[Galahad]

There seem to be a solid core of Tau fans who rabidly believe that Tau are genuinely 100% good and the only actually good, happy, unified race in 40k.

There's also a few who believe they're the unwitting puppets of the sinister etherial caste (Aun), and that the Aun are up to no good.

And there's people like me that believe they're just as dark and multifasceted as any other 40k race, they just have better PR. They may not be worse than the Imperium, but they;re not much better in my book.

Frankly, I think giving them a dark side makes them interesting, but there are a lot of fanboys out there who think the only people who believe in a tau darkside are "Tau haters". I certainly don;t hate them. I play them quite a bit. I just think they;re unscrupulous little blue commies who'll do whatever it takes to see their manifest destniy fulfuilled. They;re just smart enough to put a good spin on it and treat their citizens well to keep them happy.

Don;t get me wrong of all the races in 40k to be conquered and oppressed by, I;d rather it be the Tau. You;re nust not going to convince me they;re any more the good guys than anyone else

 

[Siegfried]

Id reckon the Tau (Space communists) have a dark side to them. What with forcing cultures to join or the whole potential Ethereal caste controlling the lot of them.

But who knows? I like how in the Last Chancers novels, the author kind of works in a bit of a darkside to the Tau due to the Tau government working in a deal with the Imperium to have one of their (Tau) commanders assasinated by the Last Chancers.

 

[Galahad]

Really? Which book was that in, and more detail, if you can. I'm in a debate on another board over whether or not it's unthinkable for tau to kill other tau

 

[Siegfried]

Really? Which book was that in, and more detail, if you can. I'm in a debate on another board over whether or not it's unthinkable for tau to kill other tau

Hmm, I cant remember which book it specificly was in (I read it in an omnibus of all the last chancer novels).

But what it boiled down to was a Tau military commander was being more agressive than the Tau government liked, and the government said while the commander believed he was acting in the greater good, he wasnt. So they had his assasinated by "Rogue humans" because to them, although its killing another Tau its for what they believe to ultimately be the greater good. Even if it means killing another Tau.

 

[jigplums]

its a conspiracy....leaflet drop campaign

 

[uberschveinen]

Hmm, I cant remember which book it specificly was in (I read it in an omnibus of all the last chancer novels).

But what it boiled down to was a Tau military commander was being more agressive than the Tau government liked, and the government said while the commander believed he was acting in the greater good, he wasnt. So they had his assasinated by "Rogue humans" because to them, although its killing another Tau its for what they believe to ultimately be the greater good. Even if it means killing another Tau.

That explanation sounds all nice and pleasant until you think about it for half a second.

 

[Jeridian]

Are you kidding, Tau are one of the most hideous races out there!

They have Hypocrisy with a capital H.

All are equal under the Tau Empire....except Tau are above other races, and Ethereal's are above Tau.

We all come together to discuss and seek ways to achieve the Greater Good....by following the dictatoral law of the Ethereals.

We mean you know harm...join our Empire as second class citizens (like Kroot) or as slaves (like Vespid).

Tyranids, Necrons, Orks- these creatures are basic in their aims, they seek to destroy you since they are engineered to do so.

The Tau seek to corrupt you, to make you a willing slave- and then to expend your life to protect theirs.


They just have a very good PR staff.

 

[Galahad]

A little google fu told me the book is called Kill Team by Gav Thorpe

Myaelf, I'm fond of the line in the codex that says they drag other worlds to the negotiation table under threat of annihilation, and if they refuse to join they pretty much nuke your planet to a glowing cinder from orbit.

Yeah, good indeed

 

[Siegfried]

T'is a shame the Damocles gulf crusade didnt wipe the Tau from the cosmos. But oh well ^_^. The Imperium will eventually give them what they deserve. (Although it will never happen fluff-wise in the official game of course, Id just reckon the Imperium would eventually prevail)

 

[The Son of Horus]

The Tau are interesting. They're "good" insofar as they're not depraved psychopaths, which is just about the only qualifier for being one of the "good" armies in 40k, since everyone is pretty universally evil in some way, shape, or form.

The Tau are a funky mix of Stalinism and the caste system. Marxist doctrine is supposed to eliminate the class struggle, but the very nature of Tau society perpetuates them. That the Tau consider themselves above "lesser" races, even though they're not dumb enough to put it like that, shows something about them. Theoretically, a Fire Warrior and a human auxiliary are equal in standing. But they're not-- the Tau warrior is considered the human's superior.

 

[Siegfried]

The Tau are interesting. They're "good" insofar as they're not depraved psychopaths, which is just about the only qualifier for being one of the "good" armies in 40k, since everyone is pretty universally evil in some way, shape, or form.

The Tau are a funky mix of Stalinism and the caste system. Marxist doctrine is supposed to eliminate the class struggle, but the very nature of Tau society perpetuates them. That the Tau consider themselves above "lesser" races, even though they're not dumb enough to put it like that, shows something about them. Theoretically, a Fire Warrior and a human auxiliary are equal in standing. But they're not-- the Tau warrior is considered the human's superior.

Yeah. Everybodys equal, but some people are more equal than others in the cause for the greater good? *le smirk*

 

[Anphicar]

They are organized.

Clean. Neat.

They look to ally with other creatures and people.

They are not scared psychos that must dissolve everything that looks different.

 

[The Wraithlord]

That is what makes people define them as 'good', the fact that they are at least willing to accept you into their society and culture. They never said it would be as an equal though :evil:

 

[Siegfried]

Id still cast my lot with the Imperium.

 

[Warboss Dakka]

People often see the ugliest part of the Imperium and accept it as the norm. I've always had the impression that there are thousands of beautiful agri-worlds that are near utopian. What's more, it seems like there are actually a vast and varrying array of cultures in the imperium and as long as those worlds obey general Imperial law, they are not interfered with. Each of those worlds can even have various forms of government, as long as those governments bow to Terra. Certainly the imperium is not bursting with Liberty, but the Tau can hardly claim their ways are any better. They both have essentially the same system of government and economy. At least in the imperium you know where you stand, with the Tau they will very politely smile and shoot you in the face "For the Greater Good".

 

[Deadshane]

The Tau are Xenos scum plain and simple and must be purged from existance.

All posters on this thread with any veiws otherwise have been noted by the Inquisition and will be investigated, i.e. exterminated.

 

[Cilionelle]

Seems to me that the Imperium is (more so) guilty of the same things. Yeah, the Tau will shoot you if you don't come over to their POV, but at least you get the choice! No way that the SMurfs are going to let you live if you are Tau, (Dark/Craftworld/Exodite/Harlequin) Eldar, Ork, Necron, etc. They have no qualms about nuking their own planets "for the Emperor" (translates roughly as "for the Greater Good", if you ask me).

Let's see: the Tau don't feed 10,000 souls a day to their supreme commander. They have advanced technology that they share with their populace. They offer (at least the ghost of) a choice to those who oppose them. They only kill their own kind when they have to (and only for reasons that are actually quite reasonable - since when has the Imperium assassinated someone for being too warlike - um, never!

All in all, I'd be a convert to the Greater Good.

Fortunately, I side with the Eldar in their struggle against the Great Foes of Chaos. And to Deadshane, bring on the Inquisition - you are so much less than you believe...

 

[Galahad]

Yeah, Cilionelle, you have a point.

However, nobody ever tried to say the Imperium was the only force of good in the galaxy. Not with a straight face.

And most certainly, nobody ever claimed the Tau were more evil than the imperium.

Meanwhile there's Tau fanboys who'll eat you alive for suggesting Tau are anythign less than walking saints of virtue.

Like I said, of all the races to be conquered and enslaved by, it'd rather be the Tau...but given the choice of telling them go go away without getting killed for it, I;d rather keep my personal freedom.

The Tau aren't good. They're smart, which makes them fairly tolerant of outsiders, as long as those outsiders are on their side, but that doesn't stop them from being brutal, ruthless little blue bastards.

The Tau are just Eldar with lower standards and more ambition. They may look enlightened and wise to your face, but get in their way and the'll cut you down.

 

[Siegfried]

The Tau are Xenos scum plain and simple and must be purged from existance.

All posters on this thread with any veiws otherwise have been noted by the Inquisition and will be investigated, i.e. exterminated.

Amen to that ^_^.

Long live the Imperium.

 

[The Wraithlord]

The Tau are Xenos scum plain and simple and must be purged from existance.

All posters on this thread with any veiws otherwise have been noted by the Inquisition and will be investigated, i.e. exterminated.

Amen to that ^_^.

Long live the Imperium.

Calls upon the Broadsides to fire at the Markerlights targetting these two heathens. For the Greater Good!