Dealing with 58+ S7 shots at 36" range [1850]

[clever handle]

@Dave,
that's my concern regarding the devastators - sure I may get lucky, but the crisis suits are mobile, can hop up from behind cover, blast & then drop back out of LOS. I may get lucky & find them without something to hide behind / ability to fit, but that's about it really. The broadsides are not mobile, so it is very possible to deploy 36.1" away & at least be safe for a round - this would require targeting the crisis suits first since they can JSJ, then deal with the broadsides. The problem here is that (3) units of suits, in range can reliably kill (5) space marines per turn with only average rolls. so that 10-man, 240+ point dev squad is really only getting (1), maybe (2) chances.
If the suits have drones, gotta use small-arms first, which means being within 24", which means being in a rhino, surviving T1, rushing forwards, unloading (probably into range of the broadsides, who can now add their SMS to the mix) only to kill a couple of shield drones....

The problem w/ bubble-wrap is simple the volume of S7 firepower can destroy your bubble-wrap T1 in preparation for the D/S arrival T2 - I've tried it with cultists.

The problem w/ flyers, is as I mentioned above - this volume of fire we're discussiong doesn't take into account the (2) riptides, one of which comes w/ HBC, earth caste pilot & EWO - even without skyfire (which I believe it can still take...), putting out that volume of firepower is enough to at least mitigate the shooting, if not out-right destroy an AV12 flyer the turn it hits the board.

@Coffeegrunt
I've seen a FW rules sheet for the tetra that had them in at approx 3.5 tactical marines, c/w heavy 4 markerlight & some rule regarding DS per what I mentioned above... I've seen the rules you mention, but I never did really look at the updated rules for the homing beacon. Either way, with an effective 9" melta, 2" base & 6" radius, that means the tetra needs to find its way <16" from your target of choice.

Nurgle oblits are golden & I'd take them over the full dev squad almost every day. Only flaw is that if/when that first salvo fails, you don't have lascannons again until T3.


@all
I know the list is beatable - it is comprised of approx 20 MEQ wounds, 12 TEQ wounds and 10 of some of the toughest MC wounds in the game. IF one is able of getting into rapidfire range of the crisis suits, they fall just like marines & lose potency so much faster. Its just that without good terrain, or going first, or hoping for bad rolls (never plan on your opponent's bad rolls!), getting there seems all but impossible for a balanced list.

[CoffeeGrunt]

w/ HBC, earth caste pilot & EWO

If he's not running Velocity Trackers for Skyfire, then he'd be wasting it on Fliers. It's only 8 shots base, 12 if he Charges it, and only re-rolling 1s, too. Since it's only S6 it's actually fairly pitiful even with Rending. If he has Skyfire, you're looking at a 240pt Riptide with no Feel No Pain that can't Charge it's shields to go for a 3++ as it needs to Charge its gun to be remotely useful. This one should fall fairly well to AP2 Plasma fire or Grav Guns.

I've seen a FW rules sheet for the tetra that had them in at approx 3.5 tactical marines, c/w heavy 4 markerlight & some rule regarding DS per what I mentioned above... I've seen the rules you mention, but I never did really look at the updated rules for the homing beacon. Either way, with an effective 9" melta, 2" base & 6" radius, that means the tetra needs to find its way <16" from your target of choice.

Ah, outdated. Would be nice for FW to keep stuff properly up-to-date. I've got the 2nd Ed Taros book in my hands right now - looking at those excellent Elysian Vultures - so trust those rules as the newest.

Perhaps a Balestar Sorceror attached to a squad of Obbies? Tau have pitiful Psychic defence, so you can try Perfect Timing and Prescience to give them Twin-Linked and/or Ignores Cover. Both would be devastating against the static Broadsides, but I'd really focus on one or the other for the target at hand.

I personally would consider this a very That Guy list to bring, even as a Tau player. I tend to pull back on overpowered lists I cook up, and tweak them until they make closer, more fun games. This just seems like a spam for victory list with all that S7 shooting.

[clever handle]

it is very much a "that guy list" and for friendly pickup games we give him so much **** I'm worried he'll quit the hobby. Which is a shame, because other than this list he is a nice guy. He just happened to come to BOLS when he started the hobby, learned what everyone states is a "must take" and bought that, it didn't hurt that he likes the aesthetics of his army & is painting them up all tron-like, they look very nice.

Regardless, its the type of list I've seen on multiple table-tops in regional tournaments, I've just bee lucky enough to not face it (something about taking dark eldar to tournaments means that after round 1 you're very unlikely to face top tier lists...)

We warn him that it really isn't his tactics that's winning him games & have gotten to the point where we (a) refuse to play, and (b) challenge him to list swap matches. Next week he has a game lined up against his regular opponent where they'll be swapping lists.

[SgtJoo]

I should note that while my local scene doesn't care about using FW at all, everyone else's might not be the same, so take this with a grain of salt.

Land Raider Achilles with a Tech Marine/MotF inside. It's almost entirely immune to his army, and the little damage he does do is getting repaired. It's a solid enough firebase that can really cause someone to have a bad day. With explosions happening only on 7s and the Achilles being a -1 to the damage table, combined with it's immunity to the extra melta D6 roll and you've got a really solid vehicle on your hands.

That said, I run an entirely drop pod list that has done rather well against the Farsight lists I've run into, especially if I get first turn. Lots of Sternguard/Deathstorms are a heck of an alpha strike. He can only Intercept so much! And let's be honest, I'd rather him fire at BS3 since he won't get the markerlight support. It aint perfect and it gets a bit bloody, but boy is it fun!

Just two things off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll think of more.

Unrelated to the list, how's the terrain situation where you play? Is there any completely LoS blocking terrain? A lot of the stores I've played at seem to be lacking in that department, so I've started bringing my own. It really does change the game.

[This Dave]

Well if he can kill two very large units of Conscripts without taking any casualties in return he's doing something right. I seriously doubt it though.

Since you don't like the idea of bubble wrapping then take an Armored Regiment from IA 1 volume 2. In an 1850 list you could get 5 or 6 Demolishers and a couple Vanquishers with Beast Slayer rounds to put AP 2 Instant Death on his Riptides. Even if he takes out a couple tanks with his deep striking suits you should still gank a good chunk of his army in the first or second volley.

I haven't run into a cheese all list like that in a friendly game before but the look on a Tau player's face when you one shot two Riptides is priceless.

[CoffeeGrunt]

I do feel or him, there's moments I've built horrible lists by accident because sweet Jesus Tau are cool with their Battlesuits and their giant Gundams and the Hover Tanks and hey, where'd your army go? Oh...oops.

It'll be good for him to see how harsh that sort of list is to play. Hopefully he can start building more balanced lists in the future. I personally really don't like Broadsides, too slow for my style of Tau play.

[clever handle]

doesn't have to kill them all. Just enough to secure a landing spot within 9". As mentioned, with 58 missiles (that can ignore cover!) you're looking at (58)*(1/2)*(5/6) = 24 dead models if he's got everybody in range (not counting almost 1/2 of those shots being TL!)

the answer does seem to be sit at 36.1" away and prioritize the crisis suits when I can, if not target the broadsides, only moving forward when he gets bored & chooses to either break cover or I've killed enough CS that moving into the broadside's range is an acceptable risk.

Big issue is I don't play guard! Death to the false emperor and all that...

[CoffeeGrunt]

Remember that he needs Markerlights to Ignore Cover, and two for each unit. You really need to squeeze those early.

[clever handle]

we allow FW - this guy is running FW tetra's & a fancy Taros HQ R'alai.

the terrain at our store is fairly decent. I have personally augmented it with an imperial sector specifically built to add LOS blocking terrain that you can hide a squad behind. We're trying to encourage an infinity scene as well so we need LOTS of terrain of all types.

[Caitsidhe]

Drop and pop strategy works pretty well against it too. While I realize Tau has decent access to interceptor, they can't come close to stopping the forces coming in from a dedicated drop pod army, most of which can liquidate those annoying suits in a single turn. They use the same weapons for doing so as they do to kill Knights and various other things. Is it ideal? No. Is it for everyone? No. Are Tau silly? Yes. Eh. No point in worrying about the balance of such lists; the game has no balance left anyway. Every time I run into Tau these days I put almost my entire army in reserve (most of them can drop and pop or outflank) and stick a few units hidden from LOS and wait. No point in putting things on the board to let them get shot. You might as well do your drop and pop and reduce their shooting with your own Alpha Strike. That way you are close to them and only suffer a single round (of hopefully reduced) shooting before you try to assault.