Tau (Warhammer 40,000)

In the fictional setting of Warhammer 40,000, the Tau are a race and a playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame. A single Tau Fire Warrior is capable of precise and long range shooting but are extremely weak in melee combat.

The Tau rule a small interstellar empire on the very fringe of Imperium space. They are a relatively new power on the galactic scene. The Tau dream of uniting the races of the galaxy under their benevolent rule (by force if necessary). The Tau already rule a number of client races, including some annexed human worlds.

The Tau are oriented towards ranged combat and generally die quickly in close quarters. They have some of the most powerful ranged weaponry in the game in terms of both range and stopping power, with their railgun being the most powerful of all.

The Tau do not have any psykers or units that specialize in countering psykers, which makes them somewhat more vulnerable to psychic attacks.

All Tau vehicles are classified as flyers, skimmers, or jet pack infantry, meaning they can all move swiftly over difficult terrain.

The Tau are the only army in the game that routinely incorporates aliens. Kroot warriors provide melee support, while the insectoid Vespids serve as jump infantry.

The Tau were released in October 2001. Unlike most of the races in Warhammer 40,000, which were developed from a comparable race in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Tau, along with the Tyranids, are the only playable races that do not possess an analogue in the Fantasy fictional universe, although most of the combat doctrines are based on the Wood Elves or Dwarfs.

The Warhammer 40,000 Design Team selected the Tau as one of three new race ideas from hundreds of possible concepts. The Kroot were one of the others, and these two were eventually combined into the one fictional organisation; the Kroot were later given their own army list written by Andy Hoare in the Chapter Approved 2002 publication. This list permitted the Kroot to be used as mercenary forces for a selection of other races or as a stand-alone army.

According to Andy Chambers, the chief designer at the time, the Tau were intended "to be altruistic and idealistic, believing heartily in unification as the way forward." Graham McNeill was responsible for much of the background material produced for the Tau, developing what Andy Chambers described as "their proud, quiet but determined character [developed] to the point where they actually became a rather likeable, if slightly naive addition to the cosmos."

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