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I've heard a lot about Tau being young and naive, and from what I've read, this is certainly true. The question now is, can they survive their youthful naivete and actually make it work, or will they come to regret it and either be destroyed by themselves or their enemies or will they become just like the Humans, the Eldar, and the other Elder Races?

It's hard to say.

Tau now have to primitive FTL to make a big impact on the galaxy. And if the galaxy start crushing down in the great Chaos storm it will surely cough the Tau Empire too.

But if Tau Empire survive this they will have literally entire galaxy to themselves ( considering that the Imperium and most of Humanity is killed and all of the Eldar sacrificed to kill Slaanesh ), but if Star Child theory happened than the Emperor returns and we will see how ill he think about Tau.

On the other hand, if some major WARGHHH came their way or some larger Tyranid Hive Fleet they will suffer greatly. The Tau are simply not that much strong now to combat most serious threats.

But giving enough time I think that they might actually become major player on galactic scene.

Tau are the equivalent of that guy in the 4v4 Starcraft match who's base got destroyed and the only building he has left is his Command Center, which he boosted away to an empty expansion on the other side of the map at the last second.

If any of the opponents notice his pathetic base down there, they'll crush it with their massive armies. But if they don't notice it, or ignore it as a non-threat, long enough for the guy to build up his macro again, he can be a formidable force in the late game, and might even tip the scales.

The Tyranids will keep on coming regardless of whether or not the Imperium falls and the Astronomican goes out - their course is set, and the first three fleets (Behemoth, Kraken, and Leviathan) have already confirmed to the Hive Mind that the galaxy is worth the effort. And I may have this wrong, but don't the Tau already have problems regarding Necrons, Orks, Dark Eldar, and Tyranids?

yes but they already are allied with the empire sometimes so they are just like any other race gm just made them 2 look really nice in the game when theycame out.

What? I'm sorry, I don't understand what you just posted.

well i know a good amount about the tau theyhad a home world until it god blown up by the empire but the tau tought it was just space storms ROFL. they are not as plot crutial as space marines but still hold lands of there own.

tonyneedspills23 wrote:
well i know a good amount about the tau theyhad a home world until it god blown up by the empire but the tau tought it was just space storms ROFL. they are not as plot crutial as space marines but still hold lands of there own.

I believe this is what's called a troll post.

The problem with the Tau is the larger they grow the more attention they'll attract. Luckily for them, the IoM at least is stretched pretty thin and unable to dedicate too many resources against them, whilst they're also on the opposite side of the galaxy to the EoT and therefore most of Chaos-forces.

However, Necrons, Tyranids and Orks are all pretty prevalent on the Eastern Fringe/side of the galaxy.

I'm just hoping the tau invent some sort of ray gun that prohibits necron WWB / RP/ EL thingies <_< .... gawd I hate killing the same warlord 4 times in a row. It's like having an extra 400 points >.<

I've heard the War of Dakka is pretty much going badly and getting worse for the Tau (especially with their anti-Ork specialist Farsight striking out on his own) and going good and getting better for the Orks. And apparently, the Imperium is just dandy with the whole situation.

To me, the Tau are all about potential. Yes, if the Imperium were to push as much force onto the Tau as they do the Eye of Terror, the Tau would be crushed. But they haven't. So instead the Tau continue to innovate and slowly expand while the majority of the Imperium ignores them. But for how long? A hundred years? A thousand? The Tau could do quite a bit in that time. But then there's everyone saying, "It doesn't matter, the Tyranid will crush them anyway." The Tau pretty much do nothing except adapt as much as they can. Who's to say the Tau couldn't develop a device that hides any trace of biomass on a planet from the Tyranid's senses? Even just to buy themselves more time. And really, that's all the Tau need.

I think the biggest factor is their Greater Good ideology. If it survives, then the Tau will be OK. If not, then they are doomed.

Admiral Valerian wrote:
I've heard a lot about Tau being young and naive, and from what I've read, this is certainly true. The question now is, can they survive their youthful naivete and actually make it work, or will they come to regret it and either be destroyed by themselves or their enemies or will they become just like the Humans, the Eldar, and the other Elder Races?

People seem to think that there naive is a problem, but really it's their best asset. (Some fluff dosen't play it as naive though, they kind of flip the script and make it look like everyone else is wrong about how the universe works.) Though I really don't see how they can be friendly with everyone forever. Just ask what they will do with the kroot when they run out of people to eat?

Does anyone else wonder if Tau team up with eldar and they were never bothered for, O lets say 1000 years. That those two united would be a super weapon force to be reconned with? I mean you have the best of mind+weapons having a ton fo free time to progress over 1k years. DAAAM is all i think. Anyone else agree?

nomotog wrote:
Though I really don't see how they can be friendly with everyone forever. Just ask what they will do with the kroot when they run out of people to eat?

How are the Kroot going to run out of people to eat?!

Considering they're largely immune to it, naivety may help against Chaos. Otherwise knowledge could well be power.

The Tau "Friendliness" is not so much to do with being Naive per se, but more thier own doctrine pertaining to first contact and escalation of force.

They always try a diplomantic approach first, then the commerce, and when all else fails they call in the military, make no mistakes the Tau can and will be capable of genocide when it benifits the greater good, and learn thier lessons well, Orks, Necrons, Darkeldar, Imperium, Tyranids,chaos, have all been approached and now the Tau know what those races stances are, which can be delt with and such.

The Tau are still a small empire on a galactic scale, and are aware of that now as well, so they carefully husband thier resources, and use wasteful warfare as a last resort, and in a galaxy with so many nasty races that give no alternative to eradication, they will likely find many races willing to join the Tau empire, for mutual protection and gain..considering the alternatives, Iom for example exterminates xenos as a standard response, and those are one of the "nicer" factions.

And as to Kroot, they eat sentients and such not just for food, but to evolve thier race, the shapers direct this feeding to the gain of the kroot adaptability. for just food I am sure they can eat any form of meat, not just people.

In the next Codex I am sure we will see a much darker Tau empire, with a more diverse break in the types of septs, I just hope they dont go overboard in the grimdarkiness, plenty of other factions that wallow in that now.

Just give me some cool new techs and maintain the growing expanding empire vibe that the Tau have always had.

And if the Allies supplement does indeed happen, I am sure the Tau will be the major player with most of those races added..me I want some Zoats to add as a Tau Aux.

The thing with the Tau is time. They went from being cavemen to the advanced species they are today in like 3,000 years, a drop in the bucket for the Imperium that saw them regress during that same time if anything. How will the Tau be in another thousand years, or another three thousand years? This is the true threat of the Tau to the Imperium, right now they can be exterminated if the Imperium put enough effort into it (albeit it would require resources that the Imperium doesn't have in 999.M41) but this will likely not be so in even another millennium.

 Omfgorzzz wrote:
Does anyone else wonder if Tau team up with eldar and they were never bothered for, O lets say 1000 years. That those two united would be a super weapon force to be reconned with? I mean you have the best of mind+weapons having a ton fo free time to progress over 1k years. DAAAM is all i think. Anyone else agree?

From what I know about the Eldar, they're about as trustworthy as the Humans are when it comes to those not of their ilk. They'll put the Tau to good use then throw them away. If Humans are brutish upstarts little better than Orks, then Tau are mewling babies as far as the Eldar are concerned.

O well dam I guess in the cold dark future everyone is a *ick head. lol...To bad because I put my money on the Tau+anyone willing to progress with them seeing as how quick they can evolve as a race.(Well so long as the tau can stay alive.)

They've already survived the critical, most precarious baby steps of establishing themselves. They've faced major threats from Orks, Tyranids, IoM... and weathered them all.

The whole off the radar thing and "as soon as they get more attention they'll be stomped" attitude is just not viable in the galactic climate. Ever. The Tau expansion, and the other races lack of resources to deal with them, share an escalating relationship based on positive correlation. The bigger they get, the more force that will be needed to be sent against them - and that force will always be too great a force the others can spare.

Short answer; the Tau are here to stay... for the Greater Good!

 Omfgorzzz wrote:
Does anyone else wonder if Tau team up with eldar and they were never bothered for, O lets say 1000 years. That those two united would be a super weapon force to be reconned with? I mean you have the best of mind+weapons having a ton fo free time to progress over 1k years. DAAAM is all i think. Anyone else agree?

They could do a lot together. Once there was an idea floating that the Eldar were responsible for the creation of the Ethereals. Eldrad has a quote about them; "I have followed the myriad potential futures of the Tau with great interest. Though barely even striplings compared to us, I feel a strange protectiveness towards them. In time I believe they will exceed even our greatest feats and master the darkness within their souls."

Following Firewarrior( Game) I kinda started to think maybe the Tau would inherit a large swathe of the universe and be the race who made the big difference in the fight against Chaos.

Ok, let's assume Tau defeat Chaos (impossible, I know, but let's just assume) but how will they handle the 'crons without psychic powers? And with Chaos defeated, the Eldar will be wanting their old empire back, and there's still the Imperium now free of Chaos - from the looks of it, the elder races aren't exactly gonna be thrilled at these upstarts (not that they're thrilled either right now).

The specifics don't really matter. People thought the Tau would've never been able to stand up against a titan. Then in only a few decades, had developed and put into production the Tiger Shark. In any situation, you can count on the Tau to take a decisive defeat from a new enemy, then immediately follow it up with a meeting of rational minds who will all say, "Alright, what do we need, and how fast can we build it?" They'll always adapt and find some technological or xenos method around the problem. As long as they can hold off long enough.

jareddm wrote:
The specifics don't really matter. People thought the Tau would've never been able to stand up against a titan. Then in only a few decades, had developed and put into production the Tiger Shark. In any situation, you can count on the Tau to take a decisive defeat from a new enemy, then immediately follow it up with a meeting of rational minds who will all say, "Alright, what do we need, and how fast can we build it?" They'll always adapt and find some technological or xenos method around the problem. As long as they can hold off long enough.

I'm not sure they have the time or the capability to outclass the Necrons in technological terms. These guys only lost to the Eldar because of exhaustion - they were fighting both the Eldar and the Old Ones at the same time - and because their enemies had psychic mastery. And fighting resurgent, Chaos-free Humans and Eldar wouldn't be a good idea. Probably best the Tau lie low and wait for the dust to settle...of course, the victor would emerge all the stronger for their trouble, and free from doubt, so...

...I'm not sure 'naiive' is quite the right term. They do give other races the chance to join up, yes, but they are quite happy to glass planets and sterilize populations if they aren't compliant...

Zoats!

There's a blast from the past.

Tau Earth caste scientists invent the most powerful weapon ever to be handled by standard infantry

With this new weapon entire legions lay down their weapons and join the Greater Good and strive to spread the word of the Empire

Even the most stubborn zealots are turned by the awe inspiring power of these weapons.

All because some Earth caste scientist found an ancient copy of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and invented the Point of View gun.

The Eldar like the Tau more than any other race. They feel an almost maternal kindred toward them.

I think after a long time, they'll become as jaded as the rest