[Restayvien]

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HQ 1: Shas'el
Missile Pod
Plasma rifle
Vectored Retro-Thrusters
Hard-Wired Multi Tracker Total: 97pts
[size=7pt] Designed to fight off the inevitable Honour Guard/Assault Marine charge, and possibly as an anti-Dreadnought/Baal Predator unit. [/size]

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Elite 1: Stealth Team: 4
Total: 120pts
[size=7pt] Designed to provide covering fire for troops, with 9 BS 5 Str5 shots per turn [/size]

Elite 2: Stealth Team: 4
Total: 120pts
[size=7pt] Designed to provide covering fire for troops, with 9 BS 4 Str5 shots per turn [/size]

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Troops 1: Fire Warrior team: 6
Pulse Carbines
Shas'ui
Bonding Knife
Hard-wired Drone Controller
Gun Drone x2 Total: 95pts
[size=7pt] I'm keeping the squads small so my opponent has more units to charge. Carbines are to allow me to stay mobile. [/size]

Troops 2: Fire Warrior team: 6
Pulse Carbines
Shas'ui
Bonding Knife
Hard-wired Drone Controller
Gun Drone x2 Total: 95pts
[size=7pt] I'm keeping the squads small so my opponent has more units to charge. Carbines are to allow me to stay mobile. [/size]

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Fast Attack 1: Pathfinder Team 8
Shas'ui Total: 94pts
[size=7pt] Markerlights! [/size]
Devilfish Troop Carrier
[size=7pt] Compulsory [/size]
Total: 186pts


Fast Attack 2: Gun Drone Squadron 5
Total: 60pts
[size=7pt] Included as a speed-bump unit, to pin units or hold them in combat. [/size]

Fast Attack 3: Pirahna Light Skimmer Team
Fusion Blaster x1
Targetting Array Total: (70pts)
[size=7pt] (With two Fusion Blasters, a Burst Cannon and six Drones these guys are for killing heavy infantry by forcing them to make lots of saves and ignoring a few of 'em. Can be used against vehicles if needs be.) [/size]

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Heavy Support 1: Sniper Drone Team x2
Total: 160pts
[size=7pt] For taking down units that get too close to my infantry.[/size]




[size=14pt]Army Total: 1003pts [/size]

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The army is quite themed. As I've been playing MGS3 a lot recently I decided to go for a jungle/swamp/forest themed force. Yes, I realise I haven't included Kroot - this is because I don't particularly enjoy painting them and I haven't found them to be that effective against Blood Angels. The force is designed to operate in dense terrain, hence the lack of large suits and only a single transport. They spend a lot of time patrolling swampland and waterways, so they require skimmers of a sort.
They make the use of area terrain by travelling in small squads and utilizing Stealth, which against a backdrop of dense foliage makes them near impossible to spot.
Some areas in terrain like this are difficult to transverse, so they also tend to make large use of drones.
This is my first proper Tau list, so I've probably made at least one mistake!
Where do you guys think I should loose the extra points? And do you think I need to make any changes, bearing the theme in mind?

[BurntEskimo]

Here are just some Ideas that might be more efficient for your army.

Your shas'el doesn't really need the VRT. Unless hes going to be in Combat, then your better off taking a Ninja'O. So, I'd advise switching the Vectored retro thrusters with a targeting array.

Your stealthteams are nice and small, but if they get shot, they're going to die quickly.You coulld drop the targeting arrays on your stealthsuits and take more of them. More bodies, less chance to fail leadership. They should do the same amount of damage anyways. Also, markerlights can only benefit other tau units, so unless you got them not moving and lighting up for eachother, they wont be BS5.

Troops are ok with me, I like pulse rifles better, but your idea sounds good. With not many skimmers to block assaults your going to need to be able to run away.

I dont really like rail rifles in pathfinder teams, cause thats less markerlights. Thats just me though. Gun drones work nicely, but you could use that FA slot better. Using 2 Piranha squandrons can make them less of a target to your opponent. So I would suggest maybe taking just 2 squads of 1 piranha and upping your Pathfinders to an 8 man squad.

Heavy Support is fine.

I like the idea behind this army list but your army is seriously lacking anti tank. Maybe you might take Helios suits or some kind of anti-tank otherwise someone is going to take an armoured company and just kill off your piranhas then you'll be run down.

BE

[Restayvien]

Originally Posted by BurntEskimo

stuff

Thanks for the advice!

Your shas'el doesn't really need the VRT. Unless hes going to be in Combat, then your better off taking a Ninja'O. So, I'd advise switching the Vectored retro thrusters with a targeting array.

Hmm, I will be trying to keep him out of combat as much as possible, but my only opponent will try to assault him if he can. But I guess a targetting array mean he could pack more of a punch...
Still not sure on this one.

Your stealthteams are nice and small, but if they get shot, they're going to die quickly.You coulld drop the targeting arrays on your stealthsuits and take more of them. More bodies, less chance to fail leadership. They should do the same amount of damage anyways. Also, markerlights can only benefit other tau units, so unless you got them not moving and lighting up for eachother, they wont be BS5.

Sure, drop the targetting arrays and get more bodies in. I was considering using them to Markerlight units for each other,do you think this is worthwhile?

Troops are ok with me, I like pulse rifles better, but your idea sounds good. With not many skimmers to block assaults your going to need to be able to run away.

My thoughts exactly. I don't have anything against Pulse Rifles, but bullpup assault weapons just seem to suit a mobile scout force more imo.

I dont really like rail rifles in pathfinder teams, cause thats less markerlights. Thats just me though. Gun drones work nicely, but you could use that FA slot better. Using 2 Piranha squandrons can make them less of a target to your opponent. So I would suggest maybe taking just 2 squads of 1 piranha and upping your Pathfinders to an 8 man squad.

Hmm, I thought the same, but in a force this small I need to get lots of damage out of my units, and I thought to have the only Mechanized squad firing Markerlights might not be such a good idea? As to the seperate Pirahna idea, I tended to split up my Vypers in my Eldar force, and I'm not sure why I didn't think of it this time, thanks! Loosing the third should free up some points too, although I'm not sure if I want to make the Pathfinder squad larger, because with the Rail Rifles the rest of the squad might not get a chance to fire much. Perhaps I could use the spare points to give the Stealth Suits their targetting arrays again?

As to the anti-tank - thanks for the advice, and if i find myself going to play in GW or something I will take it, but I usually only have one opponent and his only vehicles are a Baal Pred and a couple of Land Speeders, and he's unlikely to include the Pred in a 1000pt game. Good point though.

Thanks very much!

[Ravager]

Originally Posted by Heastaris, The Glimmering Blade

Sure, drop the targetting arrays and get more bodies in. I was considering using them to Markerlight units for each other,do you think this is worthwhile?

No, as only one team can benefit the other's markerlight, simply because they aren't networked. In fact, just don't use stealths as markers. There, saved more points.

Hmm, I thought the same, but in a force this small I need to get lots of damage out of my units, and I thought to have the only Mechanized squad firing Markerlights might not be such a good idea? As to the seperate Pirahna idea, I tended to split up my Vypers in my Eldar force, and I'm not sure why I didn't think of it this time, thanks!

Splitting Piranha's can never go wrong if they're armed with differing weapons.
Burst Piranhas hunt swarms.
Fusion Piranhas hunt tanks.
Simple as that. (see israfel's tactica if you need more info)

Loosing the third should free up some points too, although I'm not sure if I want to make the Pathfinder squad larger, because with the Rail Rifles the rest of the squad might not get a chance to fire much. Perhaps I could use the spare points to give the Stealth Suits their targetting arrays again?

Don't take railfinders. Just don't do it.
For the same points as a minimum size Railfinder squad (168) you can take two sniper drone teams.
And two sniper drone teams beat the pants off one railfinder squad any day of the week.
Pathfinders are for markerlights, you want railrifles, use sniper drones.

[BurntEskimo]

Originally Posted by Heastaris, The Glimmering Blade

Sure, drop the targetting arrays and get more bodies in. I was considering using them to Markerlight units for each other,do you think this is worthwhile?

Well, taking the Markerlights on your stealthsuits reduces one of their best assets, their mobility. I'd think Markerlights are better suited on firewarrior squads and whatnot. These Stealths have an effective range of 24" adding in JSJ. Them shooting 12 shots can seriously put the hurt on their opponents. Its really just up to personal preference.

40S5 shots, 16 of which are pinning is always fun to shoot at the enemy. Its always fun to stay just out of assault range also by constantly running back 6" and firing on them.

dang, ravager got it first

[Restayvien]

Thanks RZ, and BE.

So, changes:
Loose Markerlights on Stealth Suits
Loose Rail Rifles in Pathfinder Team
Add Sniper Drone Team
Split Pirahnas and drop one. Maybe give them both Fusion Blasters, as one Burst Cannon won't do much against Marines. Or just loose second Pirahna altogether?

[Edit] Decided to only take one Pirahna, so I can keep the drones for fluff.

This has got me down to 933pts.

After adding two more drones to the Drone Squadron, and three more Pathfinders to the Pathfinder team, I'm up to 993pts.

How's it looking now?

[Ravager]

Looking much better now.
Stealths don't need the team leader, he has no bonuses, so why include him?
Also, 3 x XV 25 with TA's should be 120, not 115.

Personally, I'd drop a gun drone to grab that last pathfinder (as they cost the same amount of points), but that's just me.

[Restayvien]

Done. I also dropped the TA's to add one suit to each team.
I'm 3 points over, but I guess that's acceptable.