Fail In Focus: Eldar Harlequins FAQ

Referenced in the previous post was a boost to Eldar Harlequins, though in incorrectly asserted this applied to Dark Eldar Harlequins also.

This brief post will explain why and how they got quite a boost.

Armies In Focus; 6th Edition: Dark Eldar, Initial Thoughts

Dark Eldar.

Within itself, this Codex is great.  Fantastic internal balance, lots of seemingly solid choices, good spread of special rules without being overly complex or silly.  Reasonable or good statlines for most things.  Only a couple of units that feel over- or under-costed relative to their 'rivals' in the Codex, or to the baseline rules themselves.

The problems for DE start, however, when you begin to compare across Codexes to what other races cost for what THEY can do, especially to your vehicles...but this isn't their only flaw.

Grrr Comp

I've been recently invited to a comp-heavy 1K (yeah I know) game day organised by my local club.

Running into a Spot Of Trouble

Hey there! c'est encore Diamètre,

When I meet another player face to face, I don’t hide my competitive gaming nature. My very first post on the local Wargames group forum voiced this, by saying that I am a tournament player at heart, and told that to each gamer that I faced at the first meet that I attended that I was in 'it to win it' (I look back and want to slap myself for that turn of phrase - I mean, he has shit hair *and* he's a pretentious knob? wow).

*cough*

Conversion and Creation Centre: TWoC talks Dark Eldar

Image from GW's What's New Today

Herro there Ladles and Jellyspoons,

It’s Widthofacircle here. You might know me as one of the opinionated fools lurking around the shark tank or the pinksphere or if you are a bit of an internet sleuth; I’m also on ATT as Xanadu (We all have to start somewhere right ;)).

After much flirtatious tweeting with TKE, on Twitter, (feel free to follow me : @TWidthofaCircle), I showed him pictures of my recent Kabalite Trueborn conversations and he asked me to pen and article for him on their inception and creation. Frankly terrified of being directly addressed by the internet famusz, I said 'yes'…

Some Dark Thoughts...

So, I've been thinking about the type of army I would rather run at Tournament level than my beloved Eldar, and this has seen me turn my eyes to that forsaken corner of the Webway known as Comorragh, and the Dark Kin.

Well, actually, I wrote a couple other Eldar lists and a couple Templars ones first, but I really think I would enjoy using this DE list.

As I (still! :( ) haven't had the pleasure of playing against 5e DE, I am happy to admit I could be a bit off here - let me know!

Ok, here it is...

I've had no internet the last two days...

So, I'm sure you already know, but Dark Eldar have Harlequins in the army list.  They are exactly the same as in the Codex: Eldar entry, right down to the stupid lack of a dedicated Transport option.  GoGoGadget 4e units!

Really though, this means they pretty much suck.  The DE aren't exactly expensive overall, from what I saw, but the simple fact is they are no CSM either, and their seemingly very good design means they won't be hamstrung by running out of FoC before points and forced to waste any anywhere, and thereby take Harlies over super-Wyches, or Incubi, or Mandrakes, or Grotesques, or super-Warriors...

Ugh.

As Chumby points out, they have a truly phenomenal assault range...and they may well be better than Mandrakes.  All the same...they suck for Eldar, and they suck even harder for Darkies.

When you have Truebloods...I mean, Trueborn, running around with a shitload of Blasters and whatnot, instead of mediocre combat troops (that don't score, like Wyches...) that carry a pair of THREE INCH Meltas...yeah.  Suck, with a capital City.  :-/

Chumby, don't forget to send me that document.  *Nudgenudgewinkwink* Say no more. ;-)

TKE’s What You’re Doing Wrong There

Being a Rant of Sorts, and a Treatise on how you

can improve your game, in several easy steps.

Dark Eldar Players:

‘Uber’ - Retinues. Drazhar costs like 3 Incubi. He has 3 Attacks. THREE, For Fuck’s Sake.

‘Ablative Wound’ Warriors. 8 ponits. No fucking way that is not shit. Shitty stats, shitty gun, inability to do anything in CC…yeah, shit. Srsly, L2P. If a unit costs 300+ points - It better be fucking AwesomeSauce. Archon + Filler is NOT that good.

Night Shields - You are made of PAPER. Most common Anti-Tank in 4th? Assault Cannon/Plasma Gun/Lascannon. You negate two of these at 18” away. 18 measly inches away, and you’re safe. In 5th - Meltagun/Multi-Melta/Autocannon. Again you neuter two of these options. HOW CAN YOU NOT LEARN?!!!!!

Raider Squads - OMFG, put them in their fucking Raider, you spas.

SM Players:

Yes, Devastators will kill most things they shoot. However, MOST enemy armies will be able to SHOOT BACK. T4, 3+ Save =/= Invincible, or even tough. Paying 200+ points for a one-shot weapon with ZERo mobility, unable to Score, taking a Dakka Pred/Vindicator/LRC slot? Not good.

Bike Captains in Bike Squads. Bike Squads are stand-off units, using a combination of mobility (to avoid retribution) and T5 (to shrug off Lasguns etc) - flying into the teeth of the enemy army when one, ONE model can stand up in CC = Stoopid.

Drop Podding SAM Terminators. Really? Lern2Readz.

Committing a squad alone - YES, you are genetically engineered Super-soldiers. BUT, as anyone with any Tactical nous, a basic understanding of mathematics, or any experience with Halo on Legendary difficulty, will tell you, 1unit, however good =/= enemy army. You need back-up in a straight-out fight, simple as that. This is ESPECIALLY true of Assault Squads.

Don’t Outflank with a Storm. Srsly. L2P.

Space Wolf Players:

Lone Wolves aren’t invincible, idiot. Don’t be so goddamn cocky.

Rune Priest + no Invul Save + no unit to take wounds + enemy Vindicator = idiotic move. Being better than the opponent is no excuse for failing at Model Placement re Threat Observation 101.

Necron Players:

Buy more Immortals. Deploy in staggered Rows. Don’t forget Phase Out total. That’s all. You have it hard enough. ;)

Eldar Players:

DON’T ALWAYS BE AGGRESSIVE!! If you outrange the foe, then move back. If you can’t go back, go sideways. If you can get cover, go that way. Just because you CAN move and shoot doesn’t mean a thing. If you can’t get to the target, go around. Don’t fly into his face when you haven’t enough left when it all goes tits up. If you can’t get the kill, then don’t try - do something else. NEVER go Flat Out, ‘just because’.

Nid Players:

If Gaunts have WoN, they can be bunched up safely. It’ll save you time next Dex, when you’re paying 40 points for ten of them…at least until you get those 120 of your 10 point WoN Hormagaunts painted.

IG Players:

Haven’t seen enough of you being stoopid to really criticise like SM, DE etc. That said, Don’t use Missile Launchers! Don’t use Ogyrns! Don’t use Rough Riders! Vendettas ARE your best anti-Tank! Sentinels aren’t even close to worth it!

SM Players 2:

Sniper Scouts are SHIT. Really, really, awful. Take Telion, or don’t bother. Fluff is never an excuse, and, anyway - he goes out on loan every Xmas, like some sort of 41st Millennium David Beckham. Anyway, you think NO OTHER CHAPTER has an EXPERIENCED Scout Sergeant? You thin they’re all chumps? Lern2Imagination.

Okay, I feel better now.

FYI, so you don’t think I’m being unfairly critical here - the arrogant Wolf Lord? That one was me. Even if 5 Devastators actually killing a Lone Wolf before he gets to strike is unlucky enough to Double Facepalm.

TKE's TMWFI

Hi, this is TKE's Take My Word For It, the place I reveal upcoming info/unsubstantiated rumours. Why are they unsubstantiated? Because I never reveal my sources, dumbass! ;)

Suffice it to say, you'll just have to TMWFI - but as far as I know, everything I 'release' in these posts is truth, and is what I'm taking into consideration with regards to future advice etc.

The Dark Eldar Codex was finished, sent out to playtesters, and Regional Managers, and rejected, as simply not being powerful enough. I'd have been of the opinion the whole army using a super-Ambush method of Deployment, and having the capacity to squeeze 3 Agonisors and 3 Flamer-type weapons (Destructors?) per 12-man squad would've been plenty. Especially given even befroe the in-progress revamp JetLock armies had "literally no chance" against them...ho-hum. A DEldar list that auto-rapes Eldar? Nasty. Especially since the source also rates Eldar as the highest of the existing Codicies. In fairness, I don't quite agree with that assessment - and the guy ceratinly agrees with my FoC Saturation theory regarding Phil Kelly's writing. ;)

Next, Tyranids in March? New Gaunts box that reduces them to 10-per? Swarm armies stupidly over-powered, just like NidZilla was last time? Tyranids to actually get a reasonable answer to Mech lists? Well, I've been telling you for months that NidZilla is dead, and when the more detailed info for this Codex starts trickling into your brainboxes, you'll agree.

If you don't agree...L2P. Seriously. ;)

Necrons: Everyone's favourite Terminator look-alikes. Well, the Dex was pretty much done, but they were a bit overpriced. 23 points a Necron Warrior? No way. Fortunately, this has been corrected to most people's satisfaction. Dex pretty much in final stages/already done. I have some more detailed info, but it's a lot more fun for me to wait for the rumour threads to start popping up, and then to debunk things I know aren't true. Suffice it to say, given the relative amount I like Heresy compared to other sites, they'll get stuff first, and more. Anyone who copy/pastes my info, please accredit it accordingly.

To summarise then:

Oder release then: Space Wolves, Tyranids, Necrons, then Dark Eldar who have to wait until 2011, BUT they WILL be out. :)

Look out for the next one in this series, in which I discuss changes to the basic rules mechanics being playtested in the Studio, and pick holes. ;)