# Broadside vs. hammerhead



## Ricevision (Apr 15, 2009)

im very new to hammerhead and i no about the heavy support max but what are but are one of them better... ? and whats the smart missile system , burst cannon are they like templates? also is krootox people a necessity? and are broadsides able to shoot both their railguns(if both equipped) separately?:good::wink:
And whats the advantage of a skyray?


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## Ijustmadethisup4 (Apr 7, 2009)

Ricevision said:


> im very new to hammerhead and i no about the heavy support max but what are but are one of them better... ? and whats the smart missile system , burst cannon are they like templates? also is krootox people a necessity? and are broadsides able to shoot both their railguns(if both equipped) separately?:good::wink:
> And whats the advantage of a skyray?


Im not a big tau person, but have been thinking about picking them up. I do own some and i do own their codex, which i have read. Hammerhead vs broadside...one is not better than the other. It is personally preference and army set up. If you need to be more moble, then use the hammerhead, if you are static, perhaps you need broadsides.
A smart missil system is basically a rocket launcher that can hit anything in its range, whether or not you can see it, thus the "smart" aspect of them.
A burst cannon is an assault 3 basic weapon.
Kroot are not a necessity. They largely just make up for the Taus lack of CC skill.
broadsides do not shoot their railguns separately, they are twinlinked (reroll on misses) 
A skyray has six seeker missles, and the option of two burst cannons, drones, or smart missiles.
You really should buy the tau codex if you are considering tau. The codex isnt overly expensive for them.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Remember friends, only army lists are to be posted in the army list sections. Questions like these belong in Tactics.

Katie D


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

Ricevision, you will have to buy the codex to play. It will answer all your questions. I'm afraid that nothing much we can say for tactics will make sense without you having the rules.

My advice is to go to a GW store and talk to the staff there. Play an intro game and read some of the rules. There are lots of rules to pick up at the start but you just have to get started really.

I'll try and answer though, abd see if this helps:

Hammerheads are vehicles and broadsides are infantry. They are vert different because the hammerhead can move around a lot and also has the option of firing a blast from its railgun. The broadside is cheaper so you get more guns if you take broadsides. Broadsides fire their two railguns together, counting as one shot with a reroll to hit.

Smart missiles and burst cannons are not template weapons. They are secondary weapons that add a bit of extra firepower.

You don't need a krootox. I think kroot are very good though.

Skyrays are pointless. Some people do use them but a hammerhead with railgun is a far better tank - and also slightly more expensive.


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## onlainari (May 10, 2008)

There is one reason this question is relevant, you have no heavy support and want to buy one of them.

The answer is to buy two broadsides.

Usually the question is irrelevant as they're both good and you usually have both.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

Typically it's nice to have both. Hammerheads are more versatile with better anti-infantry killing power and mobility while broadsides get more anti-tank shots that are more accurate and broadsides are tougher.

Hammerheads I prefer to kit out with burst cannons, multi-tracker, disruption pod, and target lock. That way the hammerhead can move 6", fire its rail gun at a tank, fire its burst cannons at infantry, and always has a 4+ cover save against shots from over 12". I feel that smart missile systems are generally not worth it unless the map is just riddled with cover because the burst cannons net you 1.5x as many shots for fewer points.


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## Spot The Grot (Jul 15, 2008)

Hmm i find hammer heads are better all rounders.

Tougher (tanks + disruption pods)
More mobile
Better Model also it is plastic
Versatile , it can take on infantry and tanks.

All of these make it better than broadsides. Broadsides will get more shots but that if they are even in sight considering most people will deply the other end of the board the second they cathc sight of railguns.


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## Wraithian (Jul 23, 2008)

Culler said:


> Typically it's nice to have both. Hammerheads are more versatile with better anti-infantry killing power and mobility while broadsides get more anti-tank shots that are more accurate and broadsides are tougher.
> 
> Hammerheads I prefer to kit out with burst cannons, multi-tracker, disruption pod, and target lock. That way the hammerhead can move 6", fire its rail gun at a tank, fire its burst cannons at infantry, and always has a 4+ cover save against shots from over 12". I feel that smart missile systems are generally not worth it unless the map is just riddled with cover because the burst cannons net you 1.5x as many shots for fewer points.


I agree with this, mostly. The only reason I ever take SMS over burst cannons is that extra 6" of range, and that is so rare... It's just enough to harass fast assaulters without being caught in their charge range. But yeah, I kit mine out the same way. I believe in keeping the burst cannons on the hammerhead while upgrading the devilfish to carry the SMS. Just makes more sense to me.

To the OP, if anything, if you haven't purchased a heavy support selection yet, pick up a hammerhead first. It's much more versitile with railgun solid shot and submunition shot, plus it's movement and secondary gear. When you go to buy your hammerhead, look at picking up the skyray kit. It comes with all the same stuff as the hammerhead box, but with extras. So you can still build your hammerhead, but you'll have extra parts for your bitz box.


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