Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Well, this thread is only for people who can handle early rumours without any conformation or proof for quite a while. So lean back, take your salt and enjoy the feeling that maybe you got a first glimpse at a release end of next year. Tau rumours are posted by dante76 over at Warseer:

Through a new source, who with hindsight turned out to be pretty accurate with Blood Angels and Skaven....

Pencilled in release date of Aug 2011

New Alien allies
All metal sets to plastic (Pathfinder, Kroot with hounds and Shaper, Vespids)
Box of Krootox and possible larger
Possible new tank
Changes to Hammerhead Railgun rules. Essentially draws a line across table hitting everything in line. Multiple pen through vehicles, only stopped by a glancing hit.
Changes to markerlights. Point system. 1 Markerlight point = + 1BS, 2 Markerlight points = reroll to wound/hit 3 = Difficult Terrain test (blinded by the lights?). Cannot be stacked. So cant have reroll to wound and reroll to hit at 4 points.
Battle Suits. A plug and play system. Essentially streamlined. Pick two guns and a skill or two skills a gun. New models might have interchangeable arms similar to Killa Kans....
Pathfinders no longer have to take Devilfish (probably infiltration)
No human auxilary in list... (whatever Tau call captured guard who fight for them)

On a side line, yes other armies might deserve attention quicker, but Tau currently are a: majority plastic b: play well currently.

More to come soon....

(Latest changes coloured orange)
For convenience, I add some pics of unreleased Tau/Kroot miniatures that we have seen over the years. Some seem to be test sculpts not meant for release though:

Kroot Shaper, probably Collector's range (pic June 2008):


Ejected Tau Crisis Suit pilot, also probably Collector's range (pics June 2008):




Farsight (test sculpt Matt Holland?, June 2009 and September 2008))




Pathfinders (test sculpts Matt Holland?, September 2008 and June 2009)

Not so sure about Plastic Krootox and Vespid, sounds sketchy. Maybe they will make new rules that will have them being worthwhile. Right now, I don't think I've ever seen a Vespid model in person.

And WOW!. Railgun line of death. That's awesome.

I should have my tau painted by next august, and be ready to enjoy the new codex!

Not sure that the Tau need more alien allies. My fear is that you will start seing Tau armies with little or no Tau represented if some worth taking Aliens pop up in the book.

That Railgun i'll take with a grain of salt of course but could you imagine 2 or 3 railguns in an Apoc game?

I like the idea of tons of alien allies. It makes more sense than figuring out more ways to arm firewarriors or more suits.

It really builds the idea that it's a true empire: a collection of nations.

Tau-riffic!

YTay

I hope they integrate some of the nicer FW stuff into the new 'dex (especially Knarloc riders - the 6 nicest models I own ) but will be most interested in the aliens.

At present Kroot are fine and are the most 'fleshed out' (pun intended ) of the allies. Another unit or 2 in the dex and a couple of tweaks and they're sorted.

Vespid need a serious overhaul (personally I'd keep their stats but make them cheaper and give them the scout USR - I like the idea of a swarm of outflanking bugs )

I'd like to see them use the opportunity to bring in Gue'vesa (human auxiliaries), although knowing GW this is probably the least likely given their current model of keeping everything seperate (Chaos, I'm looking in your direction...)

I just hope they don't drop the ball and miss out the opportunity to bring Nicassar and *gasp* Demiurg ground forces into the 'dex. Both are established through BFG and it would be a great way of building on what they have already.

just my $0.02 - will be keeping an eye on this though as I'm with Polonius, my ill-fated Tau force should be painted by next year too!

I'll have to play test the rail-gun rumor and see what kind of effect it has overall.

Would also like to see the Krootox be able to flank.

I would think this may be a similar plan for gauss/necron weaponry too.

Flanking Hammerheads would be cool

Wow, this sounds good hope something comes of this! i've got (read in bits for the past 6 months) a Kroot merc army, and love the option of having someone different to play with or convert!

Man rumors suck sometimes, not because the news isn't fun, but because if you get excited, you almost instantly realize the wait will probably be 2+ years at best.

It has been slim pickings for 40k this year I feel, despite the BA awesomeness...

some initial CADs of the new crisis suits. Keep in mind these ARE subject to change

I can see them expanding the Vespid and Kroot's role in the army. Plastic makes it easy to give them one box and have two or so 'units' in them. And why not? The Tau are suppost to have a good size multi-species empire so why not use them more? There is going to be a throw away human unit in the army when it gets redone.
It should be interesting to see what they come out with for them.

Please no Demiurg, I can't start another project! I have too many to finish already, and I never really wanted to play Tau....but if there are Squats I'll have no choice!

(Ha, there! Reset the clock again. Whew!)

Vespids will either look amazing but be unplayable or be competitive and look like az. They cannot have both.

Plastic broadsides would be nice, maybe they'll even price them like Kans. Probably not.

Bout time Tau got a change. All their special rules had to deal with Target priority, now that that is gone we can see some new changes. I cannot wait for this.

Sounds interesting. Lets hope they go back towards the original concept, especially for the Ethereals - skimpy loincloths and ornate spiky bits are best left to DE.

Also, more alien allies could help to make Tau playable as more than just a big gunline and really fits in with the fluff. Plus it would provide a great basis for making a Cabal army...

There has been lots of fan suggestions for how to change the Tau codex, especially around making Fire Warriors useful for something.

None of it featured Railguns being an SM Libby Magic Power attack.

If Railguns get the rumoured rule, everyone will use nine Broadsides.

I like what I hear, but I don't believe it....

Kilkrazy wrote:There has been lots of fan suggestions for how to change the Tau codex, especially around making Fire Warriors useful for something.

None of it featured Railguns being an SM Libby Magic Power attack.

If Railguns get the rumoured rule, everyone will use nine Broadsides.

let's just hope GW is smart and includes ALL the turret options for the hammer head this time around (i'm looking at the plasma cannon varrient as well as the fusion cannon one)

Kilkrazy wrote:There has been lots of fan suggestions for how to change the Tau codex, especially around making Fire Warriors useful for something.

None of it featured Railguns being an SM Libby Magic Power attack.

If Railguns get the rumoured rule, everyone will use nine Broadsides.

Rumored rule is for the Hammerhead Railgun, which has always been different from Broadsides.

Generalstoner wrote:Not sure that the Tau need more alien allies. My fear is that you will start seing Tau armies with little or no Tau represented if some worth taking Aliens pop up in the book.

Polonius wrote:I like the idea of tons of alien allies. It makes more sense than figuring out more ways to arm firewarriors or more suits.
It really builds the idea that it's a true empire: a collection of nations.

I agree with both of you. I like alien allies but I don't know if the Tau need any more. They will be dilluted out of their own list at this rate. The aliens are suppose to be auxilliaries so as long as GW through the rules maintain that numerical ballance.

I think Firewarriors are fine as is, I think crisis suits could, in a fluffy way, be rethought. I think FW has done a nice job of that.

I have updated the rumour text.
I also added some pics of old unreleased Tau/Kroot sculpts (before other people post them as new ), most seem to be test sculpts though not meant to be released.

Love the pic of the gundam VERY FUNNY.

I can handle waiting for ~2 years. What I can't handle is any possible reference to the nonsense wishlisting I saw on warseer in 2009 (Shas'O power weapons, are you kidding me!?)

ChiliPowderKeg wrote:I can handle waiting for ~2 years. What I can't handle is any possible reference to the nonsense wishlisting I saw on warseer in 2009 (Shas'O power weapons, are you kidding me!?)

shas'o power weapons would make since though.... but as an optional weapon for maybe 20 - 25 points

@kroothawk,

I love those pathfinders; much better than the current models IMHO.

Thanks for the rumor stew, Kroothawk. Sounds great! Tau are a cool army and I would love to see them get brought up to speed.

The next year sounds awesome: Dark Eldar, Daemon Hunters, Tau. Hell yes, son!

Sounds cool, can't wait. Hopefully the Crisis Suits get some needed updates in their design as well - their shoulders could use some Imperial proportions since they're tiny now and the ankles look pretty weak too.

That railgun rumor was the same one before the original Tau dex came out