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Warhammer 40K: Five Things That Could Ruin The New T’au Codex

4 Minute Read
Nov 4 2021
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Let’s take a look at some things we don’t want show up to ruin the new T’au Codex.

T’au are getting a new codex, and we are super excited. They for sure need one as T’au are not in a good place right now, and we’ve been wondering if they’ll get much needed help.  Back in 8th T’au were already a broken army, that had had most of what made them cool stolen by other factions. Recently things have only gotten worse in 9th, with the T’au not really fitting into the way the game works. Last time I wrote about some things we want to see from the new codex. These are ways the codex can be improved. However there are also some pitfalls the book could fall into, so today let’s take a look at 5 things we DON’T want in a new book.

5. Over-Reliance On Drones

T’au Drones are a really cool idea, and somewhat unique in the game. Having a bunch of little support models that are part of other units and fill different roles is cool. However, the last few T’au books have relied on them a bit too much. It’s gotten to the point where the few viable T’au armies have to field masses of them, using annoying tricks to win games. These kind of lists aren’t fun to play against, and a lot of T’au players hate using them. The new book needs to keep drones, but not make them the stars of the army.

4. Don’t Focus On A Static Gunline

It’s super easy to focus on the idea of T’au as a static gunline list. A number of their older lists fell into this trap. However, doing this is a huge mistake. Not only is the static gunline not super fun, but it’s also kind of the Imperial Guard’s thing. T’au on the other hand are supposed to combine mobility with firepower in a way that emulates modern armies. Their army should prize movement, and not being static. Making a book that is too static would be doing them a disservice.

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3. Just Increasing Their Firepower

T’au are almost certainly getting an overhaul of their stats and armory that will make them more powerful. This is in line with other armies and a much needed thing. However, the worry I have is that this will be just a straight-up they do more damage fix. Not only do I think this is boring, but it also feeds into the static gunline problem. T’au weapons and units need to be better, yes, but also more interesting, a simple, now they are all D2! doesn’t cut it for me. GW, can be way more creative than that!

2. The Same Old For The Greater Good

The current Greater Good rules frankly suck. They aren’t fun. They aren’t greatly good, or good at all. And worst of all they add a TON of extra dice rolling, that often has little effect, and just gums everything up. This new book needs something better, because just keeping them as is isn’t a great idea.

1. Jump-Shoot-Jump

Older T’au books had rules in them that allowed their battle-suits to move after shooting. These rules let a unit move, shot and then move again and are often known as jump-shoot-jump or JSJ. This was a powerful rule and a lot of T’au players have been begging for it back. While the rule did represent the T’au’s mobility, I personally don’t think it should be brought back. While it was good, it was often used to make a unit so it could never be shot. Hide behind terrain, jump up to shot and then jump back where you can’t be seen. This just isn’t a fun rule and removes a level of interaction in the game. I think T’au should get some rules to represent their mobility, but not something that makes the game less fun. Besides, we all know this is the kind of thing that GW would throw in as a stratagem just to make T’au players sad that a core rule got moved to a strat.

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Let us know what you DON’T want to see in the new codex, down in the comments!

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Author: Abe Apfel
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