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So I'm a big modeler and painter that wants to start a new army. I've always thought Tau were one of the cooler factions in 40k but have never started them for fear that I won't get games on account of using a 'Power Army'. The reason I bring this up is because I love the batlesuit models and the Ghostkeel, Riptide, and Stormsurge are all very competitive choices that have the capacity to be very cheesy.

So is there a way that a casual gamer could equip or play these models so that they aren't totally through-the-roof powerful? I know this is kind of a stupid question but I'm just seeing what I can see. Cheers lads.

Detachments are the big problem in making Tau super-cheese. Things like the Riptide Wing, which makes a very strong unit even more powerful at the 'cost' of simply having more of those very strong units is bad game balance.

If your army is a mixed bag of units (some Fire Warriors, some Kroot, some Crisis), the presence of a Ghostkeel or Riptide sin't going to make the army cheesy. Tau do need SOME synergies to work at all (markerlights), so don't cripple yourself, just judge for yourself what detachments are horribly overpowered (it's not hard to see).

Pretty much what John Prins said. You're a modeler so chances are you aren't going to have too much spamming the same model in some crazy formation. Just stick your Tau in a good old Combined Arms Detachment to remove the buffing/special rule nonsense they're known for and you should be fine for most friendly games. It's like how Eldar can be played in a way that is fun and friendly, just don't spam annoying stuff.

People don't like seeing MULTIPLE Riptides, for example. Where as just one makes for a fun game.

Go back to the 5th edition fluff. Ignore all of the new MCs that never should have existed in the first place, bring tanks (ask your opponents if you can have 5th edition multitrackers back so they can fire like fast vehicles, it was really stupid to get rid of them) and aircraft instead. And take everything in a CAD, pretend the formations don't exist. You'll still have a reasonably capable army against less-competitive opponents and it will still look awesome from a modeling and painting point of view.

I agree with Peregrine but would add that you may need to find some different people to play against if they give you crap for playing a particular army, regardless of list composition.

Yup, Combined Arms should be fine; the fact that you are buying to collect and paint should mean you'll end up with a reasonable force. One Riptide, one Ghostkeel and one Stormsurge will be fine on their own in games over 1000 points I reckon

As others say, just give opponents an out, but don't compromise your hobby/fun utterly.

I'll ask opponents if they want a fluffy game, a super competitive one, or something in between, and build accordingly... but i'd never buy things strictly on the grounds for what someone else will "allow" me to play.

Since you mentioned that you love the Battlesuits in the Tau line, I would recommend a few things.

First is the Ghostkeel. The kit is amazing and fun to assemble. Once you clip the "stock pose" nubs off and realize the options are very nice, I think you'll enjoy the model. Rules wise, a Ghostkeel (or even multiples) in a CAD is not going to be hard to handle and will let you engage in Assault here and there.

A single Riptide shouldn't be to crazy, but keep the build pretty simple. A stock Heavy Burst Cannon with no Pilot Array is great here. One Riptide will also be a nice centerpiece unit.

The Stormsurge, well, this guy is a beast no matter the loadout. It's a good curtesy to make sure your opponent is fine with a SH or Garg LoW before you whip this guy out. Most of my club can handle a single LoW with most of their lists, but every group is different. Wait to grab this guy until you have a feel if it would be too much. Hopefully you can pick one up, because there are so may great conversions and alternate base models that you can take advantage of. I made two, both totally different, and they have dedicated roles based on appearance.

An easy way to prevent some of the "power units" Tau have from being overwhelming, won't require you to do anything or spend a cent: Don't bring Markerlights. I love the quick turnaround people have when I take shots with the Stormsurge's Cluster Rockets without Markers. "Wait, that 4d6 was the number of shots?!", turns to "How did you only do 4 wounds? The APs only 5, I still get armor/cover? That wasn't so bad. . .". Plus removing Markerlights will keep the Destroyer Missiles from being gross.


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One more thing that is a great model, Battlesuit wise, and is a toned down unit is the Coldstar Commander! An amazing kit as well with great bits and options for customization. I used magnets to swap his weapons out, and use him for any other Commander configuration just because he is a great looking piece.