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Where'd this idea come from?
When I started thinking about a Tau army, what really got me interested in it was the Crisis Suits. I had seen Scott's army in action against my Tyranids. Even though he didn't fare well against my horrors, I was interested in the basic idea of futuristic power-armored troopers that weren't a bunch of testosterone-laden muscle jocks. I liked the concept of high mobility and effective firepower. I liked the idea of needing more finesse and mobility to win a game (compared to the brutal sledgehammer of my Tyranid armies.) What really called to me then was the Crisis Suits, and to a lesser extent, the Broadsides. There were few enough models that they could each be individuals (something that Scott did with his army. They were specific characters from an Anime that he particularly liked. Appleseed, I believe.) After years of Tyranids without number, that individuality appealed to me.
Every individual matters.(Image taken from GW website, used without permission.)
What's the Big Idea?
My basic idea was to use a split deployment (sometimes known as an empty center) with two long-range firebases and a mobile group that could lend support to one side or the other, giving a massive concentration of force on that side. I would use a large number of Broadsides and a few teams of FireWarriors for the firebases. That would not only give me a good deal of firepower, it would also give me enough range to support the opposite firebase. The bulk of the mobile force would be Crisis Battlesuits. They would use their mobility and firepower to support the firebase that needed it most. A few Piranhas would add their mobility and support to the mobile force as well.
Piranhas' fast movement can make for very effective support and they can easily switch from one side to the other.
What units would be good for this
Well, I had originally designed the concept around Crisis and Broadside Battlesuits, but what else might work? Well, the force splits into two parts. The first part requires high firepower and long range (the firebase portion of the list.) The second part requires high mobility and good to high firepower (the mobile support section of the list. As long as there is antivehicle capability in the list overall, it doesn't have to be specifically part of either section. (In other words, a Firebase unit that had high firepower and long range but didn't have any antivehicle capability wouldn't be dismissed out of hand, as long as I had antivehicle capacity covered somewhere else. Let's take a look at the list and see what units might work well for each portion.
Ethereal: Very little firepower, very little mobility. Not effective for either Firebase or Mobile Support.
Commander: High Firepower, high Mobility. Very effective for Mobile Support. The limited range of most Crisis Battlesuit weapons means limited effectiveness for a Firebase Role.
Stealth Suits: High Firepower, High Mobility. Good for Mobile Suport. With range even more limited than most Crisis Battlesuit weapons, this would be a poor choice for a Firebase Role.
Crisis Battlesuits: High Firepower, High Mobility. Essentially the same as the commander. A good choice for Mobile Support, a limited one for Firebase.
FireWarriors: Medium to High Firepower, low mobility. With long range weapons, these are a good choice for the Firebase Role. A poor choice for Mobile Support, though, given their limited mobility. While the addition of a Devilfish would increase their mobility, they still wouldn't be mobile enough.
Kroot: Medium Firepower, low mobility. These make a decent, but not great choice for the Firebase Role. Very little possibility of Mobile Support.
Pathfinders: Long range, low mobility. Their firepower is hard to classify, as they primarily augment the firepower of other units, though they can take Rail Rifles. Let's qualify them as Medium Firepower and a decent choice for Firebase. I'll actually qualify them as a decent choice for Mobile Support as well, due to the range and effect of their Markerlights. By providing Markerlight support for one Firebase or the other, they could provide effective assistance without ever moving. On the other hand, there are stronger choices available for both roles, so these are unlikely to see action until much larger point values kick in.
Piranhas: High Mobility, High Firepower, Medium Range. A poor choice as a Firebase Unit, they are a good or great choice for a Mobile Support unit, particularly when mounting Fusion Blasters. (Not only do they provide effective antivehicle support, but the value of a S8+ weapon for potential instant kill cannot be overstated.)
Gun Drones: High Mobility, Low-Medium Firepower, Medium to long range. Gun Drones don't have the range to help in the Firebase role, and their limited firepower means that they aren't really a top choice in the Mobile Support role either.
Hammerhead: Moderate to High Firepower, Medium Mobility. While a S10 weapon is very effective, 1 BS4 shot per turn isn't fabulous. The bigger issue, however, is vulnerability. A Hammerhead would be one of the only large vehicles in this list, and thus almost all antitank weaponry would be brought to bear on it. This would kill it quickly and render it useless.
Broadsides: High Firepower, low mobility. The two saving graces for Broadsides are their extreme high firepower (S10 is even better than S8 for instant kill and antivehicle capability) and their resiliency. Not only do they have 2+ armor and 2W, but they can move and shoot if properly equipped _and_ they have the option for taking Shield Drones. These would be an excellent choice for the Firebase portion of the army.
Skyray: High Mobility, Medium Firepower. Of all the large vehicles, the Skyray is the most likely to be included in this list. Partly because it's Seeker payload doesn't require Line Of Sight, but primarily because it includes mobile Markerlights. I don't currently think that's enough to include it, but it is certainly far more likely to show up in this list than any other tank the Tau have available.
All the elements of a Tau army working together in a massive Mont'ka attack. (Achieving local superiority to quickly wipe out a portion of the opponent's army.) Image from the Tau Empires Codex, used without permission.
The List for the Original Concept
97 Shas'el w/Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Target Array, Hardwired Multi Tracker.
87 Shas'el w/PR, MP, MT. The second Shas'El doesn't get a Target Array, since I just can't quite afford it in 1500pts.
124 2x(Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multi Tracker)
124 2x(PR, MP, MT)
124 2x(PR, MP, MT)
60 6xFireWarriors
60 6xFireWarriors
140 2xPiranha w/FB, TA.
140 2xPiranha w/FB, TA.
140 2xPiranha w/FB, TA.
100 Broadside w/Stabilization. Team Leader w/HW Drone Controller and 1 Shield Drone.
200 2xBroadside, each w/Stabilization. Team Leader w/HW Target Lock and HW Drone Controller w/2 Shield Drones.
100 Broadside w/Stabilization. Team Leader w/HW Drone Controller and 1 Shield Drone.
1496pts. 6 Highly mobile scoring units, Great firepower against vehicles and good firepower against Heavy Infantry. I've also got 3 small units of Gun drones to zip around and annoy things with. I've also got 13 of 17 Force Organization Chart slots filled, which gives me a decent chance of seeing where the enemy is favoring before I start putting down my Piranhas.
Listen up you primitive screwheads, this is my Boomstick!"
What models do I already have for the list?
Well, I've already got 7 of 8 Crisis Battlesuits assembled, though they'd need some weapon swaps since I've outfitted them as Bladestorms (Plasma/Burst Cannon, instead of Plasma/Missile Pod.) I've also got 2 of 4 Broadsides. I also have 2 of 4 Shield Drones and 3 of 6 Piranhas and all 12 FireWarriors. That means all that I'd need for this list is 1 Crisis Suit, 2 Broadsides, 2 Shield Drones and 3 Piranhas, plus 7 Missile Pod swaps for the Crisis Suits. That's not really a big order to complete, I'm very pleased!
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