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.

The Tau have made a good entrance, but they are a young race in an extremely unfriendly universe. Do they have a chance to mature into a complete and secure empire, or are they going to get steamrolled by the myriads of nasty empires? In other words, will this fledgling business become a Microsoft-style giant, or will they fade into oblivion like the myriads of other failed trendy tech startups?

they'll get steam rolled I suspect. all it would take is one strong hive fleet tendril turning it's attention to the Tau and they'd die.

They survive because they have plot armour in the form of amazing luck. Without that they'd be extinct already.

Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win. Eventually they will reach a point where a single gun drone is a match for an entire space marine chapter (including the entire chapter fleet) and mere numbers alone will be worthless as a defense against a Tau attack.

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win.

Also Tyranids.

 Insectum7 wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win.

Also Tyranids.

Ah yes, the only faction with worse plot armor than the Tau.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Insectum7 wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win.

Also Tyranids.

Ah yes, the only faction with worse plot armor than the Tau.

What is this you speak of? I'm moderately new to the game, so I haven't come across this yet,

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win. Eventually they will reach a point where a single gun drone is a match for an entire space marine chapter (including the entire chapter fleet) and mere numbers alone will be worthless as a defense against a Tau attack.

I feel like at this point that's every faction.

The imperium is certainly advancing its technology.

Hereteks in the CSMs are theoretically advancing technology (and doing it faster than the admech would let them)

Drukhari are definitely advancing their technology, albeit mostly in a "for fun" kind of way, they are certainly pragmatic to do whatever it takes to win a conflict, and cruel enough to never worry about morality.

Only stagnant factions I can think of would be Eldar, Necrons and some imperial offshoots like sisters.

Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win. Eventually they will reach a point where a single gun drone is a match for an entire space marine chapter (including the entire chapter fleet) and mere numbers alone will be worthless as a defense against a Tau attack.


I feel like at this point that's every faction.

The imperium is certainly advancing its technology.

Hereteks in the CSMs are theoretically advancing technology (and doing it faster than the admech would let them)

Drukhari are definitely advancing their technology, albeit mostly in a "for fun" kind of way, they are certainly pragmatic to do whatever it takes to win a conflict, and cruel enough to never worry about morality.

Only stagnant factions I can think of would be Eldar, Necrons and some imperial offshoots like sisters.

Yes, but the government of the Imperium is so insanely screwed beyond repair at this point that it is basically irreperable. The Drukhari are all ultimately going to Slaanesh, and meanwhile, historically a culture of excess has not turned out well for anyone. Chaos technology is definitely something to worry about, though.

the_scotsman wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win. Eventually they will reach a point where a single gun drone is a match for an entire space marine chapter (including the entire chapter fleet) and mere numbers alone will be worthless as a defense against a Tau attack.

I feel like at this point that's every faction.

The imperium is certainly advancing its technology.

Hereteks in the CSMs are theoretically advancing technology (and doing it faster than the admech would let them)

Drukhari are definitely advancing their technology, albeit mostly in a "for fun" kind of way, they are certainly pragmatic to do whatever it takes to win a conflict, and cruel enough to never worry about morality.

Only stagnant factions I can think of would be Eldar, Necrons and some imperial offshoots like sisters.

Eldar are in a weird state where they've advanced things since the Fall but not much. But that's what comes from living on fancy cargo ships.

I always viewed that as a combo of there not being much of a ceiling left for eldar tech and a collective stunting mentally due to the Fall. The various factions have more or less doubled down on their paths and most of them don't really encourage much innovation except perhaps the DE and they mostly focus on better ways to refine your pain and fear into a fine wine.

...

Anyway, they'll get by because models and stuff, so they can't ever really lose. Lorewise they are amazing at defense and other factions not caring about them, so them being small is kind of a boon because it means they won't be a huge enough threat when compared to stuff like chaos.

Tau are gonna be fine as long as they don't try to do a major push against Imperial territory. In fact, the imperium will even assist them against threats like CSM, orkz, tyranids, and DE.

 Eihnlazer wrote:
Tau are gonna be fine as long as they don't try to do a major push against Imperial territory. In fact, the imperium will even assist them against threats like CSM, orkz, tyranids, and DE.

The Tau do have a nasty deathguard invasion on their door step, and I know a certain blue boi who has dealt with them before.

Tau have consistently benefited from not worth the effort. The IOM could crush them in a minute but the resources needed to do so would leave them vulnerable against all the other things. Chaos doesn't gain much from messing with them, same for the Eldar.

That pretty much leaves orks and tyranids as the only factions that would put the time and effort into trying to wipe them out.

The Necrons couldn't advance their technology if they wanted to. They as a species have already created the capacity to travel outside the bounds of 3 dimensional space and causality on a individual level (deathmarks), teleport instantly anywhere in real space (eternity gates) control real space with a touch interface (that living star map that lets them wink out stars like we swipe left), the ability to kill or fragment entities that comprise the base components of all of reality and make the fragments their slaves, shoot a wrist mounted derringer style pistol that can level mountains, open up a portal to the inside of stars and use it as a hand mounted flamer without dissolving into nothing for using it, control of time, energy weapons that break matter down into their base particles. Etc....

There is literally nothing necron tech can't do. For them it's just a question of them all waking up and not being bat gak crazy.

 Peregrine wrote:
Tau have a great endgame as the only faction that is actively advancing its technology and pragmatic enough to do whatever it takes to win. Eventually they will reach a point where a single gun drone is a match for an entire space marine chapter (including the entire chapter fleet) and mere numbers alone will be worthless as a defense against a Tau attack.

Agreed. They are only now entering their Dark Age of Technology.
Chaos is going after the IoM. Orks are waughing after IoM, Nids and Necrons. Necrons are debating total war against the Nids. Following their technology progression, if the Tau can stay out of the limelight for a century or two they will have the technological and manufacturing capacity to rick roll anyone who attacks them.

EDIT: I don't see Peregrine whining here, just stating an opinion. Lets talk about the thread not its participants shall we?

While I don't like current Necron fluff (its too strong creating a galactic jump the shark moment) it and some of the more advanced Eldar / IoM tech show that Tau have a nice technology path to creating forces sufficient to defend themselves against anything this side of the Necrons.

Frankly as the time window has "progressed' a bit we should be seeing more advanced Tau tech coming online.