TAU IN SPACE-HULK! Rules here!

Author: crashman
The Tau stealth team crept through the derelict corridors slowly, as quiet as th
e grave. The warriors were aware that against the strange aliens that infested t
he gargantuan ship would not be fooled by theur camoflage fields. They were also
aware that Crisis suits would not fit within the narrow corridors and that this
great obstacle to the Tau'va had swallowed several fire teams whole. The Aun (E
therial) of the fleet himself had come to Shas'vre Kar'den personally to request
his team for the mission. The Aun knew that the stealth team would have the bes
t chances of finding the controls of the massive ship......
Tau Stealth Team:
5 Shas'ui team members and one Shas'vre (sargent), wearing XV-15 Stealthsuits an
d armed with Burst Cannon and Photon Grenades.
One Shas'ui may upgrade to a Flamer (with 1 reload).
The Shas'vre may upgrade to a Fusion Blaster (with 1 reload) and also may carry
a Markerlight (in addition to, not in place of).
Tau Rules: Each Tau has 5 AP per turn. Tau in stealthsuits move as per terminato
rs (no sidestepping, may move and fire for 1 AP, etc).
Tau generally recieve a +1 to their weapons fire rolls due to their advanced, hi
gh-quality equipment and superior training.
Tau are inept in Hand to Hand combat, and roll 1d6-2 (minimum of 1). The defende
r wins ties as normal. Tau may not Guard, but certainly may engage in Over-Watch
.
Tau Shas'vre are better armed and trained in close combat and roll 1d6. They may
also Parry and Guard.
Weapons:
Burst Cannon: not unlike a storm-bolter. Rolls 2d6, kills on a 5+ roll. Sustaine
d fire, over-watch (but DOES NOT JAM).
Tau Flamer: functions identically to the Imperial model, but with only 3 shots p
er fuel cannister.
Fusion Blaster: Rolls 2d6, kills on a 4+ roll. Can be used in over-watch (with U
nlimited Range) but does not recieve sustained fire bonuses (cannot rapid fire).
Has a 10 round magazine.
Photon Grenades: Creates an area of intense light and piercing sound, causing di
sorientation. The grenade persists in the target area for 1 round, blocking LOS.
Any model moving through the effected area must pay double AP. If an enemy is i
n the area when the grenade detonates, the enemy model may only be moved or acti
vated with CP (until the grenade burns out or the model leaves the area). Photon
grenades may be thrown up to 12 squares away. It costs 2 AP to prime and throw
a photon grenade.
Markerlight: A target designator, the Shas'vre may spend 2 AP and fire the Marke
rlight at an enemy target (Markerlights cannot be used on overwatch). The Shas'v
re's Markerlight rolls 2d6 and hits on a 5+. If the enemy is hit, all Tau (inclu
ding Drones) within LOS to the marked enemy model recieve a +1 to their weapons
rolls (this stacks withn their natural +1). Tau on over-watch do not gain this b
onus.
Drones
Tau Drones are the workhorse of their military. Drones are used in dangerous sit
uations, for reccon and for flanking maneuvers. Drones used inside a space hulk
have been heavily modified to create their own neural-network (the hulk itself p

revents control frequencies).

Drone Squad: 3 A+ Gun Drones armed with twin-linked Pulse Carbines and Photon Gr
enades.
Drone Rules:
Blip: Drones begin game play the same way that Genestealers do: as blips. Like G
enestealer blips, they are either voluntarily or force converted. Unlike Geneste
aler blips, the Tau player gets only three blips (a zero blip, a 1 blip and a 2
blip) for a total of 3 drones (the zero blip is an auditory echo to the Genestea
lers). Once converted, the appropriate number of drones are placed as per Genest
ealer blip conversion rules.
Artificial Intelligence: Drones are independant characters, and therefore cannot
use Command Points. Each Drone has 4 AP.
Close Combat: drones have no close combat capability. They are armored and posse
ss a force field; attacking them is like attacking a door. The attacker must rol
l a 6 on one die. If the drone survives, it may shoot back! (counts this as a fr
ee shot, over-watch style).
Hover: Drones do not block line of sight or firing of each other and may shoot p
ast one another.
A Drone can "fly" a square occupied by a miniature (Stealer or Tau), if the rema
ining action points let the model end its movement in an empty square.
Drones pay 1 AP for all movement and turning (90 degrees), door openeing, etc.
Weapons:
Pulse Carbines: roll 1d6+1, kills on a 6 roll. Sustained fire, overwatch, OVER-K
ILL.
Photon Grenade Launchers: as above for Tau.
OVER-KILL: if the Drone rolls a natural 6, it kills its target and may roll agai
n for any adjacent enemy target.
Deployment: Tau deploy in place of the standard Terminator squads as per mission
rules. Tau Drone blips are deployed directly in front of the Tau troopers.

I like it -- any one played it yet?

Tue Jun 8, 2010 1:13 pm
Author: Vespal
Well, we've played three games with these rules so far and find them to be extre
mely overbalanced for the Tau. We limited the rules for Tau to:
+1 to hit in shooting,
No jams,
5 AP
1D6-2 in melee for regular models and 1d6 + parry and guard for the Shas're,
and, Shas're gets a fusion blaster.
Even ignoring the rules here for flamers, markerlights, photon grenades, and dro
nes, it's still a cake walk for the Tau. The combination of kills of 5+ and no j
amming on overwatch make Tau squads unassailable. To wit, Of the three missions
we've played, Two were completed by the Tau with no losses, and one with only 30
% casualties. We'll try the next mission with rules as above but with jams that
can be cleared with unspent command points.