Tau Empire Up For Pre-Order

Games Workshop made the new Tau Empire miniatures (and Codex) available for pre-order.

I dare say this has been one of the “better leaked” releases. The internet-rumour-mill was largely blindsided by a few of the recent minor releases (Crusade of Fire notably). Yet, whatever it took to open up old or new source, its appears to have worked.

There is little on Games Workshop’s site for the Tau that wasn’t “previewed” on the interwebs.

#1 – Thoughts on the new Tau Release

I always had a soft spot for the Tau. This certainly seems like a juicy release for a Warhammer 40K army, which desperately needed an update. It’ll take more time to see what the rules are like.

For the miniatures…

• New Special Characters were added (Longstrike and Farstrider)

Tau Empires needed some lovin’ in this department, though the lack of special characters in all previous 6th Edition Codexes had me worried a bit that this obvious addition would fall to some over-arching new design-policy. Luckily, that was not the case.

•  The Riptide suit is just awesome

It’s pricey, true, but fan-projects for the last decade clearly demonstrated that a “large” suit would be a fan-favorite. The Grey Knight Dreadknight at the latest proved that Games Workshop’s (now plastic) kits had matured to a point where they are no longer forced to create “washing-machines on stumps” for any walkers with more volume than the ultra-slender Eldar-versions.

Good to see them making the most of it with the new Tau Empire Riptide Suit!

• Plastic Pathfinders! Plastic Cadre Fireblade!

These guys really look awesome. More than the suits or tanks, the miniature that first caught my eye with the Tau weren’t the tanks or suits (and I couldn’t care less whether the latter get updated or not), but the humble Firewarrior. It’s an old sculpt, but one of 40K’s best.

Add the concept of Pathfinders and marker-lights, which (in theory) brings a notion of “military-combined-arms-tactics” to a game of 40K better than any other factions, and you’ll have a winner.

Still, Firewarriors demoted to minimum-unit-size Fish-upgrades and Finecast-Pathfinders made it a sub-optimal concept to bring to your table.

The 6th Edition of Warhammer 40K already gave a much-needed boost to infantry. I hope the new Tau Codex boosts the Tau infantry (specialist or not) even further, giving people more reasons to field those nifty new Pathfinders, the Cadre Fireblade and basic Firewarriors!

#2 – Wayland Games Special

The one drop of bitterness are, unfortunately, another price-hike by Games Workshop, asking for as much as GBP 30,- for a single Characters (Farsight).

It’s thus worthwhile pointing out that the guys and girls over at Wayland Games are offering a very tasty Tau-preorder-specials, with as  much as 30% off (!) the new (and old) Tau miniatures.

If you’re considering to start-up or revive your Tau, take a look!

This means you’ll save GBP 15, – on the new Riptide Suit, bringing it down from GBP 35,-, or GBP 9,- on the new Tau Codex, bringing it down to GBP 21, -

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Let me know what you think of the new Tau miniatures (if you haven’t already)!

Z.

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