Perfect Storm: Part IV Deeper Dive Into Tau Strategy

In part II we took a preliminary look at the Tau codex and began assessing strengths and weaknesses and arrived at a few lessons to keep in mind for army construction. Now we need to look at how the units within the Tau codex address those strengths and weaknesses along with how they come together to address the broader lessons. In later posts we will go through the units in more detail, but for now we will continue to look at the broader picture.

Random Tau picture from my battle reports.

So with those lessons in mind, let's address them.


1. We will be able to deal with infantry, heavy infantry, and monstrous creatures at range.

With this established we will focus on the other lessons where we are weaker and assume that this will take care of itself. When we finish building the army we will go back and assess whether or not this is still true, but given the abundance of varied shooting throughout our codex we should be ok.

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.

Long time Tau players have always taken this for granted. The previous iteration of our railgun toting broadside provided a semi-mobile (with the addition of ASS) twin linked, very long range, very high strength very low AP platform. This unit allowed Tau generals to very capably remove any vehicles from the board. 

Today's iteration of the railgun toting broadside lost an insignificant (outside of maybe apocalypse) amount of range, the ability to move without snap shooting, and two points in strength bringing it down the same level as a Space Marine missile launcher.

The Tau codex is no longer the preeminent long range high AV destroying codex.

So how do we deal with high AV vehicles? We have three base options -

• We can overcharge an ion accelerator toting riptide and hope not to fail or get hot.
• We can bring railheads and with judicious use of markerlights (or longstrike) hope that we get a good pen roll.
• We can bring the game's best widely distributed melta, the fusion gun. With an 18" range we are in the sweet spot at 9". We can deliver this melta on pirhanas, crisis suits, stealth suits and riptides.

3. We have to invest in troop mobility either through high cost transports, large numbers of outflanking troops or allies.

This one hurts... Our APC is not in any way cheap and has no firepoints (we don't get special weapons anyway so no big deal). However, depending on the list we bring a devil fish or two can work. If we are running some hammerheads or broadsides and riptides we can provide a larger number of potential targets.

On the other hand we can also invest in dirt cheap kroot.With judicious use of cover these small units (plus a hound to get acute senses) can provide us pseudo mobility into our opponents deployment zone.

Finally, we are battle brothers with one of the most durable base troop units, the space marine, and one of the fastest in Eldar Guardian Jetbikes, depending on what the new codex does with them.

4. We have to be wary about over investing in strength 7 weaponry to the exclusion of a range of tools.

With a plethora of missiles and  ion weapons it is important for us to not neglect other tools. We already spoke about the need to bring some high-AV busting weapons, and we should also be careful to roll with some low AP weaponry to deal with 2+ save opponents. Yes, individually dual MP crisis suits, HYMP broadsides, ionheads, riptides with ion accelerators... all rock. But if we over invest we confine ourselves to too narrow of a tool set.

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). 

This is one of the hardest choices to make. Allying in other armies helps shore up our weaknesses.

• Eldar and SMs provide psychic abilities.
• Eldar add some psychic defense (assumed pending codex details). 
• SM helps address some of our leadership issues.
• Both races allow for some counter-assault options.
• Both races provide additional troop options (as noted earlier)

However, every point we spend on allies dilutes the effectiveness of our special rules. If we can limit/neutralize blast damage then a well staggered defense position with supporting fire can have devastating impact on assaults. Additionally, our allies don't benefit from markerlights, making them less points efficient.

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.