The Tau Empire has been growing rapidly over the last few centuries, and is now beginning to infringe on the domains of other major galactic powers, such as the Imperium of Man. The Tau seek to bring the wisdom of the Ethereals to the worlds of Mankind, but the Imperium will not listen. This new Codex takes us to the fringe of the galaxy, as the Tau gear up for their third period of expansion. They are mustering for war.

Tau Ethereal

The Tau's dominion grows apace. As such, their new Codex has been named Tau Empire in recognition of their conquests in the name of the Greater Good. There are also some mighty fine Citadel miniatures to represent another of the Tau's alien auxiliaries – the Vespid. These flying insectoids hail from a world where there is a certain crystal that produces a form of radiation that, when put in a fancy new Tau gun, is very good at killing Space Marines.

In fact, the Earth caste has been really busy in the 5 years since the Tau first burst onto the galactic stage and has created even more potent weapons to further the aims of the enigmatic Ethereals.

"With any new iteration of an existing army list come new toys to try out," says Andy Hoare. "The Tau armoury has been expanded, providing players with a number of options that fit the feel of the race in terms of its constantly developing new technologies. For example, though the Tau have keen eyesight that allows them to pick out detail, they lack the ability to focus as quickly as other races. This explains their 'average' level of Ballistic Skill. The last Codex provided them with a vehicle-mounted targeting array, a sophisticated targeting system. The Tau have since refined this system to allow for its use as a battlesuit support system option, overcoming this particular physical deficiency."

Tau XV25 Stealthsuit

There are new vehicles – a new tank and a skimmer. "The Sky Ray provides indirect point attack," Andy explains. "It functions alongside a Tau team with a markerlight, uses its seeker missiles to destroy unseen targets, and highlights the interdependency of the Tau army," says Andy. "The Piranha is completely different. It's a light scout vehicle that works in squadrons of up to five models and is best used to grab objectives."

Back in the real world, advances in our own, slightly more humble, technology of plastics manufacture made these new kits a reality. "Increasing digitisation of the design process helps Citadel produce better and better models. Rapid prototyping has also started to come of age," Andy tells us. "We decided to take advantage of this fact. Models that were originally too complex for the range were suddenly possible, so we made them," all for the Greater Good, of course. Doubtless Imperial Commanders will balk at the idea, but if you can't beat them, join them. The Tau welcome all!

Next: Fire Warriors