Warhammer 40K: 10th Ed T’au Rules Preview – For The Greater Good

Games Workshop is showcasing the new T’au rules for Warhammer 40,000: 10th Edition. It’s for the Greater Good!

Warhammer 40,000: 10th Edition is right around the corner and we’ve been getting previews galore. Today it’s time for the T’au to be under the spotlight…or should we say markerlight? How will the T’au function in 10th? That’s what we are here to find out!

via Warhammer Community

“Working together towards a common goal is more than just a good idea in T’au society – it’s the founding pillar of their entire philosophy. Accordingly, their new army rule incentivises cooperation between squads, building a cohesive firing line that blows enemy armies apart with guided fusillades of firepower, while patiently waiting for the opportune moment to surge forwards.”

T’au Faction Rules

Army Rule – For The Greater Good

The new For The Greater Good rule is kind of a long one but it’s pretty simple. Basically you just pick two units and one is the Observer while the other is the Guided unit. Then you pick the target unit — that enemy unit become the Spotted unit. Now any time your Guided unit shoots the Spotted unit they get a bonus. And if they opt to fire at something other than the Spotted unit, they get a penalty.

Obviously there’s some Line-of-Sight restrictions and such, but you get the idea. Note that the Observer unit doesn’t have any penalties or restrictions to also fire at the unit. And I don’t even see any rule that says the Observer unit can’t fire at something else. So it’s basically bonuses if two T’au units can draw Line-of-Sight to the same target without much of a trade-off.

Detachment – Kauyon

The first Detachment for the T’au is Kauyon. Clearly this won’t be the last one either. In anycase, this gives T’au units some extra firepower starting on the third battle round and onwards. And if they also happen to be a guided unit they get an even bigger boost. Get ready for lots of shots coming from the T’au!

Stratagem – Combat Embarkation

Okay this Stratagem is actually pretty cool and I think T’au players are going to have a lot of use for this one. For 1 CP you get to put a unit back on a Transport after an enemy unit has declared a charge. All the models have to be in range to get on the Transport and there must be room for them, but this is a “get out of jail” or at least a “dodge a prison beatdown” card if I’ve ever seen one. If you park your transports outside of the charge range of the enemy then you’ll completely deny that unit the option to melee those two units.

T’au Unit Rules

Pathfinder Team

The Pathfinders big thing is that they will get to Observer two units. Oh and they have access to some sweet weapons, too. Again, you don’t lose out on shooting for the Observing unit! So load-up on guns and brings your friends.

Drone Changes

“Eagle-eyed Earth Caste engineers will notice that the special Grav-inhibitor Drones, Pulse Accelerator Drones, and Recon Drones are listed as wargear abilities, rather than models in their own right. That’s due to a new approach to Drones across the board – instead of individual models, all Drones are treated as equipment on a model’s datasheet, granting new weapons or abilities directly to their unit.”

I guess the Drone Swarms are a thing of the past. Darn. I’m sure they will be missed by everyone who wasn’t a T’au Player…

Weapon – Railgun

When it’s time to bring the boom few weapons do it better than the T’au and their Railgun. This weapon might only be a single shot but it’s got Heavy so it’s got a pretty good chance at hitting on 3+. And I’m not sure if to-hit bonuses stack or not but combo’d with a Observer and it can hit on 2+ now if my math is correct. And there are few things in the game that aren’t going to feel impact from this thing! And this isn’t the only weapon the Heavy Hitters list, either…

Weapon – Pulse Blast Cannon

The Pulse Blast Cannon has two fire modes and it’s deadly either way. It’s fitting since it’s on the Stormsurge! Both options have their uses but the Focused shot packs a whopping Strength 24 shot at AP -6 and 12 damage. And there’s TWO shots from it! I hope you have an Invulnerable save…

The T’au gunline is rolling up and taking aim for 10th. You might want to start making plans to join the Greater Good or get out of the way.

Author: Adam Harrison

Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and Austinite for 15+ years, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table. A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam's current obsession are his Death Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.