Thursday, 2 May 2013
Tau Auxiliary
Planning to use these mixed in with Firewarriors using Firewarrior stats as PDF (Planetary Defense Force) recruits, I think this will reflect the bitter "Total War" nature of the fighting on Charybdis and will enhance the Guards sense of betrayal, of course the Imperial Guard will call them Traitors! Very simple conversion, more in the pipeline.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Recorded Broadcast From Charybdis
Faststrikes Broadcast
+++Intercepted Vox Broadcast:
+++ScriptTime : 11.334.998.M41
+++Origin Unknown ? Xeno :
+++Teanscript From the Vox Log of Charybdis University Radio.
"To the Citizens and Soldiers of Corbania Minoris and The Brave soldiers of the Corbanian First, most especially to you, Colonel Corbane, greetings. You are known to me, your ways are known to me and your weapons are known to me. They are inferior in every way save one, the brave fighting spirit of your men. Now however the time has come to lay down your arms and embrace the kindred spirit of my firewarriors, in short to join the expansion of the Tau Empire as honoured Gau'vesa soldiers, to forge a new, fresh and energetic force in the universe and with the equipment and training my Cadres will provide, you will write the next Glorious chapter in your history.
Anyone wise enough to accept this offer should simply stand, hands in the air when you encounter my forces, with three fingers raised on each hand, vehicles should power down, open hatches and crew should also raise three fingers on each hand in this universal "High three" you will then be warmly welcomed, fed, treated for any wounds and introduced to your new training mentors.
This is a logical evolution in your society, it is inevitable so resistance illogical, join us brothers!
Shas'O Faststrike
+++Intercepted Vox Broadcast:
+++ScriptTime : 11.334.998.M41
+++Origin Unknown ? Xeno :
+++Teanscript From the Vox Log of Charybdis University Radio.
"To the Citizens and Soldiers of Corbania Minoris and The Brave soldiers of the Corbanian First, most especially to you, Colonel Corbane, greetings. You are known to me, your ways are known to me and your weapons are known to me. They are inferior in every way save one, the brave fighting spirit of your men. Now however the time has come to lay down your arms and embrace the kindred spirit of my firewarriors, in short to join the expansion of the Tau Empire as honoured Gau'vesa soldiers, to forge a new, fresh and energetic force in the universe and with the equipment and training my Cadres will provide, you will write the next Glorious chapter in your history.
Anyone wise enough to accept this offer should simply stand, hands in the air when you encounter my forces, with three fingers raised on each hand, vehicles should power down, open hatches and crew should also raise three fingers on each hand in this universal "High three" you will then be warmly welcomed, fed, treated for any wounds and introduced to your new training mentors.
This is a logical evolution in your society, it is inevitable so resistance illogical, join us brothers!
Shas'O Faststrike
Faststrike Returns in Double engagement
An account from Tau sources of a double battle session, for the imperial "Truth" see
www.corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
A heavy engagement occured last night in a wooded valley south east of capital city on Charybdis.
Atmospheric flares lit the sky as Tau interceptors tried unsuccesfully to anhihilate the Guard units before they could land, one heavy lifter attracted much attention as scans showed it carried a Guard Super heavy tank, the lifter was damaged and crash landed but when Tau Ground forces moved in to secure the wreck they found the hold empty, heavy securing chains snapped and tracks almost 5ft wide and a foot deep heading towards a Guard rally point, the hunt was on!
Guard Elements and Tau forces rushed piecemeal to secure and kill the Super heavy respectively.
The steel behemoth made steady progress towards its lines brushing aside a hasty Tau blocking force and forging on towards a shallow valley that wound towards Guard lines, here Tau Forces managed to converge in force desperate to destroy a major strategic threat and aware that heavy Guard armour was moving in and time was short.
At this point Faststrike, missing for several hours reappeared in a new XV8 variant and took charge of the battle. Initially the super heavy Hellhammer pulverised several Tau suits before a Hammerhead joined the fray and the Hellhammer turned at bay in the valley to fight, at this point a new Riptide Pattern Heavy Battle suit arrived, the hellhammer was doomed, surrounded, cut off and alone it took repeated railgun hits, missile hits, and was finally stopped by a rear shot from a surviving XV8's Fusion blaster. This slowed its inexorable advance long enough for Faststrike to order the Riptide to power down its malfunctioning Nova Generator and go in to manually tear the Super Heavy appart, reluctantly the XV104 pilot obeyed, the Riptide leaping onto the front glacis plate and literally tearing the armour plates apart, this caused a chain reaction, the drive stalled and powered down and an ammunition cache detonated throwing the Riptide off but not damaging it, the super heavy was destroyed.
Here an unfortunate incident occured. The Fusion Blaster armed XV8 powered down and its pilot dismounted and entered the burning wreck to recover wounded guard tankers, he pulled three from the crew compartment at great personal risk and summoned a devilfish ambulance. He believed that in the spirit of the Tau'Va the guard where merely misguided and needed help to see the light of the greater good. Meanwhile Faststrike was conversing with the Ripitide pilot and sensor drones reported the approach of more Guard heavy armour, when he noticed the Devilfish Field Ambulance glide to the rear of the wreck he went over to see which of his firewarriors was injured.
When he saw the three guard wounded on litters receiving medical aid from Tau medtechs he immediately drew his pulse pistol and headshot all three in quick succession. This horrified the tau medical techs and the XV8 pilot........
Faststrike then withdrew to regroup and take command of the Tau invasion among nearby hills. leaving spy drones to monitor the situation he set up a command post. Quickly Guard mechanics arrived on the scene of the wreck and began working furiously to restart the Super heavy, an armoured company of 6 Leman Russ approached to screen the recovery.
Faststrike had miscalculated, he was out of position and too far out to intervene in time, distracted by the Guard wounded and his subsequent furious tirade he had not checked the super heavy was totally destroyed, it was merely stalled and heavily damaged.
A hasty assault was launched by Faststrike and all available Tau forces, he did not want to face the Hellhammer again especially if it was supported.
A fast and furious moving engagement followed, guard mechanics, under heavy fire, and aware of the litter borne dead tankers laid out at the rear of the Super Heavy worked desperately to appease the angry machine spirit of the apparently undamaged power plant.
Tau forces advanced unleashing heavy fire, A Hammerhead swapped shots with a vanquisher tank hunter, XV8's rushed forward and where cut down. The Riptide unleashed blasts from its Nova Charged Ion Accelerator and faststrike made a near suicidal charge up the right flank destroying a Leman Russ with a rear Radiator missile shot, but, the Tau assault was in vain.
The Hellhammer started up, and slowly, steadily withdrew, surviving Leman Russ tanks formed a three tank wide shield and unleashed furious cannon, heavy bolter and lascannon fire on the advancing riptide but it was barely slowed, despite chunks of armour spalling off and some electrics shorting the Riptide came through the barrage of heavy fire, damaged but intact, it raised the nova charged Ion accelerator for a last shot at the reversing Hellhammer.........
The Nova Generator charged, the valley filled with the subsonic whine of overheating capacitors...........
The riptide raised the ion accelerator, mud and sods of earth flew from the tracks of the reversing Hellhammer, ammo cooked off in the turrets of nearby burning Leman Russ tanks, the Riptide fired!
The supercharged burst of Ion particles flew accross the valley igniting grass and small shrubs as it passed.....
The shot went wide, blowing a deep crater in a hill at the head of the valley, faststrike roared in fury.......
When the smoke cleared the Hellhammer was gone and sensor reports showed a huge Guard task force less than a quarter mile from the valley, and a ranting Faststrike struck camp, fast........
www.corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
A heavy engagement occured last night in a wooded valley south east of capital city on Charybdis.
Atmospheric flares lit the sky as Tau interceptors tried unsuccesfully to anhihilate the Guard units before they could land, one heavy lifter attracted much attention as scans showed it carried a Guard Super heavy tank, the lifter was damaged and crash landed but when Tau Ground forces moved in to secure the wreck they found the hold empty, heavy securing chains snapped and tracks almost 5ft wide and a foot deep heading towards a Guard rally point, the hunt was on!
Guard Elements and Tau forces rushed piecemeal to secure and kill the Super heavy respectively.
The steel behemoth made steady progress towards its lines brushing aside a hasty Tau blocking force and forging on towards a shallow valley that wound towards Guard lines, here Tau Forces managed to converge in force desperate to destroy a major strategic threat and aware that heavy Guard armour was moving in and time was short.
At this point Faststrike, missing for several hours reappeared in a new XV8 variant and took charge of the battle. Initially the super heavy Hellhammer pulverised several Tau suits before a Hammerhead joined the fray and the Hellhammer turned at bay in the valley to fight, at this point a new Riptide Pattern Heavy Battle suit arrived, the hellhammer was doomed, surrounded, cut off and alone it took repeated railgun hits, missile hits, and was finally stopped by a rear shot from a surviving XV8's Fusion blaster. This slowed its inexorable advance long enough for Faststrike to order the Riptide to power down its malfunctioning Nova Generator and go in to manually tear the Super Heavy appart, reluctantly the XV104 pilot obeyed, the Riptide leaping onto the front glacis plate and literally tearing the armour plates apart, this caused a chain reaction, the drive stalled and powered down and an ammunition cache detonated throwing the Riptide off but not damaging it, the super heavy was destroyed.
Here an unfortunate incident occured. The Fusion Blaster armed XV8 powered down and its pilot dismounted and entered the burning wreck to recover wounded guard tankers, he pulled three from the crew compartment at great personal risk and summoned a devilfish ambulance. He believed that in the spirit of the Tau'Va the guard where merely misguided and needed help to see the light of the greater good. Meanwhile Faststrike was conversing with the Ripitide pilot and sensor drones reported the approach of more Guard heavy armour, when he noticed the Devilfish Field Ambulance glide to the rear of the wreck he went over to see which of his firewarriors was injured.
When he saw the three guard wounded on litters receiving medical aid from Tau medtechs he immediately drew his pulse pistol and headshot all three in quick succession. This horrified the tau medical techs and the XV8 pilot........
Faststrike then withdrew to regroup and take command of the Tau invasion among nearby hills. leaving spy drones to monitor the situation he set up a command post. Quickly Guard mechanics arrived on the scene of the wreck and began working furiously to restart the Super heavy, an armoured company of 6 Leman Russ approached to screen the recovery.
Faststrike had miscalculated, he was out of position and too far out to intervene in time, distracted by the Guard wounded and his subsequent furious tirade he had not checked the super heavy was totally destroyed, it was merely stalled and heavily damaged.
A hasty assault was launched by Faststrike and all available Tau forces, he did not want to face the Hellhammer again especially if it was supported.
A fast and furious moving engagement followed, guard mechanics, under heavy fire, and aware of the litter borne dead tankers laid out at the rear of the Super Heavy worked desperately to appease the angry machine spirit of the apparently undamaged power plant.
Tau forces advanced unleashing heavy fire, A Hammerhead swapped shots with a vanquisher tank hunter, XV8's rushed forward and where cut down. The Riptide unleashed blasts from its Nova Charged Ion Accelerator and faststrike made a near suicidal charge up the right flank destroying a Leman Russ with a rear Radiator missile shot, but, the Tau assault was in vain.
The Hellhammer started up, and slowly, steadily withdrew, surviving Leman Russ tanks formed a three tank wide shield and unleashed furious cannon, heavy bolter and lascannon fire on the advancing riptide but it was barely slowed, despite chunks of armour spalling off and some electrics shorting the Riptide came through the barrage of heavy fire, damaged but intact, it raised the nova charged Ion accelerator for a last shot at the reversing Hellhammer.........
The Nova Generator charged, the valley filled with the subsonic whine of overheating capacitors...........
The riptide raised the ion accelerator, mud and sods of earth flew from the tracks of the reversing Hellhammer, ammo cooked off in the turrets of nearby burning Leman Russ tanks, the Riptide fired!
The supercharged burst of Ion particles flew accross the valley igniting grass and small shrubs as it passed.....
The shot went wide, blowing a deep crater in a hill at the head of the valley, faststrike roared in fury.......
When the smoke cleared the Hellhammer was gone and sensor reports showed a huge Guard task force less than a quarter mile from the valley, and a ranting Faststrike struck camp, fast........
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Clearer imagery of first engagement
New images have been recovered from the drone wreck showing Faststrikes bodyguard in action, clearly visible are two blazing Chimeras..........
Faststrike remains missing in action.
Faststrike remains missing in action.
Combat report Scenario 1
Shas'O faststrike has been in combat last evening following reports of an Orca shoot down which was carrying his Ethereal mentor Faststrike immediately launched a punitive raid against Imperial Guard units involved in the shootdown.
A Recon drone supporting the raid was also shot down and only fragmentary data was retrieved but it is believed Shas'O Faststrike his bodyguards and a Hammerhead are missing in action, an ejection was detected from Faststrikes Suit and Pathfinder units are scouring the area. Only 2 drone images where recovered from the wrecked drone, the first shows Faststrike on the right of the image and the Hammerhead engaging with its railgun, the second shows a burning Guard Chimera and Faststrike and his team engaged in a heavy firefight.
Meanwhile Tau reinforcements continue to land on Charybdis and combat operations continue.
For the Greater Good.....
A Recon drone supporting the raid was also shot down and only fragmentary data was retrieved but it is believed Shas'O Faststrike his bodyguards and a Hammerhead are missing in action, an ejection was detected from Faststrikes Suit and Pathfinder units are scouring the area. Only 2 drone images where recovered from the wrecked drone, the first shows Faststrike on the right of the image and the Hammerhead engaging with its railgun, the second shows a burning Guard Chimera and Faststrike and his team engaged in a heavy firefight.
Meanwhile Tau reinforcements continue to land on Charybdis and combat operations continue.
For the Greater Good.....
Imperial Account of the same action here...corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Tau Hammerhead Gunship
Finished my Hammerhead, airbrushed camo is great, very pleased with this model.....
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Commander Faststrike
Faststrike is a Tau Shas'O commander. Tau are known for their experimental weapons and armour, less well known their experiments with genetics. Faststrike is the result of such an experiment, implanted with captured Adeptus Astartes gene seed material in the womb he is unaware he is a guinnie pig and has submited to a battery of repeated physical and psychological tests all his life, he has accepted this without question.
Faststrikes military career has been monumental as he pulled off repeated impossible tasks against the odds, he believes this led to him receiving an Ethereal mentor as he is the next star in the Tau military universe, he believes he is chosen, invincible. His Ethereal mentor thinks otherwise, set to observe Faststrike and monitor the effects of gene spliced material supposed to increase decisiveness and combat aggression his opinion is that faststrike has suffered a schizoid embolism and shows traits of Paranoia, Mania, impulsiveness and very untaulike aggression.
Faststrikes Hunter Cadre, fiercly loyal to their Warlord, is moved to the quiet moon of Corbania Minoris III to train. Faststrike is annoyed at being "Snubbed" while the upstart Shadowsun leads the Tau expansion. He gets to work and plans op "Starstrike" a hypothetical response to imperial aggression on Charybdis.
Sadly his Ethereal mentor pens a report to the Council of Ethereals concluding the genesplice is a failure and that Faststrike should be Euthenised for the greater good.
But.....
Reports reach Faststrike of an imperial invasion of Charybdis, he strikes, fast.
Imperial tankers, munitions freighters and transports are shot down in orbit and kill teams drop on the pre selected targets of op starstrike, the governors palace, the university, numerous PDF barracks and armouries in the capital. His mentor follows with his own kill team but his orca is hit by unknown imperial forces on final approach and goes down in the countryside outside the capital.
Faststrike is in the damaged governors palace, smoke hangs over the city, reports from his assets come in describing heavy fighting not the planned populist rising, and theres worse, his beloved mentor has been shot down on his way to support Faststrikes brilliant assault.....
He orders his Hunter Cadre to comence Op Starstrike phase 2, full scale landings, he orders them to exersise maximum prejudice against all resistive Guela on Charybdis, for Commander faststrike there is only war.......
For the imperial perspective check out...
http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
Faststrikes military career has been monumental as he pulled off repeated impossible tasks against the odds, he believes this led to him receiving an Ethereal mentor as he is the next star in the Tau military universe, he believes he is chosen, invincible. His Ethereal mentor thinks otherwise, set to observe Faststrike and monitor the effects of gene spliced material supposed to increase decisiveness and combat aggression his opinion is that faststrike has suffered a schizoid embolism and shows traits of Paranoia, Mania, impulsiveness and very untaulike aggression.
Faststrikes Hunter Cadre, fiercly loyal to their Warlord, is moved to the quiet moon of Corbania Minoris III to train. Faststrike is annoyed at being "Snubbed" while the upstart Shadowsun leads the Tau expansion. He gets to work and plans op "Starstrike" a hypothetical response to imperial aggression on Charybdis.
Sadly his Ethereal mentor pens a report to the Council of Ethereals concluding the genesplice is a failure and that Faststrike should be Euthenised for the greater good.
But.....
Reports reach Faststrike of an imperial invasion of Charybdis, he strikes, fast.
Imperial tankers, munitions freighters and transports are shot down in orbit and kill teams drop on the pre selected targets of op starstrike, the governors palace, the university, numerous PDF barracks and armouries in the capital. His mentor follows with his own kill team but his orca is hit by unknown imperial forces on final approach and goes down in the countryside outside the capital.
Faststrike is in the damaged governors palace, smoke hangs over the city, reports from his assets come in describing heavy fighting not the planned populist rising, and theres worse, his beloved mentor has been shot down on his way to support Faststrikes brilliant assault.....
He orders his Hunter Cadre to comence Op Starstrike phase 2, full scale landings, he orders them to exersise maximum prejudice against all resistive Guela on Charybdis, for Commander faststrike there is only war.......
For the imperial perspective check out...
http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
The Charybdis Campaign Background
There follows the background to a narrative Warhammer 40k campaign. The intention is for the campaign to involve 12 scenarios starting as skirmish and moving to full blown battles as my Tau army is painted, My enemy is none other than Colonel Corbane and the Corbanian first Imperial Guard, who will be duplicating this format with the Imperial perspective....
The setting for the campaign is Charadon Sector, nice n empty, bottom right of star map in 40k rulebook. The contested world is Corbania Minoris nicknamed "Charybdis" (a sea monster in greek mythology) not a water world but a world with large violent seas and several continents with lots of islands. Charybdis's 3rd moon has mineral deposits valued by the Tau and a "Sanctioned" Tau mining colony, as well as the secret Tau military enclave of Commander Faststrike, the moon has atmosphere but little life, its a dust ball.
First contact was orchestrated by a free trader who saw a survey of Charybdis's third moon and recognised a mineral his Tau trading contacts had asked him about, around 5 years ago he set up secret meetings between Charybdis's planetary governor which led to a Tau mining enclave secretly being established on the moon. Tau stealth technology was initially used to conceal teansports, but, as the profits spread and money flowed the circle of conspiritors grew and the Tau presence more obvious until 5 years later, un noticed by the administratum, Tau diplomats are based in Carybdis's capital, training cadres are working with and arming some PDF units, a Tau university has been set up and students sport Tau red dyed scalp locks and openly talk of leaving the imperium for the more enlightened Tau Empire, things are calm, money and tech flow as bribes and word of these herasies has not left Charybdis.
Word of a Guard deployment onto Charybdis to rest and refit reaches the governor, this causes concern especially when they arrive, not calmly but in a full scale invasion of Charybdis!
More to follow on the enigmatic Commander Faststrike.
For the Imperial perspective visit Col Corbanes blog at...
http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
The setting for the campaign is Charadon Sector, nice n empty, bottom right of star map in 40k rulebook. The contested world is Corbania Minoris nicknamed "Charybdis" (a sea monster in greek mythology) not a water world but a world with large violent seas and several continents with lots of islands. Charybdis's 3rd moon has mineral deposits valued by the Tau and a "Sanctioned" Tau mining colony, as well as the secret Tau military enclave of Commander Faststrike, the moon has atmosphere but little life, its a dust ball.
First contact was orchestrated by a free trader who saw a survey of Charybdis's third moon and recognised a mineral his Tau trading contacts had asked him about, around 5 years ago he set up secret meetings between Charybdis's planetary governor which led to a Tau mining enclave secretly being established on the moon. Tau stealth technology was initially used to conceal teansports, but, as the profits spread and money flowed the circle of conspiritors grew and the Tau presence more obvious until 5 years later, un noticed by the administratum, Tau diplomats are based in Carybdis's capital, training cadres are working with and arming some PDF units, a Tau university has been set up and students sport Tau red dyed scalp locks and openly talk of leaving the imperium for the more enlightened Tau Empire, things are calm, money and tech flow as bribes and word of these herasies has not left Charybdis.
Word of a Guard deployment onto Charybdis to rest and refit reaches the governor, this causes concern especially when they arrive, not calmly but in a full scale invasion of Charybdis!
More to follow on the enigmatic Commander Faststrike.
For the Imperial perspective visit Col Corbanes blog at...
http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk
First shots of Shas'O Faststrike
Finished my commanders model this weekend, Forgeworld cast with a Missile pod added, loadout is Twin linked Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Shield Generator and the rest to be confirmed when I get the new codex.
Friday, 5 April 2013
Painted Tau XV8's
Heres the first shot of Faststrikes forces, two XV8's and 2 gun drones. Gone for the classic colour scheme, not a huge fan of hardline highlighting but love the look on Tau, more soon.
Tau Army Building Blog
This is a new blog from an old gamer and blogger. I am a long time Tau and then Tau Empire player, I love the models and the fluff.
The purpose of the blog is threefold....
1) As an online HQ for my new Tau army for 40K, the Cadre of Commander Faststrike of the T'Lcroth L'gan Enclave where my tabletop alter ego Shas'O Faststrike will write in character after action reports.
2) To share my modelling techniques hints and pics of my developing Tau Army and to link to good Tau Empire blogs already on the net.
3) To record the ongoing progress of a new narrative campaign myself and Colonel Corbane are planning and hopefully to publish scenario and campaign ideas as they develop.
So thats all for now, more to follow "For the Greater Good".
The purpose of the blog is threefold....
1) As an online HQ for my new Tau army for 40K, the Cadre of Commander Faststrike of the T'Lcroth L'gan Enclave where my tabletop alter ego Shas'O Faststrike will write in character after action reports.
2) To share my modelling techniques hints and pics of my developing Tau Army and to link to good Tau Empire blogs already on the net.
3) To record the ongoing progress of a new narrative campaign myself and Colonel Corbane are planning and hopefully to publish scenario and campaign ideas as they develop.
So thats all for now, more to follow "For the Greater Good".
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