Units in Crisis

Ron over at From the Warp asked some of us Bloggers to talk about our "Must Have Unit". I am currently playing Tau, so will answer the question from that perspective.

I have always been first and foremost a Space Marine player, all the way back to 1st edition. However, about 3 years ago, when Laertes and I started talking about playing 40k again, I decided I wanted to try something new - the Tau caught my eye. I really liked the anime style to this army, but what really got me hooked was the battle suits. At the time, I didn't know anything about the Tau. It had been years since I played 40k, and I had never seen a 3rd edition Tau Codex. But I could tell from the images I saw on the web that these battle suits were a very versatile weapons platform!

Once I picked up the 4th edition codex, and started reading the army list, I was excited to field as many battle suits as I could! Unfortunately, after having 5 games under my belt with Tau (between 4th and 5th edition), I still have not successfully utilized them. My beloved suits have been the first to fall in every game!

The problem is, I apparently don't know how to use these guys on the battlefield... I think it is because of how I categorize the units in my head. In Space Marine terms, they look like a dreadnought and are fielded like terminators - but they are a far cry from either! I also suspect that the versatility of their loadout is making it difficult for me to focus on what their role should be in a particular battle.

So, maybe I should try to conquer my failing by fielding an all-suit force. Laertes and I are planning on one more 750 point battle before we up the points limit of our games. Here is a first try at a 1000 point battle suit themed force.

HQ (104 pts)
1 Commander Shas'el; Fusion Blaster; Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Hard-wired Target Lock)

Troops (140 pts)
6 Fire Warrior; Pulse Rifle
1 Devilfish; Burst Cannon; 2 Gun Drones

Troops (140 pts)
6 Fire Warrior; Pulse Rifle
1 Devilfish; Burst Cannon; 2 Gun Drones

Elite (150 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuit; Burst Cannon; Missile Pod; Multi-Tracker

Elite (162 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuit; Fusion Blaster; Missile Pod; Multi-Tracker

Heavy Support (300 pts)
3 Broadside Battlesuit; Twin linked Railgun; Smart Missile System; Drone Controller; Shield Drone x2

The list that I have fielded in my last to games is posted in their respective battle reports <here> and <here>.

My initial thoughts for this new list are that there wont be enough targets for the opposition, and the suits are still gonna fall fast.

To Paint or not to Paint

Ron Saikowski at From the Warp recently asked me about where I get my motivation to paint and complete an army.

The biggest motivation for me right now is not wanting to field an unpainted army… even in a casual setting. I don’t need a game date to draw from either. Just the desire to complete the project is often enough to keep me going. Also, I always have multiple projects going at once, so I can easily shift gears to a new piece if I need to take a break from something that has become too boring or tedious.

When our group was larger and more active in the hobby, there was a casual competition between all of us to keep up with each other… both in completing the army/team/gang and improving our painting skills. Nothing is more motivating when you see your opponent placing his new nicely painted “toy solders” on the table across from you.

Unfortunately, I have yet to play in a tournament, but I imagine that having a date looming in the horizon, where many people will see my army, would be a tremendous source of motivation.

My buddy Laertes and I were discussing this very topic a few weeks back. We were both looking for some inspiration. Neither of us had played or painted in a very long time, and just the fact we were talking about new and existing projects gave us motivation to pick up a brush. His thoughts on the topic:

I think you have to be playing the army. The greatest motivation to paint is usually an upcoming event: a game, a tournament, something like that. Sure, you can be reading the latest Black Library novel, which tends to motivate you in general, but what I find you need the most is the deadline that itself forms around an upcoming game time. It is much different to think, conceptually, that a new conversion for your Dark Elf Dread Lord would be an interesting challenge, than to consider that you just need to get that unit of jet bikes painted and finished enough to be ready for that game on Saturday. Worse yet, what if you are faced with the dread aspect of having to use Ultramarine models as a proxy for Khorne Berserkers? That is motivation to paint right there!

If this can help one little plastic grey guy attain the ultimate goal of reaching his full technicolor potential, that my efforts are worth it! Cheers and happy painting!