You know how in real wars and battles, there are slang terms and words for the enemy . . .

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**Neophiles94**

Milisim wrote:You all fail to remember that the "Fish" Theme has been handed to the Tau race by the IoM.

Since the Tau do not speak "Humie"

The Fish designations are what the slang terms for Tau are already.....

The only good name I can think of relates to IoM from a Tyranid perspective....... Dinner.

Yes, but the 'nids think that of everyone...

But off the top of my head.

Necrons=Clankers, Cans
Orks=Greenskins, Barbarians
CSM=HERETICS!, Traitors, Turncoats
Eldar=Uptights, witches, hags
DE= Scum, soulsuckers, "They who torture"

I won't touch Tau until the whole 'fishy hooves' situation is resolved...

**Psienesis**

Fishy hooves?

SEAHORSES!!!!

**Anfauglir**

Neophiles94 wrote:
I won't touch Tau until the whole 'fishy hooves' situation is resolved...

There's a "situation" . . . ?

**Brotherjulian**

In the 2nd ed Ork codex they had orkish names for the other races. Humans = hoomies, marines = beakies, Eldar = pansies, demons = monstas, and Tyranids were bugs if I remember them right.

**Grey Templar**

Anfauglir wrote:
Neophiles94 wrote:
I won't touch Tau until the whole 'fishy hooves' situation is resolved...

There's a "situation" . . . ?

Yes, and unfortunantly 4chan is involved

**BLOODCLAWallday**

Communists?

**Nemesor Dave**

Tau are especially human looking and as soon as you start calling them blueskins you're bordering on an analogy with racism and ignorance. It's a part of 40k's distopian outlook that hard liners in IoM are so willfully ignorant that they cannot have peace with anyone not human. If you're going to give a "racist nickname" in your story be careful you're not making a parallel that says "racism is ok".

**Anfauglir**

Nemesor Dave wrote:Tau are especially human looking and as soon as you start calling them blueskins you're bordering on an analogy with racism and ignorance.

Well of course, gives the conflict some nice, meaty themes to grapple with, don't you think?

If you're going to give a "racist nickname" in your story be careful you're not making a parallel that says "racism is ok".

I don't really know how to respond to this . . . thanks for the warning, I guess? Any fluff that contains Imperial characters will also have thoughts, feelings, justifications, doubts, weaknesses etc that are rooted in the Imperial mindset/point of view. If I want elements of relative realism to reflect their xenophobia, and the demonisation of the enemy, to mirror real world instances during war time, I think I can do that without coming across as saying something as explicit and as silly as "racism is ok".

The Tau in particular are an interesting opponent to write about in this regard. They are pretty much exact opposites: old vs. new, faith & spirituality vs. science & technology, individual supremacy vs. galactic collectivism etc . . . yet also share more common ground than with the other xenos, their is room for reason, for logic, for mutual respect that simply does not (or can not) exist with say the Orks or Necrons.

**Phiasco II**

How about 'commy blue b@$t@rds!'. For the greater good sounds pretty communistic.