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.

In light of all the new units for the Tau, I must protest about the new story behind the Tau. I like the Tau and started Warhammer 40k with the Tau because they were the only race that didn't wear skulls, didn't worship death, had no bulky and impractical armour, loved technology and had ambition.

But now, the new units are becoming ever more bulkier (stealth suits for example), the once proud, jedi-like ethereals are now depicted as wielding blades, wearing black robes, looking nasty and the new snippets of fluff suggest that the races that were inducted into the Tau empire were made to by force.

Why is Games Workshop turning them into an alien version of the Imperium? The ethereals now resemble Chaplains or other psykers and the armour is turning into Terminator armour. In the original background of the Tau, they would negotiate with an occupied planet and if the occupiers refused, they would take it by force.

The old ethereals wore bright, sandy coloured robes and carried symbols of office. The new ethereals wear black robes over red and carry spiked staves and blades and generally look mean. The slim stealth suits now have a helmet that stretches from their back to their groin and have bulkier legs.

Just wondering if anyone else agrees or has noticed this...

I think it's because for some reason GW feels obligated to make all non-human races evil. The eldar used to be a neutral force in GW fluff, sometimes helping, sometimes waring with the imperium. Now they make them out to be cold, callous, human hating killers of defensless imperial colonies. They are also behind the scenes manipulators who use the imperium as a shield against various different alien threats. Personally I don't mind this at all being a big fan of Eldar but that's just my personal oppinion.

I guess they just think that there wouldn't be enough reason to fight battles between Tau and everyone else if they were so good. This does seem kind of silly to me as I once looked at the Tau as kind of the one last shining star of hope in the 40k universe, and now of course I do feel that GW has changed their outlook on how they act and indoctrinate worlds into their empire. I'd still like to see what kind of background they come out with in Tau Empire though before really solidifying my outlook on them.

Yeah, I saw them as the last beacon of hope as well, but GW seems to feel the need to only have 'nightmares' in 'the nightmare of the 41st millenium'. But, I dont think I will take any notice of the new fluff... and probably wont paint my ethereals black.

It may be that the Tau now have to be more forceful by necessity. They're empire is now so big that they don't think they can afford to have enemies around them constantly. The Imperium is a collection of human worlds linked but uncontrolled by Terra, whilst the Tau empire is much more compact, with the various planets all in close contact with one another.

Seems to me its just an evolution of their race.  The fluff says that a warp storm (I believe) shielded them from the outside forces and their culture advance remarkably.  They were oblivious to the attitudes of the other races until they made contact.  Enough contact has now been made that the Tau race have had to change a few views - especially with Orks and Tyranids.  Even when they started out, it was hinted at that an unknown force was guiding them.  Anyone know what force that was?

I personally am liking the more darker versions more, BUT why GW is doing this when the rest of the game fluff stays the same is odd.  What I am talking about is things like Armageddon and the Eye of Terror campaigns.  They don't want to mess things up by making one side a winner but they go and start changing the overall feel of the Tau.  I guess they don't want to make whole groups of people upset by loosing (ie the evil or good side in those campaigns) but making a few Tau players angry is ok.

Hmm.. maybe you have a point there, jlmb_123 but becoming forceful and downright evil are two different things. Maybe the ethereals have decided that they need to become more involved in the battles, but since when do they wear black robes such?

And that does not address the issue with the bulky armour. Why oh why are they turning them into alien space marines??

Aaaa stop please!!

They wear black robes because they've seen SW Episode 3, and thought Anakin Skywalker was so much cooler after his makeover! Black is the new White/Grey/Blue colour Ethereals used to wear!

Here is the great thing about warhammer 40k. You can paint the robes pink if you want. So buy them, clip off any thing you don't want, and paint them pale.

Hrmm I have a thought....

Perhaps the GW folks (whoever got assigned to the new Tau Codex more specifically) decided that making the Tau ARMY more brutal and scary was a good idea. I mean, it makes sense to me that the Ethereals would be peaceful in their sandy-cloured robes, negotiating and the like (unlike the Imperium who judge then either convert or wipe out new peoples) but when they need to use force, as you said, they don their fighting gear (not unlike the samurai lords after which I thing they are modeled).

*shrugs* just a thought!

But do they have to use weights? Or giant gold collars?

I like the idea that as the Tau empire grows, and more races are subsumed, the need for stricter security and a stronger offensive is needed to cope with the increasing borders on other races space. But I still do not like the changing of the armour. If they wanted bulkier models, they should have made new units.

Posted By jlmb_123 on 01/16/2006 7:46 AM
They wear black robes because they've seen SW Episode 3, and thought Anakin Skywalker was so much cooler after his makeover! Black is the new White/Grey/Blue colour Ethereals used to wear!

I must add my... hatred... my... LOATHING of Anakin Skywalker. The actor at least. How on earth could a whiny little runt whos balls haven't dropped turn into Darth Vader????

Don't get me started please.....

I must add my... hatred... my... LOATHING of Anakin Skywalker. The actor at least. How on earth could a whiny little runt whos balls haven't dropped turn into Darth Vader????

In fairness, Mark Hamel (is that the correct spelling?) is also a part of the Star Wars legend. And hatred is a path to the Dark Side.

Hamil, yeah...(don't know if I'm spelling it right either) He's one reason I'm looking forward to the next Batman movie. After having voiced the character on Batman: TAS for years, I'm looking forward to seeing him as a live Joker.

As for Christian Hayden (I think) I heard he's retiring from movies to be a stage actor so no need to worry about that...or are you thinking about Episode 1? It would have been kind of cool if Greivous cut Jar Jar in half or he fell in a garbage compactor or something like that.

*even bigger tangent* Episode 3 rules IMHO - on par with 5 in my book. It also kind of adds a bit of another dimension to the story - kind of goes from being a space opera with vaguely anti-technological themes to more of the six-act tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. (if that doesn't warrant a slap) The interesting thing to think about is that he does, in the end bring balance to the force - but the Jedi are destroyed along with the Sith...they're like matter and anti-matter, they annul each other after a huge explosion. Luke's the only Jedi left by the end of number 6, and the implication is he learned enough from Ben to not try to train anyone. Yoda's dead, so no new Jedi after Luke dies. No yin, no yang.

 

edit - just to keep this nominally on-topic, eh, whaddayou expect? Probably in another few years some Tau will develop better psychic powers as the race becomes more passionate through involvement in the rest of the Galaxy, they'll have a civil war and GW will release a range of Tau who worship the Greater Bad. Look out for a Greater Daemon of Malaal with a submunition railgun.

Yeah if GW lasts that long. Word has it they're not making as much as they used to.

Well to start when Tau came out they were introduced in a dessert type enviroment hence why the majority of their stuff were tan. INCLUDING their CLOTHING. Dude if you dont like it. Paint them another freaking color. Holy moly, you gonna wine about looks of there stealth suits that they are bulky. Who cares. Slap a sweet paint job on it and nobody will give a hoot. If you dont like it dont get it. Or convert it. Man tired of listening to these cry babys.

Posted By wight_widow on 01/22/2006 5:54 PM

Hamil, yeah...(don't know if I'm spelling it right either) He's one reason I'm looking forward to the next Batman movie. After having voiced the character on Batman: TAS for years, I'm looking forward to seeing him as a live Joker.

I still think they should have got Crispin Glover as the Joker.  I mean c'mon - he wrote, directed, and starred in a movie in which the whole cast had down syndrome except for him.  Can't you imagine the Joker doing something like that?

As for Tau.  The Tau aren't "good guys".  In 40k, much like in real life, there are no "good guys".  Most races have both good qualities and bad qualities (even Chaos).  I like how the Tau are starting to have to alter their idealistic views the more they are confronted with the realities of the 41st millenium.  Besides, good is a point of view.  All those who gain power are afraid to lose it.  Even the Tau.

Well to start when Tau came out they were introduced in a dessert type enviroment hence why the majority of their stuff were tan. INCLUDING their CLOTHING. Dude if you dont like it. Paint them another freaking color. Holy moly, you gonna wine about looks of there stealth suits that they are bulky. Who cares. Slap a sweet paint job on it and nobody will give a hoot. If you dont like it dont get it. Or convert it. Man tired of listening to these cry babys.

You can paint them different colours? How did you find that out? That's amazing, I'm so glad you pointed it out. I'm just glad that you weren't too scornful of our stupidity. Whew, different colours..................

Mate, we were looking at the GW pics,

Maybe the ethereals have decided that they need to become more involved in the battles, but since when do they wear black robes such?

Hellbug was just pointing out GW's changed attitude to the Ethereals. If your idea of a cry baby is somebody who is being critically observant, I've not the faintest clue why you're on a discussion forum.

Look another idiot who did not know you can paint them different colors. If your gonna complain about the way they look then PAINT THEM DIFFERENT COLORS. Man how hard is it.

I was being sarcastic, sunshine...............

Oh... my.... god.... A 'cry-baby' is one thing, but an imbecile is another. Grow up.

Abadabadoobaddon - "In 40k, much like in real life, there are no "good guys". Most races have both good qualities and bad qualities (even Chaos)."

How does Chaos have good qualities? They thrive on death, depradation, daemons and sacrificing lambs... but I guess I see your point. Erm, about the other races... except Dark Eldar... Chaos and Dark Eldar.. good qualities?

"I like how the Tau are starting to have to alter their idealistic views the more they are confronted with the realities of the 41st millenium. Besides, good is a point of view. All those who gain power are afraid to lose it."

Change isn't always bad, but it is just so drastic! But it was inevitable. A race that is cut off from the rest of the warring races and growing up in their 'perfect' world, it would be a bit of a shock to see things like daemons (by the way, how would a Tau react to a daemon? They are not psychic, so no Tau would know about the warp, and that's where daemons come form...) and half cyborg dudes with bazooka sized guns... Sad to see a race confronted with such a hostile galaxy and be forced to kill or be killed. At least it gives them a chance to blow away eldar pixies...

The last update on the subject was like, as far as the Tau empire is concerned, the "warping energies of the Chaos Gods" are just inventions of Imperial propogandists, and the traitors in the Eye of Terror no different from any other band of rebels (albeit a particularly nasty and bloodthirsty bunch).

Hellbug: I think the Tau's pragmatic (the word's been on the tip of my tongue since this thread started, but I could never remember it when I sat down to type) might make them not worry about Daemons. They'd probably just imagine them to be another alien race with peculiar physical make-up. The same with Obliterators. As the Rail Rifle wielding Pathfinder fluff shows, they're not averse to implanting their people with electrical gadgetry.

MattBaby: That's my thinking too. The Tau have not always been unified, so they probably don't expect an entire race to be a part of one political (and all the rest) entity.

@Helbug: I did read a piece of fluff posted here once where a heretic claimed the bodies of the Emperor and Horus had been mixed up, hence the Chaos rhetoric about the false Emperor. So from they're point of view maybe they're the truly loyal ones, while the rest of the Imperium are the real traitors. Nurgle has a sense of humour and Khorne has a sense of honour...can't really argue about the Dark Eldar, Slaanesh or Tzeentch, though.

good qualities- they know how to party

OK - that leave Tzeentch lol.

Where's kid_kyoto when we need him? Obviously they are black because black = super powers!

Sneak Preview of Codex: Skinny Not Space Marines in Black Robes

this is OT but does anyone know where to get the piece of fluff that tells the story of the Horus heresy from the Chaos point of view? I read it once and didn't save it, damn it!

Darkchild

Yeah I think it was in a White Dwarf... dunno which one but in the late 200s

no it wasn't, this thing was about 40 pages long!

Darkchild