# How would Tau go about boarding?



## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Now it's pretty common knowledge how other forces like marines, navy, chaos etc etc go about boarding enemy ships, but what about Tau? Do we know of any specific tactics or specialised equipment to help them do it?


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I can think of any off the top of my head. Does anybody have a copy of Kill Team handy. I seem to recall something in there about it but can't quite remember.

I imagine they would want avoid it.


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## Shas'Ui (Feb 28, 2013)

I imagine space jumps, kinda like in the Star Trek where Kirk is getting onto Khan's ship. They send one or a small team of stealthed Tau. Grab onto the ship and sneak in through a duct of some sort to a main hangar. Time the rest of the Tau's jumps just right so they come in right as the door is opening. The rest is just a matter of tactical superiority and catching the enemy of guard.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

The only boarding action I recall is Fire Warrior, Orca ship into Imp Flight deck, Rouge Trader book, battle suit boarding was fly to ship then cut into the ship.

EDIT: Because it seems I still get ignored.


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

I'd imagine they'd have some kind of boarding vessel full of close combat oriented Tau or probably Kroot, or send battlesuits through the void to blast right into a ship. That seems more their speed.


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## Alsojames (Oct 25, 2010)

I think I read somewhere that the Tau don't like boarding actions, considering their penchant for long range warfare.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

locustgate said:


> The only boarding action I recall is Fire Warrior, Orca ship into Imp Flight deck


They do indeed, although I'm not sure how standard this would be? :scratchhead:


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Alsojames said:


> long range warfare.


Yes, but they aren't idiots they need a plan b,c,d-z,


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

I would really imagine Tau using kroots as boarding shock troops in pods. But locustgate is right...nothing in the fluff bar that episode.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

So everyone seems to ignore the XV46 which is used for this exact purpose?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

neferhet said:


> nothing in the fluff bar that episode.





Reaper45 said:


> So everyone seems to ignore the XV46 which is used for this exact purpose?


And it seems everyone ignores me like I said. *FING BATTLESUITS!*


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

Reaper45 said:


> So everyone seems to ignore the XV46 which is used for this exact purpose?


I had no idea this existed. Either way it says it's not that widespread and used more to explore Space Hulks than actual boarding actions, even though the jump from one to the other would hardly be big.


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## lokyar (Apr 24, 2011)

its mostly the kroot boarding i think, the kroot warspheres seem made for that


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

lokyar said:


> its mostly the kroot boarding i think, the kroot warspheres seem made for that


How so? They are large and slow, those two are terrible for boarding, it seems their main purpose it to soak up fire.

P.S. Warspheres were made to carry kroot clans on interplanetary migrations, they could lift of and land on planets, not gracefully but still alot more graceful than an imperial ship.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

1. Find enemy ship.
2. Fire Riptides at it until it dies.
3. ...
4. Profit!

Midnight


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Aside from the suits, anything else? I have an idea that involves Tau boarding something and I kind of want more in space than just suits.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

locustgate said:


> And it seems everyone ignores me like I said


Actually I said "Locustgate is right, nothing in the fluff bar that episode" So i was aknowledging you and i was agreeing on the battlesuit shit


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

In Kil Team the Tau used Boarding tubes with plasma heated edges to cut their way into the Imperial ship IOT engage the enemy. I have seen one or two references on Lexicanum that refer to the Tau using similar technology to take over an enemy ship. Just infantry though, no sign of Crisis Suits or Heavy Weaponry.


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## SonOfStan (Feb 20, 2011)

You'd think the Tau would have created some kind of close-combat drone by now. If you can program a bunch of robots to zip around a battlefield and generally function in a tactically sound fashion without needing constant monitoring or direct remote control, it shouldn't be all that difficult to make a big ugly android armed with fusion blasters that you can have lead the way into a Space Hulk.


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

So you think a tau boarding torpedo would work?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

neferhet said:


> Actually I said "Locustgate is right, nothing in the fluff bar that episode" So i was aknowledging you and i was agreeing on the battlesuit shit


You were talking about landing orcas then said that, there was no mention of suits, or suit like devices.



SonOfStan said:


> big ugly android armed with fusion blasters that you can have lead the way into a Space Hulk.


They already have those drone controlled battle suits. But then again you may mean something a little less big. It's just more cost affective to put something squishy inside them.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

I'm presuming that everything said so far is sarcasm due to the orange text?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Tawa said:


> I'm presuming that everything said so far is sarcasm due to the orange text?


Nope it was either this or this. These two colors are the colors that are the most likely to be recognized/seen. I like orange and yellow makes me need to pee and my eyes bleed.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Or there is this or this?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Tawa said:


> Or there is this or this?


Used it on other sites still got ignored.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

locustgate said:


> battle suit boarding was fly to ship then cut into the ship.


You where also refering to battle suits...anyhow i do not understand why do you think of being ignored. you got the right fluff piece and gave your opinion. Since that is the only fluff piece talking about tau boarding i think people are just giving opinions on how the tau board. That "orca boarding" is just one episode, who knows how they do that most of the time?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

neferhet said:


> why do you think of being ignored.


Because people post the exact same thing or asks a question that I answered 10 minutes later/before


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Would the basic troopers still wear the same gear if they for example were to board a space hulk?


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Words_of_Truth said:


> Would the basic troopers still wear the same gear if they for example were to board a space hulk?


Without an official GW stance (that I know of) I'd say yes, although for obvious reasons I think carbines would be preferential.
I'd like to imagine a - slightly - heavier kind of armour for the Fire Warriors though


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

So maybe respirators or something?


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

More than likely as the Tau seem to "think of everything" and place value on the lives of their troops.

Possibility of something like a boarding shield?


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

All depends if the hulk was pressurised I guess. I don't think those cloth fatigues they wear would be much good if it wasn't. The alternative is a variant of a stealth suit I suppose. It's smaller than a battle suit and it's stealth field would probably come in useful.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Words_of_Truth said:


> Would the basic troopers still wear the same gear if they for example were to board a space hulk?


In the dexes it said that the Tau armor is fully contained and can recycle air and has an inbuilt heating/cooling making it so the average Fire warrior does not need to change their armor.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Interesting that the dexes say the armour is self-contained, yet as Jac points out they are wearing what is essentially fatigues underneath it.

Hmm, any thoughts guys?


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Maybe it's like a plastic/spandex material rather than the normal common soldier fatigue material, so that it's air tight.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Tawa said:


> Interesting that the dexes say the armour is self-contained, yet as Jac points out they are wearing what is essentially fatigues underneath it.
> 
> Hmm, any thoughts guys?


Galvanized cloth or was it rubberized, either way not normal cloth.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

locustgate said:


> Galvanized cloth or was it rubberized, either way not normal cloth.


Rubberised material would make sense, perhaps just a change of fatigues under the armour depending on environment?


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Of course Fire Warriors need to change their suits! After meeting Gene Stealers, those suits are DIRTY!

You're assuming Fire Warrior armor is cloth, it's probably some Inobtanium suit thing, kinda like Aspect Armor. 

I'd think Tau would go about boarding with cutter drones doing the hard work. Something like a drone with an energy cutter.


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## Shas'Ui (Feb 28, 2013)

Creon said:


> I'd think Tau would go about boarding with cutter drones doing the hard work. Something like a drone with an energy cutter.



This, and giving them some explosives so no Tau has to actually be there for anything.


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## DeathKlokk (Jun 9, 2008)

Yeah, I don't see Tau boarding a damn thing.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Shas'Ui said:


> This, and giving them some explosives so no Tau has to actually be there for anything.


This is why I say the fire warriors need some heavy weapons. It makes no sense that they don't give their average soldiers some kind of AT weapon or give a drone an ion rifle.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Forge world has some heavier drones.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Creon said:


> Forge world has some heavier drones.


They only have burst cannons, not counting fighter drones.


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

So what do you think, if I'm going to have tau boarding a space hulk, what do you think the force should be formulated out of?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Words_of_Truth said:


> So what do you think, if I'm going to have tau boarding a space hulk, what do you think the force should be formulated out of?


Hq: Anything but ethereal
Elite: no riptide.....although it would be hilarious. If you say the hulks corridors are large then it should be fine. IF it's the 1st wave then battle suits.
Troops: Kroot mostly with fire warrior backup
Fast: No aircraft, duh, I would say pathfinders or drones.
Heavy: The only thing that would make sense is sniper drones unless you went with orca landing then broadside.


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm thinking of them cutting their way in and maybe using some sort of boarding torpedo.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

hq: Shadowsun; Elite: Stealth Team w/Fusion/Burst Mix; Troops: Fire Warriors (kroot don't have suits - And you don't wan them eating gene stealers); fa: Drones w Stealth Drone Controller, Vespids (Urban ruins is their thing); HS: Sniper Drones, Heavy Drone Squadrons. There is an argument that a BS suit might work in here, but since Space Hulks are rather constricted, they probably over-mass. Marines don't use Dread Suits on hulks, which is an equivalent. Same arbument Stealth Suits over Crisis. Size, and jets aren't going to help much with a low overhead.


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Marines do use Dreadnoughts for boarding as well as ship defence.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Words_of_Truth said:


> Marines do use Dreadnoughts for boarding as well as ship defence.


With a boarding torpedo? I'm just picturing a dreadnaught floating through space towards an enemy with the grace of a brick.:laugh:


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

I dunno, but in one of the Night Lords books a Blood Angel Dreadnought gets on board, think that may of been a torpedo as the defenders were shocked when it came roaring out.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Creon said:


> Of course Fire Warriors need to change their suits! After meeting Gene Stealers, those suits are DIRTY!


So are the Tau girls 



DeathKlokk said:


> Yeah, I don't see Tau boarding a damn thing.


"Ain't nobody got time for that!"



locustgate said:


> With a boarding torpedo? I'm just picturing a dreadnaught floating through space towards an enemy with the grace of a brick.:laugh:


I just had the image of a SM Captain on the bridge of his ship:

"Where is Brother Bob? Ensign, what are you staring at? Speak man!"

*Bob, drifting past the viewport, gives a cheery wave of his power fist*

"Dafuq....?"


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## Bearer.of.the.Word (Aug 11, 2013)

As far as list building I have to agree with most of the previous posts, but with perhaps a few slight tweaks.
HQ-Suit of fireblade
Elite- Stealth suits, combat suits (battle suits is kind of the idea here)
Troop- Blob kroot squads with dedicated fire warrior kill teams near by
Fast- Small Path Finder units with ion/rail weaponry (seek and destroy), Drones.
Heavy- I suppose mabye a few broadsides but all in all I'd say avoid heavy.

Fluff wise dont skint on the Elite, keep squad sizes small, and deal with problems as seek and destroy missions.


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## Shas'Ui (Feb 28, 2013)

They could shoot a Greater Knarloc out of a canon


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Shas'Ui said:


> They could shoot a Greater Knarloc out of a canon


Unless they've been eating dreadnaughts they are going to make a nice smear on the hull, I think that it(the smear) looks like a bunny high fiving a kitten.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

No bunnies in the Greater Good! It looks like a puppy! Really, get your optics checked!


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## High_Seraph (Aug 28, 2009)

No it's a duck billed platypuss eating a kitten!!


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## nevynxxx (Dec 27, 2011)

Pathfinders, lead by darkstrider, all with carbines, and some stealth suits. First wave would be gun/marker drones to just rip shit out of the corridors, then pathfinders to scurry along after.


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