The kooky 'defensive' Dark Eldar army 1500pts...

Ok peeps, as part of the campaign we also have to submit an HQ 'defence force'. The only requirement here is that it MUST include at least 2 fortifications and not be more than 1500pts. I wanted a slightly odd theme and here is the first draft. It focuses on a 'home firebase' with smaller aggressive units/models with niche roles.


LIST 1: The Duke's Reserve

Duke Sliscus: 150

4 Incubi: 88
Venom: 55

3 Kabalite Trueborn: 86
2 Dark Lances

10 Warriors: 100
Splinter Cannon

5 Wyches: 60
Haywire Grenades
Venom: 55

5 Wyches: 60
Haywire Grenades
Venom: 55

Ravager: 115
Disintegrators, Nightshields

Ravager: 115
Dark Lances, Nightshields

Razorwing: 175
Nightshields, Flickerfield
Splinter Cannon

Skyshield Landing Platform: 75

Aegis Defence Line: 100
Quad Gun

Autarch: 150
Laser Lance, Fusion Gun, Banshee Mask, Jetbike
Mantle of the Laughing God

5 Eldar Rangers: 60


List 2: Assault and halt

*Archon: 155
Huskblade, Shadowfield, Combat Drugs, Soul Trap, Venom Blade, Haywire Grenades

±Haemonculus: 65
Venom Blade, Liquifier Gun

3 Trueborn: 56
2 Splinter Cannons
Aegis Defence Line + Quad Gun: 100

3 Trueborn: 86
2 Dark Lances
Aegis Defence Line + Quad Gun: 100

9 Wracks: 100
Liquifier Gun
Raider: 65
Aethersails

±9 Wyches: 108
Haywire Grenades
Raider: 65
Aethersails

Razorwing Jetfighter: 175
Splinter Cannons, 4 Monoscythe Missiles, 2 Dark Lances
Flickerfield & Nightshields

Autarch: 150
Mantle of the Laughing God
Laser Lance, Jetbike, Fusion Gun, Howling Banshee Mask

5 Rangers: 60

5 Rangers: 60

*6 Harlequins: 154
4 with Harlequin Kisses including the Shadowseer.

TOTAL: 1499pts


So the Wych and Wrack Raiders hide in Reserve using the Autarch's +1 roll to try and get on in turn 2 and burn it up the field. The Trueborn hide in either corner of the 5'x4' table with an Aegis Defence Line and a Ranger squad whilst possibly sitting on objectives each.

The mantarch flies about being a pain, whilst the Archon and Harlequins run up the table and try to draw firepower and ignore it with the Eldar version of Veil of Tears. The Razorwing, Wyches and Wracks attempt to play clear up.

Its a pretty shaky list right now so please please please any thoughts would be great to have before this list is 'locked in' (cannot be altered during the campaign) tomorrow evening.

Cheers, Beans

Since this is technically a different topic: as a caveat, ignore all of my suggestions that (1) you don't like and (2) don't fit your own play style (or developing play style as the case may be).

To be honest, I kinda liked your first. I thought it was really devious combining the Duke (giving your DE vehicles deep strike), Autarch (boosting reserves) and the Skyshield Landing Pad (scatter free deep strike point).

Oh well onto list 2 .... (do to time, and assuming its way too late over their in the UK i'm trying to brief so not as much explanation).

1. Ditch the aether sails (assuming its still a 48" x 48" board); put grisly trophies on wrack raider (harli seer only Ld9 that is a 1 in 4.5 fail chance on the psycher test). (5)

2. Ditch the back up venom blade and haywire grenades on the Archon (starts with a pistol and cc so still have the two ccs)(haywire kinda schizo on archon and harlies; i.e., its the wrong target.) (10)

3. Put the hammy in with the wracks (gives them furious charge i.e., re-roll to wound against T4 when on the charge).

4. Replace Wyches with 10 man with a 10 man warrior squad with a dark lance and put them on the ageis line instead of the True born with the splinter cannons (splinter cannons and quad don't mix well as splinter cannons are not hurting the the light vehicles that the quad could be; also you have a lot of anti tank). (53)

5. Give the splinter cannon true born a venom with a splinter cannon (-65) (4 splinter cannons love mobility.)

6. Ditch Autarch's banshee mask and laser lance (15) (if your in close combat, you don't get the re-roll cover sv; i.e., don't make it easy by getting him into assault.)

7. the razor wing... ditch night shield (small table and limited mobility to use correctly) (10). For that matter are you sure you want to take the fighter, on a 48" by 48" It is going to be hard to use as it doesn't have vector dance or a hover mode. For 15 points less (your original cost) you can take the crimson hunter which has 4 s8 shots, vector dance and sky hunter or for 5 points more the crimson hunter exarch which has all that a BS of 5 and for some ... awesome (maybe) ... reason has precision shots (s8 ap2 precision shots, insta gibbing t4 hq's YAY (damn look out sir)).

7a. The razor wing part 2; What do you want it to do primarily, anti-tank (ditch splinter cannon) or anti-infantry (change lances to disintegrators).

7b. Replace Razor wing with a talos armed with a twin-linked Liquifier and your weapon of choice (have this escort the archon -- i've had better luck getting the talos's pain token with the splinter canon upgrade). (Also have alternative to use DE Harlies, where the seer does not need to take the test for the old shroud and stealth routine, use Talos to block line of sight for 2+ cover).

8. Rangers add a member to each (6 man squads; its more durable squad after four casualties can still regroup at full ld).


You should have some points to spare... i would use to bulk up the number of harliquins or take the troupe leader (i.e., challenge bait).

Yeah I had a good look through (and re-wrote a list with the changes you brought up above, almost all of which I agree with) the two concepts behind the lists and I realised that the idea of reserve sheenanigans and the fun-ness that Eldar can bring to the table was something that I really fancied as a way of playing out a game for defending my HQ.

Therefore, I went with a footdar list!

The basic components focus around the two fortifications: both of which have similar unit combos. The Dark Lance warrior squad and 'sniper' trueborn hang out on the Skyshield platform towards the back of my deployment zone - likely in the centre. The Splinter Cannon warriors, Archon and Splinterborn hang out behind the Aegis Line ready to re-roll for reserves as needed. I went with a cheap shooty Archon with the mind to upgrade him at the first opportunity with the Huskblade/Soul Trap etc combo, once this happens he'll be joining the Harlequins and running straight at opponents. Objectives will be placed as near to the fortifications as possible.

The rangers either deploy with each Warrior squad or start infiltrating on an objective as needed - either together or apart.

The swooping hawks (love the idea of them!) or Bomber arrive as needed. I decided that my flyer would need to be a bit of an all-rounder so reckoned that the Phoenix bomber was a nice trade off between S6 anti-infantry and S8 anti-vehicle with both weapons being handy against enemy flyers along with the inbuilt Stealth and strafing run rules to make it an all round beast. Unfortunately it only sports 2 hull points and armour 10 so I'll have to be careful at flying it around marines, firewarriors and necrons.

HQ Defence List - Final Version

Archon: 145
Blaster, Haywire Grenades, Shadowfield, Webway Portal

3 Trueborn: 86
2 Dark Lances

3 Trueborn: 56
2 Splinter Cannons

6 Harlequins: 154
4 with Kisses and a Shadowseer

10 Warriors: 115
Dark Lance

13 Warriors: 127
Splinter Cannon

Autarch: 150
Mantle of the Laughing God
Laser Lance, Fusion Gun, Banshee Mask, Jetbike

6 Rangers: 72

Aegis Defence Line: 70
Communications Relay

6 Rangers: 72

8 Swooping Hawks: 163
Exarch with Sun Rifle & Marksmans Eye

Phoenix Bomber: 225

Skyshield Platform: 75

TOTAL: 1500pts

Both this army and my invasion force will be changed over the course of the coming weeks and months hopefully from winning more units to add to these two armies and not from losing games and models!

If you'd like to follow whats happened / will be happening and give some thoughts and ideas then pop over to the main thread for all of this action HERE.

Thanks for reading!