Thanks for your help i will appreciate anything!!!!

[Artiglio]

yo dude welcome to TO

colour schemes mean nothing really, other than to make your army stand out 8)

fire warriors are good a shooting and kroot are good for CC (close combat)

HQ is HeadQuaters

as a stratergie for tau i suggest Mech

[Saucy-Stealth06]

Hi Årtiglio ,


Thanks for the quick response. I understand that the mech strategy is less reliable on artillery and more reliable on warriors. What kind of army do i need to creat a mech strategy? Why do they use HQ when describing heros like the Ethereal Caste?

Thanks
--Saucy

[AuinMyrrath]

Firstly, Welcome to both Tau Online and Warhammer 40K!
Well, first off you need to get the Tau Codex.* It has rules and statistics for all Tau units - it's illigal for us to tell you exact stats as it violates copywrite, not to mention it would mean someone has to go to the trouble of reproducing 20-odd pages!

GW stores or other local hobby shops often have players who know the rules of Warhammer and can help you with the working basics you need to start playing - $70 (Canadian, anyway) is very steep for a rulebook and most of my friends learnt without it.

HQ is the term used officially by GW and by players, standing for Headquarters - HQ units are some of the most powerful in an army, and are the leaders that command the rest of the force in battle.

Tau Army Types:
There are 3 types of Tau army -
Static Tau - Not the best choice, as Tau are a very mobile army and this form relies on staying put.* That said, simply sitting down and dishing out a wall of hellish firepower is effective.

Mech Tau - Move, move, move!* Mechanized Tau use only units with Jet Packs or infantry mounted in transports - they can get to a fight and get out again, trying to attack a well-played mobile Tau force is like trying to fight Jello.

Hybrid Tau - I personally have never played it, it is a combination of the above army forms.

To play Mech Tau, you generally do not include Kroot or Broadsides, as they are slow and have trouble keeping pace with the rest of the army.

Quick Tau Slang:
FW - Fire Warrior
BC - Burst Cannon
MP - Missile Pod
FB - Fusion Blaster
PR - Plasma Rifle

RG - Railgun
IC - Ion Cannon
SMS - Smart Missile System

BSF - Black Sun Filter
TL - Target Lock
MT - Multi -Tracker
DC - Drone Controller

DP - Disruption Pod
DL - Decoy Launchers
TA - Targeting Array

Painting & Construction:
I recommend using a white spray-can to basecoat/undercoat all peices when they are still in the sprue - it makes later coats look better, and saves the pain-in-the-arse process of hand-undercoating each peice.

While GW tells you to put the entire model together and hold by the base while painting, this can make it difficult to access parts between the arms and chest - I recommend putting the (in case of a Fire Warrior) head, antenae, torso, and legs together and painting as a unit, then doing the arms, shoulder pads, and weapons seperatly.
For the Kroot, the same goes other than the peices of wargear (knives, ribcages, pistols etc), which can be painted in bulk and attached after.
Crisis suits - beleive in versatility! do NOT, EVER glue the weapons in place, you can that way switch them around whenever the need arises. Magnets and pins are optional - the same goes for Hammerhead weapons.

Quick strategy notes:
-Always give vehicles Decoy Launchers so you can move over 6" (and only be Glanced by hits rather than Penetrated), and still be able to survive.
-Drones no longer work the way they are described in the Codex - beware, they can do more harm than good!
-One of the best Kroot strategies is to Infiltrate into cover and shoot out - if more than 7" from the edge of a forest, they are almost invincible.
-Do not give Fire Warriors Carbines - the chances of them Pinning enemies is ridiculously small.

Hope this helps, again Welcome to TO!

[dog face]

Hi Welcome

Close Combat is the Bane of the Tau avoid it at all costs.

AuinMyrrath

You beat me to it i had a post that said basically the same thing

[Saucy-Stealth06]

how can i effectively fight mech style , and stay away from close combat. if close combat is bad for tau then how come mech is the best option over static??

[UN17]

Wouldn't it be apparent? You do the opposite of a Rhino Rush. Everyone gets into the vehicle and FLEES from the enemy. Then you set up again and fire. Then pack up and FLEE!

[Artiglio]

yep, the vehicles aren't for getting into close combat there for getting away for it :

[AuinMyrrath]

Exactly as the last two have said.
The two tools that are the best friends of Mech Tau are the Devilfish-mounted FW squad, a very mobile firebase, and the Crisis Battlesuit, preferably with long ranged plasma rifles and missile pods. Closely following are the Steath suits, which can get into position and put out a massive volume of fire, and the Multi-Tracker equipped Hammerhead, which can move full distance and still dish heavy firepower.

The key to playing mech is to shoot, relocate away from the enemy when they get close, and then repeat untill there's nothing left.

[Saucy-Stealth06]

well that clears things up immensely!! Thank you all. I am also searching for the bets prices on my tau battleforce and a large paint kit. Anyone know of a great place to pick these up for cheap?



--Saucy