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The Rules of this thread are as follows: all statements that are not common knowledge (such as the capabilities of a Power Sword or strength of a Space Marine) must be supported by cited sources. Be they websites, IA articles, codices, or novels, it matters not; the only thing that matters is that what you say is backed up, or else it will be dismissed offhand.
Mostly, this thread is just going to be my compilation of fluff sources regarding Tau-alien interaction. Next time I get into an argument over it, I direct my opponent here.

So, I seem to be getting into a decent amount of arguments in other threads about this, so I would like somebody to cite sources about this. Everybody seems to think that the Tau make a regular habit of slaughtering humans like cattle and putting them into Inquisitorial death camps and, mostly, just acting like the Imperium of Man. So, can anybody cite a source to support this? Because I have found dozens of sources saying exactly the opposite, and have provided them to people who promptly dismiss them offhand as fanon, without even citing sources of their own.

So, here's a list of sources regarding the Tau treatment of sentient beings, in general. I list reliable and unreliable sources alike, but there are more than enough to get the point across:


The gist of it is, Tau don't exterminate and oppress willy-nilly. If anything, they are the least oppressive of any 40k species, and are reasonable, morally sound Imperials, or at least as reasonable and morally sound as any Modern Communist country (something like modern China, it ain't a cake walk, but it ain't Stalinist Russia, either). If you disagree, then explain your reasoning, and provide a fluff source, even if it is just a website.

Please do not post "these are the rules" type statements highlighted in colored text. It confuses other posters, who get the incorrect impression that you are a moderator. You are welcome to ask that other posters do things like cite sources but to be clear these are not rules for the purposes of warning or suspensions. Thanks.

Just a thought, but if you're going to make a statement like that first sentence, you should probably avoid citing Warhammer 40k Wiki as a source. It's well known that the articles on that website are riddled with fanfiction and misleading information.

What about DoW? Is that not a source? Despite being validated by GW?

The problem with Dawn of War is that it's narrated by the Guard general.

My main angle on the way Tau treat their auxilliaries is twofold.

Firstly, in Kill Team (the novel), the Tau ambassador openly displays disgust at the Kroot's culture.

Secondly, they use the same word (which roughly translates to 'helper' or 'servant') for drones and inducted aliens.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
The problem with Dawn of War is that it's narrated by the Guard general.

My main angle on the way Tau treat their auxilliaries is twofold.

Firstly, in Kill Team (the novel), the Tau ambassador openly displays disgust at the Kroot's culture.

Secondly, they use the same word (which roughly translates to 'helper' or 'servant') for drones and inducted aliens.

How do tau feel about humans I know some humans have become fire warriors but my question is are they a valued member or are the seen as expandable units among the tau.

People who like to think the Tau are reasonable tend to dismiss DoW.

In the cutscene after defeating Chaos in Dawn of War Dark Crusade it is noted that any Kroot Carnivore who fed on Chaos Marines (presumably almost all of the Kroot who fought Chaos) were liquidated as a preventative measure.

In the end of the Tau campaign in Dark Crusade the Tau institute single-sex reeducation camps for the human populace. It is suggested that the conquered humans may have been stterilized. In any case the Tau resettled the planet with more reliable colonists, and within five years humans on Kronus were only 5% of the total populace. A generation later Humans on Kronus were only a historical footnote. Pretty plainly genocidal.

In fairness, DoW Dark Crusade depicts a single outcome in a single campaign. We have no idea whether such actions were common Tau practice or even sanctioned by the Ethereals in general. For all we know the Tau leaders in the Kaurava system could have been sanctioned for internment and population reduction/replacement campaigns afterwards.

Interestingly, the Tau victory in Dark Crusade was not considered a canonical outcome. Relic stated the Blood Raven victory was canon. You could reasonably argue from this that the Tau narration was pure fabrication and they would never have instituted reeducation camps or sterilization. By extension the Tau victory narration could be seen as anti-Tau propaganda meant to mobilize Imperial support for future Crusades against the Greater Good.

Finally, the Dawn of War story departs from other established GW canon in several respects. While these departures have nothing to do with post-conquest treatment of conquered humans, the departures are significant enough to question the validity of all DoW contributions to the 40k universe.

Personally, I took the Dark Crusade Tau victory narration to be a jarring departure from then-current Tau fluff. It took the Tau in a grimdark direction compared to the 'these are actual good guys' approach seen up to that point. Notably, later codices and fluff have painted the Tau in far grayer tones where internment camps and sterilization might be seen as acceptable tools to achieve the Greater Good, so I find the narrative more acceptable than I did at the time.

Also interesting is that the much-maligned Soulstorm portrays the Tau in a much less sinister light in that final Tau victory cutscene.

Anyway, that's my best effort to explain why Dawn of War is often passed on by people looking for 40k canon. I personally buy into it (now) but I can see why many don't.

My two cents.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
By the way, I'm unaware that Humans ever become Fire Warriors. Much like Vespid and Kroot, Humans are typically formed up into all-Human auxiliary units called Gue'vesa. Human auxiliaries are equipped with IG style lasguns and flak armor. Other than Squad Leaders (and presumably higher Gue'vesa officers, though they were never represented in game) Humans don't usually get pulse rifles or Tau combat armor, and they're certainly NOT members of the Fire Caste.

Feel free to correct me if I've gone amiss, but sites like Lexicanum generally support this view of Human Auxiliaries.

My two cents.

 DeLong wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
The problem with Dawn of War is that it's narrated by the Guard general.

My main angle on the way Tau treat their auxilliaries is twofold.

Firstly, in Kill Team (the novel), the Tau ambassador openly displays disgust at the Kroot's culture.

Secondly, they use the same word (which roughly translates to 'helper' or 'servant') for drones and inducted aliens.

How do tau feel about humans I know some humans have become fire warriors but my question is are they a valued member or are the seen as expandable units among the tau.

Humans can never be Firewarriors. Only Tau of the Fire Caste can be Firewarriors.

Humans can join the army as 'Auxilliaries'. Unlike Firewarriors, Auxilliaries are responsible for their own equipment and vehicles. They also tend to get the gakky jobs like forming skirmish screens and minesweeping - essentially, the same thing the Tau use drones for, except auxilliaries are cheaper and can melee.

Finally, the Dawn of War story departs from other established GW canon in several respects.

There is no such thing as GW canon. None. Nada. Zilch.

This topic is heavily covered in the second story in the Damocles Anthology which features a former PDF officer who joins the Tau (I can't remember if it covered how our why) and because he is an officer he is put in charge of a squad of other non tau who are responsible for escorting a Tau ambassador to imperial worlds in order to initialise talks and persuade them to join the Tau Empire.

He and his team all wear Firewarrior standard combat armour, and have a big responsibility in protecting their VIP.

His level of command appears to be between a sergeant of the tau race but higher than a infantryman of the tau race.

The Tau ambassador frequently tells him that he should get vocal surgery to speak more fluent T'au and try to be promoted beyond the rank of sergeant or gue'vesa'ui.

This shows that humans of military background are not merely used as fodder, which is against the Tau ideology of not sacrificing lives pointlessly, and that they can earn the respect of the fire caste. There's more stuff regarding this topic in the story but spoilers.

Also there's a lot on how the tau deal with cities which choose not to join the empire which ranges from arming and stirring rebellion amongst the lower classes in order to weaken and take a city to standard invasion to simply flattening it with orbital lasers.

It also covers humans who surrender. They are usually kept in induction (maybe a different word) centres but at no point are they described as concentration camps and at no point are they described as unpleasant. The main human character frequently states how much better the standard of living is in the Tau empire. Also the Tau actively defend the humans who wish to join them diverting squads away from an attack to make sure they're safe.

Other parts in the anthology enforce the idea that you really don't want to be their enemy or get captured (captured, not surrender, they like you if you surrender) by them cause one of their allies are a race of brain leeches which they'll put inside your head to extract info.

Damocles Anthology, some of the stories in it are kinda naf but the second one is a must read for anyone interested in Tau culture particularly from a humans perspective.

As far as the disgust of kroot culture, that's not because they are alien, but because it's kroot (who often eat their enemies alive). Kroot are heavily integrated into the tau armies, but are not so integrated into the tau culture, they maintain their own, and it works for all side, the tau just hoping that experincing the more 'refined' tau culture might eventually stop them doing that. It was mentioned in the 4th edition codex.

Taffy17 wrote:
This topic is heavily covered in the second story in the Damocles Anthology which features a former PDF officer who joins the Tau (I can't remember if it covered how our why) and because he is an officer he is put in charge of a squad of other non tau who are responsible for escorting a Tau ambassador to imperial worlds in order to initialise talks and persuade them to join the Tau Empire.

He and his team all wear Firewarrior standard combat armour, and have a big responsibility in protecting their VIP.

His level of command appears to be between a sergeant of the tau race but higher than a infantryman of the tau race.

The Tau ambassador frequently tells him that he should get vocal surgery to speak more fluent T'au and try to be promoted beyond the rank of sergeant or gue'vesa'ui.

This shows that humans of military background are not merely used as fodder, which is against the Tau ideology of not sacrificing lives pointlessly, and that they can earn the respect of the fire caste. There's more stuff regarding this topic in the story but spoilers.

Also there's a lot on how the tau deal with cities which choose not to join the empire which ranges from arming and stirring rebellion amongst the lower classes in order to weaken and take a city to standard invasion to simply flattening it with orbital lasers.

It also covers humans who surrender. They are usually kept in induction (maybe a different word) centres but at no point are they described as concentration camps and at no point are they described as unpleasant. The main human character frequently states how much better the standard of living is in the Tau empire. Also the Tau actively defend the humans who wish to join them diverting squads away from an attack to make sure they're safe.

Other parts in the anthology enforce the idea that you really don't want to be their enemy or get captured (captured, not surrender, they like you if you surrender) by them cause one of their allies are a race of brain leeches which they'll put inside your head to extract info.

Damocles Anthology, some of the stories in it are kinda naf but the second one is a must read for anyone interested in Tau culture particularly from a humans perspective.

I got the impression that they were using said guards, as a loyalty thing and to not waste Tau lives, especially as they were trying to get the ambassador caught on purpose. Dangle the carrot of a promotion or something.

I think one of the Caiphus Cain books had descendants of human origin living like second class citz on a Tau world, or it seemed to him (been a while since I read it) but thats still better than 5th class steerage on a Imp world.
Side note, I'm dont know how the Tau would survive a genestealer infestation. Everyone shouting for the greater something.

Personally I bought the whole using an auxiliary squad as ambassador body guards to show planetary governors there is a place for other races in the empire. Sounds like something the Tau would do.

They did do a pretty good job of protecting him as well.

I really don't think they were trying to get the ambassador caught. What gave you that idea?

Warboss Gorhack wrote:
People who like to think the Tau are reasonable tend to dismiss DoW.

People that think Vect is a badass tend to dismiss DoW.

Since Vect is, objectively, a badass, all reasonable people dismiss DoW.

Taffy17 wrote:
Personally I bought the whole using an auxiliary squad as ambassador body guards to show planetary governors there is a place for other races in the empire. Sounds like something the Tau would do.

They did do a pretty good job of protecting him as well.

I really don't think they were trying to get the ambassador caught. What gave you that idea?

The end of the story, his whole purpose was to be a plant.

If you want evidence of a more evil tau, your best bet is to look at FFG's deathwatch rpg. They are one of the main enemies and get a buff in power and evil. Though they still don't end up that evil.

the ancient wrote:
The end of the story, his whole purpose was to be a plant.

Ahhhh, you're right, just gone and had a read, its been so long! I see your point.

nomotog wrote:
If you want evidence of a more evil tau, your best bet is to look at FFG's deathwatch rpg. They are one of the main enemies and get a buff in power and evil. Though they still don't end up that evil.

The Tau in the Deathwatch RPG had to revert to extreme measures as they are cut-off from the Tau Empire. They also became bat-sh*t crazy at one point for losing their Ethereal, and are probably still suffering the lingering effects of insanity.

You might want to check those sources. Most of them just link to a bunch of fan fiction and speculation, and even the Tau articles on Lexicanum are badly cited and thus unreliable. If you want to make a convincing argument, you should look at reliable sources like codices, Forge World publications or Black Library books, not fan fiction wikis like WH40wiki, 1d4chan or forum comments and personal blogs.

IMO, Tau aren't really evil, but they very closely resemble stalinists in their fanaticism for 'the greater good' (hell, the Tau even use stalinist rhetoric), the way their political system is more like a religion than an ideology and their ruthlesness to those who oppose it. Not to mention the way the Politbu... uh, Ethereals brainwash the masses and how they treat subjected races as expendable and cheap labour/soldiers
That said, compared to the Imperium, they are super nice guys, just like Stalin was nice when compared to Hitler.

Taffy17 wrote:

the ancient wrote:
The end of the story, his whole purpose was to be a plant.

Ahhhh, you're right, just gone and had a read, its been so long! I see your point.

Could have been a test, could have been showing the marines, we can get your people to fight for us, more that likely it was just, lets not waste Tau lives on a diversion.

I always liked the idea that the Ethereal's brainwash by proximity. But you reach a breaking point where the population ends up governing itself according to the brainwashed populace.

They may have only used him as a diversion but you can see from the main character and other Fire Caste Humans and they're interactions with the tau that they do have the opportunity to earn the Fire Caste's respect.

I like to think Tau are reluctant to waste any lives, even those of they're auxiliaries if possible. However it does look like they gave the mission to the Gue'vesa on purpose expecting him not to succeed.

But then the whole plan was being overseen by a human Shas'O so i don't know where that puts us.

I think one of the Caiphus Cain books had descendants of human origin living like second class citz on a Tau world, or it seemed to him (been a while since I read it) but thats still better than 5th class steerage on a Imp world.

In the Greater Good, there is a human liason officer who is encountered by Cain and his aide - both of whom feel disgusted by (even thogh she is a nice, pretty human woman being helpful to them) - they find it easier to stomach working with actual aliens in a tempoary uneasy alliance then deal with humans who have accepted the rule of the Tau (and turned their back on the Emperor).

Both in this story and the Damocles stories mentioned earlier its pretty clear that the Tau empire both allows non tau to rise "quite far" in its service but also not "too far" and that mind control and other dubious methods are implemented where required. The Tau leadership has its share of unpleasent characters who would be quite happy to see a human population quietly sterilised or left to starve etc............. Think the British Empire of old and its treament of people of other nations - you could rise in status and in rank very high, but you would never quite be British to many of the truely powerful..........

just like Stalin was nice when compared to Hitler

Really? Except that Stalin lived longer and was probaly even more ruthless- especially with his own people - what exactly was the difference between them?

The Tau in Fire Caste are somewhat different. Some can be quite nasty.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

That said, compared to the Imperium, they are super nice guys, just like Stalin was nice when compared to Hitler.

Stalin killed more people. In the 20th century, only Mao killed more.

 ChazSexington wrote:
The Tau in Fire Caste are somewhat different. Some can be quite nasty.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

That said, compared to the Imperium, they are super nice guys, just like Stalin was nice when compared to Hitler.

Stalin killed more people. In the 20th century, only Mao killed more.

That is a common myth but it is not true:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/mar/10/hitler-vs-stalin-who-killed-more/