Tau Broadsides

[gauntinator]

Hey there hive,

I just was wondering if any of you had any experience playing with or against tau broadsides. I'm thinking about getting some to deal with the ridiculous amount of tanks I fight at my store but I'm not sure if they are worth the money, the time, or the points.

PS: Also, does anyone know if they will be coming out as fine cast models? Because that would make a big difference.

[n3rvedamage]

let me start by saying i really wanted to like my broadsides. the downsides are that there slow,there not that tuff,they are a high pri target for your opponent,and and be instakilled by cheap weapons.Now thats out of the way ill say this GET BROADSIDES! when you use them in a game treat them like fine china or like a bullseye.Nothing will say hello like a twin linked str 10 ap1 72inch range shot.The player on the other side of the board knows that they will hurt so he will Rather 1,stay out of sight or 2,focus fire them to death.the fine china effect will see them taking down hi value targets ie landraiders and monoliths.BUT know that if you fail to kill the target it WILL try to kill you right back! that means you need to screen with some FW or kroot.the bullseye effect will mostly be to draw your opponents fire by saying hello in a way that only a railgun can do. post your space-mech-super-sniper of doom in a back corner with a good lane of fire that will make your opponent deal with them. this is good for keeping your suits and fleshy warriors from getting hit with your opponents harder hitting weapons. the beauty of them is that they have 2 weapons. NEVER forget the smart missile system. its good for mowing down some troops. your getting 5 shots and that is really good @ there point cost.

my point is this 1 they don't do well under attack (its a terminator with +1w), and 2 there so heavy hitting that most of the time they WILL be dead by the end of the game regardless if you win or lose. so keep um safe and remember there job doesn't stop at "just killing tanks"

[schneider]

I like using broadsides for my Tau army, but mostly for at least 1500+ or more battles because they are pricy when you include everything you need. They are pretty reliable, that twin linked railgun is pretty accurate and has an easy time against vehicles and wounds monstrous creatures easily and insta-gibbing multi wound toughness 5 or less critters if the enemy tanks have been nullified.

As a tank hunting unit, they are amazing and pretty resilient to damage, they just need to watch out for 8+ strength weapons, which can be dealt with. Str 8+ pie plates are another story.

When I run them I like to go for something like this:
3 Broadsides, 1 upgraded to Team leader
1. (Team leader) Hardwired drone controller 2X shield drones, target lock
2. Target lock
3. Target lock (Sometimes more shield drones)
All typically with Smart missile systems, but if I have the points I sometimes go for the twin-plasma (deepstrikers and monstrous creatures)

It's a pricy unit but pretty resilient, especially in cover. The shield drones help against insta-gib, just allocate those high strength shots to the drones and your broadsides will live longer. The target locks allow you the flexibility to engage multiple targets.

The thing about broadsides is that they are quite slow. You could upgrade them with stabilizers, but it still isn't that great. This makes them especially prone to fast CC units. So make sure they have support. You could use Devilfishes to block assaults and use Fire warriors rapid firing from behind the transports.

Hope that helps.

Cheers.

[yoritomo]

I doubt that there will be a finecast broadside. The model is already plastic and Forge World already makes a resin broadside.

[gauntinator]

I was afraid of that. And the Forge World ones probably cost more than the normal ones.

And do you guys have any tips for putting them together? I heard they fall apart a lot.

[yoritomo]

Yeah, the forge world ones cost a little more. I believe it's 28 pounds to 35 dollars, so about ten bucks more.

Though I must say, I think the forge world ones are worth the extra few bucks. Those under slung railguns are much better looking than the normal shoulder mounted ones.

[schneider]

I have three of them and I find that they don't fall apart that much. The guns and arms have never come off, but on one of my models it had a mishap with a friend and the legs broke at the "ankle." But I repaired it.

[bobmakenzie]

I am still trying to convince a friend to run a 9 broadside 18 stealth suit list...

[gauntinator]

I guess I could spring for the forge world ones. But with S&H it would probably be quite expensive. Thanks for the responses so far guys.

[yoritomo]

Well, S&H is 15% of your order. So you're probably looking at 20-30 dollars if you're shipping to the U.S.

That number is just off the top of my head. If you want an exact figure you'll need to break out a calculator.

[gauntinator]

Ya I'll probably buy the GW ones and hope for the best.