You have presented the issue very succinctly; if they are so capable of destroying opponents, they are not much fun to play against and even harder to 'balance' against the normal lists.

Reducing the numbers is probably the way to go, either by playing them alonside normal Eldar lists or forcing the player to take normal formations for each Harlie formation used, though it would need some work to resolve the different mechanics.

Well, they are overpowered in some aspects and underpowered in others. I had a game where I've been wiped out in turn 2 down to the last stand. The resulting list is just a mess.

Things I like are the separation between Dark Eldar and Eldar lists, but perhaps we could organize it like the Chaos list where the Harlequins take a penalty when running them both? I don't know of any fluff where Eldar and Dark Eldar worked together on anything, which is why I organized it the way I did, but I am open to change.

Another thing I'd like to work into the list would be Exodites, but without a firm Exodite list to draw from it seems unlikely.

I wrote down some ideas for formations like...

5 Jetbikes + 1 Harlequin Jetbike
6 Guardians + 1 Harlequin
5 Dark Eldar Warriors + 1 Harlequin
0-1 formation of pure Harlequins where the Supreme Commander would be placed.

The rest would be generic formations of Swords of Vaul and such.
I still like the Laughing God which -out of everything- seemed the most reasonable.
I still would like to add something else to the list, whether that be a new unit or portals or another idea.

_________________
author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.

Model availability is the killer for the Exodite list, no doubt about it. However, there opportunities that come up when it comes to the old models. One such opportunity landed on my lap and now I have plenty of them. The real problem I see for Exodites is balancing the lack of variety with the heavy dependence on mixed IP. But moving on...

I've been reading Inquisition Wars which features Harlequins heavily. In that book, the Harlequins are in fact leading large groups of Ulthwe' Eldar against the Imperium (and Chaos). They fight side by side and direct Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Swooping Hawks, Dark Reapers, Guardians, and Black Guardians in battle. And it wasn't a 40K scale battle either - we're talking a major conflict on a near-Craftworld sized construct. That's where I got the idea of combining them. It also has the benefit of allowing people who don't have a lot of Harlies to be able to field them easier.

The list could possibly use pure Harlequin formations as core (as they are currently listed in the 2.0 list) but once again I think we're going to run into issues. Give it a whirl if need be - I simply have strong doubts. And iterating what I said before, the more Harlequins needed to playing, the less players there shall be.

What is it about the Vision of the Laughing God that you don't like?

_________________
author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.

Here are some of my thoughts FWIW

The biggest problems encountered are trying to match the Fluff and the E:A mechanics to the Harlies while also providing a balanced and enjoyable game for both players. I am a self-confessed 'fluffy-phobe' so am really not the authority on this, but I thought that they were

• Isolated from normal Eldar, disdaining contact unless it is to their advantage
• Very fast and also hard to hit ('a coloured blur on the battlefield')
• Few in numbers, hence combining with and leading other Eldar forces when it suited them.

Please add to the list as it would be usefull to make sure that we have all their traits here.

I just checked the earlier list variants, and Dave McCleod did originally envisage them as being part of the 1/3 allowance for Titans and aircraft; the SR 5+ rating is only used where the Harlequins are the entire army.

I will also suggest that perhaps they should only be on-table for a limited amount of time to represent their disdain for the particular battle / allies, possibly using a mechanic akin to Daemons.
Some thoughts:-

1. Revive the 'holofield' special rule of -1 to hit a Harlequin (shooting or assault) because of their speed and agility, Daethedi field etc . This is on top of other modifiers. However, keep all the armour values at 5+ except perhaps the Solitare as 4+.
2. I like the idea of Jetbikes getting RA to reflect the Daethedi field, but I think the 'Holofield' above might better reflect this - though YVMD
3. Webway mastery:-
   This is a suggestion as to how one might both allow Harlies to run rampant, but only in a restricted part of the battlefield. The reduced initiative in the webway represents their disdain at joining the battle; you cannot rely on these guys turning up, but watchout when they do. (You might even consider a 3+ initiative ignoring other modifiers )
   (If you like this, I suggest removing Teleport from all Harlequin units.)
   
   • All Harlequins must start off-table in the Webway and must be summoned.
   • Eldar Farseers may summon the Great Harlequin formation using the same process as for the Avatar at the start of a turn - so no 'gate required for this formation to be placed on the table!
   • The Great Harlequin must be on-table to summon other Harlequin formations through one or more webway gates.
   • In the webway;
     • All Harlequin formations have an initiative of 2+.
     • Harlequin formations may ignore the webway numbers restriction; any number of Harlequin formations may use a single gate, but they may not share the gate with other Eldar formations.
   • On the table Harlequin initiative is 1+.
   • At the end of the turn,
     • Harlequin formations outside 30cm of the Great Harlequin will automatically return to the webway.
     • The Great Harlequin formation may exit the battlefield voluntarily if within 30cm of a 'gate.
4. Allow the player to choose either; a Harlequin army with the 'allies' from other lists being in the 1/3 Titans and aircraft, or an "Eldar" army with the Harlies in the 1/3 Titans and Spacecraft. Either way, if you adopt the 'webway mastery' ideas, they will need to buy 'gates, further restricting how they are used

I think you are mixing up Exodites and Harlequins.
Harlequins are rare and keep to themselves, but they don't shun Eldar (or Dark Eldar). In fact, they move from Eldar Craftworld to the Dark Eldar holdouts to the Exodite Worlds, dancing and telling the story of the Fall of the the Eldar. The Exodites and Eldar look upon the dance with solemnness, whereas the Dark Eldar allow the Harlequins to dance for them for amusement. The very purpose of the Harlequins is to be in constant contact with the Eldar and the Dark Kin.

Harlequins do lead other Eldar into battle. To say that this is hierarchical would be jumping the gun. However, Harlies have access to the Black Library, something regular Eldar and Dark Eldar do not have. Any conflict they would find themselves involved in would be based on the information they have gleaned from the Black Library. Because of that source, they would be calling upon other assets and most likely directing them in combat.

The Great Harlequin plays the part of Cegorach in The Dance. The Solitaire plays the part of Slaanesh.

Exodites shun other Eldar. They were the ones that left the Empire of the Eldar centuries (millennia?) before the Craftworlds were created, despising the Eldar way of life. They obviously hate Dark Eldar lifestyle but also consider Craftworld Eldar as Johnny-come-latelies.

_________________
author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.

I did say I was a 'fluffy-phobe'
Fair enough; it might even be worth putting that description in the top of the army list including the bit about Exodites.

Regarding 'Webway mastery' the intention was to allow the Harlies to be powerfull but constrained in a different way, so for 'disdain at joining the battle' read 'rarity'. It still amounts to the same thing; you cannot totally rely on them arriving when you want them, and being centred on the Great Harlequin and potentially entering from the same 'gate means they will be more limited in their scope on the battlefield.
As a thought, perhaps Harlequins (or at least the Great Harlequin) can start on-table if being played as an army - they only need to be summoned if they are an 'ally'.

Regarding Cegorach, could the Great Harlequin or even the 'normal' Avatar double for that role in the game rather than using a marker?

Apart from that, I do like the simplifications - they make sense.

Elsmore, to answer your earlier question, here is what I found broken...

Formations of Harlequins suffered just like regular formations of infantry. Caught by artillery or massed firepower they died a horrible death - a very expensive, horrible death.

Once they closed, they devoured formations in assaults. That may sound like a good balance, but the pair of games I played with them didn't 'feel' balanced. One game I slaughterd my opponent outright, the next I lost every unit I brought. The whole thing felt like my game hinged upon whether or not I won a strategy roll. Some games are like that, but I couldn't get over the feeling that every game I played with them was going to end up like that.

I feel your plight, Elsmore. I have 25+ stands of these little guys all painted up, plus custom Venoms and custom jetbikes. I obviously want to use them too. Just trust me as the guy who came up with the list that it needs major revamping. Totally broken may be an exaggeration; how about 'significant changes'?

_________________
author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.

I think, oddly, that the solution here may be applying special rules. Mechanisms to slow down and break up the opposing army would help give the list more of a unique feel and let the Harlequins manage with fewer troops. I'm hard pressed to think of anything you haven't already done, though. Could add some more powers to the Laughing God, though that's probably getting...excessive.

Making them immune to indirect fire occurred, but barrages SHOULD be the thing most likely to rip Harlequins apart. Plus, again - excessive.

Since the Webway isn't as dangerous as teleporting, maybe they shouldn't take dangerous terrain tests when they do so (still take BMs, obviously)?

Their stats should be toned down somewhere between a little and a lot. I know it'll mean more of them, but they're rather...powerful.

I wonder if the thing to do might be to give them a bonus to their strategy roll - it'd make them more predictable, which'd make them easier to balance.

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Could we take this as a guide and make the Harlies upgrades to certain formations eg Aspects and limiting the number of pure Harlequin formations against the warhosts taken? This would achieve several objectives simultaneously.