Disclaimer: I've searched, and haven't found much on this wonderful little vehicle, and what little I have found seems focused on comparing it to the standard Piranha. While it's an obvious comparison to make, I'd like to compare it to a slightly different unit: the XV8 battlesuits.

Disclaimer #2: all of this is said in the context of a heavily mechanized army. If you use a lot of static gunlines and few vehicles, you may give very different weights to the various strengths and weaknesses.

What it is:

Simply put, it is Forgeworld's gift to vehicle lovers. The TX-42 trades the standard Piranha's questionably useful gun drones for a twin-linked mount for the primary weapon, and then allows it to carry the most popular XV8 weapons: twin-linked fusion blasters, plasma rifles, missile pods, or rail rifles, along with a targeting array as standard equipment. And just to be even more generous, it comes with an extra point of side armor.


Why should I care?

Consider popular XV8 setups, such as the classic twin-linked missile pods. Without the generous access to the hardwired wargear of the HQ squads, your elite XV8s are going to often end up with a setup extremely similar to what the TX-42 is carrying. However, I feel that the TX-42 offers some very appealing advantages over those XV8s:


1) Complete invulnerability to low-strength weapons. There is no spamming masses of STR 4 fire at a TX-42. While it is quite effective to use mass fire to force a MEQ target to make (and hopefully fail) as many saves as possible, those STR 4 weapons can't even bother rolling dice against a TX-42 unless they manage to get behind it. Even STR 5 weapons can only glance (and only on a 6), which means just by making that swap you have turned a substantial part of your opponent's army into brightly colored paperweights. You can imagine what an advantage you would have if you were able to play the game with 300 more points than your opponent, and here is a way to finally do it.


2) More targets than your opponent's anti-tank units can kill. Because of the first point, your opponent now requires anti-tank units to kill off your pseudo-XV8s, units they have a very limited supply of. Every shot directed at your TX-42s is one less shot directed at your Hammerheads. Or, if your opponent chooses to focus on the big guns, you have a rather powerful unit free to operate completely unhindered.


3) Access to some of the best defensive upgrades in the game. Anyone who has ever played Tau knows just how effective a disruption pod is, and TX-42s can take them. Likewise for flechette dischargers, AKA "where did all those orks go"? So not do you get to completely ignore large amounts of incoming fire, but even the units that can kill you are going to have to work extremely hard to do so.


4) Assaults do not prevent shooting. This is a huge weakness for XV8s (and XV88s, of course), simply by getting a unit into assault, your opponent has removed your unit from the game, even if the pretty little paperweight is still sitting on the board. Even though the armor saves and shield drones on an XV8 are pretty good, you aren't going to be killing anything, so the assault is going to continue to tie up that very important unit until it's too late to make a difference. The TX-42, on the other hand, being a vehicle, does not suffer from this problem. Not only will the flechettes (if you take them) do horrifying damage to assaulting mobs, but your survivors can simply move away and continue to shoot next turn.


5) Fast skimmer movement. While it's arguable that JSJ is sometimes more effective, there are definitely cases where the ability to move 12" before shooting is a big help (such as when using fusion blasters). And as an added bonus, you get the ability to move flat out for those last-second objective contests.


6) Seeker missiles. You know how it's a nice trick to use fast-moving Piranhas to put seeker missiles into rear armor? Well, it works just as well with the upgraded version.


7) It's a fast attack unit. Tau fast attack slots have a lot less competition compared to the valuable elite slots, so by moving some of your MPs/plasma/fusion into the fast attack slots, you leave more room for some of the alternative XV8s (such as flamer deepstrike units). However, note that by doing so, you are giving up a lot of the advantages in the first two points, by breaking the vehicle-only theme, you give all those bored infantry something to shoot at. Don't expect those elites to last very long when they're the only thing on the board that half your opponent's army can roll dice against.


8) It's not a silly anime giant robot. Enough said.



But what's the drawback?


Unfortunately, there are a few, but they aren't necessarily fatal ones:


1) It's a non-codex unit. This puts it in that awkward gray area of legality, and means you will rarely be able to use it in formal tournaments. On the other hand, for non-tournament games, well, if your opponent refuses to play you because you just because you're using a book other than the standard codex (but still official GW material), that's some spectacularly bad sportsmanship. How much you suffer from this drawback depends entirely on your prefered gaming style.


2) It's expensive. You're going to be paying roughly 50% more than a similarly-equipped XV8, and there's no avoiding it. However, IMO, there's a good argument that you get what you pay for, and those extra points are worth it. For example, point #4 above seems to be pretty good justification, if your TX-42s get to shoot 50% more times thanks to not being tied up in assault, then you've already made your points back. But in the end, this is going to be a very subjective comparison, we all value different units more or less, so I can't make that decision for you.


3) No JSJ. This is the price of getting fast skimmer movement, you lose that nice 6" assault move. However, note that disruption pods can do a lot to make up for this loss. The main use of JSJ is to get behind cover, and while disruption pods can't break line of sight or get you out of range of return fire, they do give you the 4+ cover save that JSJ will frequently be used to get.


4) No gun drones. Whether you consider this a major drawback, or something to be thankful for, depends on how you use the "free" gun drones on the standard Piranha. Of course it's not like XV8s come with free gun drones either, so if you're using them as XV8 replacements as I proposed, this really doesn't apply, but I suppose I should mention it for the fans of our KP-wasting frisbees.


5) Large footprint. Piranhas are a fairly large model, and you're potentially bringing a lot of them. Of course this is a very situational drawback (or possibly even a benefit), the severity of it depends greatly on your usual tactics and the exact terrain setup you're playing on. If you play on terrain-heavy tables, it might be crippling, if your idea of "terrain-heavy" is two small trees instead of one, probably not so much.


6) No deepstrike ability. On the other hand, with a 24" move, you can probably reach those vulnerable back areas at the same time your deepstriking XV8s could, and without the mishap risk. Just don't get shot on the way in.






So, opinions from the experts? Is it crazy to leave the XV8s at home? Or is battlesuit-less (well, aside from your HQ) Tau a potentially effective strategy?

You forgot one of the best reasons to take a TX-42 instead of a Crisis Suit. Namely, our Fast Attack slots are rarely filled, and our Elites slots are almost always filled (at least, in larger point games). Taking Deathrain/Burning Eye equivalents in your Fast Attack Slots frees your Elite section up for generalists such as Firestorms, which can't be taken through in TX-42 form.

*Note, the following paragraph is based on the assumption that the squad size requirements and limits for the TX-42 are identical to those displayed in the Tau Codex. I have yet to verify that this is true, so if you discover it to be to the contrary, please speak up.

In addition, TX-42's allow for more Deathrains/burning eyes to be taken in a squad, do to their max unit size being 5 opposed to 3. This means that not only are your individual piranhas more durable than the average crisis suit, but their are more bodies to boot.
Lastly, the TX-42 gives us something that our Codex Desperately needs. A viable way to field Rail Rifles. In large, Pathfinders are to flimsy, while SDT's take up a valuable heavy support choice. It's worth noting that with the addition of the TX-42, we can (potentially) field an all-fast-skimmer army in apocalypse, that is well rounded weapon wise (Fusion Cannons, Plasma Rifles, Missile Pods, and Rail Rifles being available on the TX-42, and pulse weaponry provided by ordinary piranhas). Effective, maybe not, but it would be very entertaining to play as or against.

Just my thoughts.

The Piranha's footprint is MUCH larger than that of a Crisis suit. Like, probably at least 350% which makes a big difference.
This Piranha can't deepstrike, and it doesn't have acute senses.

That being said, this article did indeed get the wheels in my head turning. 5 TL MP or 5 TL PR is nothing to scoff at. I might have to pick up some '42s.

True it is harder to hide a piranha, but then again it is more robust with the disruption pod. Consider that bigger footprints let you block or channel footsloggers and it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I'm a big fan of Piranhas, and use them regularly. But the thing is, I barely ever shoot with them! And when I do shoot, it's just... 'cause. yknow? I don't rely on Piranhas to do anything, and I think they're cheap enough to just use to annoy. But the TX-42's, I have a couple of things against.

They don't have drones
Why would you want to take away the drones??
Drone pairs are great in 5th ed. Speed bumps, cover saves, contesting objectives. "But they give up a kill point!" you say? Ohwell. Just don't let them die.
Annihilation only comes up 1/3 of the time. I find KP games silly anyway, how can you compare a gun drone pair to a Monolith? Bring back VP's!

XV8's do the shooting part much better. Sure you can use the TX-42's as Deathrains. But that seems like a huge waste of points.
Using them like a shooty Piranha is a better idea- it's what they were made for. Get them up close and harassing. The thing is though, I don't think Piranhas need to be shooty.
It's kinda like Land Speeders. If Marine players rely on them for their Assault Cannons and Multi-Meltas, they're going to be disappointed. They still die. The TX-42 still has a low AV, and because they cost quite a bit you lose out on stronger AV vehicles. Even though they are almost immune to S4, any autocannons or plasma guns are going to down them pretty easily. If you keep them far away from the enemy so you can get the 4+ DP save, you're not utilizing the strengths of the Piranha- the harassy-ness. It's just not very point effective.

Lastly, using large squadrons of them to get a lot of shooting power causes a whole lot of problems. 4-5 of them is going to take up quite a lot of the board. This is going to result in lots of cover saves for the enemy, as the TX-42's will have to be fired through. Sure you get the cover save too, but why not just shoot the Piranhas? Such large squads means that you'll have to be good at knowing ranges, there are going to be times where 1 or 2 of them are out of range. Not really a problem with Missile Pods, but I'm just saying.

Give them the Scouts USR and I'll use them but as it stands they don't seem to offer enough for their points. I think it's a cool idea, but I find that in 40K low AV 'shooty' vehicle squadrons (Sentinels, Land Speeder.. Typhoons? etc) are pretty weak. And they don't have gun drones! I can't emphasise that enough

To be honest I never liked the KP system, it rewards...well..MeQ armies with few actual units but are quality, robust units.

While the TX-42 does have the interesting ability to substitute for XV8's, I think that their primary utility is being overlooked.
The question of cost should not be in a comparison between the TX-42 and the XV-8, but rather in a comparison between the fusion TX-42 and the regular fusion piranha. For an extra 5 points (since a regular piranha with a fusion blaster costs 65), you trade out the drones, which are not all that useful if you plan to use your piranha for tank hunting, for an increase in side armour, a higher Bs and a twin linked shot. The fusion TX-42 are pretty much the best fusion deliver system and heavy tank hunters we have, with the only serious comparison being Broadsides. Put a couple of seekers on one, turbo boost along the flanks while launching seekers at the side armour of transports, and the leap in for the kill with the fusion against the big guns. If you are only planning on using it to hunt light vehicles, the free trade for TL-MP's is a fine choice and is very accurate, and it will allow the vehicle to stay at a distance and remain protected by the DP, but for this role I think that Crisis are generally more cost efficient. However, I think that the TX-42 truly shines in fusion delivery. Accurate, relatively inexpensive, versatile, durable and fast. Crisis, with their 6 inch movement, just can't compare to piranha's for fusion delivery as it is very difficult to get within 6" for the extra d6 armour pen, but with the turboboost and 12" movement, piranha's can get right in there.
Since most FW units are seriously overcosted (see the Knarloc riders if you don't believe me), this one is a gem and should be treasured.

TX 42s can only be taken in squadrons of 1-3 not 1-5 like the Piranha. The missile pod variation is pure gold though.
I sadly play at a store without much support for non codex material.

Thanks for the comments. Some of the benefits/drawbacks you have suggested will be going in the first post, so I'll limit this reply to a few specific comments.




It's 1-5. Imperial Armour: Apocalypse, page 80: "1-5 Piranha TX-42s are a fast attack choice for a Tau army." Or has a more recent book been printed to change this?


(It used to be 1-3 in the experimental rules, but the official printed rules have since been released and changed the squad size as well as the point cost.)


--------------------------------




You may lose out on higher AV in smaller games, but at some point the FOC limits of 3x railheads prevent you from taking any more. This where point #2 comes in, you bring 3x railheads, a couple devilfish, and a TX-42 squadron or two, and your opponent is going to have a hard time killing all of them. Every shot fired at the small stuff is one less shot going for the bigger guns.

Compare this to XV8s: with XV8s as your MP/fusion/plasma carriers, your opponent can simply spam them to death with their basic troops, and focus all of their high-strength guns on the tanks. The result is your board gets cleared MUCH faster.




Two things:

1) 3 of the 4 weapon options have ranges well above 12". Only fusion requires you to get in that close, the other three can be used from a safe distance.


2) If the target is dead they can't shoot back. 5x twin-linked BS 4 plasma rifles in rapid fire range will massacre MEQ/TEQ. While one or two might survive if the squad is big enough, the survivors are much less of a threat than the rest of the army, and you're still outside 12" against all of their other units.




The thing to remember is that this is NOT a Piranha, even though the hull looks similar. This is a very different unit, and requires very different tactics to use effectively.




---------------------------------



And for those of you who think fusion is the only answer, consider what 5x TX-42s will do to a MEQ/TEQ squad in rapid fire range:


10x shots, BS 4, twin-linked: average 8.8 hits.

Wounds on a 2+: average 7.5 wounds = 7.5 dead MEQ/TEQ.


At 40 pts per terminator, compared to 435 for 5x TX-42 with the full upgrade package, you've almost made back your points in one round of shooting and turned one of your opponent's best units into a bloody mess in the process. If they live to see a second round of shooting, they should easily kill enough to match their expensive points cost.



Sure, fusion is good (especially when you have 5x TL shots of it), but the comparison to XV8s is appropriate in more than one way. Think of them as the same kind of versatile unit, you have access to most of the same weapons, so bring the right tool for the job.

I guess I could replace my normal piranhas with these but I disagree about slot use. My fast attack is filled up before my elites. Pathfinders, tetras and a piranha squadron, maybe I am the only Tau player that wishes we had more FA slots.

You make a good point about the use of plasma, as with a 12" move they have a much better chance of safely getting into rapid fire range than crisis suits, but they are a darn expensive way to get those shots.



In terms of the role of piranha's for fusion delivery, which is a common way to use them on the field, I would say that this is not a different vehicle, but rather a Piranha ++! I am not saying that the TX-42 doesn't have other roles, you make some good points and I will try the plasma TX-42 out when I get the chance, all I wanted to add to your summary that I thought was not emphasized enough is that as far as I see it the TX-42 is THE BEST form of fusion delivery that we have access to, and far supersedes the regular piranha in that role. What this means for me is that the regular codex piranha's role is much more specific to the use of burst cannons and drone delivery for light vehicle hunting and harrying.

A couple of points to clarify though:

Unfortunately, unless you are playing apocalypse, Kirwyn is correct that you can only use them in squads of 1-3. As far as I know Imperial Armour update 2006 is the most recent document that provides rules for regular 40k games, and on pg 28 it specifies that Piranha's are fielded in units of 1-3. Unless is it specifically says so somewhere, and I don't have the apoc books so I could be wrong, I was under the understanding that the rules in the apoc books are specific to apoalypse games and are not transferable to regular games of 40k. If someone knows of some more recent rules that contradict this interpretation please correct me, it would be awesome if we could field a unit of 5 TX-42's...

Also,

going by the IA 2006 book, the TX-42 is 70pts, and plasma are an additional 12 pts.
So without any additional upgrades, 5 plasma TX-42's are 410 pts. Adding on some DPods and maybe flechettes or seekers and these fish will get really expensive really fast. This isn't to say that they are not worth taking (though going by the IA 2006 rules we can only take up to 3), but it is just to point out that they are quite a significant expense. If the Apoc book gives different prices as well I don't know about those so I can't compare.

Thanks for your thoughts on this, You have made me think a little more broadly about a unit that I love.
Cheers!

nick

This is true. If you're taking fusion TX-42s, then yes, they end up being used as super-Piranhas, my point was more directed at the TX-42's ability to get XV8-style versatility, giving it way more options than a standard Piranha. Mostly in that the other poster's statement that it can't harass effectively like a standard Piranha is rather irrelevant, as the roles are incredibly different.


So to be clear: the fusion-armed TX-42 is an excellent choice when you need more anti-vehicle firepower.





You use the IA: Apocalypse book for two reasons:


1) The introduction to IA: Apocalypse explicitly states "in fact, this book now replaces the Imperial Armour Update 2006".


2) Note the wording on the unit size refers to a fast attack choice. If the book was apocalypse-only, this would make no sense, FOC slots are irrelevant in apocalypse games. The only reason to give a FOC slot is if the unit is intended to be used in games of normal 40k.


The obvious intent is that the IA: Apocalypse book contains many apocalypse units (therefore the name), but also updated rules for other forgeworld units which CAN be used in standard 40k games, simply because it would be silly to print a second book for them.




Oops. You are correct. I was using the points listed for a standard fusion-armed TX-42 and forgot to include the extra cost of the plasma rifles. But even if it's a bit more expensive, it's easy to see how even a rather expensive TX-42 unit can quickly kill more than its point cost.

Thanks for the clarification, as I don't own the apoc books I was unaware of this. I'll have to get my hands on one at some point and make sure that there is nothing else that I'm missing out on!

Cheers!

Another benefit TX-42's have over Crisis suits is the ability to, if necessary, move 24" in a single turn. Where this comes in handy, is not when attempting to get close to the enemy (unless, of course, you equip the TX-42 with close range weaponry), but rather, when your opponent has the means to get close range anti-tank weaponry into your lines on the first turn (Drop Pods, anyone?). In such a situation, a Crisis suit will only be able to fire upon the enemy in the hope of destroying them, perhaps with aid from other units, while the piranha allows you to either fire upon them or move out of range, which often renders the enemy's unit harmless.

I forgot to ask in my previous post- can we have a battle report? I'd like to see them in action.
Batreps always help prove your points.



The thing is though, just shooting with them isn't going to do well. You can't split the fire, and they're far too expensive to be used as a shooting unit! 5 Twinlinked Plasma Rifles will undeniably kill a lot, but will it be easy to get them all in range/LOS of the enemy? 5 TX-42's take up a lot of space, and with built up terrain there's going to be a lot in the way. Also, playing mech is going to mean there will be other vehicles in the way as well.

Small units are going to be the way to go with the TX-42's. But in larger games. That way, the large point cost doesn't matter too much, and there won't be enough space for suits. In games of 2000 and below I can always fit my Battlesuits in.

You've almost convinced me

I'll see what I can do, but it won't be any time soon. The time I have available for 40k is dedicated to modeling and painting right now, and my most convenient opponent is similarly busy.




This is of course going to depend greatly on your individual terrain layouts (a factor only you can judge). But I don't see it being too bad, the combination of a 12" move and good range on the weapons means you should be able to get shots. The worst-case scenario is trying for rapid fire with plasma rifles, if the terrain is too heavy, you might end up with only part of the squadron able to take two shots. But overall, you should probably be fine and still do plenty of damage. Even more so if you're using the other weapons, missile pods and rail rifles have such huge range that getting into range is no problem, and fusion is for tanks, which are easy to get in range of since they're such large models. Unless of course you really love your large terrain pieces and fill the table with them, but in those cases, I suspect you're going to have cover/LOS issues with ANY unit.

Also, remember that units in the same squadron do not block LOS or provide cover saves, so use this to your advantage in positioning them. If, for example, you put one TX-42 at the minimum legal distance from the target, you can put the second directly behind it and easily stay in range, while there is no cover save issue since both are in the same squadron.



As for the other vehicles in your army, I wouldn't worry too much about them. Your TX-42s are probably going to use their superior speed to slip around the flanks, while your Hammerheads sit in the back sniping things, and your Devilfish stay safely behind cover until it's time to go for the objectives. So in general, they're going to be shooting at their targets from different angles, minimizing the potential conflicts. And again, you are in full control of the position of your units, if you know you want to shoot your Hammerhead's railgun at unit A, then just leave a gap between your Piranhas so it has a clear shot. It might be a bigger model to account for in your movement plans, but you also have an extra 6" of movement available to work with compared to XV8s, and much more forgiving unit coherency.







In general, the larger model size is a factor, but I'd say it's less of a factor than with standard Piranhas thanks to the superior range of missile pods/plasma/rail rifles compared to burst cannons and gun drones. And unless you are playing cities of death games in all but name, it's a factor you can work around without much sacrifice.





Oh, I agree, multiple small units are better in just about every way, but this may cause you to run into FOC problems if you want to take any other units that use fast attack slots. For example, taking two units of 3x instead of one unit of 5x means that you aren't going to be able to take a second pathfinder team, or that gun drone squadron in addition to your pathfinders, or whatever.



But I disagree about limiting them to larger games only (assuming you mean larger in point values, not in table size). In fact, you'll probably see some of the biggest payoff in smaller games where your opponents have much less anti-tank firepower available (see advantages #1 and #2 in the first post). In larger games, everyone is going to be expecting large numbers of vehicles to kill, and will bring an appropriate amount of anti-tank units to do it. It's kind of like dropping a land raider into a 500 point game, most opponents aren't expecting to face AV 14 at that low a point level, so that single unit can have a decisive effect.

It's tricky to find articles and posts on the TX-42 because in common with most internet and forum search engines, the ATT search engine treats the - character as an operator indicating a term to be excluded from the search, and the terms TX and 42 are too short to search with alone.

I did some work investigating the thoughts gathered across ATT on the TX-42 since the vehicle first appeared because I like the look and feel of the TX-42 and was gearing up to using them in numbers under 4th Edition, but was concerned at how much more difficult it is to use "manoeuverability" as a form of defence in 5th Edition. I've included some links below to the articles that I found and the thread I started, which you might find worth a read.

TX-42 Tactica
TX-42 Opportunities
Has anyone had any experience with the Piranha TX-42?
TX-42 Your Thoughts
The TX-42 Piranha in 5th edition

As an aside, I actually found most of these threads by working through the search engine hunting for the terms "Rail Rifle" and various permutations of "twin-linked."

I have one batrep I used a lone TX-42 in (I am still painting the other two).

"What's that?" my opponent asked. He was playing Mech IG.

"A fast skimmer that's immune to anything but heavy weaponry and has twin-linked fusion blasters at BS4," crowed I.

It was dead on Turn 2

http://incunabulum.co.uk/blog/2009/08/19/slideshow-batrep-tau-vs-ig-engine-trouble/

Sholto

And that explains it, no wonder I couldn't find anything if I was searching for the rare one in a million post with "TX" but not "42"...


Thanks for your creative searching talents, the threads linked pretty much confirm what I thought, but it's nice to get more information and opinions.






Lessons learned: don't brag about your impressive new unit. Had you introduced it instead as "oh, I thought it looked cool, so I thought I might as well play a game with it before I give it a permanent home on my display shelf, here's the rules if you want to see them", you may have had a very different game. Also you may wish to emphasize its many flaws, such as the fact that you GIVE UP THE GUN DRONES!, since, after all, a Piranha without gun drones must surely be much worse than a Piranha that still has them.



On a more serious note, this kind of game is a scenario where the TX-42 really pays off. With few or no infantry units to shoot at, twin-linking the fusion guns is worth a lot more than a couple STR 5 shots. Once the remaining two are painted, you'll have a very nice tank hunter squadron.

As a scenario it is well worth a play. As for the TX42s, I wanted to be able to use them again! Next time I bring them out the other player will think, "oh, yes. I killed them easily last time."

I have magnetised the weapons, so I get to try the different loadouts and see how they play.

Sholto