Dark Eldar Special Rule |
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Moscovian
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule  Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:49 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:32 pm
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Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania USA
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Now that the number of Dark Eldar armies is growing the number of playtests have gone up and revealed some interesting qualities to the list: first and foremost is that the DE are extremely fragile. While we knew this when we were building the list, we figured that the fragility could be overcome with higher attack values, speed, and in some cases lower costs.
But from looking at the way the games have played out I am seeing a common trend which is the Dark Eldar's inability to close with the enemy in sufficient numbers to be able to support each other. Several players have brought up the fact that the triple activation of the Eldar could be applied to the DE as well in order to help compensate for their shortcomings.
I disagree that a triple activation that mirrors the Eldar would be appropriate for the dark kin. However I do think there is room for something if it is done properly. While we've worked very hard to reduce the number of special rules on the DE list (right now it has less than the Eldar!) I am cautiously open to considering a new one to give the list a boost.
My proposal is a tweak of the 40K rule:
Fleet of Foot: Once per turn the Dark Eldar player may take an automatic March order for one of his previously unactivated formations - no activation roll is needed. If this order is given as a first activation a subsequent retention would roll normally (i.e. no -1 to retain). If taken as a second or third activation it still will require no roll nor affect the activation roll for retaining with another formation.
In addition, all Dark Eldar units are able to lend supporting fire in assaults after being issued a March order.
Fleet of Foot was actually in our original draft of the Dark Eldar list but the community never got to see it. We scrapped it because there were too many special rules on the list already and we needed to make decisions. Since then we've done away with even more rules either by eliminating them entirely or because the Core Rules caught up with the rest of the community (free planetfall, support craft, etc.)
Intention: My idea with this is to give the Dark Eldar a free move that matches their fluff, the 40K background (kinda), but won't be unbalancing. I also want it easily understood. For offensive purposes this should allow the Eldar to bring in a formation on the march in a support position, then assault with a second (and possibly a third). From a defensive perspective it allows retreating formations an opportunity to mutually support each other over longer ranges.
Questions: do the Dark Eldar need another special rule? Will this work? Can it be written better (take a shot at it). If it won't work, is there something similar to (or completely different) that we can do to help the dark kin along?
In the end I may not make any changes at all. However this would be the last big change to the list as I see it. Everything else is almost there. You can feel it in the batreps that the DE get very close but fall apart at the end, regardless of composition. Even the 'wins' are more strategic in nature (in other words if you did a point total the DE would lose).
Feel free to nitpick. Opinions are welcome.
_________________ author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.
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TheLimey
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:39 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:52 pm
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Location: Miami, Florida
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How about:
Fleet of Foot: Once per turn the Dark Eldar player may take a free, automatic March order for one of his previously unactivated formations - no activation roll is needed. ?This does not count as an activation for purposes of retaining the initiative
In addition, all Dark Eldar units are able to lend supporting fire in assaults after being issued a March order.
As you can guess, I do like it... 
_________________ The problem with knowing what we want is we just might get it. Robert Fripp - DGM Check out the blog at Chaos in Miami
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TheLimey
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:52 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:52 pm
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Location: Miami, Florida
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Here's some more reasoning...
I agree that the DE should not have the 3 activations a turn of the Eldar. That is too organised. But I like the idea that they are opportunistic enough to take a chance when it presents itself.
_________________ The problem with knowing what we want is we just might get it. Robert Fripp - DGM Check out the blog at Chaos in Miami
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tarrisvaal
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 12:26 am |
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Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:39 pm
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Location: devon
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That one definitely needs a playtest before I would want to give a strong opinion on it.
It looks interesting, but I wonder if it might be seen as frustrating that it avoids an initiative roll - something that Eldar don't get away with (albeit they get more flexibility with theirs).
Im not sure they as an army need a special rule, but its the units themselves that need tweaking. I've only had one playtest so it's hard to say anything particularly helpful or concrete but 'for the moment' they are best as an assaulting army, but thats also where they suffer most.
Just have to give it a go and see how it does I guess 
_________________ Peace? Peace is only achievable through Extermination! ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9G0K26-0k
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Charad
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 9:30 am |
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:59 pm
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Location: Finland
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This could be worth trying. I was thinking of my previous lists and I didn't found any formation that I should use with FoF rule to march and support. But I see that basic syndicates could be much more effective with that. March+ retain with slavebringer...
Overall I like that proposal.
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Dark Eldar Dracon
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Moscovian
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:08 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:32 pm
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Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania USA
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FYI what the Limey wrote was what I was trying to capture. I just wrote it in too complicated a fashion. Thanks for clarifying that.
Keep in mind I'm not solid on this - adding a special rule this late in the game is not a good idea unless it is needed. Charad, I noticed that your tactics and army selections have been predicated on the idea that the Raiders and other lighter formations would DIE. I think with this rule your selections and maneuvers would be different across the board.
Tarrisvaal, I share your concerns. At the same time a free march is not the same as -say- a free doubling action - in other words it wouldn't be involved directly in combat.
_________________ author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.
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nealhunt
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:06 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 10:52 pm
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Location: Nashville, TN, USA
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I'd guess you could probably start with just the last part and remove all the fiddly bits...all Dark Eldar units are able to lend supporting fire in assaults after being issued a March order.
Simple. No confusion about what "free" activation means, or how it interacts with retains or any of that business.
I think it would be a substantial boost on its own. In fact, I'd say it's the primary benefit of the rule and that the auto-activate is really just window dressing.
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Neal
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Soren
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:28 pm |
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Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:42 am
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Location: Austria
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so a formation with 5 units and 4 blastmarkers will autoactivate on march move AND lend support fire AND does not count as activation for retaining initiative. Don?t you think that is a little bit much? Sounds really scary. There is a reason, why you can only activate 2 in a row and not more. That hinders the game to get into a "one activation" show, where the other part is just bystander.....
From my subjective point of view of course.....
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Attrition is the proof of absence of Strategy
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tarrisvaal
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:43 pm |
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Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:39 pm
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You could simply state that Dark Eldar formations may count as supporting any assault occuring within 20/25cm of them rather than 15cm (representing them legging it that bit faster to get stuck in)
That way it doesnt mess around with any activations at all, but allows better support for Dark Eldar assaults
_________________ Peace? Peace is only achievable through Extermination! ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9G0K26-0k
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Chroma
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:10 pm |
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Location: Montréal, QC, Canada
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Why not just increase the base movement of most Dark Eldar units by +5cm... make them *fast*!
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tarrisvaal
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:34 pm |
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Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:39 pm
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They already are fast in most respects
The slowest formation by far is Talos, and with good reason. Everything else has access to raiders, or is fast anyway.
_________________ Peace? Peace is only achievable through Extermination! ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9G0K26-0k
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TheLimey
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Post subject: Dark Eldar Special Rule Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:08 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:52 pm
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Location: Miami, Florida
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Speed isn't the question, support is.
Soren - while I understand the idea behind 2 activations before action HAS to shift, the suggestion is only once a turn, as opposed to the Eldar, when they have the possiblity of being able to threepeat on activations.
We need three playtests to evaluate this, I guess. One would be a test with the rule as Moscovian wrote it. One is the rule as modified by Neal (no march, but can support), and one would be to see if the 3 activation possibility of the Eldar would be enough.
_________________ The problem with knowing what we want is we just might get it. Robert Fripp - DGM Check out the blog at Chaos in Miami
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