Anti Tau Tactics

[Brother Drakk]

@ GotR Really really really good post. That is almost a tactica. Tells us what you can expect, it's strengths, its weaknesses and how to exploit it. Thanks a million brother, it might just save many lives.

[Guardian of the Rage]

You're welcome Brother Drakk.

[jeager]

Tau really aren't that bad, just make sure to out-maneuver them with eldar vehicles (especially if you can spare the points for 'pop-up/out' attacks) and use all the cover you can to minimise casualties whilst closing. A Saim Hain force of up to 18 Vypers (50% of them with scatter laser, 25% bright lance, 25% starcannon) + 1-2 mounted farseer/warlock bodyguard squads should eat through most armies, including Tau.

 

The night lord list I use also fares pretty well against almost any army, 3 dreads (heavy assault role) operating as a pseudosquadron, 2 chaos squads (5 men with infiltrators etc, 1 mobile fire support (plasma guns + tank hunter), 1 assault), Daemon Prince to support the dreads for building assaults, then either raptors or terminators focused on assault roles (or both if points allow). Again mobility and deployment/redeployment options make the army work backed up with the sheer toughness of armour 13 regenerating dreads.

 

With either army I'd expect up to 50% casualties until the close combat units get in, after that it's really just mop up.

[Duodecimo]

Is there any advice for us CSM players? The person I game with generally keeps a pair of Hammerheads at the back & blasts me with them, forms a wall of Shield Drones to protect his men w/forcefields, sends in Crisis suits to kill me from mid-range, and keeps his FWs and Pathfinders behind their transports, merrily blasting away -through the aforementioned Drone wall, is this possible?- underneath the skimmers. Piranhas attack from the sides. If necessary, he can pack his entire army into skimmers (except for the flying Crisis suits) and move somewhere else. Any advice.

[Commander Gitsnik]

Is there any advice for us CSM players? The person I game with generally keeps a pair of Hammerheads at the back & blasts me with them, forms a wall of Shield Drones to protect his men w/forcefields, sends in Crisis suits to kill me from mid-range, and keeps his FWs and Pathfinders behind their transports, merrily blasting away -through the aforementioned Drone wall, is this possible?- underneath the skimmers. Piranhas attack from the sides. If necessary, he can pack his entire army into skimmers (except for the flying Crisis suits) and move somewhere else. Any advice.

Two words. Thousand Sons.

 

A squad of Tzeentch's finest with those crazy bolters of theirs will decimate most Empire foot soldiers. Plus they're cheap(ish), leaving you open to some nice daemon's, some oblits or three squads of raptors. Those raptors could eat anything.

 

Remember (this applies to standard marines as well) that the rail-heads are generally only used against tanks - if they use the blast marker you get your armour save. Of course if they're equipped with Ion cannons all bets are off... keep your marines out of range or get in close and carve some bloodthirster's name across the engines*. The tanks will usually be the target so try to keep them behind cover.

 

*Ooh.. conversion idea now!