Tau conversions and mind control

[9x19 Parabellum]

So, I'm not a huge fluff-reader or researcher especially with Tau as they are a newer army for me, but I have heard that the Commies enjoy a good rousing bit of mind control on their vassal races.

 

Is it possible (or rather, feasible) that some of this could extend to human races, and that Tau teams might have a couple of brainwashed re-educated human (or other race) conscripts in their ranks?

 

I have some imperial guardsman left over from other kits and I kind of like the idea of having a few painted up in Tau colors, armed with pulse rifles and the right shoulderpad "shield" just to mess with my opponents (espeically if they are playing imperium). Also thought about scraping out the inside of a DS9 tactical turret, sticking an Orc inside with a big dakka style gun, but have the end chopped off and mount a missile pod/smart missile system (DS9 Tactical Ork, aka, the Gimp).

 

Thoughts?

[Panzer]

The only mind control involved would be the Ethereals and their control is restricted to the T'au themselves. However it's only implicated and it's rather mind influence instead of straight out mind control.

The auxiliary races get controlled by propaganda, education and improvements to quality of life. Not that it would take much propaganda to convince people from :cussty hive worlds, from agrar worlds or from worlds fearing the hammer of the inquisition/space marines/imperium for some reason to join the T'au Empire though (and if that's not enough there's always the good old Pulse rifle to help with the convincing since not joining the T'au Empire means getting attacked by the T'au Empire). ^^

[Guest Triszin]

The vespid communication collars are rumored to be mind control on the vespid controlling class.

 

also the T'au have a allied race that is a mind control worm or something right?

[Commander Dawnstar]

Mhm. The Vespid are almost certainly subject to some kind of mind control through their Communion Helms and we know the T'au employ the Nagi (a wormlike race known to have mind control/reading abilities) as "advisors" for both members of their own Ethereal Caste and some others besides. In Broken Sword we see a former Inquisitor who is a devout convert of the Greater Good and credits his directly-interfaced Nagi with advising him in the field. The means certainly are there.

 

Broadly speaking though there's no suggestion that the T'au use any kind of widespread mind control on their auxiliaries. Like sfPanzer said, most of those who have joined the Empire are either genuine converts, business partners, or have been presented with an offer they simply cannot refuse (be that because it's genuinely better, their only hope of survival or an ultimatum delivered at the end of a gun). The Empire certainly wouldn't waste the time and resources brainwashing Imperials when all it has to do is offer them a life which is markedly less cruel and provides them the opportunity for genuine advancement through merit and service. It's not always an easy sell and certainly doesn't win over everyone, but the T'au Empire definitely offers a decent enough sales pitch to win people over the hard way rather than needing some kind of widespread mind control tech that cuts out the middle man.

 

You could go with this idea if you wanted - it's not wholly outside the realm of plausibility however unlikely - but I'm not sure why you'd need to field mind controlled humans when you could just have genuine converts instead. Isn't that all the worse for your opponents to run into?

[Panzer]

The vespid communication collars are rumored to be mind control on the vespid controlling class.

 

also the T'au have a allied race that is a mind control worm or something right?

 

You are thinking of the Nagi, yeah. Not much is known about them except that the T'au fought a war against them but now they are allied and they get employed by the Ethereal Caste regularly, however I doubt they are numerous enough to be used to subdue whole worlds lol

[Guest Triszin]

 

 

The vespid communication collars are rumored to be mind control on the vespid controlling class.

 

also the T'au have a allied race that is a mind control worm or something right?

You are thinking of the Nagi, yeah. Not much is known about them except that the T'au fought a war against them but now they are allied and they get employed by the Ethereal Caste regularly, however I doubt they are numerous enough to be used to subdue whole worlds lol

Ya, I think that primarily use them on captured targets to break them and get info forcefully

[Panzer]

I'd say the Nagi are more used for interrogations and to give the Ethereals insights they otherwise can't get with their lack of psychic powers. It's always good to have such a thing as the ruling caste. ;)

 

There are a bunch of things that hint potentially grimdark elements in the T'au Empire, like one could easily interpret it in a way that the Nagi are controlling the Ethereals, but there's nothing definite written about it and I think that's a good thing. The last few times someone (*cough* Kelly *cough*) tried to push the T'au into a more obviously grimdark direction it was terrible imo.

[9x19 Parabellum]

How they end up in the ranks of a strike team is not important. Whether it's mind control, threats, or just "hey these Tau guys aren't so bad after all!". All that is important is that it's feasible a guardsman (model) could end up in with a Pulse Rifle on the game table.

[Panzer]

I just wouldn't mix T'au and humans in the same unit. They are allies but no human will ever be part of the Fire Caste.

[9x19 Parabellum]

I just wouldn't mix T'au and humans in the same unit. They are allies but no human will ever be part of the Fire Caste.

 

You think they wouldn't be Strike Team (or Breacher Team) members AT ALL?  or just not mixed in with T'au? I don't have enough to make their own unit. I figured they'd allow a few humans in to, ya know, take point, go first over minefields etc.

[Panzer]

I'm not too sure about old Gue'vesa rules (if there ever where some) so I'm not too sure about them not acting as Strike Team at all. I do believe Gue'vesa army structure and T'au army structure are kept separated so while they would form their own units to fight alongside the T'au it wouldn't be a Strike Team as that's a very specific Fire caste unit.

Of course there aren't any rules for Gue'vesa right now so your only options would be to do a counts-as unit of an infantry unit of your choice (Strike Team, Breacher Team, Kroot, Pathfinder Team or Vespid Team).

 

However what I'm sure about is that they definitely wouldn't mix with T'au soldiers in the same unit except for some very special narrative reasons (as you can basically everything explain away if you are just creative enough in the 40k universe ... even Necrons and Blood Angels fighting side by side lol). You don't need them to be part of your squad to have them go first into potentially dangerous positions. Rather in your squad you want good coordination and that each member has your back (especially as T'au have the bonding knife ritual thing going on).

[Happy-inquisitor]

 

I just wouldn't mix T'au and humans in the same unit. They are allies but no human will ever be part of the Fire Caste.

 

You think they wouldn't be Strike Team (or Breacher Team) members AT ALL?  or just not mixed in with T'au? I don't have enough to make their own unit. I figured they'd allow a few humans in to, ya know, take point, go first over minefields etc.

 

 

 

Humans absolutely can form Strike Teams, where this comes up in the fiction they appear to do so as a team wholly of humans. This is really no different to the Septs, a single Strike Team would not have T'au from a mixture of Septs.

 

Pick up and have a read of The Greater Evil if you get the chance, it is not a bad little short story (good by Black Library standards IMO) and it has a fair bit of description of human auxiliaries.

[Exilyth]

Fluff exists which describes human auxilliaries (aka Gue'Vesa) as being kept separate from Tau society except for the re-education training and deployment alongside (but in units separate from) firecaste units. There's also fluff indicating human auxilliaries are put under mandatory birth control. There have been various revisions of the fluff in the meantime though.

 

As far as rules go, if I remember correctly, Gue'Vesa had rules released in chapter approved back in the day (late 3rd, maybe early 4th edition?).

Just guardsmen with some different weapons options if I remember correctly.

 

You would most likely be best of using counts as for them in 8th.

[9x19 Parabellum]

Well, my Gue'Vesa are going to be mixed in with my T'au.  I don't want a whole unit of humans, that would defeat the purpose of just having a few leftover models here and there.  I'm going to consider them Xenos advisor specialists to T'au units.  Language and Customs experts, etc.

[Panzer]

Language and customs experts wouldn't make much sense in a Strike Team either. That's a job for the Water Caste. The Fire Caste is there to shoot things.

[9x19 Parabellum]

Language and customs experts wouldn't make much sense in a Strike Team either. That's a job for the Water Caste. The Fire Caste is there to shoot things.

 

It makes more sense to me to have a language/custom expert available in real time, on location, when invading/fighting in an imperium-controlled zone, then to have an academic water caste phone-a-friend on speed-dial.

[Panzer]

 

Language and customs experts wouldn't make much sense in a Strike Team either. That's a job for the Water Caste. The Fire Caste is there to shoot things.

 

It makes more sense to me to have a language/custom expert available in real time, on location, when invading/fighting in an imperium-controlled zone, then to have an academic water caste phone-a-friend on speed-dial.

 

 

I mean it's your narrative so you can do what you want, however the T'au live in a very strictly structured society so while the Firecaste may have some basic foreign language skills, possibly supported by technology, they aren't experts and don't have to be because by the time the Strike Teams get send in to do their thing they are already briefed and it's way past time for talking and negotiating. If the situation occurs to need that specific skillset they'd rather drag the foreigner back to a nearby stationed water caste member rather than dealing with it in the field.

 

Again though, they are your guys and if you want to have such a narrative in place that's fine. I can just say how things normally are, not how they are in your specific narrative. ^^

[9x19 Parabellum]

 

 

Language and customs experts wouldn't make much sense in a Strike Team either. That's a job for the Water Caste. The Fire Caste is there to shoot things.

 

It makes more sense to me to have a language/custom expert available in real time, on location, when invading/fighting in an imperium-controlled zone, then to have an academic water caste phone-a-friend on speed-dial.

 

 

I mean it's your narrative so you can do what you want, however the T'au live in a very strictly structured society so while the Firecaste may have some basic foreign language skills, possibly supported by technology, they aren't experts and don't have to be because by the time the Strike Teams get send in to do their thing they are already briefed and it's way past time for talking and negotiating. If the situation occurs to need that specific skillset they'd rather drag the foreigner back to a nearby stationed water caste member rather than dealing with it in the field.

 

Again though, they are your guys and if you want to have such a narrative in place that's fine. I can just say how things normally are, not how they are in your specific narrative. ^^

 

 

I do appreciate it, SF, but I'm also forced to confront the very real dilemma that there are a lot of gaps and discrepancies in what constitutes "official" 40k canon.  I guess I"m just spitballing and poking around the edges of what is possible within that (varying) canon.

[Focslain]

Another book to look at that has a lot of Tau mind-games and converts is Damocles, it's a collection of short stories, 'Broken Blade' is in there as well. The etherals are not as big of a threat as the Water Caste, those guys are nasty to near Lelouch levels of manipulation.