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I would say it's pretty unthinkable for many reasons.

Tau have a lot of kits from both GW and FW.

There is no way those kits would have been developed if Tau were unpopular enough to warrant scrapping them a few years later.

Hello, I'm a Manta and I cost almost £1000. I am also the most expensive model that FW, and by extension GW, produces.


If Tau get scrapped I will eat my weight in resin.

Not going to happen. This is some trick that someone is pulling because it's fun to tease the Tau fans, apparently.

Tau getting squatted? No.

Tau getting put on the back burner because Marines come first? Yes.

Tau are still prevalent in current fluff; it would absurd to kick the Tau to the curb as they still sell the product and more importantly, will generate more revenue for them when they get an update after 7-8 years, give or take.

Also, their FW models are kickin'.

anonammoose wrote:So, i've been listening to the "Walk and Talks" on miniwargaming.com and in a few of them Matt mentions he's heard rumors the Tau getting kicked to the curb:

http://www.miniwargaming.com/content/stupid-ad-blockers-sit-talk-part-15

I certainly hope not or I just wasted ton of money. I did a search but I couldn't find any relevant posts or anything via Google. You guys got anything?

<added question mark --Janthkin>

1.) GW explicit policy is to never squat an army again. So all these "Will GW squat army x" are nonsense.
2.) The rumour roundup puts the next Tau Codex first half 2013.

Not that I'd miss them, but bf GW intended to axe the Tau, I doubt they'd have called one of their new paints XV-88. Though, with an organisation sufficiently stupid to call one of their paints... XV-88, I'd rule nothing out.

Kroothawk wrote:GW explicit policy is to never squat an army again. So all these "Will GW squat army x" are nonsense.

Though I agree with you entirely in this instance, policies can change, and GW press statements are not given under oath. Genestealer Cults and The Lost and the Damned were both squatted long after the Squats themselves.

Tau still sell. Inspite of having a fairly dated dex and a playstyle that really suffers against other armies. They fill a very nice niche as both a 'pure' sci-fi army in one filled with fantasy themed armies, as a 'goodish' army and are useful as the animae themed army. All three of those things make them pretty unique in 40k and make them good sellers.

Kirasu wrote:GW has stated to their credit that no current armys are going to be discontinued..

Right, I think Jervis said as much (years ago). They would never make the same mistake again, especially considering the outcry for a relatively less popular army like Squats.

ScarletSquig wrote:They won't squat them, but there's nothing stopping GW from pulling a dark eldar on them and throwing them into a damp basement for a decade.

Sounds like BS designed to draw in an ad-revenue generating audience to me. Blood of Kittens does it all the time.

I think this is more likely, on both counts. BoK is rapidly becoming the National Enquirer of the GW-hobby world.

Here is a tin-foil hat moment: Some kind of legal wrangling between GW and Mantic. Mantic have jumped the gun with their Forge Fathers range, which look far too much like the forthcoming Demiurg (new entry to the 'Tau Empire' codex) -no surprise as there were rumours that Jes Goodwin started on them after DE a couple of years ago, and the staff in Nottingham (of various companies) are from a relatively small group. There will be some delay because either a) they want to clear the release of Demiurg b ) they are being redesigned with a different concept, or else GW have decided to throw them into development purgatory as most 'Dwarf in Space' fans will have already picked up Mantic Forgefathers by the time the models are released.

There we go, just call me Sherlock

Tau are most definitely not being squatted, not in the slightest and should be getting a lot of love next year.

As far as I know they aren't being held up for legal reasons.

Essentially Tau were just due to get some new models, basically re-cut Battle and Edit: Crisis Suits, plastic Path Finders etc.

However it was then decided that Tau should also get a Codex update, and so the models were held back for release with the Codex, but the schedule was pretty full at the time, so rumours suggest Tau first half of 2013.

Expect lots of new kits, a release similar to Necrons including a tau flyer.

StraightSilver wrote:Tau are most definitely not being squatted, not in the slightest and should be getting a lot of love next year.

As far as I know they aren't being held up for legal reasons.

Essentially Tau were just due to get some new models, basically re-cut Battle and Stealth Suits, plastic Path Finders etc.

However it was then decided that Tau should also get a Codex update, and so the models were held back for release with the Codex, but the schedule was pretty full at the time, so rumours suggest Tau first half of 2013.

Expect lots of new kits, a release similar to Necrons including a tau flyer.

Whats wrong with the current stealth suit models?

I think a Krootox wouldn't be unreasonable to expect.

Sorry, that's my bad I meant Crisis suits, will amend my post.

This sounds about as legit as one of the many "my uncle works at Nintendo" rumors I heard on the playground as a kid. Not happening.

Like scarletsquig said; I doubt the Tau will be Squatted, but I'm not holding my breath for a new and inspiring Codex.

CorvidMP wrote:They fill a niche in appealing to people who want thier sci-fi with out the darkness of the the grim-dark causing their entire army to be compelled to put skulls oneverything.

True that, though they're not all that moral. I'd think the niche is Gundam suits, relying on pure technology- "no Harry Potter 40K for me!" and a focus on ranged firepower.

English Assassin wrote:

Kroothawk wrote:GW explicit policy is to never squat an army again. So all these "Will GW squat army x" are nonsense.

Though I agree with you entirely in this instance, policies can change, and GW press statements are not given under oath. Genestealer Cults and The Lost and the Damned were both squatted long after the Squats themselves.

Genestealer cults and The Lost and the Damned never had a Codex and continue to not have one. Same with other campaign/WD lists.

Kroothawk wrote:

English Assassin wrote:

Kroothawk wrote:GW explicit policy is to never squat an army again. So all these "Will GW squat army x" are nonsense.

Though I agree with you entirely in this instance, policies can change, and GW press statements are not given under oath. Genestealer Cults and The Lost and the Damned were both squatted long after the Squats themselves.

Genestealer cults and The Lost and the Damned never had a Codex and continue to not have one. Same with other campaign/WD lists.

By that rationale, however, the Squats never had a codex either - their only official lists were in White Dwarf (later collected in the Compendium) and the 2nd ed. "Black Book". My point was that both Genestealer and Chaos cults had officially published lists (respectively in Codex: Tyranids for 2nd ed. and Codex: Eye of Terror for 3rd ed.), meaning that both were "squatted" some years later than the Squats themselves,and making the studio's promises rather dubious.

I can't see them removing them, but I could certainly see them not updating them for a long time (ie. necrons).

This sounds like MWGDave trolling Tau players.

If you believe everything you hear, Fox News want's your attention.

CorvidMP wrote:They fill a niche in appealing to people who want thier sci-fi with out the darkness of the the grim-dark causing their entire army to be compelled to put skulls oneverything.

Dammit, now I have to start a second Tau army, one that is in liege with Chaos. Perhaps ruled by some sort of possessed Ethereal?

SKULLS FOR THE SKULL DRONE!

maceria wrote:Dammit, now I have to start a second Tau army, one that is in liege with Chaos. Perhaps ruled by some sort of possessed Ethereal?

And then you read your first bit on tau background and realize that it doesn't work. But that is another topic, one discussed to death in countless locked Chaos Tau threads.

SickSix wrote:This sounds like MWGDave trolling Tau players.

I agree with Sick Six.

Tau aren't going anywhere. GW and FW have too much invested in the kits and molds for Tau to get dropped.

@Kroothawk: text does not relay very well, but that was mostly tongue in cheek. I have been looking for a Chaos Tau excuse for some time, but to no avail, for various locked thread reasons.

Dude shoot me some links to locked Chaos Tau threads. Sounds like a pretty comical read.

Tau are not going any where.

Totalwar1402 wrote:Tau still sell. Inspite of having a fairly dated dex and a playstyle that really suffers against other armies. They fill a very nice niche as both a 'pure' sci-fi army in one filled with fantasy themed armies, as a 'goodish' army and are useful as the animae themed army. All three of those things make them pretty unique in 40k and make them good sellers.

Really "pure" sci-fi army, with mecha running around all over the feild. Have you seen a IG army.

maceria wrote:

CorvidMP wrote:They fill a niche in appealing to people who want thier sci-fi with out the darkness of the the grim-dark causing their entire army to be compelled to put skulls oneverything.

Dammit, now I have to start a second Tau army, one that is in liege with Chaos. Perhaps ruled by some sort of possessed Ethereal?

SKULLS FOR THE SKULL DRONE!

Covered in skulls really says "Imperial" more than "Chaos"... Now if they were spikes, you'd be in business!

To me, the Tau are 'interesting' int hat they're basically at the top of a slope that every other 40k faction has long since slid down. At a civilization level, no faction in 40k is particularly sane. The Imperium has gone insane since the Heresy and is basically tearing itself apart. The Eldar are a dying race, too wrapped up int heir own strife and grief to do anything constructive. The Orks... Well, the orks are just too crazy to notice or care. They're happy murders and thugs. The Necrons and Tyranids have given in to massive hungers for death, destruction, etc.

The Tau? They're practically good. By comparison, at least. They do conquer other races, and generally seem to offer 'join or die' ultimatums, but they can be worked with. Allied races retain their identity and may even get stuff for joining.

it won't last, though. In the 40k setting, to remain a 'big player' it seems you have to do horrible, horrible things. The Tau are at a peak, and it's going to be ugly one day when they realize what horrible things they'll need to do to survive, and even uglier when they realize that they are completely willing to do them.

Noir wrote:
Really "pure" sci-fi army, with mecha running around all over the feild. Have you seen a IG army.

Considering IG use World War 2 tactics, commissars, tanks and weapons, then combine that with their very conventional weaponry. They're not as science-fantasy as Space Marines (knights in space with guns!) or what have you, but I'd hardly call them a pure sci-fi army.

IG have the chicken walkers out of Star Wars, but the rest of their stuff is basically WW1 or WW2.

Anyway that is off the topic.

There was a time when according to rumour, Tau accounted for 10 % of 40K sales.

I doubt it is as high now, because the book is five or six years old, very weak, and there have been no new models for as long.

A good new book, and a few new models, though, would get a lot of players into Tau.

Tau...WE want TAU

From an accounting perspective, removing the product line would make no sense except if it truly was selling terribly.

The reason for this is that plastic kits have a high up front cost and a low per unit cost. Since GW has already paid the high up front cost, there's really no reason why they can't do the occasional run of sprues to keep a minimum stock level of the tau plastic kits.

If they want to cancel the finecast side of Tau, they could. And then hand over the design, casting & sales of those things to Forge World.

The Tau would have to be selling worse than the worst WFB faction to justify scrapping them given how little each individual sprue & box costs relative to the cost of designing a new kit.

When more and more sets start dropping off the radar onto mail-order only then you know when to start worrying, until then I think its safe to say tau have nothing to worry about.

I've stopped collecting SoB twice already because of lack of availability ;o not being a big fan of Tau I wouldn't mind the swap around when SoB (3rd time lucky) is done in plastic, to see some different army if any need to at all to take the recall of shame to mail order only.