So I went back to the drawing board a bit. I created another video, Daemons Vs White Scars, in which I tried harder to outline useful content, such as the players' thoughts on the game, the tactics and ides used, and the importance of keeping the objective in mind. Certainly I think it's a better battle report than the one I sent, but that's not the point.
I couldn't get the idea that Tau weren't competitive out of my head. It was pointed out that the Tau player in my video, aside from being a newbie taking on a veteran, misplayed his deployment... he was beaten pretty bad. I couldn't help but think that would happen to a Tau player regardless of the list or his experience.
So I had to test my theory. I asked Shannon to bring his Guard army in for a match, and I created what I felt was a good, all-comers 1250 Tau list (I didn't want to design a list just to play the army in question). Here's a synopsis of the 1250 list... the units had the standard Wargear selection.
HQ and Bodyguard, Plasma and Missile Pod, Gun Drone.
2 Suits, Plasma and Missile Pod, Gun Drone.
6 Warriors, Devilfish with Smart Missile System.
6 Warriors, Devilfish with Smart Missle System.
Kroot, 2 Hounds
Broadsides, 2 Gun Drones
Hammerhead w Railgun
Hammerhead w Railgun
Here's a synopsis of Shannon's Guard at 1250...
Command Squad, Plasma Guns, Chimera.
Veterans, Melta Guns, Chimera.
Veterans, Melta Guns, Chimera.
Veterans, Melta Guns, Chimera.
Vendetta.
Vendetta.
Manticore.
Manticore.
The Tau have been in a box for years and are in pretty bad shape - in fact, the suits aren't put together and were laying on the bases. While this is fine in a pick-up game like this, I didn't think it was great for a full blown video. Besides, I wanted this game to be a good test and didn't want the distraction of shooting clips.
I'll cut to the chase: I was very, very wrong. The Tau won the game and were far from outmatched, like I thought they would be - in fact, they more than held their own in the shooting department. Where I had problems was later in the game, trying to find resources to camp objectives properly. I've included some pictures, one each from each phase of the game, plus the deployment.
Do I think this game proves something on a large scale? No, I made that mistake with my video, painting one game with a broad brush. But I've satisfied myself that the Tau, if listed and used properly, are a viable army in this current era. While they'd have problems against certain matchups, what army doesn't? It's the nature of the beast.
It's important not to rest on assumptions, but to continue to test theories and try to approach something close to truth.
