Codex: Tau (3rd Edition) - Codex Compliant 

I think I am one of the few people (if one person) who actually thinks the goody-goody T'au lore is better than the current grimdark-ification over the editions.

This exchange from Dark Crusade perfectly encapsulates the difference between the Tau and the Imperium. *Shais O'Kais:* _"Do the deaths of your soldiers mean so little to you? Are you that mad?"_ *Thule:* _"Do the deaths of yours mean so much to you, Alien? Are you that weak?"_

In Dawn of War, the old XV-15 model is used for regular troops while the new model, the big one, is used for squad leaders.

Fascinating how players confused something as clearly inspired by confucianism (as well as other eastern philosophies/religions) as the Tau for communism. Especially when the two oppose each other. In very simplified terms, confucianism seeks to preserve the status quo and social hierarchies (like caste systems), while communism seeks to upend the status quo and create a new, classless society.

One of the coolest things about the tau, is every new codex they take some prototype systems and make them baseline, or relics, or fully removed (Like they were bad and didn't function) and add new prototype systems, going to show that the tau are always advancing their technology in even gameplay, and every new model is framed as a new model of something in game. A new stealth suit model, a new weapons platform model, a new aircraft model, its very flavorful and fun for the technology based faction to always keep getting new things and cycling things out that didn't function properly and so on. Like in the new codex the changes to the nova reactor rules were that they "finally stabilized the nova reactor." I like it a lot.

The Tau had just come out when I started with 40k and I vividly remember when the FLGS owner advised me on what army to start with (I picked Chaos Marines) he warned me away from Tau because "most people don't like how anime they are". At the time I didn't understand because the only anime 12 year old me knew was Dragon Ball Z. But one of my first games was against the local Tau player and he painted up his Crisis Suits in a very snazzy white with blue, red and yellow accents. Yes, he painted them like the RX-78-2. So that's when I learned what Gundam was and now I have almost as much gunpla as I have warhammer. I'm addicted to multiple flavours of plastic crack. Please send help.

I got this codex when it first came out and one of the coolest bits was the small treatise on Tau language. Not so much because it was cool to see how it worked in universe (although it was), but because several of the words were J'karra (Mirror), Mal'caor (Spider), Or'es (Powerful), and Y'eldi (Winged One). These lined up very neatly with the Jakara, Malcadon, Orrus and Yeld - the four types of battle rigs Spyrers could use in Necromunda, released almost a decade earlier. It's never explicitly stated, but baby me put two and two together and the revelation that Imperial nobles were buying custom Tau battlesuits to hunt peasants blew my tiny mind.

The Tau were one of the things that happened while I was away from the hobby. It's kind of weird to think that they were introduced over 20 years ago now but they still wind some people up. Thanks for this slice of history!

The tau were my first army when I asked my brother to go to games Workshop for me and get a box of space marines so I could start my first army. He came back with a box of tau fire warriors because he thought they looked cooler.

I got so annoyed by my friends Farsight Enclave army that he used to bring to tournaments in this period and Fish of furry very hard with, that I made a specific Demon-hunter army named the "Tau-vaporator" that was just two five-man inquisitorial stormtrooper squads (each lead by a veteran sergeant with a plasma-pistol, and with two plasma-gun troopers per squad) and then the entire rest of the points cost spent getting as many Psycannons as a could into a 1500 point army. I was getting nearly 50 psycannon shot per turn, witch with a 36" range, strength six and AP 4 pretty much did the job for ruining both Devilfish and fire-warriors before they could get in range. It was also quite good at fighting nids and orks, but struggled with chaos space marines, Guard tank armies, and Necrons. Good times.

Should be noted that the XV-15 was in many ways a superior system to the successor model. Lore-wise they were better at being stealthy, and on the tabletop they used basically the same statline (I had the 5e Codex and they let you use either model for Stealthsuit units), and, being smaller, were easier to hide in cover. The only downside to using 15s was that you had to do some pretty extensive customising to give them a Fusion Blaster, since they were metal models that only came with Burst Cannons. In-universe, the lore was that the Imperium had captured an XV-15 model, and the Tau leadership freaked out. Assuming that the Imperium would study their technology and thus be able to trump the Tau's stealth systems, they hurriedly rushed a replacement into production. The intended successor, the XV-22, was still in the prototype phase, and only wielded by a set few Commanders (most notably Shadowsun, but also Kais and Ores'ka from the DoW games). So they threw together the XV-25, and cut back on the use of XV-15s until they were phased out entirely. Of course, the Imperium, being the Imperium, destroyed the XV-15 they'd captured without a second thought, meaning that the 15 was retired for no reason. Also we're like five editions clear of that change and the XV-25 is still here, and the XV-22 is still in prototype. Shadowsun's got four arms now.

I've always said that in any other setting, the Tau would be the imperialistic "Its best for you to join us, by peace or by force." empire the rest of the galaxy is banding together to fight. They're very reminiscent of WW2-era Japan in that regard, with the rigorous devotion to the state, the Spheres of Expansion very clearly designed to play off of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, and their mentality towards client nations sharing similarities to the Japanese treatment of the territory held by the last Chinese Emperor. The Tau are diplomatic only because its more cost-effective and resource savvy than just shooting everyone you meet, something I think is lost on a lot of people.

My precious shooter-boys. I've been slowly trying to build up my own little Farsight Enclaves for a while now, I just love the prospect of making an army as diverse in term of member species as T'au lore allows me, it's just a shame the model range barely has any auxiliary forces by now.

One of my favorite lore bits from this codex is the detailed account it gives of a Ta'lissera bonding knife ritual. The bonding ritual is present as a rule in literally every edition of the Tau codex, and it's a pretty interesting little bit of lore as it's often described as the closest equivalent of "marriage" among Tau, a communal blood oath taken between multiple members of the same cadre (does that technically make Tau polygamists?), but the 3e codex is oddly enough the only codex that described this ritual in detail.

I know a lot of Warhammer fans did not like the T’au and probably still don’t. But them being the young, optimistic and naïve race is a great I counterpoint to the rest of the setting. Because they are the “good guys”, it gives a perspective to the rest of the universe and makes it look even more grimdark.

T'au Nick of Play On Tabletop took down the Silent King using Aun'shi, which is the biggest "hold my sake" moment I've seen lol

I’ve always liked that T’au, to a fault, enforce a pretty strict advancement hierarchy. Pretty much _all_ Fire Warriors begin as infantry and ranking up basically means getting increasingly more powerful mech suits.

I remember the introduction of the Tau. I was excited about the new background and models (they looked super cool!) but didn't like their powerful shooting and annoying Jump-Shoot-Jump abilities. Their heavily armoured skimmers were also tricky for my footslogging orks to deal with. But by now, I'm a big fan. Probably my favourite Xenos race in the 40K universe. I wish the model range focused less on giant suits and more on interesting xenos factions to combine with the Tau as a group. I'm making a mantic Forgefathers Demiurg force to ally with my Kroot and Tau for Grimdark Future.

I have legit been waiting for this vid since Codex Compliant began

Of course the shot of the dog basically makes this the best video in the series

I still think of the Tau as "the New Guys". They are stylistically different from all the Imperium forces. We should have more distinct alien factions. But it's been 20 years....

Another awesome codex compliant guys Love it. Tau are a fun army, always feel guilty when i run some reaver jetbikes down their backline but hey that be the game.

I remember when this first came out, they felt like such a massive departure from the games style. I really liked them, and felt it brought alot of new players to the game

The Tau seem more based on 21st century warfare compared to the Astra Militarum using 20th-century warfare. Whereas the AM rely on infantry masses, tank columns, and heavy artillery, the Tau use unmanned drones, mobility, highly-trained marksmen and strongly emphasize long range weapons. At least, I don't remember many bayonet charges happening in 21st century warfare.

One of my most cherished memories of 40K comes from playing Tau in 3rd edition when the dice gods smiled upon me. One of my Fire Warrior unit had just been assaulted by my friends Space Wolf Terminator Assault squad. There I was thinking well... there goes that squad and already planning hot plasma vengeance upon them for my upcoming turn when the unthinkable happened. From the 20 something lightning claw attacks coming my way, remarkably a plucky lone Gun Drone survived. Not only that, it then proceeded to bonk one of the terminators on the head, resulting in a hit, a wound, and a failed armour save. I lost the game (Space Wolves in combat range against Tau, of course I lost the game) but did not let my friend forget how he allowed a space wolf terminator to be killed in close combat to a lowly Gun Drone.

It always blows my mind that 40K has now existed longer with T'au in the lore than without. 14 years between 1987 and 2001, now 22 years of Greater Gooding.

I quite liked that Orky Boi 😊 Also, well done for using NO cutaways to Hot Fuzz #TheGreaterGood

It might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually like the Tau as more "goodies" than the Imperium, because it shows that the Imperium is effectively the worst imaginable regime that Humanity has ever known, which is something fans and authors tend to forget. Sure, they're a dictator and have some dark spots, but let's be honest, you're probably living with a better salary working for the Earth Caste as an assistant than you are working as a Servitor. -No, your empire doesn't need to exterminate every alien civilization you see to exist, the Tau have allies and auxiliaries (and sure, some of them are likely indoctrinated like the Vespids, but others like the Demiurg, Nicasaar, or basically the Kroots are in for a better cake). You're just doing it because you're terrified and hateful for no valid reason. -No, every IA you create will not instantly come over and destroy you if you conceive and control it well (although the Leagues of Votaan have joined the party in proving that bots make cool). You're just terrified because the one you're DaRk AgE oF tEcHnOlOgY had rebelled for reasons you can't remember, so you can't fix it because you're too frightful to try. We have an entire page at the beginning of each Corebook to remind us that "To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable." so I'm happy the Tau (and to some degree, the Eldars NO I AM NOT BIASED, YOU ARE !!!) create this contrast.

Brought the codex when it first came out and I was in my teens, so this makes me feel very nostalgic and old. Thanks ?

I ALWAYS have time for the Greater Good, these have been my 40k Bois since I pre-ordered their Limited Edition Army Deal with the Special Edition Ethereal with the Crossed Rods/Wands/Whatever you want to call them. always have loved the play style, the aestetics the well EVERYTHING, they were hugely different to the Dark Angels Deathwing that I played (and still have) pre 2001.

The only Army I collected even a tiny bit of. I remember just murdering a Dark Eldar troop transport in a 500 mini tournament

I played them when they came out and never knew they could shoot under skimmers. I was such a rube.

Oml that bit at the very end was so cute

I really like some of those early T'au models, and you're right that it is a cool touch that the newer ones represent an improvement in their weapons technology. Thanks for another brilliant video guys!

"Pleasing the Algorithm" should be the name of a Techno-Funk ban!

The emotional blackmail pup was cruel. Liked immediately of course.

Love the OG Gundam suits standing in for Tau. Used to collect Tau myself (Tron themed) but have since sold them, cut out the middle man and took up Gunpla again. Which is ironically cheaper by comparison!

Tonite on Snib Gear: James railguns a guy, Hammond gets vored by kroot and Jeremy steals a tau stealth suit

Very nice video covering one of my oldest loves in the hobby. Haven't kept up with them through the following editions at all, but they've come a long way now, haven't they? It's kinda like running into an old classmate again now that you're both adults, and reminiscing on how you used to be inseparable as kids, and all the shenanigans you'd get up to. I guess what I'm saying is, I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Thank you.

My main issue with the Tau is how everything has to be dragged into or paralleled by a tiny corner of the Eastern Fringe. They could've found a way to reliably jump long distances through stable warp routes, meaning their empire resemble a sea-faring one with septs all over the galaxy near Imperial trade routes. But no. It's an ever growing little bubble that should've encapsulated Macragge by now.

i hope that cute dog makes a speedy recovery from its adorible spots

Ah, my very first 40K army. The crisis suits were very cool and there was nary a parent-concerning skull anywhere to be seen. Of course, once I graduated high school I went full imperium and never looked back 😄

I’m here to make the dog happy. Please be happy good doggo

I faintly remember all those multicoloured Kroot appearing as a single squad in a White Dwarf battle report. There was a little story alongside it about them eating something chaos-y that ended up mutating them and making them switch sides mid-battle.

I just love codex compliant. Also I can't be responsible for making a good doggo sad, so I engage with this video :)

Smart missiles anyone? Who needs line of sight? Broadsides with twin linked rail guns and smart missile systems were OP. Absolutely crazy fun to play.

Can't believe you didn't mention that FSE fought *alongside* Orks according to that Codex. The bit about the Imperium negotiating with the T'au is pretty sweet too.

5:15 You are right - it is less like Communism as we saw in the Soviet Union, and much more the the Juche system currently existing in North Korea. Calling the Ta'u "commies" sugar-coats how totalitarian their political system is.

Yay, finally they do Tau! I love how when ever a fan of 40k actually looks into the Tau they somehow immediately want to play them. It's happened twice with my friends and now Wib, must be those eitherials

the tau were such a breath of fresh air when they were first released. a whole new style of faction for the game! the galaxy was always said to be a big place but here it was really shown. that said, i do wish they had gone for less of a gundam style of units and more of a flying saucer style. leaving the giant robots to the imperium and the eldar instead would've been interesting.

Tau were one of the first armies that I seriously made, I really love the Mechs and Fire Warriors. Love the video, took me down memory lane.

T'au are the one army where every time I've lost on the table to them, it makes me want to play as them.

I remember back in 5th edition facing off against the tau in our school club and those fights almost ended our friendship. xD

Cute doggo! Also I didn't realize the t'au where this old. thought they were like 15 y/o at most but no, over 20 already. Time flies

Ah! glad to see you pointing out how they aren't Space Communists! The memes are fun, but it does slightly irritate me, for precisely the reasons you mention. I had a friend who theorised that they were actually more modelled on the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (or more accurately, on the propaganda image of that idea, rather than the actuality of just being a justification for Japanese Imperialism in the 1940s).

I love the Tau Empire! They make the 40k Universe feel so much more 'lived in' and real, a sci-fi setting, with a bunch of cool, unique aliens! Not just hoomans Vs bad hoomans. Long live Kroot, Vespids and every other beautiful little species that give this world flavour!

Your videos truly are something that gets me through my day to day. Working 12 hour shifts and training MMA 4 hours a day, I find it hard to shut off before bed but you guys settle me heaps, thank you

It’s interesting that in this early iteration Farsight’s faction seemed to be treated as the “bad Tau” or at least the “loose cannon Tau”. Probably a direct reference to Char’s faction from Mobile Suit Gundam. But ever since the Tau have been “grimmdarked” Farsight has seemingly taken the 4th Ed Tau mantle of being the good(ish) guys of Warhammer. Heck his faction has a somewhat relaxed caste system and has humans, kroot, and Vespid all living together. A fact that no doubt would make any Ecclesiarch foam at the mouth at the mere thought of.

God bless that dog.

Didn't the T'au start to get smacked with the -grimderp- grimdark hammer because people were complaining about how _non_ grimdark they were?

The surprise guest appearance by Astrotrain absolutely delighted me, thank you for that

Oof, we're now talking about the first book i bought.... in the vintage warhammer series. I feel so old =(

Likes for the Dog God

I once killed a buntch of genestealers with an ethereal in close combat it was a surprise

I think that the discussion about the creation of the tau has made me appreciate them a lot more than reading their actual lore

Still got a big box of unpainted Tau from like 15 years ago

I COMMAND THE ALGORITHM TO SPREAD THIS VIDEO IN THE NAME OF THE GREATER GOOD

Now that's a hostage situation. Holding my heart hostage with this cute doggo! Well played.

Just started working on a T'au army, and I love videos like this that showcase the faction in it's early stages! Thank you for making it! :)

Just finished watching this via Patreon and now it's live! Great video :D

Vulcan: "I want to pet the creature" Guardsmen: "the dog?" Vulxan: "Yes, I need to boop that snoop"

I admire your restraint of not once using the Hot Fuzz clip. You know the one. Also the amount of love the Farsight Enclave but are lukewarm on the Tau gets makes me just a little bit sad. Because they're big melee Tau who aren't really part of the Tau, meaning that the Tau that people like... are functionally not the Tau. Which makes me sad, because I really like the Tau.

4:02 And then they did basically the same thing with the Necrons. And the Dark Eldar. The grim darkness of the far future is just not a good time to make friends. Or vassals, or mind-controlled slaves, or whatever it is the T'au actually do. Also surprised that there are no Vespids in this codex. Unless you just didn't mention them.

Love that RU-vid considers this Battletech lol.

Just occurred to me now but its funny how K'ais in the Fire Warrior game had to have a sword as a melee weapon, when the Tau are so bad at it....

My first codex back in the day! Still have it around somewhere... I might not have played Tau for years, but the first codex is always special.

New Factions GW could bring to the game. Men of Iron, Yu'Vath, Rak'gol, Slaugth, The Harrowing, Malice.

The alogorithim requires engagement, also Wibs little comic was awesome!

I don't want a tau army but I really want to go watch the Appleseed OVA

The lack of 'Greater Good' references from Hot Fuzz vexes me....

Fast attack was the most lethal thing in the book. Back in the day the vehicle had armour value and rear armour almost always was 10. So a pack of gun drones deep strick in with the new unheard of spicy strength 5 weapon. This would eat armour alive and give you a ton of mini speed bumps for your enemy to clean up on the way to your gun line.

Collect a Farsight Enclaves army. Master the Mont'ka. Make your enemies look stupid for bringing a knife to a gun fight.

When i started the hobby in 2018 Tau were my first love, and they still are, i love my hooved blue mecha bois

For an Ork that is a really profound statement. Guess he had his thinking squig on.

Yeah I kinda feel the same about a Farsight Enclaves army.. too big a pile of shame right now, must resist..

I never made it to playing a game before bouncing off that side of the hobby, but Tau were my army of choice when I got into 40k. Very cool to learn about their history without people just screeching "communist"

Ah yes, the utopian good guys with a caste system based on strict eugenics as pages 8 and 9 of Codex: Tau as well as WD 262 Index Xenos: For the Greater Good elaborate on x) I'm surprised how you didn't talk about White Dwarf 266 (UK)/ 265 (US) Chapter Approved 2003-2004 - Kroot Mercenaries army list by Andy Hoare which was also available on GW website in PDF as well as Anghkor Prok - Kroot Master Shaper as Kroot special character HQ, and how Kroot Mercenaries were an Order army during the Eye of Terror - 13th Black Crusade global campaign of Summer 2003 as they appeared on the website. Kroot Mercenaries army list was pretty much a standalone Kroot army forbidding the player from taking any Tau, and other armies except for a few could take them as mercenaries as well other than running pure Kroot army. And also Tau Human Auxiliaries (Gue'vesa) by Andy Hoare as Chapter Approved unit from 2003 on GW website avaiable in PDF.

The Tau of 3rd edition are a really interesting look at how they were trying to make the army work. This eventually coalesced into their modern incarnation, in which they're not specifically the shooting faction, but the *guns* faction. It's why a lot of the army is BS4+ - you might not hit all the time, but anything you do hit really stays hit.

Ah, Commander The Coolest Tau, otherwise known as Farsight. Glad to see him. I think I want to collect another Coolest Tau Enclave army.

The lowest point of my hobby career was when I lost a squad of BA terminators to fire warriors in melee back in 3rd ed. I’ll never forget that!

Their generic ochre colour scheme and railgun like weaponry always gave me more of a GDI from command and conquer vibe. Rather than the Gundam aesthetic they're so often derided for. I've just found your channel and I'm really enjoying these book breakdowns. Great editing and chemistry, subscribed.

I remember when this Codex came out, I had been into the hobby for about a year and it was cool to see a brand new army added to the lore 👍

Damn Ethereal Dog, making me engage with this video. Oh please great algorithm, see mine engagement with the holy visual data record, allow this to bring the enlightment to the masses. Also, whos a good doggie!

This video takes me back, as the back cover of Codex Tau 4th edition was the very first 40k I ever read almost 15 years ago. Still got a soft spot for the blue buggers, back when they were still just the lone utopians in the dystopic galaxy.

how dare you remind me that this addition to the game i was present for was over 20 years ago.

These vids are so damn fun, i painted up an outcast group of Tau working together with backworld humans and sharing equipment, having a very run down, patchwork feel to them. Tau are auch a fun species and thank you guys for this video, awesome as always ❤️❤️

Issue 262 was my first ever issue of white dwarf, it really was something that gripped me immediatley.

Every time I see you guys' videos it's so good

Finally! My blue boys are getting a video! Thank the Greater Good!

Oddly on point dissertation of Tau politics vs their real life equivalents...Bravo!