Getting the most out of Warlord Traits!

Nick speaking,

I don't know about you, but I really think I haven't put enough thought into my Warlord traits so far in 6th Edition. I started off just randomly choosing one of the three categories in my first few games, sometimes I got a useful one, but mostly they were doing nothing. From then on, I got it into my mind that Personal Traits were the best ones for me and just stuck to using them! Now that I am more familiar with how 6th is running, I think it's time for me to really assess the Traits to make sure I am getting the most I can out of them!

First, I want to examine all the traits as a whole to find which category is generally the best one to choose. I want to be in a position where if I am pressed for time and need to quickly choose one, I know which category to run with without having to read them all. After that I am going to have a look at the traits from my specific army's point of view (Necrons, Tyranids, Space Wolves and Eldar) to see if I can find a trait category that will suit them even better.

So let's have a look at the traits and see which category is generally best...    

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Pretty good unless your army has the same leadership value all round
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Could be very useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Very useful for units that don't have it already

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful, especially if you have a foot army that needs to move quickly 

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Very useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Could make a difference

Pretty much a 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Only good if your Warlord is defensive and stays in your deployment zone
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Only good if your Warlord is active and likes to attack in your enemies deployment zone

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
I wouldn't recommend anyone changing their army tactics last minute for this one  

4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Always good

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Always good 

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Generally very good when the mission requires scoring units 

An average 3 to 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins, of which you can see before you roll your trait 

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful, but only if you plan to flank

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Very useful, as most of us will reserve at least one thing

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Very useful, as most of us will reserve at least one thing

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced by it. Could be ok under the right circumstances

A average 3/6, but could be a solid 5/6 depending on circumstances!

So after all that, I was choosing the weakest category out of the three, with Command traits coming out on top, Strategic Traits second and my Personal Traits coming in last. Well, from a general point of view anyway! Next then, I want to have a look at the categories for my specific armies...

 NECRONS


COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as everything is leadership ten anyway
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

A nice 5/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful, unless my Overlord is in a Command Barge!
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Could be useful if I had a Destroyer Lord with Wraiths charging forward!

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Maybe, but probably not 

4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

An average 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I don't flank

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6, but could be 4/6 depending on circumstances!

It is a close one, depending on circumstances, but the Command Traits for Necrons seems to be the best option overall.

TYRANIDS

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as you probably will be within Synapse if you are within 12" anyway
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useless, as most have it anyway

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Most Nids have fleet anyway

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An average 3/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Maybe, although unlikely
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Furious charge on Nids is always good, unless you've purchased it already

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Nids no longer flank in protest to 6th edition


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

An solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Nids no longer flank in protest to 6th edition

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

A solid 3/6, but could be 4/6 depending on circumstances!

Again it is close, but my original Personal Traits seem to win for the Nid as the best overall category.

SPACE WOLVES

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useful
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful 

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An amazing 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useless, I have it anyway
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Could be good for a Thunderwolf based Lord

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I have it already

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
I don't really reserve my Wolves

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6 in usefulness!

It is pretty obvious that Command Traits is the way forward for the Wolves

ELDAR (Saim-Hann)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useless, as the JetSeer will be pushing forward out of range
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
I won't be running

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
I don't charge much with my Saim-Hann

A solid 3/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useless, The JetSeer will not be hanging back
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Useful

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useless, I won't be flanking

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An average 3/6 in usefulness!

Nothing here that stand out as amazing, but the Personal Traits seem to have the edge over the others for quantity of usefulness

ELDAR (Footdar)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Useful
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
Useful

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

An amazing 6/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
I doubt I will be there much

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful for the War Walkers

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

A solid 4/6 in usefulness!

All three are solid, but the Command Traits win easily.

ELDAR (Mechdar)

COMMAND TRAITS

1 - Friendly units within 12" of the Warlord can use his leadership
Maybe, but only after all the tanks have been destroyed
 
2 - Enemy units within 12" of the Warlord must use their lowest leadership
Useful 

3 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" have move through cover
Useful

4 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" roll an extra dice when they run and use the highest
I won't be running much

5 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" re-roll ones to hit when shooting units 3" from objectives
Useful

6 - Warlord and all friendly units within 12" add one to the charge distance result
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

PERSONAL TRAITS

1 - Warlord and his unit have counter attack whilst in their deployment zone
Useful if my bikes get assaulted
 
2 - Warlord and his unit have furious charge whilst in enemy deployment zone
Unlikely

3 - Warlord and the unit he joins when deployed have outflank
Can't see it myself


4 - Your army gains one victory point for each enemy character slain in a challenge
Useful

5 - Warlord and his unit gain feel no pain whilst within 3" of an objective
Useful

6 - Warlord is a scoring unit even if he is a vehicle
Useful

A solid 4/6 in usefulness! 

STRATEGIC TRAITS

1 - Your units have move through cover and stealth when using ruins
Could be useful if there are any ruins

2 - Can choose to have night fight for the first turn without rolling
Always a good option to have

3 - All flanking units have acute senses whilst your Warlord is alive
I won't be flanking

4 - Can re-roll any reserve rolls whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

5 - Enemy has a minus one modifier to their reserve roll whilst your Warlord is alive
Useful

6 - Redeploy one unit 3D6" or three units D6" of their current position within deployment zone
Sounds useful, but I am not convinced

An solid 4/6 in usefulness!

So it's neck and neck for my Mechdar, although on the face of it, I think the best traits within the categories for them are the Command Traits.

Right, well that was a lot of work, but I think it was worthwhile. I now have a very clear vision of  what trait tables I will be rolling on for each of my armies. Hopefully I will be giving myself the best chance of getting something useful, without having to think about it when it's time to choose the table at the beginning of a game.

Here is the list of my final conclusions

Necrons: Command Traits

Tyranids: Personal Traits

Space Wolves: Command Traits

Eldar (Saim-Hann): Personal Traits

Eldar (Foot and Mech): Command Traits

So what do you think? Have I missed anything? Is there something about the Strategic Traits I haven't taken into account? Am I going about this the right way? Is it worth planning like this? How do you choose your traits?

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How will 6th Edition effect my Harlequins?

Nick speaking,

As many of you already know, my Harlie army is totally inspired by Fritz and his Harlequin build. Thirty Harlequins, Eldrad/Maugan Ra, three Wraithlords and two groups of Pathfinders. The army was quirky and used a large amount of Eldar Tricknology, but it was a blast to play and I didn't invest a lot of money into the army, just using some old Harlequins, Wraithlords and Ranger minis that I found cheap. I do plan on bringing the army up to date and painting it all up at some point, but with only a single game under my belt with the Harlequins in 6th, how is the army going to change?

I know Fritz has been putting in some work on adapting his list for 6th, and it has been interesting to see what changes he is making. So, lets have a look at some of the key units of the list and see what effect 6th has had on them. The main theme of the list was that everything was hard to hit. Veil of Tears stopped the Harlequins being targeted from a distance, the Pathfinders had a 2+ cover save and the Wraithlords were generally hard to hit at toughness eight with three wounds. Throw in Eldrad with guide, doom and fortune and the only way you could do any real damage was to move in close, and that's when the Clowns would hit you.

Obviously, the thirty Harlequins are in the list as standard, as that's the whole point of the theme. The Veil of Tears rule has had a bit of a tweak now, and it no longer stops the unit from being targeted, as compensation though, it gives you both the Stealth and Shrouded special rules, so they will have a 4+ cover save in the open, beating their 5++ save that they had before and a 2+ cover save in cover, this actually seems much better than it was, as long as you don't roll any ones!

Eldrad has always been the standard choice for the army, with doom and fortune being a key part of its operation. Eldrad would normally join the Pathfinders in cover for a re-roll 2+ cover save, whilst being protected by the Harlies and Wraithlords. For fun games Eldrad was replaced for Maugan Ra to run with the Harlies, or in bigger games both would make an appearance. I am still currently playing 1750pt games, but even at that level I am thinking that Eldrad and a second Farseer is the way forward. Moving up to 2k brings something totally different to the army, as it will then be possible to have four Farseers in the list! So with the Harlequins and HQ choices pretty much fixed, what else to take? The main issue with a themed list like this is having enough points to fill out the troop slots. Previously, two small groups of Pathfinders did the trick quite well. Leaving enough points for three Wraithlords with Brightlances and Missile Launchers, but is this system going to work in 6th?

I know Fritz has switched over to Guardians with Scatter Platforms and dropped the Wraithlords for Support Weapons and I can see the logic behind his thoughts. Harlies up front with two waves of Guardians behind them, backed up by three groups of Support weapons does sound good. I don't currently own any Support Weapons and only have one unit of Guardians, so I am unable to jump right in and try this out for myself. I have to admit, the Pathfinders are going to be a weak point of this themed list now more than ever. Although they are a good unit that have some nice new rules in 6th like Precision Shots, there is no way they can be the only troops choice in the army and fulfil the mission goals that are needed in 6th, like they were able to do in 5th.

Although I haven't play tested the Wraithlords in 6th edition yet, I am not convinced they should be so easily dismissed from the list. 6th has given these guy's some bonuses like easier cover saves, being Characters and having two flamers for Overwatch. I will need to gain a few extra points for the second Farseer in the new list and I can see the Bright Lances and Missile Launchers being dropped for a Scatter Lasesr and Shuriken Cannons to gain the points. Three groups of Harlequins, Eldrad and a second Farseer comes in at about 1150pts, so that leaves me with about 600pts left for troops and support units in a 1750pt list, just enough points to squeeze in three Wraithlord and two groups of Pathfinders if I wanted to stick with the format and models I already have for the army.

So what if you had 600 points to spend on troops and support for the Harlequins, what would you take for troops? Jetbikes, Storm Guardians, Dire Avengers? How about for support? Fire Prisms, Walkers, Warp Spiders? Or should I look at allies? How would you make a Harlequin themed army work?

Read more ...

Harlequin 6th Edition Battle Report

Nick speaking,

For my last 1k point game of 6th Edition before I moved up in points, I got out my Harlequins. I wasn't expecting too much from them at this point level, but I was interested to see how they would run with the new Veil of Tears rule granting them a 2+ cover save, after all, how  many ones can you roll?

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Eldar Harlequins Vs Blood Angels Battle Report (not video)

Nick speaking,

Here is a battle report of a game I played against my buddies Terminator Blood Angels army. I hope you enjoy the report, any comments about the game or the write up are most welcome...

LISTS

1 x Eldrad

10 x Harlequins/1x Shadowseer/1x Death Jester/2x Fusion Pistols/9x kisses

10 x Harlequins/1x Shadowseer/1x Death Jester/2x Fusion Pistols/9x kisses

10 x Harlequins/1x Shadowseer/1x Death Jester/2x Fusion Pistols/9x kisses

5 x Pathfinder Rangers

5 x Pathfinder Rangers

1 x Wraithlord/Bright Lance/Missile Launcher/2x Flamers

1 x Wraithlord/Bright Lance/Missile Launcher/2x Flamers

1 x Wraithlord/Bright Lance/Missile Launcher/2x Flamers

Blood Angels list was something like this...

1 x Terminator Librarian with Fear of Darkness

10 x Terminators/5x Claws/5x TH/SS

1 x Sanguinary Priest

10 x Terminators/2x Assault Cannon/8x Power fists?

1 x Sanguinary Priest

10 x Jump Marines/2x Plasma gun/1x Power fist?

10 x Jump Marines/2x Plasma gun/1x Power fist?

MISSION

We roll off and get Seize ground with three objectives and Dawn of War deployment. I win the roll to place two of the three objectives and we end up with all three objective in a mirror formation in a central position, great, as I need the objectives together for my small army. I also won the roll off for first turn and chose to go second...

DEPLOYMENT

Blood Angels reserve the two jump troops to combat down and deep strike, they then declare to walk on the rest of the army turn one. I deploy Eldrad and a unit of Pathfinders in a bunker next to the objective on my side of the table, with the rest of the army also coming on turn one, except for reserving the second unit of Pathfinders.

TURN ONE

Both units of Terminators come on the board edge and start coming towards me, running six inches each, I thought I was playing against his Ork army for a minute! I bring on two Wraithlords and two Harlie groups to the right of Eldrad, they are there to move forward as a blob. The other Lord and Harlies went to the left and behind Eldrad as the support/counter unit for the Pathfinders. I get lucky with the Pathfinders and pass night fight with them, rolling four sixes and a five to hit, killing two storm shield termies

TURN TWO

Two five man jump units come down from reserve behind some rocks on my left flank, Librarian unit moves and runs forward, whilst the unit with the Assault Cannons shoot my left Wraithlord, failing to wound. My reserves don't come on and I move forward with the right side blob. I shoot almost everything at the Librarian unit killing two more Termies and putting a wound on the Librarian. I of course am using doom, guide and fortune as much as the Librarians hood will let me. I take a couple of shots at the troops on the left, but they get the benefits of the rocks with cover saves

TURN THREE

Blood Angels turn three and the other two units of five jump guys come in, they also try to deploy behind the rocks to the left, but even with decent of Angels, mishap both units for me to place them anywhere on the board! I think about placing them in the corner on his side, but he will only need two turns to be on the objectives! I decide to take a bit of a gamble and I put them right behind my line next to my Harlequins! I know he will take a few of them out, but if I have a few standing I should be able to take them out in my turn.

He is forced into a corner and brings the other two groups on the left out, so he can max out on wounds on the Harlies. The Librarian tries to Fear of Darkness Eldrads unit, but take a Perils and dies. Unlucky for BA, but perfect for me as I can now use my three Psychic powers freely. I lose four Harlies in both back units from shooting, which was a bit of a result after some reasonable saves on my part.

I then use the usual doom and fortune sending the left Harlies and Wraithlord out to meet the guys by the rocks, they kill them all accept the Wraithlord who stays in combat with one Marine. I shot everything I had into the two units behind me to soften them up, forcing one unit to run with three men in and wiping out the other unit in the assault. My Pathfinders also came on from reserve behind Eldrads unit

TURN FOUR

The running Marines are within six inches of my Wraithlord and continue to run. BA have no choice now, they have to get the Terminators into my Pathfinders to go for a draw! The termies run forward and I finish of the last guy that's in assault with the Wraithlord on the left. In my turn, I fortune my Harlies and doom one of his units, I then use Mindwar to take out one of the feel no pain Priests. Wraithlords shoot out the last three running troops, and the Harlies shoot and assault both units of Terminators, killing every last one of them. Game over, I tabled his army and only lost eight of my Harlequins!

CONCLUSION

Obviously, the turning point was his mishapped Marines, which probably should never have happened with only one D6 for the scatter. I can see what he was up to trying to put all four groups behind the rocks to my left flank. I think I would have been tempted to put at least one unit somewhere at the back to keep out of trouble and grab an objective at the end, but if all four units where sitting behind those rocks ready to pounce at the end of the game, who knows what would of happened?

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Time for Mauggy - Harlequins Battle Report

Nick speaking,

This battle was a total blood bath, and as my Harlequins were up against Blood Angels for their first ever battle with Maugan Ra heading up the Harlies, instead of Eldrad, you wouldn't expect anything else!

Considering we had Capture and control (the hardest mission by far for the clowns), no psychic defense, and there were two Librarians floating about, plus the fact that Mauggy did absolutely nothing before he died, I think I did pretty well...

Read more ...

IDIC Harlequins - Time for Mauggy!

Nick speaking,

If you have been following my Blog, you will know that my IDIC Harlequin Eldar list is totally based around the tactical Harlequin PDF done by Fritz. I love the whole Harlequin themed army idea, and I have had some great fun with them. The army has two variants based around two HQ's, with either Eldrad or Maugan Ra heading up the army. Eldrad is generally the preferred choice, giving a boost to your Harlies with Doom, Guiding your Wraithlords and Fortuning the Pathfinders so they can keep hold of any objectives...

The main disadvantage of the Eldrad list, is that pretty much every man and his dog now has some way to shut down Eldrad's psychic powers! Lets face it, Eldar are no longer the psykers they used to be and with said powers being shut down, Eldrad almost becomes redundant. Of course he does bring other things to the table like Divination and Runes of Warding, and if you get lucky with an army without any psychic defense, or manage to take it out, then the Eldrad list still stands very strong.

Both lists rely on just two troop choices, two units of five Pathfinders. After you have paid for the thirty Harlequins and three Wraithlords that you need to make the list work, that's the only troop choices you can afford. That's OK though, as the whole army is designed around that fact and has so many tricks in it to make it work.

Except...

Having a fortuned troop choice sitting on an objective, with a re-rollable, two plus cover save, backed by thirty Harlequins that you can't target, is a pretty tough nut to crack, but what about all the weapons out there that ignore cover saves? Tau marker lights, Blood Angels flanking flamer Baals, Blood Angels horrible Sternguard bullets that either drop pod or Storm Raven in (I won't mention their 2+ poisoned bullets!) Ork Snikrot rear flanking Commandos with flamers etc etc. I know there are a few tricks that can help out the Pathfinders, like reserving, baiting and bubble wrapping, and it is fair to say that even when the Pathfinders have been wiped out, I have still held on to a draw with the Harlies and Wraithlords contesting. So with all that said, I am now starting to think that it maybe time for me to start using the Mauggy list!

So what does Mauggy bring to the army?

Well, Mauggy has a bit more of an offensive roll than Eldrad, and although he has no invulnerable save, he does bring something different to the army. Using his thirty six inch ranged Muagateer, whilst being protected by a Harlequin unit with Veil of Tears, is going to start to be annoying to your opponent. With his Crack Shot ability you will be getting four strength six, rending shots, that ignore cover saves and hit on a two plus. With the ability to ignore smoke on rhinos, or cover saves on fast moving skimmers helps bring your opponent out on foot. Add to this his Fast Shot ability, an extra shot for when your opponent hasn’t or can’t pop smoke or is out in the open, plus acute senses for night fight and Dawn of War. When Mauggies Harlequin unit finally hits for the assault, he brings support with his high initiative, good number of attacks and a strength six power weapon to boot. No invulnerable save does suck, but at least he has Internal Warrior to slightly compensate for it!

I am not thinking or saying that adding Mauggy is going to change how my opponent deals with my scoring Pathfinders, but at least he may add a bit more pressure on them to deal with his unit, whilst my Pathfinders reserve and try not to draw attention to themselves! Although Mauggy will mean I no longer have any psychic protection myself without Eldrad's Runes of Warding, and I could potentially miss out on the the boosting powers of Eldrad, I think he will make me play my Harlequins a bit more aggressively than I do at the moment, and I am looking forward to see the results.

So with my Mauggy list in hand, it's time to take him into battle...

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Converting Lady Malys?

Nick speaking,

Continuing on with my Dark Eldar Harlequin themed army, and thinking about how well Eldrad supports my normal Eldar Harlequins, leads me to one entry in the Codex, Lady Malys! OK, Lady Malys is not going to give my Harlequins a buff from Doom and Fortune, but she does have one thing in common with Eldrad, being able to redeploy units! Not just that, but with her Precognisant ability she can even put units into reserve...

Apart from the thirty Harlequins I have, I currently don't own any new or old Dark Eldar models, so the question is, what are the options for converting up something into Lady Malys? I have heard that the old Kruellagh model, or perhaps the Vampire Countess models are good options? But I was wondering if anyone out there has got some other good ideas, or done their own version of Lady Malys that they would like to share with me?

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Dark Harlequins!

Nick speaking,

Now that the dust has settled on the recently released Dark Eldar Codex, some strange things have been happening! I have noticed a small warp portal opening up around The IDIC Harlequins, it seems like the dark side is calling them...
 

Well I do have thirty Harlequin models already, so going over to the dark side and trying out a Dark Harlequin army, isn't going to be too difficult. As you can see from the picture above, some of my Harlequins are old school models that I picked up cheap from my local hobby shop. They are just making up the numbers until sometime in the future, when I will get myself some more of the new models.

All the units in my Harlequin army work together so well. You can't target the Harlies at a distance from Veil of tears, so you are left shooting at the Pathfinders with their 2+ cover save, or the three strong toughness eight Wraithlords, and then throwing in Eldard with all the re-rolls from guide, fortune and doom to finish up. When the time is right it's fairly easy to get the Harlequins across the table by ignoring terrain from their flip belts, and then using their hit and run ability.

Now, how to make my thirty Harlequins have as much success with the Dark Eldar Codex as I have had with the Eldar Codex?

Can it be done?

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IDIC Harlequins Vs Orks Battle Report

Nick speaking,

So it's time for The IDIC Harlequins to take on some Orks, and with my buddies refused tank list ready, we rolled off and got capture and control, pitched battle. I had a lot to think about with two units of flanking Deff Coptas and some Commandos with Snikrot coming in from my board edge, let alone getting over to the other side of the board to contest the Ork objective!

Can my Harlequins remain undefeated?

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IDIC Harlequins Vs Tau Battle Report

Nick speaking,

With a 100% win success rate, the IDIC Harlequins take on Tau for the first time, but will they remain undefeated?

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Fritz's 750pts Challenge!

Nick speaking,

Fritz 40k wrote:

"So what is the 750 point challenge? Right…

Write up a 750 army list and send me a battle report to post on up here at the blog. Send me those armies lists with your thoughts on the how, what, why you are thinking at 750 points. Pictures, pictures, pictures or it didn’t happen!"

I have played many games at about 800 point before, but I have only ever played 1750 points with The IDIC Harlequins! My Harlequins were totally inspired by Fritz and his PDF, so much so, that the PDF made me go out and buy any models I could get my hands on, so that I could start fielding an army as quickly as possible. So with that said, I will happily take on Fritz's challenge, and make it my own personal challenge for my Harlequins...

First up, my list:

1x Farseer (Doom/Fortune/Spirit Stone) (130)

5x Pathfinders Rangers (120)

5x Pathfinders Rangers (120)

8x Harlequins (kisses/Jester/Fusion Pistol/Shadowseer) (222)

1x Wraithlord (B.Lance+EML) (155)

747 Points

My aim was to keep the army working together in much the same way as it had to in bigger games. First I had to lose Eldrad! Dropping down to a basic Farseer was inevitable, but I felt that I had to keep the Spirit Stone with Doom and Fortune to give the army any chance. Who knows what I would be up against, and being able to use both powers was going to be key.

Next was Troops, and I only had Rangers or Pathfinder Rangers to choose between. I new from past experience that I wanted the Pathfinders, somehow I think that the 2+ cover save will be even more important in a smaller game than ever. I know I could take normal Rangers and go to ground for the 2+, but I need these guys to be shooting and pinning every turn.

Obviously the Harlequins had to be in the list, and I put in the usual trickery models. Shadowseer for Veil of Tears, Death Jester for his mid range strength six/pinning shots, and one Fusion Pistol just in case a tank rolls up next to them. Of course, the Harlequin kisses were also going to be essential to help in the assault.

Last but not least, the Wraithlord is in there for the long range de-meching/pinning shots, and to help out the Harlequins in the counter assault.

The IDIC Harlequins master Jedi plan in objective missions will be to park one unit of Pathfinders on an objective, with the Harlequins and Wraithlord nearby to de-mech and counter assault. The Farseer joins the Pathfinders and does what she does best with Doom and Fortune, whilst the other Pathfinder squad flanks/reserves depending on the situation. When the time is right the Harlequins will move out and assault, hit and run and contest any objectives. Annihilation tactics are pretty similar except I will hold back everything and just pick of the kill points.

Game One: IDIC Harlequins Vs Blood Angels

The roll off gives us Annihilation/Pitched battle, and I end up winning first turn. I deploy the Farseer and Pathfinders on the right, backed up by the Harlequins and Wraithlord, all in terrain. I then decide to deploy the other Pathfinders in terrain on the left to try and syphon off any incoming units. I needed to stop the whole of the BA force coming at me all at once, after all I only had one unit of Harlequins!

BA deployment sees a Razorback deploy loaded with five Vanguard Veterans, and a unit of scouts infiltrate in the centre of the board with some sort of teleport beacon! They keep two Jump Pack squads and a Chaplain in reserve

On turn one I Fortune the Wraithlord and Doom his Scouts, I know the Scouts will make light work of the Wraithlord with their auto wounds on 4+. Death Jester, and both Pathfinders shoot at the scouts and take out half of them, even with them going to ground, giving the Wraithlord some breathing space. Wraithlord shoots at the distant Razor and fails to hit. BA moves the Razorback at some crazy top speed and pops smoke next to the pathfinders on the left, and the scouts stand back up.

With the Vanguard ready to pop out and shoot next turn, turn two sees me fortune the Harlequins. Wraithlord immobilises the Razorback and destroys the heavy bolter, whilst the rest of my army shoot at the scouts, leaving only the teleport guy left standing. All of the BA reserves come on in turn two and both Jump Pack units and chaplain deploy next to the teleport guy about 12" in front of me. Vanguard get out and go for the easy target Pathfinders on the left, wiping them out, but splitting there forces. One kill point for the Blood Angels.

 

In turn three I have to make a choice with the Harlequins, I use Doom and Fortune and go for the the Jump pack Chaplain unit shooting my guns in before the assault. the Farseer and Pathfinder look to be in trouble from the other Jump pack unit as they shoot out the last Scout for the kill point. Wraithlord pounds the Razorback wrecking it for another kill point.

Harlequins takes out the Jump pack guys in the assault and stay locked in combat with the Chaplain with one wound left. Perfect, now my Harlequins can't be shot at.

In BA turn three the Vanguard get thrown into the Harlequins to help out the Chaplain, but my Harlequins wipe them and the Chaplain out. My Farseer uses his Jedi powers and the Jump pack squad fail the rough terrain test to assault the Pathfinders with a double one! Five kill points to me...

In my turn four, the Harlequins move over and wipe out the last Jump Pack squad. Game ends with a total wipe out.

Conclusion:

Sending the Vanguards into to the Harleqiuns was the BA main mistake, they had a good chance to take out the Wraithlord with their 2+ poisoned guns and then force me to choose who to assault next turn. Of course if the Jump pack guy's had passed their rough terrain test it could have been a different story...

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