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Kroot Carnivore Squad "Good Meat"
Much
Gristle is a wily old Shaper, guiding the carnivorous Kroot warriors
to devour only those meats that 'feel right' to his shamanistic
ways... which provides them with the new DNA they need to mutate
their next generation into more formidable forms. The Kroot are slow
shapeshifters, what they eat, over generations, they become.
Unfortunately,
since their kind joined the inclusive and multicultural Tau Empire
as citizens, the many social laws and customs they must endure have
severely limited access to new meats. Much Gristle often worries that
the Kroot are being made soft, domesticated, by the Tau. And, he is
pretty much correct.
Given
the chance to 'Serve The Common Good' by deploying to a frontier
world, Much Gristle and his carnivore squad felt glad at the hope of
finding new and exotic meat away from the disapproving eyes of the
Tau castes. Perhaps here, on the distant planet Vas'Quez 4,
tough, dangerous beasts could be devoured to improve the genetic
lineage of the Kroot people.
How
unfortunate that Vas'Quez apparently sports no native animal life,
only endless bush-strewn wastes of desert, and dense steaming jungles
with not even insect life to feed on. Why is Vas'Quez so barren? Much
Gristle does not care for cosmic mysteries. What he wants is meat.
Someone has been cheated, and he is pretty sure it is the Kroot.
If
he could signal a passing Kroot starship, he and his squad would
leave and become mercenaries. Unfortunately, there are no passing
starships out here.
But,
apparently, there are some secretive Eldar.
This
might not be so bad.
They
look.... tasty.
About
the Miniatures:
I
was fairly conservative with my Kroot, a decision I kind of regret.
There is so much that can be done with the mutable Kroot, and I have
since seen some astonishingly colorful and even heavily modified
Kroot online and in White Dwarf... Kroot all shades of the rainbow,
Kroot with wings, Kroot with weird legs or strange arms, or even
horns. My Kroot are fairly bland, swampy green, rather stock Kroot.
It fits the backstory fluff, but still...
I
made my Kroot Shaper 'Much Gristle' custom, however, not knowing
there even was an official model of a Shaper at the time. My custom
Shaper carries a second gun, a gifted Tau rifle across his back, and
wears a skin cape with bloody bones in it. He also carries an unnamed
hunk of ribcage, in case his squad wants a mid-battle snack.
I
constructed him wielding a knife to make him look more fierce. I also
added warpaint spots all over his body, much like some African tribes
paint on themselves, prior to intertribal warfare. It helps
differentiate Much Gristle as both a Shaper, and a Kroot shaman.
Among
the tiny customizations I did do to my Kroot is one Kroot with a
sniper sight on his bladed Kroot Rifle, blood stains on several of
the blades of many warriors, one Kroot (I consider it to be a Shaper
in training) that carries a bone as a weapon, and all have three
stripes of teal warpaint smeared across their skulls. |
About
the Army Card:
The
Kroot are fierce but unarmored, the Shaper gives them the only save
they have, and that is very poor. However, the Shaper has a marvelous
three wounds which makes him easily my toughest fighter. Kroot can
attack twice per turn in melee, and the Shaper thrice, which is also
nice. Basically, if they can get somewhere intact, they can dish out
the violence. The problem is using terrain to get them where they can
be useful.
I
have had some successes with the Kroot, though: in one game they
slaughtered an Eldar Viper in a mass assault, and they have killed
their weight in Guardians at least once.
Some
players don't value the Kroot, and I can see their point... they
lack any armor. But even so, I rather like them. They are colorful,
they help underscore that the Tau include other species in their
empire, and they are just a swell meat shield for my more valuable
Fire Warriors.
Sorry
Kroot. You are basically a wall of ablative armor made out of flesh.
'Good Meat', indeed.
That
said, if the Kroot and their shaper can find some kind of cover,
especially forest, and shoot... they can pump out 12 shots in
one turn, doubled to 24 if the target is within 12". That is
impressive... for as long as it lasts.
Additionally,
I have nothing but respect for the Kroot leader, the Shaper. With
three wounds, and the capacity to dish out SIX strength 5 melee
attacks - 3 Attacks with those double-bladed rifles that hit twice
in close combat - he is basically a one man army. If he assaults, he
gets an additional die, raising his melee for that one attack to seven
slashing attacks. Definately a one Kroot army. Rather heroic.
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