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Thanks to Olannon for this.
One of the biggest changes in the new Tau Empire Codex was the Heavy Support options. Before, we only had 2 real options (seeing as no-one used Krootox): Hammerhead and Broadsides. The amount we now have is twice as many. Interesting one might say, but this provides another difficult issue:
With 4 strong units competing for the Heavy Support slots, it might be hard to fill all needs. This is especially true now that the vehicles and Broadsides have more options than ever before. Besides, Heavy Support units are the only ones sporting railguns. Will it be worth it taking those Sniper Drones?
Sniper Drones are totally new to any Tau player. They are a different unit with some interesting abilities. Many players complained back in the days of the old Codex: "How come Tau have no snipers?". The waiting is over. The Sniper Drones are here!
What kind of unit is the Sniper Drones?
The firepower of the Sniper Drones are best used against normal Marines, Necrons and similar units. They can only fire a few shots, but those shots are devastating if they can reach their intended target. As a team sports 3 Rail Rifles, I think we can all agree that it is ineffective to fire upon conscripts with Sniper Drones (except maybe for the pinning ability). If we disregard the markerlight, our Snipers will kill 1.25 Marines on average. In other words, this is ~40% more kills than a team of Fire Warriors (8 Fire Warriors = the cost of our Snipers) could kill (above rapid-fire range). Wow! This is what I call effective static firepower! And then, we haven't even taken the markerlight into account. Considering that our Fire Warriors are very strong basic troopers with the best basic gun in the game, our Snipers truly must be a good unit!
Continuing our example earlier, let's assume our units of Fire Warriors and Snipers are having a "firefight" with a small group of Tactical Marines. Assuming the Marines to sport a heavy bolter (making their cost = Snipers) and the range ~30", we can now continue our example:
The Fire Warriors will most likely be ripped apart in a few turns by the heavy bolter, while the Snipers will probably get away pretty safely.
However, what happens if these Marines get to, say, 18" and pass their Stealth Field test? Most likely your Snipers will be dead.
Snipers are awesome against Marine Equivalents in terms of offensive firepower. They are also quite good at dodging enemy long-ranged firepower.
However...
-If- the enemy can get close, it is pretty much over for your snipers.
Thus we have a weak unit at close range who can provide us with some excellent medium-ranged firepower.
As many players have pointed out, there is a lack of "medium-guns" in a Tau army. We have loads of S5 basic guns and some awesome S10 heavy guns, but in-between there are precious few. Usually, these weapons are sported by our Crisis Suits. However, many players don't like these. Some players again play static Tau, in which case the Crisis' will not even be there (barring the mandatory Commander). These players will want another unit to provide some "medium-guns". Sniper Drones are an excellent choice here. Their weapons can threaten even light vehicles and skimmers trying to sneak up your flank, they can (with a bit of luck) pop transports and they provide excellent weapons against Marine Equivalents.
Seeing as the Snipers are not mobile enough, they will never appear in a Mechanised list. However, there are plenty of options for them in a Static and Hybrid list.
Bear in mind that they are not scoring units
If you decide to stick your Snipers to the main gunline, it is pretty simple, really. It's just a matter of finding the good spots for them, and prioritize correctly. Several posts have been made about target prioritizing earlier, and they are worth reading - just do a forum search. Anyway, Snipers in the main gunline is just like any other units: Find them a good spot, be careful not to expose them to too much (usually not a problem unless the enemy gets really close), have LOS to everything you want to fire at and make sure to prioritize correctly.
If you decide to use the Snipers to cover a flank, they should not be there alone. As their weaponry is very specialised, you will typically want a small, flexible unikt with them. Fire Warriors (maybe mounted to increase mobility) will work excellent here. Kroot will also do a very good job; especially if they can find some woods nearby. If you know you are facing Marine Equivalents a small squad of Vespid might be a good choice. It all depends. Use them in conjunction with whatever unit is effective against the enemies you will expect to try the flanking approach. Important! Bear in mind that although the Snipers are primarily bought for their anti-Marine firepower, it may sometime be worth it to fire upon weaker targets.
Example: You have decided to use the Snipers as a flank protecting unit. An Imperial player sends a team of Veterans up your flank. An allied contingent of Tactical Marines advances on your main line. The pinning ability of the Snipers might make it worthwhile to stand your ground and fire at the veterans. A re-deployment can be time-consuming.
We have all heard of Kauyon, the patient hunter. Usually, this is what playing Static Tau lists is all about. This tactic is usually about setting a trap. In order to set a trap, a decoy is needed. Due to their Stealth Field, the Snipers can be a good lure. They are also cheap, and not scoring, so if the situation turns hopeless for the decoy, they are expendable. More so than most of the other units in our book! The guns they sport will also ensure that most players will want to eliminate them ASAP. The pinning, the sheer power, even the casual markerlight hit will make most players fear them.
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| Comment made by Hierakles on 20:32:56, 15 July 2008 |
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| You can have up to 3 teams as 1 heavy support choice |
| Comment made by Sau1us on 09:48:05, 4 July 2008 |
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| I would like jac66's idea as well, but I thought this article mentioned that sniper teams are a 0-1 choice... |
| Comment made by Zerotrousers on 19:53:29, 9 November 2007 |
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| I Like sniper drones, and I think this really helped. P.S jac66 I like your idea of using F.o.F with Sniper drones. |
| Comment made by jac66 on 09:34:37, 30 August 2007 |
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| couldn't you use FOF with 3 sniper teams to make them a more mobile force |
| Comment made by ttty2t1j3 on 21:25:39, 7 April 2007 |
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| As a marine player I would like to shoot a tip to everybody using these lil buggers. Don't keep them too far from your force, and always have a counter attack ready for when they are threatened. Their biggest weakness is speed, so watch out for Land Speeders and those blasted heavy flamers...:) It's almost as if I've done that before. |
| Comment made by Commander_Oshove on 19:01:07, 2 April 2007 |
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| Sweet, I needed info like this because my snipers where just getting slaughtered because I had no idea how to use them properly. |
| Comment made by niholas on 10:58:09, 27 March 2007 |
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| i dont realy use these as lures coz my mates just tend to march onto me and fire at my main army so they are pretty useless lol |
| Comment made by thecatinthehat on 06:46:48, 16 October 2006 |
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| that pinning is the best feature, use the marker to belt their ld down, with the rail rifle you will kill most things that can be pinned, hey presto! the advance stops. so many players have an unwarrented need to keep troops that have crap ld close to their commander. stop the line, few people will send the boss on alone. nb: don't bother against bloody grey knights. tough lesson there, kill all combat servitos! |
