[BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points |
Tactica
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:10 pm |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:12 am Posts: 2241
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@Chroma - NP: ? (4.3.2... or 4.3.3... which is the latest) 
_________________ Rob
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Chroma
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:24 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:06 pm Posts: 9684 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada
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Quote (Tactica @ 06 Jan. 2006 (19:10)) | @Chroma - NP: ? (4.3.2... or 4.3.3... which is the latest)  | Head spinning...
Okay, I'm *pretty* sure it was 4.3.2, or there abouts... *sigh*
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nealhunt
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:36 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 10:52 pm Posts: 9617 Location: Nashville, TN, USA
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Quote (Tactica @ 06 Jan. 2006 (18:33)) | What do you think went wrong to force the turn 2 concede against the eldar skimming rapid strike force? |
Dude, what are you talking about?
...engage the Stealthsuits[1], who are also commingled with the Stingrays[2], Crisis Cadre[3], Railgun Hammerheads[4], and the Shas'O's Fire Warrior Cadre![5] |
That's 5 formations intermingled in a single assault - 5 formations that add up to well over half the Tau force - in range of a major Eldar assault formation. Chroma took ~700 points and the Avatar and gutted ~3x the number of points. Game over. It was a stupendously bad move on Dobbsy's part.*
I feel confident saying that was definitely what went wrong.
*To be fair to Dobbsy, the 10cm scout-intermingled ruling sucks butt and I've also been in Dobbsy's situation where a ridiculously large number of units were intermingled and half the army broke at once. Everyone has days like that and this isn't meant to be harsh criticism.
_________________ Neal
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Chroma
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:41 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:06 pm Posts: 9684 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada
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Quote (nealhunt @ 06 Jan. 2006 (19:36)) | I feel confident saying that was definitely what went wrong. ?
*To be fair to Dobbsy, the 10cm scout-intermingled ruling sucks butt and I've also been in Dobbsy's situation where a ridiculously large number of units were intermingled and half the army broke at once. ?Everyone has days like that and this isn't meant to be harsh criticism. |
I have to agree on both points here.
The failed activation on the Stingrays leaving them stuck in the middle was what started the problem, and then it just got worse. ?
With the activation advantage Ulthw? had, the Tau had a hard time, getting out-flanked and such and opening the second turn with a triple activation really hammered them.
The second game was much better balanced in outcome... and that's the only clue I'll give...
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Chroma
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:45 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:06 pm Posts: 9684 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada
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Another issue, and Dobbsy and I discussed this, was putting his two Armoured Cadres on overwatch instead of being aggressive with them. ?Once they were "pinned down", Ulthw? just skirted the edges of their range and blasted other things. ?
If the Hammerheads had opened up earlier on the Falcons or even Guardians, things would've been quite different.
And, honestly, I don't think Dobbsy expected me to charge my little formations right into the heart of his army. ?I believe he expected me to co-mingle two units at most, not all of them! ?It was an audacious move, despite Tau's "lacking" in CC/FF.
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Tactica
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:20 pm |
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Quote (nealhunt @ 06 Jan. 2006 (13:36)) | Quote (Tactica @ 06 Jan. 2006 (18:33)) | What do you think went wrong to force the turn 2 concede against the eldar skimming rapid strike force? |
Dude, what are you talking about? ?
...engage the Stealthsuits[1], who are also commingled with the Stingrays[2], Crisis Cadre[3], Railgun Hammerheads[4], and the Shas'O's Fire Warrior Cadre![5] |
That's 5 formations intermingled in a single assault - 5 formations that add up to well over half the Tau force - in range of a major Eldar assault formation. ?Chroma took ~700 points and the Avatar and gutted ~3x the number of points. ? Game over. ?It was a stupendously bad move on Dobbsy's part.*
I feel confident saying that was definitely what went wrong. ?
*To be fair to Dobbsy, the 10cm scout-intermingled ruling sucks butt and I've also been in Dobbsy's situation where a ridiculously large number of units were intermingled and half the army broke at once. ?Everyone has days like that and this isn't meant to be harsh criticism. | NH,
Perhaps I was trying to be a bit more conservative. I didn't want to voice the assumption I had - that was why I also asked about tactics.
From Chroma's follow-up, it sounds like tactics and strategy, as I agree with you, are what contributed to the outcome more than anything. I'm perfectly OK with that.
To be fair - I just didn't want to jump the gun - that's all. 
Cheers,
_________________ Rob
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CAL001
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 11:15 pm |
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Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:54 am Posts: 1927 Location: Australia
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Nice BatRep Chroma, it would appear that 'Fortune Favours the Brave' on this one.
Cheers CAL
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Chroma
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 11:47 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:06 pm Posts: 9684 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada
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Quote (CAL001 @ 06 Jan. 2006 (22:15)) | Nice BatRep Chroma, it would appear that 'Fortune Favours the Brave' on this one. | Thanks CAL001! It was fun playing and fun putting them up.
Facing 6 firststrike FF troops in my way made me hesitate for a moment... even more than facing 30+ enemy units with my small asault force, but the Seer Stones said "Go for it!" instead of "Future Cloudy...", so I went for it... and I still had strong reserves to back up any failure.
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Honda
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 4:22 am |
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Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:44 pm Posts: 1891 Location: Katy, Republic of Texas
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Another issue, and Dobbsy and I discussed this, was putting his two Armoured Cadres on overwatch instead of being aggressive with them. Once they were "pinned down", Ulthw? just skirted the edges of their range and blasted other things.
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Strongly agree. My experience has been that Overwatch is one of those things that "sounds" good, but for the Tau ends up causing serious problems.
As you point out, the Armored cadres need to seek and defeat targets, not wait for someone to run into their guns. Ah well, he shouldn't feel too bad, we've all gotten that T-shirt at one time or another.
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Dobbsy
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Post subject: [BatRep] Tau vs Ulthw? Eldar 4000 points Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:44 am |
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Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:24 am Posts: 4499 Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Hey all
I used the 4.2.8 list as I didn't get chance to print off the 4.3.2 before I came away. Anyhoo...
It was a stupendously bad move on Dobbsy's part |
hmm, well given that the majority of my action tests failed the majority of the time due to me being unable to remove BMs from previous failed action tests/eldar shooting in the previous round, it was an extremely one sided contest. Consequently most of my units got stuck where they started the game and were wiped in turn 2. Also, the close combat was closer in result than it seems too - some bad rolls on my behalf didn't help either. It could have gone the other way and things may have been different. Not to take away anything from Chroma - he is an excellent tactician and the game loss was mostly due to his knowledge and understanding of the rules and application of forces.
Make what you will of BM management problems from all this, but I see a decided and definite problem from where I sat the other day. Ok, the major problem was my inexperience and rustiness vs Chroma's high experience and the Ulthwe, but I'm not 100% a newbie and to be beaten in 2 rounds just makes me feel that a/I need more practice and experience(including the choosing of forces) b/the list needs help managing its forces in-game - being locked down in turn 2 due to BMs isn't a good place to be in BM management for the Tau.
I'm not saying my tactics were 100% sound either just(only my second Tau game) that when you can't make your formations do what you want you are F@#@3d! I never once had the initiative in this game I ended up reacting to Chroma rather than making him do the same to me.
Everyone has days like that and this isn't meant to be harsh criticism. |
Fair enough Neal, but it doesn't make me feel any better about myself either...

I must say overall, that the Ulthwe list seems a little unfair too. Strategy 5
AND nasty eldar unit abilites for the same cost as standard eldar forces seems completely WRONG to me. What I got was an enemy that lost the initiative roll ONCE in 2 games! And only because he managed to roll snake eyes with his supreme commander. That isn't a balanced list in my opinion.
I would like the Ulthwe Army Champ to review this. If you're increasing the abilities of the Ulthwe to act decisively (as Marines effectively)across the game then their cost needs to be adjusted. Hell, in a 3000 point game he had around 4 extra activations more than me and he destroyed me without even having to bring on around 4-500 points at all!! Ok, granted, this was largely due to the Tau inability to control their forces and my inexperience using them but it was the similar in the second game we played. So twice, Chroma didn't need to bring all his forces out to kill off my forces. Does this not say there's a problem?
You should raise this specifically over ont he eldar boards I guess.
My record incidentally is failing I think almost 12 initiative tests in one turn with my siegemasters. And I barely had any Bm's to worry about.