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So I stopped playing 40k several years ago.. it was like right around when Tau and Necrons came out for 3rd.. I used to post a lot on the "oldest" Dakka boards, although I forget my username then (it was either waynethegame or wayne62619 but I do not recall for sure) and I recently moved.. well now I have a gameshop about 10 minutes from home so I'm looking at getting back into the game...

I understand that 4th edition is basically a clarified version of 3rd, but is there anything I significant that I should be aware of that has changed?  I picked up the new hardcover rulebook today but have yet to really sit down and read it.. when I got out I liked the look of the Tau, so I'm probably going to start up an army of them for my return to the 41st millennium... depending on the normal size of the games at the store (there seems to only be pickup games at the moment.. but I'm going to see if there's a legue or something) I'm probably going to build the army piecemeal in a "Four Gamers" type fashion, but we will see.

I read some things that said the "Rhino Rush" of old, the classic assault Marine tactic, has been nullified, how so?  Since I will be playing Tau, that seems to be a good thing for me... and while we're on that subject, how does the revised "Tau Empire" codex fare in this day and age? 

I look forward to getting back into the game I used to love and posting again on Dakka.. hope everyone has been well.

The short answer, wayne. read the forums on the net for the past two years. Not likely to happen though.

Transports are more deadly to use now, so rhino rush is indeed nearly dead (some people use it and as it isnt expected, sometimes it seems to work) short range firefights turning into bloody assault are the name of the game. Infantry are the rulers now, but speed is respected. They have made it difficult to make a truly synergistic all comers list in amries nowadays, which is good, as some where far too powerful before simply by being an MEq.

Hellfury's done a good job of answering most of your questions. Just to fill in a few of the holes, one of the main reasons that the Rhino Rush is dead is because you can no longer jump out of a transport and assault in the same turn, along with the replacement of Hull Down with the Obscured Target rule (which only works half as often), and the increased chances of taking casualties when a fast-moving transport is destroyed. The armies which still use transports are the ones which can use them to unload squads with a lot of short-ranged firepower, namely Eldar (Fire Dragons, and possibly Dire Avengers under the new codex), Tau (Fire Warriors), and Sisters.

When it comes to Tau, they aren't one of the highest-tier armies in the game (those would be Iron Warriors, Godzilla-style Nids, and Marine armies that deep strike in through Drop Pods or Terminator teleportation), but they're powerful enough to do fairly well in tournies, and can sometimes upset the tougher armies. Their main strength lies in Crisis and Stealth suits, along with the Hammerhead. Broadsides are good when equipped with the Advanced Stabilization System. Kroot make excellent harassment troops, and Piranhas are nice for objective capturing, and the opportunistic shot at a tank. Fire Warriors are something of a judgement call; point for point, they're putting out the same firepower as Stealth Suits at long range, and double that within rapid fire range, but they're fairly easy to kill, and since a lot of your army will be jumping behind terrain with their jetpacks, they'll take a good bit of enemy fire, since they'll be the only visible targets. Some people load them up in Devilfish, and unload them within rapid fire range of the enemy, using their transport to block incoming assaults. They're also excellent at thinning out hordes or popping light vehicles at long range. Like I said, it's all a matter of keeping them alive and firing throughout the game, which is easier said than done, so many people don't bother with them. It's up to you, really.Sniper Drones are pretty cool in smaller games, but as point totals get higher, you'll need to fill those Heavy spots with railguns. I wouldn't bother at all with Vespids, personally; they're far too fragile and don't put out enough firepower. Pathfinders look good on paper, but they've been riddled with FAQ rulings, and are a rather expensive unit to boot. Like Fire Warriors, they take a lot of work to keep alive, but if you keep them safe, and pair them with units which can take good advantage of their markerlights, they can do well. That's a quick summary, but I highly recommend checking out the Tactics section of this site for more ideas. Additionally, there's http://www.advancedtautactica.com/ if you're so inclined.

Best of luck.