[Shaso Wanax]

This is a dump from excel so the formatting is gone:


HQ
Shas'el B'ih'tsh PR MP Target A HWMT 97
Shas'el Al'xer TLPR MP HWMT 97

Elites
Team Alpha TLMP 1xBC T leader Target A HWTL 118
Team Beta MP FB 1xflamer T leader Target A HWTL 122
Stealth Team BC Bond 160

Troops
Orange Team x10 Pulse R Marker L T leader HWTL Bond 130
Green Team x10 Pulse R Marker L T leader HWTL Bond 130
Blue Team x10 Pulse R Marker L T leader HWTL Bond 130
Commando 1 Team 10 Carbine Phot G Bond 120
Commando 2 Team 10 Carbine Phot G Bond 120
Kroot 10 Kroot R 70

Fast
Drone Squadron Alpha 6 TL Carb 72
Drone Squadron Beta 6 TL Carb 72
Pathfinder Squad x5 Carbine Marker L 3x Rail R T leader HWTL DF 180

Heavy 0
XV88 Gun Captain SMS ASS T leader HWDC 1 S Drone 115
XV88 Gun Captain SMS ASS T leader HWDC 1 S Drone 115
Sniper Team 1+3 Rail Rifle 80 TOTAL 1831

In this list I'm going against my own axium and giving grenades to the commando units in order to try something new. By placng both commando units in close proximity within terrain, I will attempt to save them for mid game movement in an effort to split enemy attention away from my main effort. Every effort they draw away allows more concentrated shooting in other places. What I really want is for them to last 2 turns in CC if possible, so hopefully we'll have some result on this trial.

Another tactic I will be trying is using the carbines as a mobile anti-CC reserve. Have them move to intercept CC enemy within terrain and thus allow the rifles to continue shooting rather than move and miss a turn of shooting.


Otherwise, it is static Tau with latteral manuver ability. Everything begins in or behind cover to deny first turn burndowns of xv88s etc. I plan on deploying heavily to one side (did this in first exp. game) and shifting once the enemy commits. I do sacrifice units, so no victory will be so onesided as to be unfun. Fun is, after all, my prime directive. I'll try to post pics and battlereports.

Also note the list is interum. I will be growing a second sniper team soon, and I'm also going to be monitoring the plethora of markerlights I have beeming all over and see if a reduction would matter. I'd like to have a DS piranha for late game quarter snatching.

W

[israfel420]

WANAX, I've been following your quest to explore static tactics and I'm quite impressed.

Of course, many will say that static Tau are vulnerable to CC, but you've demonstrated many tactics for mitigating this possible problem(I really like both the brace and run like a girl).

My concern however is not assaulty opponents, but shooty ones. How do you plan on dealing with embedded heavy bolters in tac squads? Or what about lots of indirect fire? It is a common misconception that the Tau are the best shooty army in the game since IG and Marines(especially DA and Iron Warriors) can outshoot them in sheer volume of firepower. The backbone of many of these armies are their indirect fire tanks. Whirlies, Defilers, and Leman Russ's are ever present, and I don't really see any reliable methods for rooting these units out of cover(Railheads, Ionheads, and Piranha all come to mind as appropriate methods).

My suggestion then is to find middle ground and not play pure static or pure mech. Hybrid lists can be built in such a way as to have answers to every sort of threat. Sure it will be unlikely that you will completely dominate any type of paper, rock, scissors army, but neither will you be completely dominated in return.

So why not throw a tank or 2 or maybe one mounted squad or even a couple of fusion piranhas in the list and give you static force so many more options?

With the new codex out we will be seeing lots of Dark Angels armies so I thi

[Shaso Wanax]

Tanks are an interesting question to be sure, but there are a few issues that tanks have to deal with in this army. First is that every basic weapon will penitrate rear armor on all but three "tanks". Second is that ordinance weapons do not remove cover saves and cover is our friend. Third is indirect weapons will roll 2d6 scatter if the target is not in LOS. So to be effective, the issue for these tanks being effective is on the owner moreso than on me making them ineffective.

Two things I've noticed playing with tanks in SM, IG, and Tau is that they are all essentially the exact same things and they are all essentially as effective as each other. Sure there are some differences, but these are exceptions rather than rules.

My experience with Tau tanks is that they really don't get much closer to the enemy than my broadsides do, so "dealing" with enemy tanks is about the same for both. I never let my HH get near, if possible, to stick bommas, haywire grenades, and the like, and it is the same with BS deployment.

Lets look at a few common examples of dealing with tanks and stuff:

1. Vindicator. He needs to be direct LOS and 24" to shoot his gun. This means he is going to have to move on turn 1 and maybe 2 adding a scatter die if he has a shot, or sit back and shoot at kroot and stealth. If he choses kroot, good for him, as we didn't want to pay them anyway . To get over to me he must be 18" off of his own boardedge, which means he will be somewhere near my drone DS area. rear armor on vindicator vs. 6xBS2 TL str 5 shots. I drop 2 such drone teams every game. In other words, his limited range is his weakness and I would seek, barring bad dice, to exploit this weakness.

2. Leman Russ. Typically a LR has the battlecannon which scatters and precludes the use of all other weapons, or a lascannon and 2 HBolters. funny thing about the LR is that it can't coordinate itself with such an array. It has to choose the battlecannon and be in LOS, or move and choose the wild shot and still be in LOS. If terrain is roughly 25% of the table, which including dead space behind terrain is typical, then he must set up in the open or move. Since heavies deploy first, I insure he has no LOS on turn 1. I deploy where he, again, has to shoot kroot, stealth, or more his tank. While the BS will be better able to penetrate the LR than a HH being TL (with my dicing anyway), the A.S.S. makes turn 2 a questionable place for a LR to be sitting in the open.

3. Monolith. sure...what can anyone do. I can and will shoot at it with BS, but beyond that it is a typical predicament for everyone. The nice thing is it is flying around, so all terrain is open ground unless he is behind it, thus terrain on the table is reduced to 12.5% effectively. This means my 72" range will get to hammer on it more often regardless of where it is. If he is like many Necron players it will forcemarch and this is an issue--esp. if there are 3 of the darned things--but everyone has the same problems as my static here.

4. Preditor, Chimera, Rhino, Razorback, wartruks. See vindicator entry 1. and add crisis suits with MP to reduce survivability.

5. Tau and Eldar. OK, skimmers moving fast are an issue for sure. but like everyone else, my goal here is to glance it, stun or immobilized, then penetrate it next turn. Nice thing is that these tanks have virtually no side or rear armor, so everyone gets to shoot at them if needed. As for DE, AV10 open topped, even for a fast skimmer, means everyone can pop it from any side, and good riddance ;D

6. Landraider. See monolith entry. Again, a major pain, but like the monolith hyper expensive in points, which means there are that many fewer things I'll deal with on the table. Hide a lot seems to work for me. Avoid the cargo assaulting out is key. Once they are out, however, terminators are capable of being shot down just like all other infantry.

7. Monsterous creatures. BS shooting is all I can say. They are larger than level 3 terrain, so you get to shoot at them often from far away. does anyone survive a winged greater deamon in their infantry?

8. Shooty IG. I out class their basic weapons, insta-kill their infantry, and their infantry are truely static in order to shoot embedded heavies. This means I move out of LOS and range and wait for them. A moving HBolter is worthless here.

9. shooty SM. Here they can move and shoot more, but again the basic weapon is nothing at 30". Most, like Iron warriors, tool up on lascannons as much as H bolters, which for me is good since they have limited target options that make the lascannon pay for itself. If he has to move in order to get a shot, then I simply exploit this weakness forcing him to stay in terrain or get missile podded and plasma'd to peices. It is tough, but what isn't with Tau?

10. Embedded Heavy weapons in general. Those mounted on vehicles and walkers and skimmers are just something that has to be dealt with. I never set up where any targets are available other than those that are hard to hit and worthless like stealth and kroot. In the first round if I can get 2 or more enemy units to fire up the kroot, then I won that round even if the kroot die; 70 points is nothing if it keeps something like a BS or crisis safe for a turn. The key is to make foot slogging heavies move, and make mounted heavies come to you through good use of firelanes and dead space.

Hope this helps

W

[T0nkaTruckDriver]

You're getting closer The playstyle term you're looking for is 'Mobile Infantry'.

All you need is to trade some Rifle-toting Firewarriors for more Kroot and beef up the Broadside teams. Your XV8 loadouts could use a bit of work too. You're almost there!

[Shaso Wanax]

Originally Posted by T0nkaTruckDriver

You're getting closer The playstyle term you're looking for is 'Mobile Infantry'.

All you need is to trade some Rifle-toting Firewarriors for more Kroot and beef up the Broadside teams. Your XV8 loadouts could use a bit of work too. You're almost there!

I'm fiddling with a FB right now, just because I never use one. so be gentle on that bit. I usually run all the crisis elites as TLMP TA, but I'm bored. Also toying again with the idea of a DS crisis commando with TLFB, TA, teamleader with detonator

I refer to the style as the "jumping fire/crouching warrior". I won't use any added kroot, but I might run a squad of humans just so I can paint up some slave infantry.

My xv88 won't get any more drones. sorry. I'm more interested in positional play than exposure survival.

Also I'm hoping to displace my pathfinders with sniper teams in terms of role, and with a DS piranha w/FB in terms of FOC.

[cyberzomby]

Well the no los argument for ordnance isnt correct

I know 2 players who almost always roll hits !!! On there scatter dies.

Youre list looks cool. Think it will be fun to play with.

[Shaso Wanax]

Originally Posted by cyberzomby

Well the no los argument for ordnance isnt correct

I know 2 players who almost always roll hits !!! On there scatter dies.

Youre list looks cool. Think it will be fun to play with.

Ordinance has to pay for indirect--i.e. basilisk. Vindicators and Leman Russ must have LOS or no shot.

yeah, those hit rollers are cruel.

Thanks, I think it will be

W

[Grandpa Ducky]

This looks like a fun list to play against. The carbine toting 'Commando Teams' may even be able to hurt my Boyz... unless we stay above 12 models.

What are you ideas to stop players with endless mobz of Boyz from truly krumpin' you?

Remember: as long as an Ork unit can stay above 12 models, pinning won't effect it.

-Grandpa Ducky

[Funshade]

One of the ironic parts about Static tau is the fact that half the time you have to move to them to get them out of bloody cover

[Shaso Wanax]

Originally Posted by Grandpa Ducky

This looks like a fun list to play against. The carbine toting 'Commando Teams' may even be able to hurt my Boyz... unless we stay above 12 models.

What are you ideas to stop players with endless mobz of Boyz from truly krumpin' you?

Remember: as long as an Ork unit can stay above 12 models, pinning won't effect it.

-Grandpa Ducky

Orks...hmmm. No sweat unless on bikes I'm afraid. Without a save vs my basic weapon, you are looking at roughly 50 shots hitting each turn. If you are in cover then 20 wounds. Speed freaks are a problem though with open top vehicles they can assault off the truks. That is why the kroot are WAAAAAY out front. Also truks are nothing for a broadside. And everyone knows the grot will step on the gas instead of the fire button on looted basilisks

Actually, Orks can be a pain, but the luck must be on them to succeed. This is true of any ork army though.

W