I had a player ask if it is possible to play a Tau game... Any ideas how to do this? A mix of Tau and Kroot (the RT has rules for Kroot characters)

I would imagine just following the guardsmen carrer from Ascension (I think that's the right book?) with some modifications.

Probably the first big stumbling block I see is coming up with a particular reason for the party. In DH we have the inquisition, which provides a very nice background/dynamic for just why the party isn't working in the factory. In RT, we have nobles in space doing various nobles in space sorts of things. In DW, we have big burly space marines showing the foul heretics who's boss, and a good reason as to why they are a 3-6 man team.

With the Tau, I don't really have any good explanation for a diverse adventuring party. I mean, a water caste, a fire caste, an air caste and ethereal conduct an investigation into something? Not really seeing a dynamic.

I would say DH is probably a better system to start with than DW, but use DW for the stats of weapons/crisis suits. Part of the other problem is we don't have too wide a variety of gear for the Tau. THey have good body armour, but they all have the same stuff. Sure that is partly the case in DW, but at least there is armour history to make up for that.

Once again though, I see the hardest part in GMing that game. I just have not seen enough stuff to explain why a small group of Tau (who are not all fire caste) would be running all over the place doing stuff.

The player suggested they all be Fire Caste, maybe a Fire Warrior or two, a couple Pathfinder after an ambush, he seems adamant about it. I agree with the problems with dynamic and reason. He admits it would be less diverse than Space Marines (as Tau aren't great in melee), but he says battle-suits (Stealth Crisis, and Broadsides) could add diversity.

As for dynamic, upon his advice, and I quote "Make up a reason, like a team got ambushed and lost or are searching for something... Or are in a made up Tau SpecOps unit..."

If I had more players that felt this way I'd go with it, but I haven't asked the rest yet, most don't really know about 40k all that much.

Oh, I'd say you have better roleplay opportunities with Tau then just that.

They could easily be a diplomatic vanguard to provide reconaissance on new planets and civilisations, to see how willing they would be to join the Greater Good. Gives great opportunities to trediscover lost human empires or other alien worlds untouched by the Imperium. or perhaps they have to try and convince a small Imperial colony planet to join the Greater good, either though manipulation, indoctrination, or show of force. Oh one could even do a mission where they have to protect an Ethereal AGAINST a Deathwatch killteam coming to assassinate him...

For ease of game mechanics and characters, you could even have them play humans that are Greater Good believers. This would allow you to use the existing character trees with just minor tweaks.

That is one option. Thank you.

We've been kicking this idea around with our group. Really hoping we'll see some more Xeno race stuff from RT. A fire Warrior bonded cadre would work great. Once you start introducing the battle suits look out though. Those things are no joke, with broad sides being the equal of terminator armor.. supt with enough fire power to blow a land raider into little bits. I personally think they didn't do the battle suit weapons any justice, the plasma rifle on a battle suit if you lean towards table top, will chew through a suit of power armor like it wasn't there.

The one big hurdle is that free will kind of dosn't exist once an ethrel is present.. i would suggest checking out Dawn of war though. While not a bastion of great cut scenes they did do tau VERY well i thought

Just a few more real quick things for Diversity sake.

Fire caste

Kroot

VEspid

Demiurg = Who are squats

Human Aux= Yes the Tau use Humans in war to.

Though i don't think i've seen any examples i can see them using Hrud as well.

They key to tau, is that they arn't Xeno phobic at all. They are more then happy to use any race that wants to join the greater good. There's another race one i can't recall to that is highly psy active. one of the first to join the empire, but humanity has yet to encounter them cause the tau keep them out of the fight.. Basicly there is really no end to who you could have fighting for the greater good. Hell they even tried to recruit orks (with no luck)

If you want Kroot in your game, I know there are rules to making a kroot PC in Into the Storm, RT addition.

There's actually an interesting discussion on the Rogue Trader forum on this very topic!

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=160&efcid=3&efidt=380422

btw u really want to play "blue comie bastards" ?

and one thing that bothers me, u will allow your gaming team to have battlesuits from begining or they must earn right to use them by some deeds or something ?

I love the game concept being a "blue commie basterd" player on table top myself.

Made they could be part of a tau expansion force sent ahead of the main army to gain support from local, set up a beach head, assassinate an imperial govener who woulnt accept the greater good.

Group dynamic might be hard to out everyone will need a reason why there working for the greater good.

I dont see there being a lack of classes eg.

Earth Caste builder- might have tech skills and abilities similar to tech preist in DH. also give him lots of drones sniper/shield/gun ect.

Fire Caste warrior - pathfinder , fire warrior,

Air Caste pilot - pilot and some limited tech skills

Water Caste diplomat - could be like an adept lots of lores

Alien - kroot , vespid , squats

Human mecenarys take a class from DH .

I just read about this:

warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/The_Damocles_Contingent

Apparently it is the "Tau Inquisition" as it states its function:

To scout planets for colonization and sanction that action. Furthermore, to prevent schisms in the empire.

It also uses all of the castes, though primarily Fire Caste members (i.e. "appropriate support staff" from other castes).

So using this, there is the element of diversity in the team. High levels of training, and a separation from the norm of Tau military and society. This is a viable organization to use as a backfor a Tau game. Though there are still logistics to handle, rule wise.

this is more conjecture about the setting than a comment about a tau centric game but i have always liked the concept of tau getting their blue commie hands on some geneseed and augmenting their human auxiliaries with it. combine a spacemarine with tau mentality and weaponry and you have something that is a terror to behold.

^great thing that such dreams will never come true...

Interesting read on the Damocles Contingent.

It does look like a viable option for a campaign. The major challenge will be, as you noted, doing all the work involved in creating the rules to go with it.

For a special forces group, you might want to even consider the possibility of going with a rank-less system, and treat the Careers (IE Castes) as another origin point. In other words, it helps shape their past, but what they do from there is much more of their own choice. If your players are experienced they might even appreciate that option...

Also, if you are interested in going with a more independent, deep strike sort of special forces organization you could look into allowing them to play things like Vespids and even Humans. Perhaps the human has some cybernetic augmentations and specializes in close combat?

I would agree that DH or RT might be more appropriate to that sort of campaign though, depending on what sorts of situations you want them to get into.

There is also the option of having most of the differences within the personality of the characters. Let them all be of the fire cast, simple conscripted grunts in the glorious tau army. Standard equipment as the base, but of course with all the personal modifications and keepsakes that soldiers gathers. Also, allow each of them a specialisation like sharpshooter, medic, markerlighter/targetpainter, demolitions expert, pilot, drone controller, Shas'ui, etc with a few appropriate talents or skills for each of them. Then let fate place them in an unusual situation where they have the opportunity to change things around, take some initiative and generally save the day. Base things on the Guardsman career from Dark Heresy and you should be allright. I also believe this could bring a lot of personality and individuality to the Tau. Show that there are individuals behind the "uniform blu commie bastards" that imperial dogma wants you to believe. This would probably work best using the Dark Heresy rules.

If you instead do a similar thing but let the characters play Shas'ui in battlesuits I believe the Deathwatch rules is the way to go. Much better for that scale of combat.

Let us know how it turns out!

The Russian said:

Unfortunately I can't see anything buy the party running around screaming "Oh god why?!?" as they're given the same treatment as the Tau from the one Killteam novel and one of the more recent Ultramarines novels.