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Here is my go at it.

IG: Space Nazis? (Killing their own troops for not following orders, etc.)
SM: Space UN/NATO?
Eldar: Space Isolationists
DE: Space Pirates!

Sisters are clearly religious zealots. So... I guess... Space Religious Zealots?

Oh wait, that's Scientology.

Crons: egyptians IN SPAAAAACE
SW: vikings
AS: badass nuns
Eldar: monks?
Dark eldar: pirates
IG: nazis probably/red guard
SM: gears of war wannabees
CSM: evil gears of war wannabees
Daemons: emotions
Orks: brutish warmongers/anarchists
GK: badass/hipocrtitical priests
Tyranids: bugs/godzilla/nom nom/aliens ripoff
BA: vampire larpers
BT: crusaders

 extremefreak17 wrote:
Here is my go at it.

IG: Space Nazis? (Killing their own troops for not following orders, etc.)
SM: Space UN/NATO?
Eldar: Space Isolationists
DE: Space Pirates!

IG have commissars which makes them more akin to the Soviet Union than Nazi Germany, there's also the 'Not one step back' reference (stalins order 227 in 1941), officers are often purged etc. Their mass formation tactics and outdated weapons remind me of contemporary North Korea.

SM would be closer to Nazis as they travel the galaxy exterminating species they view as inferior to the master race (mankind)

Eldar. The British Empire, in decline now for generations, most of its holdings long since lost. Still a force to be reckoned with though.

DE are obviously just skinny Long John Silver in space, or maybe to continue the British/Eldar theme they can be Sir Francis Drake.

Personally I think tau are a bit more of space-utilitarians.

MarsNZ wrote:

 extremefreak17 wrote:
Here is my go at it.

IG: Space Nazis? (Killing their own troops for not following orders, etc.)
SM: Space UN/NATO?
Eldar: Space Isolationists
DE: Space Pirates!

IG have commissars which makes them more akin to the Soviet Union than Nazi Germany, there's also the 'Not one step back' reference (stalins order in 1941), officers are often purged etc. Their mass formation tactics and outdated weapons remind me of contemporary North Korea.

SM would be closer to Nazis as they travel the galaxy exterminating species they view as inferior to the master race (mankind)

Eldar. The British Empire, in decline now for generations, most of its holdings long since lost. Still a force to be reckoned with though.

DE are obviously just skinny Long John Silver in space, or maybe to continue the British/Eldar theme they can be Sir Francis Drake.

IG are a mix of every army from the first world war up until current day really. You've got the Vietnam warriors in the Catachans, first world war germans in the Death Korps of Krieg. You have Russia in the things you mentioned and that special character with the "bring in the next wave"-rule (I forget his name) and the Vostroyan Firstborn. In the Cadians you have any generic modern day soldier today (possibly with mostly American influences, but it's hard to tell since soldiers today are all very much alike) Rough Riders look like Ottoman cavalry, Praetorian Guard are british colony era soldiers and the Mordian Iron Guard are complete a**hats, waltzing around in their dress blues.

Yeah I kinda meant the feel of the faction as a whole, not the aesthetics of specific regiments. I mean, you can put a spike on their helmets and call their homeworld "Krieg" (epic facepalm) but they still have commissars, and an extremely Stalinist organisation.

Also Rough Riders are the Huns. Pretty sure they had an "Atilla" SC at some point.

Space +

Tau - Commies
Orks - Hooligans
Eldar - Hippies
Dark Eldar - Perverts
Imperium - Nazis
Tyranids - Roaches
Daemons - D'uh
Chaos Space Marines - Norweigian Death Metal Fans

Tau: An oppressive, militaristic and totalitarian regime that is so hell-bent on it's manifest destiny that it's willing to murder for it under the guise of spreading a better way of life. It uses a caste system that also has everyone on equal footing. Except aliens. So, they're communist but only communist in the sense that they aren't capitalists.

Tyranids: Xenomorphs+The bugs from Starship Troopers.

Imperial Guard: Depends

Cadia: Starship Troopers+Red Army

Catachan: Rambo in space!

Steel Legion: What America thinks the Panzergrenadiers were+Red Army+Fallschirmjaeger in space!

Valhallans: Red army in space!

I think you get the idea.

Eldar: High Elves in space!

Dark Eldar: Dark Elves in space!

Chaos: Typical fantasy bad dudes in space!

Space Marines: Knights+Conquistadors+Monks in space!

Orks: Orcs in space!

Sisters of Battle: Obligatory religious faction... in space!

Dark Angels: Knights+Monks+Conquistadors+(Insert favorite secret society here) in space!

Space Wolves: Vikings in Space!

Necrons: Obligatory high tech faction+Tomb Kings... in space!

Inquisition: NOBODY EXPECTS THE INQUISITION!... in space!

Imperium: Every totalitarian regime ever rolled into one! In space!

Blood Angels: Knights+Conquistadors+Monks+Vampires... in space!

AS= Templars in space.
BA= vampires in space.
BT= Crusaders in space.
Daemons= just demons.
Chaos Marines= just bad guys really.
DA= knights in space.
GK= shinier knights.
DE= BDSM elf pirates in space.
Eldar= Elves in space.
IG= anything you really want them to be in space.
Necrons= Terminator in space.
Orks= Orcs in space.
SM= warrior monks in space.
SW= Vikings in space.
Tau=Japanese commies in space.
Tyranids= Bugs in space.

SW: Furries
'Crons: Mary Sues
Tau: Weeaboos gone wild
Nurgle: Grimdark Santa
Eldar: Special Snowflakes

 TheCustomLime wrote:
Tau: An oppressive, militaristic and totalitarian regime that is so hell-bent on it's manifest destiny that it's willing to murder for it under the guise of spreading a better way of life. It uses a caste system that also has everyone on equal footing. Except aliens. So, they're communist but only communist in the sense that they aren't capitalists.

That makes no sense... Apart from implying that capitalists never have tried to spread their way of life by violence the Tau aren't even remotely resembling communists. The word 'communist' is just thrown about way too much by people who do not even have the slightest idea what communism actually is.
In fact, the Tau's rigid class society would have probably send Marx into a rage that Khorne would have been jealous of.


On Topic:
SM: Monastic knights and spec ops in Space!
CSM: Black knights in Space!
SW: Space Vikings!
BA: Space Vampires!
DA: Gay Space Monks!
IoM: Nightmarish totalitarian theocratic dystopia in Space!
Orks: Greenskinned football hooligans in Space!
Eldar: Space Elves! (also insert generic dwindling superior-to-humans elder race here)
Dark Eldar: Space Dark Elves!
Necrons: Space Tomb Kings!
Tyranids: (insert typical hostile all-devouring species with insectoid characteristics here) in Space!
Tau: Japanese in Space! (also Plato's The Republic in Space!)
Chaos Deamons: Deamons in Space!

@Iron_Captain

I should've clarified myself. I meant that Tau are communist in the sense that they don't seem to have the concepts of private property, consider all people equal and share. Otherwise they have nothing else in common with communism. I think the reason people use that term is that historically the term "Communist" has been thrown at anything that isn't like our society, i.e. not Capitalist. I wasn't implying that capitalist societies have never had manifest destiny tendencies, murdered people who weren't them and were racist.

Isn't it funny how the Tau are supposed to be the "good faction" despite how awful they are?

 TheCustomLime wrote:
Isn't it funny how the Tau are supposed to be the "good faction" despite how awful they are?

It is. That is why I love 40k. One of the only settings where a race of fanatical mindcontrolling supremacists is the least evil faction.

IG: Red Army on steroids... IN SPAAAACE!
SM: Genetically engineered badasses of faith...
AS: Nuns with guns.
BA: Italian Gay Vampires.
DA: Emo Marines.
SW: Badass closet furry vikings IN SPACE!
BT: Angry Teutonic crusaders with a power axe to grind.

Eldar: Ninja-Elves in space. TASTE THE RAINBOW!
DE: Ninja-Elves who thought that technicolour paintjob is too mainstream, and turned grim BDSM pirates instead. IN SPAAAACE!
Orks: Army of Leeroy Jenkins. Need I say more?
Chaos: Youtube commenters' emotional manifest.
CSM:
Tyranids: ET called back. He said that their pest problem went out of control.
Necrons: The very first and only successful scheme for world domination by Skeletor. I don't see He-Man around...

Tau aren't communists they're more akin to the British empire. Just replace 'ethereal' with 'tea' and it all makes sense

Tau have 25% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Water Caste)
The Imperium of Men has about 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Rogue Traders)

If Tau are Communists, then what is the IoM?

 Zweischneid wrote:
Tau have 25% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Water Caste)
The Imperium of Men has about 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Rogue Traders)

You really think, that RT are the only humans that can trade? That's complete bulls**t. They are the only ones allowed to trade with filthy xenos. Every sector/planet/city has organised society, with more or less free market.

Well, to put it all in humourously simple terms:

IG: Space soviets
SM: Space warrior monks
SoB: Space militant nuns
Eldar: Space elves
Dark Eldar: Evil space elves
Necrons Space robot tomb kings
Chaos Marines: Evil space warrior monks
Chaos Daemons: Space demons
Orks: Space football hooligan orcs
Tyranids: Space locusts
Tau: Space communists

 Avatrass wrote:

 Zweischneid wrote:
Tau have 25% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Water Caste)
The Imperium of Men has about 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of their adult population dedicated to free trade and commerce (Rogue Traders)

You really think, that RT are the only humans that can trade? That's complete bulls**t. They are the only ones allowed to trade with filthy xenos. Every sector/planet/city has organised society, with more or less free market.

All 40K books I've ever read all relevant industry and production are always in public ownership (e.g. Adeptus Mechanicus), innovation is heresy and only Rogue Traders flit between doing trade (and even they are constantly at risk of their assets being "seized" by the Adeptus, the Inquisition, the Council of Terra or pretty much everyone else at a moment's notice (Soul Hunter, Deathwatch, etc.. being good examples).

The entire Imperium runs on a government planned economy in every facet (except the criminal parts). Protection of "private" property is virtually unknown.

All 40K books I've ever read all relevant industry and production are always in public ownership (e.g. Adeptus Mechanicus), innovation is heresy and only Rogue Traders flit between doing trade (and even they are constantly at risk of their assets being "seized" by the Adeptus, the Inquisition, the Council of Terra or pretty much everyone else at a moment's notice (Soul Hunter, Deathwatch, etc.. being good examples).

The entire Imperium runs on a government planned economy in every facet (except the criminal parts). Protection of "private" property is virtually unknown.

Industry belongs to the Imperium of Man as does any property and all human lives. But it doesn't stop normal people from trading. Shops, markets, bars exist everywhere, they are present in many novels. If the Imperium banned any property exchange and tried to enforce it, it would be a shot in the foot.

 Avatrass wrote:

All 40K books I've ever read all relevant industry and production are always in public ownership (e.g. Adeptus Mechanicus), innovation is heresy and only Rogue Traders flit between doing trade (and even they are constantly at risk of their assets being "seized" by the Adeptus, the Inquisition, the Council of Terra or pretty much everyone else at a moment's notice (Soul Hunter, Deathwatch, etc.. being good examples).

The entire Imperium runs on a government planned economy in every facet (except the criminal parts). Protection of "private" property is virtually unknown.

Industry belongs to the Imperium of Man as does any property and all human lives. But it doesn't stop normal people from trading. Shops, markets, bars exist everywhere, they are present in many novels. If the Imperium banned any property exchange and tried to enforce it, it would be a shot in the foot.

Yeah.. well, shops, bars and markets exited in most communist countries, except for a few of the most extreme version (e.g. Khmer Rouge Cambodia) which collapsed quickly.

"State"-ownership of every (important) industry and absolute "state"-authority over any private rights (incl. property rights) is pretty much the essence of socialism/communism... far more so than anything described for / iconic to the Tau, whose main-theme kinda drives on caste-system (India, Mahayana Buddhism as a quest for advancing "the whole" over the indivdiual) along with some clear mercantilism-swipes along the way.

Not to mention the entire "mystery" question of "who created / accelerated" the Tau Civilization as an artificial galactic experiment. The whole species/civilization being "not natural, but engineered" is basically the Emperor's Primarch/Space-Marine programme on a vastly larger scale.

These threads always end well...

Yeah.. well, shops, bars and markets exited in most communist countries, except for a few of the most extreme version (e.g. Khmer Rouge Cambodia) which collapsed quickly.

"State"-ownership of every (important) industry and absolute "state"-authority over any private rights (incl. property rights) is pretty much the essence of socialism/communism... far more so than anything described for / iconic to the Tau, whose main-theme kinda drives on caste-system (India, Mahayana Buddhism as a quest for advancing "the whole" over the indivdiual) along with some clear mercantilism-swipes along the way.

Not to mention the entire "mystery" question of "who created / accelerated" the Tau Civilization as an artificial galactic experiment. The whole species/civilization being "not natural, but engineered" is basically the Emperor's Primarch/Space-Marine programme on a vastly larger scale.

Yep, I agree. Even in an opressive authoritarian country there must be much more than 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% people dedicated to commerce, otherwise it quickly collapses

As for Tau, their caste system always reminded me of Huxley's 'Brave New World'

As others have said, Tau are the commies in their philosophy, the IG are a more direct allegory to the Soviet Union, at least in terms of how they conduct war.

IG are clearly the red army, the real world force even had commissars.

The Imperium is totalitarian, opressive and a dictatorship that pretends it's a democracy, necron is spess zombies, dark eldar are massochistic slaver pirates, eldar are enigmatic isolationists who backstab other races to survive. Orks are brutish, thuggish aliens who live to foight. And i couldn't be bothered typing anymore...so yeah

 CrashCanuck wrote:
As others have said, Tau are the commies in their philosophy,

Except they are not.

The idea of a "caste system" is to communism like black is to white. It's pretty much the exact opposite. The whole idea of communism - as a philosophy - was to overthrow class/caste and create a classless, stateless, moneyless, egalitarian order.

The only way Tau could become something of an analogy to "communist philosophy" would be if they'd add the story line where Kroot et. al. as the "lowest" and "working class" of the society would overthrow the hierarchy of the Tau Castes to redistribute the riches of the Tau Empire (as well as doing away with dynastic families such as O'Shova, not to mention the Ethereals).

 Zweischneid wrote:

 CrashCanuck wrote:
As others have said, Tau are the commies in their philosophy,

Except they are not.

The idea of a "caste system" is to communism like black is to white. It's pretty much the exact opposite. The whole idea of communism - as a philosophy - was to overthrow class/caste and create a classless, stateless, moneyless, egalitarian order.

The only way Tau could become something of an analogy to "communist philosophy" would be if they'd add the story line where Kroot et. al. as the "lowest" and "working class" of the society would overthrow the hierarchy of the Tau Castes to redistribute the riches of the Tau Empire (as well as doing away with dynastic families such as O'Shova, not to mention the Ethereals).

Interesting post, Zweischneid. So Tau are a caste based, totalitarian, racist, and imperialistic regime with some socialist leanings? Doesn't really roll of the tongue as well as "Space Communist" I must say.

 TheCustomLime wrote:

 Zweischneid wrote:

 CrashCanuck wrote:
As others have said, Tau are the commies in their philosophy,

Except they are not.

The idea of a "caste system" is to communism like black is to white. It's pretty much the exact opposite. The whole idea of communism - as a philosophy - was to overthrow class/caste and create a classless, stateless, moneyless, egalitarian order.

The only way Tau could become something of an analogy to "communist philosophy" would be if they'd add the story line where Kroot et. al. as the "lowest" and "working class" of the society would overthrow the hierarchy of the Tau Castes to redistribute the riches of the Tau Empire (as well as doing away with dynastic families such as O'Shova, not to mention the Ethereals).

Interesting post, Zweischneid. So Tau are a caste based, totalitarian, racist, and imperialistic regime with some socialist leanings? Doesn't really roll of the tongue as well as "Space Communist" I must say.

Caste-based Oligarchy sounds good to me.