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.

For part of my space marine fluff, I was thinking of a situation where the lower class of citizens on a planet on the eastern fringe, heard about the tau and decided to rebel and take over the planet and allow tau forces to use their planet as staging grounds for an invasion of the sector. Would this be a feasible scenario ?

 psychadelicmime wrote:
For part of my space marine fluff, I was thinking of a situation where the lower class of citizens on a planet on the eastern fringe, heard about the tau and decided to rebel and take over the planet and allow tau forces to use their planet as staging grounds for an invasion of the sector. Would this be a feasible scenario ?

with a chapter on site, i argue they would respond quickly to the incursions, and rip its heart out, leaving the local pdf to deal with it. Unless of course the tau come out in great force with the rebels.

I meant that the chapter would arrive post invasion of other planets in the sector. Sorry for the vagueness!

Then absolutely.

This is covered in several books, greedy local governors or those desperate for protection and not getting anything from distant terra have been turning to the more local Tau empire in droves.

I'd recommend Rogue Star by Andy Hoare...

Depends how its done I imagine.

The Imperium is quite hands off as long as nothing gets in the way of the tithe, so if its done in stages it could be quite plausible. Say the planet is ruled by an oppressive regime, and due to major discontent throughout the lower classes (poor living standards, violent crack downs, corruption, etc.), including a decent slice of PDF members, the regime is overthrown in a relatively bloodless coup/revolution. A democracy of sorts is established and is a chaotic mess, akin to the Russian Provisional Government/Weimar Republic/Spain in the 1930s with numerous factions struggling for domination. Into this scene comes the Bolsheviks of the scenario, a minor but highly organised faction who by offering power to the masses, plus food and liberty quickly grows in power. They are led by a Lenin figure who is actually quite a well off chap and who in his travels as a space merchant ended up meeting an Ethereal. He became converted to the Greater Good and is effectively promoting it through his faction.

Eventually, thanks to covert Tau help, the *Bolsheviks become quite well armed and seize power, something that is welcomed by many as they're offering all the lovely stuff plus order. Now in power Space Lenin has put his followers in charge of the PDF and other key institutions. Feeling secure, he contacts the Tau and they swoop in. Together the regime and Tau announce the end of Imperial tyranny and the new era of the Greater Good. Due to his power and Tau guns most people accept the situation, though the majority certainly through apathy, hoping the promise of prosperity will come true.

Now there certainly will be resistance but the Tau and regime forces crush overt opposition while a strong resistance and guerilla network remains. Word gets out, the Imperium mounts up, while at the same time the planet becomes a Tau barracks. The regime becomes more oppressive to dissidents and Space Lenin finds the Tau a lot more hands on than he expected, effectively becoming a puppet but with no real alternative.

OR

A low-level resistance on an Imperial world fighting for pseudo-communist equality, easily being handled by the poorly equipped PDF of the regime, are supplied by the Tau and due to underestimating them, the resistance seizes the capital and due to discontent is supported by the populace until they realise the price for the guns. By then Tau forces are on the ground and able to suppress opposition.

Not only is it possible it's expected. Practically every tau story involves willing collaborators.

"Lower class" makes it tricky, in my opinion. The general populace of the Imperium is ( a ) fairly ignorant of what happens beyond the atmosphere they breathe and ( b ) flooded with propaganda and xenophobic state religion, so "having heard about Tau" just is not something that I, personally, would consider feasible for the average hive ganger, hab worker or fungus farmer and what have you.

However, with the nobility, things are different - in fact, looking at the Spyrer Gangs ... there was a piece of fluff in the 3E Tau Codex concerning that it was our small, blue-skinned friends who have traded this tech to local nobility, in crass disregard of Imperial edicts and potential preparation of invasion or infiltration.

"More difficult to enforce is when such technology finds its way into the hands of those in positions of authority or are difficult to trace. One example is the hunting rig of the so called 'Spyre Hunter' gangs found in the Necromunda Hive Complexes (CF: Ordo Xenos File 4353/Alien Technology/B). These aristocratic ne'er-do-wells wear armoured battlesuits said to be self sustaining, self repairing and fully capable of recording the wearer's every action. The implications of this last facility are truly horrifying. Does this information return to the Tau? Have these aliens been using these technological abominations to spy on our cities for all these years? It is imperative that these gangs be made to hand over their hunting rigs lest the Tau garner even more information concerning the Imperium."

Then we have the 3E WH Codex talking about the proximity of Tau colonies being a threat to neighboring human worlds and the spiritual purity of their population, which I assume refers to illegal trade and diplomatic contact.

And of course ...
"[...] Aliens can also be sanctioned as heretics - that the creed against which they transgress is not their own is of no account. Nevermore so is this true than of the alien who chances his army against the Emperor's Will by inciting rebellion, subverting the will of Imperial subjects or invading by force. Genesis matters naught - all heretics are damned, and all must be purged with fire, lest their apostasy gather a following."
- WD #382 SoB battle missions

So what I'd do in your place is to make the rebellion originate in the nobility rather than the lower classes - either overtly (announcing planetary secession) or covertly (manipulating local leaders and cults, thereby slowly growing support for their putsch and finally preparing for civil war against anyone standing against them). At first they'd have to get rid of the Arbites and clerics, then solidify their power and fortify their world for the inevitable backlash. The interesting thing about subverting the population with support of the nobility is that the nobles could practically play the citizens like puppets, on one side inciting hatred against the Imperium as a whole by intentionally steering popular attention regarding unpopular measures (increased conscription, administratum and ecclesiarchy tithes, raised work hours and quotas, purity control purges and pogroms, ...) whilst on the other side secretly supporting the growth of a pro-Tau movement by allowing the infiltration of public news feeds or the mass-printing of pamphlets promising a better future through peaceful cooperation and coexistence with your friendly xeno neighbours.

Also one proviso/ note, Tau are not to keen on providing weapons willy nilly, even the Kroot have to kinda earn a pulse rifle, and Gue'vesa units have a few small arms, what they do happily provide is luxuries, and life enhancing tech (farm tech and such), weapons have a way of being turned back on the gifters.
What the tau have demostrated is a willingness to deploy in force to "protect" the safety and rights of planets wanting to join the empire (using that as a reason basicaly for military action, IA :3 had a pretty good example of this )
But good luck on the project.

Yes, this is pretty much how the Tau take planets. Although they usually subvert some portion of the Imperial government on the planet itself. Giving him supplies to stage a coupe or having him weaken the defences.

Take a look at the Taros campaign.
Imperial world collaborated by trading with the Tau. Might be a good start for you.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Taros_Campaign