Brainstorming for a Dark Eldar board.....

Now, if you know me, I don't paint anything quickly, or finish anything, at all, but I do have ideas and goals I'd like to achieve.

I have set myself a deadline of the end of March to paint my Dark Eldar to a high standard, at that point I will be painting points extensions and stuff for fun. And a Dark Eldar board.

This thread has been made to serve as inspiration for myself and hopefully others by pooling ideas for Dark Eldar boards. We have seen some great not-DE/CWE terrain appear recently that will serve as a fantastic foundation and I'd like to capitalise on that.

My idea is 'insertname' (yes I don't have an idea for a name yet), a small district of Lower Commorragh that has fallen into disrepair, I plan to use a mix of the modest magic set and another CWE geared set. kitbashed with DE bits.

I have a realm of battle that I havent used but think it could be used in this in some way. I'm thinking of using sheets of plasticard cobblestones to add a street like feel to the main surface, as well as to all terrain bases and plenty of rubble.

An easy win is crashed vehicles, I'm planning on a wrecked Raider and a Razorwing that has crashed into a building.

Would there be moss and vines in the dark city?

How about making a canal that runs across the board with an awesome victorian inspired bridge or two? Maybe a small skimmer like skiff in the foul water? A tentacle for a good measure of fun?

Some dangerous terrain? a section of ruined buildings with a Talos on the loose, roll a 1 and you've become the next victim?

Sculptures and statues?

Fountain of blood?

Flags and banners fluttering everywhere?

Hellion graffiti?

I'm not sure about moss and vines as they live in eternal darkness don't they? A canal of blood sounds pretty cool, leading from a haemys workshop. I picture lots of graffiti, drugstores, statues of vect to feed his ego, Lots of spikes and spires, burnt out reavers, dead bodies, maybe even a portal somewhere for denizens to travel into the web way... Just some thoughts.

Edit: and a gladiatorial arena would be cool!!

Since I'm just about finished with my Imperial table I've been thinking of putting together a DE themed table. Like you I'm a bit flummoxed as how to best represent a Commorraghesque landscape that is playable for a typical game of 40k. I've read the few DE centric books and have yet to get a solid sense of anything other than a claustrophic city scape dominated by impossibly tall spires. Pleny of grist for games featuring a vertical movement, but not for what your average game calls for. So I suppose needless to say I feel your pain.

What I believe I will end up doing is use create a multi-tiered gladitorial arena constructed in dimensions suitable for mechanized fighting. Perhaps an enemy commander has been captured, some gateways have been left open, and invitation to come and rescue their hero, who can be seen just on the other side of a big shimmering portal, has been sent to my Dark Eldar's hapless victims. Hopefully the new supplement with its arena scenarios will spark something interesting.

Some of the ideas I've been plotting on for my own Streets of Commoragh map;

River - I want one with body parts floating down it. This is very supported in the fluff.

Pleasure Garden - My idea of COmmoragh is that they're still Eldar...just...y'know...Dark. I still think they have gardens and atriums and the like, and want to have one...albeit it will be dying. They don't live in eternal darkness, they live in near perpetual gloom. There are still three stars overhead.

Spires - yeah, I've purchased Modest Magic's set and will be using it...maybe even will get a second from them, I dunno. I want to see how the first goes.

Statues - I imagine tall and looming statues would be part of the decor.

Small Arena - I wouldn't mind putting in some sort of gladiatorial arena. This bit is probably a pipe dream.

I'll admit I'm torn between the idea of dark elegance and also grimy grimdark and kind of want both pleasure gardens, and slum tenements. It's an interesting mental dichotomy in my own head.

Thor665 wrote:

I'll admit I'm torn between the idea of dark elegance and also grimy grimdark .....

Ditto. I cannot decide between a metallic-skinned theme with lots futuristic spires and landing pads, as in the background pic for the forum, or a crumbling district essentially built of stone. Maybe I will eventually try both.

The latter would feature a wharf/boardwalk made of cobblestone, bordering a river of toxic pollutants and slime, with the odd skeleton thrown in. Lots of crumbling archways with iron bars leading to the realms of the Haemies and darkened passages where knives appear before you realize what is happening, and where Hellions careen off the walls (one or two boards smashed up would be included).

My one solid idea is a version of Bruegel's Tower of Babel, with the recessed arches and vaults on the upper levels housing Reavers and Hellions, while the Raiders and Ravagers are docked down at the wharf. The walkways that spiral up and around the exterior would be connected from side to side by tunnels and foot squads could chase each other up and down and around, firing through openings depending on where the dice rolls place them and their opponents. Reavers and Hellions would chase each other around the tower, with Scourges perched above waiting for a chance to swoop in for a kill.

The rooftop would be an arena for gladiatorial challenges.

Yes - a lot of work.

I have always pictured it at least based on a steel support. It is just floating in the Webway so even if the buildings are stone and wood and steel the streets etc would be steel.
Also gives you the chance to have an interesting blend of steel plate floors and concrete walls maybe bridges that are a fusion of the two.

What could be interesting to play with, is the idea of different strata of the city. Making it a tangled mess of walkways and aqueducts (for your river of blood or dark sludge), tall towers and giant spike-like structures; all of these high hanging or standing objects piled one on top of the other with no apparent ground underneath.

What I mean by that, is maybe work at it being a snapshot of high Commorragh. Where, were someone to simply fall off the edge of a walkway, there is a seemingly endless drop into the depths of the under city below. A simple black table cloth under all of your structures could make a good feeling of the, for lack of a better term, eternal darkness below. That way, the walkways and bridges and different jutting parts of the structures are the only places where units could "land." And that the table's surface itself, not be able to be moved on.

Just a thought. As far as the pleasure gardens, go. I think Thor is pretty spot on. They would still enjoy the beauty of something like that. Maybe have it be a mix of a garden/zoo. With bound and chained members of the lesser races on pedestals or in cages for the sojourning member of Dark Eldar society to wander through and take in their pain and suffering being on display.

Commoragh have lot of Nodes, that connects different part of the cities between each other.

Naturally those things tend to be controlled by Kabal forces, such a node can be great place for a map, it is important part of City to battle in. Latest terrain also can fir real easy in this theme.


Another idea of mine - Commoragh is a very vertical place, lots of towers, spires, columns etc. They all go someplace up. Possibly connect there.

SO idea for a battleground - walking platforms and balconies around and between those towers a photo of abyss below representing impassable terrain. Much like there is a new rulebook, where missions in space are shown.


Arena with a death traps and elaborate dangerous ground is also a nice idea, that come to mind to many people.