I’ve been a GW enthusiast (read: Geek) for a little over 15 years now and my interest in the world of 40k has encountered several peaks and troughs in that time. I can remember the original Dark Eldar launch back in 1998, and more vividly I can remember how I just didn’t ‘get’ them.So what made me change my mind all these years later?
I left the world of 40k shortly after the 2nd millennium, and returned just in time for the 5th edition rulebook. With no army to my name and little money, I scoured the internet for a 40k faction that would capture my imagination on the painting desk and lead me to victory on the tabletop. I wanted an army with a difference, something unusual, something that would raise eyebrows. It was then that I stumbled across the army I’d hastily dismissed all those years back, the Dark Eldar. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who had done so and I quickly realised that they had become the most neglected army in 40k. ‘Perfect’ I thought; ‘I can see the beginnings of a classic underdog story unfolding before my very eyes’.
As it turns out, the Dark Eldar aren’t the underdogs at all. In fact, with the right build and a little tactical prowess they are one of the toughest armies to beat. This fact is little known amongst the 40k community and is the perfect weakness for a budding Kabal to exploit. Just like in the fluff the Dark Eldar’s greatest advantage is surprise but more on that in later articles!
I took what money I had and gathered together a rabble of second-hand, half built and half painted miniatures and my Kabal was born. So a year later and with various line up changes here is how my own 1500pt list currently stands:
HQ
Archon (Reaver Jetbike, Punisher, Combat Drugs, Shadow Field, Tormentor Helm, Plasma Grenades)
Dracon (Agoniser, Splinter Pistol, Retinue)
Incubi x 5
Raider
Elites
Wych Squad x 7(Wych Weapons, Shredder, Plasma Grenades) inc. Succubus (Agonisor)
Raider
Troops
Warrior Squad x 5 (Dark Lance)
Raider (Horrorfex)
Warrior Squad x 5 (Dark Lance)
Raider (Horrorfex)
Warrior Squad x 5 (Splinter Cannon)
Raider (Horrorfex)
Warrior Squad x 5 (Splinter Cannon)
Raider (Horrorfex)
Warrior Squad x 5 (Splinter Cannon)
Raider (Horrorfex)
Heavy Support
Ravager (3 x Disintegrators)
Ravager (3 x Disintegrators)
Ravager (3 x Dark Lances)
With twelve St8 Ap2 Lance weapons and six St7 Ap2 Blast templates all with a 36” range, this list is a formidable opponent for any army. And that’s before we’ve spoken about the Close Combat potential!
Nice to see someone keeping the dark eldar going. Visually a stunning army and always great to play against. Interesting army choices and very small squads of warriors. I spose in a way this allows for the extra dark lances. I would say a good list for going up against the mech heavy world we now face. The only thing i would add is a Talos by dropping a ravager.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, thanks for the comment. The small warrior squads are there for last minute objective grabbing, and like you say for the extra lances. I will likely be dropping the Splinter Cannons in favour of more lances when I get round to converting a few more.
ReplyDeleteA five man squad may seem very vunerable as i'll need to take a moral check after two bite the dust. To increase that number to three though i'd practically need to double the size of the squad, which doesn't seem worth the points to me. With T3 and a 5+ they are never going to a tough unit to shift anyway.
I could actually fit a few more Lances in for the same cost. I just need to convert a few warriors first.
"Archon (Reaver Jetbike, Punisher, Combat Drugs, Shadow Field, Tormentor Helm, Plasma Grenades)"
ReplyDeletehe cant have a punisher sorry man, its a two handed weapon and he needs one to drive the jetbike.
mchambers28: Yes he can. The FAQ requires that you replace the jetbike entry entirely with the passage;
ReplyDelete‘A Dark Eldar character on a Reaver Jetbike
changes its unit type from Infantry to Jetbike,
with all of the benefits of an Eldar Jetbike
described in the rulebook. The model gains +1
Toughness as normal, but also +1 Strength due
to the combat blades fixed to the bike. The bike
comes with an in-built splinter rifle, which does
not count towards the character’s weapons
allowance. Characters mounted on Jetbikes
cannot be given Webway Portals or Crucible of
Malediction.’
So it no longer states that you need one hand to operate the bike. To me it makes sense with the rules as it states that the bikes are landed when in combat, so why on earth the character would need a hand on the bike I don't know. Hope that clears it up for you.
Sean
Great stuff, your comments and musings has turned my head to the dark kin, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs I am new to 40k I wonder if you could do a tactica to the new Kill team size games. This is where I am going to test the water. Thanks.