40k: Deep Thought – Xenos Terrain: Eldar Edition
Let’s explore two of the Eldar’s Terrain options in the Grim-Dark – Here comes the Xenos Terrain!
We’re back with another look at the Terrain issue Games Workshop has – The Xenos problem. Last time we talked about Ork Terrain now lets focus on the Eldar!
Games Workshop’s Terrain sets are really great terrain kits. They are sturdy and you can play game-after-game on them. But, they do have a major flaw – they only show off Imperial or Chaos pieces! This needs to change. It doesn’t make a ton of sense thematically that I can take an Aegis Defense Line with my Tyranids or a Void Shield Generator with my Necrons. Why would the Eldar be using an Imperial Bastion in a fight vs Chaos Daemons on a Craftworld? One of the strongest selling points of Warhammer 40,000 has always been the strong visual themes and the lack of Xenos kits is a disservice to the game.
But times are changing! The Tau recently got to get in on the themed terrain (aka fortification) game with the Tide-Wall. Sure, you can use it as the rules are written, but really it also makes a wonderful centerpiece on the tabletop for your games. It’s well done and lends a very cinematic vibe to the over-all experience. If Games Workshop really is all about Forging a Narrative then terrain kits (aka Fortifications) that are Xenos specific can really add that to the game.
In this series of articles, we here at BoLS have put together some basic concepts that we think would make killer terrain pieces. Feel free to make these yourself – kit bash’em or scratch build them – but it would be a lot nicer if GW put out some actual kits. We’ve also taken the liberty of mocking up some very high level rules to add some of that “narrative flavor” to the game. We also want to point out that all the kits ideas we’re presenting were ideas taken directly from the fluff.
Warp Gate / Waith Gate / Webway Gate
Remember this codex? Notice the big thing in the back? Yeah – that big Blue-ish Gate? Yeah – that thing! I want something like that for the Eldar. The Dark Eldar have a Webway portal already, I’m not sure why GW never made an official model for that, but if they did I would want an Eldar Gate that resembled something like this picture. What does it do? Well in game it could function like an extra table edge for reserves for the Eldar player – it could function very similar to the Webway portal, but it doesn’t have the same restrictions. And because it’s made of Wraithbone it would have a fair amount of wounds and would be Toughness 8. Sure, you could destroy it, but if you’re shooting at that then you’re not shooting the other Eldar units. Do the Eldar need more movement assistance – I’ll leave that up for you to debate, but you can’t tell me this isn’t super fluffy!
Force Field / Scattershield Generator
The Wraithknight actually has an option for one – not that anyone ever takes it…But the idea is simple. It offers a +5 Invulnerable save and when it passes a save all enemy units within 6″ must pass a Blind test. So what would a Scattershield Generator do? Let’s talk footprint really quick – if it’s the height of the Void Shield Generator then I think a +5 Invulnerable save in a radius 6″-12″ radius is a good start. If a friendly unit within that bubble is hit and makes at least 1 save then all enemy units within “6 of that unit should take a test to see if they are blind. Now, this model is probably going to also be a tower of some type and it should be made of Wraithbone. Therefore, it should have a Toughness of 8 and be wound based as well.
Naturally there would need to be refinements to these two ideas but hopefully we’ve painted a picture of what could be. These two pieces of terrain could be created from the same kit as well. Especially if they were some type of Wraith-Spire construct. At the end of the day, I’d really just like to see Eldar Terrain of any type come from Games Workshop. It’s been such a tease because Eldar buildings already exist in digital form within the Dawn of War series. I wouldn’t even care what the rules are – I’d just like new Eldar Terrain on my tables…
What type of Eldar Terrain would you want to see on YOUR table?
