As i am the only harlequin player, apparently, on the project forums so i'm reposting my current project from those boards here for some critique and imput from the harlequin community. So in advance, thank you for any comments, imput, and criticism. This is a remodeling of a posh version i did months back.
Abrégé De Harlequin
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As a note, this is an analysis and commentary on the Harlequin army list as
written by Gav Thorpe, and provided on the Games Workshop website.
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The Harlequin army is by far the most versatile, compromising, and intimately lethal army in the game of Warhammer 40k. It’s troupes and characters are able to specialize themselves to take out any opponent in the 40k universe, be it Imperial Guardsmen, terminators, land raiders, greater daemons, khorne berserkers, or even hoards of tergiments. The basic profile, abilities, and options allowed to the harlequins make them one of the most deadly forces out there, but with this they are also one of the most fragile. Fluff wise the harlequins are some of the most elite eldar in existence. They have a higher mission than defense of the craftworld. They exist to protect the black library and to stop the forces of chaos from engulfing and destroying the universe itself. They are performers, as well as protectors. They do not wear armour. Because of this they are physically vulnerable but in the universe they are very few in number. They travel in bands which are never more than a hundred, and usually are very few; enough to perform the Birth of the Great Enemy, and other important ritual performances. Because of all of this their armies are made up of very few, but very elite eldar soldiers. They only attack and risk themselves when it is of the utmost importance.
The harlequins are a wonderful army to play, very well backed with fluff, highly elite, highly important, and as with all these above qualities they are similar to craftworld Eldar in that they are not necessarily for the beginner. They require strategy and skill to get them to your opponent alive to do their work. Experience, and understanding of both ones own army, and ones enemy are necessary, as well as the ability to change strategies as you face new opponents to make up for the lack of resilience (and somewhat lack of mobility) found in the Harlequin army.
Where this army lacks numbers in the different kinds of units you may choose it makes up for it in the ways you may equip, and use it. In an army complicated in this way, improvisation in a nearly innovative way is at times necessary during battle to win by an acceptable margin. (To some degree I have always played to the style with the Eldar to preserve as many lives as possible, especially with harlequins, to save their soul from the bowels of Slaneesh. The words of Fred Franks apply here well in my opinion, in that it is not just enough to merely win, you must crush your opponent and take as many of your men home alive.) To be able to fully harness the above abilities the harlequin commander must be able to do 3 things. These are the following:
Mobility:Harlequins, while given the Deathjester so it may take out enemy armour platforms and tanks from range whilst on the move, is almost exclusively a close combat army, though it is, without doubt in my mind, the strongest close combat army in the game. Even the Deathjester excels at close combat. But the key to even wounding the enemy without being taken out at range is to get your forces into intimate contact as soon as possible. If you can get one squad in 3 within 6-12” of the enemy, unless it is close combat, or vehicle intensive itself in makeup, victory is generally decided, depending on game length and objective. Transportation is key, whether advancing with a troupe with a Shadowseer while taking out enemy armour and other long range threats with bright lances, or by using Venoms, it is still one of the most important facets of harlequin tactics. If you do not get the enemy, you will not defeat him.
Many armies such as Tyranids and Orks are based off of close combat and must meet you as well, and from this you act accordingly: find the best spot to be met by/meet your enemy and get there first. Learn how to advance on your opponent through cover. Learn when to wait for them to come to do. Learn to sit and do nothing at all. I once played a 3-way carnage game against a chaos and imperial army. I kept my army sequestered in a large set of ruins in my deployment zone until the third turn. On the first and second turn my opponents attacked and weakened each other, and advanced on the objective. I only lost 2 troupe members to fire up to this point. I then, on the third turn, moved, used fleet of food, charged an opponent and then consolidated onto the objective. This is mobility.
Preservation of forces:Harlequin armies are made with painfully few numbers, and as far as harlequin lore is concerned traveling bands and troupes are usually less than a hundred strong. A thousand point army is going to typically be 20-25 models, depending on if you take your 0-1’s. Because of this, force preservation is inherently entwined with success. This ties in heavily with the aspect of mobility; once your force is among the enemy, casualties will be at a minimum, but you must get them there first. If you master mobility, preservation of force is not far behind. Harlequins are highly resilient to almost all forms of attack. Between the utility of a Shadowseer causing long range weaponry to have a low effect, and huge advantage harlequins have in close combat, the harlequins have an incredible defense, it is nearly impossible to kill them outright if the harlequin player is experienced and careful. The second part of preservation of force, lies within the next facet:
Attaining maximum combat potential:The harlequin troupe, as I have mentioned before, is probably the most versatile unit in the game. Space marines are considered good for any job, but in reality the standard tactical squad is not the best at anything in particular, they just have a higher ability to survive large amounts of punishment. The standard harlequin troupe, however, can be immediately deadly to any specific opponent the moment of the charge. But you, as the commander and creator of the army list must understand what weapons and gear to use against what kinds of enemies, why, and which are the most important given points restrictions. The difference in effect from a power weapon to a harlequins kiss changes the main purpose of the unit entirely. Having a good all purpose troupe is easily possible, but much their strength, in my opinion, lies in being equipped with a particular type of enemy in mind (that being a T3SV5+, or T4SV2+, a daemon, tanks, etc.). Harlequins are given some of the best and most effective weapons in the game, but they must be used correctly to take advantage of the edge they hold over all other armies in the game. To find what is theoretically best is not hard, given the information following this introduction, but experience is also irreplaceably important.
With what I have said so far you may think; “but what if I am going to a tournament or do not know my opponent? How am I supposed to plan for a specific enemy?” As craftworld Eldar have units such as the howling banshees for attacking MEQ units, scorpions for hoard/infantry+ vehicles, and other specific units, you can make a troupe for a specific purpose. As an example you have one troupe with power weapons, fusion pistols, and haywire grenades. You have done this as an anti-MEQ equivalent of the Striking Scorpion. You now have a unit that has a specific best role on the battle field; it can take down MEQ units and vehicles, which one being the primary use depends on your style and what you face. Another example is a solitaire with a neuro-disruptor, harlequins kiss, and hallucinogen grenades. This is now a prime unit for hunting down monsterous creatures in your opponents tyranid army, and taking down hoards as he does. Again the primary role is up to you. Here are a few more examples, with a bit more detail. After going over the rest of the post, the utility of their choices becomes more apparent.
Anti-Tank Troupe:159-Harlequin Troupe (6 members) 6x Haywire Grenades, 2x Fusion Pistols, 2x Power Weapon
The weapons taken can be either a power weapon or a harlequins’ kiss depending on what opponent you are facing, while the haywire grenades and fusion pistols are standard anti-armour choices. These upgrades are good to keep on one squad if expecting some armour, or on multiple squads if the army you are facing is armour heavy. Also a good idea to work in conjunction with fusion gun venoms, and bright lance toting deathjesters.
Anti-Hoard Troupe:303-Harlequin Troupe (10 members) 2x Harlequins Kiss, Troupe Leader; Powerblades,
Neuro-disruptor, tanglefoot grenades, hallucinogen grenades.
A large squad able to cause enough wounds to either break the opposing mob, or at least reduce the risk of taking many return casualties. Close Combat weapons fit for best dealing with hoard opponents (T3-4 sv. 5-6+), and a neuro-disruptor for firing on new squads before moving onto them, especially after sweeping advances. Grenades equipped for increasing the chances of a small to moderate sized squad breaking, and for holding them in place for a definite sweeping advance.
Monstrous Creature Hunter (hoard):166-Solitaire, Powerblades, Harlequins Kiss, Neuro-Disruptor, Tanglefoot Grenades, Hallucinogen Grenades, Domino Field.
The solitaire has enough attacks to bypass the multiple wounds held by a monstrous creature, and with the harlequins kiss he can ignore his opponents’ higher toughness. Because the solitaire will be working alone the Domino Field is taken, especially if bad luck occurs and he is stuck in CC with the monstrous creature or is attacked by other units. Neuro-disruptor is taken for firing on squads as he heads to his next victim, and is given a few utility grenades for assisting other troupes when all the monstrous creatures, at least in his area, are dead. This role can also be filled by a Shadowseer, or Great Harlequin on a jetbike, which makes it easier to go from one monstrous creature to another.
Specialization and equipment:Now let us look at what equipment will be the best tool to use for your specific goals.
Close Combat Weapons:The harlequins’ basic profile and abilities allow them to excel in close combat, and with special weapons such as the Harlequins Kiss, or a power weapon, they can truly control the assault phase. Because of their affinity with close combat, and the low cost of upgrades, close combat weapon choices should always be taken for troupe members and IC’s (other than the deathjester who already has powerblades).
Harlequins Kiss: An excellent standard choice available to troupe members, and characters. This is best used against hoard armies, daemons, monstrous creatures, and other tough opponents such as plague marines and ogryns. Given the harlequin (and general eldar) strength of 3, the Harlequins Kiss is a boon to close combat performance against tougher opponents.
Power Weapon: Standard choice against MEQ opponents. It is available to troupe members, where it should be always taken, as said above, troupe leaders, and IC’s. For IC’s I suggest going for Powerblades, as explained above…and bellow.
Riverblades: A power weapon with a 16.5% chance per attack to kill a unit with multiple wounds straight out. It is more expensive than a normal power weapon, and has only limited opportunities for use. I would not suggest this piece of equipment as against monstrous creatures where you would want to be using this, as the harlequins kiss makes a better match for dealing with their extraordinary toughness.
Powerblades: Highly useful piece of equipment. In most cases this affords even more damage to light infantry targets than a Harlequins Kiss because it gives an extra attack AND is still a power weapon. It does not couple with the HK, or Riverblades for multiple special effects, but it still affords a higher killing power than any other available option, and it is more or less the most affective combo against anything you face. Terminators, or marines; power weapon. Light infantry or large amounts of weak troops, high number of attacks, the same applying to tough multi-wound targets. The only case where another weapon would be prudent is daemons, or invulnerable save monsters where an HK would be very useful.
Pistols and Small Arms:Because of their vulnerability harlequins tend to get into close combat as quick as possible where they excel and minimize time within line of site (LoS) to their opponents. Because of this most troupes are going to be using fleet of foot (FoF) in the instances that they are close enough to fire. There are some uses for pistols however which are highly useful, and important, especially as they are available to normal troupe members. Fusion pistols are an important piece of an anti-armour troupe. Neuro-disruptors, though not available to normal troupe members, are highly efficient against a multitude of opponents, ranging from massed hoards to heavy infantry and vehicles. These are specialized weapons and should be used for specific tasks. Pistols are an inexpensive option for troupe members but will typically go unused unless you have a goal in mind from the start.
Fusion Pistols: As mentioned above these are highly potent anti-tank weapons, which in the hands of harlequin troupe members, leaders, and characters alike are capable of taking down vehicles before haywires are able to be used. These pistols are a cheap option available to troupe members, and in conjunction with haywire grenades can make up for a lower number of DeathJesters, or allow the DeathJesters to focus on heavier vehicles while the troupes take care of lighter threats. It is not suggested to take fusion pistols in any capacity except for attacking vehicles. Plasma pistols are a much cheaper alternative for other uses.
Plasma Pistols: These are pretty cheap and powerful all purpose weapons. As mentioned above most harlequins will not get a chance to shoot because they are using FoF, though these are still a cheap troupe bought option. Anything you use them for, however, is typically done better in close combat, so I do not suggest taking plasma pistols.
Neuro-Disruptor: This is a very powerful weapon. Against highly packed hoard armies with low leadership it is often worth holding back on FoF to use this weapon, though it is best used when you have already assaulted one squad and are amongst the enemy, so do not need FoF to get to your opponent any longer.
Because it ignores all but invulnerable saves this is also affective against heavy infantry such as space marines or even terminators. I once combined three neuro-disruptors at once (a very hard task) on a 6-man terminator squad and destroyed the lot of them before they had a chance to cause any casualties. This just illuistrates the potential of the neuro-disruptor, it is in no way the normal results. Imagine an advertisement for a diet program. “Results may vary.” When you are given time to shoot before assaulting (such as after you are amongst the enemy, especially against hoard/IG opponents), or have a specific plan for it, it may be devastating, but remember it costs nearly as much as a troupe member.
Bio-Explosive Ammo: Possible cheap alternative to neuro-disrupter or plasma pistol, but only a few points are saved and it is inferior to plasma pistol for killing resilient units, and inferior to the neuro-disrupter for taking out the same, or for weaker/massed units. The same problem of having time to shoot is still present, and you will have spent points on it. If you need a second weapon for a character to get their second attack it is a cheap method, but otherwise this upgrade is Not suggested.
