Evil Tau?

[The Keeper of Secrets]

Hi all,


I have an idea of playing as "evil tau". Basically the tau codex and rules with tau models, just painted black and trophies added and stuff like that. Maybe he new lucius the eternal model coverted to be an "evil" ethereal?

what do ya all think?

[Shaper Shakra]

I say, give me pictures!

[yerpo]

Fluffwise, you can only explain it by Chaos taint. The Tau are the "purest" race in the 40k universe, so making them evil would require at least as much divine intervention as making the Sisters of battle abandon their faith in the Emperor. Wouldn't feel OK, if you ask me. How would they get new equipment if they abandoned their empire?

As for the Ethereal, stick with the official model and "chaosify" it. Lucius is too bulky to be one.

[robertsjf]

You don't think that a society with a rigid caste system that stifles individual development evil? You don't think that a society that is based almost entirely about subjugating other races bad? I think the Tau are evil enough as is! In addition to being foul xenos scum....

[Zzarchov]

Pssh, Tau can be as evil as anyone else, they may just come from a particularily bloodthirsty sept.

[the dark angel]

go ahead that sounds really cool,may i suggect putting spikes on them as that would make them look much more evil and also try to base them with pools of blood, i did this with my fallen dark angels

[Davian_]

Rule number one for 40 army creation: For every non-Chaos army X that comes out, someone will want to put spikes and skulls all over it and call it Chaos X.


Not particularly my cup of tea, but feel free to do whatever makes you happy. It's your army after all.

[Damien 1427]

They already are. They're Orwellian dolphin-cows who want to rule all life in the galaxy. The only difference between them and the Imperium in this respect is mankind wants to kill everything that isn't human, the Tau merely want to enslave it.

Also, spikes and blood doesn't make evil. It makes lameness. Making them look sinister (Dark paintjob, e.g. red optics on black helms), alien (Posing) and the ultimate foes of man (Plenty of dead guardsmen/Marines on bases) would go a long way to making them "evil". Chaos Tau with spikes and blood and skulls sounds like an idea I would have came up with at thirteen, and would cringe to think about now.

[BuckFlashback]

As many have already said, Tau are evil. I like to think of them as the most evil in 40k. However, the type of evil the Tau are (Opression hidden underneath shiny clean good exterior) is kinda hard to capture in the average firewarrior model.

The idea of a Tau army that's liberated itself from the opressive shackles of their caste driven government and embraced the loving freedom of Chaos. Well, that sounds wonderful. Give 'em charred black worn armor with the chaos star on the shoulder pad instead of the normal Tau insignia. Oh! And the army commander can have the head of his former Etheral bossman on a spike jutting out of his armor.

[SisterMordagg]

I don't think you have to go down the old "Chaos is the only evil." In fact, I think it really hampers you and seems to conflict pretty directly with canon. Damien's idea isn't bad. You can also use the idea of bloodthirst for the enemy with body parts as trophies, splattered blood on the armor etc.

Make them less Japanese in their imperialist era (as they are somewhat now) and more Japan in their fuedal times.

[archangels uk]

dont have to be choas, just say they were sent on a long mission by tau and fell outside overall tau command so they started to live on (pirates slavers etc) its happened before with the Tau

[Kriegsherr]

Chaos is omnipotent and has the ability to turn everyone against their brothers and into true believers. That makes them so utterly evil

But to be honest, I really like the idea. There are to few chaos-xenos nowadays, a gap some people try to explain with strange fluff reasons. Don't let them fool you. Come to chaos, yes, Tau are also welcome!
Maybe you should theme the army thought to show that it hasn't as much resources as other tau armies. By using less high tech equipment and more kroot, or even gueve'sa as human cultists (maybe they were the one responsible for the tau turning to chaos. First they let the tau believe they would follow the greater good, only to slowly spread the chaotic influence among them)

[Voltaire]

Tau are one of the few races to have no inherent warp prescence. They are far too pure to fall to Chaos in any way other than by following corrupted Ethereal and I feel that scenario is VERY unlikely. The probability of them being one of the races created by the C'Tan to fight Chaos, because of their higher sense of morality, and their unshakeable self righteousness.
That being said, we really do need more Xenos Chaos followers. The Dark Eldar have really fell out of favour with me as a chaotic race and there needs to be something new and chaotic. Go for it!

[n00bLord]

Chaos Nids! Your new chaos army! A dark and sinister form of tau would be nice, like give them katana like varients of swords with inclusion of preffered enemy would do nicely for CC. It doesn't take too much work to make anything look evil. Put rune enscriptions on their armor if you want, might help.

[Bregalad]

Everyone is free to design an army to his liking, and everyone is free to believe what he wants.

That said, I am not a fan of chosing an army, ripping it of its uniqueness and making it another mindless killing horde. If you don't like the flavour of the Tau, why not chose an army with your favorite flavour, e.g. Chaos?

There are some directions of unusual Tau though that might appeal to you:
Read about the Farsight Enclave, read about some hot blooded septs like Vior'la or technological retarded ones like the D'yanoi, you can even make an army heavily influenced by Kroot (see below). The Tau have survived a violent almost self-destructing past (Mont'au) and learnt from it. Just making Tau that make these mistakes again, is missing an opportunity.

I also am a bit tired by the following argument:
1.) Everyone is evil.
2.) If he seems to be good, pure and altruistic: How cunningly evil is that!

Again: If you don't like the flavour of the Tau, chose something different. I for myself avoided 40k, until I found an army with just this flavour. People who speak of Tau enslaving planets like the Imperium does, haven't read much of the Tau, as it contradicts the numerous novels and background infos given.

[Getz]

You want evil Tau, go Farsight enclave... They aren't evil per se but they have a strong fascistic streak (think about it... a Tau society run by - and presumably for - the Fire Caste...).

I would go for a jet black colour scheme with a little blood red detailing and the Vior'la sept markings, then step backand squint...

Suddenly don't they look just like SS Stortroopers...?

[fracas]

paint your ethereal like Darth Maul with an honor blade/double saber
paint your firewarriors as clone troopers
modify fish to be their transport (open sides
maybe even pirranhas as TIE fighters?

[Khaine's Messenger]

The Tau have survived a violent almost self-destructing past (Mont'au) and learnt from it. Just making Tau that make these mistakes again, is missing an opportunity.

Indeed. And what if...they really weren't mistakes as such, but the natural growing pains required of any civilization? And the Ethereals are simply opiates controlling and debasing the Tau, keeping them back from their true glory?! As O'Shovah has commented, all the great starfarers' hands are turned against one another....

PS: Ko'vash Y'he!

[cailus]

I'd say a regime that annihilates anyone who doesn't want to join their Communist funfest is pretty evil according to current standards.

[n00bLord]

Tau are rather evil by poeples persception. Or rather good. In my opinion the only race in 40k to bear traits of being good would be the Tyranids. Why? Because they just eat planets. If I played Tau I would do a Farsight group, because for me that part of the Tau fluff was the only peice that was satisfactory to my interests.