THE PEOPLE OF THE DUNES - Tuaregs in RTF
In the Unit Focus series I take a look at the different units that
make up the Ramah Taskforce, and try to answer why, not if, you should
include them in your lists.
Becoming Part of the Desert
The stats on the Murabid Tuareg pretty closely mirror those of the standard Ghulams, with two key distinctions. The first is the high PH of 12, which makes the Tuareg surprisingly good at Dodging, and also allows them to risk Infiltrating on the opponent's side of the board with a 45% chance of success. The other key stat of theirs, is the amazing WIP of 15 which makes these Skirmishers truly spectacular when employed as Specialists!
The Tuareg's skillset is completed by abilities that allow for swift and silent movement around the table. Terrain (Total) allows the Badawi to take advantage of any Special Terrain that your table might have, while Stealth means that enemies lacking the Sixth Sense skill can't dodge around even when the Tuareg moves in their Zone of Control, as long as no Line of Fire is gained. All in all these tagelmust wearing fighters have the abilities that you would associate with the "TO Camo models" of old!
Water Recyclers, Flexible Boots, and Other Dune Gear
The Murabids Tuareg have broadly speaking two types of profiles available to them. On one hand, you have dedicated Skirmishers, while on the other you have profiles that are also extremely capable Specialists. A weapon that all the different options have in common is the Shock Mines. These deadly deployables are at the worst of times speed bumbs that your opponent has to deal with or avoid, and at the best of times they wipe precious opposing models off the board for little risk to the Tuareg! The Mines give this Skirmisher always something to - if you've accomplished the current turn's goals, or the enemy has you pinned, place a few Mines to make a nuisance out of yourself! If your stoic Badawi is facing impossible odds and their fate is all but sealed, it's often good an idea to place one last Mine in ARO as a fairwell present to the Opponent!
Rifle, Light Shotgun, Shock Mines, Minelayer; 30pts/0,5SWC
Unfortunately the FAQ 1.2 mandated requirement to measure the Zone of Control of the Minelaying model effectively reveals the location of your Tuareg should you elect to use the skill, which almost leaves this profile dead in the water. If you really, really want a midfield Mine from the very start of the game, this is the profile you have to employ, though in practise this will mean that either your Opponent will be aware of your Skirmisher's position despite even Hidden Deployment, or you have to start the game out of in Camouflage. There's of cource always to possibility of starting the game without placing the Shock Mine, but why did you pick this profile to begin with then?
Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines; 30pts
For a mere 0,5SWC less than the profile above, you lose Minelayer and trade the versatile Rifle + Light Shotgun for the more powerful, yet more restricted Boarding Shotgun. If you're really dead set on storming enemy positions at close range, consider this option, but I personally feel that RTF has better choices in the job at this point bracket.
Sniper Rifle, Shock Mimes; 29pts/0,5SWC
Rifle, Light Shotgun, Shock Mines, Hacking Device; 34pts/0,5SWC
Rifle, Light Shotgun, Shock Mines, Medikit, Doctor (+3); 33pts
The Desert is an Unforgiving Place
Having an extremely capable Specialist and a dangerous fighter in Hidden Deployment doesn't come without a cost. As long as you're keeping your precious Tuareg Hidden, you're having to manage the battle without an expensive model at your disposal. This also means that for each turn your elite Skirmisher isn't partaking in the fighting, you're effectively bleeding an Order. I've had plenty of games where the Tuareg has remained Hidden until my very last turn, before promptly assassinating a key enemy piece holding the Objective, and securing it in turn to win me the game. The downside in a situation like this is that if the rest of the strike team can't hold off the enemy effectively, your Opponent will be able to defend their gains too strongly for even the stealthy Badawi to get through!
A crafty opponent can also anticipate where your Tuareg is hiding and set up Mines or AROs (watch out for Discovers from models with either Multispectral Visors or Sensors!) to block your advance. Sometimes it's worth placing your deadly scout in the second, or even the third best position just to throw your Opponent off their scent. This also offers up a whole world of mind game possibilities, where you can make your opposing number worry about a potential Tuareg or Nahab ambushing them at every turn, being as they are pretty much worth the same amount of points.
Remember that these desert ghosts are very fragile, should they get hit. Mimetism and high Willpower, in addition to being able to usually pick their engagements, means the Tuareg should be well positioned to win most of their face to face rolls. Then again, should luck abandon you or the Opponent catch the Badawi out of position, ARM 1 and BTS 0 will quickly see them fall to the enemy. Alas, being a Skirmisher in Infinity is a deadly prospect to begin with...
I Was Never Here
If you're looking to smash your opponent with a decive hammer blow, or run them through with a savage spear thrust, there are other units in RTF for that. But if you're looking to execute a surgical dagger strike at excactly where it will hurt the most, the Murabids Tuareg are the models for you!
Until the next time - I wish you the very best in leading the Swift and Deadly Spear of the Haqqislamite Army to Victory!
The Veteran's Word
- *The Huntress. I've recently has some good success with the Tuareg Sniper. I'm more and more coming to the conclusion that she isn't so much a reactive turn killer, as she is an active turn hunter, and a pressuring piece. As stated in the article, revealing the Tuareg Sniper to shoot at a enemy on your Opponent's turn often leads to the loss of the Badawi, regardless of whether they down their target or not. As such, if you do decide to spring your ambush as an ARO, make sure the target is of such high value that such an attack is truly warranted, and that the resulting loss of your Skirmisher is something you're willing to live with. If (or preferably, when) you can conserve your Huntress for the active turn, things get a whole lot more fun. Leveraging Mimetism (-6), cover, potential Surprise Attack and range advantage, the Tuareg Sniper should be able to move about the periphery of the battlefield unmolested, and bully targets ill equipped to deal with her from half a board away. This can lead to spectacular kill counts, though there is a rather high a chance that even against a more or less helpless enemy, the engagement will turn out indecisive - you're "only" firing with Burst 2 and BS 11 afterall! The Tuareg can even reposition to find new target should that be advantageous to you, but don't get carried away spending too many Orders going after targets that could be dealt with more efficiently by other pieces! It's often a good idea to re-enter Camouflaged State towards the end of your turn. If there are no obvious MSV pieces or Pure Fireteams about to stare you down, it's rather hard for your opponent to Discover your Sniper at long ranges on the Opponent's turn, and the knowledge that such the Tuareg is watching your Opponent's every move should make them rather nervous... Just consider very carefully whether to return fire or trust in your Mimetic abilities when the Discovers start coming in! You should try and arrange some medical support near your Tuareg if discreetly possible (for the event that she goes down, but doesn't get outright killed), but if such a thing is not possible without giving away her position, then your Huntress just has to go at it alone...
- Now You See Me, and Now You're Dead! The Tuaregs can often force really dangerous ARO declarations on their enemies when they are able to attack lone targets. Sometimes the enemy model has no choice but to Discover you to prevent a Light Shotgun and/or a Hacker from making their way to the middle of their strike team, and this will give you the chance to take unopposed shots at them! In one memorable game my lone Tuareg approached a Military Order Crosier Fireteam Core and I was able to close in on them from a direction that only the Multispectral Visor L2 Black Friar with Heavy Rocket Launcher could see me from. This piece was a major hurdle in my plans, but my Opponent had no choice but to Discover the Tuareg in order to keep it from closing the gap, and an unopposed Rifle salvo later the enemy Fireteam was without it's most important member! You can also try to trick your Opponent into thinking that your Tuareg Sniper is actually a Hacker, and as they throw a long range Discover at you "because the Hacker only has a Rifle", you can thank them with a couple of high caliber Shock rounds!
- Missile or Shotgun, Your Call Buddy. If you can engage a lone enemy target with your non-Camouflaged Tuareg Hacker while within 8'' of them, you get to ask them a tough question: will the they Reset (or Hack) against you and get double Direct Templated for their trouble by the Shotgun, or will they Dodge and face an unopposed Spotlight followed by a Guided Missile strike (from the Shaytaniyah you surely brought along)! If the poor enemy chooses to Shoot you, well now you get to pick whichever type of attack you want! This tactic does endanger the Tuareg, but you should be able to leverage Mimetism (-6), Cover and potential Doctor support to lessen the risk!
27/4/2021 Edit. Corrected spelling mistakes, added linkst to the text and wrote The Veteran's Word about The Huntress.
6/6/2021 Edit. Added the picture to the Veteran's Word.
2/3/2022 Edit. Added The Veteran's Words Now You See Me, and Now You're Dead and Missile or Shotgun, Your Call Buddy.
10/4/2022 Edit. Updated the arcticle to post Fireteam Update era.
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