1800pts
Hammer and Anvil (my most hated deployment)
Purge The Alien (my most hated mission)
I was fielding the same list as last time, four Venom-mounted warrior squads with a Blaster, a Ravager, 10 Scourge, 2 Voidravens stacked with Shatterfield Missiles, Drazhar on a Raider with nine other Incubi, and the Baron with a full unit of Beasts (5 Beastmasters, 1 Clawed Fiend, 4 Razorwings and 10 Khymera).
He was fielding five Fire Warrior units, one of which was large and hiding in a building, the others small and scattered as sacrificial victims. Alongside this were three Pathfinder units, a Hammer head, a pair of Broadsides kitted out with nothing by missiles (and several missile drones), a Drone Sniper team and the obligatory Riptide (with the whole Interceptor thing, etc). Army had an Ethereal with large Fire Warrior unit, and O'Shava with a unit of Crisis Suits in reserves.
The game pretty went as you'd expect. he was bunched into a firing line, the whole army so close any attempt at combat would have been suicide (and no room for a flanking move because of the slim battlefield).
My early turns got a decent couple of rounds of firing in to wipe away some Fire Warriors (First Blood, a happy surprise) and leave a path to the meat for the Beastmasters making good speed. Unfortunately the expected return fire was about as bad as it can get from Tau. A single shot from the Hammerhead destroyed the Ravager AND immobilized the Incubi's Raider. Two Venoms went down as well. The Beasts took some hits, but the Khymerae managed to soak most of it.
The loss of the Ravager's firepower, and the fact that Drazhar and the Incubi now had to take a run, was a bit annoying, but at this stage didn't seem the worst that could have happened (I learned that was a mistake later). The Voidravens arriving helped a bit, one of them taking the Broadsides down to a single suit with one wound left. The other took out an entire Pathfinder unit AND the Sniper Drone team in one round of shooting (yay missiles). The Incubi took a run, and several more Fire Warrior died when the Beasts managed to get into combat, but I still wasn't quite into his main defensive line yet. His sacrificial Fire Warrior units were doing their job of keeping me away from his main line.
His return fire took down one of the Voidravens and the last two Venoms, a Fire Warrior unit and the Riptide dropping the Incubi down to four including Drazhar who was himself dropped to one wound. The Beasts were also dropped below half strength. O'Shava dropped in behind my lines and did some of that damage himself, his large Crisis Suit bodyguard adding to the mayhem and finishing off the immobilized Raider as well.
Turn three and I had lost quite a lot. The last vehicle - one of the Voidravens, turned its attention to the larger Fire Warrior squad in a large building who were being beefed up by an Ethereal. It managed to drop them down to half, but not enough to make them run.
What limited fire I had left I just decided to pour into those Fire Warriors. It was only turn three, but seeing as I was against Tau I already saw how things were going, and decided to just go for spite. That Fire Warrior unit managed to endure though unfortunately. Some of the Warriors managed to get into combat a alongside Drazhar and the last remaining Incubus and finish the last small Fire Warrior unit.
Meanwhile, the Baron and the last Beasts made an impressive final feat, an attempt to get a spite kill by charging the Ethereal and the survivors from his unit. They made their charge, and it would have been fine. They even whether a LOT of Overwatch fire from three units PLUS the Hammerhead. At this stage, this failed, because Overwatch killed just enough to leave the Baron alone and an INCH out of charge range. Bad times.
He did what Tau do on the following turn, and mopped up. By the end of the turn, the Baron got a Rail Gun to the face. Drazhar and the last Incubus fell to over-ranged rapid fire from two squads (with that Ethereal upgrade that gives an extra shot) and the Voidraven fell to the last Broadside who was annoyingly hanging in there. By the end of turn three, I had three Warriors left.
But what the hell, only a douche would quit with men still living (and a real gentleman would have the decency to finish me off). So, turn four, and the Scourge finally arrive from Reserves, and promptly lose half the unit to a Riptide's intercepting fire (my only conciliation being the wound he took from his own failed overcharging). Their return fire promptly did nothing of any worth, as the Warriors managed to kill one last Fire Warrior.
His turn four, and he wiped me away.
Final score, on unit-death Victory points: I scored 7 including First Blood. With Warlord and Linebreaker he scored 17.
Final thoughts: I hate Hammer & Anvil, I hate Purge the Alien, and I hate the Tau.
I really hate the Tau.
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Subject: 1800pts VS. Tau 
Fri Feb 21 2014, 14:31
