24 years in the past, GW launched the T’au Empire, and the sport has by no means been the identical. Check out their authentic minis and sudden idea artwork.
We’re headed again 24 years to October 2001 and White Dwarf 262. Video games Workshop was seeking to shake up the sport and had a really completely different military in thoughts that was not like something that resided within the Grimdark. The Tau (now T’au Empire) have been a completely recent idea. Unburdened by the legacy of earlier editions of Warhammer 40,000 and even Warhammer Fantasy.
It was clear that GW was on the lookout for a really completely different aesthetic. One which drew closely from Japanese influences, each culturally and of their legacy of manga and mecha. Cracking open the quilt, we get the preliminary Tau launch miniatures.
Tau Authentic Minis
Right here the T’au are in all their glory. Let’s run these down:
- Tau Codex
- Etherial
- Kroot Shaper
- Kroot Carnivore Squad
- Kroot Hounds
- Devilfish
- Pathfinder Crew
- Pathfinder Shas’ui
- Hearth Warrior Crew
- Tau Battleforce
- Tau Military boxed set
Observe the Disaster Fits, Broadsides, Hammerheads, and teensy Authentic XV-15 Stealth Fits can be alongside quickly, however not this very first month. Even again in 2001, you had GW leveraging the “get fashions early within the massive military set” factor happening.
T’au First Impressions
The military was wonderful, with an especially excessive degree of high quality and element for the period. The unique Kroot Carnivore package, simply redone in 2024, for instance, was dripping with element and nonetheless holds as much as this present day.
The fits and automobiles had that manga onerous tech look that was fairly completely different from the organic-looking tech of the Eldar, and made the Imperial stuff look crude by comparability. GW had a protracted designer’s article the place they laid out a few of their design objectives, and quite a lot of very fascinating formative idea artwork from Jes Goodwin and John Blanche.
Tau Idea Artwork
Right here, we see Jes’ designs on the left and Blanche’s on the best. I’ve to say Blanche makes the meanest, most hulking, brutal-looking T’au I’ve ever seen—with slightly samurai overtone!
It’s fascinating to notice the overt GW need for a Manga-hard edged design for the T’au with the Kroot vary designed as an in-faction counterpoint.
Right here’s extra Blanche understanding particulars of the previous authentic (and teensy) Stealth Fits, which have been about the identical measurement as Hearth Warriors.
Pathfinders with some tremendous advanced helmet designs that have been scrapped. Additionally, be aware that funky walker that by no means made it off the drafting board on the far proper background.
The unique T’au Hearth Warrior, upon which the whole infantry vary is constructed. My greatest shock within the White Dwarf was the very early inside GW dialog on the whole Tau vary. Internally, the workers favored each the Tau and Kroot ranges, however went backwards and forwards over which one can be the principle “Tau race” with the opposite because the minor allies.
If issues had gone the opposite path, Warhammer 40K at present would have a large Kroot faction with a handful of T’au auxillia allies. Wow!
Some authentic automobile designs. These look very spacecraft-y to me, with quite a lot of issues that appear to be they may have flown proper out of Star Wars’ Mos Eisley or Battletech’s Internal Sphere.
On this panel, we see the Devilfish taking form – nonetheless maybe with some Star Trek USS Defiant vibes …nevertheless it’s getting fairly near its ultimate kind.
~And there you’ve got it. I can’t consider the Tau flip twenty-four years previous this 12 months! We’ve come a great distance since third Version!
Dad, Gamer, Writer, Pilot, Texan. All video games on a regular basis since junior-high.
I began BoLS Interactive in 2006. I’m a lifelong tabletop & RPG gaming fanatic, and web writer working to entertain and inform my readers every single day.
I have been enjoying RPGs and Tabletop Video games for the reason that Seventies. I am been enjoying and masking Warhammer and Warhammer 40K for over 35 years.
