Gundam Diplomacy: T'au vs Imperial Knights

Knights are equivalent to twiglets. One is never enough! So I, Kraken, thought I'd take on the same crew as last time, only this time with some more... exotic battlesuits. 

The Men in the High T'auer

This is a list built of all the biggest T'au suits Kas has. The Knights are likely to close to melee range if they can, so I've gone with the T'au Sept for their improved overwatch ability. The Coldstar ends up with rather poor synergy, his Relic essentially giving him the same rerolls as his Trait only more so. 

Hey ho! It's all a bit motley, but it's certainly got some ugly firepower. Does it have the staying power and ground control it needs, though? Let's find out!

Outrider Detachment, T'au Sept

• HQ Coldstar Commander with 2 x Fusion Blaster, Missile Pod, Advanced Targeting system, Cross-linked Stabiliser Jets relic and Precision of the Hunter Warlord trait
• Elite Ghostkeel Battlesuit with all the standard trimmings and the pair of stealth drones
• Fast Attack 4 x Shield Drones
• Fast Attack 4 x Shield Drones
• Fast Attack Y'vahra Battlesuit plus an MV52 Shield Drone
• Heavy Support R'varna Battlesuit

Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment, T'au Sept

• KV128 Stormsurge with Advanced Targeting System, Pulse Driver Cannon and a host of other guns

What's worrying is that Kraken put an unbound list together thinking it was over the top. With only a minimal amount of tweaking <20pts, we were able to make detachment worthy. Kraken said he felt dirty when discovered it was a legal list.

I did! But I am. 

The Magnificent Six

It's the same list as last time, hungry for revenge!

Mission and Terrain

Same terrain, same mission as last time. So a home-brew Maelstrom of War, three card draw a turn with the option of swapping two out and picking up a new one that scores you an extra point if you do it this turn or next one. 

The one twist we've added is a sort of Giant Engine War version of the character rules. Unless you pass a Ld test for your mech by rolling equal or less on 2d6, you have to shoot at the nearest target. Most of our units are pretty high on Ld, generally 8+, so this isn't likely to make a big difference. But positioning is going to be important as you commit to an attack, and we can screen our giant Warlords to some extent. 

Having made this rule, we also decided it won't apply to Drones. It's Texas Rules - anybody who wants to shoot a bin lid should be allowed.

Deployment

I end up choosing to be the Defender here, and set up on the side that's got slightly more objectives along it. A split gunline, with the two heaviest suits towards the centre on Objective 6, then the faster Ghostkeel and Coldstar at the north end on number 5. The Y'vahra has its big butt in the air for now. 

For me, it was the two big knights in the middle, and a warglaive on either flank then Moirax in the wood, which forced the Helverin on the right flank.

No stealing from me, so the Knights start their engines!

Knights Turn 1

Objectives drawn: Secure 5 & Defend 5 swapped for Kingslayer, Secure 4

Ok, here we go: objectives are going to be tough; I can't get a bead on the coldstar and holding 5 was going to be tough, so let's go for plan B: move forward and shoot.

A handful of wounds on the R'varna from the advance wave of shooting, which mostly splashes off on drones. But that, I can live with. 

Objectives scored:nil

Tau Turn 1

Objectives drawn: Kingslayer, Area Denial, Overwhelming Firepower

Last time, I got some very helpful draws. The card gods have been watching, and are once again bountiful, although it's not the easiest set to grab. I'll either score high or not at all!

The fast north flank pull back from the incoming Armigers, with the Coldstar jumping up on to a tower. The thrill of the melee is all well and good if you have a huge chainsword, but the T'au are generally armed with poise and optimism at that range, and I'm not fancying it. 

The big guns in the centre hold fast and set targets. Both pass their leadership tests and put full beams into the Knight Errant, Kas's Warlord. There's a lot of gun there! And they're big ones. In the event, though, the R'varna lacks the high strength it needs for max damage, and the Errant takes a 'mere' 15 wounds from the guns. 

This includes me throwing all my Destroyer Missiles away on a whim. They only hit on 6 without Markerlights, and I've only got 4 CPs and don't think it's worth spending any on the single one I could get with that. One connects, at least, so it wasn't a total wash!

On the top end, the Coldstar and Ghostkeel take 9 wounds off the lead Warglaive, just short of a kill. But Kas is already sweating, even if I haven't scored. 

Objectives scored:Nil

Knights Turn 2

Objectives drawn: Duel of Honour, Secure 1

I move the right flank up to take on the coldstar who has opted for cover and charge prevention and left the safety of his drones. I will likely lose an armiger as I open myself to a Ghostkeel counter, but that's his warlord, and it's a coldstar (and I have Kingslayer in play). Wanting to make sure, there is no fire splitting here, and everything unloads on the coldstar, deleting it.

The other flank armiger moves to the centre of the board, and the moirax steps out of the wood to join him and secure obj 1. The Warden advances up into the Tau's face, preparing to charge.

But first it's shooting phase, and the stormsurge (unable to protect himself from drones) it blasted by two big knights and two mini-knights. Better still the stormsurge explodes taking out the remaining drones and wounding the Rvanna.

The Warden then kicks on the overthrusters (Full Tilt strat) and charges into the Rvana; hurting but failing to kill the mech, so the knight tries to crush it with his gauntlet (Death Grip strat), but fails to connect.

Objectives scored:Slay the Warlord, Kingslayer (1), Secure 1

Tau Turn 2

Objectives drawn: Swapped Area Denial and Overwhelming Firepower for Supremacy

Supremacy is just too valuable to ignore, although I don't particularly want to split the team up. But I can score it, so I must. 

The Y'vahra lands way out of range on Objective 3, threatening the Knight's back line, as the Ghostkeel flits up to Objective 5 and then takes out the damaged Warglaive at range. 

The R'ianna can't do much - it runs away, readying overwatch, and hides behind a fresh unit of drones that drops in. I also give it 3 wounds back with the Automated Repair strategem, which it's going to need. 

That's my entire turn! Don't think I've stemmed the tide much, somehow, but I do roll high for Supremacy, and that actually puts me in the lead. 

Objectives scored: Supremacy (4)

Knights Turn 3

Objectives drawn:Area Denial, Assassinate, Titan Killer

The helverin backs away from the ghostkeel, keeping it in range of all guns, and the armiger and moirax come to support. They scare and chip away and the sneaky ghostkeel, but fail to take him out.

The Errant heads towards the Yvahra, but keeps his guns eyeing the Ranadandra and drones. With the combined firepower and subsequent charge the heavy riptide variant is suitable crushed.

This is great, because now we don't need to keep trying to spell it. 

Titan killer was a nice card, and scored me 3 points; if had had the turn before, the stormsurge would have been worth 6vp!

Objectives scored:Area Denial (2), Titan Killer (3)

Tau Turn 3 

Objectives drawn: Secure 5, Multiple Distractions

Multiple Distractions is a hell of a draw. It's not impossible, but I can't see Kas closing enough to take the bait somehow, especially with the firepower he's packing. I ditch it at the end of the turn and hope for better. 

In the meantime, the Y'vahra burns the Nova Reactor to get a better Ion gun shot, although it bounces off the Errant's shields. The Ghostkeel leaves its drones on 5 to score the point, jumps on to the charred remains of the Coldstar and snipes a feeble lone wound off the Helverin. This is only after I use my final CPs on making sure it's got max shots with its Fusion gun, too. Bah!

Objectives scored: Secure 5

Knights Turn 4

Objectives drawn: Hold the Line and Psychological Warfare swapped for Advance, Defend 6

The trio of armigers blast the ghostkeel and his drones which had to separate for objectives; and both are deleted.

The warden has to stay put on obj6 but can draw a line to the Y'vahra, and the Errant retreats to force the short ranged monster to move if he wants to shoot; and he is moving slower with the extra damage inflicted.

Objectives scored: Advance (2)

Tau Turn 4

Objectives drawn: Secure 6 and The Greater Good swapped for Mission Critical Objective (6)

The T'au really really want me to go and get Objective 6 for some reason. If there was any way I could, I would, believe you me! Killing the Warden and stealing the objective would win me a ton of points, and probably a T'au badge that contains the mental engrams of a pack of cheerleaders. 

It's not going to happen, though, not even a little bit. On a single wound, the usually nimble Y'vahra has a 6" move, and I can't spend that wound to shoot myself skywards. Or, well, I could, but it would be more of an emergency eject than a tactical reposition. In fact, I can't even get in range to shoot the Errant, who'd still be worth Kingslayer points!

So I stumble forwards pathetically and wait for the inevitable. 

Objectives scored: Defend 6 (2, Knights)

Knights Turn 5

Everyone moves up, they debate forgoing shooting and crushing the mech's skull in close combat, but then remember the overwatch and the scary flamer and just melt it with the thermal cannon.

For the Greater G'ah!

Objectives scored: Total Party Kill (victory)

Result: 12:5 to the Imperium!

Locker Room

Revenge is a dish best served with a HUGE ROTATING CANNON ARM! 

Greater Indifferent, would be how I rate my performance. Leaving the Coldstar high and dry with no drones was very stupid, especially when he should have jumped on the Errant and finished it off for all those tasty points early on. After that, I got my lines rushed, and that's generally the beginning of the end for T'au. 

Your lack of drones (be it normal or remora) meant you seemed more wary about throwing the coldstar into the fray, but that cautiousness left him boxed in a corner and with reduced ablative shielding. I think you had also dropped the shield gen for points. 

Got to say, I was disappointed in the Stormsurge. Very flimsy, somehow! As a Titanic unit, it can't use drones, so it somehow lacks the resilience of its smaller cousins. And a Toughness of 7 isn't going to beat off a lot of Melta Lances. 

Actually, although I was rubbing my hands with glee at the idea of using all these giant mechs, it's really not a good match up for them. It played right into the strengths of the Knights, in fact, who struggle to stamp out lots of fast or small units, but are properly tooled up to take on big boys. 

I think you are right, and the stormsurge has lots of varied damage shots, when you have varied targets and can direct the right gun at the right target it may be more effective. I think you also suffered from not having markerlights, and so a unit of pathfinders (although against the spirit of the list) or using those two strategems (one to grant a ML and one to turn that into D3+1 would have ensured the missiles were fired on surge's BS... admittedly that would be 2/4 CPs but might have wounded the errant more).

You can only use the second strat to boost Markers if someone on the ground actually shot them! Otherwise that would have been great for the volley of deadly missiles early on.

I wonder if upping to 1750pts and adding back in those toys would help. Unfortunately without any more armiger frames, the rematch would require 3 big knights and fewer small, or some admech/marine allies on the knight side.

Or a Castellan and tiny helpers?

Still, hilarious fun! And I'd happily do it again. Keeping the T'au all together and just alpha striking the nearest Knight would probably have worked a lot better, and I'll remember that for the next opportunity.  

It was a quick game too. So quick, apart from the final shot, I forgot to take photos (sorry about that).