DAEMONHUNTERS versus Tau

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Colin
Campaign: Vogen campaign game 9
Mission: Hostage Situation
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1000

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Severus, Daemonhammer, Bolt pistol, Psychic Hood, Icon of the Just, 2x Acolytes, Power Armour, Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1x Acolyte with Close Combat weapon and las pistol, 3xCombat Servitor, 3x Mystics, Rhino with Smoke Launchers, Hunter Killer missile, Searchlight
• Inquisitor Kurven, Psycannon, Power Armour, Emperor's Tarot, Purity Seals, Gun Servitor, Plasma Cannon, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2x Imperial Guard Veteran, Plasma Gun, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2x Sage, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Hierophant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
• Daemonhost
• Eversor Assassin
• Squad Matoso, 7 Stormtroopers, 2 meltaguns, Rhino, Smoke launchers, Extra Armour, Hunter Killer Missile
• Squad Godirtho, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 plasma guns
• Squad Seralvo, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 Grenade Launchers
• Squad Vargas, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 Flamers
• Squad Devaux, 5 Stormtroopers

Tau

• Shas'o
• 2 Crisis suits
• 3 Broadsides
• 2 large Firewarrior Squads
• Large Drone Squad
• Large Stealth team
• Hammerhead with Railgun

Vogen Campaign
I knew this was to be my last game in the campaign and I wanted to go out with a win, particularly as this was the last game I would be using my Daemonhunters in for a long time. I knew I had no chance to win the campaign, but I wanted to maintain my decent record and at least finish in the top half.

Terrain and Deployment
This game was played on the same table, with the same layout, as my last game against Gary. It was 6'x4' with a large hill and two woods in the middle. Other terrain was very sparse. The mission has an Ethereal set up in the middle of the board, and whoever has an unbroken unit above half strength closest to him would win the game.

The Tau player had to deep strike his entire army before the game begins, and then I had to roll randomly for which table edge to arrive from. Unfortunately for him, he got a double one for his Hammerhead and it didn't appear in the game (obviously got burned up on re-entry). The rest of his army arrived fairly centrally on the hill in a formidable firebase with lots of interlocking fields of fire. I rolled one of the long edges, and the game began when some of my units arrived from reserve.

The Game
Squads Matoso, Devaux, and Godirtho, and the Daemonhost all turned up on turn 1. Although I could have charged Squad Matoso straight into a Firewarrior squad I instead advanced them toward a forest, out of sight of most of the Tau army. Gary was watching this game and thought I was crazy not to assault straight off, but I felt that the Stormtroopers would have been isolated even if they had won the combat, and they would have been shot down as they left combat.

The Daemonhost scattered out from behind the forest, right into the open. As the only thing targettable, the entire Tau army shot at him. It is a testament to his toughness, wounds and my ability to roll saves that only the very last shot killed him (after being hit with plasma rifles, burst cannon, missile pods and railguns he was destroyed by a carbine shot).

My second wave of reserves included the Eversor assassin, Squad Seralvo and Inquisitor Kurven. I brought all of them on behind my original units who had all advanced again behind the woods. I took out a Crisis suit with a Hunter Killer missile and the remaining suit fell back off the board.

I wasn't totally clear of Tau shooting, though, as the Broadside's Smart Missile shot up and over the forest at my men, killing several Stormtroopers. The Tau gun drones also edged out around the wood to pop off some shots.

Turn 3 brought on the rest of my army, including Lord Severus himself. It was now I chose to launch a decisive attack. Severus zoomed onto the table and ploughed straight into a Firewarrior squad, completely annihilating them. As they swept they came under heavy fire but still managed to contact and kill a Broadside. That was on my left, but nearer the centre Squad Matoso deployed from their rhino and instantly killed the Shas'o with their meltaguns, then they charged the remaining Firewarrior squad.

To my shame the Stormtroopers were beaten off by the Tau after a couple of turns, but that allowed Severus to sweep into them from behind and he finished the job off. The Stealth Team were in this area and also in sight of Seralvo's and Kurven's guns. Two good sighting rolls meant the Tau infiltrators were sitting targets and they melted under the hail of fire.

Out on my right, the Eversor assaulted the Gun drones, killed them all and then swept around the wood to hit the Broadsides. By the time Squad Devaux had pushed through the woods onto the hill the entire Tau army had been destroyed.

Result: Win

Campaign effect: None

Campaign results: Played 9, Won 7, Lost 2

Learning points

• The tough choice here was whether to pile straight in or to wait and try to mount a co-ordinated attack. I think I picked right because anything piling in on the left would have been left out in the open, in range of all the Tau guns. Then I would have been left with all the other units arriving in drips and drabs.
• My opponent was unlucky to have his Hammerhead disappear before the game began. We actually had a bit of discussion as to whether it should be removed or not, because we were working out deployment and it wasn't actually an in game move. Fair play to the Tau player who played on without it. At least my Daemonhost made it to the table!