[Plarz]

So, I recently got slaughtered twice against SM as Tau. Surprisingly, my Tau units had the worst shooting as well as the worst Close Combat. First round i was against a team of 8 Assault marines.

The 8 marines took out two full Fire Warrior Teams, a pair of Crisis Suits and a squadron of 6 Gun Drones.

Round two was a Dev squad w/ 4 Heavy Bolters and a pair of 6 man squads, each w/ a heavy Bolter.

Can someone please tell me how the Tau, a 'shooty' army was annihilated by these? Out ranged, out shot, utterly decimated.

**Edited for spelling errors

 

[The Wraithlord]

It could entirely be because of your armylist makeup. Tau are extemely effective when used correctly but I have also seen a ton of people take the dumbest combinations of wargear/etc and then use their units competely at odds with how they should be used.

Mind you, the heavy bolter is the Tau's bane. A dev squad with 4 of them is an evil thing. I will say that a little more info is required in order to answer your question properly.

 

[jigplums]

Agreed. Tau are amounst the best shooting armies in the game however it doesn't mean they can be out shot by other armies. It all comes down to target priority, having the right tools for the job, tactical play and effective use of cover. Plus a bit of luck can help swing things in your favour too.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Tau aren't designed to win long range firefights by attrition. You need to isolate part of the enemy and hit it hard. This usually means using all the rules you have available to you to full effect, such as kroot sitting >6" in woods, torrent of fire, hot dropping FWs behind a devilfish at 12" so they can't be assaulted etc.

Line tau can work in situations but manevourable tau works so much better in nearly every situation.

 

[Jezlad]

hot dropping FWs behind a devilfish at 12" so they can't be assaulted etc.

This sounds familiar

 

[Fallen Angel]

hot dropping FWs behind a devilfish at 12" so they can't be assaulted etc.

This sounds familiar

Hehe, what can i say, everything i tried against you worked perfectly. Of course karma is a bitch and repayed me against Jigplums where i tried to do something crazy and different and promptly got slapped - should have played boring and just sniped him all game.

 

[The Wraithlord]

Hey, the Fish of Fury generates a huge amount of derision from non-Tau players but the fact of the matter is that when it is done properly, it is a damn effective tactic. I would never base my entire strategy on it either but if you NEED to wipe out a unit that is approaching too closely, chances are the FoF will do it. Especially if said target has been lit by a couple of marker lights. 62 Str5 attacks from 2 squads with Warfish, all hitting on 2's and wounding MEQ's on 3's is very much a unit destroying thing.

 

[uberschveinen]

Alternatively, there's the arrangement other people are dancing around. It may not have been purely a bad matchup. Rather, perhaps you just played it badly. It's the most common problem for any player, the most easily fixed problem, and yet the least diagnosed problem. Self-honesty will get you a hell of a long way in this game.

 

[Hitman101]

Mech tau is the way to go! hit him hard and fast right were it hurts! make yourself his worst fear jump a round make him think twice before taking his hand off that model.

 

[Iron Warrior Tarn]

Tau are verry shooty, but they are worthless shots. Markerlights are very important to the tau. The aforementioned "fish of fury" tactic should slow down assaults. ive heard that an unit of kroot inside a wood/forest is effective as it allows the kroot to fire out, but forces the enemy to charge them. Check out games workshop's tau section online there are two sections on tau tactics there. Hope that helped.

 

[stompzilla]

I've never used a markerlight once in serious competition and it's never really bothered me.

 

[The Wraithlord]

I use 2 markerdrones each in 2 separate squads of firewarriors for a total of 4. Not too many, not too expensive, and usually allows me to get in a few decent BS upgrades or negative cover saves a game. Not a fan at all of Pathfinders though as I fing putting all your lights in the same place just ends up with a lot of dead lights in a short short time.

 

[Severian]

Tau are extremely shooty but within a certain range. Use the mobility factor to position your units so that the maximum volume of fire may be brought against a smaller portion of the enemy forces. (sounds simple but needs good tactical play to do)

Try and try again man

PS oh and just so we are really clear on this Close Combat is not in line with the greater good, ok? :lol:

 

[elttat]

All i can say is USE COVER. Try out the tactics Fof (using fish being a skimmer to prevent assualt while giving you LoS) and JSJ (using suits 6 in assualt move to hide behind cover after you have shoot), they are very effective. Remember, most tau tactics are about denying shots as well as shooting

check out advancedtautactica.com for more ideas and configurations

 

[Nightbringer416]

real question? has anyone lost using "fish of fury" tactic?

 

[Estragon]

I've wethered a FoF with Nurgle terminators, but thats like saying 'I won in close combat with bezerkers.' As an anti-marine tactic, one of my regular opponents uses a fairly static fire warrior base with marker drones & a couple of fishes with smart missile systems. It makes advancing hurt. Lots. Markerlighted broadsides hitting on 2+ hurts too.
I really hate markerlights.

 

[Red Robe]

I use markerlights quite a bit..I never leave my pathfinders where the enemy can take them out too easy..most players I've seen put them out too far..patience always works..on a short table you'll have targets a plenty..putting markerlights in other units works very well..spread them out so you always have a few left in case the pathfinders go up in flames..as for the fish of fury..always works for me..I equip my fish with sms..31 strength 5 shots is an awesome sight..Kroot in cover are a pain for anyone..in woods..good luck getting them out..lots of good advice here in these forums..read and learn.

I own the SM army at my local club..he's never beat me..which really burns his ass..Chaos I've had trouble with..mainly because the dice gods were against me(when you can't hit with a railgun 3 turns in a row something is wrong!).

Good luck with your next battle.

 

[coldstuff64]

i think the best thing to do is to field several kroot units. not only are they ok shots, they can act as a wall around your shooty units.

 

[Bogg]

Utillize the "chicken Faze", and move those Jump infantry so t your opponent cant shoot em, that`s a win for me :victory:

 

[Tau Chaotix]

Bah, ignore everyone!

hiding behind stuff and firing railguns works for me.
i just use the HYL tactic (hold your line) with 2 FoF's around the flank.

Unfortunatley, this tactic doesn't work when they pull out Land Speeders with assult cannons and multi melters gallore.

-Olek.