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Offline Rasmus

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Harlequins in RT
« on: June 17, 2009, 05:31:39 AM »
These are not the good old days. These are the bad old days....


So what were they like?
I get this a bit; “what were the Harlequins like back in RT?” So I thought in an effort to shed some light on this and show how the game has actually progressed since then, I would do a rough draft of how things have changed since then.
Now, a LOT has changed, including the way you build armies, so in order to make this a bit more understandable, I will forge it into the format of 5th ed. Otherwise this would be a mess.

This is a simple “translation” of the Harlequin List from the Warhammer 40k Compendium (red book). It does not include the Mimes, even though their statlines are given in the article, no armylist entry was made for them at this point.
It does also not include the Benathai and the Wraithlord/Spiritwalker/Dreadnought, which turned up in CJ later on.

I have neglected to put out pointcosts, because they do not track anymore. I mean, 6 Harlequins were 250 poinsts without upgrades, a single deathjester 135 points at minimum, and so on. So I won't try. I will just do the two HQs and the Troupe, but trust me, the rest is just as horrible.

Ah yes, these things were fast. In 5th ed they would move normally, then D6” extra, then run AND shoot, and then assault. That fast.

Here we go

HQ

1 High Avatar
Type   WS   BS   S   T   W   I   A   Ld
Minor   6   6   4   4   2   8   2   9
Major   7   7   4   4   3   9   3   10

Rictusmask (opponents have to roll LD to charge, or when they are charged. If they fail when charging, they stop, if they fail while being charged, they only hit on 6s), Holo-suit (-1 to be hit, -1 to spottingdistance, unless opponent passes Ld-check harlequins gain Preferred enemy for that turn), Shuriken pistol, close combat weapon

3 Psi-powers, level 1 (see below)

Options:
Either add Force weapon and Conversion field (4+ invulnerable save and anyone hitting him in assault gets -1 to WS until end of next turn) for X points

OR

Roll 1-2 times for Close combat weapon, 0-1 for basic weapon, 0-1 Heavy weapon, 0-2 Grenades, 0-4 bionics and/or 0-4 times for armor (each roll costs X points)

Substitute shuriken pistol for Harlequin's kiss (which was really really nasty back then) for X points
D6 roll for Jokaero Digital weapons for X points
Become psi-level 2, with 3 level 2 powers for X points
Add D6 level 1 psi-powers for X points


0-1 High Warlock
Type   WS   BS   S   T   W   I   A   Ld
High Warlock   7   7   4   4   3   9   3   10

Holo-suit, shiuriken pistol, Mini-greande launchers (works as photon, plasma, hallucinogen, krak and melta grenades, up to D6” away)

Level 3 Psi, 3 powers per level

Options:
Conversion-field, Powerfist for X points

OR

Roll 1-2 times for Close combat weapon, 0-1 for basic weapon, 0-1 Heavy weapon, 0-2 Grenades, 0-4 bionics and/or 0-4 times for armor (each roll costs X points)


Add Harlequin's kiss for X points

Upgrade to level 4 Psi with 3 powers for X points
Add D6 powers to any psi-level for X points



Troupes

6 Harlequins
Type   WS   BS   S   T   W   I   A   Ld
Harlequin   4   4   3   3   1   6   1   8
Avatar   6   6   4   4   2   8   2   9

Troupers: Holo-suit, Additional 5++ save, Shuriken pistol, close combat weapon
Avatar: Rictus mask, Holo-suit, Conversion-field, shuriken pistol, close combat weapon

Avatar may becomes level 1 psi with 3 powers for X points
He may then get D6 extra level 1 powers for X points

Any member may substitute shuriken pistol for Harlequins kiss for X points or Powerfist at X points

Grenades: Upgrade all troupers with the same type of grenade, or avatar with a single one, from the following table
[This list is long. 18 entries t be exact. It includes all grenades currently in the game including the vortex (not for troupers, sadly) and adding things like smoke, scar gas, radioation, choke, and so on]



Weapon options
Now these tables took up a page. Allow me to summarize

Close combat weapon
[Anything you can swing, stab or jab at someone with, including Sword, Autopstiol, Chainsword, Webgun, powerweapon, Neuro-disruptor and Forceweapons of four kinds]

Basic weapons
[Autoguns, flamers, lasgun, bolter, melta, plasma, catapult, that sort of deal]

Heavy weapon
[Autocannon, heavy bolter, plasmacannon, multilaser, multi-melta, lascannon, D-cannon, Conversionbeamer, Scatterlaser]

Grenades
[See troupe-entry above]

Bionics
[Limbs/parts to replace, all added bonuses to character; ears gave better spottingdistance, legs more movement, lungs ignored gas-grendes, eyes had scanners in them, arms gave +strength, and so on]

Equipment and armor
[Things like 6+ save, 5+, 4+ 5++, 3++ teleporter, Jump infantry, Medi-kit, 3+ powerarmour, Stasisfields, and Phase-fields, most nasty]

and finally, as if you didn't have enough weapons
Jokaero digital weapons
[Mounted on your fingers, like laspistols, flamers and such, and of course yo ucould fire these in close combat, or after firing your normal weapons]


And then Psi-powers...
I will only do about half of level 1, because these tables were big, and had loads of Bad things in them

[3++ save, Medi-kit, S8 4” blasmarker centered on model, Pin any enemy infantry anywhere, Re-roll any failed LD of any friendlies on the field, Teleport]
And  that's just level 1. Level 4 had things like “Oh yes, your Inquisitor is now on my side. Hand him over. Thanks” and “I am going to be invulnerable for four turns. That alright? Thanks” and the ever-popular. “The people I can see all take a LD-test with -4. Those who pass take a wound. Those who fail, die. Thanks”.


Now you may think "Holy flying spaghetti-monster! They were KILLERS!" The thing was that every army in teh gmae had options like this.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2009, 08:49:19 AM by Rasmus »

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Offline IainC

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2009, 09:40:25 AM »
Don't forget the vehicle options: All of them.

Yep you could take any vehicle in the game for less points than it normally cost with the only downside being that it had a 1 in 6 chance of breaking down. Harlequin Land Raiders? Sure!

Another massively broken thing that wasn't unique to Harlequins but benefited them more than average were orbital bombardments. You could spend a percentage of your points (10% IIRC) on barrages which were based on any grenade type in the game. You worked out the cost by multiplying the normal cost of one grenade by the number of times bigger you wanted the template to be. So, for example a krak grenade had a 1" blast template and cost 3 points. To have a 10" diameter krak barrage would therefore cost 30 points, which clearly is completely reasonable.  Hilariously the most broken barrage type did no damage at all. Every item in the game had a tech level at the time - originally it was a rule that a race couldn't use a weapon with a higher tech level than its own Intelligence stat but that didn't last long, instead the only mechanism that used the tech level was the Haywire grenade. You threw the grenade and rolled a d10. Anything under the template with a tech level higher than the d10 roll stopped working. Most primitive firearms like stubbers and so forth had a tech level of 4 or 5. Swords were about a 2 or 3. Vehicles mostly started at about 6.

I remember a game that was over before the first movement phase when my Marine opponent had all his troops in tanks which got hit by a deployment-zone sized Haywire barrage. All the tanks stopped working which meant that nothing on them was operational - including the doors....
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Offline Irisado

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2009, 01:22:10 PM »
Oh the nostalgia!

I only fielded Harlequins once in Rogue Trader, but they were deadly.

I remember fielding the Solitaire, and he could just simply slaughter entire units by himself without really breaking a sweat, and the regular Harlequins were pretty effective as well to say the least.

I had forgotten some of the nastier attributes, as I haven't read all the Harlequins entries and rules in my copy of the Compendium for some, and in particular, I had forgotten about that leadership modifying power, as well as some of the other psychic powers.  I now remember why they were so feared.

All of this really does show how much the game has changed from when I started playing in Rogue Trader.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane  :).
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Offline lulu2009

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #3 on: July 9, 2009, 11:07:13 PM »
How about formulating the rules for solitaire first?

I am puzzled how to make a loner T3 model really become a CC nightmare without dying from fearless wounds & power attacks... ::)

Offline Rasmus

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2009, 04:05:37 AM »
There was no sich thing as "instant death" back in RT, and the Solitaire, being an psyhich, could just channel som energies into Wartrances or suchlike, or carry multiple Invulernabel saves. He was a nightmare back then.

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Offline Jest of Death

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #5 on: August 5, 2009, 12:26:18 PM »
Ah, interesting to see how the Harlequins have grown.  A lot of fun stuff to read for a Harlequin fan.

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Offline cambeul

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2009, 05:21:19 PM »
Also Harlies could double their Close Combat attacks in Melee.

I also had a Great Seer Lvl 4 Psychic and either my Great Avatar or Solitaire was one also and each one had a Spell called "Temporal Distort" which allowed you to repeat phases in your turn. eg:
Psychic #1 Repeat Phsychic Phase
Psychic #2 Repeat Movemenet Phase
repeat above until in melee, then repeat Close Combat Phase.

My Solitaire from Back in the Day:
Bionic Legs - move 12"
Shuriken Shrieker Cannon - could move and fire because of Flip Belts
Grenade Launcer mounted on Back
Harlequin Kiss - cause a wound instant death
Rad Suit - immune to Radiation
Rad Grenades
Jokera Digital Lasers - extra attacks
Displacer Field - 3++ save, when you save you teleport in a random direction


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Offline bebe

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Re: Harlequins in RT
« Reply #7 on: November 9, 2009, 10:07:27 PM »

I ran over opponents with my Harlies. Also the Dreadnoughts could carry D Cannons for those who forgot. I loved them.
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