u/ApostleSaintWalker

I've heard the arguments, I know, I know. "Eldar don't win slugfests." "Eldar score on secondaries." "Eldar are a glass cannon." "Eldar have a high skill floor." "Eldar take effort to learn."

Blah blah blah blah blah.

While all these are very well and good in principle, in practice we have to acknowledge that the rules GW gives for it are horribly executed. The idea of a glass cannon army makes perfect sense... but is so poorly implemented in the way 40k's (already bloated and convoluted) rule system tries to realize that idea, that it just plain fails on the actual tabletop.

And I don't think it's down to malice or GW "hating" eldar, they've just become so obsessed with making every faction "unique" that they've whittled away every aspect of the eldar that doesn't revolve around "go fast." Because "go fast" is our faction's specialty, just like "numbers" is for Orks, Guard, and Tyranids, "tanky" is for Necrons and Death Guard, "shooty" is for T'au and Votann, and "generalist" is for Marines.

Which is theoretically fine, but at this point it's left the army with no actual tools, abilities, or strengths beyond "runs really fast." They got so lost in trying to give us a "unique identity" they forgot that identity has to be functional at the end of the day.

I'm not going to respond to comments on this BTW.

What it says on the tin. Some caveats:

• My group is most experienced with D&D 5e, World of Darkness, and Cyberpunk
• I'm planning a game with a focus on:
  • Investigation
  • Roleplaying
  • Encounters focused on saving people as much or more than beating up the baddie.

What systems would you recommend on these criteria?

Reading that Slaanesh play story last week inspired me to post this idea I've been working on. Not done yet but would appreciate any feedback.

>City of Masques and Secrets: Harlequart is a free city in Ulgu, known as the City of Masques and Stages, as well as the City of Stories, because Harlequart is famed for its theatres and performances. It is the home of the Umbral Seraphs Stormhost. It's primary industry is the making of clocks -- a valuable trade in a realm where everything including the passage of time is so uncertain -- and making them in the most intricate of designs; as a result, metalworking, woodsmithing, silversmithing, and ivoryworking are all valued trades within the city.

>However, what Harlequart is truly famed for is the skill of its performers. The musicians, poets, vaudevillian acts, and especially theatres are all famed across Ulgu. Darkling nobles and Scourge Privateers who fancy themselves more cultured than most will travel from across the realm to witness one of the legendary performances, and Soulblight Gravelords who value beauty and eloquence are known to stalk the theatres looking for worthy heirs. Both are ware of the watchful eye of the Umbral Seraphs, however, who disdain any who would prey upon their charges, and may just appear from the shadows to punish you for the attempt.

>The true curse of the city, however, is how this reputation has drawn in the worshippers of Slaanesh like water flowing down a drain, encircling the city. During the Age of Chaos, the city traded hands between one Hedonite lord and another, before the coming of the Umbral Seraphs brought true, if unstable peace to the realm.

>The Umbral Seraphs: During the Age of Chaos, hope was a fragile thing; for those left behind when the gates of Azyr closed, only the growling jaws of Chaos remained. Yet a few resisted; there were the great leaders like Yndrasta, who rallied armies in defense of the realms. Others, however, fought back in a different way.
Many used their knowledge of their homes to engage in guerilla wars; strike, fade, raid, and above all, outwit. They used their minds to outsmart, befuddle, and bedevil the hordes of Chaos. Many took on a kind of folk hero quality, dressing in masks and colorful garb, or taking up the mantle of mythic heroes of legend to inspire and rally their brethren.
These were the souls drawn by Sigmar to the Umbral Seraphs Stormhost. The Seraphs are masters of trickery, yes, but also of performance. They know the value of inspiring the masses, of not merely defeating the enemy but doing so in a way that will be told throughout the realms, and in so doing bring hope into the hearts of the downtrodden.
When they emerged from the Realmgate known as the Fox’s Grin at the dawn of the Age of Chaos, they immediately set out to bedevil the slaaneshi warbands that claimed the region as their own, sending challenges that their proud lords could not resist, only to lead them into trap after trap, bleeding their forces before the final killing blow.  In this way they quickly earned the favor of the local tribes who had long been enslaved by them.
But the Seraphs are not without their failings. It’s said by other Stormhosts they are cursed with a flair for the dramatic. Grand displays of power, needlessly complicated plans, an obsession with theatrics. War is a game, and they love nothing better than to see their enemies not merely defeated, but humbled in front of their victims.

Sorry if this is a newb question.

If I pick the Dismay ability as my Dread Ability, and the same unit is in 9" of multiple units, does that unit have to make seperate battle-shock tests for all of them? Does succeeding on a Battleshock test make you immune to having to make more?

Like if one unit of Kabalites is in 9" of 3 war dogs, and they succeed on the first battleshock roll, do they have to make two more or are they immune from battleshock now?

What little we hear about the DM is that they apparently value innovation and the reckless pursuit of knowledge.

What are some actual examples of things they've created/discovered? Because trying to find more on them is just "it's a horrifying mesh of metal and flesh and screaming souls that drive all who gaze upon it mad."

No. What are some actual, describable innovations of theirs that actually have comprehensible functions? Things like the Knight Abominant or the Daemonculaba which are horrifying, but also make sense as something that gives Chaos an advantage over normal technology.

Every piece of advice I get is on what Aeldari aren't good at. "Aeldari don't win straight fights." "Aeldari don't hold objectives." "Aeldari don't XYZ."

So my question is, aside from running really fast, what does this army do well?

In addition, everyone says you have to "pick your fights carefully" but no one will explain what the Isha-loving fuck that means. Let's just be hypothetical and say I'm playing Black Templars, yeah? Let's also assume I'm running Seer Council, and we're playing on a Hammer and Anvil map. Since I've been consistently told "without knowing your matchups and what map you play there's only general advice" so now, with this scenario, please give me the most hyper-specific and ultra clear advice you possibly can!

What units of Aeldari are a "good fight" against which units of Templars, and when do I know when it's a "good fight" to charge into them?

Please be clear, specific, don't use jargon, slang, or acronyms, and just tell me in the most like-i'm-a-five-year-old terms you can how to win with this army, thank you.

Barely played the game, so please keep advice as simple and easy to understand as possible.

Based on you experience, what Force Dispositions do you think will be best for Eldar in 11th. I'm leaning towards Reconnaissance and Disruption.