I would very much like Eldar sourcebook (I’m not Eldar/elves fanatic, Tau sourcebook will by nice too). I know there are problems like power balance, aspects and Eldar society (culture) norms that make Eldar based game harder to create. But it’s not impossible. Me and my team wanted Eldar sourcebook form the start of Dark Heresy. If you FF not sure about reception, let them make a poll. It’s easy, who would like Eldar core book, who sourcebook, and so on.

There can be a separate Eldar game (Craftworlds) or expansion for Rogue trader (my favorite w40k game). If it’s possible to create Ork character, and Krot! Who are more alien than Eldars, what’s the problem in creating Eldar characters (previous aspect and now pirates, or something like that)? There are a lot of new books in Black Library, that give us solid background to Eldar society and character.

On the other hand, Only War is in my opinion poor choice for new game. It should be expansion for DH or DW. If I will buy Only War (and for the first time in W40k FF games I’m not sure), that’s only as sourcebook for other W40k games.

Sorry for my English
 

I dunno if FFG or GW really knows that  a good portion of their fanbase hates all things Imperium based, both due to their presentation, and due to their tabletop army.

Constantly seeing Space Marines on the other side of the table, and listen to their self-righteous blah blah about their marines, etc, always left a bad taste in my mouth. I was happy my Eldar never lost to Space Marines, but it sure didn't endear the Imperium of Man to me.

Now, in the RPG, all I have an option to play is the hated Imperium of Man. Not exactly top notch. I'd rather play a Twilight Vampire than a Space Marine.

 Not sure how much it helps, but I did an Eldar homebrew for Black Crusade: javascript:void(0);/*1340828496550*/

boruta666 said:

Howdy,

If you read the novels and fluff, this is not always the case…

Eldar and Dark Eldar have been portrayed as complex characters with VERY human emotions.  You can argue that this is a limitation of the authors, but it fits in nicely with the limitations of us roleplayers. :)

It is tough roleplaying Marines - it all depends on the nature of the campaign and the goals of the other players.  Role-playing in a military genre is inherently limiting, which is why most military RPGs flop.  In the case of DW, the background is so different, the toys so cool, and the Marines so GODLIKE, that it adds lots of spice. :)

Cheers,

Ken

Blood Pact said:

Howdy,

A player version of the Eldar would have to be a Harlequin (a Solo away from the troupe?), Ranger (explorer of ancient Exodite worlds), Corsair (adventurer), or on the Path of the Outcast (the no-brainer).  You could set up quest-based scenarios for the other paths, but it would fall apart quickly or soon after their goals are met.  You could certainly offer career paths for other Eldar professions, but I think that you would have to come up with a mechanism to use those as background/earlier paths, culminating in the Outcast/Ranger/Corsair/Harlequin careers.  My 2-cents.

The Dark Eldar would be a solid player career, based on fluff and the books.  A renegade Kabalite, Wych, Haemonculus, etc seeking power/wealth/revenge/whatnot.  It would NOT fit in with DH games, but many shady RT ones…. :)

Cheers,

Ken

Seeten said:

I dunno, the success of the video games and vast number of novels (most of which are Imperium centric) seems to indicate otherwise. It's not like anyone else is a good guy in the 40K universe, so everyone is likely to root for the home team (species?) first.

But yeah, I always found it annoying that like half the 40K players in the world have Space Marines as their army, but hell I started on them too.

Seeten said:

C'mon now, you don't want to do that. Twilight is such a joke that every TV show with vampires in it, at the time, was making jokes at its expense. Hell, they made a whole movie making fun of it.

There's no need to be that drastic, and you just really don't want to touch the kind of cancerous farce that Twilight is. Now step off the ledge and come back to us, before something horrible (like actually playing a Twilight Vampire lol) happens.

 Hey Blood Pact:

I bought Dawn of War, specifically, the expansions with Eldar and Necrons. I did not buy Dawn of War II, because the campaign wasn't Eldar centered. I did not buy Space Marine, for obvious reasons. I didn't buy any of the other video games that were Imperium or Space Marine centric, since I effin' hate Space Marines.

I find the easiest way to Multi-quote is to open up multiple quote-reply windows, trim out the bits you don't want, and then copy the whole thing over to your actual reply.

Even that can screw up from time to time, too.

As for playable Necrons in an RPG, even with their new fluff, I just can't ever see them getting an RPG of their own. I'd put money on it. I'd put a lot of money on it.

But Eldar… well, the more and more I keep going over the idea, the more I keep being convinced that Harlequins would make for a great game (talked about it so much here and elsewhere, I won't retread that again). It's also making me want to read Atlas Infernal again.

Necrons were great fun in Dawn of War, I liked them more than Eldar, and I started playing Eldar in Table Top in like 1988.

I wouldn't want Necrons as a playable faction in a pen and paper RPG, that's just silly.

I am not even sure I'd base a game around Eldar, like "Only War" but with Alaitoc or Biel-Tan, or whatever. I would definitely do an Eldar supplement, though, with power level balanced supplemental ways to run them in Rogue Trader and Black Crusade. Not to run them as part of Chaos, but just in the Black Crusade system. It might be cool to do likewise for Deathwatch, in a "Tyranids shot down all the Marine dropships and Eldar whatever ships, leaving the marine squads and aspect warriors all alone on Planet X" Then see how it goes. If half the group makes Eldar, half make Marines, do they work together to fight the greater threat? I think thats the sort of thing that would fascinate me.

I think Tau and Eldar have just big fanbases that are largely under served as far as the RPG goes. Most of us abhor marines, both because we constantly fight marines in TT, and have to listen to their rabid fans go on and on about how wonderful they are, and due to GW just beating them into the ground.

Further, is it odd that I consider the Imperium of Man the true villain in 40k?

Tau are clearly the heroes. Eldar are tragic/doomed, trying to atone for their past sins, and just hold on. Chaos is evil, but also represents freedom, and choice.

I'm grateful Black Crusade, exists, at least. I don't consider Chaos Space Marines to be Marines, so they are exempt from my disdain.

So, there is a stream of consciousness rant on what I think is the reasons we ought to have Eldar and Tau supplements, dedicated to making them playable, even if I don't think a full Eldar or Tau game is necessary.

Oh, and in before "Eldar are alien and unknowable and can't be RP'd."

The Imperium of Man is bizarre and alien dystopic future, completely unlike the current world. Its racist, xenophobic, sexist, nasty and rotten, at its core. It has values most people don't, and shouldn't have, and 7 foot marines with a chemical cocktail of drugs and multiple organs we dont have, not to mention brainwashing are as alien to me as Eldar could ever be. Psykers, Mutants, etc are all weirder to me than any Eldar. I don't even understand that argument. As far as I can tell, the Imperium is as alien and unknowable as any other race going.

 I have hopes for further xenos games.

The poor Eldar deserve their own game at this point. The lack of their inclusion in Rogue Trader (where it was the most obvious and easy for fluff reason) is especially telling; I think that FFG has been saving them for us for quite some time. Think about it; every aspect of the Imperium has been represented. I suppose we could have an Adeptus Custodes or High Lords of Terra game, or a fixed Ascension, but I doubt it…

Tau could be fun at a Dark Heresy power level. The four basic castes and the various Septs form a solid Career Path and Homeworld set-up, and the various auxilleries (Kroot, Vespid, Demiurg, Tarellians, Hrud, humans…) allow for plenty of variety.

I know I'll use the Kabalite Warrior and some homebrew to run a Dark Eldar game about a Kabal rising in power, and I've seen all-Ork games before. The xenos are coming up into their own spotlight, methinks.

That said, playing a disgraced Necron Lord and his retinue (Cryptek, Praetorian, Lychguard, Deathmark) as they roam the stars attempting to regain their past glory would be hilariously fun. Put it at the Deathwatch power level and cause havoc.

Plushy said:

This truly sounds like the Inquisitions work!  Lies and deceit, false leads and traps doors!  And then…. The lights are dimmed, the curtains are drawn, a hush falls upon the stage…..  A flash of light!  A roaring of symphony!  And enters the Harlequin into the fray.  

I do believe FFG has been leading us by the rope on this one.  

If you decide to run that game online, let me know ;)

Plushy said:

Except Gangs of Necromunda, Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Astra Telepathica,  heck, by now I would expect "Adeptus Custodes - Proudly Standing Around on Terra - The Game" before any Xenos game…..

Mjoellnir said:

The Guard, Arbites, and Mechanicus were all expected to get their own Dark Heresy supplements, and they did (except for the Guard, who had their book become a new line.) Book of Judgment is there for the cops, and the Lathe Worlds is there for the good ole' cogheads. The Adeptus Astra telepathica have a lot of coverage through Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader - the upcoming Navis Primer should give them even more, along with the tragically under-fluffed Navigators…

I'd say Eldar are the most likely as our next big thing. Orks have almost complete representation (everything you can find in their codex can be made as a PC) and the Dark Eldar are coming up (fingers crossed for a lot of Alternate Ranks!) but I'm starting to doubt the Tau will get any love. The Kroot got a career already, and a Tau game would have to be at a Dark Heresy/Only War power level.

 I could see a Tau battlesuit game at black crusade to death watch level. Not sure how it would function as a long term campaign. It woyuld probably help to play up the battle suits a lot.