What have you got against Tau?

[FluxX]

Everyone is arguing that they do not fit in with the universe.

That they are not "gritty" enought. But Edar, and some of the plain Space marines or Necrons can also seem too cartoony at times.

Mainly its down to how someone paints them. For instance, with a worn armour style, they would just look like anormal 40k army with angular armour.

Also, they have the kroot to add a bit of randomness.

But really, the reason they look out of place, IMO is because they are suppose to :lol: !

The way the fluff for them is set up, they are there to purpously go against the norm in WH40k. They are there to go against the style of play ect that people are use to.

They also have good anime robots ;) ....





But not as good as Eldars anime robots and tanks! :nana:

[FeloniousPunk]

I'll copy what I wrote in another thread:

I gotta throw in my 2 cents against the Tau. They stick out like a sore thumb in the 40k universe. On their own, they're kind neat with really pretty vehicles, but they absolutely do not fit the dark gothic flavor of 40k. They are definitely heavily anime-influenced and represent IMO GW cashing in on anime's popularity amongst gamers.

That's why I don't like them. Of course GW needed a write up a justification for the cashing in, hence:

The way the fluff for them is set up, they are there to purpously go against the norm in WH40k. They are there to go against the style of play ect that people are use to.

... but some of us, certainly me, thinks that this is a bad decision on the part of GW and breaks the aesthetic style of the game.

[NightBringer]

i agree, they are supposed to be out of place coz they have been secluded in their own little empire for 6000 years, so they have no concept of how dark the galaxy is. plus it brings some light into the darkness of the 40k universe.

i love the crisis suits, yeah they look anime'y but then the entire concept of the tau is very japanese:

far east fringes of the galaxy
japanese voices (firewarrior)
highly advanced tech/weapons
etc etc

and i think its great! if i have anything against them TT wise, its got to be their BS i mean they excel at shooting things so you'd think they at least be as good if not better at using ranged weapons than spacemarines

[Arcturus]

I like them because they break up the homogenous gothic design that 90% of the other races have. The tau have style, and know it, and it's just a cool army. Thinking about making one myself.

[Estocade]

I like the TAU because they're different, or else there wouldn't be a point creating a lot of races if they all look and "feel" the same. Anyway, it's a freaking galaxy, so don't expect Joe Blo way out in the nose-bleed section of space to wear the same clothes as you.

:2cents:

[KingKupo]

i have nothing against Tau, i reserve such loathing for sisters of battle and various others. But really, do you like it when people blurt out at the slightest oppurtunity that your army sucks?

The army in question doesn't suck or look like crap, it's merely because you think it is, and because you are your selfish self you want everyone to think the same.

[Cmdr_Adeon]

and i think its great! if i have anything against them TT wise, its got to be their BS i mean they excel at shooting things so you'd think they at least be as good if not better at using ranged weapons than spacemarines
But a space marine has probably been fighting for several centuries, I basic fire warrir hasn't.

[Cailet]

I kinda like the Tau, naive little buggers, just makes them easier for us Eldar to manipulate. They'll wise up soon though (look what O'Shovah is up to) .

[NightBringer]

wise up2 what? the eldar aren't manipulating them, yeah they still see them as a young race, but at least they dont see them as barbaric... and the tau know that the eldar wont join their empire, and that their worlds are scattered everywhere. personally i'd like to see more of a friendship between the two races brought out in the fluff!. but yeah in a way the tau are naive, but then thats their advantage, they can use it to their own ends to expand

[Vijil]

Estocade said it best.

[NightBringer]

But a space marine has probably been fighting for several centuries, I basic fire warrir hasn't.

i suppose, but is BS based on experience, or jsut general ability?.... actually i think that answers it self lol seeing as a commander has a higher BS than a normal marine and same for the crisis suit if i'm not mistaken.. tho i will check

ok checked... apart from the commander, there is no difference in BS

[othon'O [TAU]]

For all those saying the TAU are coo.
on point.....


The TAU are what the universe needs and if GW didn’t think so they wouldn’t, cause they didn’t make such a kick as universe and history even after so many years (70's 80's 90's and now double O's) to start messing up a good thing and they know it too.

I play TAU and when played right lay a vicious smack down
and there fluff is as every one is aware of is very young. I see a lot of new developments coming in the future for them.

Besides the ELDAR (elf’s) and ORKS what is this D&D?? <== [think about this one a little bit and then you'll start to like the TAU a little more.]

[FeloniousPunk]

"] Besides the ELDAR (elf’s) and ORKS what is this D&D?? <== [think about this one a little bit and then you'll start to like the TAU a little more.]

Actually, not D&D, Warhammer. Warhammer 40,000 was meant to be Warhammer (fantasy) in space, and that's just about what it is. 40k is as much a fantasy game as a sci-fi game.

[Grogsnot]

Its my impression that most people who don't like Tau would just whine about something else if they didn't whine about Tau.

Tau fit the universe just fine. They are a unique army with a unique playstyle. How this is a bad thing I will never understand... :rolleyes:

As to Tau BS, it is explained as a problem the race has with depth perception. But this is just a convenient way of explaining what ultimately was a game balance decision.

[SPOON!]

Lots of people are afriad of stuff thats new :D
I think that people should just except that they're there and get on with playing.
any game I have known that has introduced somethin new has had a sea of complaints and then the next addon happens and they complain about that

LIFES TO DAMN SHORT TO COMPLAIN

[Cmdr_Adeon]

i suppose, but is BS based on experience, or jsut general ability?.... actually i think that answers it self lol seeing as a commander has a higher BS than a normal marine and same for the crisis suit if i'm not mistaken.. tho i will check

ok checked... apart from the commander, there is no difference in BS
Its actually supposed to be a bit of both. I personally think that Crises suits and broadsides should get BS4. I mean if elite IG get BS4 surely elite Tau should. I just don't think the bsic Fire Warriors should.

[Noir]

"]

The TAU are what the universe needs and if GW didn’t think so they wouldn’t, cause they didn’t make such a kick as universe and history even after so many years (70's 80's 90's and now double O's) to start messing up a good thing and they know it too.

errr...hasn't 40k only been around since about 1987?

[TheWatcher]

Actually, not D&D, Warhammer. Warhammer 40,000 was meant to be Warhammer (fantasy) in space, and that's just about what it is. 40k is as much a fantasy game as a sci-fi game.

Although ever since 2nd edition it seems GW are trying to move away from 'fantasy in space' to a full blown sci-fi genre of their own, which they have very nealy completed. Sure, the game started out as 'fantasy in space' and still retains some elements of fantasy, but in reality its fast becoming a sci-fi universe.

As for the Tau...I don't have anything against them. In fact, I have a lot for them as I collect 'em ;) Despite going against the normal gothic trend they have a nice image and an interesting view on the galaxy. The BS3 can be a little bit of a blow, but it isn't so bad when you've got all those pulse rifles...and besides, Tau superiority in shooting is made up by the superiority of their basic weapon and free inclusion of pulse carbines in squads.

[mpjesse363]

i dislike the taumainly because of lack of a flavor that i enjoy in my game play
hand to hand combat but i will tell you this they are not the worst that spot is reserved for sob they are cheesy and they fall into a catagory known to tt gamers as army of the month

[BlackTemplar]

I've heard that "Tau are too 'good' and 'nice' to be in WH40k"

Well, that's sort of the point. They're a very young species, the fact that they're so naive about the universe is a wonderful plot twist.

Think about it this way;

If they were xenophobic and mean to everyone they'd be the Imperium.
If they were secluded and defensive and manipulative they'd be the Eldar.
If they just wanted to fight shit, they'd be the Orks.
If they were evil, they'd be Chaos/ Dark Eldar.
If they were mindless killing machines, they'd be the 'Nids.
Evil and technologically advanced; Necrons.

The only thing not on the list is someone who is trying to do something other than kill everyone but themselves.
In a way, it makes the Tau race the saddest and most depressing of all the races; their hopeful attitude of trying to learn more about other races and join with them falls on 100% deaf ears. They're like an abused child to whom no one will befriend.

If you look at the race for what they represent as a whole, instead of their 'uber cheap weapons and stoopid wanna-be gundam suits', then you'd see they fit in WH40k perfectly.

[TheWatcher]

Plus the fact the Tau are so tragic. They're out to bring peace to everybody, but for one reason or another nobody wants to know. Perhaps on a sense the Tau know this too, but they can't give up and so go on dying for something that (due to their numericial inferiority) they are never going to realistically achieve. Everything is new to them, and so they regard every new race they encounter with optimism. They sent diplomats to the bleeding 'Nids, for example. That brought a sad smile to my face, not in humour but more in tragedy.

[FeloniousPunk]

Black Templar and Watcher: pretty eloquent defense of the Tau there, I may even change my mind, especially if some good fluff comes out that further develops this tragic theme. It could be very interesting to see how Tau culture develops after they've spent some decades in the thick of all madness in the Galaxy that everyone else is exposed to. Will they remain so optimistic? Or will they turn inward and become bitter and paranoid like everyone else? Will Chaos start corrupting them too?

[TheWatcher]

Exactly :)

Hey, Black Templar. We've got another convert here!

Personally, I think the Tau will do something completely unexpected and different to everybody else, but only because GW's running a theme of 'breaking the mould' currently. And I can't wait till they start to develop the 'no warp-presence what would Chaos do?' fluff.

[Crackseed]

I regard the Tau as a nice new kick in the pants :)

Completely different style, beliefs, goals. They have some new tech and I find they play out really well. Their nasty at range but not so much that if you play right (and roll well enough) you can't still take the fight to them.

I really don't see all the fuss about "Anime" stylings. Technically couldn't we argue TONS of things that have anime stylings nowadays? Pssh :p

They were a good inclusion into the universe, especially seeing as the Necrons hit dirt soon after ;)

[FluxX]

Cool...

Anyhow.

I just hope the poor little guys don't get slaughtered too soon. How they gonna survive?

PS, notice they have hooved feet, and sheepish qualities :P .

[eadipus]

the tau empire is apparently expanding, we gained a lot of ground in the EoT campaign

i don't think the tau fit with everything else but thats a good thing IMO, keeps it interesting

they have some interesting fluff as they don't have any psykers and so they have absolutely no warp presence

[Deathwing]

Also they haven't experience with demonic powers (exept Kais ). Until now nobody knows if they can be corrupted. If yes, I see dozens of new codices rain down upon us...
Maybe interesting, a chaos worshipping hunting cadre.

On teh one hand I think that the Tau don't fit in this dark universe, because they don't have this dark gothic appearance. On the other hand this is what makes them interesting. And to bring in a new style may let the already large WH40K community grow even wider.
And this anime look... Well other races, other styles.
It's good the way it is.

[Drunk-Spleen]

I play tau and over my vast gaming time :bandit: i have learnt why everyone has a problem with the tau, now by everyone i mean space marines players, because all the people who do whinge seem to be space marines (not saying all space marines are whingers) and they have a problem with the tau because they are able to kill them, matter of fact, whenever something can kill them they have a good ol whinge to GW and get it all fixed.

CASE STUDY: think back, way back, remember when terminators didn't have an invulnerable save, yeah, well back then some units (for example howling banshees) were able to kill them outright, But low and behold the space marines players had their little rant and BINGO HAVE SOME INVULNERABLE SAVES.

now the tau have hit shelves all over the world hard and gaming tables even harder and brought with them weapons like 'Ion Cannons' 'Railguns' and 'Plasma Rifles' which all don't allow the space marines an invulnerable save so they have to mope and whine as much as they can to get rid of them, this is hidden by complaints about FLUFF and whether or not they FIT IN, get over yourself guys, you arent meant to be indestructible, just hard to kill.

phew, ive wanted a chance to get that off my chest for a while :rant:

by the way, i know lots of people wont appreciate this but i really needed to say it, im sure someone will agree

[No Surrender]

I don't play Marines. In fact, just the other day I butchered an entire Tau army in CC with my Drop Trooping IG. That's right... IG.

Anyway. I just plain don't like the visual style of the Tau. Of course I'm pretty much anime in all it's shapes and forms so my opinion is biased. Personally, I'm praying that they'll go the way of the Squats.

[Azhrarn]

what, pray they have a big comeback so we can all play dwarves in space?? That would be fun...

Sorry, felt like saying that. My brother has a Tau army, and it does blow my Chaos Space Marine army to pieces now and again, but they are good fun to play against. Especially when I get my Noise marines into the fray.
Or the Havocs. Firewarriors + Str.8 AP4 blast templates don't mix well. :D
I've seen my brothers Firewarriors batter hordes of nids into submission. (Yes in Close Combat!!) Those rifles make excellent clubs I think. It was fun to watch. And watching 3 crisis suits do nothing against a Aspiring Champion and then see their drone bump him to death was hilarious. :argh:

[No Surrender]

Really? I didn't fight the crisis suits, my guardsmen flung demo charges and blew them all to hell.

[Cmdr_Adeon]

CASE STUDY: think back, way back, remember when terminators didn't have an invulnerable save, yeah, well back then some units (for example howling banshees) were able to kill them outright, But low and behold the space marines players had their little rant and BINGO HAVE SOME INVULNERABLE SAVES.
The reason termies got an invulnerable save was because no one used them. They cost almost 3 times the points of a rgular marine and while they are better at attacking their defense wasn't noticeably better (since most people like to use AP2 weapons to kill marines anyway). Besides, banshees can cut through regular marines no problem, and how many people suggest they should get an invulnerable save? Terminators are supposed to be tough, in 2nd ed they could survive a hit from a lasconnon about a third of the time (and lasconnon were the best weapon against them) so essentially they were just brining back that.

[NightBringer]

ok, this thread is basically asking all the people who have stated they DONT like the tau to say why... but after reading all of these posts, only 3-4 have actually opposed the tau? am i to guess they jsut dont like them becasue theya re new, but you can think of any decent reason so your jsut not saying anything?

get a grip, they are here and here to stay hopefully!

[Grogsnot]

@No Surrender,

There is no way in hell that the Tau are going the way of the Squats. They are actually one of the more popular armies, and have sold very well.

Many people like them because they are the only army in 40K that actually fights with some semblance to how a modern or futuristic army would fight (ie shoot guns). I know more than a few people who only considered 40K once the Tau were introduced.

[NightBringer]

plus the new demiurg are going to be the nu squat... tho like the kroot they wont have their own codex, u use them with tau armys

[Afoxi]

Many people like them because they are the only army in 40K that actually fights with some semblance to how a modern or futuristic army would fight (ie shoot guns). I know more than a few people who only considered 40K once the Tau were introduced.
The first thing i did when I heard WH40k had a new race that has some resemblance to a modern futuristic army (that is very shooty), I went to the nearest GW shop and said "Sign me up".

[Farseer]

I have nothing gainst the Tau. I find them very, very sci fi. I use to think Eldar almost tipped the balance into sci-fi but the Tau are, very "civilized" which is a quality you would not find in a fantasy universe.

Anyway, the Tau are basically Extreme communists who see every race as equal. This is the only race i know who would accept enemy species into its army, like "HUMANS". Thats right, there are humans who serve the Tau army. Im not sure if they are willing but i bet ya its better off than being under the shoe of the emperor.

[NightBringer]

ok... there are some people that say they are communist, and others that say they aren't...

for those that say they aren'... your saying that becuase u take reference from communist russia, china, north korea etc... which are the human communists... comunism in human terms CAN ONLY work in theory becasue the human intinct of greed, etc gets in the way which is why it fails in practice.

the tau however, they apitimise the true meaning of comunism in that, yes everyone is equal in respect (everyone in the society is valued, form the etherals, to the lowest fio'la(earth caste workers))... but they also see the need for a WISE and honorable leader who can lead them without the seduction of power and greed ruining it. the tau way of life and their society itself is what human society NOW(real-life) should be aiming for (tho at the rate this world is going our history will be much like that of the tau... almost extinguish our own race in huge civil wars)... the only way we could ever reach such a peacfull and equal society would be

(and i know many would dissagree)

to get rid of all the world religions. religion is the cause of most of the wars and conflicts on this planet. the tau have no religion, they do not worship the etherals, but revere them

[Farseer]

Though you supported my statement, religion is not the cause for many wars. It was a tool to use as a excuse for conquest and personal gain.

[NightBringer]

again, supporitng my statment that comunisim in human terms can only work in theory and never in practice for that reason alone... personal gain.

yeah you are right about it being an excuse... but not now with all this terror shit... that really is (and i do mean to be un PC) the militant factions of islam going out and trying to do as their holy book says (islam will unite the world, and all will convert, either by word of mouth or by the sword). thats why i said you'll never have world pease unless u get rid of all religions:

christianity
judism
islam
hinduism
buddism
etc

which the tau dont have, thus theya re able to unite their peoples

[KingKupo]

Eh, you're basing your view of a peacefull world on a table-top game? Your reasoning does make some sense, but it's not like having faith in something is a bad thing. Surely there are factions that use religion as a excuse, but mostly it are the leaders who use it as a excuse while the servants probably believe they are doing the good thing. Such was the case in the medieval ages, where some of the religious leaders used their 'holy' rule to gain riches and power. Their poor pawns believed they were doing the will of god.

plus the Islam isn't a bad religion, They activeley help widows and poor ones and donate money in their church wich they often use to help the afforementioned if i believe.(of course this could've have changed but i heard this in one of my classes)

[NightBringer]

i'm not basing me peacefull world on a TT game, i'm basing it on the fluff of the TAU :P

and i know islam isn't a bad religion... for all intent and purpose (i've read the korhan (sp)) islam is perfect... there are no loopholes, or contradictions (except that the only anti-gay thing they have is the same passage repeated 5 times lol)

there is also nothing that says mulim women MUST wear their wrobes, it is completely by choice.. but then its the human element (predominantly male) that ruins it in practice.... that actually makes me beg the question of gender amongst the tau and how they pro-create? coz i haven't read anything about it.. maybe part of the reason why they have seuceeded in gainsing a stable society, is that they have but 1 gender. that way all of the testosterone inflicted male instincts for power, greed etc dont exist.

pah enough of religion, the tau are great and are a great breath of fresh air to the 40k universe, and if GW only brought them out to make money, then let them, if they have dont anything its spread the fanbase by 4 fold, attracting more people

[KingKupo]

i have to agree on your last lines, the more i read about them, the more i consider taking them instead of starting a gaurd army.(currently a Geu'la auxilarys army is a nice compromise).

[NightBringer]

lol, well that would be cool, and i think you could field some ig tanks aswell, coz the tau contruct crude replicas for trainning purposes

[BrianGeneral]

No counters,since your men will be dead if you try to approach.

So use any weapons which range more than 72",like Earthshakers.
Or use Heavy Tanks to take them out.

[NjalStormcall]

I just don't like them because they're so damned idealistic, and they are /winning/, as least so far. But we'll see what will happen in the long run.

And yes, Deep Strike messes up Tau like nothing else. I just use my Ven Dread to charge the Fire Warriors directly, blowing Smoke Launchers. Tie them up in h2h, then charge with bikers.

booms! Two less FW squads!

[NightBringer]

how about doing that against an army that has 5 full strengh FW teams? each with markerlights :P bye bye two but ya still have 3 more to shoot ya to bits:P

or even a broadside to kill off your ven dread before it gets into CC :P

[Triceron]

Frankly I loooove the concept of the Tau. If you really look at it, it's GW's real first step into making Warhammer 40k a true SCI-FI game rather than just rehash every Fantasy race they have into space. The only other ones that I would say actually fit the Sci Fi scene are the Tyranids, and everything else seems to have some sort of Fantasy tie in.

Maybe that's why some people don't like Tau. They don't see any ties to the Fantasy version, and Tau end up feeling way more alien, especially with this 'japanese influenced' race among the medieval likes of the other 40k races.

I feel that people are misunderstood of the 'optimistic' way of the Tau, but they don't see balanced and militaristic nature behind them. I hope to maybe correct that view or maybe put it in a new light with my campaign, so if you have any ideas please feel free to trop a line in my thread on Fluff ideas you'd want to see to make the Tau more recognized. The link is in my sig.

[Star Wars Kid]

I have a question about the whole "40k is WH fantasy converted to the future" thing. What are Space Marines a conversion of?

[NightBringer]

the empire knights... theres different types of knight :P

[Triceron]

Yeah, they'er space version of Knights. Eldar are Elves, Dark Eldar are Dark Elves, Orks are Orcs, Necrons are undead, Chaos is Chaos and so on and so-forth. I think WH40k needs to add more alien races like the Tau to make it stand out more than just conventional fantasy. It's a reason I hate the Dark Eldar too. They seem too much like Dark Elf ripoffs and they don't really have any unique history of their own.

[TheWatcher]

That's what I've been saying. GW is moving away from the 'fantasy in space' idea. Hence the Tau.

[NjalStormcall]

I really don't think that Necrons automatically equal undead. To be honest, GW has been fiddling with the idea of Necrons for awhile, and one of the defining characteristics of undead armies are infinite, expendable numbers. Everybody knows that Necrons are not expendable.

I think that Necrons are Terminator spoofs, and some combination of Egyptian mythology(this is much more prominent with early GW musings about the Necrons).

[NightBringer]

actually the necrons are expendable.... remember that they are in fact AN ENTIRE race of beings (billions of necrontyr) who have given up their bodies and souls to become immortal warriors... so that billions of undieing metalic warriors (tho they can die by hacking them to bits in combat lol)

the only reason they aren't expendable atm is becasue only a small handfull of them have actually been woken up

[Random Person]

Hmmmmmm, Eldar and Tau in one army, A craft world found the tau and liked them so they stayed. The Tau will let anybody join them.
GO TAU!!!!!!!

[KingKupo]

my guessing of what the Eldar tought: Oh look another race we can piss off by using them for our own goals by directing orks and 'nids to instead of ork or chaos infested worlds. Gee, we're such genuises. i wonder why no other race likes us so far.

ignore above lines of text.

i wonder what the Eldar their reaction will/was be when they find/found out about their human auxilarys. i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a happy one. But the Tau being such an friendly race could suply them some shelter or help in time of needs. It doesn't take a seer to know that.

[NightBringer]

nah... i think that they'll look at the humans and say... "well i guess we were wrong when we said all humans were xenophobic bastards lol"

and yes i will ignore you first comment.. they eldar have good relations with the tau, and orks are everywhere and invaded the tau by their own right when the tau tried to assimilate them into the empire.. and the nids are jsut coming in recently, long after the eldar encountered them

[KingKupo]

.... that actually makes me beg the question of gender amongst the tau and how they pro-create? coz i haven't read anything about it.. maybe part of the reason why they have succeeded in gainsing a stable society, is that they have but 1 gender. that way all of the testosterone inflicted male instincts for power, greed etc dont exist.

I have read somewhere that 2 different members of a caste breeding with eachother is strictly prohibited on punishment of death, so i assume they do have a female and male gender or something in that sense.

The Tau perhaps will gain some Eldar allies(perhaps rangers), but the Eldar are simply too proud to become integrated into a empire of a 'lesser' race(wich are practically all races non-eldar to them). Perhaps they recognised something of themselves in the upstart Tau and decided to not screw them over like humanity, or perhaps the it's been a long time since the eldar had friends. Or perhaps they know something of why they were saved from exterminatus by those warpstorms and try to guide them to this destiny.

oh and i'd like to hear the conversation between the water caste ambassador and the seer over the Geu'la auxilarys.

Seer: you have Mon-keigh?
water: you mean those furry mammals?
seer: No, i mean humans.
Water: oh THOSE Mon-keigh, yeah things have been going great, we really can use their WS3 compared to our wussy 2.
seer: aren't they obnoxious xenophobic short-minded brutes?
water:nah, they were just misinformed. We told them we did not suck their brains out and use deathrays to destroy their planets. They're now quite open-minded.
seer: you've got to be kidding me
seer: i've got one working right here. HEY BOB, WILL YOU COME HERE FOR A SECOND!
Bob:hi.(*looks at seer*) hey i remember you, you were that seer that attacked my homeplanet and killed 3/4s of the populace untill that one battle at that hive. I hope we can discuss that battle over a nice cup o' thea and bring up good old memorys without any old hatreds.
seer: (*not moving*)
water: (taps seer on the back, causing him to fall over)
Bob: uh, he's not breathing.

[TheWatcher]

that actually makes me beg the question of gender amongst the tau and how they pro-create? coz i haven't read anything about it.. maybe part of the reason why they have seuceeded in gainsing a stable society, is that they have but 1 gender. that way all of the testosterone inflicted male instincts for power, greed etc dont exist.

Incorrect. There are two Tau genders, male and female. In a WD peice of fluff based on a Tau reporter team reporting on a battle aganst the Gue'la, the reporter is most definately female and referred to as 'she'.

[Ravenblade]

I'd enjoyed playing with my tau army and reading the fluff on them, i agree that they have brought some fresh air in the game that was going stale, with the same old races getting rehashed every new edition of 40K, i mean how many different ways can you write the army lists for space marines!!

From what i have read, the tau are allied with 3 other races the Kroot, demiurg and another race which used Telekinesis.

[TheWatcher]

A third ally?!? Oh, I haven't heard about this. Pray, do tell (or point me in direction of the link) :)

[Random Person]

LOLOLOLOL:lol:LOLOLOLOLOLOL
IT COULD HAPPEN!!!!

[Ravenblade]

I'm sorry watcher, but i can't remember the name of the third race, they have a ship in battlefleet gothic (it's in battlefleet armada book), thats where i found out about them, there to suppose to have frail bodies and use Telekinesis to make up from their weakness in body.

[Paranoia833]

Frankly I loooove the concept of the Tau. If you really look at it, it's GW's real first step into making Warhammer 40k a true SCI-FI game rather than just rehash every Fantasy race they have into space. The only other ones that I would say actually fit the Sci Fi scene are the Tyranids, and everything else seems to have some sort of Fantasy tie in.

Maybe that's why some people don't like Tau. They don't see any ties to the Fantasy version, and Tau end up feeling way more alien, especially with this 'japanese influenced' race among the medieval likes of the other 40k races.

It's not just that they're 'Japanese' it's that the anime feel really doesn't mesh with the theme of 40K. Mostly it just seems to me that lately Games Workshop have been trying to turn 40K into a mainstream sci-fi rather than a sort of sci-fi/gothic horror mesh. The Tau are just to damn happy and shiny to really fit in (Not that they don't have their dark secrets/militaristic nature and the like, it's just that said secrets are downplayed by the whole 'KEWL SHINY GUNDAMS!!!11' thing).

It just smacks of an attempt to make 40K brighter, shinier and more mainstream in order to appeal to Trekkie-kids, as opposed to the suicidally depressing place we all know and love. To quote someone else I heard talking on the subject once: the Tau seem to imply that the 40K universe might just be a not unpleasant place to live, this strikes me as wrong.

[Drunk-Spleen]

this is going waaaay back, but i read the talk about necrons and had to say something, people said the necrons arent the undead from warhammer fantasy, and i would have to agree with this, but i do think that they might be another army, maybe Tomb Kings, both of them have skellies, both are obviously egyptian, and both have mega death rays that fry everything they touch, well i havent read the Tomb Kings army book but i think they do. Everyone here really seems to understand now though, The tau are a breath of fresh air that the game really needed, personally, instead of a 4th edition or more imperial armies i would like to see a new race.

[Ferretarmour]

Demiurg!

[NightBringer]

Incorrect.

you know thats gotta be the most rude and obnoxious response to a post i've ever heard. and you said i think i'm the fluff king.... hypocrit :Slap:.

and the third ally as ferretormour rightly said, is the demiurg, a race of short, bearded merchants (very similar in appearance to the squat), whos stronghold ships have been sighted in remoet nebulas, and more frequently accompanied by tau fleets. they are to have their own minitures, most likely to be added in to the tau army list.

[Ferretarmour]

you know, i was actually just spamming ;)

[NightBringer]

lol but u answered his post and supported mine (to a degree)

[Ferretarmour]

that is very odd.
BTW who told u about the demiurg models?

[NightBringer]

theres a thread with a link to some pics of the nu sm models, and theres a pic of a demiurg aswell... plus i've been told by GW staff what the demiurg look like

[Ferretarmour]

Where Dammit! Where! For The Love Of All Things Good And Holy On This Earth!

[NightBringer]

holy on this earth? ooooh swiss cheese lol... i think its in the "whats going to happen to the space marines" thread

or "nu 'nids"

[Ferretarmour]

thank ye, kind sir

These demiurg, are the gonna be like kroot, but short ant 1337?
Will they have a spiffing seperate codex old bean?

[NightBringer]

ummm, i doubt they will have their own codex... like the kroot dont either, but like the kroot will prob have many unit types available... tho this is jsut speculation.. and i dont know what their batte tactics will be

[TheWatcher]

you know thats gotta be the most rude and obnoxious response to a post i've ever heard. and you said i think i'm the fluff king.... hypocrit

Wait, who's undermining who's posts now? And I'm hardly the fluff king, as I don't know about these demiurg or whichever race is the Tau's third ally. I just know what I know which I'm not afraid to impart with other's when they get it wrong. Is that a crime? No. Could I phrase it in a better way? Perhaps.

What would you like me to say? "I'm sorry, but that statement is not true"? Or more along the lines of: "Nah, I think its more like..."

So I was in a rush when I posted, and I typed the first thing that came to mind; which happened to be "incorrect". And honestly, I've heard more rude and obnoxious replies, I think...-no, I'll stop there. I can't be bothered any more.

[Ravenblade]

I guessing if GW feel kind we might see the Demiurg in the New tau codex a year or two, with maybe two or three units, probably a core, fast attack and heavy support, but who knows what GW will do next.....

[NightBringer]

i still say if they're gonna make the demiurg, they might aswell have just changed the fluff and said they are the last of the squat who escaped whatever was the fate of the empire and are now traders/merchants etc seeing as the demiurg are almost identical in appearance to the squat (short, fat, bearded)

tho saying that... demiurg does sound better than squat lol, and their BFG ships do look awsome

[MetalMilitia]

The Tau fit in the 40k universe perfectly! They are little blue people who run around so that space marines can use them for target practice. DUH!

Seriously though I think that they do fit, because GW did a good job writing why they fit and how they fit, so in my opinion they do fit even if they WERE made to get anime kids into the game. Oh the other cool thing about them is they are the only race in the 40k universe that could be classified as good, so that just makes them all the more fun to stomp on. (nice aliens finish last)

[NightBringer]

lol... they are good, i love reading fantasy stuff coz for some reason it get s a real emotional response fomr me... call me a freak but hey... and when i read the codex i just got so lost in it, they are a real breath of air to this chocked up universe, and a great way to brighten it up... dark grim future full of age long empires fighting for dominance etc... then along comes a young optimistic race out of this own little bubble to explore... and i think GW should keep this optimistic mindset for them, and not make them do as the others "la de da de da, explore the universe, very happy.... oh, its really grim and horible here...*goes back and turns into paranoid xenophobic race like the human*)

[karl99]

Tau rock and like others have said the majority of people I find who complain about them are SM players in fact when I hear someone complaining about any race it's usually a SM player which is funny since IMO SMs are the most cheesy army in 40k even worse when dealing with the 'unique' chapters.

OK the only race besides the Kroot and some humans who have been mentioned as an actual part of the Tau Empire are the nicissare (spelling may be off) which are represented in BFG with their own ships, they are unlikely to appear in 40k as they apparently are very weak physically and I believe they rarely leave their ships (they are like space gypsies) which are also their homes.

The Demiurge are not part of the Tau Empire and as far as I'm aware there is no fluff to date to support this. They do however trade with the Tau as this is where the Tau Ion Cannon technology came from.

The only place we are likely to see any 'new' races in the near future (near meaning 2 years or so) is in the Alien Hunters codex which unfortunatly was delayed so we could once again get revised SM, Ork, Eldar and Tyranid codices.

However in the interview with Pete Haines at the GW site he is asked what his 'wish list' for the next 12 months would be if he could get everything done and part of it is a new race (I'm not sure if he actually said alien though).

Personelly it's one of the several things that bother me about 40K and GW in general the SM don't really need that many new models and they don't need anymore units. The Eldar could do with a few units getting new models, the Orks could do with new vehicles but the nids don't really need any but GW just can't release a codex without models to sell with it so we have to wait on new stuff so we can get reinvented stuff that isn't really needed.

[MetalMilitia]

Lets not turn this into a marine hate/love thing but i simply cant stand by when you call them cheesy. The only cheesy army is the one you havnt taken the time to figure out how to beat yet.

[Drunk-Spleen]

maybe, but in a way they are, for example in a recent WD it was said that the 'rhino rush' was used far too much because it was both effective and easy to perform. But im not too fussy about them now, just the players (not all) and to a lesser extent the other chapters, blood angels is my big hate, i mean they take a fast hard hitting army, and make them faster with blood thirst, and hit harder with more charge bonuses, for no extra points costs, and also due to a typo they can field 6 dreadnaughts.

The only way to counter this sort of stuff is to just sit there and smile, whether ur armies getting shredded or not, and smile because u dont need cheesey super sub-armies to win.

[NightBringer]

The Demiurge are not part of the Tau Empire and as far as I'm aware there is no fluff to date to support this. They do however trade with the Tau as this is where the Tau Ion Cannon technology came from.

um, no1 has said that they are apart of the empire, jsut that they are likely to have an appearance in the tau codex update becasue there are quotes saying "demiurg ships have become a more frequent sight and have often been sighted acompanied by tau fleets... so spculatively speaking, people (inc myself) have just assumed that they either have close ties with the tau, or have been intergrated into the empire

[Captain Zog]

Demiurg, meh just more Xenos to be dealt with

[KingKupo]

if the Tau will get additional alien races, i hope they will get alot more Tau troops to balance this. How can you call a Tau army Tau if you only have a battlesuit commander and then some bizarre mix of several alien races?

[demace]

i think the tau are good, but thats only cuz i play tau..

about tyranids and tau being truly sci fi.. i think thats correct.. reminds my of aliens vs predator..

i think its a good thing that out of all the races, theres a race thats optimistic about most things.. and has good technology etc.. just think.. at the rate that the tau are developing tech, by say the next edition, what weapons will they have.. are the troops gonna carry railguns (how it was originally intended.. i got a preview pic saying "fire warriors with railguns" which eventually turned into pathfinders.. aww)...

- maCe

[Hive]

I always thought the Eldar were the nice aliens that had the super tech :umm:

[KingKupo]

I think that by the second edition Tau codex, they will have learnt the necessity of Close quarter fighters.

And hive, the Eldar are not by a chance the Friendly alien race. I could go on and rant on about this but i'll keep it short.

The Eldar like to screw over humanity to begin with. They accuse them of killing xenos races while they have done the same on a regular basis, They direct hivefleets and ork waaghs into human or other alien worlds so they are safe and can have Tea-time. They perceive all races as inferior to them and so far only can make friends witht he Tau, whom i suspect they will screw over too at some point.

[NightBringer]

i distainfully have to agree that they will screw them over, but, i dont think that they will be as bad off as humanity by a long stretch, seeing as they have hive fleet kraken to worry about themselves lol, why do the interesting things always happen when i'm not around :( i mean the tau and necrons being intoduced (well reintroduced in necron case), the huge EoT campain. grrr thats it, i'm back and i'm staying!lol

the tau rock, and i think they will be able to hold themselves agaisnt any threat!

plus yeah i think they will slowely see the need for more CC units, so my idea for etheral bodyguards can be made wooohoo

[KingKupo]

(note: i said SUSPECT in my last line).

I can already imagine they having a CC unit being armed with 2 horrendous powerfull pistols they can use in CC. That or some drones with Cc capabilitys or a weapon for battlesuits. Still i suspect these would be rather limited to not damage the Tau Character on the TT too much.

[NightBringer]

yeah... i like the pistols idea.. make an army of cyphurs lol (except theya re tau and not human) would sound cool, coz they still rely on shooting that hitting lol

[Hive]

I think that by the second edition Tau codex, they will have learnt the necessity of Close quarter fighters.

And hive, the Eldar are not by a chance the Friendly alien race. I could go on and rant on about this but i'll keep it short.

The Eldar like to screw over humanity to begin with. They accuse them of killing xenos races while they have done the same on a regular basis, They direct hivefleets and ork waaghs into human or other alien worlds so they are safe and can have Tea-time. They perceive all races as inferior to them and so far only can make friends witht he Tau, whom i suspect they will screw over too at some point.

I understand what you're saying, but it seems that the Eldar are superior in many ways & their actions are with their own interests at heart. I guess that makes them selfish, but i wouldnt say evil (not that u did). Imo they're just trying to survive...

[NightBringer]

yup jsut trying to suvive and becasue they se all other races as inferior, they see no wrong in diverting threats away fomr themselves and onto the inderior races.

[KingKupo]

and does their survival justifie the deaths of civilizations? what makes them so special. Yeah, they will be able to awaken Ynnead, The giant chaos ass-kicking god of death in perhaps another 40.000 years, and they will create a beter galaxy, but one in wich they'll purge EVERY race so they'll be the only ones. after wich they could possibly repeat their former mistake and drag the whole galaxy in the warp.

WOW, WHAT GREAT IDEALS THE ELDAR HAVE! THEY CERTAINLY DON'T DO ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE EMPIRIUM.

and god Nightbringer, that last post of you nearly gave me a heart attack. Inderior races?

[FeloniousPunk]

I think that by the second edition Tau codex, they will have learnt the necessity of Close quarter fighters.

That's what they have the Kroot for. Making Tau good at CC will be very unbalancing in light of their extreme shooty abilities.

[NightBringer]

and does their survival justifie the deaths of civilizations? what makes them so special. Yeah, they will be able to awaken Ynnead, The giant chaos ass-kicking god of death in perhaps another 40.000 years, and they will create a beter galaxy, but one in wich they'll purge EVERY race so they'll be the only ones. after wich they could possibly repeat their former mistake and drag the whole galaxy in the warp.

WOW, WHAT GREAT IDEALS THE ELDAR HAVE! THEY CERTAINLY DON'T DO ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE EMPIRIUM.

and god Nightbringer, that last post of you nearly gave me a heart attack. Inderior races?

i type too fast, i cant help spelling mistakes sorry.

and i forgot to say that its in their perspective, they dont care if it seems selfish and barbaric to let other races die to save themselves becasue those races are simply inferior so they dont matter.

so yes the eldar are as bad as the impirium, but hey, to the eldar humanity is inferior, just like the impirium said about the tau when they first encountered them, they only had jsut discovered fire, and the humans thought there was no point in their continued existance becasue they were inferior

[TwinBladez]

One problem with awaking Ynnead the C'tan will kick his ass back to where he came from (all 4 of them that will b awake by that time)

[NightBringer]

lol it'll be funny id the C'Tan close off the warp once and for all, and destroy the chaos gods, then what will all the chaos legions and cultists do without a god to pray to lol, they cant repent, coz they just be exicuted

[Dimension]

pretty much their only hope is that they can conquer a small imperium somewhere, and hope that nids and necrons keep the imperium too busy to give them the last stab.

[demace]

hmm the idea of tau with cc weapons is pretty mad, even though itll probably end up as smaller guns.. maybe like.. drones with a big blade on them or smt, or tau FW with underslung shruiken type thing.. thinking back to the book firewarrior, maybe the little drone thing that kais had against the marines in that corridor might translate to smt in the tabletop game..

[Dimension]

i don't think regular tau are actually strong enough to wield CC weapons to great effect. however, some kind of CC crisis suit would be interesting... a bit in the style of assault marines.

[HannibalBarca]

The thought of Tau being resemblant to anime never occured to me. In fact i hate cant stand anime ,but the Tau are what brought me into 40k(now i play blood angels:) so i.e. they are not necessarly based off of anime then but may repersent orential equalvents in 40k as a race.

P.S. no more Space Marine bashing i think that Chaos are pretty harsh but you dont hear me ranting. also you cant rhino rush anymore really Chapter Approved 2004 i suggest reading it.

[KingKupo]

the Tau are about as strong as a Gaurdsmen,but they lack a dilatory pupil so they have a slower focus. The Tau have only avoided Close combat because they see it as barbaric.

Basically, no race really cares how others think of them, nightbringer.

And there are about 3 theorys about chaos's defeat. Ynnead, C'tan and Something with the emperor and the starchild

[NightBringer]

AWWW poor chaos lol, well at least they'll take out some if not all of those pesky eldar pheonix lords lol

baharroth
feugan to name a few:P

[Evan_gelion]

I actually was vehemently opposed to the Tau at first, but now I'm starting to sort of ease up. It's not so much that they're good it seems to me as naiive in the ways of the Universe. They're TRYING to be the good guys but they're unwilling to see things in Shades of Grey--not so bad, really. But please, no CC Tau. That would so destroy the flavor they have--they're a shooting army, and they're gonna stay that way.

[Triceron]

I don't think CC tau would be a good idea, but maybe making something like CC drones available so they can be cheap cannon fodder squads alternative to Kroot warbands.

[KingKupo]

yes, we all know by now giving the Tau powerweapons and Hand to Hand training is a bad idea. The closest thing Tau will get to CC units are Probably some short ranged guns wich are horribly strong.