Hi Folks.

There are as much reasons to choose and play an army than players. Or maybe not that much but a least a serious amount.

So I will not pretend listing them all or even pretending covering the main ones. I will instead stick to a selfish and auto-centered exercise on why did I choose to build up an Ynnari force.

I am not really an Eldar guy. I liked them and even started gathering an army in 96. I bought and stored some models, essentially after recovering some guardians from a friend on mine that left the hobby at this time and offered them to me a bargain. I have been left with a lot of guardians, falcon chassis and jetbikes. They were left there, waiting for some time. A first attempt for seriously using them was with the release of the Crafworld index. I was VERY tempted to build up a Saim-hann force. I even started building some potential models for kinsmen. But the soufflé went down.

Another almost successful resurrection was the issuance of the Black Guardian list in the Eye of Terror campaign book. But the magic did not happen. Back to the pile of shame.

CTA23 has been the last memorable event that affected these pointy ears. After 27 years most of the Aeldarii models were at last painted. I guess I have only 10 to 20 guardian bodies left in the waiting room. I kept Saim-hann theme – I never really abandoned it and I secretly hope for a Nuadhu Firehearth model someday… But I still haven´t played a single game: the army needed some legalization and improvements. And this is where the Ynnari trouble starts.

A standard move would have been to select a few additional units and increase the army core with the usual suspects: Aspect warriors and so on. But I am not so fond of Aspect warriors in general (except Warp spiders and Dark reapers); although Aspects are the primal form of the Eldar units (I still have my 1^st Ed compilation book (the yellow one), I am not that plugged into them. I instead decided to keep on moving on the guardian heavy thematic planning to add walkers and some rangers (inc. shroud-runners). The pile of shame has grown with some of these, but they remain in standby as, after a Paper-hammer* series of small games (in order to simulate and emulate my army construction) the tactical options appeared as being limited. Or better said: they almost paly as my AdMech. It is not what I want. Scouts´ models remain unpainted, even unbuilt.

Another option would have been to build up a more fluff-oriented list going back to the roots of a wild rider heavy army. It is however not something that looks playable nowadays. May be for fun, but on the long run?... Paper-hammer stroke once again. It has been another fail

So, what is left, except putting Aspect warriors? Ynnari. These have been a third choice, after the 2 previous errantly valuations. Yet they tick some boxes in terms of new tactical tricks. Indeed, getting these Dark-kins gives access to a series of deep striking units that will nicely balance the tactical options. Deep striking transports and skimming tanks. Fast units. Everything is into the speed aspect. I can have something that is still in the mood of that Saim-hann spirit will getting access to relatively cheap troops and units fulfilling a variety of tactical roles without slowing down the historic units of my rooster.

To summarize, the decision to go Ynnari has not been a first choice. Rather a third one (And I hope they will not be axed in the next Aeldari codex so that I will not have to repent, again…). Decision has been made based on the play style and tactical options offered by the inclusion of the Dark Eldar units. It opens the rooster to a huge amount of units (probably as much as in a SM army, may it be?) so that variety and surprise effect can be guaranteed (if the collection growth allows it).

What is going to include this Ynnari force:

1. The drawbacks of Ynnari is the Yvraine tax. But as it has to be, so let it be.

2. If you go Ynnari, you go Ynnari: so I cannot stop to Yvraine as a signature unit only. Let´s put the Yncarne too. This demonic figure has some tricky tricks to bring to the force.

3. Add some Dark Eldars: a Patrol box for the moment (I touched it at 90 bucks…). I may increase the contingent with some Scourges and a Venom latter.

4. As I “accidentally” get a KY Nightmare box, I also have a unit of 10 mandrakes available

5. Corsairs may increase the rooster, especially as I have enough spare guardian bodies in order to build 2 units out of one box.

What is missing from this list are the Venom, the Scourges and the Corsairs – 142 USD before discounts. Everything else is in the Pile of Shame already.

In next instalments we will see how I am progressing with the painting of these models, starting with the Yncarne and Incubis.

See you next time,

*There are variants such as Lego-Hammer or Playmobil-hammer too. I even heard of a Hotwheels-Hammer once, but I guess the guy was talking of Steve Jackson´s Car Wars instead…

PS: and I do insist that I am not starting a new army of any kind...