The Perfect Storm: Part III Choosing a color scheme

Unlike many of the other races in the 40k universe Tau do not have a fixed armor color scheme by sept. Instead each sept has different colored markings which you can see on the below picture of GW's painted Tau firewarriors -

These firewarriors are from the Tau sept and it is the white markings on the shoulderpads and guns that tell you. The rest of the armor is painted based on the camouflage scheme of the theater in which the force is engaged. Here the Tau have gone for a desert scheme.

I am now in the process of trying to determine what makes the most sense for my Tau army. I still have not decided on a sept but I am sure I can find a fluff background and marking that works once I have decided on the armor color. Where I am stuck is the armor color and therefore am asking for your help.

Here are my current three top themes. Please let me know your thoughts or even a whole new theme...

1. As most of the units have some aquatic theme I thought I would start there, and I think that the leopard sharks natural coloration would make for an excellent color scheme. My only concern is that grey is well grey and tends to blend into many city boards. While that is practical as an urban camouflage, it is less exciting for a game of toy soldiers...

2. Next up we have the race car inspired, white with stripes. This makes for a very attractive battlesuit and infantry color scheme, but does not allow for the same camouflage opportunities on the vehicles.

3. Finally we return to mother nature for a variety of lizard inspired earth tones.

So what do you think?

The Perfect Storm: Part II Initial Strategic Thoughts on the Tau

In today's piece we will begin our tactical review of the new Tau Codex. We will be looking through the codex to see what it tells us about how it needs to be played. For starters we will be looking broadly across the Tau for trends and opportunities. We will start here as it is important to understand the whole before before trying to put together the parts.

My old Tau army gearing up for an apocalypse game

  To start a few basic premises -

Strengths- 
1. Access to an abundance of strength 7 firepower across the entire FOC outside of troops.
2. Access to a significant amount of AP 2 and 3 firepower (including templates) across the entire FOC outside of troops.
3. Multiple cover denying options (markerlights, AFP, Smart missiles).
4. Unparalleled access to interceptor and skyfire.
5. Army wide buffs from ethereals, supporting fire and markerlights.
6. Troop options that easily wound most basic troops and have better than normal ability to wound high T opponents. (Only DE really rival us in this department)
7. Great mobility from JSJ units.

Weaknesses
 1. Assault phase with the majority of the army, and the entirety of the army when you're talking about combating a dedicated assault unit.
2. Pronounced lack of long range greater than strength 7 firepower (only hammerheads, railsides, and the occasional nova blast)
3. Access to cost efficient troop mobility.
4. Dependence on synergistic effects to maximize shooting or leadership.

No more massed strength 10 shooting, one of the biggest changes in the new codex

So what lessons can we take from this in building a list?
1. We will be able to deal with infantry, heavy infantry, and monstrous creatures at range.
2. We have to make sure that we provide adequate firepower to deal with high AV vehicles, either through mobile melta delivery platfoms or the inclusion of high strength long range firepower.
3. We have to invest in troop mobility either through high cost transports, large numbers of outflanking troops or allies.
4. We have to be wary about over investing in strength 7 weaponry to the exclusion of a range of tools.
5. Because of the synergistic effects we enjoy from markerlights etc... We have to very carefully balance the inclusion of allies. While they can certainly balance some of our weaknesses, they also dilute the synergies. (Every non-Tau unit added is one less unit that can take advantage of those markerlights or supporting fire).

We will apply these takeaways in a later post as we start looking at individual units and how they complement the overall army. However, Part III will focus on my new color scheme thoughts.

The Perfect Storm: Part I Acquiring My New Tau Army

Sometimes everything just comes together... Whenever a new codex is released I always promise myself I will resist the urge to buy new models and instead wait until I have read and digested the codex (and any subsequent FAQs). Somehow this always falls by the wayside as I get caught up in the excitement of the shiny. With the new Tau release a combination of luck and patience has resulted in the perfect storm and I find myself with all the models I want and nothing yet put together as I evaluate my options.

How did this play out? Well it starts with some dumb luck, fortuitous timing, GW's new accelerated release policy, some good friends in the know, and some hard earned experience in dealing with new releases...

As some of you may remember I traded away my old Tau army with grand intentions of a new color scheme and better conversions on my crisis suits. Bartertown was my friend as I was trading the DE and excess SM for an army that many folks no longer played.

I shortly thereafter received very early indications from those aforementioned friends that a new Tau codex would definitely be dropped in early 2013. So I went back to Bartertown with a vengeance, my strategy to maximize trading value was fivefold -

1. Pick up plastics on sprue (betting that GW wouldn't update a plastic kit)
2. Models that were weak in the old codex - Ethereals, Sniper Drones and Pathfinders (once folks found the tetra)
3. Assuming that battlesuits and drones would still be relevant.
4. Thinking that the ever present broadside would be nerfed.
5. And good old dumb luck, not one of the trades I tried to make for Vespids worked out. 

The strategy paid off and I found myself the proud owner of some 4000 pts worth of Tau that I acquired for about 45% of retail value (trading always goes in your favor when you are trading newer for older...).

At this point I was going to start building, but here GW's new release policy helped me out. My favorite GW armies have always been DA and Tau. So when GW decided to release both relatively close to another I put the Tau project on hold as I waited to complete my DA.

I also was painfully reminded to wait on buying the new shiny. Looking at the gorgeous Dark talon model that was billed as an air superiority fighter I decided I needed two so I could match up with the ludicrous flyer armies that kept popping up. Anyone that has read the DA rules can tell you what a horrendous mistake that was. I had acquired two overpriced flyers that worked better better as a mobile ground assault platforms in a codex that already contained all the mobile ground assault I needed. Never again would I buy a new model before reading the codex.

So now outside of converting up an Azrael and stripping a Sammael model I am done. Time to start the Tau...

I still need to buy some of the new plastics, which for the first time I waited on, and will talk about that in Part II when I start to dissect the codex.

Techmarine on Bike, and more plasticard

I did some more work on my bike techmarine last night. I attached the second half of his servo-arm, sporting a flamer and plasma pistol, to the bike. I really like the idea of a techmarine zipping around on the battlefield from one vehicle to the next repairing things or gathering up valuable techno-artifacts, and using his artificer bike as an essential part of his repair kit. Thanks GW, you've FAQ'd more fluff into my lists.

This has been an interesting project. I don't work with plasticard that often, and I'm quite pleased with the result. I definitely will consider it more seriously the next time I am planning a conversion.

Techmarine on Bike

The recent GW FAQ made powerfield generators a bit less effective when riding in a transport. As a result I've decided to whip up a bike techmarine. I've been meaning to do this for a while and never quite got around to it. Now though, I've had a taste of 4++ venerable landraider of devastation, and I'm hooked.

I tried to find some bits for his servo-arm, but didn't have anything appropriate. I realized it would probably be easier to make one using plasticard. I'll probably scratchbuild some more tech-y bits, the flamer and plasma pistol for his servo harness, and may add some armored panels to his artificer bike.

Grey Knights Land Raider

After being on the receiving end of the banner of Devastation, I've decided to try fielding an Inquisition Land Raider Crusader with psybolt ammunition to enhance its shooting. I was only able to fine the standard pattern at my FLGS but I decided to pick it up anyway and make a modeling project out of it. Here's a WIP shot of my scratchbuilt hurricane bolters. They're magnetized so I can swap them out for other weapons.

Industrial terrain

Here are few work in progress and final shots of some industrial chemical tanks I made recently. They're made from Styrofoam balls with some bits of plasticard and some household trash.

Land Raider Redux

I'm in the process of touching up my Crusader so it can look good while undertaking banner of devastation shenanigans.

It looked presentable before, but I never liked the way I had over-accentuated the shading with browns on the bottom half of the vehicle. I touched it up with some Ushtabi Bone, and added a few more highlights with a mix of pure white and Screaming Skull. Next I added some sponge chipping using the old Charadon Granite, and a very light gray. I'll be adding some Boltgun Metal to the mix tonight, and then I will likely wash and detail the metal components and finish viewports and lenses. Once all that is done I'll do some oil washes as well. 

My current master plan involves painting or retouching all of my vehicles to a similar level, and then applying weathering powders to all at around the same time. My hope is that this will add a level of consistency and help make the different color schemes more 

Interrogator-Chaplain on Bike: Done!

Fuckin' magnets. How do they work?

Baaaah. Whats up sheep? Juggalo Interrogator-Chaplain is here to party!

I'm quite pleased with how he came out. Last night I got distracted and spent about six hours on him. I think he's about as done as he's going to get. The mace and arms are from the Black Knights set, the banded shoulder pad is resin, and I think came with the librarian Sevrin Loth veterans. The right shoulder pad is... a skull. I don't know where it came from. maybe fantasy, maybe chaos marines. I don't even know how I got it. I bulked it out with some green stuff. The back pack came with one of the Dark Angels sprues (command squad or upgrade).

Insane Clown Posse references aside I actually really like the face-paint skull. I considered doing it in red, but thought white was more iconic, and provided better contrast with the warm tones of his skin and robes. Also it makes my Chaplain unique.

The next time I am at a tournament and the painting judge asks to see my best conversion, and I show him this guy, and he says "what's so special about him?" I'll resist the urge to jam a fistful of scatter dice down his throat. Instead I will calmly tell him "he's a chaplain bitch, look at that face paint. He's a totally custom model built from all different parts. I did such a good job on him you can't even tell he's special."

He'll say, "why didn't you paint his eyebrows?"

Then I will paint the walls with his blood.

(Note: The above conversation is fiction derived from an ACTUAL conversation with one of the painting judges at the NOVA two years ago. Something similar happened last year also: the judge was a fantasy guy, so he didn't know the difference between a chaplain, a librarian, and Marneus-fucking-Calgar. It didn't matter, they gave me a zero for my painting score anyway. Fuck you NOVA.)

One final note. If you don't get any of the Insane Clown Posse references above, look them up on the youtubes. Don't do it at work though, you might piss your pants laughing.

Interrogator-Chaplain on Bike: Update

Got some base colors on the Interrogator Chaplain:

Interrogator-Chaplain on Bike

Tested out the Deathwing Knights at a tournament at Battleground Games in Plainville, MA on Saturday. I won two out of three games, but didn't do it well, and ended up 25th out of 36 players.

The Deathwing Knights and Belial are a good combo, but if they didn't annihilate their target on  the first turn of the combat, they generally ended up stuck in, or smoked. They are a bit pricey for a tarpit, so I'm going to try something new for the next one.

I've liked the idea of Black Knights from the very beginning, although I had bad luck with them in the first few games I played. I've got eight of them built right now though, so I'm going to see if I can make it work. I think that in general they can be a more versatile unit than the Deathwing Knights, and can provide some essential maneuverability.

This strategy is going to start with the HQ. I have tried Sammael, and he is good, but he's not great. He gives the unit a plasma cannon, makes them fearless, and provides an AP 2 power weapon, but he's not that hard to kill. Instead of Sammy, I'm going to try a slightly cheaper Interrogator-Chaplain. He has the same 3+/4++ save, but no eternal warrior, which really doesn't matter that much anyway for bikers. He also has a captain stat-line with one point less for his BS, so he can hold his own in close combat. He will be armed with the Mace of Redemption, a S +3, AP 3 power weapon that goes at initiative and has the blind and concussive, and Deathwing weapon (AP 2 against Chaos Marines) special rules. In addition, he has an auspex, to make the Knights plasma talons more effective against opponents in cover. He also gives the unit fearless, and re-rolls on the first turn of combat (not just the turn they assault).

I think in general he's going to add more to the overall effectiveness of the Black Knights, especially once you factor in the benefits of rad grenades. I am planning on running seven right now: a Huntmaster with a melta bomb, five standard Knights, and one with the grenade launcher.

I used some Black Knight bits on a Dark Vengeance Ravenwing sergeant. I really like his robed body, but he is not wearing a helmet and is not really suited for a head-swap. What I've decided to do instead is give him a face-paint war-mask in either white or red. He's adorned with plenty of other skulls. When its all said and done, their shouldn't be any doubt who he's supposed to be.