Battle Report: 1850 vs. Tau

[Yeti]

We'll, it's been a long while since I've written one of these, but hopefully they're as good as the old ones.

 

My goal today was to "test a bunch of stuff". I've recently made a comeback to 40K, after a long time where my focus was elsewhere, and with the new rules & new Codex: SM (new to me at least), I wanted to try some of the new options and test some units.

 

The list was 1850 points and consisted of:

Yeti Bearclaw: Wolf Lord: Bolt pistol, Frost axe, Belt of Russ, Frags

Thorgrim the Wise: Wolf Priest, Healing potions, frags

Thor the Immortal: Venerable Dreadnought, Assault cannon, Extra armor, Smoke

 

Dreadnought: 2x Twin linked Autocannon

 

9x Grey Hunters: 2 Power fists, Frags

w/ Rhino: Extra Armor, Smoke Launchers

8x Grey Hunters: Bolters, Plasma gun, Power weapon

8x Grey Hunters: Bolters, Plasma gun, Power weapon

9x Blood Claws: 2 Power Fists

w/ Rhino: Extra Armor, Smoke Launchers

 

2x Landspeeder Typhoon

 

Predator: Twin Lascannons, Lascannon sponsons

Whirlwind

Vindicatory

 

My opponent played Tau and fielded:

 

2x Crisis suit HQs

2x Crisis Suits

3x Broadsides

2x 12 Firewarriors w/ markerlight drone

3x 12 Firewarriors

w/ Devilfish: Burst cannon, rocket pods (? S5 missiles, Heavy 4?), distortion field (?Cover save if shot from more than 12"?)

 

I'll included some pics tommorow … but they aren't that great. I had a friend's camera and it only had a mega telephoto lens. I had to stand 10 feet from the table and even then I could barely get it all in the shot. It was a pretty simple layout though. Three ruins on each long board edge with a couple of hills on the eastern side.

 

It was an annihilation game with dawn of war deployment. He won the roll … and let me deploy first AND have first turn … didn't even try to seize the initiative. I asked again to make sure he was playing Tau … and deployed my troops. A first gang of bolter hunters went behind a ruin just west of the middle, the other bolter squad out in the open east of them. Thor deployed in one of the ruins on the western end of the table. For his part, he stuck some fire warriors completely on the western end of the table, some behind the hill just east of middle and his HQ behind some ruins on the eastern side.

 

SW – Turn 1

My army come onto the table with most units going as far as possible. On the western front the Dread walked came in and the whirlwind moved 12" to get behind the ruins Thor was in, some nice LOS blocking cover. My rhinos also moved 12" forward, to each side of the ruin in the center of the table. The Vindi and Pred each came in about 9" to hide behind that ruin. The two Typhoons came in on the far eastern flank, the full 12". The GHs behind the ruins stayed put while the other bolter squad advanced on the hill. Vennie came out of his hidey hole and strode up the western front. Between night fighting and high movements, shooting was pretty calm, with one notable exception …. One of the Typhoons managed to spot his HQ and two Krak missiles later … no more HQ! First kill point to the wolves!

 

Tau – Turn 1

The Devilfish come in, one in the west, two in the east. The broadsides were hyped up on Redbull or something, two come in 6", the other 4", each in the center of the board. The three Crisis suits come in on the eastern flank … and hide behind the Devilfish. The eastern Firewarriors crawl up to the hill while those on the western front stay put in a nice little clump. Luckily, his shooting phase was little better than mine. In the middle, I find out what darksun filters do … but apparently the Redbull made the Broadsides jittery and to rip of the stormbolter from the GHs rhino.

 

SW – Turn 2

All the vehicles except the Predator and the Whirlwind move forward as much as they can with the Vindi hiding behind the Blood Claws Rhino. The GHs on the eastern side continue to advance on the hill while the others stay put behind the ruin. While the Rhinos and Vindi pop smoke, everything else opens up on the Tau … The Dread lines up the Devilfish on the western flank and manages to shake it. Meanwhile rockets shoot out of the ruins and land on the cluster of Firewarriors nearby, killing 7. Thor opens up on the nearest Broadside, but a drone dips down in front, taking the hit instead. On the eastern end of the battlefield the Typhoons open up on a Devishfish and stun it. The GHs behind the hill see another Devilfish looming above them, but the plasma gunner manages to hit the engines and it lurches to the ground, immobilized. The GHs behind the ruin line up another Broadside, but once again a drone takes the hit … but they managed to distract it enough that it doesn't see the lascannon bolts that rip through it from the Predator.

 

Tau – Turn 2

Despite a pretty shook up battle line, the Tau muster up some courage and manage to advance on the Space wolves. The remaining Firewarriors on the western flank move into some ruins while the nearby Devilfish contours them and skims the flank. In the middle, the broadsides maneuver a little lining up shots while the Firewarriors climb up the hill they were hiding behind and line up the GHs at the bottom. The Crisis suits also move forward, lining up shots. Needless to say, the GHs at the foot of the hill stand up to the withering fire of rail rifles, burst cannons, missiles and plasma. The are reduced down to two and decide to cut their loses … on nearby eastern flank, a crisis suit manages to line up one of the Typhoons and brings it down with a well placed missile, before jetting back behind the stunned Devilfish. In the middle, the Broadsides are still jittery and only manage to shake Thor.

 

SW – Turn 3

Having closed on the enemy, Wolf Lord Yeti Bearclaw disembarks from his Rhino, Russ' Rage with his loyal Grey Hunter pack and charge up the hill towards the Firewarriors that had decimated his fellow wolves. Thorgrim and his Blood Claw pack are somewhat more cautious though and only have their Rhino advance modestly to cover Thor's flank. Both dreadnoughts advance while Vindi lines up a broadside. Having backed away, the remaining Typhoon opens up once again on the Devilfish moving up the eastern flank, but is unable to get a lock because of the disruption field and the missiles go wide. The combined fire of the GHs behind the ruins and the Vindicator manage to strip the remaining drones from the Broadsides, but don't manage to wound them. Meanwhile, the Whirlwind reduces the Firewarriors in the western ruins down to a single man. Continuing his advance, the dreadnought once again opens fire on the Devilfish, but the shots either bounce of the armor or seem to go right through it … blasted Xenos technology! All of this shooting must had seriously distracted Yeti … as he charges up the hill he and his pack aren't paying attention and trip into the Firewarriors … Caught off their guard, they loose three wolves before regaining their wits and cutting down two. Determined to show the Tau just what they can do, they stay in the fight and tighten their grip on their weapons.

 

Tau – Turn 3

Having recovered from the first turn of shooting, both Devilfish advance up their respective flanks. The one on the western flank disembarks it's cargo of firewarriors … with a clear view of Thor's rear armor! The Broadsides move laterally to line up shots while the Crisis suits on the eastern flank scoot about the ruins. Luck finally catches up to the Wolves in the shooting phase. The Firewarriors pummel Thor's vulnerable rear armor, hitting the generator and shutting him down. A Broadside threads the needle and fires a shot between Thor and the Blood Claws Rhino … right into the Vindicator and punching through the armor, taking it out of commission also. The Devilfish on the eastern flank opens up on the remaining Typhoon, also taking it down. Despite this destruction, Yeti and his Hunters are not distracted and start teaching the Tau about close combat. Unwilling, or unable, to learn this lesson, they try to run, but are cut down …

 

SW – Turn 4

It's the Tau's turn to learn about destruction! The Blood Claws disembark from their rhino and, led by Thorgrim, advance on the Firewarriors that have just fired on Thor. The Predator pivots to line up the immobilized Devilfish on the eastern flank, hoping to scare the Firewarriors out of their hidey hole. The dread goes around the Devilfish on the east flank. On the western front, Yeti and his pack go down the other side of the hill, deep into enemy territory. Shooting focuses on the Broadsides with the Dread, the grey hunters and the whirlwind all landing hits, but only causing one wound. Once again the disruption field saves a devilfish, lascannon shots going wide and doing no damage. In the assault phase, the Blood Claws let loose and not only manage to but down the firewarriors, but also to destroy their transport, leaving it a broken wreck. For his part, Yeti is frustrated that the Firewarriors don't want to learn their lesson … and decides to tear open their Devilfish …

 

Tau – Turn 4

Out of close combat and with minimal cover, the Tau decide to teach Yeti a lesson in target practice … Moving out from behind the wreck of their Devilfish, they and the crisis suits line up the Grey Hunters. The Devilfish that was skulking behind the ruins on the eastern flank comes out in the open and, along with the remaining HQ, do some target practice on the two remaining bolter GHs. Yeti sees his Hunters decimated but, having taken cover behind the wreck, is unscathed. He redoubles his resolve and grips his frost axe. In the mid-field, the Devilfish and crisis suit open up on the two remaining wolves, taking one down. But the plasma gunner hold his ground … he's already taken down one of those blasted flying fish today! The Broadsides add their part to the shooting phase, shaking the blood claw rhino and blowing the turret of the predator.

 

SW – Turn 5

The blood claws rush north towards the nearest broadside while their rhino moves around a ruin to block the LOS between the other and the predator. The Dread continues his advance. Yeti comes screaming out of cover, right towards the Firewarriors, fury in his eyes. The shooting phase is dismal, the broadsides shrugging off what rounds that managed to find their mark while the Predator still cannot line up the remaining Devilfish. The lone plasma gunner however managed to line up the Crisis Suit hiding behind the Devilfish and wound him. Yeti plows into the Firewarriors and kills five in mere seconds, chasing the rest of the board and turning to face the two crisis suits.

 

Tau – Turn 5

In the center of the battlefield, the Broadsides are feeling quite alone as they try to line up some shots, but there is to much cover in the way. On the eastern front however, it is the wolves that are feeling outnumbered. Two Crisis suits edge closer to Yeti, an ominous glow emanating from their plasma and fusion guns. Just to the south, the last Devilfish advances on the last of the bolter hunters, a crisis suit in tow. The crisis suits manage to get a straight hit with a fusion fun and mortally wound Yeti Bearclaw. Despite having been wounded, the HQ Crisis cuts down the last of the GHs.

 

SW – Turn 6

The blood claws continue to head towards the Broadside and the last remaining Firewarrior. The GHs that were behind the ruins move east, towards the Devilfish and HQ Crisis. The Blood Claws Rhino continues to pester one of the Broadsides by blocking his LOS to the predator. The shooting phase is highlighted by the combined actions of the Predator and Whirlwind. The Predator finally manages to get a lock on the Devilfish and blows it out of the sky. Having barely recovered from the crash, rockets from the Whirlwind rain down on the Firewarriors. But despite a rather traumatic disembarkation and the loss of nearly half their own, they maintain their resolve. In the assault phase, the Wolf priest rapidly dispatches the last of the Firewarriors while his Blood Claws tear at the Broadside, finding a chink in his armor and driving their knives home.

 

Tau – Turn 6

With most of his units either out of range or with limited LOS, it didn't add up to much for the Tau. He did manage to rip of a set of Autocannons from the Dread and kill one Grey Hunter, but that was pretty much it.

 

With that the game ended. When the final tally was taken, he had 8 KPs, I had 10 … a decent victory for me. Not too bad considering I wasn't being conservative with my units or going to extremes to prevent loosing KPs. Had I been more careful, I probably could have save a Typhoon and the last of the bolter squad that got decimated at the base of the hill.

 

All told, it was loads of fun and I got a good idea of how well some units performed. Some things I learned:

- Twinned Twin autocannons rock! Though lacking in AP, they really did a good job. Had it been his crisis suits instead of his broadsides, I probably would have killed quite a few, but those darned 2+ saves are a pain. I was still forcing 3-4 save per turn though, it's just that the odds weren't on my side. The were also very good at taking down his transports and with a 48" range, it's easy to get flank shots.

- Landspeeder typhoons kick butt too. I'd been on the receiving end at the recent HoH tournament, but having used them for the first time, I really liked them. Taking out the HQ on turn 1 was just sweet and they soaked up a fair amount of fire too … for landspeeders anyway. Had I been more conservative with them and kept them farther away, they would have had better survivability and probably had done more damage too.

- I gotta do something with my Vennie … The plasma cannon he used to field got nerfed with the scatter rules and the assault cannon just has too short a range for my liking. I either have to get a drop pod for him … or a different main gun … maybe twin las/missile launcher … but that's pretty steep.

[Grey Mage]

Nice fight, its good to see an active tau player for a change... the gunline tactic is good against hordes, but tau are meant to be mobile firepower more than just static firepower eh?

 

As for your vendread.... well Personally I love my assault cannon, but if you think its range is to dismal to put up with then I would suggest giving him the TLLC and assigning him to shepard a footslogging squad. Sure, he cant join them but he can pop tanks for them and help out in CC and take some fire off of the boys. Its a secondairy setup for me, but I find it works pretty well. Something to try maybe?

[Vash113]

Nice fight, its good to see an active tau player for a change... the gunline tactic is good against hordes, but tau are meant to be mobile firepower more than just static firepower eh?

 

Yes, unfortunately it's not too viable anymore, the Tau Tanks took a big hit in power with 5th and it's a lot harder to hide Jump Pack units now so Mech Tau armies are becoming increasingly scarce as they frankly... just get slaughtered now.

 

Anyway nice job on the win, always good to see the SW butchering those upstart xenos! :rolleyes:

 

Have an ale!

[Yeti]

Yeah, don't know about "active Tau". He was a really good player, but he needed some aggressivity. Of the three squads in Devilfish, he "voluntarity" disembarked from one to shoot up the Ven's backside, but the other two squads got violently booted out when their vehicle exploded.

 

Admitedly, I did a decent job of limiting his mobility, but I personally think he would have been more effective had he disembarked his troops and shot me up some more. Add to that the firepower that the devilfish could put out ... could have really done some damage.

 

As promissed, here are some pics of the match. I didn't take many ... I kinda get focussed on the game and forget about the camera.

 

End of Turn 1 : http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/Ye...s/End_Turn1.jpg

We'd both just come onto the table, but we were pretty much lined up for a good battle. You can see the converted twin autocannons on the Dreadnought at the far end of the table ... mega long and super cool looking.

 

Mid-Turn 2 : http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/Ye...ts/SW_Turn2.jpg

This was after my Turn 2, but before he moved his units. The cotton balls represent smoke and you can see my two HQs proudly surfing atop their transports. :P

 

Missed Combat : http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/Ye...ombat_Turn3.jpg

This was the disastrous result of the combat on my Turn 3. Only Yeti made it into BtB, but with the defender reactions, I got a few more GHs into contact. Yeti muffed 5/6 attacks, the Tau made all their saves vs the GH attacks and 3/4 PFists missed too .... really pityful. It was really the day for the Tau though. On another table it was Tau vs Chaos and a couple of crisis suits managed to beat a Chaos Greater Demon (Nurgle I beleive) in CC!

[Yeti]

Well, a little update. I played two more games yesterday and both were close, but turned out with victories.

 

The first was against Orks. Roughly, 3x 30 ork mobs, 10x Nobs, 2x 15 Lootas, warboss and weirdboy. Despite a 1st turn Waagh from the Weirdboy and some more mediocre performances from my HQs, I managed to hold my objective and contest his with Venne who was slowly munching his way through 30 orks ...

 

The second was against Tau, but a different player. 2x Crisis HQs (including the FW Shas'O), 2x Crisis elite, 6x Stealth, 4x 12 Firewarriors, 1 in a Devilfish, Gun drone squad, 2x Broadsides, 1x Hammerhead. A seize ground mission with 3 objectives, Spearhead deployment. It was basically a battle for the middle objective. He put some heat (well kroots anyway) on the objective nearest my DZ and on the last turn I reduced his squad holding the other objective down to 3 ... but they held. It all came down the the middle objective where he managed to rush 4 firewarriors to claim it. But a lone surviving GH managed to claim it while Yeti took care of the tau in CC.

 

All told, I really like the Typhoons. They devastated the orks with templates and HBolters. The kraks were also really great for sniping nobs or crisis suits. The Autocannon dread was really cool too and I've got a little more faith in my Vennie ... but I still think the assault cannon has too short a range. ;)