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Wouldn't it be incredibly easy? Somewhere here on the forum or somewhere else was saying that it would take 0.04% of all the imperial guard forces to eliminate the Tau. Why not just Virus bomb them? Sick titan legions back by other imperial forces? Discuss.

This isn't going to end well.

There are lots of bigger fish to fry out there Chaos, Tyranids, Orks... the Tau are a minor problem not worth bothering with yet, by and large

Commisar Von Humps wrote:Wouldn't it be incredibly easy? Somewhere here on the forum or somewhere else was saying that it would take 0.04% of all the imperial guard forces to eliminate the Tau. Why not just Virus bomb them? Sick titan legions back by other imperial forces? Discuss.

Well, in a word, yes, it would be pretty easy.

But to elaborate on why they don't, the Tau simply aren't as dangerous to the Imperium right now as most of the other factions, maybe even all, and the Tau actually fight some of the Imperium's enemies, like the Orks and the Tyranids for example. This helps halt a more major threat, while also depleting a for the time being minor threat of its resources and of its soldiers.

They leave the Tau alone because much greater threats deserve their attention.

Commisar Von Humps wrote:Wouldn't it be incredibly easy? Somewhere here on the forum or somewhere else was saying that it would take 0.04% of all the imperial guard forces to eliminate the Tau. Why not just Virus bomb them? Sick titan legions back by other imperial forces? Discuss.

Few decades worth of paperwork to go through before (if) the Imperium goes for the Tau in a big way... plus they are not a major threat and resources are usually required eslewhere.

Also if a certain Lady Inquisitors plan works (worked?) they can provide a useful speed bump for the Tryanids in that area of space and reduce the pressure on Imperial forces at least in this small bit.

The enemy of my enemy can be useful.....

Basically what other people have said. The tau just aren't as big a threat as the hundreds of other things that want to eat your faces. The tau don't even want to eat your face, so the IoM is loathed to spend the resources to take them out. Not when they don' have the troops to cover the wars they have now.

If the Imperium would wan't the whole Tau Imperium wiped out, it would be. But that would mean an large investation of resources and and military force (space marines are at an all out war all the time, or drinking beer and singing how they are the champions (space wolves), or at the worst combing their hair and mourning about how screwed they are (blood angels)). Imperial guard is too busy complaining about the space marines and killing them selves while their commanders are getting medals, and in the end getting rescued by the space marines . The Imperium of man mostly see the Tau as an nuisance and as an valuable resource (they have made few allies in their ranks). Obliterating the Tau Empire wolud only do harm to the Imperium (hive fleets would roam free, heretic numbers increasing, dark eldar raids would became more common etc.). But if I would be in the command of the Imperium, I would march an whole titan legion against the Tau just beacuse the sheer hell of it .

Coolyo294 wrote:This isn't going to end well.

I know brother Coolyo, I know...

Why would the Imperium kill of the Tau? Then who would fix the golden throne?

Wouldn't be "incredibly easy". It would be a hard-fought campaign involving significant resources.

These are resources the Imperium can't spare, especially when the Tau are one of the few groups out there not seeking the utter destruction of mankind. The 13th Black Crusade, 3rd Armageddon War, and Hive Fleets are all going on and are of much greater strategic significance.

The Imperium can't destroy the Tau right now. And I don't mean because they're militarily incapable of doing so. Rather, they simply can't allot the resources that would be necessary given how much gak is going on.

I heard a rumor that the only reason they let them live is as a speed bump for the tyranids.

Bigger threats and Tau forces have a habit background wise of punching above their weight. For example, in the Imperial Armour Taros book you get the distinct impression that they just use their superior range and mobility to wear the Imperial juggernaught down; whilst taking few losses themselves.

In Courage and Honour the Tau army has more crisis suits than Ultramarines. Granted those ultramarines have main character powers, but with plasma weapons other marines are going to take a lot of losses and they're next to irreplacable. battlesuits aren't

Titans. Well, in Taros they use an aircraft (forget name) to knock out a warhound and I doubt they would lack the means of knocking out the big titans. Otherwise it really would be easy for the Imperium. Perhaps a really big railgun.

Yes, the Imperium could nuke, virus bomb, exterminatus every enemy world in the galaxy but

A) It would be a very boring 40k universe if wars were decided this way. ie they didnt do this when the Sabbat worlds fell.
B) Why would you fight a war of conquest and not sieze a cluster of life sustaining worlds.

Totalwar1402 wrote:

Yes, the Imperium could nuke, virus bomb, exterminatus every enemy world in the galaxy but

A) It would be a very boring 40k universe if wars were decided this way. ie they didnt do this when the Sabbat worlds fell.

Um... I'm pretty sure the reason they didn't call in exterminatus on any of the sabbat worlds was because they were the worlds conquered by a particularly popular and successful imperial saint and that these worlds are sacred to her memory and therefore by extension sacred to the emperor. I don't think accusations of boring warfare were at the forefront of Slaydo's mind when he petitioned for crusade command. Exterminatus is for lost causes only Ie nids about to ravage a planet or whatever.

It will, I'm sure, turn out to have been very easy for the Imperium (or whoever) to exterminate the Tau if the studio decide it's no longer worth their while supporting their line.

English Assassin wrote:It will, I'm sure, turn out to have been very easy for the Imperium (or whoever) to exterminate the Tau if the studio decide it's no longer worth their while supporting their line.

Nids will eat their homeworld. That is all. Nothing more. They will be a single setence. They will all be dead because the one world got eaten. They will be squats. That is all.

You never know, they might get something slightly better than that.

It might be Necrons, or Draigo, or a CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT.

Check my facts, but tau killed there nid invasion in two planets. That crazy good when you consider that the IoM will burn over a dozen worlds just to establish a fire line, but the tau broke the back of the most adaptable hive fleet yet. Losing only two outposts/ (Ya it was mostly plot armor.) The idea that they will be eaten by nids after they killed the nids. *shrug* dosen't make the best of sense.

nomotog wrote:Check my facts, but tau killed there nid invasion in two planets. That crazy good when you consider that the IoM will burn over a dozen worlds just to establish a fire line, but the tau broke the back of the most adaptable hive fleet yet. Losing only two outposts/ (Ya it was mostly plot armor.) The idea that they will be eaten by nids after they killed the nids. *shrug* dosen't make the best of sense.

They were mostly losing until the Imperium helped out and the fleet couldn't adapt fast enough. Unfortunately that was a splinter and another bigger fleet is still on the way.

The thickness of Tau (or, insert any race name here) plot armor directly corresponds to the popularity (and stock) of the figures.

Sales go low?, they will stay 'plucky' then go the way of the Squats once the stock falls below a certain level.

Sales stay average and the plot will contain many instances of the 'plucky' Tau pulling out one here and there or the IoM is simply too busy to swat them out of the galaxy (where we are now).

If, after a new codex the Tau see a popularity boom, expect the cow to be milked and watch the glorious Tau defeat degenerate IoM forces in a set series of battles spreading the greater good to its long-suffering citizens... *snore*

That's how things work. So, if you want to see any of these things happen vote with your wallet.

geez I'm cynical...

Nicholas wrote:

nomotog wrote:Check my facts, but tau killed there nid invasion in two planets. That crazy good when you consider that the IoM will burn over a dozen worlds just to establish a fire line, but the tau broke the back of the most adaptable hive fleet yet. Losing only two outposts/ (Ya it was mostly plot armor.) The idea that they will be eaten by nids after they killed the nids. *shrug* dosen't make the best of sense.

They were mostly losing until the Imperium helped out and the fleet couldn't adapt fast enough. Unfortunately that was a splinter and another bigger fleet is still on the way.

yep correct. The nids have yet to come in full force. And the tau lost a ton of their fleet.

Asherian Command wrote:

Nicholas wrote:

nomotog wrote:Check my facts, but tau killed there nid invasion in two planets. That crazy good when you consider that the IoM will burn over a dozen worlds just to establish a fire line, but the tau broke the back of the most adaptable hive fleet yet. Losing only two outposts/ (Ya it was mostly plot armor.) The idea that they will be eaten by nids after they killed the nids. *shrug* dosen't make the best of sense.

They were mostly losing until the Imperium helped out and the fleet couldn't adapt fast enough. Unfortunately that was a splinter and another bigger fleet is still on the way.

yep correct. The nids have yet to come in full force. And the tau lost a ton of their fleet.

So gorgon can still show up again then? Still two planets lost from you first nid attack it a good show. You know it seems like every time the tau get in a fight they lose most of there fleet.

Brother Coa: I salute your self control in this one!

Really guys? Another one of these

nomotog wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:

Nicholas wrote:

nomotog wrote:Check my facts, but tau killed there nid invasion in two planets. That crazy good when you consider that the IoM will burn over a dozen worlds just to establish a fire line, but the tau broke the back of the most adaptable hive fleet yet. Losing only two outposts/ (Ya it was mostly plot armor.) The idea that they will be eaten by nids after they killed the nids. *shrug* dosen't make the best of sense.

They were mostly losing until the Imperium helped out and the fleet couldn't adapt fast enough. Unfortunately that was a splinter and another bigger fleet is still on the way.

yep correct. The nids have yet to come in full force. And the tau lost a ton of their fleet.

So gorgon can still show up again then? Still two planets lost from you first nid attack it a good show. You know it seems like every time the tau get in a fight they lose most of there fleet.

The tyranids are testing the Tau. they send a small strain to see what they can do then they come in with full force. These splinter forces are to see where it is the weakest and then they attack. They then attack in full force on that small little spot. the systems next to the tau empire are the Ultramarines, a few mechanius forge worlds, inqusition stronghold worlds. and hell the Death Watch Citadel. The tau are outmatched in this regard.

Nicholas wrote:They were mostly losing until the Imperium helped out and the fleet couldn't adapt fast enough. Unfortunately that was a splinter and another bigger fleet is still on the way.

They had aid in one planet by a small Imperial force. They still out-adapted the Tyranids and bested them in multiple battles.

Ratius wrote:Brother Coa: I salute your self control in this one!

Thanks. I learned that threads with this kind of question is useless for any kind of debate.

Really guys? Another one of these

Yeah, now I understand Tau players....even so we are more hated, the Imperials.

Ugly Green Trog wrote:

Totalwar1402 wrote:

Yes, the Imperium could nuke, virus bomb, exterminatus every enemy world in the galaxy but

A) It would be a very boring 40k universe if wars were decided this way. ie they didnt do this when the Sabbat worlds fell.

Um... I'm pretty sure the reason they didn't call in exterminatus on any of the sabbat worlds was because they were the worlds conquered by a particularly popular and successful imperial saint and that these worlds are sacred to her memory and therefore by extension sacred to the emperor. I don't think accusations of boring warfare were at the forefront of Slaydo's mind when he petitioned for crusade command. Exterminatus is for lost causes only Ie nids about to ravage a planet or whatever.

Um, thats exactly my point when I say directly below this that they wouldn't exterminatus the Tau Empire because their worlds are too valuable. The same with the Sabbat Worlds, they would be admitting that they screwed up big time letting a thousand worlds fall.

The Tau have also now drawn the attention of the Dark Eldar who assisted them against the Tryanids but with resons of their own that resulted in the depopulation of a Tau colony......and many new slaves/toys/emperimental subjects.

Genestealer Cults should also start showing up in the Tau Empire in a few decades......

Considering the Tau are being protected by something that was powerful enough to create on-demand warpstorms to stop the Imperium from virusbombing their nascent empire, I'd reason it might be wiser the IoM focus on more imminent dangers.

sirrah wrote:Considering the Tau are being protected by something that was powerful enough to create on-demand warpstorms to stop the Imperium from virusbombing their nascent empire, I'd reason it might be wiser the IoM focus on more imminent dangers.

Don't understimate the power of the pen of the game-design team is your point?

I guess this thread should tell you something. If anyone is going to rake out the tau, it's not going to be the IoM.