Armies on Parade: Eldar for Astronomi-con Winnipeg 2011

I had my camera out for Astro, so I decided to take some pics of my current Eldar Swordwind tournament force.

Here is the entire force on its display/movement tray:



The two HQs below are converted from, respectively, a Banshee Exarch and a Warlock. They are removable from their display bases for gaming. Yes, I actually bought an entire box of Khorne Berzerkers just to use as victims and battlefield detritus.



Below are two squads of Dire Avengers and their skimmer APCs. The yellow-helmeted Dire Avengers were painted by Conscript KevinH several years ago. They ride in the oldest of my Wave Serpents - note the diamonds painted on the hull instead of triangles. Kevin and I painstakingly cut out diamond shaped airbrush masks from tape. I later found a triangle-hole-punch, using Post-It Notes for the masks (so as to not lift paint).

All my Wave Serpent tanks are Forgeworld resin conversion kits. I like their look better than the current plastic models. The turrets are magnetized to easily swap for other weapon options. The models use magnets for mounting to their flying bases. I still have 3 unbuilt FW Wave Serpents in my stack of unbuilt kits.



Below are a third Dire Avengers squad, and the Fire Dragons. For the Dires, a third scoring unit instead of my usual two gives a few more options for objective-based scenarios.

The big Dragon squad is a "fire and forget" weapon that I try and hold onto for as long as possible - once they dismount and blow up something they're pretty much toast.



Deep striking Warp Spiders are fun to play. Conscript BrianH painted them for me for my birthday one year. The unit won "Best Sci-fi Unit" for him at GenCon awhile ago. They are the best painted Spiders I have ever seen.



Vyper squadron. Converted from two-seater jet bikes into a single-seater and two unmanned drones. Great for harassment and blocking enemy movement.



Lastly, a Night Spinner artillery tank. Armed with huge versions of the Warp Spiders' mono-filament web weaponry, the model causes more annoyance than actual damage - good for channeling and interfering with enemy movement.



Psychic power tokens - WFB models used to mark units with Fortune (re-roll saves) or Doom (re-roll wounds). I envision Eldar powers as based on their Spirit Stones and the essences that lie within.



Objective markers - various models that an Eldar force might think worth fighting over. The Sister of Battle is from the Dark Eldar model of Asdrubael Vect's barge.



Including other painted models such an an aircraft and a super-heavy tank, I can probably field 4,000 points of Eldar for an Apocalypse game.

The actual list I used for Astro is as follows:

Asurmen's Academy: The Return of Ancient Days

HQ:
Ciara Lorcáin - Farseer (Doom; Fortune; Runes of Warding)

Saoirse Riagáin - Autarch (Banshee Mask; Fusion Gun; Power Weapon)

TROOPS:
Blood Redeemers - 5 Dire Avengers
Peacemaker – Wave Serpent (Spirit Stones; TL Scatter Lasers)

Companions - 5 Dire Avengers
Fencing Master – Wave Serpent (Spirit Stones; TL Scatter Lasers)

Old Guard - 5 Dire Avengers
Ancient Whispers - Wave Serpent (Spirit Stones; TL Scatter Lasers)

ELITES:
Fate's Tears - 8 Fire Dragons
The Kid – Wave Serpent (Spirit Stones; Shuriken Cannon; TL Scatter Lasers)

FAST ATTACK:
Breaking Waves - Vyper Squadron of 3 Vypers (each w/ Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon)

Dream Weavers - 4 Warp Spiders
Soul Hunter – Exarch (Death Spinner x2; Powerblades)

HEAVY SUPPORT:
War Prayer - Night Spinner

Total Roster Cost: 1498 points

Very fast list, with lots of Strength 6 firepower and resilience through hiding behind tank armour. ( Oh noes! Strength 6 spam! Skimmer spam!)

The list was designed for the upcoming Las Vegas GT. However, I pressed it into service for Astronomi-con Winnipeg 2011. As it turned out, even with sold-out attendance I was the only Eldar player at the tournament. Perhaps this is due to the relative age of the Eldar codex and all the shiny new toys available now, like the recent Grey Knights release.

Batreps to follow.

Cheers!