| Tactical Command http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/ |
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| Cadres, Redux http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=10770 |
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| Author: | Lion in the Stars [ Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cadres, Redux |
So, I actually succumbed to the temptation and bought the Apocalypse book over the weekend, even though it's been something like 18 months since I've played a game of 40k. There's a decent amount of info in the book usable from an E:A perspective, so here's some of the highlights, IMO. (Codex Apocalypse @ pg 156) QUOTE CADRES AND CONTINGENTS The most common operational unit of the Fire Caste is the Cadre, which consists of a single battlefield command. There are many different types of cadre. Although most commonly a cadre is a combined arms force of warriors and vehicles, more specialized cadres exist, fielding swift reconnaisance units, heavier weaponry or large numbers of alien auxiliaries. When several cadres fight together, they are grouped into a contingent. page 157 gives several examples of cadres, including a 'Standard Hunter Cadre' (which is a fairly typical 40k force, and pretty unworkable in E:A because of the very disparate speeds of the crisis suits versus the vehicle-less infantry), consisting of 2 Fire Warrior teams, 3 Crisis teams, a Broadside team, a Hammerhead, a Skyray, 2 Kroot squads, and a Piranha team. In E:A terms, that would be a Battlesuit Cadre with a FW upgrade, a Broadside upgrade, a Hammerhead upgrade, a Skyray upgrade, and a Piranha upgrade. nevermind the fact that combination isn't a legal E:A unit (due to the 5 (or 6, since there should be a Commander upgrade for the Crisis suits) upgrades), would anyone on the board want to run that as a single formation? talk about easy to smoke a slow-moving formation like that... There's the 'Mobilized Hunter Cadre', which is 3 Fire Warrior teams and a Pathfinder Team, all with Devilfish transports, and 2 Piranha Teams. *Hmmm, now what does that sound like in E:A? Oh, yeah, a FW cadre with a Pathfinder and Piranha upgrade. Optimised Stealth Group: 4 Stealth Teams (slightly smaller version of the Stealth Support Group from E:A) Pathfinder Insertion Group: 4 Pathfinder teams with Devilfish (just like a Pathfinder Support Group in E:A) Rapid Insertion Force: 4 Crisis teams, with a Stealth team acting as point (this formation has some odd rules in Apocalypse, since the Stealth team can be on the ground ahead of the deep-striking Crisis suits. There's a specific note that this formation does NOT have to be deployed all at the same time, unlike any other Battle Formation). Effectively, it's just 4 Crisis teams, borrowing a Stealth team from another formation (sounds like a Battlesuit Cadre in E:A, doesn't it?). There's a cadre of mixed alien Aux, but the real kicker is the Armoured Interdiction Cadre: 3+ Hammerheads and/or Skyrays. The example on page 157 is 2 Hammerheads and 2 Skyrays, but the Battle Formation datasheet just says 3+, one of which must be designated as a command vehicle. While this command vehicle give d3+1 'free' markerlight counters in Apocalypse games, Markerlights don't work the same way in E:A (and vehicles are immune to morale effects in 40k). The fluff says "The vehicles are networked together with an interactive tactical control system, allowing the commander to supervise the Cadre from within his tank and direct fire quickly and efficiently." Doesn't that sound like the Networked Drones upgrade? Just a few thoughts for discussion. |
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| Author: | Moscovian [ Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cadres, Redux |
Good info for the Tau development. Thanks for posting it! It doesn't appear that the current EA list differs much from the Apocalypse stuff (save for the Standard Hunter Cadre). |
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| Author: | Lion in the Stars [ Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cadres, Redux |
yeah, it does seem like the E:A list is very much like how GW would expect the Tau to fight... maybe there's a GW staffer lurking here? |
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| Author: | colonel_sponsz [ Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cadres, Redux |
Thanks, Lion - that's interesting. It does fit with my universal Tau TO&E theory which I should write up so I can link to it in times like this. The gist of it is as follows (from an earlier thread): IA3 gives us the following: "...Hunter Cadres were organised into larger battles for specific roles. Whilst flexible and fluid, so Battles can be formed and dissolved quickly, ..." I take this to mean that cadres are combined together to create larger forces (battles) but within this, the individual cadres need not fight as self contained units per-se. If you were to combine three cadres together to form a battle then the Fire Warriors from each cadre will fight together as a larger unit of FW. Similarly the Crisis, Broadsides, Stealths, Hammerheads, Pathfinders &c. will all get together in their respective formations. To me, this is one of the joys (and problems) with translating the Tau into a force org chart for gaming - they adapt their TO&E to suit the size of the engagement they are fighting. In a standard 40k game (a skirmish in the corner of two fields*) they will use a couple of squads of FW with one or two Crisis Tarocha and a Hammerhead. Get up to an apocalypse size engagement and they will increase the numbers but still use the units together as mixing the different types of unit isn't very effective (I have comic visions of Crisis suits stood with weapons on hips, tapping their feet waiting for the puffing Firewarriors with helmets off struggling to keep up on foot). When you get up to Epic scale they put more Cadres into the 'blender' to make bigger units of each type. Sorry that's a bit muddled but it all makes perfect sense in my head. Like I said, I need to write this out properly with diagrams. And Blackjack. And hookers. In fact: Forget about the diagrams. And the Blackjack. Orde * In the immortal words of a friend of mine: "Why do you need two chapter masters to lead a skirmish in the corner of a couple of fields?" |
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| Author: | colonel_sponsz [ Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Cadres, Redux |
Well, as promised, I've finally made a start on my essay on Tau Force Organisation. It's still not complete but, with the diagrams, contains the basics of my ideas. Hopefully I'll get a chance to expand this over time to flesh out what's there at the moment and expand it to include Apocalypse and Kill Teams. Please feel free to ping me your comments and suggestions - this is a work in progress. Orde |
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