Anhrathe (Eldar Corsairs) in Kill Team

[Ioldanach]

I took a little break from expanding the Aeldari kill teams for the Shadow War: Armageddon game and developed rules for the anhrathe (eldar corsairs) in the Kill Team game. As usual, here are the rules (before I pontificate):
 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

You'll notice that these rules have more images and lore than the other factions have. That's because I don't think that the faction is as familiar to all hobbyists, so I wanted to include enough information to give a basic understanding of the anhrathe.

The lore on the first page is mostly verbatim from the second printing of The Doom of Mymeara. There are a few bits here and there from other sources, including some of the edits that I made. Where other factions have a nifty little bit of lore in the black box, I including basic lore information on the commander options (since the core rulebook doesn't have those and the Commanders rulebook has a first page with much of the standard lore).

The filler bits (kill team background, mission, squad quirk, and specialist demeanors) are a combination of asuryani and drukhari results that I thought were applicable to the anhrathe. The background results are mostly from the asuryani tables, with two results from the drukhari. The mission results are 6:4 asuryani/drukhari. The squad quirks are 50/50 (I think). The specialist quirks are 5:4, with one made up from scratch (I think).

The names were the hardest thing to do. I took all of the names from the Rogue Trader era "Space Elves" miniatures. Then I filled in the tables by making up similar names and by looking at the asuryani names for ideas. I didn't make up an aeldari-sounding second element names, sticking with the (kind of silly) Rogue Trader era names. Realistically speaking, the second element names could be used for either males or females (changing the few names with "He" or "She" as needed). Alternately, you can use the asuryani and drukhari name tables, even combining tables from all three factions for more distinctive names.

The coterie tactics are simply those for the asuryani/drukhari that were (I felt) appropriate. I didn't make up any additional/new tactics.

The models were kept as basic as possible, largely mirroring the asuryani. Instead of the dire avengers aspect warriors (the anhrathe don't have aspect warriors) I included the "basic" veterans of the anhrathe, the voidstorm corsairs. In the 7th Edition WH40K rules, all of the members of the voidstorm corsairs were felarchs (the anhrathe version of an adeptus astartes veteran sergeant). The anhrathe counterpart to the asuryani guardians is the corsair reaver. Likewise, the ghostwalkers are akin to rangers. Any weapons/wargear that have counterparts in either the asuryani or drukhari kill team faction rules remain identical to those other factions (so they shouldn't need any adjustments).

With one exception, the corsair fleets/bands shown on page 6 are all official. The Sunblitz Brotherhood, Sky Raiders, and Void Dragons are based on the schemes shown in The Doom of Mymeara. The Void Watchers, Eldritch Raiders, and Black Suns are based on schemes from a really old painting guide (1st Edition) for the eldar. The only made up corsair fleet/band is the Mourning Blades, which is my own DIY (you'll have to forgive me this indulgence ).

The commander options were largely lifted from the asuryani. The corsair prince is just an asuryani autarch with slightly different options (options for the commanders and the main kill team units were based on the Imperial Armour: Xenos book that gave rules for Forge World units in the transition from 7th to 8th edition WH40k). The corsair baron is a watered down version of the corsair prince. The void dreamer is mostly based on the asuryani warlock, with some aspects of the farseer mixed in. One of the psyker powers is from the warlock and one is from the farseer, with one made up as a translation of an aethermancy power from The Doom of Mymeara (the latter is in red text).

Overall, I think that the only elements that really need to be evaluated and (if necessary) adjusted are those that are in red text. I'm going to edit the first page (because plagiarism isn't cool).

Note that the quotes were made up by me. They might be lame, in which case I'm happy to replace them with better quotes. I made up the titles to sound grandiose, to match the background description of each corsair leader having a unique and grandiose title. I don't necessarily know what the titles mean.

In developing these rules, I realized that some earlier assumptions I'd made about the anhrathe (in my Shadow War: Armageddon rules) were wrong. So I'm going back to adjust those rules. Of course, I also decided to create a second kill team for the anhrathe in Shadow War: Armageddon as a result of these rules; and those will be posted soon (not that any of you care about Shadow War: Armageddon any more since GW killed it  ).

Again, any feedback is appreciated.

[Brother Tyler]

I only had time for a quick skim, but the only thing that leapt out at me as potentially of concern is the ability to take up to six gunners. Have you considered limitations such as those that apply to the Adeptus Astartes? They, too, can have a lot gunners, but some of their options are split so that one gunner of each type has access to a certain range of weapons while the other gunner of the same type has access to a different type. This keeps them from spamming a ton of the same heavy/special weapon.

 

I've seen some of those Aethermancy psyker powers in images on the Internet. Would any of the others also have worked? I like the Warp Blink power, but it would have been neat to see the Void Dreamer have additional Aethermancy powers.

 

...I realized that some earlier assumptions I'd made about the Anhrathe (in my Shadow War: Armageddon rules) were wrong. So I'm going back to adjust those rules...

Interesting. I'll pick that line of discussion up in the other topic, though.

 

Out of curiosity, where did you find the template for the rules? Or did you make it yourself?

[Azekai]

I like them. Their stratagems seem Eldar-y without being bonkers and Dancing on the Blade's Edge + Reckless Abandon  are decently strong but with clear limitations. 
The formatting is superb, and I would also be interested to know how it was done.

[Ioldanach]

Version 2:

 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

I only had time for a quick skim, but the only thing that leapt out at me as potentially of concern is the ability to take up to six gunners. Have you considered limitations such as those that apply to the Adeptus Astartes? They, too, can have a lot gunners, but some of their options are split so that one gunner of each type has access to a certain range of weapons while the other gunner of the same type has access to a different type. This keeps them from spamming a ton of the same heavy/special weapon.

That was nagging at me, but I couldn't figure out how to impose a limit. I didn't even think about the adeptus astartes. That seems like an elegant solution, so the new version incorporates it. Thanks.

 

I've seen some of those Aethermancy psyker powers in images on the Internet. Would any of the others also have worked? I like the Warp Blink power, but it would have been neat to see the Void Dreamer have additional Aethermancy powers.

I'll take another look at them. There are a few that use templates, but since those aren't part of 8th edition WH40K/Kill Team, I figured they wouldn't be appropriate (and I didn't want to translate templates into distances). I might be able to take one or two and tweak them into Kill Team. I'll take a look and see what might be done.

 

I like them. Their stratagems seem Eldar-y without being bonkers and Dancing on the Blade's Edge + Reckless Abandon  are decently strong but with clear limitations.

Thanks! I can't take credit for any of that, though. The stratagems/tactics are pretty much copy and paste from the asuryani/drukhari, only with "anhrathe" spray painted over the serial numbers. As for Dancing on the Blade's Edge and Reckless Abandon, I just took the versions from the Imperial Armour: Index Xenos book (I may have tweaked them a bit for language, but nothing substantive).

 

The things I'm most concerned about are the commanders. The corsair prince is a bit weaker than the autarch, but is more flexible in the builds (not limited by models like the autarch). The corsair baron is his little brother, with fewer Wounds and Attacks, but otherwise pretty much identical. My chief concern with these two is whether or not I got the points balanced. The void dreamer, meanwhile, needs to be validated because he's a hybrid of the warlock and farseer, so I'm not sure if the points are balanced.

 

Out of curiosity, where did you find the template for the rules? Or did you make it yourself?

The formatting is superb, and I would also be interested to know how it was done.

Thanks. I created the template in Word. I wanted it to look as close as possible to the real deal without anyone confusing the rules for official rules (so I left out the textures and such). I'm still tweaking the template a bit, but if you'd like, I can upload it to the Downloads section once I'm done with it.

[Ioldanach]

Okay, here's a summary of the Aethermancy powers (from the 2nd edition of The Doom of Mymeara) along with my comments:

 

Path-ward

Allows player to count all rolls for distance moved as 6 (if a D6) or 3 (if a D3).

Very limited in Kill Team.

 

Warp Blink

Allows corsairs player to move one model (friendly or enemy) up to 2D6" in a random direction.

(already using this power)

 

Dispersion Field

Allows corsairs player to grant a 4+ invulnerable save to one friendly model within 12" of the void dreamer.

Like Fire Shield (see Kill Team: Commanders rulebook), only better.

 

Webway Rift

Witchfire power

Uses large blast template (5") - could be modified for Kill Team (i.e., no template) by specifying a target and then affecting all models within 2".

 

Webway Breach

Removes a friendly unit within 12" of the void dreamer, placing it into Ongoing Reserves.

Kill Team doesn't use (Ongoing) Reserves, though the effect was duplicated somewhat with the swooping hawk wings and could be similarly modified here. Note that this power is the converse of Webway Maze (see below).

 

Warp Tunnel

The void dreamer (and their unit) or another friendly unit may move to within 6" of a point anywhere on the tabletop.

Uses large blast template (5") - could be modified for Kill Team (i.e., no template) by requiring model to appear at target point (blast template is really only necessary for a unit). However, this is very close to the Warp Blink power in terms of the effect, though much more powerful (i.e., anywhere on table rather than 2D6" away).

 

Webway Maze

Removes an enemy unit within 12" of the void dreamer from the table and places them in Ongoing Reserves.

Potentially very powerful, especially when used during the last turn. Kill Team doesn't use (Ongoing) Reserves, though the effect was duplicated somewhat with the swooping hawk wings and could be similarly modified here. Note that this power is the converse of Webway Breach (see above).

 

If I were going to take any of these and replace the farseer/warlock psyker powers that are currently being used (Guide and Protect/Jinx, respectively), the ones I'm most likely to take are Webway Rift (the witchfire power/attack) and a combination of Webway Breach and Webway Maze.

 

With Webway Rift, even though I mention possibly replacing the template with a 2" distance wording, I don't know of any precedent in the Kill Team Core Rulebook. For example, missiles don't affect models within a distance. Instead, they inflict D# hits. The actual profile of the power from The Doom of Mymeara is:

 

Range 12" | Str 3 | AP 6 | Type Heavy 1, Poison (3+), Large Blast (5")

 

In WH40K 8th Edition/Kill Team terms, that translates to:

 

Range 12" | Type Heavy 1 | S - | AP 0 | D D3(?) | Abilities - This weapon wounds on a 3+.

 

The Protect/Jinx psyker power is from the farseer, so it might be possible to combine Webway Breach/Webway Maze into a single psychic power. If that were to happen, would it be better to say that the corsair player chooses where the model is placed (but it cannot be placed on impassable terrain), or that the model may reappear anywhere in the controlling player's deployment zone?

[Brother Tyler]

The "attack" psyker powers in the Commanders book translate the profile into text (e.g., Bolt of Change for the Tzaangor Shaman on page 61). I would have it target a specific model, and then any models within 2" of the target model take a slightly lower hit (i.e., wounded on something worse than 3+ ... I'd go with 5+ ... "within 2" should be measured from the base if the rules aren't clear).

I think you can combine the Webway Breach/Webway Maze into a single power. The "safer" path is to let the controlling player choose the returning model's location based on their deployment zone. Would you have to include a note that any models that aren't on the tabletop as a result of this power at the end of the game count as being Out of Action?

Speaking of psyker powers, the Void Dreamer doesn't have the "Psyker" line on his profile (see the Warlock and Farseer entries).
 

...I created the template in Word. I wanted it to look as close as possible to the real deal without anyone confusing the rules for official rules (so I left out the textures and such). I'm still tweaking the template a bit, but if you'd like, I can upload it to the Downloads section once I'm done with it.

 

That would be great.  If it's a Word .doc, you'll have to compress it into a .zip file (.rar might work, too).

[Ioldanach]

The "attack" psyker powers in the Commanders book translate the profile into text (e.g., Bolt of Change for the Tzaangor Shaman on page 61). I would have it target a specific model, and then any models within 2" of the target model take a slightly lower hit (i.e., wounded on something worse than 3+ ... I'd go with 5+ ... "within 2" should be measured from the base if the rules aren't clear).

I'll see if I can simplify things a bit (Bolt of Change is a decent model, I think, but I'll take a look at other similar powers).

 

I think you can combine the Webway Breach/Webway Maze into a single power. The "safer" path is to let the controlling player choose the returning model's location based on their deployment zone. Would you have to include a note that any models that aren't on the tabletop as a result of this power at the end of the game count as being Out of Action?

I don't think the Out of Action note is necessary (following the pattern of the swooping hawk wings).

 

Speaking of psyker powers, the Void Dreamer doesn't have the "Psyker" line on his profile (see the Warlock and Farseer entries).

Well, that's embarrassing. I'll have to fix that pronto. The template needs that line, too.

 

...If it's a Word .doc, you'll have to compress it into a .zip file (.rar might work, too).

Good to know. I can zip the files (I'm going to include the header font in the file).

[Brother Tyler]

Something else I just noticed that may be an inconsistency (although it may be deliberate, too, for all I know) is the starting kit of your basic kill team models. Corsair Reavers start with a brace of pistols, lasblaster, and plasma grenades, whereas both Ghostwalkers and Voidstorm Corsairs start only with lasblasters and plasma grenades - they don't get a brace of pistols unless they exchange their lasblaster for a spar-glaive and a brace of pistols.

 

If this isn't deliberate, consistency would lead to everybody starting with the same kit (either with or without a brace of pistols).

[Ioldanach]

Version 3:

 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

I made some minor edits to the lore (removing stuff that I thought was unnecessary).

 

I added the "psyker" line to the void dreamer (he gets to use 1 psychic power per turn and deny 1 psychic power per turn).

 

I changed all of the psyker powers to aetheromancy powers. Webway Rift is based on the Bolt of Change. I kept the warp charge the same since you might affect more than one model. Instead of D3 (Bolt of Change), Webway Rift simply does 1 damage - to the target model and all models within 2". I don't see multiple models being affected often, though there's definitely a chance (canny void dreamer using it on a model near other models engaged in hth). Webway Breach is a combination of Webway Breach and Webway Maze. I allowed the model's controlling player to set the model up in their deployment zone and, following the swooping hawk wings, more than 9" away from any enemy models.

 

I also added the "Playtest Version" stamp at the bottom.

 

The template is almost done, but I'm contacting the Gunplay font creator to see if I can use it (or if I should link to it in the download). Using it in the rules is allowed by the creator's end user license agreement, but I'm not sure that an editable Microsoft Word document is allowed.

[Ioldanach]

Something else I just noticed that may be an inconsistency (although it may be deliberate, too, for all I know) is the starting kit of your basic kill team models. Corsair Reavers start with a brace of pistols, lasblaster, and plasma grenades, whereas both Ghostwalkers and Voidstorm Corsairs start only with lasblasters and plasma grenades - they don't get a brace of pistols unless they exchange their lasblaster for a spar-glaive and a brace of pistols.

 

If this isn't deliberate, consistency would lead to everybody starting with the same kit (either with or without a brace of pistols).

I'm pretty sure I did this on purpose, but I can't figure out why. I agree, it should be consistent. Following the pattern of storm guardians, the brace of pistols will be part of the spar-glaive addition (and I'm also going to add an option for a chainsword and brace of pistols). That will be in version 4.

 

Edit... (or should I say Ediot?)...

 

And when I went to edit the file I saw why I had done this in the first place - the corsair reaver felarch.

 

My logic was that the felarch might want both a void sabre and either a blast pistol or a dissonance pistol. Of course, I failed in that regard because I should have made the brace of pistols the exchange item for either of the pistol upgrades.

 

So I'm going back on what I said above. The consistency will be that all of the model types (corsair reaver, ghostwalker, and voidstorm corsair) start with the brace of pistols (and I've changed the cost of the brace of pistols to 0 points, from 2 points). And I just realized that I had the Aeldari blade in there as a remnant. I've replaced that with the chainsword (in the "Melee Weapons" table on page 7).

 

Now I'm wondering if I need to add the chainsword as an option for the commanders. It would be a 0 point option since it's definitely a downgrade from the stock weapons (void blade for all three). Of course, spar-glaives aren't an option for these three commanders, but a "spar-glaive" and a "void sabre" don't necessarily look different from each other, whereas a chainsword is distinct. And there may be players that have their models equipped with chainswords (counterpoint - none of these model types had "close combat weapons" in TDoM). For now, I'm going to leave the commanders without chainswords (until there's a hue and cry to put them in).

[Brother Tyler]

If the chainsword rules follow those for the chainsword in the Asuryani rules, they'll be virtually identical in effect to the spar-glaive. I'd either omit the chainsword or turn the spar-glaive (rules) into the Aeldari blade (rules). While many hobbyists were fortunate enough to get the Corsair Conversion Kit from Forge World, most will be using Storm Guardian bits or Drukhari Wych bits, so the rules effect being the same won't be a big problem, if any.

 

I think that the only problem with making the brace of pistols starting kit is that it gives the Eldar Corsairs a bit more flexibility than the Asuryani. Just a wee bit, mind you, but measurable. Storm Guardians start with a shuriken pistol, Aeldari blade, and plasma grenades. To get the special weapon, they have to exchange both the shuriken pistol and Aeldari blade. Guardian Defenders, meanwhile, don't have a pistol weapon. The balance, I think, would be to force the exchange of both the brace of pistols and lasblaster for the heavy/special weapons. It would still make your lasblaster/brace of pistols models just a bit more flexible, but that would probably be acceptable since they can only fire one or the other during a turn. The brace of pistols is generally worse than the lasblaster/shuriken catapult/shardcarbine, so it's not really advantageous except in terms of theme.

[Ioldanach]

Agreed on the chainsword. I'll turn the spar-glaive rules into aeldari blade rules (it will keep the spar-glaive name - that's just too cool).

 

The brace of pistols are a complicated issue. Actually, it's the flexibility of the corsairs compared to their craftworld guardian counterparts that's the complicated part. If the corsairs were just shooty or just stabby, it would be pretty easy to make it all work efficiently. Since they can be both, though (unless I were to create a stabby version and a shooty version), the rules either have to be more complicated (which creates space) or some level of (dis)advantage needs to be accepted. I think that you've hit upon a very workable compromise (the path I was going down was very convoluted - I didn't like it).

 

I keep looking at my old autarch mini (the one where he has a chainsword) and wondering how we can accommodate players that have used that model for their corsair prince/baron. Perhaps the solution is to make the starting kit for the commanders an aeldari blade, allowing a chainsword exchange. That would adjust costs of things a bit, but the end result would be the same (i.e., a corsair prince equipped with the same gear as an autarch would cost the exact same). The only "advantage" would be that the corsairs are much more flexible in how their commanders can be kitted out than their asuryani cousins.

[Ioldanach]

Version 4:
 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

I adjusted the corsair reavers, ghostwalkers, and voidstorm corsairs so that all included a brace of pistols as part of their stock kit. Further adjustments were made so that they could replace their lasblaster with x (and the chainsword was added). Corsair reaver felarchs had their wargear options line tweaked so that they can end up with any of the reasonable (in my mind) combinations. Voidstorm corsairs were also adjusted so that they could have any two of the weapons. In all cases, a model has to replace its brace of pistols and lasblaster to get a heavy or special weapon (I'd like to say that I came up with that on my own, but the fact is that I didn't think about that when I first edited the options - so thanks).

One "big" change was to replace the shardcarbine (which exists for the corsair reavers in Imperial Armour: Xenos) with the splinter rifle (which the drukhari have in Kill Team). The rules and cost are the same as for the drukhari splinter rifle, so this shouldn't be an issue.

I also added the CORSAIR FLEET keyword to all of the entries. It doesn't do anything, but it corresponds with the WARHOST keyword of the asuryani. Having it there gives forward compatibility if something is added for specific fleets (e.g., Void Dragons having a rule, the Eldritch Raiders having a rule, etc. - sort of like CHAPTER TACTICS). The COTERIE keyword, meanwhile, is in case something is ever added for the various coteries/detachments that the eldar corsairs have in the second edition of The Doom of Mymeara. I don't have plans for any of these types of rules, but it's nice to have the option and forward compatibility built in.

I kept the chainsword identical to the asuryani version, so the spar-glaive was adjusted to match the aeldari blade in its rules.

I adjusted the cost of the aeldari long rifle (equal to an asuryani ranger long rifle) to 1 point, and dropped the cost of the ghostwalkers by 1 (ghostwalker costs 10 pts and ghostwalker gunner costs 11 pts). This is because the aeldari long rifle is an upgrade to the lasblaster. So a ghostwalker with an aeldari long rifle costs the same as an asuryani ranger, which he is equal to on the tabletop.

I explored making the stock weapons of the commanders the aeldari blade, brace of pistols, and plasma grenades (replacing the void blade with the aeldari blade); and also adding the chainsword as an exchange option for the aeldari blade. However, that couldn't be done due to space constraints. It would have created the need for four additional lines of text that would have pushed the entries beyond what the formating allows. The only possible way I could see to create any space would have been to remove other weapon options, like the fusion pistol, and I think it's more likely that more players have cosair "prince"/"baron" models with those weapons than with chainswords/aeldari blades/spar-glaives. I've been sticking as closely as possible to the official formating as a form of limiting things in line with the official factions' rules. Anything that changes the formating in such a way pushes the flexibility beyond what I think is acceptable. That's unfortunate because I think it's an option that the corsair commanders should have, but not if it gives the corsairs too much. This is a sacrifice that I think needs to be made (but I'll be sure to give these guys the options in the WH40K 8th edition rules I plan on developing ).

Something I noticed was that the Eldar Corsair Conversion Kit that used to be available from Forge World included a fusion pistol. Should that be added as an option for the corsair reaver felarch and voidstorm corsairs? Unlike the chainsword for the commanders, a fusion pistol can be added to the corsair reavers and voidstorm corsairs without any problems (from a formating standpoint). At least, I think that's a fusion pistol. For all I know, it might be a dissonance pistol. If it's not a fusion pistol, disregard (and let me know).

Good news on the template front: the creator of the Gunplay font has granted permission to use the font and included it in the file. So I'll be posting the template in the Downloads section soon.

[Brother Tyler]

Agreed, that looks like a fusion pistol (image link). If memory serves me correctly, a dissonance pistol is a scaled down version of vibro weaponry. That pistol doesn't look anything like this.

 

Looking at the first edition of Imperial Armour Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara (I'm not fortunate enough to own the second edition  ), the Felarch could take a fusion pistol, as could (1 in 3) Voidstorm Corsairs. I don't think that adding it will hurt.

 

How are the Ghostwalkers affected in terms of heavy and special weapons? If all you did was adjust the price of the models and the Aeldari long rifle, Ghostwalkers with heavy/special weapons end up being one point cheaper than before unless you increased the cost of those weapons (which then affects the Reaver Corsairs and Voidstorm Corsairs).

 

And now I'm wondering how anyone gets dissonance pistol bits. Are there any models that have these? Or will hobbyists have to convert their own? Neither of the pistol weapons on the old sprue look like vibro weapons/dissonance pistols (one is a shuriken pistol and the other is a laspistol). That sounds like a fun conversion challenge, I suppose.

[Ioldanach]

Version 5:
 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

Substantive Changes:

• Fusion pistol added for corsair reaver felarch and voidstorm corsairs.
• Returned shardcarbine to list (see below).
• Increased ghostwalker (gunner) cost by 1 (i.e., returned to original cost)(see below).
• Reduced cost of void dreamer by 5 points (see below).
• Added restriction that Warp Rift power can't target a model locked in hth.

And now I'm getting wishy-washy about the shardcarbine/splinter rifle. The shardcarbine replaced the splinter rifle in Imperial Armour: Index Xenos, though the splinter rifle was one of the options in the second of The Doom of Mymeara (the first version didn't include drukhari weapons/wargear). From the perspective of ship-to-ship fighting (in small confines) I can see why a carbine might be a better fit.

So I see three basic options:

• splinter rifle
• shardcarbine
• both

From a modeling perspective, I've seen a lot of eldar corsairs armies that include both. The splinter rifle appears when the player has used kabalites, while the shardcarbine appears when the player has used scourges (and some armies include both). The counter to this is that if only one is allowed, it's easy to just use "counts as" to have it count as the other.

From a lore perspective, I could see both being an option. The anhrathe are individualistic and don't fight as cohesive military units, but more as rabble (highly skilled and well-equipped rabble, but rabble nonetheless). I think that it would fit the anhrathe to have a wide variety of basic weapons to choose from. My chief concern, though, is that this would make the list even more flexible. It doesn't give power, so it's not unbalanced from that perspective. Other kill team factions tend to be more limited, though, so I'm worried that my bias for the anhrathe might be creeping in.
 

How are the Ghostwalkers affected in terms of heavy and special weapons? If all you did was adjust the price of the models and the Aeldari long rifle, Ghostwalkers with heavy/special weapons end up being one point cheaper than before unless you increased the cost of those weapons (which then affects the Reaver Corsairs and Voidstorm Corsairs).

I hadn't thought about that. [imagine me staring at the screen for a long time and thinking it through. I'm making faces.] Yeah, I guess I should probably undo that change. Though I could just increase the cost of the ghostwalker gunner by 1 point to balance things out... No, I've reverted the costs.
 

And now I'm wondering how anyone gets dissonance pistol bits. Are there any models that have these? Or will hobbyists have to convert their own? Neither of the pistol weapons on the old sprue look like vibro weapons/dissonance pistols (one is a shuriken pistol and the other is a laspistol). That sounds like a fun conversion challenge, I suppose.

That's a good question. The dissonance weapons were introduced in the second edition of The Doom of Mymeara. I don't think that GW/FW made bits for the dissonance pistol, though. The jetbike upgrade kit came with the dissonance cannons. I briefly considered dropping the dissonance pistols because of the lack of a bit, but they were in TDoM and FW kept them in the index (which is another reason I'm leaning towards putting the shardcarbine back into the list). After looking at the dissonance pistol some more, though, I increased the cost (for corsair reavers, ghostwalkers, and voidstorm corsairs) from 1 point to 2 points. It has good range and some potent effects. Since the fusion pistol costs 3 points, the dissonance pistol should be closer in cost.

I also reduced the cost of the void dreamer by 5 points (at each step). The void dreamer shares the same profile as the warlock, except that the void dreamer has a 4+ save and a 5+ invulnerable save while a warlock has a 6+ save and a 4+ invulnerable save. Those kind of balance out, but the warlock comes with a witchblade (better than a void blade), while the void dreamer comes with a spar-glaive (worse than a void blade). It's difficult to quantify the differences in the psyker powers - the warlock is much better at buffing his kill team whereas the void dreamer moves models around the battlefield. With this change, a void dreamer with a void blade is equal in cost to a warlock with a witchblade (and I think that the void dreamer is slightly inferior). True, the void dreamer can take a corsair jump pack, but he pays a high price for that wargear. I considered more weapon/wargear options (dissonance pistol and fusion pistol) since the void dreamer in TDoM has a lot of options, but I'm holding off on those for now. I think the focus of the void dreamer should be in the psyker powers, not in making a ranged/melee combatant.

I made some small decorative/format changes, none of which have any substantive effects. All they do is create a little space (and some of the images have been adjusted).

[Brother Tyler]

In the Ghostwalker entry, assuming the Shadow Walker rule is simply the Asuryani Ranger Cameleoline Cloak rule, you missed the word "this" before "model is obscured."

 

Out of curiosity, why did you give the Ghostwalker the option to take a chainsword or spar-glaive in place of the lasblaster/Aeldari long rifle? The unit appears to be a counterpart to the Asuryani Ranger, which is shooty in nature. Ghostwalkers aren't in the first version of Imperial Armour Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, so I don't have that frame of reference.

 

I personally don't have a problem with the amount of options available to the kill team, either in terms of the units/models or the weapons/wargear available to them. If you had to remove a commander option, I'd omit the Corsair Baron since he's just a downscaled version of the Corsair Prince. I think it's okay to keep him, though. As for the weapons, like you said, even though there's some variety, that variety doesn't really bring increased potency on the tabletop. The things that are good are the things that would stay regardless (e.g., the heavy/special weapons), so the variety is really just there to appease the hobbyists that already have Eldar Corsairs armies. Personally, I don't think it would be a problem to give the Void Dreamer some pistol options (assuming you can find the space). The thing I like about the Void Dreamer is that all of the psyker powers are interesting. You can take the more straightforward Webway Rift for "shootiness," or you can take Webway Breach or Warp Blink for a little bit of chaotic tactical maneuver fun. Overall, it looks like an interesting list to play, and theoryhammering doesn't reveal anything that looks overpowered on the tabletop. I'll have to give it a go on the table, though, to see how it stacks up - some Anhrathe vs. Asuryani and Anhrathe vs. Drukhari action to test balance.

[Ioldanach]

In the Ghostwalker entry, assuming the Shadow Walker rule is simply the Asuryani Ranger Cameleoline Cloak rule, you missed the word "this" before "model is obscured."

Thanks. I've fixed that. I also changed "Coterie" Tactics to "Anhrathe Tactics" on the "cards." I'd been looking only at the Asuryani section, which, for some reason that I can't figure out, uses "Craftworld Tactics" where every other faction uses the faction name. All I can think of is that it was a cut and paste omission.

 

Out of curiosity, why did you give the Ghostwalker the option to take a chainsword or spar-glaive in place of the lasblaster/Aeldari long rifle? The unit appears to be a counterpart to the Asuryani Ranger, which is shooty in nature. Ghostwalkers aren't in the first version of Imperial Armour Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, so I don't have that frame of reference.

To be honest, the ghostwalkers probably shouldn't have the chainsword/spar-glaive option. They don't have a close combat option in the second printing of The Doom of Mymeara. The only real reason I had included them was because I planned on using the old Eldar Rangers models, and one of those has a close combat weapon. That's not a good enough reason, so I'll remove those options from the ghostwalkers. This will make them definitively a shooty unit. Yes, they are counterparts to the Rangers, down to their rules (in TDoM).

 

Those changes aren't sufficient for a new version, though, so I'll hold off to see if there are any other changes.

 

I personally don't have a problem with the amount of options available to the kill team, either in terms of the units/models or the weapons/wargear available to them. If you had to remove a commander option, I'd omit the Corsair Baron since he's just a downscaled version of the Corsair Prince. I think it's okay to keep him, though. As for the weapons, like you said, even though there's some variety, that variety doesn't really bring increased potency on the tabletop. The things that are good are the things that would stay regardless (e.g., the heavy/special weapons), so the variety is really just there to appease the hobbyists that already have Eldar Corsairs armies. Personally, I don't think it would be a problem to give the Void Dreamer some pistol options (assuming you can find the space). The thing I like about the Void Dreamer is that all of the psyker powers are interesting. You can take the more straightforward Webway Rift for "shootiness," or you can take Webway Breach or Warp Blink for a little bit of chaotic tactical maneuver fun. Overall, it looks like an interesting list to play, and theoryhammering doesn't reveal anything that looks overpowered on the tabletop. I'll have to give it a go on the table, though, to see how it stacks up - some Anhrathe vs. Asuryani and Anhrathe vs. Drukhari action to test balance.

Hopefully I can keep the corsair baron in there. I agree that he's the "most" redundant, but there is a solid lore foundation, and it gives the Anhrathe player an appropriate middle option (rather than just a high end expensive option and a low end inexpensive option).

 

Yes, the void dreamer provides a lot of potential for fun hijinks on the tabletop - not Gorkamorka level chaos, but definitely some powers that can keep things interesting.

 

I'm on to the playtesting stage, too. I've already math-hammered a number of things (e.g., lasblaster vs. shuriken catapult vs. shardcarbine vs. splinter rifle) and am satisfied that those things look pretty balanced. The real tests are the Dancing on the Blade's Edge & Reckless Abandon vs. Battle Focus vs. Power from Pain. If Anhrathe are balanced against similar Asuryani and Drukhari lists, I'll be satisfied. That and I need to edit (i.e., de-plagiarize) the lore on page 1.

[Ioldanach]

Version 6:

 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

Substantive Changes:

• Corsair reaver and voidstorm corsair stock weapons - spar-glaive replaced lasblaster; overall flexibility in weapon/wargear combinations reduced
• Ghostwalkers lost option to take chainsword/spar-glaive (see post above)
• Typo in ghostwalkers entry fixed (see post above)

While preparing for playtesting, I realized that the anhrathe had far more flexibility in weapons/wargear than I any other faction, especially for the corsair reaver felarch and the voidstorm corsairs. I know that I discussed this previously, and much of the flexibility was conscious effort to replicate what the second edition of The Doom of Mymeara allowed; and that other factions are limited in large part based on what is available in terms of models and kits. However, it just didn't seem right having quite as much flexibility as the previous versions of these rules allowed. So I dialed things back a bit, starting with changing the base weapons to a brace of pistols, spar-glaive, and plasma grenades. Getting a basic shooting weapon, heavy weapon, or special weapon now requires losing both the brace of pistols and spar-glaive (applies to all corsair reavers and voidstorm corsairs). For the corsair reaver felarch and voidstorm corsairs, they can also exchange the brace of pistols for one of the better pistol weapons, and/or exchange the spar-glaive for a chainsword or void sabre (and any corsair non-commander model can exchange their spar-glaive for a chainsword). This reduced the options a bit, but still retains the most likely combinations that players will use (or already have collected).

 

Combinations that are no longer possible are the dual-sword (e.g., double chainsword, chainsword and void sabre, etc.) or the dual-pistol (e.g., brace of pistols and fusion pistol, fusion pistol and dissonance pistol). You're basically going to see corsair models equipped with some sort of:

• pistol and sword
• one bigger gun (rifle/carbine/blaster, heavy, or special)

The commanders weren't affected by this change (they were already limited in their exchanges).

 

I also edited the lore on the first page. Some of the bits remain as they were, though significant bits were rewritten. I did remove some portions that didn't seem necessary to Kill Team, which allowed me to change the picture. I chose a larger (taller) image that is closer in size to the images the other factions have. Also, the introduction piece (bold lore on the first page) was edited to be in line with what other factions have.

[Ioldanach]

TLDR: Should the ghostwalkers stay as they are (all shooty)? Or should they be adjusted, perhaps just a little, to allow a few other options based on the eldar ranger models? Or should they be removed entirely?

Please indulge the wall-o-text. I'm getting wishy-washy again and I want to describe the issues that are driving this indecisiveness.

The [Kill Team] rules [for the ghostwalkers] need to have a balance between the source rules and the models. A big problem is that there are no models that cover the rules accurately without conversion.

If kitted out with long rifles, the obvious model representation is the eldar rangers. The problem here is that those models don't have the back fittings that allow for the Corsair jet packs to be attached. If kitted out with anything other than long rifles, with or without Corsair jet packs, then the guardian defender models work fine. The Corsair jet packs don't really matter for these Kill Team rules (except for the commanders, who aren't an issue here). It would have been great if the eldar corsair conversion kit from FW had included a few long rifles, but they didn't, and that kit is no longer available from FW so it's probably moot.

Since the rules for the ghostwalkers favor them being ultra-shooty with the long rifles, I've been working under the assumption that the eldar ranger models would be used.

Hidden Content

I forgot about that guy with the shuriken pistol, and the current version of these rules doesn't allow for him to be used.

Personally, I'm using the old eldar scouts:

Hidden Content

The older range is a bit more problematic because three of the models have shuriken pistols, and one of those also has a sword of some type. I was just going to not use those models for my kill team. There was also one of these models that was holding a shuriken pistol in each hand, but I don't have a picture of that guy. If I remember correctly, he was the bare headed scout model (painted in the image above), but with a shuriken pistol in the right hand instead of the long rifle.

Another craftworld eldar model that might be used, of course, is Illic Nightspear:

Hidden Content

He's not really problematic - the long rifle is predominant and the sheathed weapons can just be ignored. They're a power sword and a shuriken pistol in the rules, but they're practically hidden. I figured they weren't important.

Then I saw the Aeldari model in the Blackstone Fortress game:

Hidden Content

Rules for the character, Amallyn Shadowguide, can be found here (on page 5). Brief summary, she's like a standard eldar ranger, but additionally has a power blade (like a power sword, but -2 W instead of -3, so it's like a knife) and a phase crystal (4+ invulnerable save and she can move across models and terrain as if they're not there). She also has the COMMANDER and AMALLYN SHADOWGUIDE keywords (only the first really matters, covered later).

So the quandry I'm in, driven by the models and the assumption that the eldar rangers will be used by most players to represent the ghostwalkers, is whether or not to adjust the ghostwalker wargear options just a little. I want to stay as close to the rules in TDoM as closely as possible, adjusting only as necessary for model representation.

So I see a few alternatives:

• Ignore the models with pistols and swords. The ghostwalkers aren't rangers so players don't need to use the eldar ranger models that don't match the rules for the ghostwalkers.
• Replace the corsair baron COMMANDER with a ghostwalker that is equipped with an Aeldari long rifle, shuriken pistol, and void sabre.
• Add a ghostwalker leader (felarch?) that can take a brace of pistols and/or a spar-glaive/void sabre in addition to the long rifle/lasblaster/shardcarbine/shuriken catapult/splinter rifle.
• Allow a limited number of models to take a brace of pistols; and a limited number of models to take a spar-glaive. These don't have to be the same models, allowing players to kit out their ghostwalker(s) based on the models available to them.

The first option is the easiest, but would deny players the option to use the really sexy eldar ranger models (Illic Nightspear and Amallyn Shadowguide). Also, those eldar ranger/scout models with pistols and swords wouldn't be usable. This preserves the rules from TDoM intact, however.

The second option is very interesting, but I'll admit that I haven't given it much thought. It would make an all-ghostwalker team possible (already possible, but I mean when commanders are used), which might make it worthwhile. If we went this way, I think that the end result would pretty much be Illic Nightspear translated into Kill Team, but with the eldar ranger serial numbers filed off and covered up with ghostwalker stuff (not sure what that means, but I'd want to make not-Illic Nightspear a bit darker).

The third option is also interesting. I think that my main problem with this is that the ghostwalkers don't have a character (squad leader) option in TDoM. I suppose the discriminator between this and the commander option is how powerful the character needs to be. If he (or she, for those that want to use the Amallyn Shadowguide model) is very powerful, at the special character level, then a commander might be appropriate. If he's just a ghostwalker with special weapons, perhaps the leader option is more appropriate.

The fourth option is the one I've developed the most (mental composition only, mind you). My thinking was that two ghostwalkers would be allowed to take a brace of pistols, and two models would be allowed to take spar-glaives. Under that, a ghostwalker model might take a brace of pistols, a spar-glaive, or both; as long as there are no more than two braces of pistols and two spar-glaives among all of the ghostwalkers in the kill team. It would look something like:

Two Ghostwalkers may take a brace of pistols.

Two Ghostwalkers may take a spar-glaive.

With the ghostwalkers' preference for stealth, I figure the chainsword is unnecessary. What this option doesn't do is allow for a nifty (power) sword (i.e., void sabre), so it's just a nod to the model. Both Illic Nightspear and Amallyn Shadowguid have power weapons, though, so it might not satisfy players with suitably painted models. Of course, an option for that might be to make it "...a spar-glaive or a void sabre."

A fifth option that I forgot to mention is to just remove the ghostwalkers entirely. This kill team has plenty of flexibility, and there are multiple heavy and special weapon options between the corsair reavers and the voidstorm corsairs. I had included the ghostwalkers as an emulation of the Asuryani rules (corsair reavers = guardians, voidstorm corsairs = dire avengers (sort of), ghostwalkers = rangers). The Drukhari rules, meanwhile, have only two model options - kabalites and wyches; and the Harlequins have only one model option. So the Anhrathe don't necessarily need to have three model options.

Thoughts?

[Brother Tyler]

There are some bold options there. I think two questions that must be asked are:

• Are the Ghostwalkers integral to the theme of the Eldar Corsairs?
• Were the Ghostwalkers a popular choice in Eldar Corsairs armies?

I only have the first printing of Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, and the Ghostwalkers weren't in that army list, so I can't really speak to them from personal experience.

 

If the Ghostwalkers were both integral to the Eldar Corsairs theme and a popular choice in Eldar Corsairs armies, then I think it would be safe to retain them in the Kill Team list. In that case, I would simply add a "leader" model that can take a brace of pistols and/or a sword.

 

If the Ghostwalkers weren't integral and/or weren't popular, I think it would be safe to drop them from the list.

[Ioldanach]

Those are some charged questions. I needed some time to think before responding.

(click on the image for a larger version)

The note beneath the figure at the far left is:

ELDAR CREWMAN - WEARING STANDARD PRESSURE SUIT. CREW WEAR COATS LIKE SCOUTS OFF-SHIP. NOTE 'SPINE' DECORATION ON HOLSTER.

(aplogies for the capslock, but the note is in all caps)

Whether or not that concept art and the note apply to the Eldar Corsairs is unknown to me. My understanding of this concept art is that it pre-dated the craftworlds as we know them (introduced in late 1st edition), but that it was created subsequent to the original art and minis that were featured in the 1st edition of the game. At that time, though the craftworlds existed, the eldar were pirates and mercenaries. Since the wearing of coats was confined to the eldar scouts (now eldar rangers) when the craftworlds were created, that concept was either dropped or was confined to the pirates, who remained in 2nd edition, became the Dark Eldar in 3rd edition, but saw a parellel continued existence in the corsairs that were redone in the FFG RPGs and finally brought back to full life in the WH40K game with The Doom of Mymeara. The only craftworld models (other than rangers) that wear the long coats now are the autarchs, with the psykers wearing robes. I think that the artwork in the FFG RPG books also showed corsairs wearing coats.

When The Doom of Mymeara was published, the visual aesthetic of the eldar corsairs became redefined (to me) by the helmets and the Corsair jet packs, both of which were a throwback to 1st edition artwork. I'm not sure if the art for the game from Sabretooth pre-dated TDoM, but that may have been an influence. The long coats, of course, were nowhere to be seen. All of the artwork and the conversion kits focused on the sleek aesthetic of the guardians (sometimes the kabalites) with the corsair helmets and jet packs. Many corsair prince conversions have coats, often due to the fact that autarch models are used as the basis of the conversion. Aside from rangers as ghostwalkers, though, coats are usually nowhere else to be seen in an eldar corsairs army.

I think that the lack of a long rifle bit for converting ghostwalkers inevitably leads to the eldar rangers models being used for representing ghostwalkers on the tabletop. In a way, that makes a lot of sense because the rangers, too, are outcasts and it seems only likely that rangers will sometimes work with the eldar corsairs. Personally, I would simply have made them rangers, but I suppose it would then have been difficult/impossible to allow them to take the other weapons or jet packs. The fact that the ghostwalkers can also use other more typical corsair weapons, and that they can be equipped with jet packs, means that they can also be represented as more typical corsairs (differentiating them from other corsair models then becomes a modeling/painting issue).

I don't recall a lot of eldar corsairs armies using ghostwalkers. The focus was usually on lots of Corsair jet packs and the vehicles. None of those really matter in Kill Team.

Ultimately, though, I would say that the ghostwalkers are not a key aspect of the eldar corsair "theme" in terms of army composition and appearance.

If the ghostwalkers are dropped (still not decided, but leaning that way), the eldar corsairs sort of shift to more of a cross between the Drukhari and Asuryani lists. There's also a bit more balance in that the corsairs are more limited in terms of heavy and special weapons.

[Brother Tyler]

I just spent way too much time watching YouTube videos to see how many Eldar Corsairs armies included Ghostwalkers. Only one of the five or so that I saw included them. As you said, most players focus on the Corsair Reavers with their Corsair jet packs and the vehicles/bikes. That's not conclusive, evidence, of course, but it's definitely an indicator. I'll go through Eldar Corsairs army lists here; I don't recall many since Eldar Corsairs weren't allowed here prior to 8th edition, and they got nerfed hard in the transition to 8th edition. At this point, I think that most players are using a lot of counts as to represent their Eldar Corsairs (Swooping Hawks, Scourges, Kabalites, and Guardians being the main choices).

[Ioldanach]

Version 7:

 

File has been revised. See this post for current version.

 

Substantive Changes:

• Ghostwalkers were removed
• Costs of (non-commander) models reduced by 1, most (non-commander) weapons increased by 1
• Diresword added as corsair prince option
• Cost of shadowfield increased by 5

Minor Changes:

• Removed John Blanche images, replaced with image of Apologist's eldar prince
• Corsair fleet schemes removed

I found only one eldar corsairs army on YouTube videos that featured ghostwalkers (in two battle reports). That army used the eldar ranger models - ghostwalkers with long rifles and without corsair jet packs. I also found one online review promoting the use of ghostwalkers, and though that review was fairly positive about the ghostwalkers, it advocated using them without the long rifles. Ultimately, I figured that the ghostwalkers weren't an essential element of the theme or combat effectiveness.

 

As a result of removing the ghostwalkers, I was able to adjust the cost of the models (see previous post above where I discussed this issue). The optional ranged weapons saw a corresponding increase in cost, so the end result is that an eldar corsair model costs the same as a comparably equipped asuryani/drukhari model.

 

After conducting more research, I found an article about using eldar in the Inquisitor game. One of the elements of that article was that a corsair prince could take a diresword. Looking at the second edition of The Doom of Mymeara, the void sabre functions much like a diresword. Since the void sabre has been turned into a power sword, I've re-introduced the diresword solely for the corsair prince (i.e., the corsair baron and void dreamer don't have access to this weapon).

 

Something that has bugged me for a while is the cost of the shadowfield. It's a pretty potent piece of gear, giving a 2+ invulnerable save (right up until it fails the first time). Watching YouTube batreps convinced me that I needed to increase the cost.

 

Removing the ghostwalkers also allowed me to condense the file a bit, removing the pictures of the corsair fleet schemes and the flavor text box talking about their appearance. I plan on writing an Index Xenos style article on the eldar corsairs to fill the void. That will be separate from this project, but will be useful across Warhammer 40,000 (I'll be developing an eldar corsairs army list/mini-codex for that game) and Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team (these rules). I don't see a need to develop rules for using them in the Horus Heresy since TDoM does that already (especially those of us fortunate enough to have the second edition).

 

I also removed the artwork from John Blanche. As big a fan as I am of Blanchitsu and those particular pieces of art, I'm not sure that GW would approve. I've replaced that artwork with an image of Apologist's stunning eldar prince conversion. This complements the adjustment to the text box immediately below that image, which now includes using Age of Sigmar aelves bits in conversions. Apologist's model does that, and I've seen many eldar corsairs conversions on the internet that have followed that practice.

 

It's down to 9 pages now.

[Brother Tyler]

I think that the adjustments to cost should be safe. It really boils down to the potency of the brace of pistols compared to the shuriken pistol and the splinter pistol, and the area where the brace of pistols comes up short is in its range (8") compared to the others (both 12"). The only cost change that really needs to be playtested is the shadowfield - a 2+ invulnerable save is pretty good. Looking at the first edition of Imperial Armour Volume Eleven: The Doom of Mymeara, the difference in cost between a forceshield and shadowfield is 15 points. I'm not sure exactly how the math converts that into Kill Team costs, especially when the forceshield is a basic item for the Corsair Prince (i.e., it costs 0 points).

 

My only real concern at this point is that the two unit choices are remarkably similar. The Voidstorm Corsairs are basically Felarchs. Are there any other suitable units in the WH40K Eldar Corsairs army list? I see the Blade Sworn Retinue, but that looks a lot like the Voidstorm Corsairs, minus the heavy/special weapons. Non-Corsairs (Harlequins, Craftworld Outcasts, and Kabalites) should probably be left out. Wasps and Jetbikes should also be left out. Are there any new units in the second edition that work?

 

I like the image changes, and I'm looking forward to the Index Xenos article. The conversion is pretty sweet - is that a Dark Elves head? It certainly encapsulates the "haughty" feel of the Corsair Princes.

[Ioldanach]

Yes, that head is from the Black Ark Fleetmaster.

 

The second edition of TDoM has the following additional unit types (aside from corsair reavers and voidstorm corsairs):

• Ghostwalkers - stealthy and can take long rifles
• Cloud dancers - jetbikers
• Malevolents - like voidstorm corsairs, but melee-oriented, comparable to the Death Company
• Balestrike squad - similar to corsair reavers, but specialize in heavy weapons

I'll skip the ghostwalkers. Bikes are out, ruling out the cloud dancers. That leaves the malevolents and balestrike squad.

 

I don't recall seeing a lot of malevolents in the YouTube batreps and online reports. I don't see them as essential to the theme of the corsairs. In fact, they appear to be a unit that wouldn't be trusted with special missions of the type that Kill Team represents. They look more like a unit that would be unleashed only when needed, and other eldar corsairs would give them a wide berth. These corsairs might be their own type of kill team, exclusive of other units (like if the Adeptus Astartes ever saw a pure Death Company kill team).

 

The balestrike squad is another matter entirely. The area that stands against them is the number of special weapons that they can take, which is probably too many for Kill Team. They are able to take heavier armor, though, in the form of heavy mesh armor and void hardened armor. The voidstorm corsairs, too, can take heavier armor in the form of voidplate harnesses, which I've omitted. I think it would be possible to incorporate the concept of the balestrike squad without having too many heavy weapons (every member of a balestrike squad can take a heavy weapon, probably too many for Kill Team). It would simply be a matter of allowing any model to take a heavier armor option. On the table, though, that won't do much. The difference in cost between a corsair reaver and a voidstorm corsair is one point, with the voidstorm corsair having an additional Attack (2 vice 1) and an improved save (4+ vice 5+). So the only practical benefit of the corsair reavers being able to take improved armor would be in the heavy/special weapons (otherwise, you might as well just take a voidstorm corsair instead of a corsair reaver with improved armor). From a tabletop perspective, the differentiating between normal mesh armor and heavy mesh armor becomes an issue (solved by using certain aspect warriors, or perhaps kabalites, to represent heavy mesh armor - alternately, using older eldar models to represent different types of armor).

 

The only further way I can see to include the balestrike squad concept is to increase the number of heavy weapons gunners for the corsair reavers (but not the voidstorm corsairs, and not the special weapons) from one to two. This would further set the corsairs apart from the Asuryani and Drukhari - the Asuryani are limited to one heavy weapon (platform) and two special weapons, and the Drukhari and limited to one of each. As it stands right now, the Anhrathe can take two of each, so they're already different.

 

Balestrike squads were in YouTube video batreps, though, as jet pack infantry with heavy weapons are pretty good (the corsairs' implementation of what we see with the dark reapers in WH40K Asuryani armies).

 

So two potential changes to give more differentiation (and I'm not sure that either is necessary):

• option for heavy mesh armor for corsair reavers - 1 pt, 4+ save
• option for up to three corsair reaver gunners (vice two), with up to two being able to take heavy weapons

I guess a third option that might be considered is for the voidstorm corsairs to be able to take their heavier armor option, which would increase their Save to 3+ (like the corsair prince and corsair baron).

 

Unless anyone thinks that the ghostwalkers need to be returned, or the malevolents need to be added instead of the (concept of the) balestrike squad...