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Narrative Review – Tau Codex (Part 1)

Welcome, fellow Warhammer 40K enthusiasts! Today, we’re diving into the strategic depths of the T’au Empire’s Crusade rules, specifically focusing on the mechanics of expanding their burgeoning empire across the galaxy. The T’au are known for their advanced technology, diplomatic finesse, and strategic acumen, and these Crusade rules capture the essence of their relentless quest to bring the Greater Good to all corners of the universe. In this review, we will explore how each step of the expansion process works, how it fits the narrative feel of the T’au, and provide a detailed summary of the rules.

Before we delve into the new rules, it’s important to acknowledge some of the limitations that T’au players faced in the 9th edition. The focus on assimilating planets created narrative issues for campaigns. GMs would have to balancing adding new planets only for a Tau player dominate them in the campaign, and heaven help you if you had multiple Tau players. The reliance on straightforward military victories for progression also neglected the T’au’s strong emphasis on diplomatic efforts and strategic integration of conquered worlds.

While these challenges remain, some areas have been streamlined (such as the number of planets required.

Planets and Their Characteristics

Diplomat Power and Military Power: Each planet within a star system has Diplomat Power and Military Power values. These values determine the difficulty of assimilating the planet through diplomatic efforts or military conquest, respectively. Players accumulate Diplomat and Military points through their games, which are then used to take over planets.

Military Success: Each victory in battle grants the player 1 Military point, highlighting the T’au’s reliance on both strategic diplomacy and military might to expand their empire.

Assimilation Abilities: Each planet has unique Assimilation Abilities that either aid or hinder your progress. These abilities trigger upon the planet’s assimilation and can influence your strategy for the entire star system.

Supply Line Effect: Once a star system is fully assimilated, players can integrate one planet’s Supply Line Effect into their Crusade force, providing ongoing benefits for future conquests.

Core World: Each star system has a Core World, which must be the first planet generated and the last to be assimilated. This structure emphasizes the strategic importance of conquering peripheral planets before tackling the system’s heart.

Generating a New Star System

To generate a new star system, follow these steps:

  1. Determine the Temperament of the System’s Inhabitants: Roll a D6 to determine the general disposition of the system’s inhabitants. This roll affects the Diplomat and Military Power of the planets within the system. For example, a roll indicating a “Warlike” temperament adds 1 to the Military Power of each planet, reflecting the inhabitants’ aggressive nature.
  2. Determine the Number of Planets: Decide whether the system will contain 4, 6, or 8 planets. This choice affects the scale and complexity of the assimilation process.
  3. Determine Each Planet’s Type: For each planet, roll a D6 to decide whether to use the Common Planets table (1-4) or the High-value Planets table (5-6). Then, roll a second D6 to determine the specific type of planet, such as a Mining World, Civilian World, or Fleet Installation.

Shrine World

With a Diplomat Power of 5 and Military Power of 2, Shrine Worlds are pivotal to local faith. Assimilating these planets can either shake the faith of the local populace or stir their fervor.

Civilian World

These worlds have a Diplomat Power of 3 and Military Power of 2. Conquering them affects recruitment and military preparedness of neighboring planets.

Mining World

Rich in resources but defended by lazy forces, these planets have a Diplomat Power of 3 and Military Power of 4.

Military Base

Strongly fortified with a Diplomat Power of 4 and Military Power of 6, their fall greatly impacts local defenses.

Fleet Installation

With Diplomat Power of 4 and Military Power of 6, these planets are voidborne strongholds and centers of military might.

Agri World

Essential for supplies, these planets have Diplomat Power of 2 and Military Power of 2.

Political Centre

Governed from a central stronghold, these planets have Diplomat Power of 6 and Military Power of 3.

Traders’ Hub

These planets have Diplomat Power of 4 and Military Power of 4, combining economic importance with strong defenses.

Research World

With Diplomat Power of 4 and Military Power of 3, these planets are centers of technological advancement.

Taking Over a Planet

Players can choose between a Diplomatic Takeover or a Military Takeover:

Set Up Supply Lines Requisition

After conquering the Core World, players can spend Requisition points to incorporate a planet into their supply lines, leveraging its Supply Line Effect for future conquests. This Requisition costs 1RP for a Core World and 2RP for other planets.

Conclusion

The new T’au Crusade rules are almost identical to the last set of rules with a few exceptions. Allowing players to pick the size of the system is a nice change, but that wasn’t a huge pain point in the old system. Even the changes to the planet value roll don’t really change the outcome in any relaistic manner. With this in mind, let’s see if any other chnages have been made i nthe latter part of the Tau crusade rules.

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