Tau Vespids?

[Lykum]

Who has used the Tau Vespids with any success? I would imagine the S5 AP3 blaster they have would be handy, but with only a 12" range that would put them within smacking distance of the very SM/CSM squads such a gun would be useful against.
They also have fleet and I5, but I just don't see a unit with S3 T4 and 1 attack doing great in an assault.
I can see them as a very mobile suicide squad. Other thoughts?

[gilbert93dt]

Personally, I do not use them anymore because their terrible armor save just doesn't allow them to survive well enough. I always want to send them on a 18" charge, but they end up getting mowed down. So, I tried them again and used them conservatively, and the results were not bad. 12" range was the only issue, along with BS3. Also, their 5+ save makes them weak in close combat, especially when combined with a lack of a hidden power weapon/fist.

Just too many points, not enough survivability, and their range is too short. From my limited experience with them. I would rather get a large kroot squad.

[sonsoftaurus]

With *any* success? Sure. :p Just not a lot.

I take them because they look cool and it's another type of alien to include. But they are very fragile.

I have had some success with them holding them in Reserve and using them to react to things like drop-pod units that land in my lines. They usually die soon after, but they can help weaken a larger unit or finish off a small one. They can do well in some situations, but so can things like Chaos Spawn or Repentia. :p

Assault 2 or 18" range or 4+ armor and they'd be pretty good. As is for the cost, not so much.

[Dark_Templar]

Havent used them because I do not like the models. My guess is that in the new Codex the whole race will have been eaten and replaced by Vulture Kroot.

[Lykum]

Havent used them because I do not like the models. My guess is that in the new Codex the whole race will have been eaten and replaced by Vulture Kroot.
That would be F-ING awesome!

If they were scoring units I think you could justify it. To me it just seems stupid to have a unit with a rule like fleet which is assault oriented, and no other traits that make it assaulty.

[Ast4rtes]

Well, they have Skilled Flyers for a reason. They need to live in area terrain (4+ cover) and move from piece to piece in order to get close and fire (with markerlight support we can only hope). If they get assaulted, and even if the enemy has grenades, you're still I5 so you have one last chance to kill the enemy before that 5+ armor save ever happens.

Any other way to use Vespid has failed in my experience.

Vespid are very very very very very hard to use. And not all that great when used well anyway....

[Turbo_MMX]

I run 2 units of 9 in my Kroot heavy Tau list. Use the positional relay to keep em off till turn 3 (bring a differentr unit in turn 2) n then deep strike them both around a unit you really want dead. Has almost never failed me (other than against necrons n death guard) Also their High leadership and T4 really keep them around longer than most other units in the army. Have had a single unit hold up space marines in combat long enough to get the rest of the army into killing position. On their own they dont do all that well. But when you use them as part of a overall battle plan they are quite deadly and usefull.

[slxiii]

Well, they have Skilled Flyers for a reason. They need to live in area terrain (4+ cover) and move from piece to piece in order to get close and fire (with markerlight support we can only hope). If they get assaulted, and even if the enemy has grenades, you're still I5 so you have one last chance to kill the enemy before that 5+ armor save ever happens.

Any other way to use Vespid has failed in my experience.

Vespid are very very very very very hard to use. And not all that great when used well anyway....

Today i used some for... probably the 3rd time. they deepstriked in, killed 3ish sisters of battle. The sisters ignored them to shoot at some kroot stealing their objective, so the vespid killed 3 more the next turn.

So from that lesson, we an learn that vespid are really great at killing t3, 3+ save women when the women absolutely ignore them.

even then, they didn't kill enough sisters to cause a morale, they didnt kill enough to make their points back, and a 3 man helios team could do the same thing better, cheaper, and be more survivable.

[Silverblade]

That would be F-ING awesome!

If they were scoring units I think you could justify it. To me it just seems stupid to have a unit with a rule like fleet which is assault oriented, and no other traits that make it assaulty.

Remember though, that they only have Fleet because this allowed them to move the extra +D6" in the shooting phase, as they were from a 4th Ed Codex.

I'd imagine they'll get a bit of a tweak when/if there's a more recent codex update. Either a boost in range/rate of fire, or maybe a I boost and Hit and Run so they can scoot out of combat and rinse/repeat till enemy is dead.

[Fellend]

As a marine player. I look at the fly as a terror weapon. They keep me from leaving my rhinos early. I like to pick them off before I get out of the rhinos but once they've fired they are dead. Still they might discourage me from attacking a vital target.

[Mycroft Holmes]

To me it just seems stupid to have a unit with a rule like fleet which is assault oriented, and no other traits that make it assaulty.


Remember that in 4rth Ed. "Fleet" was the equivalent of 5th Ed. "Run;" making them very easy to move from hot-spot to hot-spot.

[afeinman]

I use Vespids as a counter-attack threat. They stay in and among my Fire Warriors, scaring MEqs away.

Vespids really are only good at finishing off a squad, not going toe-to-toe with it. An ideal situation would be a 5-man Tac squad sneaking up on my Firewarriors. One squad of firewarriors opens fire, reducing it to 3 or 4 Marines. The Vespids close in, killing another 1-3. Then they charge the remaining 1-2 Marines, polishing off the squad, and consolidate back into cover.

If the Tac squad is in cover as it approaches, this plan absolutely doesn't work -- AP3 doesn't matter, and when I charge I'm going to get cut down before I swing.

If vehicles get too close they may leap out and shoot/assault, but that's a desperation move and one to make if I know I have the firepower to fry whatever is inside. E.g., surround a Rhino with the Vespids, then pop it with a missile pod. If the survivors find a way to get out, the Vespids shoot them and possibly also assault (but see above about cover).