Real-talk: (=off topic) I despise the recent "additions" to the Tau army. Riptide? Stormsurge? BLEH. The whole Tau "thing" was they don't build giant walking targets. Until GW decides they can make money that way, of course. A meltagun can blow up a landraider. vs a riptide? 1 wound. If it bypasses the invulnerable save, of course. Meanwhile, a krak anti-tank missile bounces off the armor, on a 2+. Oh, and a new 2+ cover save unit, and the double LoW formation, etc. This big new Tau codex: the army will continue to spam S5 and S7 stuff, and offers zero solutions for some of the issues: -overcosted transports, little vehicle loadout options (all S5.. ) - the 1 in 3 only fusion blaster for stealth suits (vs every eldar jetbike bringing a cannon, every venguard veteran a combi weapon,..) - Tau Broadsides: the massive railgun is weaker than a common lascannon. Compare that to the Centurion firepower.. It is also not elegant: new wargear, that is present on only 1 new thing, but doesn't give any tactical debt (random amount of S5 shots on the stormsurge; the S8 AP2 "not-seeker-missiles", the flying battlesuit burst cannon,.. This Ion weapon is AP3, but this one is AP2.. ) --> Eternal Crusade: In-game Tau should fit the 40k background: be gritty, be grimdark, be nasty to enemies: by now, Tau must be aware converting a (Chaos) Space Marine to the greater good is not a realistic prospect, and the Orks.. good luck. They can bring some unique approach: fully ranged faction. But folds in cc: Fire Warrior, (long range to short range anti-infantry; the breach team weapon is a short ranged plasma gun basically) Pathfinder, (rail-rifle: suppresion, anti-infantry. A deployable missile turret. And, the laser designator to call in a missile strike vs vehicles, or for buffs vs infantry) Stealth Suit ( stealth, obviously. Short-ranged AI and AV. The burst cannon could give suppression..) Vespid (jump pack, short ranged AI) Kroot Shaper as "support" class? I'd keep Ethereal as elite.. This class can bring melee loadouts.
Nice idea, but unlikely since a single fire warrior can't hope to beat a space marine or an aspect warrior.
Uhu.. which is more effective, lethality wise: a Fire warrior shooting a pulse rifle at a space marine, or a space marine using a bolter at a space marine? Answer: equal lethality, until you get marker lights. Tau have less durability, but pretty similar to eldar. Question: what happens when one of those new breacher Tau encounters a space marine at short range? In fact, let's consider an Ork shoota, vs a Space Marine, we'll presume 5+ cover. Crikey, the 5+ cover makes the Ork equally durable vs bolterfire as a Tau FW in the open. Of course, shooting wise.. The Ork has worse BS than the Tau FW, and the Ork weapon has less S, and less AP. Yet, Orks are in, and Ork shoota's are a class. "but they're 'ard boys, and they are Orks, so with all the fighting they're pretty much nobs". Fine, good. --> All Fire Warriors on Arkhona are specially trained honour guard (BS4), armed with the latest development = those breacher guns, and/or a little shield drone: reduces ranged damage, a markerlight drone (enemy infantry debuff only), a deployable shield (see eldar dawn of war 2), ...
You know, that's a decently made argument. The fire warrior is so much better armed and armored than the ork boy that he does achieve a kind of parity - unlike, say, the guardsman.
