First, I'm not much in favor of changing the number of Fire Warriors
in a detachment. If their balance change too much we'll have no other
choice but currently the Tau army list resolves around the number 4
and it makes sense to have fire warriors come in sets of 4. Well,
apart that Forgeworld sells them by lots of 25, but we'll agree that
it's not an argument to follow, won't we? ;o)
So, what can we decently have with Fire Warriors at 25 pts a piece?
I'm not sure of the best way to fix the "Defensive Fire" special
ability - or even if it's worth fixing. Maybe it should be turned
upside down completely. I mean, in its current form, it gives an
advantage to Tau infantry stands when they are assaulted AND on First
fire order - an occurence more common that it sounds. Moreover, this
situation is exactly a close-combat one, where the Tau are supposed
to be weak. So in fact Tau have an advantage for close combat, and a
great one at that, well worth a -1 CAF penalty!
I'd rather give the Tau infantry a special rule giving them an
advantage when they are on first fire, EXCEPT when in base-to-base
contact with an enemy stand. This way, close-combat would be the
disaster it is supposed to be for TAU and the CAF -1 would actually
be used. Of course, the name of the rule should be changed -
maybe "Marksmanship"?
So, Tau would benefit from this rule when they are on first fire and
NOT base to base with an enemy.
What would be its effect? I'm not sure. Here are several proposals:
- A to-hit base of 4+, rerolling failures (75% chances to hit!)
- A to-hit base of 5+, rerolling failures (66%)
- A to-hit base of 4+, rerolling 1 (58%)
- A to-hit base of 5+, but a bonus of 1 in such circumstances (50%)
- A to-hit base of 5+, rerolling 1 (38%)
Bear in mind that most grunts have a 33% chances to hit. Depending on
the option above the Tau would be slightly better to a lot better.
They are currently at 25 pts per stand, which is the same than Space
Marine Scouts, so I don't know which efficiency would be the most
appropriate.
I think that a to-hit base of 4+ is just too good, even without the
special rule. Wiping out half of the attackers is really devastating.
I hope I gave you ideas...
Stephane
--- In netepic_at_yahoogroups.com, Peter Ramos <primarch_at_c...> wrote:
>
> Hi!
>
> The Tau list is new and therefore has little testing, so your input
> after playing with them carries a lot of weight. As similar
playtest
> data did after the Necron/Slann list surfaced.
>
> The defensive capability, as described, does seem over the top.
>
> Instead of a reroll, how about a +1 bonus for defensive fire
(making it
> a 3+)?
>
> Still pretty darn good, but not as killer as a reroll.
>
> How about a redefined cost of 250 per detachment of 6?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Peter
Received on Wed Feb 01 2006 - 09:23:05 UTC