Tau Strategies

[hellfirelegion]

Just trying to help out my up+coming tau player friend build a good army on a small budget. Wondering what cheap and effective tau strategies were out there...
Thanks
MUFFIN

[Jason]

Cheap... Well the first thing that comes to mind is railguns (hmm who would have guessed). I'll try and keep this as little tank as possible.
Get a squad of pathfinders in a devilfish. They will be the bread and butter of his markerlights.
Get at least 2 squads of fire warriors. With marker or shield drones (they don't come with the sets, convert your own!)
Instead of hammerheads, get broadsides if you think they are cheaper.

Anyways, the pathfinders have a markerlight EACH, so have a lot of shiny weapons, like railguns, will be good. The 2 firewarrior squads are there for holding your objectives and, if you have a squad with carbines, running up to capture objectives. It will be easier to use the markerlights that the pathfinders have if you take broadsides, just for the ability to have more railguns than a single hammerhead.

So ya, give us a list and we can give you better strategies than that.

[hellfirelegion]

Ok, he only has around 200 pts right now: 12 fire warriors, a Shaa'sel commander, and 4 gun drones. since the other players in our playgroup play chaos(me), tyranids (hivefleetghoul), imperial guard, and space wolves.

[Voice of Reason]

Cheap?

Go get the battleforce and 2 blisters of pathfinders
battleforce $90
12x fw
12x kroot
xv battlesuit
devilfish

2x pathfinder blisters $30
6x pathfinders
--(or convert them from some regular tau FWs)

anyway, that will give him a pretty solid beginning force
of 2x battlesuits + gun drones
2x12 firewarriors
12 kroot
6x pathfinders with devilfish.

if he can get them at a discount or on ebay, even better.

[3ff3ct]

I would personally invest in transport for the firewarriors too. I know how annoying that fish of fury tactic is, and would use it if i played tau.

Kroot hounds (although only in metal and quite expensive as a result) are also great, as they have really good initiative that really helps the Kroot out in combat (especially against Marines)

Get your friend to check out the advanced tau tactica forum, they have loads of ideas on there (as the name suggests) and they're pretty helpful too.

[gnarlybrown]

I heard a good tip for cheap Kroot hounds. Just buy and convert a box of chaos warhounds and put them on round bases. You can cut the horns and stuff off, the box is only twelve pounds in the UK I think, and you get twelve hounds from it!