Well well, good to see this project has got off the ground. Not been around in some time now but kinda hoped the old forums would eventually resurface! I'd been reading
this thread but didn't want to sully an interesting debate on historical naval vessels with some Dark Eldar ship suggestions I have saved from the old SG forums. So I'll put them here instead.
I didn't write these, someone else on the forums did but I never noted the author, so apologies if it was you, lurker, say so and put me out of my misery! One of our group plays DE but I'd been modelling these ships for fun. Sadly, due to an imminent house move anything GW related is packed away in an univiting cardboard box awaiting some clumsy oaf (probably me!) to drop them down two flights of stairs by mistake so I can't show you any of the ideas I'd been throwing together. I might have put them on the old forums but hey, now I can't find them photos. Hoho.
So here we are, one grand cruiser and one light cruiser, along with a bit fluff that someone else wrote:
Dark Eldar Enslaver Class Grand Cruiser……………..250 points + weapons
Type/Hits: Cruiser/8
Speed: 35cm
Turns: 90°
Shields: Shadowfield
Armour: 5+
Turrets: 0
Armament: Range/Speed|Firepower/Strength|Fire Arc
Prow Batteries: 45cm|6|F/L
Prow Batteries: 45cm|6|F/R
Enslaver Class Cruisers may have Mimic Engines for + 40 points
In addition, choose one of the following: (you MUST choose one)
Prow Shadow Lances(+30 points) 45cm|2|F
Prow Batteries(+40 points) 45cm|6|F
In addition, choose one of the following: (you MUST choose one)
Keel Torpedoes(+30 points) 30cm|6|Front
Keel Launch Bay(+60 points) Fighters: 30cm|Bombers: 20cm|Boats: 30cm|4
Impaler Assault Module(+10 points)
Attack Craft: 30cm per turn Special
You may include one Enslaver Class Cruiser for every two Torture Class Cruisers in your fleet. If you have one, the Archon leading your fleet must be assigned to it.
An Enslaver Class Cruiser lead by an Archon can carry Incubi guards for +20 points; this gives to the ship a +1 bonus on the dice for their boarding actions. Note that will give them a final bonus of +2 on the first turn and nothing on the others. Hit and Run attacks done by the ships don't change.The Dark Eldar are a plague to most of the inhabited worlds because of their bloody raids and their unquenchable thirst for slaves. For that purpose, their fleets are fast and use hit and run tactics, which make them very difficult to catch. Since their ships are very different from each other, it is hard to say if one of them is another type or just the same class with a personal touch from its captain. However, recent reports show a new Dark Eldar ship, the Enslaver Class Cruiser.
Those were spotted in major fleets only, and it seems that they are main flagships. Not really bigger in size, their firepower is far greater than the regular Torture Class Cruiser. Furthermore, it appears that their resilience makes them difficult to cripple them, and it often carries the bloodier and most fearsome Dark Eldar warriors into battle. Fortunately, they are very rare and it seems that only the most powerful pirate bands can allow themselves to have just one of them.
Dark Eldar Agony Class Light Cruiser……………..130 points + weapons
Type/Hits: Cruiser/4
Speed: 40cm
Turns: 90°
Shields: Shadowfield
Armour: 5+
Turrets: 0
Armament: Range/Speed|Firepower/Strength|Fire Arc
Prow Batteries: 30cm|6|F
Agony Class Light Cruisers may have Mimic Engines for + 40 points
In addition, choose one of the following: (you MUST choose one)
Prow Phantom Lance(+10 points) 30cm|1|F
Prow Torpedo Tubes (+20 points) 30cm|4|F
Impaler Assault Module (+10 points) Attack Craft 30cm per turn|1|F
You can take one Dark Eldar Agony Class Light Cruiser for each two Corsair class escorts you have in your fleet.Like all others Dark Eldar ships, the Agony Class Light Cruiser doesn't have a typical appearance or armament. It was often mistaken in the past for others Eldar light cruisers, bigger escorts or even small regular cruisers! Fast and murderous, these ships are often seen as the first wave of their pirate fleets with corsair class escorts, allowing time for bigger vessels to place themselves in the right spot to open fire or drop waves of bombers and assault vessels.
Basically, I think the rules were written to tie in with the Armada fleet list and the very nature of the way that was built up would/could allow lots of the light cruisers but you'd need a much bigger non-raidery fleet in order to include the grand cruiser. Which I would hope would make it pleasingly rare. Not too sure about the fiddly nature of the prow batteries on the GC either but thats the very nature of discussing it.
