Tau says: Squats! I CHOOSE YOU!

Say WHAT?

     This rumor comes from the gentleman that spilled the beans on the Dreadknight for the Grey Knights. Now one of the earlier Tau rumors hinted that some more xenos would be added to the book. The Kroot and Vespids won't be the only add-in races for the Tau. Rumored is that the Demiurg might be joining in their Tau adventures. The Demiurg, for those of you that don't know are the squats (space dwarves), currently still in  Battle Fleet Gothic, and according to some fluff had allied with the Tau in times past. They are not, however, members of the Tau empire. And you thought they'd stop at space orangutans?

Demiurg Concept Art and Stronghold Ship from BFG

     The Tau have certainly been one of the races I've been more interested in. Some of their rules that are up for consideration in this new codex might really swing me towards their corner. They will surely need some new plastics, their Boxy-McBoxinton crysis suits are in desperate need of some refreshing. Fortunately I think Forgeworld knows the way forward.

You can get with this, or you can get with that.

     These tweaks would pretty much sell me on the army. I love the organic look of the tanks, and I dig the sort of anime styling of the battlesuits, troops, and drones. I really like the idea of an army that could possibly win a game of 40K in the shooting phase. We'll see if it happens.

Grey Knights

     If you've been following this blog for a while, you might know that I've actually got some painted Grey Knights. I grabbed a Stern model and a box of terminators more for the fun of actually painting them up and looking at them than playing them on the table. I've used them as an ally to my Space Marines in a few games. They never really did anything to spectacular, but they look dead sexy, and I dig their back story so I let it slide.

     I've been entertained with the reactions I've been seeing online. The mixture of "They went too far!" and "They didn't go far enough!" is bordering on insanity. GW isn't going to be able to please 100% of their fans... ever. I actually stopped by my local GW store a few times to check out the models and the codex. I'm loving the kits more for their completeness, but aesthetically they blend very well with the old metal models. The terminators more so than the power armored ones, but still they were meant to look very close to their older brothers. I listened to a few folks at the store moan about how they really expected more, but these aren't Dark Eldar we're talking about. That was an exception. Their old models were HORRIBLE, and without a reset, they'd have been dead in the water.

     The GK models were fine, but they were metal. So keeping the look, but making an awesome plastic kit that covers all the war gear gets a big 'win' in my book.

     Will I be running GKs? Yeah, but they're WAY down the road. Since completing these lowly six GK models, I've been wanting to build it out to a whole army. But before that, I have an IG army to do, my Red Scorpions, and a few long overdue additions to my Orks. Those shiny bastards will just have to wait their turn. 

Shout out to Japan


     Like everyone else, I've been pretty torn up concerning the tragedy in Japan. My wife has a few friends over in and around Tokyo, and fortunately they've all reported in that they are fine. Some are getting out of town while this nuclear reactor situation sorts itself out a bit. So I'd just like to say that I'm praying for all the folks out there, and I hope you might do the same, dear reader. The scale of the devastation is maybe too much to take in, but I'm hoping help gets where it is most needed. If you want to help, you can drop by the Red Cross website and make a donation. I've done so, and it ain't much, but I'd like to think that someone would do the same for me.

     And on a slightly sillier note: I was in my local Chipotle restaurant this evening and as I walked in a grimaced at the song playing. That song would be "Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult. I'm a lyrics guy, and in case you didn't know there are a few parts: "Oh no! There goes Tokyo! Go Go Godzilla!" and "History shows again and again how Nature points out the folly of men."

     If you didn't know, Godzilla was originally an avatar of nuclear weapons. He was an allegory of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With the reactor at Fukushima in an ever worsening state, this song seemed ever so timely. I was living in Norway when the Chernobyl accident went down, and I remember how panicked people were, and how helpless everyone felt as the fallout poured across Europe. Fortunately the effects weren't too widely felt, but you have to wonder what this will mean for Japan in the long run.

Take care out there, and be safe.