Monday, July 9, 2012

The word of Aun'Va (New list for 6e)

I based this list off the advice of a fellow 40k player. It was the list I used to run in the 6e Playtesting weekend the other day. I call it "The Word of Aun'va".

HQ: (518 Pts)
Shas'O Commander with Bodyguards
- Burst Cannon
- Missile Pods
- Shield Generator
- HW Multi-tracker
- HW Drone controller (2 x Shield Drones)

2 x Shas'vre Bodyguards
- Flamer
- Burst Cannon
- Shield Generator
- HW Multi Tracker

Ethereal + Honor Blade
- Drone Controller (2 x Shield Drones)

Honor Guard, 12 x Fire Warriors

Elites: (330 pts)
Stealth Team A (3)
Team Leader + Markerlight + HW Drone Controller (2 x Marker Drones)
Burst Cannons

Stealth Team B (3)
Team Leader + Markerlight + HW Drone Controller (2 x Marker Drones)
Burst Cannons

Troops: (260 pts)
12 x Firewarriors + Shas'Ui

12 x Firewarriors + Shas'Ui

Fast Attack: (201 pts)
8 x Pathfinders + Shas'ui

1 x PF Devilfish
- Sensor Spines
- Disruption Pods

H. Support: (438 pts)
2 x Broadsides + Blacksun Filters

2 x Broadsides + Blacksun Filters

2 x Broadsides + Blacksun Filters

Sunday, July 8, 2012

6th ed Shenanigans part II

Remember when I said 6th ed would help give Tau a fighting chance? Forget would, it DEFINITELY helped. Thanks to a lot of new things: Pre-measure, Mobile rapid fire, and Stealthsuit buffs.

Before 6th ed, I was struggling with 5th edition because I have a very wonky sense of distance. This meant me getting the shit kicked out of me three times a day all week, especially when I misjudge the distance for my Fire Warriors to shoot my intended target. This is because:

A: You can only fire rapid fire shots at 12 inches after moving.
B:  Back in 5th ed, rapid fire meant you are now in assault range.

When 6th edition rolled around, Firewarriors became a lot more lethal by allowing rapid fire guns to fire a single shot up to their weapon's maximum range, and rapid fire's distance is half of your maximum range. This allowed my Firewarriors to effectively move around and shoot their targets with 30 inch guns, forcing assault units to either take the risk of charging straight into an entire line of plasma fire, or sitting back and being a complete point sink. Additionally, pre-measure allowed me to judge the maximum shooting range to effectively ensure everyone was capable of shooting, while at the same time staying out of the enemy's field of fire.

That meant whittling them down one by one until we could execute the Mont'ka.

The next thing is Stealth Field Generators. Like I've mentioned in an earlier post, SFGs now confer Stealth + Shrouded instead of forced night vision and barrage re-rolls. This means they have a natural 4+ cover save in the open. If they get themselves in cover, they get a normal 2+ cover save. That's essentially a 2+ invul save for non-flamer/cover cancelling weapons. Stealthsuits in my army now no longer carry fusion blasters, but rather markerlights + markerdrones. Having them stick around in the cover and way out of enemy assault range made them a very hard to dislodge forward observation team.

With support from 6 to 9 broadsides, it's no surprise things WILL start dying. I've played at least three games with 6th ed during the weekend: vs Chaos Space Marines, Orks, and Grey Knights.

The first game against orks was a battle for each others objective in their deployment zone. (similar to the old one each objective.) However, the deployment favored me very heavily. The opponent played an ork army that focused primarily on assaulting. but the deployment, Hammer and Anvil, made us deploy on the SIDE table edges. This meant the ork's assault distance became a LOT longer. the game ended in a victory as I still held on to my objective, while my opponent had virtually lost the rest of his forces.

The second game was against Chaos Space Marines. Technically, the game ended in a draw; Both of us still had scoring units holding onto an equal number of objectives. HOWEVER, due to warp shenanigans, my objective ( which was booby trapped ), had to BLOW UP at the last turn of the game, killing off one Fire Warrior out of 3. Despite the presence of an Ethereal, the FWs failed their leadership and scurried off the table, thus costing me my objective, as well as my technical victory. (As I still maintained my Warlord while my opponent lose his.)

The last game was against Grey Knights. Like in the first game, the deployment was Hammer and Anvil, but this time I was playing against an army which could shrug off heavy weapons like it was a calm sunday afternoon. Despite an early encroachment into my gunlines by two Dreadknights and the horrible misfortune of losing my advance Broadside team, I eventually won the day by holding onto my objective for dear life, while Shas'vre'Ram'Bo, the last surviving member of Stealth team B, assault jumped into the enemy's lines and contested his objective, leaving me as the winner of the game as I maintained my hold on my own objective.

So far, 6th ed has really given my army a new lease on life. In fact my horrible rolls have even started to slowly wane. If my luck keeps up, maybe I could score a decent amount of wins/draws instead of constant desperate draws and total defeats.



Monday, July 2, 2012

6th Ed Shenanigans ahoy!

It's the 2nd quarter of 2012 and that usually means stuff being released by GW around this time! Though it's less an army update but 6th Edition, joy to the world!

I've taken a glance through some of the new rules, and I have to say, suddenly Tau looks viable again! There's even a reason to take at least one flamer-configuration Crisis suit in squads now, as they damage charging models with D3 wounds before they actually begin hitting you with instakill/ludicrous close combat abilities. I also welcome overwatch. This has been the rule every static Tau gunline has been waiting for. The ability to deal some damage before falling.

Acute senses is now completely changed in it's function. Because of the change that night fighting now revolves around pre-determined distances between the shooter and the target, acute senses now allows for re-rolling the table edge should you arrive in via outflanking, which makes Stealth Suits a modicum of usefulness now that they have a chance of arriving from the edge you wanted in the first place. Blacksun filters are also a good choice now that they can negate night fighting rules, which states that enemy models at 12 inches to 24 get a +1 to cover saves, and targets from 24 to 36 inches get +2 cover save. Anything beyond that, you can't shoot. While everyone else is mucking about unable to shoot 36 inches away, the Broadsides have an entire 72 inches to screw the enemy up with, complete with Blacksun filters.

What, don't want to give up your suit mobility? Then give your Broadside team a leader and allocate him a Hard-wired Blacksun filter. Even if the rest of the team can't shoot, your leader can still stomp and relocate and still throw out str 10 ap 1 shots as he goes.

(I'm actually expecting this to be nerfed. GW and all, spess mahreens etc.)
I'd add more but that's all I know for now. I'll probably get a test game this weekend or something. Stay tuned!