==To Kroot, or not to Kroot==
In response to a topic (and the fact that I have some spare time scheduled for doing bugger-all-else) I have decided to give my thoughts on Kroot.
Having played with a Kroot Mercenary army a while back, and having some success with it I will try to explain what Kroot are all about and where you might be going wrong with them.
So, as with everything I like to give a little background on things first. If you hate that part of my tactica then firstly, I'm not changing it… so don't ask
and secondly, you can just skip to the next paragraph if you really can't stand it (but I like it
)
Kroot are an avian species that was one of the first "aliens" to be tentatively accepted into the Tau. Kroot have little real enthusiasm for joining the Tau for the Greater Good alone. They are mercenary, willing to fight for whoever pays them. The ‘currency' that Kroot will accept is hard for any other being save an Ork, to understand. They want to fight, or more precisely they want to eat. Kroot have a curious adaptation that allows them to subconsciously, and with the proper ingested DNA, alter the genetic make-up of their gametes. Their offspring can rapidly evolve into a myriad of forms. A Shaper controls the evolution of their pack by directing his Kroot to eat of a certain alien species; an Ork for strength and toughness, an Eldar for speed and intelligence, and so on. This leads to them having some pretty nifty special rules in the mercenaries list, but for the normal Tau army they are standard, unspecialised Kroot.
Your standard Kroot is very cheap, a ten-man squad only weighs in at 70pts (and you can go all out and have 19, one Shaper, 12 Kroot Hounds and 3 Krootox Riders. I wouldn't personally, but if you love Kroot more than I do…) Kroot have no armour save unless you want to fork out an extra point for each man and have a Shaper in the squad which starts to make the whole squad cost too much for my liking; for only a 6+ armour save I'd rather have more bodies (though against a flash light of doom it's
statistically better to upgrade, anything else just negates armour… so I don't bother.) To make up for this woeful lack of an armour save the humble Kroot is statistically one of the best fighters you will encounter. a Basic Kroot has two attacks in close combat, a decent gun with a standard ballistic skill, a reasonable weapon skill and Ultra-Smurf strength. The downsides are their middling leadership, toughness and initiative (and don't forget, no armour save)
So, how do you maximise the strengths and minimise the weaknesses I hear you cry?
To start with, I have seen, played against and played with my own Kroot on many occasions (Tau was popular at my gaming club) and I've seen the best… and the worst they have to offer a commander. The most frequent mistake that I see any rookie make is to put them in the open. This is the wrong thing to do. Without a save you are dooming them to an early grave. They need cover, heavy cover for city fights and jungle/trees for less urban engagements. By putting them in a forest you instantly give them a save (and then add a further +1 to it due to fieldcraft) meaning that your Kroot are now as durable, if not more so than any Fire Warrior. Not only that but you can sit them in that jungle all you like; they have no movement penalty and are not restricted to 6 inches in, like most other troops, they can fire their weapons from within 12 inches of jungle. If a jungle is not available then still keep them in cover as it makes up for another of their shortcomings; initiative. With only a guardsman's initiative in CC a Kroot must bare the brunt of attacks made by Smurfs and Eldar before being able to strike. Cover makes them initiative 10, and as frag-grenades are often overlooked in order to get that extra man in a tactical squad you'll be laughing as your
I 10 Kroot butcher those foolish enough to charge you.
Now, as you are sitting around in cover, maybe slowly (or not so slowly if you're in a forest) sneaking up on the enemy, don't forget that each of your Kroot has a sizeable ranged weapon in his taloned hands. Think of the Kroot rifle as a bolter and you're not far off in terms of killing power (the AP is slightly higher, but never mind) if you're expecting a charge against you then sit tight and rapid fire. I guarantee that you'll see at least one enemy fall if not most of the squad.
Many people use Kroot as a counter-charge unit, hiding them behind your Tau until the last second. The problem with that is your Kroot aren't really that good on the charge. Sure they've got an extra attack, but with a low initiative and no save or high toughness to let them stick it out in CC they'll be dropping fast. If you take my advice to heart then you'll be putting Kroot forward of your front line in cover of whatever sort is available and using them, at that point, as one of the most formidable speed bumps that I have fought with/against.
Lastly, as long as you're playing above alpha level engagements you can infiltrate your Kroot anywhere you like and have them sit there, a nasty thorn in your enemy's side, picking off weak squads. A Kroot pack in a jungle is almost impossible to uproot without heavy casualties or a flamer…
Seriously though, be careful of flamers taking away that hard earned cover save and just flaming your Kroot into KFK (Kentucky Fried Kroot)