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.

So Tau FTL travel often comes up. I sort of know how that has changed, although I'm not 100% on the current canon.

However, I have rarely seen communication discussed. They must have some way of talking to colonies, or their Empire would basically be impossible. Has this ever been covered? My gut feeling is that they use a psychic race to gain astropaths, such as the Nicassar or the Kroot.

 Trickstick wrote:
So Tau FTL travel often comes up. I sort of know how that has changed, although I'm not 100% on the current canon.

However, I have rarely seen communication discussed. They must have some way of talking to colonies, or their Empire would basically be impossible. Has this ever been covered? My gut feeling is that they use a psychic race to gain astropaths, such as the Nicassar or the Kroot.

They don't. They communicate via messages delivered by courier ships. The Tau Empire, just like the Imperium, is a decentralized empire, with each system or Sept essentially functioning on its own for most local decision making.

Zero FTL comms and travel. Last Chancers book is great talking about it and some of the Cain books

Well that is insane. And people are worried about the Tau being a threat.

 Trickstick wrote:
Well that is insane. And people are worried about the Tau being a threat.

At present theyre not, but as a species theyve developed astonishingly rapidly. Its not beyond the realm of possibility that in a few centuries they'll have solved the FTL problem (hopefully without ripping holes in the universe again).

 Trickstick wrote:
Well that is insane. And people are worried about the Tau being a threat.

You realize this is normal for the 40k universe, right? The only FTL communication is via astropath, and those messages are visions subject to interpretation. And often aren't instant either.

Orks don't have FTL Comms, neither do Eldar (though the web way lets them cheat a bit), or necrons, or Tyranids. chaos forces only have it sometimes.


Further, instant (or even very fast) communication isn't necessary for Empire building. Just ask the Brits.

In real time, they have no analogue of the astropath.

The tau empire is - by imperial standards - very close-knit - and they do maintain a series of high-speed - by tau standards - courier ships called the messenger class.

Note that frankly, even the imperium has very limited FTL communication. Unless you're really, really influential, even if the planet has an astropath or two (and seriously we're talking those numbers tops in normal situation) most astropathic messages struggle to convey more information than "oh, bugger, orks!"

The Tau basically have to send a courier with the message.

Sending courier.ships is literally a faster than light communication method. Not a FTL broadcast method, but FTL nonetheless.

I believe the Tau also have courier drones, rather than an entire ship. They load the drone with any relevant data and send it on their way. Maybe not as instantaneous as an astropath, but much cheaper and more reliable.

 Flinty wrote:
Sending courier.ships is literally a faster than light communication method. Not a FTL broadcast method, but FTL nonetheless.

I don't think those are FTL.

I heard rumor that in a new Farsight story that Farsight was able to communicate way-long range to someone through O’ves or whatever it is after detecting the guy that fought the Chapter Master of the Scar Lords got out of stasis.

 Trickstick wrote:

 Flinty wrote:
Sending courier.ships is literally a faster than light communication method. Not a FTL broadcast method, but FTL nonetheless.

I don't think those are FTL.

Messenger-class ship's are FTL. They are automated to the point of only needing a single crewman for short hops, but they are manned.

Drones are not capable of FTL.