Dark (Eldar) Thoughts…

So at work yesterday I worked on a Dark Eldar list over my lunchtime. I've been really excited about Dark Eldar since the book came out, largely due to the incredibly detailed and well-sculpted models. So I came up with a way to link a Dark Eldar raiding party to my Yme-Loc craftworld army – a pirate fleet. The most well known example of these fleeting alliances center around the invasion of the Iyanden craftworld by hivefleet Kraken. In some of the older fluff the craftworld was saved when Yriel convinced the corsairs and pirate fleets to come to the aid of the craftworld. With their aid Iyanden turned aside the catastrophic invasion, although they were left almost irreparably weakened. This is where I drew my inspiration and I'm going with a more diabolical pirate fleet as opposed to the corsair fleets more closely aligned to the craftworlds.

So I've already developed a little backstory for the Kabal of the Shattered Blade (not the final name… yet). The Kabal itself follows a matriarchal power ladder. Males are despised and treated with severe disdain and only kept to perform menial tasks and breed. When sent on raiding parties the females form the core team with the males providing support in the form of transport drivers, menials, and scouts. Occasionally males will prove themselves worthy of a more challenging role during combat. These males are outfitted with combat gear but given blank masks with a reflective coating so that when the females look upon their combat brethren they see a feminine reflection. For no woman of the Kabal of the Shattered Blade would willingly fight beside a male.

One reason for the disdain of male children is their propensity for birth defects. After ages of inbreeding and unprotected warp travel the males of the Kabal are sometimes gifted with an unusual curse. These mutations take on many forms, but the most common come in the form of hollow bird-like bones and wings or a thick skin of deep onyx color. These male children are given up at birth to some of the minor cults that make up the Kabal of the Shattered Blade. The onyx skin monstrosities are universally feared by all, even the matriarch herself, but are utilized as scouts to hunt out potential raiding locations. The winged children are elevated to the spires that adorn the Kabal's aeries of messengers. These messengers, akin to the Scourges that fly throughout Commoragh, become honored messengers and are the only males to hold any honor within the Kabal itself – for they act as the diplomats between the other houses and kabals.

So that's just a start to the fluff I have going for this Dark Eldar group. I hope to flush it out in the future to explain more of what's found in the DE book as well as explain the connection to Yme-Loc itself.

Below I have my base list and below that some rough ideas on how I plan on using this list and expansion options.




HQ –
Kabal Matriarch – Lelith Hesperax    175pts
(n/a)

ELITES –
Incubi – Klaivex & 5 Incubi w/Venom    247pts
(Demiklaives, Onslaught, Splinter Cannon)

Kabalite Trueborn – Dracon & 5 Trueborn w/Venom    192pts
(Blasters x4)

Hekatrix Bloodbrides – Syren & 8 Bloodbrides w/Raider    270pts
(Shardnet x3, Haywire Grenades, Flickerfield, Shock Prow)

TROOPS –
Kabalite Warriors – Sybarite & 9 Warriors w/Raider    190pts
(Shredder, Splinter Cannon, Flickerfield, Shock Prow)

Kabalite Warriors – Sybarite & 9 Warriors w/Raider    190pts
(Shredder, Splinter Cannon, Flickerfield, Shock Prow)

Kabalite Warriors – Sybarite & 9 Warriors w/Raider    190pts
(Shredder, Splinter Cannon, Flickerfield, Shock Prow)

FAST ATTACK –
Reaver Jetbikes – Arena Champion & 5 Reavers    166pts
(Heat Lance x2)

HEAVY SUPPORT –
Ravager    115pts
(Dark Lance x3, Flickerfield)

Ravager    115pts
(Dark Lance x3, Flickerfield)

Total - 1850pts

Basic Tactics

The incubi go after the big non-invulnerable save heavily armored infantry units. The Trueborn fly across the field and go crazy with their blasters versus transports and heavy vehicles alike. The warriors use the Dark Lances on the Raiders until they close into anti-personnel range and then the warriors themselves will take over and target units. The reavers go after flanking vehicles and otherwise sew confusion by using bladevanes to their advantage. Ravagers are the primary anti-vehicle support throughout the game. Bloodbrides either tar-pit the biggest and baddest close combat unit or pick off less able units (tactical squads, guard units, etc).


 
Deployment

Incubi are held in reserve until targets present themselves. Reavers may be held in reserve too depending on mission. Lelith rides with the bloodbride squad. All units try their best to start behind cover with the Ravagers nearer to the firing lanes on the table.


 
Expansion Options

My three primary options for this army are Mandrakes, Scourges, and Voidravens. Mandrakes would add some infiltrating but without a pain token they are mediocre at best. Since I have no easy way of giving them a pain token (Haemonculus or Chronos Parasite Engine) I think these will be relegated to the backburner and bought/painted for fluff reasons only. Scourges would offer some mobile firepower but have an issue with fragility and to me, don't really add anything of significance to this list. The Voidraven would give me more anti-tank, but honestly, I feel I have that covered. Between two ravagers, Reavers with heat-lances, Trueborn with blasters, and pot-shots with Raiders I feel I have this aspect covered.


 
Other Thoughts

I may transform one unit of Warriors into Wyches. In my opinion I lack in the Close Combat department but only playtesting will decide that for me. Still, I need to buy the models first and that's not happening until I get painting some of my existing items downstairs (almost at 100% fully assembled).


 
I'm still working on the Tomb Kings articles. I should have the first one posted tomorrow with the rest quickly following (a day or two apart from one another).