# Are the Tau just cannon fodder?



## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

So theres been an influx of Tau Players lately at my local store and I and several other have been playing a few games against them. Now these aren't newbie players they're experienced players who have Large armies and well thought out tactics. I've seen them play with other armies and do no worse than anybody else. But their Tau armies regularly get torn apart with little to no chance of surviving. 

This inspired me to read through the Tau Fluff. And It got me thinking. Are the Tau REALLY a major threat? Or are they just something for everybody to kick the hell out of? I mean they excell at nothing their philosophy is annoying and they just don't seem to have any real understanding of how the Universe operates. Their Etherials are an Interesting idea but any Psyker with a middling competance is going to shred them. I've read precisely one novel with the Tau in it and they got beaten to a pulp. 

Another thing i've noticed is that many many Veteran players hate them. I do myself their hippy trippy greater good stuff gets my hackles up. 

So what do you think? Interesting diversion? Worthy addition to the universe? Or a Mistake we can all take pleasure in pummeling.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

In my opinion the Tau are a dangerous enemy when playing against them, and they are good fluff vise as well... I dont really know what you could complain about them, they are fairly good shots, kind of good armor save and long ranged weapons... Lets do it Warhammer 40,000 Fire Warrior style and kill some greater demons...


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Doelago said:


> In my opinion the Tau are a dangerous enemy when playing against them, and they are good fluff vise as well... I dont really know what you could complain about them, they are fairly good shots, kind of good armor save and long ranged weapons... Lets do it Warhammer 40,000 Fire Warrior style and kill some greater demons...


See thats my problem. They have a severe case of "Anything you can do others can do better" syndrome. I also think their design ethic is a little half arsed and their fluff is some of the weakest in the entire universe. They just strike me as one of those random alien races with no real agenda. 

And Fire warrior was crap and you know it


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Coder59 said:


> This inspired me to read through the Tau Fluff. And It got me thinking. Are the Tau REALLY a major threat? Or are they just something for everybody to kick the hell out of? I mean they excell at nothing their philosophy is annoying and they just don't seem to have any real understanding of how the Universe operates. Their Etherials are an Interesting idea but any Psyker with a middling competance is going to shred them. I've read precisely one novel with the Tau in it and they got beaten to a pulp.


You can't really judge a race's fluff worth by how well they perform in the table top. Right now, the tau aren't big players in the galaxy. They're technologically advanced and steely enough to pose a threat to the Imperium, and since they haven't been wiped off the face of the galaxy yet we can assume they're too powerful to be killed off by anything but a long, grueling war. Really, I think the tau have a couple of advantages that make them stand out and give them a chance to survive in the hostile universe:
1. They're extremely resistant to chaos corruption.
2. They're willing to assimilate other races into their fold, and have done so with great success.
3. They're one of the, if not the only, race still in the galaxy who has both the means and the motivation to develop new technology.



> Another thing i've noticed is that many many Veteran players hate them. I do myself their hippy trippy greater good stuff gets my hackles up.


Hippy trippy? I see the greater good as basically space communism/socialism. And to my understanding, most veteran players hate all new races brought into their game, like the necron. They seem to want to justify it with their sleek look, giant mechs, and reliance on plasma weaponry. I've heard "you got your anime in my Warhammer!" is a common addage by tau detractors.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

The Tau Empire (fluff wise, disregarding the tabletop rules completely as this is the fluff forum) is a very small player on the Galactic Scale. Consisting of a few dozen worlds/systems, they are miniscule compared to the Imperium's million. They pose no great threat whatsoever to the Imperium as it currently stands, or any other established race for that matter. The Imperium could wipe them off the face of the map if they could bring enough manpower (which they have) to bear, there are just much more serious threats to deal with which are taking up the manpower and resources.

So the Tau continue to survive and prosper simply because the Imperium is busy elsewhere. Their threat level is also reduced by the fact that they can't utilise Warp Travel anywhere near as well as the Imperium can for example. But that having been said, the Damocles Crusade proved that they are well entrenched and it would take a crusade far larger to seriously damage the Tau Empire, something which the Imperium cannot afford to spare.


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## scolatae (Aug 25, 2008)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> The Tau Empire (fluff wise, disregarding the tabletop rules completely as this is the fluff forum) are a very small player on the Galactic Scale. Consisting of a few dozen worlds/systems, they are miniscule compared to the Imperium's million. They pose no great threat whatsoever to the Imperium as it currently stands, or any other established race for that matter. The Imperium could wipe them off the face of the map if they could bring enough manpower (which they have) to bear, there are just much more serious threats to deal with which are taking up the manpower and resources.
> 
> So the Tau continue to survive and prosper simply because the Imperium is busy elsewhere. Their threat level is also reduced by the fact that they can't utilise Warp Travel anywhere near as well as the Imperium can for example. But that having been said, the Damocles Crusade proved that they are well entrenched and it would take a crusade far larger to seriously damage the Tau Empire, something which the Imperium cannot afford to spare.


I for one think that the tau were designed or at least tampered with by the Eldar (resulting in the Ethereals) for the express purpose of helping them reclaim the webway (to some extent). My logic? Well they are one of the very few races with little or no psychic presence meaning they are extrodianarily resistant to chaos corruption. There have been next to no recorded incidents of Eldar-Tau conflict. I think that the Eldar are leaving them to develoup on their own until they can be of use (their present numbers bieng simply to few).


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

scolatae said:


> I for one think that the tau were designed or at least tampered with by the Eldar (resulting in the Ethereals) for the express purpose of helping them reclaim the webway (to some extent). My logic? Well they are one of the very few races with little or no psychic presence meaning they are extrodianarily resistant to chaos corruption. There have been next to no recorded incidents of Eldar-Tau conflict. I think that the Eldar are leaving them to develoup on their own until they can be of use (their present numbers bieng simply to few).


I would say its plausable that the Eldar had something to do with development of the Tau or possibly even the mysterious warpstorm that prevented the Imperium from purging them, but there is very little evidence to take this as an established fact.

There may be no recorded conflict between the Eldar and Tau, but then again why would there be? What possible benefit would the Eldar gain from engaging the Tau Empire? Unless there was some unseen and farflung event that was farseen that needed to be prevented by the Eldar engaging the Tau on some level, then the Eldar wouldn't bother using precious men and resources in attacking the Tau. But just because there is no recorded engagements between the Tau & Eldar, thats no basis to say the Eldar groomed the Tau to be their allies.

And also the Tau would never be in a position to help the Eldar reclaim the Webway. Firstly, why would they, unless the Eldar would then join the Greater Good the Tau have no reason to help the Eldar. And thats aside from that fact that large parts of the Webway are now irreversibly drowned in Chaos.


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## Geist (Mar 9, 2010)

scolatae said:


> I for one think that the tau were designed or at least tampered with by the Eldar (resulting in the Ethereals) for the express purpose of helping them reclaim the webway (to some extent). My logic? Well they are one of the very few races with little or no psychic presence meaning they are extrodianarily resistant to chaos corruption. There have been next to no recorded incidents of Eldar-Tau conflict. I think that the Eldar are leaving them to develoup on their own until they can be of use (their present numbers bieng simply to few).


Interesting theory. Ethereals are still pretty mysterious, so it could be true.

I'm gonna go with mistake we should all take pleasure in pummeling. I love the high techiness of Tau, but the story is poor and....frankly not interesting.


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## Barnster (Feb 11, 2010)

Tau maybe a small group on the galatic stage but they are very expansionist, utterly dedicated and technoligically driven. They have no where near as many problems as the imperium does with rebels and heretics. (The whole O'shova thing is the closest, but he never went against the tau empire but disagreed how it should be best defended) They have 1 vision and 1 purpose. They will never be as numerous as men and orks but they have a great potential.

As far as tabletop goes they can be incredible, if they get abit lucky. Fire warriors are probably a point or 2 overpriced but mow down anything without a 4+ save or better. Battlesuit weapons can cut through anything and their heavy weapons make a mockery of any tanks. They are a bit like eldar though in that if you mess up your army list or deployment then theres not alot of ways to return, with practice they are great.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Barnster said:


> As far as tabletop goes they can be incredible, if they get abit lucky. Fire warriors are probably a point or 2 overpriced but mow down anything without a 4+ save or better. Battlesuit weapons can cut through anything and their heavy weapons make a mockery of any tanks. They are a bit like eldar though in that if you mess up your army list or deployment then theres not alot of ways to return, with practice they are great.


The foolish general concerns himself with Luck. The Wise general doesn't even consider it. :victory:

I can't say I've ever seen the Tau as anything more than cut price Eldar on the tabletop. 

As for their fluff they're far too Star Trek for my liking. The same goes with their design ethic.


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

I personally like Tau entirely because they are the most altruistic and well-meaning of all the races. They do not exterminate other races, and they care much more about their own people than, say, the Imperium.

It isn't just me who thinks that the Tau are a beacon of light in a dark universe. Many Tau players have a similar point of view. In the 40k universe itself, There are many imperial citizens who are secretly sympathetic to the Tau. Even some of the strongest in-game Eldar leaders (Eldrad among them, I believe) say that while the Tau are young and naieve, they also are represent a new hope for the galaxy.

So ya. The appeal of the Tau Empire in part lies in the very thing you dislike about them: They are upbeat.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> I personally like Tau entirely because they are the most altruistic and well-meaning of all the races. They do not exterminate other races, and they care much more about their own people than, say, the Imperium.


Wait a second yes they do. They're quite happy to render entire planatery populations sterile and breed them out. The greater good it would seem means what is best for the Tau and nobody else. 

The Imperium/Eldar/Chaos/Orks/Necrons, may exterminate people with firey firey death but at least they're honest about it. 

The Tau act like they've got teams of Spin Doctors working overtime.


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Coder59 said:


> Wait a second yes they do. They're quite happy to render entire planatery populations sterile and breed them out. The greater good it would seem means what is best for the Tau and nobody else.
> 
> The Imperium/Eldar/Chaos/Orks/Necrons, may exterminate people with firey firey death but at least they're honest about it.
> 
> The Tau act like they've got teams of Spin Doctors working overtime.


The Tau empire has a thriving human population. (the kronus sterilization thing, in my opinion, is a load of imperial propaganda.)

The Imperium does not have a thriving Tau population.

Yes, Tau aren't perfect, but they are still better.


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## Chaoz94 (Jun 17, 2008)

just going back to an earlier point about the lack of psykers / warp prescence
could it be that this race is influenced by the necrons tempering with perhaps an ancester etc
afterall it could explain if the necrons do get more pariahs etc 

just a point i thought id throw out 

chaoz


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## Barnster (Feb 11, 2010)

Tau do have a very small warp presence, its just barely noticible. 

Pariahs are completely blank, and are almost purely from human stock, there are simply not enough tau for the necron to really bother doing much with them. 

Tau are heavily influenced by japanese culture, bushido and gundams, if you like that style tau are great. I've collected them since 5 days before the offical original release and still think they are a fun army and great theme.


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## buckythefly (Mar 16, 2009)

I don't think tau are cannon fodder, but I do really, really, really, like punching fire warriors in the face. The rest of their army is scary, fire warriors are fun.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> The Tau empire has a thriving human population. (the kronus sterilization thing, in my opinion, is a load of imperial propaganda.)
> 
> The Imperium does not have a thriving Tau population.
> 
> ...


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Coder59 said:


> Platypus5 said:
> 
> 
> > [/QUOUTE]
> ...


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> Coder59 said:
> 
> 
> > You are wrong in that they don't have humans in their armies. For one thing, many imperial worlds have willingly joined the Tau Empire, notably Taros. There, not even the space marines and imperial guard could gun down the people's desire to join the empire. Gue'vesa, according to the fluff, also are allowed to serve in the Tau army, and they are treated much better than Guardsman are. (Although the tabletop rules on gue'vesa make players use them as meatshields, they are not that way in the fluff, and they don't have trigger-happy commissars standing behind them.
> ...


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

To the tau, violence is a last resort. Of course, this gives people the wrong impression of them. Using violence as a last resort isn't all that impressive when your only other option is assimilation .

As for tau's elitism, I've heard two separate accounts. Some people say they will kill all those that don't surrender to the greater good, while I've read elsewhere that the tau will accept the philosophies of others, though they will still see them as inferior. All in all, the tau are morally superior to the Imperium, though not by very much. If the rumors of the ethereals brainwashing their subjects through pheromones is true, the tau castes have no claim to morality whatsoever.


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## sartan2002 (Apr 15, 2010)

buckythefly said:


> I don't think tau are cannon fodder, but I do really, really, really, like punching fire warriors in the face. The rest of their army is scary, fire warriors are fun.


They also are a tasty treat for genestealers and gaunts


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

On a side note, its worth noting that although the Tau themselves are only capable of very limited warp travel, some of their allies - notably the Kroot (and plausably the Nicassar) are capable of true warp travel. Whether this has any effect on this debate though is unclear


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## warsmith7752 (Sep 12, 2009)

Didnt the imperium start out a bit like the tau are just now? because the imperium was origianally 8 worlds wih a good planetery defence built do withstand orks but then it got taken over by the emporor who made the primarch and the rest is history. I cant say wether the imperium used to be nice to its population. Also ta are fun to deep strike on top of with space puppies and blood angels:biggrin:.


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## Helvron (Jan 4, 2010)

its safe to say that the Tau where not really thought over as they made them, they are good target practice for the other races (dislike them, biggest mistake GW has made.) the Tau are not a threat to the Imperium because if they were they would have been wipped from the face of the galaxy. that and for all their great technology, it doesn't matter when your enemy can just crush you beneath the weight of bodies they can throw at you. the Tau are out numbered 100 to one by the Imperium (if the Imperium decided to take the Tau seriously.) and up untill Damocles Gulf crusade, the Tau didn't even know just how large the Imperium was.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

warsmith7752 said:


> Didnt the imperium start out a bit like the tau are just now? because the imperium was origianally 8 worlds wih a good planetery defence built do withstand orks but then it got taken over by the emporor who made the primarch and the rest is history. I cant say wether the imperium used to be nice to its population. Also ta are fun to deep strike on top of with space puppies and blood angels:biggrin:.


Drawing a comparison between how the Imperium and Tau Empire began is pointless, infact the vague similarities that are present could be said to be present in how most civilisations begin.

And the Imperium didn't start as eight worlds, it started as one technically; Terra, immediately following the unification wars. And I havn't a clue where your getting the idea from that the Imperium began as eight worlds with a good planetary defence system to withstand Orks...


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

I generally like the Tau as I enjoy the Japanese style they have adopted.

I also believe that the tau are morally superior to the imperium simply because of the kryptman massacre. Sorry but DESTROYING ALL LIFE on over a dozen worlds is far more serious than possible whatever genocide the tau have ever comitted. You know what too the funny thing is that it practically came to nothing seeming as he then diverted leviathan onto octarius.

Added to the point that the tau have sleek looking tanks.


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## warsmith7752 (Sep 12, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> Drawing a comparison between how the Imperium and Tau Empire began is pointless, infact the vague similarities that are present could be said to be present in how most civilisations begin.
> 
> And the Imperium didn't start as eight worlds, it started as one technically; Terra, immediately following the unification wars. And I havn't a clue where your getting the idea from that the Imperium began as eight worlds with a good planetary defence system to withstand Orks...


what i meant was that the imperium owned the planets around terra (mars notably) and it was tiny but the citizens had ok lives but this is ancient 10-20m history. as for the ork planetery defence im not sure where i read it i just remember that i did somewhere if its correct or not i cant say but up till now i just assumed it was.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

warsmith7752 said:


> what i meant was that the imperium owned the planets around terra (mars notably) and it was tiny but the citizens had ok lives but this is ancient 10-20m history. as for the ork planetery defence im not sure where i read it i just remember that i did somewhere if its correct or not i cant say but up till now i just assumed it was.


That wasn't the Imperium. The Imperium was created during/immediatly after the Unification Wars (around the end of M30) when the Emperor appeared.


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## Sephyr (Jan 18, 2010)

The Tau are a regional power at best. I find them quite weak on the tabletop, which is why I changed my main army to Chaos Marines (I love the models and concept, but it's hard to have fun when people are yawning and just tossing Sternguards on drop pods behind you and frying your vehicles with Land Speeder MM like it was going out of style), but in the fluff, I see them as a growing influence mostly due to the favorable situation in the galaxy.

The Empire has its hands full avoiding societal collapse, pancking over a flickering Astronomican, dealing with tyranid mega-invasions and whatnot. It could likely muster enough power to crush the Tau for good easily, but that would leave its defenses against other threats depleted, even assuming all goes well. The Tau would have to work overtime for 400 years to claim half as many worls as a splinter hive fleet would. 

The Eldar seem to have a bit of a soft spot for the Tau, though that may change is the lovable commies claim a few Maiden Worlds. 

Chaos is a lighter threat for them: they don't have psykers flaring out of control and allowing daemons to pour into worlds, and chaos marines apparently focus their attention of races with a better warp presence that can please their deities. 

Tyranids are as big a worry for them as for anyone, but galactig geography actually helps them here: their domain is tightly packed and easier to defend than scattered systems with vast emptines between them. They would collapse easily if in the path of a main invasion fleet, but can deal with lesser tendrils efficiently. 

So summing it up, they are a smaller power that can sometimes punch above their weight, and the current context certainly helps them do so. And every great power starts as a smaller, weaker force that could have been stomped easily by the previous overlords...if only they hadn't been so busy tending to theor overlordness.

As for the Tau haters...I think they are just peeved that Tau fashion lacks the abundant skulls their favorite factions have.


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Helvron said:


> its safe to say that the Tau where not really thought over as they made them, they are good target practice for the other races (dislike them, biggest mistake GW has made.) the Tau are not a threat to the Imperium because if they were they would have been wipped from the face of the galaxy. that and for all their great technology, it doesn't matter when your enemy can just crush you beneath the weight of bodies they can throw at you. the Tau are out numbered 100 to one by the Imperium (if the Imperium decided to take the Tau seriously.) and up untill Damocles Gulf crusade, the Tau didn't even know just how large the Imperium was.


It doesn't matter if they're a major threat or not. They're xenos. They could be a race of jolly, grape farming pacifists and the Imperium would still want them dead. I truly believe that the Imperium, as it is, can't wage a proper war against the tau without screwing themselves over. They've got the manpower and the arms to destroy the tau, but most of their resources are being directed toward keeping greater threats at bay. It's not that they don't care that the tau exist, as it's just not like the Imperium to not commit genocide when they have the capability to.

In a universe as hostile and bigoted as the 40K universe, you can't assume any race exists because other races are too lazy to end them.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

imo, the tau are a tribute to traditional SciFi, which seems rare in 40k.

Stylish, hi tech, and well meaning. So like the early star treks. Not that I ever watched that crap, but that`s the image I see.

Now I await a barrage from all the trekkie lovers out there. Bring it on.


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Serpion5 said:


> imo, the tau are a tribute to traditional SciFi, which seems rare in 40k.
> 
> Stylish, hi tech, and well meaning. So like the early star treks. Not that I ever watched that crap, but that`s the image I see.
> 
> Now I await a barrage from all the trekkie lovers out there. Bring it on.


I am not a star-trek fan, but I am here because the Tau are well meaning and the closest thing the whole damn universe has to "good guys."

But that being said, I hope the Tau bring in fans from....happier....series. Then I won't be alone..

You know, I actually do feel lonely as being one of the only optimists and tau fans here. It doesn't feel good watching your ideas get shot down.....


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## Lucio (Aug 10, 2009)

I don't see how Tau are bad on the tabletop, yall just arent playing very good players. I got eaten alive by Tau last time and managed to kill a kroot. my dice hated me, i mean really who fails ld 10 then runs all the way off the board? But still they look to be plenty promising competitively.


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## Sephyr (Jan 18, 2010)

Lucio said:


> I don't see how Tau are bad on the tabletop, yall just arent playing very good players. I got eaten alive by Tau last time and managed to kill a kroot. my dice hated me, i mean really who fails ld 10 then runs all the way off the board? But still they look to be plenty promising competitively.


I certainly hope you are right. But in my experience (from witnessing games mostly), Tau seem to suffer a lot with lousy leadership, inflexible troops choices (Fire warriors get an s5 gun, yes, but low BS means they won't be able to inflict significant casualties until the enemy is up in their grill and can get no special weapons added) and the many, MANY ways other armies have of closing in fast to assault or grant cover saves to their choice bits. 

In a way, it's quite fluffy. Tau prefer to retreat rather than fight a bloody, costly assault. Sadly, in tabletop temrs that translates as running off the edge of the table and losing.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Platypus5 said:


> You know, I actually do feel lonely as being one of the only optimists and tau fans here. It doesn't feel good watching your ideas get shot down.....


I`ve said this before, but I`ll say it again to you. Don`t take me too seriously. I tend towards type B-C personality and tend to regard a lot of things as a joke. That said, I can be serious. If I want to.:biggrin:

If I ever implied to shoot your ideas down, I`m sorry. I didn`t mean to offend or put down but I am a stickler sometimes, not helped that I am far from optimistic about much myself.

Believe me, I do not want to stifle anybody`s creativity. I know what it feels like to be told you`re no good at something. (up yours BW, not that you`ll ever see this) 
Keep dreaming, stay hopeful and to hell with the naysayers. :victory:


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

P.S. I am a tau player myself, though not a very good one. When your first armies were tyranids, necrons and orks, you get used to armies that can handle an assault. (yes, necrons could handle an assault, way back in 4th ed... I miss 4th ed.)


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## Lucio (Aug 10, 2009)

I'll be an optimist when the lion wakes up from his nappy. If that makes you feel any better XD


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## scolatae (Aug 25, 2008)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I would say its plausable that the Eldar had something to do with development of the Tau or possibly even the mysterious warpstorm that prevented the Imperium from purging them, but there is very little evidence to take this as an established fact.
> 
> There may be no recorded conflict between the Eldar and Tau, but then again why would there be? What possible benefit would the Eldar gain from engaging the Tau Empire? Unless there was some unseen and farflung event that was farseen that needed to be prevented by the Eldar engaging the Tau on some level, then the Eldar wouldn't bother using precious men and resources in attacking the Tau. But just because there is no recorded engagements between the Tau & Eldar, thats no basis to say the Eldar groomed the Tau to be their allies.
> 
> And also the Tau would never be in a position to help the Eldar reclaim the Webway. Firstly, why would they, unless the Eldar would then join the Greater Good the Tau have no reason to help the Eldar. And thats aside from that fact that large parts of the Webway are now irreversibly drowned in Chaos.


The benefit bieng that they would no longer be traped in their "Area" by a lack of warp capability, anyway perhaps the eldar simply forgot about them or the craftworld that orchestrated this was destroyed outright.


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## Khorothis (May 12, 2009)

The Tau do have a bit of problem on the tabletop. I never lost a single battle against them, the best they could achieve was putting up a good fight, even though I'm barely a mediocre CSM player. They just couldn't make me roll as many saves as any other army does. The 'nids have BS3, they shoot a lot but thats not the only thing they have up their sleeve, in fact, thats probably just an addition to their neat CC capabilities. In comparison, the Tau are stuck with shooting, which might be better in quality (since if something hits its not too hard for it to cause damage) but sure sucks in quantity, which happens to be more important than the former. They're in the same situation as the CSM IMHO: if you consider dead-serious tournament-type settings then the best they can do is make you sweat hard for your victory; all they need is a new Codex to fix things (hear that mister G.T.? FIX, not SCREW UP) and that should solve their problems for a couple years. However, since both are 4th edition codexes and not exactly the most popular armies, it is unlikely we're going to get any 'till 6th ed. BAAAWWWW!!!
:laugh:

On the fluff side of the argument, I think that the threat in the Tau is not their current state, which might be admirable but its still lacking the oomph of pretty much every other race. The big deal about the Tau is their potential. You see, they're small enough for the big fish to ignore in favour of other big fish, and conveniently enough they're in a rather safe place (meaning not in the path of a Hive Fleet). Added to that they are quick learners and adapt pretty fast too (see 5th ed 'nid 'dex). Consequently, they have all the time they need to evolve from small fish to big fish, meaning that it is only a matter of time for the Tau to expand their Empire and perfect their technology. And they are unique among the races of 40K in that the word "diplomacy" still exists in their book, and it isn't really a far-fetched idea that they could easily end up being friendly with the Eldar, to the point where the Tau consider them allies, even though they don't share the same philosophy. 
This is not unprecedented, since the Kroot aren't exactly the kind to give a fuck about something as high-strung as the Greater Good, they're just repaying the debt they owe to the Tau and feed on whatever they kill (makes you wonder if the Kroot are a sentient Tyranid sub-species, does it not?). I think it was written in the Tau Codex that the Tau find the Kroot's cannibalism abhorrent, yet they admire they fighting skills, meaning that if the Tau can come to an agreement with another species, they will do their best to teach them the Greater Good (think of it like this: if you know you're absolutely right and have a clear moral code that could easily make the universe a better place, wouldn't you want to share it?), but adopting it is not a strict requirement, though admittedly preferred.
So from the Eldar's perspective, allying themselves with the Tau wouldn't be restricting at all, in fact, it would lift some weight off their shoulders, in terms of protecting the Maiden Worlds (or rather staying away from them and keeping an eye on everyone else doing the same) that are in the Tau's neighbourhood. All they have to do in return is maybe share some technology (mainly space travel methinks), give them some books to read and lend a hand in a fight or two. Not too demanding methinks.
From the Tau's point of view this alliance can bring with it a wide range of possibilities, including but not limited to increase in military power, development of groundbraking technology (Railguns get the Melta rule :laugh and most importantly, one less race to worry about when they colonise worlds (that are not Maiden Worlds of course). And having a friend bigger than you is always a good thing. 
To sum up, the Tau have great potential but right now they're just small fish and they stay away from disturbing the big fish... for now.


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

Just look at the galaxy as the earth and notice that most of it is grotty with wars and all other sorts going on.

The Tau represent a tiny portion of which gets along well and will end up growing in strength slowly until they are very big. Think of them as the characters of Friends (that's a happier TV show right?)


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## Brother Boozekitty (Sep 29, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> I am not a star-trek fan, but I am here because the Tau are well meaning and the closest thing the whole damn universe has to "good guys."
> 
> But that being said, I hope the Tau bring in fans from....happier....series. Then I won't be alone..
> 
> You know, I actually do feel lonely as being one of the only optimists and tau fans here. It doesn't feel good watching your ideas get shot down.....


Good guys. Yeah okay. That makes sense.
Imperium "You aren't us. You die now."
Tau "You aren't us. Do what we tell you or die."
Necrons "Just die."
Eldar "We're better than you. Die elsewhere so we don't have to see your corpse."
The list goes on.

Such a huge difference, right? Yeah, the Imperium is much harsher to all xenos. Not going to argue that. But the Tau look down their non-existent noses at everything that's not gray-blue and afraid of melee just like the Imperium does to everything outside their realm, the Eldar do to all non-Eldar, the Necrons do to anything with a pulse... they're all the same.

Except for just a couple things. 1.) No other empire in WH40K stole their "vehicle" designs from a Japanese cartoon. 2.) Tau are communist/socialists. 

If James Bond and Rambo have taught us anything, it's that you can't trust the dirty commies, or militant Asians. And Tau are doing their best to represent both of those parties. 'Nuff said. :laugh:


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Well, communism works in theory. The main obstacle is that pesky notion of freewill. 

If people just do as they`re told, no problem right?

Do I want to just accept that, though? Fuck no! Would you?

The tau empire will not last forever, no regime does. Already there is dispute, in the form of Farsight. How long did that take? The tau are just Imperium Jr, still learning the harsh lessons of reality. Fluffwise, they are hope, a second chance. 

The necrons failed to build a stable and peaceful civilisation.
The eldar failed to to the same thing, albeit for different reasons.
The imperium is dying, slowly but it is dying.

And the tau are unfortunately heading the same way, they`re just taking a different road.


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## VanitusMalus (Jun 27, 2009)

The way you make it sound it is inevitable that the Tyranid and Orks will take over, lol. 

The problem with control is it can only truly be maintained through fear. Even the most promising of leaders and nations have on some level played on it's citizens followers fears and gained almost absolute power.

The Tau unfortunately will be no exception and probably even now are not. In reality though they would have been wiped out long ago interior bickering would occur as any philosphy is open to interpretation, they are also surrounded by legions of races who have had tens of thousands of years leaps ahead of them. If Tau discover a way to speed up their interstellar travel they might have a chance, but considering the galaxy has already been bogarted by man and other forces like Orks and the Tyranids who have vast expansions and spread like a plague they really don't have a chance. The Eldar and Dark Eldar survive solely by stealth and moving quickly about the galaxy. 

On a lighter note I do plan on collecting the Tau eventually.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

The ethereals play on fear, absolutely.

Tau are indoctrinated from birth to fear the death of any ethereal. 

Would it bother them if they did not have this belief forced upon them through childhood? I rather doubt it.

It`s like asking if a human would give a shit who the emperor was if he was born beyond reach of the imperium. Chances are he wouldn`t.

Just like I said, Different name same fate.:biggrin:


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## Asmodeun (Apr 26, 2009)

Sure, the other races have tens of thousands of years on them. How far have they caught up in five thousand years?
Tau are cool, and the greater good isn't communism. It is similar, but also quite different, as far as I'm aware (I'm no expert, but neither, I suspect, are you).
The whole mobile warfare is better than huge battles of attrition. Tau are more similar to modern armies than most imperium forces, with soldiers able to call in support from far off vehicles, meant to form quick manuevering forces etc. 
Overall I quite like them


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

You suspect a little too much. Everything I have read about tau fluff, the codex, as well as a few novels (courage and honour foremost) points to a state pretty much akin to communism. 

Individual tau are born into a caste and have little say in their career path, and the value of an individual is valued, though only for the reason that theey contribute. If they turn from the greater good (Farsight) then they are held as little more than traitors to be removed. aka, killed.

And yes, the tau style of warfare values life over victory. Much like modern western civilisation. But so too did humanity`s, so long ago (ie: today). This only reinforces my view that the tau are another race following our path. It`s only a matter of time. But like I said, there is hope.


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## mrrshann618 (Jun 6, 2008)

Greater Good is not really Communisim. If it were Communism then there would not be a caste system, everyone would be entitled to being equal. The idea of a Caste system is a class notion, which technically is "forbidden".

The Tau greater good is more akin to Mideval Church politics. They are the light that will lead the way if you follow them and their ideals. The concept of a caste system is to enhance those abilities that a person already exibits for the beterment of the whole of the empire. Yes there are "second class" citizens (another reason why it is not Communist) however races such as the Kroot who, even though they have no direct say over the running of the empire, are considered first class citizens of the empire (Note it is the Tau Empire, not republic or ect...) As races who have accepted their rule, they will remain lesser citizens until they can adequately adjust to their role within the Empire.

I'd like to note that even though Farsight went rogue, the Tau Empire has recognized that even a "broken cog" serves a purpose, in this case the renegade Farsight is serving as militarized barrier between the Tau and the Imperium. They are more than likey just sitting back and waiting for the Imperium to do their dirty work for them, and in the process weakening their forces so that the Tau can absorb those enclave worlds with minimal effort.

The Tau are just heading down a different path to damnation than everyone else, Ever hear of the phrase "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

What I am about to say addresses many points.

In the Tau Empire, there is actually a limited amount of free speech. 

I am not kidding.

In the Dawn of War; Dark Crusade archive for "The Vandian Coast," the Tau who is writing mentions something about the "Vandian Worker's Pact," which "claims that the workers suffer needlessly." That implies that this pact is able to openly state its opposition to some aspects of the Tau Empire. The Tau then mentioned that "clear attempts to explain the needs of the greater community" failed. That implies that the Tau leaders did NOT respond by arresting everyone in the pact, but rather sent water-caste diplomats to discuss the issues. I doubt the Tau mean that they sent everyone to a re-education camp. A re-education camp wouldn't "fail." At the very least, the Tau did make that their first move.

Much better than the Imperium. The Arbites would have shot everyone in the group the moment one of them said "I think that...."


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## murdock129 (Apr 3, 2008)

well in Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, if you win as the Tau it says that human births quickly began to diminish to the point where there were barely any humans on Kronus after a while, which can hardly be considered any better than the Imperium's hatred of anything not human and not human looking


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## Khorothis (May 12, 2009)

murdock129 said:


> well in Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, if you win as the Tau it says that human births quickly began to diminish to the point where there were barely any humans on Kronus after a while, which can hardly be considered any better than the Imperium's hatred of anything not human and not human looking


Take two things into consideration:

1, The story of 40K, Dark Crusade included, is told mostly from the Imperial perspective with varying degrees of fanaticism. Consequently, everything we hear/read is subject to the same amount of salt that has to be taken when you hear rumours about the Dark Eldar Codex update coming out this year: it may be true but the wise will only believe it when they have solid proof.

2, Humans in 40K are much more racists than your average human today, to the point where even the everyday citizen can't put up with a xenos regime, let alone cooporate. Not to mention that humans are inherently rebellious and are almost impossible to appease, especially if you're an "ask first, persuade second, shoot last" type of culture, which happens to be the main attitude of the Tau. Consequently, the population has to be purged of its rebellious elements, similarly to how the Inquisition weeds out cults and heretics. I think its not surprising that only a small percent of the original population remained.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

mrrshann618 said:


> Greater Good is not really Communisim. If it were Communism then there would not be a caste system, everyone would be entitled to being equal. The idea of a Caste system is a class notion, which technically is "forbidden."


The tau consider everone equally valuable. Their motto is "First among Equals."

The caste system is not a notion of class, it only dictates their career path. But each one has equal oppurtunity to excel and advance in their field.

Sorry, you haven`t swayed me. Believe what you want to, but the Greater Good is still communism to me. Not that it`s a bad thing mind you, it still sounds like a less oppressive regime than the imperium. (provided you`re a tau...)


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## lawrence96 (Sep 1, 2008)

I don't like the notion of "the Tau are the one race of good guys", remeber humanity isn't xenophobic out of choice, they are xenophobic out of neccesity. All alien life in the 41st millenium is seemingly hell bent on humanities destruction. For humanity it really is kill or be killed. the Tau have a choice, and they chose aggressive expansion, there really isn't any other word for it. They saw their neighbours had a BBQ, wanted it, tried to bargain for it, failed and then tried to take it.

In 40K there really are no good guys, no gooder then them guys or even slightly less evil guys.


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

Going back on Dark crusade. Even if there are very few human births on kronus then I know for definite that if the tau capital is taken over as the space marines then every tau on the planet is exterminated. BIG difference really.

The tau are also quite happy to integrate other aliens unlike the imperium. It may be true that they do not give most the top respect that the tau themselves enjoy but look on the bright side.

There is records of other alien races keeping their own culture just like before they were integrated (the kroot are a good example here) into the empire.

Secondly if some alien races are believed to be indoctrinated to the greater good then they become first class citizens (the vespid are a good example here).

The imperium however does not allow any alien prescence to exist within a few light years away and would shout heresy before flaming the ass of any alien that claims loyalty to the emporer.

In short the imperium is far too trigger happy for their own good.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Stephen_Newman said:


> The imperium however does not allow any alien prescence to exist within a few light years away and would shout heresy before flaming the ass of any alien that claims loyalty to the emporer.
> 
> In short the imperium is far too trigger happy for their own good.


Again WHY are they like that? Because they have to be!


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Coder59 said:


> Again WHY are they like that? Because they have to be!


Which ultimately goes to show that the Tau make fundamentally better rulers. Because the Tau rulers don't _have_ to be such jerkwads.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> Which ultimately goes to show that the Tau make fundamentally better rulers. Because the Tau rulers don't _have_ to be such jerkwads.


Wait how? Because the tau don't need to deal with things that humans do they make better rulers? I don't think so. That's like saying because one set of people gets attacked by a certain set of aliens and another doesn't the people who don't get attacked are racially suited to rule.


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Coder59 said:


> Again WHY are they like that? Because they have to be!


With orks and tyranids and the other major xeno races, maybe. But not all alien races out there are pathologically compelled to destroy humanity. That would be stupid. Even if the Imperium's xenophobia was "justified" I don't doubt for a second that they haven't at some point rained down holy fire on a budding sentient lifeform that meant the galaxy no ill will.


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## Lucio (Aug 10, 2009)

K3k3000 said:


> With orks and tyranids and the other major xeno races, maybe. But not all alien races out there are pathologically compelled to destroy humanity. That would be stupid. Even if the Imperium's xenophobia was "justified" I don't doubt for a second that they haven't at some point rained down holy fire on a budding sentient lifeform that meant the galaxy no ill will.


If you were hit from every alien race you encountered would you really wait for another enemy to grow especially when they are so easily destroyed?


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Lucio said:


> If you were hit from every alien race you encountered would you really wait for another enemy to grow especially when they are so easily destroyed?


Does perpetual, blind racism really sound like a preferable alternative? Sure, killing off every species will ensure that they won't piss you off, but it also ensures that you'll never find allies or genetic diversity. We can pretend it's a good idea and all the seemingly stupid decisions the Imperium makes are really the result of superb survival instincts honed from millenia of experienced, but that argument doesn't hold much weight when they're teetering over the edge of oblivion.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

K3k3000 said:


> Does perpetual, blind racism really sound like a preferable alternative? Sure, killing off every species will ensure that they won't piss you off, but it also ensures that you'll never find allies or genetic diversity. We can pretend it's a good idea and all the seemingly stupid decisions the Imperium makes are really the result of superb survival instincts honed from millenia of experienced, but that argument doesn't hold much weight when they're teetering over the edge of oblivion.


You're sort of assuming that there are a lot of Alien races who would be perfectly willing to jump into bed with the Imperium. The Tau are a good example of that they're not willing to be allied with you unless THEY are in control. And yes Wiping out aliens seems like a very good idea under such circumstances.

Humans Rule Aliens can suck it!


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Coder59 said:


> You're sort of assuming that there are a lot of Alien races who would be perfectly willing to jump into bed with the Imperium.


Why not? The tau have found multiple species that are willing to pledge allegiance to their cause. Why not the Imperium? Find an intelligent but technologically ignorant species, indoctrinate them in the ways of the Holy Emperor while using your "sacred" tech as proof of his existence, and boom, you have a race that's completely loyal to you, the angelic overlords who bear the miracles of the god Emperor.

The Imperium isn't the quintessence of survivalist wisdom in a chaotic galaxy. That was never their MO. The good ideas they had, such as wariness of potential enemies, unison through religion, and cautious employment of high technology, have, over the many thousands of years, been blown so far our of proportion that they hinder the Imperium more than help them. That's the point of bureaucracy. You start with ideas and regulations that are sound, and over the years they mutate into red tape that makes no sense and exists only for the sake of perpetuating tradition. That, in a nutshell, is what the Imperium has become.


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## shas'o Thraka (Jan 4, 2010)

Coder59 said:


> See thats my problem. They have a severe case of "Anything you can do others can do better" syndrome. I also think their design ethic is a little half arsed and their fluff is some of the weakest in the entire universe. They just strike me as one of those random alien races with no real agenda.
> 
> And Fire warrior was crap and you know it


firstly, fire warrior is not crap 
secondly it is because they need to be updated becasue every new codex out does the older ones, take a look at thee 5th edition SM codex, then look at space wolves, then finally look at BA. They progressively get better than the last.

Or maybe the 'veterans' at your club playing Tau are fail :biggrin:


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

shas'o Thraka said:


> firstly, fire warrior is not crap
> secondly it is because they need to be updated becasue every new codex out does the older ones, take a look at thee 5th edition SM codex, then look at space wolves, then finally look at BA. They progressively get better than the last.
> 
> Or maybe the 'veterans' at your club playing Tau are fail :biggrin:


No it sucked . And I've never seen anybody win with the Tau through tactics they nearly always win through the luck of the dice. I've even seen Dark Eldar players tear through Tau armies like theres no tommorow. So no it's not because the codex needs an update.


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## Lucio (Aug 10, 2009)

K3k3000 said:


> Does perpetual, blind racism really sound like a preferable alternative? Sure, killing off every species will ensure that they won't piss you off, but it also ensures that you'll never find allies or genetic diversity. We can pretend it's a good idea and all the seemingly stupid decisions the Imperium makes are really the result of superb survival instincts honed from millenia of experienced, but that argument doesn't hold much weight when they're teetering over the edge of oblivion.


genetic diversity? There isnt a race that interbreeds their people with others even so you have a ton of genetic diversity just from the volume of humans running around and reproducing.


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## K3k3000 (Dec 28, 2009)

Lucio said:


> genetic diversity? There isnt a race that interbreeds their people with others even so you have a ton of genetic diversity just from the volume of humans running around and reproducing.


With all mutants who deviate from the Imperium's preconception of humanity being killed or discriminated against depending on the planet, yes. Two races have more genetic diversity than one. Make a note of the weaknesses of the Imperium and find an intelligent alien species that can do what they can't. It worked for the tau.


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Of all the races, it simply cannot be questioned that the Tau are the most well-meaning and most altruistic of all the 40k races. Sure, the Eldar are more experienced and the Imperium's actions have more impact, but in ideology and its practice, the Tau have the clear edge. Even some of the normally haughty Eldar can't help but admit that the Tau "have good potential." One even said they "may surpass us."

No?


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

shas'o Thraka said:


> firstly, fire warrior is not crap
> secondly it is because they need to be updated becasue every new codex out does the older ones, take a look at thee 5th edition SM codex, then look at space wolves, then finally look at BA. They progressively get better than the last.
> 
> Or maybe the 'veterans' at your club playing Tau are fail :biggrin:


Oh for the love of god not this again. They are not getting more powerful! If you compare the 5th edition dexes they all have their own powers but none are more powerful than the last, just different.

To the actual question..... walking little ugly blue targets. lol And no, they are only nice if you agree.


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## Grimskul25 (Feb 17, 2009)

Platypus5 said:


> Of all the races, it simply cannot be questioned that the Tau are the most well-meaning and most altruistic of all the 40k races. Sure, the Eldar are more experienced and the Imperium's actions have more impact, but in ideology and its practice, the Tau have the clear edge. Even some of the normally haughty Eldar can't help but admit that the Tau "have good potential." One even said they "may surpass us."
> 
> No?


Eh....it just looks like they're trying to rationalize their imperialistic ways with an "open" ideology that keeps their moral values satisfied while they take over places that won't comply and grind them into the dust. Not to mention the fact that it seems they will do quite a lot of underhanded things to maintain control or gain the support of a possible resistant population, (its hinted that they use the "communion helms" on the vespids to control them). It looks like they're essentially like the other races but all the bad stuff they do is behind the scenes rather than the Imperium, who outwardly shows it practically everyday. I personally don't see their potential being too great as so far they've been EXTREMELY lucky only having to deal w/ a couple of splinter fleets, a couple of Ork Waaagh!'s and the Imperium having too much on its hands to deal with them seriously. If a real tyranid Hive fleet or big Ork Waaagh! (somewhere around Ghazghkull's calibre, maybe a bit lower but at least bigger than the ones currently plaguing the Tau) met them head on I'd have to say the Tau would be hard pressed to deal w/ them even w/their relatively high technology. BTW where was it said that an Eldar admitted that the Tau would surpass them anyways? I'm just curious.


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## shas'o Thraka (Jan 4, 2010)

Coder59 said:


> No it sucked . And I've never seen anybody win with the Tau through tactics they nearly always win through the luck of the dice. I've even seen Dark Eldar players tear through Tau armies like theres no tommorow. So no it's not because the codex needs an update.


Well When I play tau, mine seem to love melee, because I have played against orks and got into combat and won :grin:

But it all depends on who your enemy is, because as I say and you guys will probobly agree. Each new codex is tryng to outdo all the previous ones.


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

Again. NO! They are different not better. You just suffer from the same affliction alot of players seem to have; the ooooo shiny syndrome.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

gen.ahab said:


> Again. NO! They are different not better. You just suffer from the same affliction alot of players seem to have; the ooooo shiny syndrome.


I call this condition _novaphilia_ which basically translates into LOVE NEW STUFF. Those most at risk of this debilitating illness are simple minded children and low IQ adults who look at pretty statlines and rules without the rationality to think things all the way through.

I once feared that my younger brother was so afflicted, but no, he did not start tyranids to my relief. Now he has an army of space wolves that he doesn`t want, and a growing force of blood angels which are no doubt headed for the same fate. 

Me? Noo... TYRANIDS FIRST AND ALWAYS! 

I`ll start BA or wolves when I damn well want to, not when a shiny new dex comes out...



Back to tau. :biggrin: Coder 59 is right, Fire Warrior was a pretty shit game.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Serpion5 said:


> I call this condition _novaphilia_ which basically translates into LOVE NEW STUFF. Those most at risk of this debilitating illness are simple minded children and low IQ adults who look at pretty statlines and rules without the rationality to think things all the way through.
> 
> I once feared that my younger brother was so afflicted, but no, he did not start tyranids to my relief. Now he has an army of space wolves that he doesn`t want, and a growing force of blood angels which are no doubt headed for the same fate.
> 
> ...


Actually I know why this happens and why people scream that new Codex's are overpowered. It's because nobody knows quite how to deal with them when they come out. 

I'll use the Blood Angels as an example. I started playing Blood Angels back in 4th Ed and I used the Old OOOOLLLDDD add on codex coupled with Codex Space Marines. Exactly as I did with my Dark Angels (I actually started both armies in an ad hoc fashion right from the old Angels of Death Codex.)

Anyway when the Blood Angels new codex came out I ordered it along with a couple of Shiney new Sanguinary Guard and Death Company models. I painted them up got them ready and went to my local club. Of course everybody was wanting to see how the Blood Angels fared since I was the first one with a full BA army (we have a rule no unpainted or partially painted armies.) And What happened? I trashed everybody! Now it's a few weeks on and I'm winning less games because people have learned how to deal with the Army and have found tactics to counter my own.

The problem is a lot of Tau Players are completely dogmatic in their approach. They have a lot of firepower yes but they don't want to move around much since it lessens the impact of said firepower. Unfortunatley this tactic is better suited to the Guard. There's also no way Tau can recover from an assault. Result = Dead Tau.

And yeh what the hell was up with Fire Warrior? Who's idea was it to make the Bolter into a grenade launcher?


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Coder59 said:


> And yeh what the hell was up with Fire Warrior? Who's idea was it to make the Bolter into a grenade launcher?


The Alpha Legion. Always the Alpha Legion.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> The Alpha Legion. Always the Alpha Legion.


You know I bet they get the blame for everything in 40k. 

"Shop keeper short changed me....bloody Alpha Legion."

"We're out of Milk!....bloody Alpha Legion."

"The Tau just got made to look awesome!....bloody Alpha legion."

"Prospero Burns got pushed back because Dan Abnett has been diagnosed with Epilepsy and advised to spend less time writing (so i heard) .... Bloody Alpha Legion got to him!"


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## Platypus5 (Apr 7, 2010)

Grimskul25 said:


> BTW where was it said that an Eldar admitted that the Tau would surpass them anyways? I'm just curious.


Eldrad Ulthran: "I have followed the myriad potential futures of the Tau with great interest. Though barely even striplings compared to us, I feel a strange protectiveness towards them. In time I believe they will exceed even our greatest feats and master the darkness within their souls."

Source: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Quotes_Tau

And remember: Tau allow aliens to join their empire. Enough said.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Platypus5 said:


> Eldrad Ulthran: "I have followed the myriad potential futures of the Tau with great interest. Though barely even striplings compared to us, I feel a strange protectiveness towards them. In time I believe they will exceed even our greatest feats and master the darkness within their souls."
> 
> Source: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Quotes_Tau
> 
> And remember: Tau allow aliens to join their empire. Enough said.


Only alternative is death. :threaten: 



Coder59 said:


> You know I bet they get the blame for everything in 40k.
> 
> "Shop keeper short changed me....bloody Alpha Legion."
> 
> ...


This deserves its own thread. "Blame the Alpha Legion." :laugh:


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