So, preparing Tau again.

Going to have another game with the Tau on Monday night, this time against Loyalists.

I already know the opponent's list but one of the things I note with Tau is that there isn't really any reason to tailor, if I was so inclined...I mean, nothing that I haven't already identified as desirable is more so against Spess Mehreens, and nothing I wish to take becomes any worse, either.

My list will, again, roughly be:

One Commander w/ Plasma Rifle and Missile pod
Three of (2x)Battlesuit w/Plasma Rifle and Missile Pod
6 Fire Warriors
Two of (10x)Kroot with (3x)Hounds
8 Pathfinders w/cover save Fish
Two of (2x)Piranha w/Fusion Blaster
3 Broadsides
2 Hammerheads w/Railguns, cover saves.

Fun times, no?

His, basically, will be:

Motf w/Beamer
Telion w/Missile Launcher and 4 bodybags
Two full Tac Squads w/ Rhino, MM, Flamer
3 Dakka Predators
3 MM Dreads
4 (?) MM/HF 'Speeders.

Hrm.  Feel I've forgotten something.  Oh well.

Target Priority is simple, granted Mission and Deployment change things, but... - The Speeders are first to die, because they are the only truly mobile Melta platform, and thus the only credible threat to my Hammerheads.  As long as they and the Suits are firing, I have a great chance.  After that, the Rhinos need to go and remove the danger from Tacs clearing out my guys in CC, Dreads, for their ability to wipe out Suit teams, Predators for same, finally, infantry as they aren't that big a deal.

Sacking my Piranhas for Preds or Dreads infinitely preferable to sacking for Rhinos, as the Infantry will make mincemeat of them, theoretically I can escape alive otherwise.  While survival is FAR from necessary or expected for them, the ability to recycle such a blatant suicide unit is tremendous if pulled off (something a certain moron on Warseer should take into account in her arguments re Eldar, except that she is too stupid to acknowledge that Dragons are a Suicide unit full stop.  Makes me wonder if she has ever even seen a competent player play...) - It would be really nice, but it's entirely a situational question.  There needs to be such a target of opportunity that it cannot be ignored, and I need to be able to reach it in one phase before jumping on, next turn, to another high-value target, without being intercepted and destroyed in the opponent's turn.  Urk.  It's the kind of tactic decent players automatically register if it comes up, and flat out ignore the rest of the time, and deride as advice, because [and you will know this if you've played a skilled opponent] you can never guarantee that your opponent isn't one step ahead of you, and stupidly risky stratagems are...er...clue's in the name.

Don't take unnecessary chances, and assume you won't be able to get 'x', 'y' and 'z' into position without being countered, and do the simple things first.