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Tau Marines


neosonichdghg

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Hello, everyone!

 

My first post on Bolter and Chainsword...fun. All right, let's start off interesting. Do you guys know of anyone ever making Space Marines who work for the Tau? I've got a unit of Scouts in Fire Warrior armor, a handful of converted Terminators, a few vehicles with some sweet sensors and junk, a set of themed servitors, and plans for a tricked-out Dreadnought. I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this before and could give me some ideas.

 

Oh yeah, all a' you buggers still loyal to the Lords of Terra...

 

Don't hurt me!

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Tau Marines? Heresy! but then again, I don't mind a little heresy now and then...*cough* Horus Heresy *cough*

Personally, I don't like the idea that much, as Space Marines have a tendency :P to be xenophobic. Don't know if anyone ever tried this before, but I'm sure that, has anyone ever tried, he should be around this board somewhere. Maybe you could try Searchy?

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Open Fire!!!! Die HERETIC!!!

 

*Lots and Lots of Dakka*

 

Is he still standing? Ok, Fire!

 

*Even lots More Dakka*

 

...

 

*dakka*

 

Heretic!

 

:P

 

*Shoots a little more for good measure*

 

 

 

Anyways, no, I don't know anyone who's trying it, and I hope I never will. I personally think it's a horrid idea, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

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First off; welcome to the B&C. :)

 

Secondly; although you will be yelled at for being (let's face it) the filthy xenos-loving heretic you are ;) , it is my personal belief that this theme, when carried well, does have merit.

 

There will have to be an impressive piece of fluff to justify this strange chapter to exist, let alone survive and prosper but it would be interesting to say the least.

 

We already have chapters utilizing deamonic possession and chaos weaponry so the step to a xenos equivalent would not be too big I think. The Mentors are a chapter for instance, that is used to field-test new equipment and on rare occasions alien technology adapted for Imperial use.

 

I think Tau technology would be quite adaptable for Imperial use and that's how they might have started out perhaps. Then they got too much involved with the Tau ideology as well and got 'turned' if you will.

 

I'm sure they'll fight to the death against any Imperial forces as none of them would want to be caught alive!

 

Do you have any pictures of your existing force? I'm very interested to see these 'Manga-Marines' of yours...

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I already have a fairly long story behind them, even longer than the average bunch of Marines. I don't have any pictures yet, but I may be able to get some tomorrow. On Wednesday I'm going to the next class at my local GW store and I'll start painting the converted stuff to match the rest of my army. But man, you guys have to see the Scouts. Custom-made Tau sniper rifles, cityfight bases, a heavy bolter guy carrying ammo boxes, a Sergeant with a custom backpack, a guy getting shot at, and even one Scout firing one of the long xeno monstrosities. I'll be back in a sec with the fluff if I can find it.

 

EDIT: Found it. Enjoy:

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Two millenia ago, the Red Dragons chapter of the Adeptus Astartes were is the Gothic Sector after the consumption of their homeworld by the Tyranids. They were to recieve a new ship, the Dragon's Claw, allowing them to attack the enemies of the Imperium from anywhere in the galaxy. The Red Dragons were to become a spaceborne chapter, as the Dark Angels before them. They would travel from world to world, seeking out heretics and xenos alike and vanquishing them in the name of the Emperor. But first they had to learn how.

 

They trained for months, learning how to defend such a huge craft as the Dragon's Claw, both with fighters from the Dragon's Brood, smaller craft such as the Cleansing Fire and Serpent's Wing. They learned how to strike from the Warp, guiding their craft into gainful position and escaping before retribution could come. They learned how their foes would act in such a situation, and how to exploit their weaknesses. Their training was nearly complete when the planet was attacked.

 

A Chaos fleet appeared and attacked the Marine battlegroup during a training exercise. The Dragons fought valiantly, but in the ned they were forced to flee in the face of a terrible foe. But the Warp was not a safe refuge. The daemons still lurking in the depths of the Immaterium flocked to the small cluster of ships and struck at the minds of those within. The psychic assault was too much for the vulnerable psykers of the chapter, and the miniature fleet tumbled through the Warp without the guidance of their Navigators.

 

As the Marines flew blindly, the daemons unexpectedly pulled away. As the Dragons marveled at the Emperor's providence, they fell into a terrible warp storm. The Cleansing Fire was lost, and with it went a hundred and fifty valiant battle brothers. The other ships escaped, but with horrible scars. The Red Dragons returned to their daemonic tormentors with greivously damaged vessels.

 

After some time, the Techmarines coaxed the fleet back into normal space. Battered and broken, the Dragon's Claw, Serpent's Wing, Leviathan, and Dragon's Brood crash landed on a nearby planet, never to fly again. A check of the star charts revealed it to be Gribaltar, a Forge World devastated by Orks near the southern edge of Tau space. After some deliberation, the Dragons decided to attempt to repair the Dragon's Claw and Serpent's Wing, allowing them to return to the Imperium. Unfortunately, their plans were soon interrupted.

 

Gribaltar was attacked by a sizeable Ork force. The Red Dragons battled as none could have been asked, and made fields of Ork dead, but it was not enough. The green tides were driving back the brave Marines, and defeat was imminent when they were rescued by an unlikely ally. A small Tau fleet emerged from the background noise of the universe and attacked the Orks. In the confusion over this new development, the Dragons struck, and between the two forces the Orks were driven off of Gribaltar.

 

The Red Dragons grudgingly thanked the Tau for their help, but refused the xenos' offer to join the empire. They braced themselves for the inevitable assault, but the Tau commander had seen enough battle. He led his ships peacefully away in search of more suitable worlds. The Marines realized that agents of the Imperium would not be so merciful, and thus were the seeds of heresy planted.

 

After centuries of work, the remnants of the Red Dragons blasted off from their impromptu homeworld and plotted a course south toward Macragge. But the beasts of Chaos were waiting for them, and this time the Dragons were protected only by cobbled-together warp shields. Their minds were subtly infiltrated by the more cunning monsters, and the doubts about the Imperium planted by the Tau were expanded by the probing tendrils of thought. Eventually, though, the Dragons escaped the Warp and arrived at the homeworld of the Ultramarines and, to the astonishment of the locals, identified themselves as the prodigal chapter and reaffirmed their loyalty to the Emperor. They were housed on Macragge while their ships were restored to peak condition, they recieved new vessels to carry the new equpment issued to them, and those battle brothers lost to the Warp and the rages of battle were replaced. And, when the time came, they went to battle in the name of the Emperor with newly swelled ranks.

 

A cult had taken root in a nearby Hive World. An Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus had requested support, and the Red Dragons answered his call. For six months they scoured the planet tracking down leaders of the cult and eradicating its follwers one by one. However, the Inquisitor finally declared the planet beyond hope and ordered an Extirminatus. As the face of the hive world was purged of all life, the Dragons wondered if such destruction was truly necessary. Although they convinced themselves there must be a good reason, the events over the next few years couild not be explained away. They fought Eldar and Tau that did not seem so evil, slaughtered countless innocents, and with each new atrocity fell further into their new belief. Clearly, something had gone wrong. The Emperor's ideal had been corrupted. Perhaps the whispers in the dark were right - perhaps the Imperium was not the refuge they sought. With a sense of disgust at the horrors around them, the Red Dragons fled to Gribaltar once again.

 

They were lost and confused for some time. What was left for them now, if the Empror's dream had been so destroyed? Chaos, the voices urged. And for a time the Dragons considered a turn to the forces of darkness. But then they remembered the Tau. After much deliberation, the Dragons set a course north to the fledgling empire and offered their services. They were soon accepted into the Tau empire, and they became the first unit of Gue'vesa marines. Since then, they have battled alongside their new allies and sought a way to rebuild the Imperium as the Emperor originally imagined it. Someday, they know, the Lords of Terra will fall and their corruptive influence will end. On that day, the Dragons may have to vie with the Tau to keep Mankind under its own control. But until then they will fight with their xeno friends, and each day come closer to redeeming the Imperium.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It's not written as well as the first draft, but I fixed a LOT of fluff issues. I mean, a whole lot. I would get flamed for thinking about posting that thing.

 

Feedback?

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Very nice, but this piece might be better off in the Liber Astartes, where brothers roam that just love to read other people's fluff. And comment on it. In a constructive way even!

 

As it is, your background does sound somewhat believable, although it's paper thin in places. Still; stranger things have happened in the (imaginary) galaxy after all...

 

Kudos to you for that! :)

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Cheers Oblit... ;)

 

Don't pay attention to that bit of roleplaying; I'm sure he means well. Right MAD COMMANDO? :) This is a powerarmor only board and this is enforced quite strictly, to keep things as organized as possible. However, your marines are still powerarmored so I really see no problem there.

 

And I happen to be in the market for a hand by the way; is it a left or right one, and is there any wear and tear, damage etc? :P

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aaaahhhh...okay, that makes sense. Yeah, they're actually just vanilla Marines. They just look different. I'm doing some equivalent-weapon conversions, like counting burst cannons as assault cannons, using Tau heavy flamers and plasma rifles, etc. Those are turning out pretty cool. You haven't seen scary 'till you've seen a Terminator with an XV-8's burst cannon grafted onto his right arm.
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Ah, I remember this being hotly debated on another forum. It was mostly between two factions: the "Tau marines is teh wrong!" crowd and the "mellow out dudes" side. Guess where I was standing? :)

 

If you've completed any models I'd like to see what has happened since then. Post some pics in the painting forum.

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I think, with reasonable story behind it, it could work. As long as its "We got bored, joined Tau" but something more complex, the Tau would love to have some SM on their side.

 

Personally, I would in your story change the corse from when their on the planet. Dont let them leave & keep making the Tau come back to join them until they have no choice but to join the Tau. They could use Human Tau for recruits and Tau technology to make new marines

 

Ferrata

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You haven't seen scary 'till you've seen a Terminator with an XV-8's burst cannon grafted onto his right arm.

Tried that one a couple years ago. I thought it was cool, but my buddy cried Heresy. I'd also love to see pics. ;)

 

Your fluff is looking good! Props for not just getting these boyz "lost in the warp." If you wanted, you could up the gothic-ness by having them constantly struggle with the pull of Chaos, since they might still have demonic voices whispering doubts in their ears. :)

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I must say I am surprised by the back-story. Although it is indeed paper-thin at many places, the amout of thought I see you have put into it makes it good enough for me :) .

 

One thing I would change, as Displasius mentioned, make them still struggling with the pull of chaos, and therefore so doubtfull of the imperium. Afterall, these are marines in a gothic-baroque-punk universe, and a little exterminatus is not going to phase em that much. and once chaos gets a hold, it isn't letting go.

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Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has that thought. I've been thinking of making a rogue legion of space marines who have been sicken by the imperium for what they see it, and are tired of being nothing more than tools. So, the chapter has an innere struggle between its self and are left with only a few companies remaining. Some of them go into hiding, others flea into the wildness of space and one seeks refuge within the Tau empire. How? well, it's going to take some really believable fluff to make it work, because Space Marines are hard pressed, even for traitors.

 

I might make a test model and post it.

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