TAU versus Dark Angels

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Andrew
Mission: Cleanse
1st turn: Tau
Points: 1000

Tau

• Shas’O’Tau’Ko’Vash’Ch’ien’ShiShas’O - plasma rifle, fusion blaster, shield generator
  
• Aun’El’Tau’M’yen Ethereal
• Shas’Ui’Tau’Ho’Lu’Demlock - 2 Crisis battlesuits, bonded, Shas’ui with plasma rifle, missile pod and multitracker, Shas’ui with plasma rifle, missile pod, multitracker
• Shas’Ui’Tau’Kais’Mal’Coar - 5 stealthsuits, bonded
• Shas’La’Tau’Han’Dan - 8 Fire warriors, all with pulse rifles, bonded, Shas’Ui with markerlight and hard-wired blacksun filter
• Shas’La’Tau’Mont’Yr - 12 Fire warriors, all with pulse rifles, Shas’Ui
• Shas’La’Tau’Mesme - 8 Fire warriors, 4 pulse rifles, 4 pulse carbines, EMP grenades, bonded, Shas’Ui with hard-wired drone controller and two gundrones
• Murabla - 10 Kroot
• Shas’Ui’Tau’Yu’RangShas’Ui - Broadside with twin linked railguns, smart missile system and shield generator
  

Dark Angels

• Chaplain
• Dreadnought with assault cannon + ccw
• Whirlwind
• 5 man assault squad
• Tactical squad
• Tactical squad
  
• 3 attack bikes with heavy bolters

Background
This was my first ever battle report (played back in 2002) and my first game in a Games Workshop store. No-one fancied playing Gary's Khorne army but everyone perked up when I said I was playing Tau.

Terrain and deployment
We played on a 4x4 table (the standard size for the tiny store) with 3 large buildings and a river running down the middle with one bridge. I won choice of table edge, deployment and first turn, but it went downhill from there.

The game
I killed a single model in the first two turns. Andrew's whirlwind hit my firewarriors three turns running – ouch. The Kroot were hosed with fire and routed. My stealth suits were caught by the bikes and wiped out. My Crisis suits took out the bikes in return.

I shot at the dreadnought for five turns with the suits and only blew the assault cannon off. In the final turn it killed Chien’Shi in close combat. Andrew's chaplain used the dread as cover to advance throughout the game and wiped out a fire warrior squad in close combat when he finally reached my lines.

Fire warrior squad Han’Dan and battlesuit Yu’Rang beat the assault marines in close combat and routed them, though!

It wasn't enough. By the end Andrew controlled three table quarters and contested one.

Result: Loss

Learning points

• Not enough weapons to take out vehicles. Take more in future.
• Ordnance vs fire warriors is devastating because they are static. Take out the ordnance early or keep the Tau moving.
• Kroot were wiped out easily on the frontline. If they are intended for counter charge, keep them back.
• Not enough ap 3 weapons to take out marines. Take more in future.
• Indecisive with stealth team. Make a plan and stick to it.
• Battlesuits are pretty good in close combat.