Fighting Tau

[Stormshrug]

So they're using 140 points of models to do nothing and flank the sides in a line, and putting the rest of their gunline on the back, essentially forming a "U" shape on all available table edges that you could use to reach their troops in a single turn? All to counter 100ish points of Scouts that might not even arrive until the end of the game?

 

If you think they're going to deploy this way, just send everything up the middle; their strategy seems like a point-sink that doesn't overcome the fundamental weaknesses of the static Tau gunline anyway. Not being able to hit from behind is annoying, but they're wasting more points to prevent it than you are on being able to do it, in all likelihood, so the advantage still goes to you. If your Scouts arrive after you've engaged them, it probably won't make much of a difference at all. Alternatively, you can Infiltrate your Scouts or just deploy them normally, behind your transports (if you've decided to do a Rhino rush). Tau aren't much for indirect fire.

 

That is an irritating use of rules to thwart realism, though. Right up there with Squad-Weaving. But, like Squad-Weaving, it also seems only situationally good.

 

-Stormshrug

[Bjorn Ravenfeeder]

I tend to play a good Tau player quite regular, he tends to use his kroot to great effect. He doesn't have to sit all along the back line to stop OBEL just saturate his weak areas. If using scouts watch out for bait units, nothing worse than thinking that your ace just to find your about to be rapid fired into extinction.

The biggest threat/priority i've found are them pathfinder fella's. These guys are the tau equivilent of a psyker, bumping up BS and reducing cover saves all over the place. Shoot em till they rout then move onto the crisis suits.

Crisis suits are a pain with their jump shoot jump they can pretty much always have LOS and hard cover all the time. I find tempests wrath is your friend here. It only kicks off if he "lands" within 24" and even then only a 1 in 6, but keep him rolling and he'll soon get nervous.

Oh and definately use cover, i've had a Land Raider, predetor, rhino and 2 razorbacks popped in the first turn all because I rushed him without cover, charge of the heavy brigade came to mind.

 

Anyway, good luck have fun and let the wolf time roll

[Grey Mage]

So my friends and i play fairly regularly and recently i have been on a tremendous (by our standards) win record against necrons, orks, and tau. So my friend wants to proxy lots of units and play a 3000 point game with his Tau vs. my Space Wolves. I can't back down from a challenge so its going down but i got a little nervous about his preposed army list...

 

He is planning on bringing 3 squads of 3 broadsides each and 3 squads of 3(i think) crisis suits each, with as much plasma as he can fit in. Along with those he is throwing in 3 squads of fire warriors and 3 pathfinder squads. Now that is a pretty impressive firing line!

 

My basic thought process right now is to try and get into close combat as quickly as possible because he wont stand a chance there (i know duh right)... My question more is what method should i use to close with him. Pack in some landraiders and cruise towards him using cover and smoke as best i can, should i pod into him, or should i combine the two? Use some pods coming in first turn to block line of sight while the main army roles up unscathed. Also wolf scouts seem like this is their dream come true are they worth it?

 

The list i am thinking currently includes a runepriest podding in to hopefully get a long line of broadsides in JOTWW :P any suggestions? all of those marker lights from the pathfinders could mean some serious hurt and those crisis suits seem well suited to dancing outside my charge range while pummeling me with plasma...

 

thanks in advance!

At 3k? 9 Drop Pods, 5 of wich are full of GHs, 2 of Dreads, 1 of WG, 1 for LFs wholl probly deploy normally. Throw in a pair of whirlwinds, 2 LS typhoons in a squadron, a Rune Priest with master of the runes, tempests wrath and stormcaller- on a bike with a unit of swiftclaws.

 

GHs? 2x PG, PP, PF/PW. 4 of them. 1 with 2x MG, PP, PF/PW. Dreads with assault cannons or MMs, EA and heavy flamers- if you have the points make them venerable.

 

Hell never know what hit him.

[patchestheclown]

yeah my friend was telling me how he is going to camp the back line so i cant OBEL behind him but he is not bringing any kroot, so the whole blocking the sides thing probably isnt even on his radar so my scouts will most likely still get into melee the 1st turn they come onto the board.

 

here is a possible list i have been working on against him (some of the choices might not seem like the best or not cost effective at all but with 3000 points i kinda had to throw money into a few things :lol:)

 

HQ

Rune Priest 1 (rides with the rhino rush)

- Storm Caller and Murderous Hurricane

- Chooser of the slain

 

Rune Priest 2 (drop pod)

- Jaws of the World Wolf and Living Lightning

- TDA

- Master of the Runes

- Chooser of the slain

 

Wolf Priest (goes with skyclaws)

- jump pack

 

Wolf Lord (also with skyclaws)

- 2 wolf claws

- jump pack

- saga of the warrior born

HQ total = 615

 

Elites

Wolf Guard Pack -10

- 4 in PA with combi-melta & PF (rhino rush leaders)

- 5 in PA with SS and WC (in drop pod)

- 1 arjac (in drop pod)

 

Wolf Scouts Pack 1 -10

- Melta gun

- MOTW

- 2 PW

 

Wolf Scouts Pack 2 - 10

- Melta gun

- MOTW

- 2 PW

Elites total = 1060

 

Troops

Grey Hunters Pack 1 - 9

- Melta gun

- MOTW

- Wolf Standard

- Rhino

 

Grey Hunters Pack 2 - 9

- MG

- MOTW

- WS

- Rhino

 

Grey Hunter Pack 3 - 9

- MG

- MOTW

- WS

- Rhino

 

Grey Hunters Pack 4 - 8

- MG

- MOTW

- WS

-Rhino

Troops Total = 660

 

Fast Attack

Skyclaw Assault Pack - 10

- Meltagun

- PF

- MOTW

Fast Attack Total = 230

 

Heavy Support

Long Fangs Pack 1 - 6

- 5 ML

- RB TLLC

 

Long Fangs Pack 2 - 6

- 5 ML

- RB TLLC

 

Predator

- HB sponsons

Heavy Support Total = 515

 

Army Total = 3080

 

WOW that's a lot of space wolves! so basic idea is for the DP to come down first turn to try and block line of sight but big thing is to get a JOTWW and some living lightning along with arjac's TH to hopefully eliminate a full squad of broadsides and generally to force my opponent to split fire. Everything else rhino rushes forward with my rune priest hopefully giving stormcaller to everything around, smoke launchers and terrain will also help, the skyclaws just use them as a giant armor shield and hopefully can avoid all fire until coming into melee. Long fangs set up and shoot everything they can, pred fills this role too but also hopefully can take some heat off the rhinos. The scouts are really the only part of this army i dont feel really belongs but i have never used a huge scout squad before and using two of them can only increase my chances of getting one of them to OBEL in the right place, big point sink though... and considering dropping them for something else... maybe a dred, a lone wolf (feel like he would get left behind unless he hijacked one of the LF razorbacks...)

 

let me know what you guys think and thanks again for all the advice i am beggining to doubt my opponent even standing a chance ;) lets hope the dice gods do not choose to mess with that claim!