DAEMONHUNTERS versus Tau

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

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Severus, Daemonhammer, Bolt pistol, Holocaust, Icon of the Just, 2xAcolytes, Power Armour, Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, Combat Servitor, 2xMystics, Rhino with Smoke Launchers
• 3 x Death Cult Assassin
• 2 x Daemonhosts
• Squad Matoso, 9 Stormtroopers, 2xFlamers, Veteran Sergeant with Bolt Pistol, Close Combat Weapon and Krak Grenades, Rhino, Smoke launchers and Extra Armour
• Squad Vargas, 7 Stormtroopers, 2xPlasma Guns, Veteran Sergeant with Plasma pistol, Auspex and Krak Grenades
• Squad Godirtho, 6 Storm troopers, 2 x meltaguns
  

Tau

• 4 pathfinders in devilfish with 4 seeker missiles
• 12 fire warriors
• 8 fire warriors
• Ethereal
• Commander with twin fusion blasters and 2 shield drones
• 2x 5 man stealth teams
• Crisis suit with burst cannon and plasma rifle
• Broadside with plasma rifles

The game
We played a recon mission but due to the small table size and the heavy terrain we were relaxed about the set up rules - and therefore the troops ended up nearer to each other than the infiltrators could manage! The Tau won first turn and my lead rhino was destroyed immediately along with a flamer stormtrooper. Other casualties were light however and the squad took their revenge on the pathfinders by flaming two of them and assaulting the rest.

The Inquisitor dashed forward in his rhino and took out a crisis suit in close combat. On the left I advanced toward the broadside with my meltaguns, taking out a fire warrior squad on the way. Those fire warriors did manage to take out a death cult assassin in close combat though!

My Daemonhosts teleported in, got ineffective powers and were shot to pieces. The stealth teams did for the Inquisitor too as he disappeared under a hail of burst cannon shots.

A win for the Tau.

Result: Loss

Learning points

• Stealth teams were awesome in the heavy terrain and I never got a clean shot at them.
• Daemonhosts were lost cheaply as they rolled useless powers and I couldn't pass a single invulnerable save.
• With a WS edge in close combat I expected the storm troopers to beat the fire warriors but I was consistently beaten in every combat. Even the death cult assassin went down in the assault.
• The pathfinders devilfish was unharmed during the entire game due to my lack of long range firepower.