So I have just finished reading over the new Farsight Enclave supplement book, and I have to say that I am impressed by this. This book continues in the same format as the Iyanden supplement but manages to actually make improvements over Iyanden especially in the rules department. I hope this continues with each one of these supplements come out, as I'm sure there will be more.
The first 66 pages are dedicated to the History of Farsight and starts all the way back to his initiation in the Mont'yr academy as a youth, and that he had a mind that was quickly capable of adapting to change, and could remember just about anything. This sets the tone for how great of commander he will become.
It there breaks into a war with the Arachen (some bug like race) and explains Farsights initial time as a Firewarrior, and then moves into how he was promoted to pilot a broadside and then crisis suit before becoming a commander and studying under Puretide.
After that, the first contact is made with the Orks at Arkunasha and the trials that the Tau have fighting them and how they overcome the Ork menace.
Farsight is ordered to fight against the Imperium of man at Dal'yth in the Damocles Gulf Crusade during the second sphere advance and the re-conquest of the worlds lost after the Imperium left to fight off the Tyranids.
From here Farsight goes rogue and establishes the Farsight Enclave worlds on the coreward side of the Damocles Gulf, and then sets off to fight more against a larger Ork threat than the first time, and the years that it took to eradicate the Orks. During this time Farsight tracks the Orks down to the world of Arthas Moloch where he finds the Dawn Blade and uses it to defeat Daemons on the planet.
With the victory of the Daemons Farsight returns to the Enclave and is troubled by his new findings about the Immaterium. The Dawn Blade turns out to be vampiric like blade that sustains his life until the present time and a new battle starts against Hive Fleet Kraken.
The book goes into great detail of all these things, and really defined Farsight greatly, and brought some awesome fluff that I don't think has really been fleshed out before. This was a great read.
Rules:
Battlesuit Spearhead: XV8 Crisis Teams are troop choices instead of Elite, but you must atleast include 3 models (not including drones). This is great and what I think everyone was expecting.
Ork Hunters: Farsight Enclave unti have Preferred Enemy: Orks in close combat
Ta'lissera Bond: All units must take the bonding knife ritual if they can. This is isn't bad for taking battlesuits as it only adds a few points, but if you take Firewarriors it can add 6 to 12 points a unit.
Signature Systems: Any Character that can take Signature Systems in the Tau Codex must take from a new list in the Farsight Enclave book.
Farsight Commander Team: This replaces the normal Crisis Team bodyguards that Farsight has in the Tau Codex and replaces them with eight independent characters that can be taken as a bodyguard instead. This is pretty cool, but all of the are expensive in points and you probably will never field all of them in a normal game. This is an Apocalypse unit to use in its entirety.
Divergent Destiny: Your army cannot include Aun'Va or Shadowsun!
Allies: Codex: Tau may be used as Battle Brothers, everything else is the same as regular Tau.
Warlord Traits: There are six new warlord traits to roll for
The Way of the Short Blade: This gives your commander WS5 if he has a battlesuit. Re-roll if he doesn't have.
Echoes of the Grand Master: Gives your commander either Counter-Attack, Furious Charge, Monster Hunter, Stubborn, or Tank Hunter.
The Way of the Broken Sword: Opponent has -1 to reserve rolls.
The Fire Unquenchable: Warlord has Fearless, and all units within 6" have stubborn.
Counter Crisis: Crisis Teams have +1 to reserve rolls.
Through Surety, Destruction: One Use Only, Use at the beginning of your shooting phase, the Warlord and his unit have the Shred rule for the phase.
Signature Systems:
Mirrorcodex: +1 to seize the initiative
at the beginning of each of your turns roll a D6:
1-3 nothing
4 You have Preferred Enemy Space Marines
5 You have Preferred Enemy Space Marines and Impeiral Guard
6 You have Preferred Enemy Everyone
Seismic Fibrillator Node: This can make difficult terrain within 36" and its dangerous terrain instead if you roll a 2+ on a D6 roll.
Warscaper Drone: A drone purchased by a character may be upgraded to a warscaper drone. All models in that unit then have the Move through cover, outflank, and acute senses USR's. Also, and unit outside of its deployment zone treat difficult terrain as dangerous instead.
Fusion Blades: For a commander with twin-linked fusion blaster. Replace the fusion blaster with the following profile.
shooting 18" S8 AP1 Assualt 1, Melta, Twin Linked
assault _ S8 AP1 Melee, Armourbane, blind, Power Outage : roll a D6 after a melee combat if the fusion blade was used, on a 1 you cannot use the above profile for the rest of the game.
Earth Caste Pilot Array: Battlesuits only, May re-roll 1s in the shooting phase. may re-roll the dice for the nova reactor, but the units WS is 1.
Talisman of Arthas Moloch: 5+ inv save and units within 12" may roll 4D6 for deny the witch and pick the highest.
The last is new missions and stratagems in the book, but I won't go into them.
City Of Death: There are 7 new stratagems.
Planetstrike: There are 7 new stratagems.
Altar of War: There are 3 new missions.
Echoes of War: There are 4 new missions based off the fluff found earlier in the book.
Final thoughts: I think this book is a must buy for any serious Tau player. The extra fluff and great optional rules make this out to be a really great supplement.
