TAU versus Tau

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Colin
Mission: Hostage situation
1st turn: Dark Tau
Points: 1000

Tau

• Shas’O’Tau’Ko’Vash’Ch’ien’ShiShas’O - plasma rifle, fusion blaster, shield generator, hard-wired multi-tracker
• 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’Ho’Lu’Hemlock- Crisis battle suit, Shas’ui with plasma rifle, missile pod and multitracker
• Shas’Ui’Tau’Kais’Mal’Coar - 4 stealth suits, bonded
• Shas’La’Tau’Han’Dan - 6 Fire warriors, 5 with pulse rifles, one with pulse carbine
• Shas’La’Tau’Mont’Yr - 6 Fire warriors, 5 with pulse rifles, one with pulse carbine
• Shas’La’Tau’Mull’Kin’Tyr - 6 Fire warriors, 5 with pulse rifles, one with pulse carbine
• Shas’La’Tau’Tan’Klyr - 6 Fire warriors, 5 with pulse rifles, one with pulse carbine
• Murabla - 10 Kroot
• Shas’Ui’Tau’Yu’Rang - Shas’ui with twin linked railguns, smart missile system and shield generator, Shas’ui with twin linked railguns, smart missile system and target lock
  

Dark Tau

• Shas’o (painted like Darth Vader and with a toy Vader helmet!)
• 2 crisis suits
• Hammerhead with Railgun
• 20 Kroot with hounds and shaper
• 8 drones
• 5 stealth suits
• 6 man fire warrior team
• 6 man fire warrior team

Terrain and deployment
I was the defender so deployed every squad by deep strike (this is very tricky with a decent sized kroot squad). Colin attacked on a random board edge which was one of the short edges. It was probably the worst edge for the attacker because a large ruined building screened the ethereal which was his objective.

The game
His Hammerhead entered and killed four fire warriors. The drone unit, fire warriors and Kroot all arrived but were out of shooting range. I fusion blastered the Hammerhead with my Shas’o at close range and stopped it from shooting in the next turn, while my crisis suits whittled the drones down to three models. My Broadside relocated onto the hill, spying the Hammerhead.

Despite rolling on a 3+ only Colin's Stealth team arrived along with a single suit. His Hammerhead flew behind the building, away from the Railguns but my Shas’o shot it in the rear and blew it up. The drones were wiped out and his kroot were reduced by six models by the Crisis suits. I failed all night vision rolls to shoot at the stealth team who promptly shot up a fire warrior squad.

Now rolling on a 2+ not one extra unit arrived. On the upside his Kroot passed difficult terrain tests on sixes to enter the ruined building and assaulted my kroot, driving them off. His fire warrior team also took out a Crisis suit. Everything in my army targeted his kroot and killed all but the shaper and a single hound. I assaulted his stealth team but lost the combat and they remained in combat.

Finally his Shas’o and last suit arrived but it was too late – I rolled a 1 to end the game.

Result: Win

Learning points

• You can’t lose if the dice are with you. I actually rolled poorly but my opponent rolled worse!
• Multi tracker for the Shas’o worked very well.
• We actually played on a six foot table. Damn I wish I had brought pathfinders.
• His Kroot performed well, able to withstand numerous casualties. Might try that tactic out myself.
• I didn’t succumb to the Dark side!