The CraftworldsCraftworlds, though spacecraft, are vast beyondcomprehension. They are not merely huge capital shipsploughing through space with a surrounding escort ofsmaller vessels. They are not even akin to vast cities, assome of the largest star forts of the Imperium might beconsidered, but rather are immense spacefaring worldsaccompanied by vast armadas, the likes of which mightotherwise be set aside to defend an entire system or evensub-sector. Whole battlefleets cluster around key pointsand stations all across the thousands of miles of thecraftworld’s exterior as smaller, nimbler craft rush andsurge across its surface in a constant shimmering patrol.

Beneath this dizzying tide of vessels, under clearcrystalline domes through which ground and stars mightgaze upon one another, the Eldar live their lives aboardthese spaceborne worlds. Since the Fall of their race andthe decline of their empire, those Eldar who seek tocontinue their ancient way of life have done so aboardthese craftworlds, on an aeons long course across thegalaxy, as much in flight as in search of any kind ofdestination, for the Eldar race is a dying one, and even theexodus of these great craftworlds will do little to avertthat.

The WebwayWith such gargantuan vessels at their control, it may seemsurprising that the Eldar rely upon a fleet at all, but thecraftworlds should not be considered ships in any realsense of the word. Mobile they may be, but their own vastsize makes them far too massive and cumbersome aproposition to involve directly in any fighting. Instead acraftworld’s army must be delivered to distant battles bymeans of the warfleets of the Eldar, and more specificallyby the Eldar’s ancient Webway.

The Webway is a legacy from the days when the Eldarruled the galaxy from the many trading ships which wouldlater form the beginnings of the craftworlds themselves. Inthese merchant vessels the Eldar journeyed across thegalaxy through a series of intricately connected warptunnels, returning to real space by means of warp portalsor ‘wraithgates’ which the Eldar had seeded across the

stars. By means of this Webway the Eldar could movealmost unhindered throughout the galaxy. It is still thissame ancient system which the Eldar use when movingtheir armies to war.

The Webway is not perfect, however, and the birth of theGreat Enemy, Slaanesh, did much to make its usehazardous to the Eldar. Many portals had to bepermanently sealed to prevent the forces of Chaos spillingfrom the Warp, and the millenia of struggle which theEldar have since endured continues to diminish the oncegreat extent of their Webway.

The Craftworld at WarIt is possible for an Eldar to simply traverse the Webway onfoot, moving directly from a craftworld to a wraithgate onsome far distant world. Such portals, however, areinvariably far too small to quickly deploy an entire army,and hence such methods are used by few amongst theEldar – only the Rangers, the Harlequins and other distantwanderers tread these slender paths.

On occasion however, the Eldar’s destiny will draw themto fight on a world disconnected from the Webway by themillenia of tragedy which have befallen the Eldar. TheEldar warhosts may be dispatched aboard vast wings ofEldar attack craft – Vampire Raiders and the like – whichare able to ferry susbstantial forces rapidly via the Webway.At other times, a force so vast may be required that theaircraft and skimmers of the Eldar army itself areinsufficient. It is at such times that the Eldar battlefleetswill be readied.

The warhosts of the Eldar will assemble aboard the fleet,which will then depart the craftworld, itself using thewebway. As such, a craftworld’s docks are not really simpleholding areas for its fleet, but rather they are immensewraithgates attached to the craftworld itself from wherethe fleet may enter the Webway. Such a fleet is then able toexit the Webway by another point elsewhere in the depthsof space using are the largest of the Eldar’s wraithgates –portals so sizeable that whole fleets may emerge fromthem when activated.

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DOOM OF THE ELDARAlthough Eldar Corsairs are a constant threat to merchant shipping, they very rarely pose a majorthreat to Imperial battlefleets. The same cannot be said of the dozens of fleets of Eldar ships thatprotect each Eldar Craftworld. Each of these Craftworld warfleets is a deadly and highly potent forcethat is capable of laying waste to an entire sub-sector.

by Matt Keefe

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These journeys may bring a fleet into orbit directly aroundtheir chosen destination, or it may be necessary for themto emerge some distance away, but either way the pace ofwhich Eldar vessels are capable of moving means they willdescend upon their target very swiftly indeed. Eldar fleetsemploy the Webway in this manner in order to launchhorrifyingly sudden attacks upon unsuspecting enemyvessels, emerging from the Warp while their enemyremains unready and ill-prepared for battle.

When it is the Eldar’s will to attack a world, the emergingfleet will take up position around their chosen planet asquickly as possible. The largest craft in an Eldar warfleetpossess internal wraithgates, through which they canswiftly deploy their armies to the ground while at the sametime providing orbital support and further landings fromtheir notoriously fast attack craft. If the world to beattacked no longer possesses any viable warp portals, theEldar will instead descend upon it in a howling flock ofVampire Raiders, Phoenix bombers and Nightwingfighters, tearing apart their enemies so rapidly thatdefence is all but an impossibility.

A craftworld’s course is also aided greatly by the manywraithgates spread across the stars. As a craftworld’s Seersscrye out its course, small shoals of Shadowhunters movefar ahead through the Webway, hunting out potentialenemies and scouring the way clear. If encountered,enemy fleets or patrols who may present a danger to thecraftworld’s safe passage will likely find themselves theunsuspecting targets of the Eldar’s powerful warshipslong before even becoming aware of the craftworld’simminent arrival.

The Eldar WarfleetsThe sheer size of a craftworld means that each individualvessel possesses several full battlefleets, stationed at

convenient points along the craftworld as it journeysthrough space. Each fleet might typically number from tento twenty warships and is commanded by an EldarAdmiral, though it will inevitably also rely greatly onadvice and counsel from the craftworld’s Seers. Thevessels themselves are crewed by those Eldar who havechosen the Path of the Mariner, symbolised by the blueand white feathered birds of Eldar myth who guide theEldar southward and westward over the seas. Helmsmenand Wayfarers, dedicated specialists within this path, eachprovide their own valuable skills as part of a vessel’s crew,allowing the Eldar to navigate the Webway with a masteryunknown to most.

The Shadowhunter patrols usually remain independent ofthese battlefleets, moving to and fro about the craftworldas they please. These smaller vessels lack the dedicatedcrews of the larger capital ships and are often crewed bythose Guardians who were once embarked upon the Pathof the Mariner. The compact size and customary agility ofthese sleek escorts allows them to approach much closerto the craftworld than would be expected for truespacecraft. Shadowhunters put these unique traits to gooduse as they defend the craftworld’s delicate wraithboneexterior from encroaching asteroids or space junk whichmight be attracted by the force of gravity, blasting suchinterlopers into pieces small enough to rain harmlesslydown on the craftworld below. At other times theShadowhunters can be seen playfully stalking the Eldarfighters which patrol the craftworld’s lower atmosphere,tracking and chasing the smaller vessels with a precisionunthinkable for escort sized vessels. As need dictates,small groups of Shadowhunters will eschew their normalrole, band together and join their larger counterparts indefence of the craftworld.

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The new Eldar fleet in all it’s glory

ELDAR LEADERSHIPAll Eldar ships add +1 to the Leadership score generatedon the Leadership table on page 10, giving them aLeadership value between 7 and 10.

Due to their unique method of movement, the Eldar maynot use the following special orders: All Ahead Full, BurnRetros, Come To New Heading. Note: because Eldar shipscannot use All Ahead Full special orders, they also may notram.

ELDAR SHIP MOVEMENTThe movement rules below replace the normal movementrules for Eldar ships. Assume anything not modified belowapplies normally to the Eldar. Eldar ships move in theirMovement phase and in the Ordnance phase of their ownturn. Note that they do not move in the Ordnance phaseof the enemy’s turn.

Before an Eldar ship moves, it may turn to face anydirection. It always turns before it moves and thenremains facing in that direction until the start of its nextmove.

Work out the speed an Eldar ship can move at after it hasturned. Its speed depends on its facing towards thesunward table edge. All Eldar ships have three speeds (for

example, 10/20/30). The first is used if the sunward tableedge is in the Eldar ship’s front fire arc; the second is usedif the sunward table edge is in its rear fire arc; and thethird is used if the sunward table edge is in its left or rightfire arcs. If the sunward table edge lies on the linebetween two fire arcs, the Eldar player may choose whichhe uses.

Eldar ships have no minimum move distances. They movefrom zero up to the maximum distance allowed by thedirection of the sun. After their initial turn they travel in astraight line and may not make additional turns as theymove.

A Hellebore class escort has Speed 10/20/30. At the start ofits move, it turns in the direction shown, so that thesunward table edge is in its left fire arc. This gives it aspeed of 30cm. It can then move up to 30cm straightahead.

CRAFTWORLD ELDAR SPECIAL RULES

8

As noted above, the Eldar move twice in each of theirturns. The second move is made in the Ordnance phaseafter any ordnance is moved, but apart from this all therules described for Eldar movement will apply.

BLAST MARKERS AND GRAVITY WELLSEldar are affected by Blast markers in the same way asother ships without shields – they will take a point ofdamage on a D6 roll of 6 and reduce their speed by 5cmthat turn. Gravity wells allow Eldar to curve their normallystraight line move around the planet and so the ship maymake a free turn towards the planet at the end of its move(since it can turn in any direction at the start, there is noadditional benefit at the start of its move).

HOLOFIELDSAgainst attacks that use the Gunnery table, the holo-fieldscause one column shift to the right, in addition to anyother column shifts for range or Blast markers. Against anyother form of attack (lances, torpedoes, etc), roll to hit anEldar ship as normal, but the Eldar player may then makea saving roll for his holo-fields:

Note that holo-fields do not negate hits from movingthrough Blast markers, exploding ships and celestialphenomena. They do, however, work against ordnancehits, hit-and-run raids, boarding actions, ramming or Novacannon.

Eldar WeaponsEldar ships carry three main weapon systems which aredescribed below:

Pulsar LancePulsar lances fire volleys of high energy laser bolts. Thesecount as lance shots, and hit on a 4+ no matter what thetarget’s armour. However, if a pulsar lance shot hits, thenyou may roll to hit again and you may keep on rolling tohit until you miss or the lance has scored a total of 3 hits.

Weapon BatteriesEldar weapons batteries are short-ranged weapons thatunleash a torrent of fire. They employ sophisticatedtargeting systems which make them very accurate even atextreme angles of attack. To represent their accuracy,Eldar weapons batteries count all targets as ‘closing’ onthe Gunnery table, no matter what the target’s actualaspect is. This aside, all the normal rules apply.

D6 Result1 Hit! Score a hit on the Eldar ship

2-6 Missed! Place a Blast marker in contact withthe ship.

9

10

Eldar Critical Hits tableEXTRA

2D6 DAMAGE RESULT

2 +0 Infinity circuit damaged. The ship’sinfinity circuit, which aids control andinternal communications, is damaged bythe hit. The ship’s Leadership is reducedby -1 until the damage can be repaired.

3 +0 Keel armament damaged. The keelarmament is taken off line by the hit andmay not fire until it has been repaired.

4 +0 Prow armament damaged. The ship’sprow is ripped open. Its prow armamentmay not fire until it has been repaired.

5 +0 Mast lines severed. The systems thatallow the ship to alter the angle of the sailsand turn swiftly are broken by the hit.Until the damage is repaired, the ship mayonly turn up to 90° before it moves.

6 +0 Mainsail scarred. The ship’s main solarsail suffers surface damage, reducing theamount of energy it can store. Each of theship’s speeds is reduced by 5cm until thesail is repaired.

7 +1 Superstructure damaged. The hit tearsinto the ship, causing a small breach.Excess strain on the ship’s hull couldincrease the damage. Until the damage isrepaired, roll a dice every time the shipturns over 45°. On a roll of 1, the shipsuffers 1 extra point of damage.

8 +0 Mainsail shredded. The solar cells of themainsail are torn to tatters by the hit. Theship cannot move in the Ordnance phaseuntil the damage is repaired.

9 +1 Infinity circuit smashed. The fine crystalmatrix of the infinity circuit is shattered bythe hit. The ship’s Leadership is reducedby -3. This damage may not be repaired.

10 +0 Holo-field generators destroyed. Theholo-field generators are smashed beyondrepair by the hit. The ship no longerbenefits from its holo-fields. This damagemay not be repaired.

11 +D3 Hull breach. A huge gash is torn in theship’s hull, causing carnage among thecrew.

12 +D6 Bulkhead collapse. Internal pillars buckleand twist, whole compartments crumplewith a scream of tortured metal, just praythat some of the ship holds together.

TorpedoesEldar torpedoes use sophisticated targeter scramblingsystems to make themselves virtually undetectable untilthey strike. To represent this, defensive turrets only hitEldar torpedoes on a roll of 6, rather than on a roll of 4,5, or 6 as is normally the case.

In addition, the highly accurate targeting sensors on Eldartorpedoes allow you to re-roll the dice to hit for anytorpedo that misses a target on the first attempt.

Phantom LanceAlthough larger capital ships employ the powerful Pulsarlance, the vast energy arrays required to power suchweaponry are far too large to be mounted on thenecessarily swift and nimble Shadowhunters. Instead,smaller Eldar vessels are armed with the Phantom lance –a less powerful version of the same Eldar laser technology.Phantom lances count as typical lances in every respect(ie. no multiple shots).

Aspect Warrior Fighting CrewsUnlike Eldar Pirates, who rely on the same self-servingrogues who crew their ships to conduct raids andboarding actions, Eldar craftworld vessels are able to go towar carrying hosts of Eldar Aspect Warriors who formfighting crews aboard their ships. Many of the AspectWarrior shrines excel at the kind of rapid assaults whichare ideally suited to teleport and other hit-and-run attacksand hence specialise in attacking enemy vessels in thismanner. Certain ships in an Eldar fleet are permitted tocarry Aspect Warrior Fighting Crews as chosen from thefleet list. Ships with Aspect Warrior Fighting Crews add +2to their dice roll when fighting in a boarding action, or +1to the dice roll when conducting a hit-and-run attack(normally a teleport attack, since the Eldar do not haveaccess to boarding torpedoes or assault boats).

ELDAR CRITICAL HITSAny hit on an Eldar ship causes critical damage on a D6roll of 4+, rather than the usual 6+. Roll 2D6 on thefollowing Eldar Critical Hits table, rather than thestandard Critical Hits table.

“Those Eldar ships were all over us. I’ve never seen anythingmove quite like them. They’d rush in and hit us withvolleys of laser fire and missiles, and then they’d keel overand be away before we could engage them properly. Theydidn’t have shields like our void shields, and there shipswere fragile too, so if we could hit we’d do them someserious damage. But our augers just couldn’t get a proper fixon them, so hitting them wasn’t easy, not easy at all. If therest of the flotilla hadn’t got back when it did, I thinkwe’d have been doomed.”

Captain Steinback, After Action Report

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Thousands of years ago Eldar civilisation was all butdestroyed in a catastrophe brought about by their owndecadent hedonism, the only survivors fleeing from theirplanets in giant space vessels known as craftworlds.Iyanden was the largest of all of the Eldar craftworlds andits people the most numerous. It drifted serenely throughthe void of space, far away from the inhabited planets ofother races. Then, from out of the darkness ofintergalactic space exploded the Tyranids, and lyandenbecame the scene of the Eldar’s first encounter with theTyranid Swarm, the all-consuming menace whose locust-like advance through the galaxy has since envelopedhundreds of human worlds.

The first warning the Eldar of Iyanden had of their fatewas brought by the craftworld’s far roaming Rangers,Eldar whose instincts drive them to a life of explorationand danger, and who secretly monitor the planets andalien races near their craftworld. The news that theRangers brought was dire: a Tyranid hive fleet of immenseproportions was heading towards Iyanden Craftworld.Already over a dozen Imperial planets had beenconsumed in the Tyranid’s advance and, although theImperium was mounting furious counter-attacks as andwhen it could, it would be months until a major Imperialtaskforce could be mobilised to deal with the threat. Bythen Iyanden would have been overrun.

Farseer Kelmon, leader and spiritual head of thecraftworld, called together the Eldar of Iyanden andwarned them of the impending Tyranid assault. Each Eldarcraftworld has a great hall, known as the Place ofAnswering, which is capable of holding every member ofthe craftworld. At times of crisis the Eldar meet there, sothat all may know of the peril that faces their craftworld,and so that any Eldar may voice an opinion on the courseof action that should be taken. Only once all views havebeen debated, and a consensus of opinion reached, willthe craftworld’s Farseer decide on the course of action tobe taken.

The debate on the action to take against the Tyranid hivefleet was heated and prolonged. The more conservativeelements of the craftworld argued for a policy of isolation,shielding the craftworld behind a powerful psychic shieldin an attempt to avoid all contact with the Tyranids. Themore aggressive elements wanted to attack the Tyranidsimmediately, dispatching the fleet to destroy the Tyranidsbefore they reached the craftworld.

Both courses of action were deeply flawed, however,because they took no account of the sheer size of the

Tyranid Swarm. It took a powerful speech from the RangerIrilith, who had seen the hive fleet at first hand andunderstood the terrible threat that it represented. Forover an hour she drove home to all present that the hivefleet was too large to hide from, or for the Eldar fleet todefeat on its own. It would take the combined efforts ofevery Eldar on Iyanden to have any chance of turning backthe Tyranids. Even then they might not succeed indefeating the alien menace.

A hush fell on the Hall as Irilith finished her speech. Nomore needed to be said, for all the Eldar present nowrealised the sheer enormity of the task ahead.

Farseer Kelmon rose and ordered that the Eldar preparethe defences of lyanden Craftworld. All elements of thefleet would be recalled, and every single Eldar must take onthe Warrior Aspect of Warlock, Guardian or Aspect Warrior.The entire gigantic craftworld would be fortified, for therecould be no doubt that the Tyranids would breach theirouter defences and land on the ship. Help must berequested from the other Eldar craftworlds. The Avatar, theembodied spirit of the craftworld’s War God, must beawakened to take part in the battle. And, most terrible ofall, all of the craftworld’s ancient spirit stones must beplucked from their resting places and implanted in metalfighting bodies to battle as Ghost Warriors. When an Eldardies their spirit is released into a gem known as a spiritstone, which is grafted into the very structure of theircraftworld to preserve the dead Eldar’s consciousness.Thus, each Craftworld is a living thing which preserves alittle of the once great Eldar civilisation. By risking thedestruction of the craftworld’s spirit stones, Kelmon riskedthe destruction of lyanden’s culture and racial memory. Itwas a grave chance to take, but Kelmon knew that theGhost Warriors could make the difference between victoryand defeat in the struggle that was coming.

The first Tyranid Hive Swarms attacked Iyanden justtwenty days later. By then the craftworld had already beenisolated for over a week by a Tyranid psychic blockadewhich made it extremely difficult for the other Eldarcraftworlds to send help. Apart from a few scattered unitsthat made it through, Iyanden would be fighting theTyranids on its own. Nonetheless, the first Tyranid waveswere dealt with easily and efficiently by the Eldar fleet.The Eldar’s spacecraft were faster, more manoeuvrableand had longer ranged weapon than their opponents. Inbattle after battle the Eldar spacecraft destroyed thelumbering hive ships while only suffering minimalcasualties themselves. For a while it looked as if the fleetmight be able to hold off the Tyranids on its own, as wave

THE TYRANID INVASIONOF IYANDEN CRAFTWORLD, 992.M41

12

after wave of Tyranids were wiped out. But FarseerKelmon was not convinced. Already the ability of thecraftworld’s forges to replace destroyed Eldar spacecraftwas being outstripped by the casualties being suffered inthe deep space battles that raged around the Craftworld.The Eldar fleet was being ground down in a massive battleof attrition; a battle that only the Tyranids could hope towin.

As if to confirm Kelmon’s worst fears the next Tyranidwave was massive, very nearly twice the size of any thathad hit the craftworld so far. The Eldar fleet sufferedterrible casualties in its attempt to hold the Tyranids off,and for the first time was unable to stop them landing onthe craftworld. Although the landing was wiped outbefore any serious damage was done, the Eldar fleet as alarge-scale fighting force had ceased to exist. Still therewas hope, especially if the wave had represented theTyranid’s main assault force. Eldar spirits were raised evenmore as the next wave turned out to be tiny incomparison to what had come earlier. Although theweakened fleet couldn’t keep all of the swarms away fromthe craftworld, the landings that were made were easilyisolated and destroyed. For a short while it seemed thatthe Eldar had weathered the storm.

Then Iyanden was hit by two huge attacks in succession.The pitiful remnants of the Eldar fleet opposed the HiveSwarms as best they could, but were swept aside by a tideof alien spacecraft. Iyanden was all but engulfed as hordeafter horde of Tyranid Warriors, Genestealers, Gaunts and

Carnifexes were disgorged onto the craftworld. Hugebattles erupted all over Iyanden, the fighting bitter andclose ranged with enemy forces often only separated bythe width of a corridor of wraithbone wall, as the Eldardesperately attempted to beat off the alien invaders. Oftenthey succeeded, but the Fortress of Tears, Shrine ofAsuryan and, most terrible of all, the ancient Forests ofSilence, all fell to the Tyranid hordes.

The Eldar counter-attacked, the raging figure of the Avatarleading the craftworld’s Aspect Warriors and GhostWarriors in a berserk orgy of destruction whichrecaptured the Forests of Silence from the Tyranids. It issaid that the Eldar Warriors wept tears of rage and sorrowto see the damage inflicted on the ancient forest domes oftheir craftworld. Slowly the Eldar managed to turn the tideon the Tyranids and gain the upper hand, forcing themback onto the defensive. And then another huge Tyranidwave arrived, the third in succession, and the largest yet.As swarm after swarm flickered into existence on theEldar’s scanners, Kelmon knew that, barring a miracle,Iyanden Craftworld was doomed...

Over fifty years before the Tyranid assault, High AdmiralYriel had led the Iyanden fleet. Although he wasconsidered one of the greatest Eldar naval tacticians tohave ever lived, his character was flawed by the sin ofpride. When Iyanden had been threatened by a Chaosspace fleet raiding out of the Eye of Terror, Yriel had ledthe fleet on a pre-emptive attack on the Chaos fleet’sflagship, leaving Iyanden Craftworld unprotected. He onlyreturned just in time to stop a suicide attack by a smallflotilla of Chaos raider ships, who nonetheless managedto damage the craftworld. Expecting to be feted andhonoured for his victory, Yriel was deeply angered whenhe was called upon to defend his course of action.Claiming that his record should speak for itself, Yrielrefused to enter into the debate, leaving his old friendKelmon no choice but to elect a new High Admiral in hisplace. Bitter with rage, Yriel vowed that he would neverset foot on Iyanden again. He and a small band offollowers left the craftworld and formed an Eldar Raidercompany that became the single most powerful Eldarpirate force operating in the galaxy.

When he heard of the Tyranid’s assault on Iyanden, Yrieldid his best to ignore the terrible peril that threatened hisold craftworld. But proud though he was, righteouslyangry though he was, Yriel could not leave lyanden to itsfate in this, its very darkest hour. Battling his way throughthe Tyranids’ psychic blockade, Yriel swept to the aid ofhis people and arrived just in time.

Like a thunderbolt from the blue Yriel and his raider fleetsmashed into the Tyranid Hive Swarms. He was quicklyjoined by the few remaining craft of lyanden’s fleet, and

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together the combined Eldar space fleets tore the TyranidSwarms apart. Two more waves of Tyranid Hive Swarmsattacked the craftworld, only to meet the same fate. Not asingle Tyranid ship reached the craftworld, though thecost to the Raiders was dear. Bloodied but unbowed theRaiders prepared to sell their lives to the last in order toturn back the next wave of Tyranids. On the bridges of thecraftworld and of the circling Eldar ships vigilant eyeswatched the scanners, waiting for the first tell-tale blipthat would indicate the direction of the next assault.Minutes passed, then hours, and with a growing sense ofwonder the Eldar realised that no more Tyranid Swarmswere coming – the assault was over. The hive fleet hadbeen destroyed!

But on Iyanden Craftworld the war went on. The Tyranidhordes that had been fighting a tenacious rearguardaction awaiting the aid of the rest of the hive fleet nowturned like cornered rats and hurled themselves at theEldar. Caught by surprise the Eldar staggered back,desperately trying to hold the suicidal Tyranid onslaught.The Fortress of the Red Moon fell to a surprise attack. andfor a moment it seemed that with victory within theirgrasp the Eldar would be defeated. But, for the secondtime, Yriel led his Raiders to the rescue of the craftworld.

Disembarking from their orbiting spacecraft the Raidersjoined with the battered defenders of Iyanden Craftworldand, yard by yard, step by step, forced the Tyranids back.A final wild charge led by the Tyranid Hive Tyrant wasannihilated by the combined efforts of the Avatar, Yrieland the Ghost Warriors, and then in a series of viciousone-sided battles the last of the Tyranids were hunteddown and destroyed. The Tyranid attack on IyandenCraftworld was over. The Tyranids had been defeated.

But the victory was a hollow one. Though the Eldar hadrepulsed the invaders, the cost was enormous. Their once-proud world stood in ruins, and four-fifths of theinhabitants were dead or lay dying in its shattered halls.Iyanden’s mighty space fleet was a pitiful shadow of itsformer self; the blasted remains of its majestic spacecraftand their brave crews hanging silent and weightless inspace. But all this could be rebuilt, maybe not forhundreds of generations, but one day in the distantfuture. What was lost forever were the souls of the Eldarwhose spirit stones had been destroyed in the battleagainst the Tyranids. The massive destruction wroughtupon the people and Ghost Warriors of Iyanden dealt thecraftworld a blow from which its culture could never fullyrecover.

FLEET COMMANDER0-1 AdmiralYou may include one Eldar Admiral in your fleet, whomust be assigned to a ship and will replace the vessel’sLeadership with his own. If the fleet is worth over 750points, an Admiral must be included to lead it.

Eldar Admiral (Ld 9) ..............................................75 ptsEldar Supreme Admiral (Ld 10)...........................100 pts

The Admiral may purchase a fleet commander re-roll, atthe cost listed below.

One re-roll..............................................................25 pts

You may include Farseers in your fleet, each of whommust be assigned to a ship and gives their vessel a re-rollwhich may be used on the ship, another ship in the samesquadron or an escort squadron within 15cm.

0-3 Farseers ..........................................................+30pts

Any capital ship in the fleet may be equipped with AspectWarrior fighting crews at a cost of +20 pts per vessel.

Aspect Warrior Fighting Crews ...........................+20 pts

CAPITAL SHIPSDragonshipsYour fleet may include up to one Dragonship for everytwo Wraithships included in the fleet. If your fleet is ledby an Admiral, you may include a single Dragonship as hisflagship which does not count against this limitation.

Dragonship...........................................................260 pts

WraithshipsYour fleet may include any number of Wraithships.

Wraithship ............................................................160 pts

GhostshipsAny capital ship in the fleet may be upgraded to aGhostship. Such a vessel may not also include a Farseer orAspect Warrior crew.

Ghostship................................................................+free

ESCORTSYour fleet may include any number of escorts.

Shadowhunter class escort ....................................40 pts

IYANDEN FLEET LIST

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gth

s o

f ti

me

are

oft

en r

efer

red

to

as V

oid

Dra

gon

s.D

iffer

ent

styl

es

of

Dra

gon

ship

can

va

rygr

eatl

y,

wit

hd

iffer

ent

nu

mbe

rs

of

sails

,d

iffer

ent

arm

amen

ts a

nd

even

var

iati

on

s in

siz

e.

ELDAR

DRAGONSHIP

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

260

points

Ch

oo

seo

ne

pro

w w

eap

on

for

each

Dra

gon

ship

in t

he

flee

t.

Ch

oo

seo

ne

keel

wea

po

nfo

r ea

chD

rago

nsh

ipin

th

efl

eet.

*Nig

htw

ings

fu

nct

ion

exac

tly

as D

arks

tars

,Ph

oen

ix b

om

bers

fu

nct

ion

exac

tly

as E

clip

se.

No

tes:

For

+10

pts

,aD

rago

nsh

ipeq

uip

ped

wit

hla

un

chba

ys c

anbe

equ

ipp

ed w

ith

squ

adro

ns

of

Vam

pir

eR

aid

ers

wh

ich

fun

ctio

nas

ass

ault

bo

ats

wit

ha

spee

do

f 25

cm.

“An

Eldar run

e,each

of

which

has specific

mytho

logical

sign

ificance, represents

every

craftw

orld. One

such

run

e is the

Shrine

of A

suryan. Asuryan is the oldest and

greatest o

f theancient go

ds o

f theEldar,

the father o

f the go

ds,and

the ultimate

ancestor o

f all living

thing

s. This is the

symbo

l of Iyand

en C

raftworld, who

sename means L

ight in

theDarkn

ess,

another way o

f referring

to b

urning

shrine

of A

suryan.”

15

ELDARW

RAIT

HSHIP

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

160

points

Wra

ith

ship

s ar

em

ade

fro

m

wra

ith

bo

ne,

am

ater

ial

dra

wn

as r

aw e

ner

gy f

rom

th

eW

arp

and

sh

aped

into

mat

ter

by p

sych

iccr

afts

men

kno

wn

as B

on

esin

gers

.T

he

Ww

rait

hbo

ne

form

s th

eliv

ing

skel

etal

core

of t

he

spac

esh

ipar

ou

nd

wh

ich

its

oth

erst

ruct

ure

s ar

ear

ran

ged

.T

he

wra

ith

bo

ne

also

pro

vid

es c

han

nel

s fo

r p

sych

icen

ergy

.T

his

fac

ilita

tes

inte

rnal

com

mu

nic

atio

n,

tran

smit

s p

ow

er

and

enab

les

the

spac

esh

ip

toac

t as

an

org

anic

ally

inte

grat

ed

wh

ole

.T

he

wra

ith

bo

ne

core

of

asp

aces

hip

is

surr

ou

nd

edby

a

stru

ctu

re

wh

ich

isli

tera

lly

gro

wn

into

th

e re

qu

ired

sh

ape

by

Bo

nes

inge

rs.

Th

ese

Eld

ar u

se t

hei

r p

sych

om

orp

hic

tale

nts

to

sh

ape

bu

lkh

ead

s,

wal

ls,

flo

ors

an

dco

nd

uit

s in

toa

shel

l th

at c

om

ple

tely

su

rro

un

ds

the

wra

ith

bon

eco

rean

dfo

rms

the

hu

llan

dm

ajo

rin

tern

ald

ivis

ion

s o

f th

e sp

aces

hip

.M

ost

o

fa

spac

esh

ip’s

op

erat

ing

syst

ems

are

con

nec

ted

dir

ectl

yto

th

e w

rait

hbo

ne

core

.T

he

man

y th

ou

san

ds

of

syst

ems

dra

w p

ow

er th

rou

gh th

e w

rait

hbo

ne

and

are

con

stan

tly

mo

nit

ore

dan

dco

ntr

olle

d

thro

ugh

it.

Bec

ause

of

the

un

iqu

ep

ract

ices

of

Eld

ar p

sych

icen

gin

eeri

ng,

Eld

ar

spac

esh

ips

reso

nat

e w

ith

sym

pat

het

icp

sych

icen

ergy

.T

he

Wra

ith

bon

eco

rep

rovi

des

ap

sych

icch

ann

el t

hro

ugh

wh

ich

anE

ldar

can

con

tro

lm

ech

anic

alfu

nct

ion

s.In

th

is w

ay,

Eld

arat

tun

ed t

o t

he

very

ess

ence

of

thei

r sp

aces

hip

guid

eit

,m

akin

gco

un

tles

s m

inu

tead

just

men

ts t

o t

he

trim

of

the

grea

t so

lar

sails

to

dra

w e

very

fra

ctio

no

fen

ergy

fro

m t

he

sola

r w

ind

s.T

his

is

also

th

eke

y to

the

lege

nd

ary

eleg

ance

and

alm

ost

bir

dlik

eag

ility

of

the

Eld

ar W

rait

hsh

ips.

Th

eir

pilo

ts l

iter

ally

fee

l th

eso

lar

win

do

n t

he

ship

’s s

ails

, th

ey s

ense

th

efl

ex o

fth

e sh

ip’s

str

uct

ure

, th

e te

nsi

on

and

mo

vem

ent o

fits

Wra

ith

bon

e sk

elet

on

.Li

kea

haw

k so

arin

go

na

ther

mal

or

div

ing

tocl

utc

hat

its

pre

y,a

Wra

ith

ship

can

tu

rnin

th

e w

ind

,ci

rclin

gan

d s

wo

op

ing

toh

un

tit

s o

wn

pre

y –

the

spac

esh

ips

of

its

enem

y.

Ch

oo

seo

ne

pro

w w

eap

on

for

each

Wri

ath

ship

in t

he

flee

t.

Ch

oo

seo

ne

keel

wea

po

nfo

r ea

chW

rait

hsh

ipin

th

efl

eet.

*Nig

htw

ings

fu

nct

ion

exac

tly

as D

arks

tars

,Ph

oen

ix b

om

bers

fu

nct

ion

exac

tly

as E

clip

se.

16

ELDAR

SHADOW

HUNTER

CLASS

ESCORT...............................................................................................4

0 Points

OR

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs a

reco

mm

on

ly a

rmed

wit

hei

ther

wea

po

ns

batt

erie

s o

r la

nce

s.C

ho

ose

on

eo

f th

efo

llow

ing

pro

war

mam

ents

fo

r ea

chSh

ado

wh

un

ter

in t

he

flee

t.A

squ

adro

nm

ay c

on

tain

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs w

ith

diff

eren

t ar

mam

ents

.

Sp

ecia

lR

ule

s:Sh

ado

wh

un

ters

are

so

nim

ble

that

th

ey c

anev

enp

urs

ue

atta

ckcr

aft

wit

hea

se,h

arry

ing

the

smal

ler

vess

els

wit

han

agili

ty im

po

ssib

lefo

r o

ther

esc

ort

s.W

hen

Shad

ow

hu

nte

r’s

dir

ect

fire

at o

rdn

ance

th

ey a

lway

s h

it o

na

4+(r

ath

erth

an t

he

no

rmal

6+

).T

he

nu

mbe

r o

fdic

e to

ro

llis

sti

llca

lcu

late

din

th

en

orm

alm

ann

er (

ie.l

ance

s ro

llo

ne

dic

ep

er p

oin

to

fSt

ren

gth

, wea

po

ns

batt

erie

s u

se t

he

Gu

nn

ery

tabl

e).

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs

are

the

smal

lest

ty

pe

of

vess

elem

plo

yed

by I

yan

den

,o

per

atin

gin

vas

t sh

oal

sw

hic

h s

him

mer

an

d w

eave

a sh

ort

dis

tan

ceab

ove

the

craf

two

rld

’s

surf

ace

as

it

plo

ugh

s th

rou

gh

spac

e.T

hes

eSh

ado

wh

un

ter

pac

ks f

un

ctio

nas

aco

nst

ant

pat

rol,

guar

din

g th

eap

pro

ach

of

frie

nd

ly

vess

els

com

ing

into

do

ck,

or

spin

nin

gan

dbo

bbin

gar

ou

nd

the

craf

two

rld

wit

hh

orr

ifyin

g sp

eed

to

dri

veo

ffw

ou

ld-b

eat

tack

ers

at

ap

roxi

mit

y w

her

ela

rger

vess

els

wo

uld

find

it d

iffic

ult

to

fun

ctio

nef

fect

ivel

y.

Bec

ause

of

this

def

ensi

ve r

ole

,Sh

ado

wh

un

ters

hav

ea

very

lim

ited

ran

ge,

des

ign

edas

th

ey a

re t

o r

epel

atta

cker

s w

hic

hm

anag

e to

actu

ally

ap

pro

ach

th

ecr

aftw

orl

dit

self.

Wea

po

ns

and

po

wer

sys

tem

s o

n t

he

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs

are

corr

esp

on

din

gly

com

pac

t,m

akin

g th

eSh

ado

wh

un

ter

on

eo

f th

en

imbl

est

and

mo

st

agile

of

vess

els,

even

by

Eld

ar

stan

dar

ds.

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs a

re s

on

imbl

e,in

fact

, th

at t

hey

are

cap

able

ofp

urs

uin

g th

eir

enem

y so

clo

sely

th

at e

ven

enem

y at

tack

craf

t fin

dit

har

d t

oev

ade

them

.

Du

rin

g th

eTy

ran

idin

vasi

on

of

Iyan

den

,Sh

ado

wh

un

ters

ty

pic

ally

fo

rmed

ala

st

lin

eo

fd

efen

cecl

ose

to

th

ecr

aftw

orl

d,

wh

ile t

he

larg

erve

ssel

s br

oke

do

wn

th

em

ain

Tyra

nid

wav

es i

nd

eep

spac

e.T

he

scat

tere

d r

emn

ants

of

thes

e w

aves

wh

ich

wer

eab

le t

op

ass

the

Eld

ar c

ruis

ers

and

app

roac

hth

ecr

aftw

orl

d

wer

e th

enea

sy

pic

kin

gs

for

the

nim

ble

Shad

ow

hu

nte

rs.A

s m

ore

and

mo

re w

aves

of

Tyra

nid

s d

esce

nd

edo

n t

he

craf

two

rld

,h

ow

ever

, th

eE

ldar

fle

et w

as o

verw

hel

med

by s

hee

r w

eigh

t o

fn

um

bers

,fo

rcin

g th

eSh

ado

wh

un

ters

to

dis

per

sean

djo

in

thei

r la

rger

co

un

terp

arts

in

figh

tin

gd

esp

erat

eco

un

ter-

acti

on

s in

th

ed

epth

s o

f sp

ace.

17

GHOSTSHIP

S.................................................................................................................................................................................Points varies

Gho

stsh

ips

are

thos

e ve

ssel

s w

hich

, thr

ough

the

lon

g sl

owdy

ing-

year

s of

the

Elda

r ra

ce,

have

rea

ched

the

poi

nt

ofn

ear-

aban

don

men

t th

rou

ghlo

ss o

fcre

w.I

nto

the

se v

esse

lsth

eSe

ers

ofIy

ande

nin

corp

orat

e sp

irit

sto

nes

– s

acre

dre

liqu

arie

s be

arin

g th

e so

uls

of

thos

eEl

dar

alre

ady

lost

in

the

stru

ggle

for

surv

ival

.So

met

imes

Gho

stsh

ips

will

been

tire

ly w

itho

ut

livin

gcr

ew,

per

hap

s ev

enem

bued

wit

hth

e sp

irit

st

ones

of

th

eir

orig

inal

pilo

ts,

gun

ner

s an

dn

avig

ator

s,co

nti

nu

ing

togu

ide

thei

r ra

ce th

rou

gh th

e st

ars

even

beyo

nd

deat

h.So

met

imes

the

Gho

stsh

ips

will

bear

spir

it s

ton

es o

fmu

chol

der

Elda

r, s

ome

per

hap

s ev

en w

ith

mem

orie

s of

the

Fall,

un

cere

mon

iou

sly

den

ied

pea

ceby

the

desp

erat

eha

rdsh

ip th

eir

peo

ple

sti

llfa

ce.F

or th

eliv

ing

crew

of

Gho

stsh

ips,

th

ep

rese

nce

of

thes

ein

effa

ble

ance

sto

r-so

uls

cr

eate

s an

equ

ally

d

aun

tin

gan

dem

pow

erin

gbu

rden

ofex

pec

tati

on.

The

se

spir

it

ston

es

brin

g se

nti

ence

to

th

eliv

ing,

but

othe

rwis

e u

nth

inki

ng,

wra

ithb

one

from

whi

chal

lEl

dar

vess

els

are

con

stru

cted

–a

curi

ous

amal

gam

of t

heliv

ing,

the

inam

inat

ean

d th

e u

ndy

ing.

The

sp

irit

sto

nes

allo

w t

heG

host

ship

s to

fun

ctio

n w

ith

anim

pos

sibl

y ti

ny

nu

mbe

r of

crew

an

d, w

hen

com

bin

ed w

ith

the

livin

g w

rait

hbon

eof

thei

r ve

ssel

s,m

ake

Gho

stsh

ips

exce

pti

onal

ly

resi

lien

t.T

heir

for

mle

ss t

hou

ghts

are

far

hard

er t

ode

stro

y th

an t

hefr

ail

bodi

es o

fliv

ing

pilo

ts,

able

to

sim

ply

flit

fro

mon

etr

ansi

ent

vein

to

anot

her.

The

y ar

eat

com

ple

tefr

eedo

mw

ithi

n t

hese

wra

ithb

one

skel

eton

s,di

vert

ing

both

rel

ian

cean

dfu

nct

ion

toal

mos

t an

y lo

cati

onon

the

ship

sho

uld

any

give

n s

yste

mbe

com

eda

mag

ed.B

ut

the

relia

nce

whi

ch t

heEl

dar

ofIy

ande

nha

ve to

com

e to

pla

ce u

pon

Gho

stsh

ips

isn

ot w

itho

ut

diffi

cult

y.Sp

irit

sto

nes

are

alre

ady

anci

ent

and

pos

sess

the

tem

per

of

sou

ls t

hat

shou

ldal

read

y be

at r

est,

seem

ingl

y w

inso

me

and

vaca

nt,

dist

ant

and

un

resp

onsi

veif

left

to

sim

ply

wan

der

the

infin

ity

circ

uit

s aw

ay f

rom

the

will

of t

heliv

ing

Elda

r Se

ers

who

bin

dan

ddi

rect

the

min

un

life.

Ino

rder

to

fun

ctio

n,

aG

ho

stsh

ipm

ust

al

way

s be

com

man

ded

by a

Spir

itse

er –

ap

ower

fulE

ldar

psy

ker

who

has

chos

en t

ode

dica

tehi

s p

ower

s to

com

mu

nin

g w

ith

the

dead

.Sp

irit

seer

s ar

e so

me

of t

hem

ost

lon

ely

and

sin

iste

r

con

tin

ue

togi

ve s

pec

ialo

rder

s to

othe

r ‘c

rew

ed’ v

esse

ls in

the

fleet

(u

nti

l,of

cou

rse,

you

fai

la

Com

man

dch

eck

wit

hon

eof

the

mas

wel

l).

Dea

thle

ss:

Gho

stsh

ips

requ

ire

non

eof

the

mor

ede

licat

esy

stem

s re

quir

ed t

o su

pp

ort

aliv

ing

crew

,an

d th

eea

sew

ith

whi

ch

the

inte

rred

sp

irit

s m

ove

thro

ugh

out

the

wra

ithb

one

arte

ries

of

the

vess

elm

ean

s th

at e

ven

whe

nba

dly

dam

aged

the

vess

elis

sti

llab

le to

fun

ctio

nef

fect

ivel

y.B

y th

en

orm

alfr

agile

sta

nda

rds

of t

heEl

dar,

Gho

stsh

ips

pre

sen

t a

fair

ly

stu

rdy

pro

pos

itio

n.

Gho

stsh

ips,

u

nlik

eot

her

Elda

r ve

ssel

s,on

ly s

uffe

r a

crit

ical

hit

ona

roll

ofa

6(n

ot a

4,5

or 6

as

is u

sual

ly t

heca

se w

ith

Elda

r ve

ssel

s).

Un

crew

ed:

Sin

ceG

host

ship

s ar

ep

ilote

dby

the

sp

irit

s of

lon

g-de

adEl

dar

war

rior

s, t

heir

cre

ws

are

eith

er s

mal

lor

non

-exi

sten

t.Fo

r th

is r

easo

n:

•G

host

ship

s m

ay

not

co

nta

inAs

pec

t W

arri

or

fight

ing

crew

s.

•G

host

ship

s m

ay n

ot b

ear

med

wit

hla

un

chba

ys.

•G

host

ship

s m

ay n

ot la

un

chbo

ardi

ng

acti

ons,

or h

it-a

nd-

run

atta

cks

ofan

y fo

rm.

•En

emy

boar

din

ga

Gho

stsh

ipga

ina

+1

mod

ifier

in

the

boar

din

gac

tion

,in

addi

tion

to

othe

r m

odifi

ers.

•En

emy

mak

ing

ahi

t-an

d-ru

nat

tack

agai

nst

Gho

stsh

ips

add

+1

to t

heir

dic

e ro

ll.

Gho

stsh

ips

roll

only

hal

f the

nor

mal

nu

mbe

r of

dice

whe

nu

nde

rtak

ing

dam

age

con

trol

in t

heEn

dp

hase

(bef

ore

halv

ing

it a

gain

for

Bla

st m

arke

rs,i

fap

pro

pri

ate)

.

mem

bers

of

acr

aftw

orld

, re

quir

ed,

as t

hey

freq

uen

tly

are,

to

spen

dp

erio

ds

of

tim

eal

on

eab

oar

dG

ho

stsh

ips,

surr

oun

ded

by

not

hin

gm

ore

than

th

e so

uls

of

th

ere

luct

ant

dead

.

USIN

GG

HO

ST

SH

IPS

Gho

stsh

ips

don

ot r

epre

sen

t a

par

ticu

lar

clas

s of

ves

sel,

but

rath

er t

hey

are

thos

e ve

ssel

s w

hich

are

subs

tan

tial

lyco

ntr

olle

dby

sp

irit

sto

nes

,ha

vin

gon

ly a

sm

all

or e

ven

non

-exi

sten

t liv

ing

crew

.The

use

ofG

host

ship

s is

str

ongl

ydi

slik

edby

the

Elda

r, s

ince

it r

equ

ires

dis

turb

ing

the

spir

its

of th

ede

adan

dfo

rcin

g th

em to

ret

urn

once

mor

e to

batt

leth

at t

hey

mig

ht a

id t

heir

livi

ng

kin

.It

is fo

r th

is r

easo

n t

hat

the

vess

els

are

know

nas

G

host

ship

s,

rep

rese

nti

ng

anu

nde

nia

bly

pow

erfu

len

tity

whi

ch s

trad

dles

the

bou

nda

rybe

twee

nlif

ean

dde

ath,

yet

equ

ally

rep

rese

nts

afo

rce

that

the

Elda

r w

ould

be w

ise

tole

ave

un

dist

urb

edin

allb

ut t

hem

ost

dire

ofci

rcu

mst

ance

s.T

heTy

ran

idin

vasi

onan

d th

een

suin

gde

cim

atio

nof

the

pop

ula

tion

mak

eG

host

ship

s an

abho

rren

t n

eces

sity

to

the

Elda

r of

Iyan

den

,how

ever

,an

dth

ey

are

afa

r m

ore

com

mo

nco

mp

on

ent

of

the

Cra

ftw

orld

’s f

leet

s th

an t

heEl

dar

wou

ld w

ish.

Any

vess

elin

anIy

ande

nfle

et m

ay b

eco

nve

rted

to

aG

host

ship

.Gho

stsh

ips

use

the

follo

win

g sp

ecia

l ru

les:

Lead

ersh

ip:

Gho

stsh

ips

have

nor

mal

Elda

r le

ader

ship

.

Spec

ial

Ord

ers:

Gho

stsh

ips

are

able

goon

to

spec

ial

orde

rs i

nju

st t

he s

ame

man

ner

as

othe

r ve

ssel

s,ho

wev

erth

ere

is a

lway

s a

dan

ger

that

the

sp

ectr

alan

dde

athl

ym

ann

er

in

whi

ch

thes

e ve

ssel

s in

tera

ct

wit

h th

e re

alu

niv

erse

will

dist

ract

the

man

d tu

rn t

heir

att

enti

onaw

ayfr

om t

heba

ttle

at h

and.

Ifa

Gho

stsh

ipfa

ils a

Com

man

dch

eck

for

a sp

ecia

lor

der,

it n

ot o

nly

fai

ls t

ogo

onto

the

spec

ial

orde

r,bu

t m

ay a

lso

don

othi

ng

this

tu

rn.

If t

hefa

iled

chec

kis

as

a re

sult

ofa

ttem

pti

ng

togo

onto

Bra

cefo

rIm

pac

t or

ders

at

an

othe

r p

oin

t du

rin

g th

e tu

rn,

the

Gho

stsh

ipm

ay d

on

othi

ng

duri

ng

its

nex

t tu

rnin

stea

d.W

hen

you

fai

laC

omm

and

chec

kfo

r a

Gho

stsh

ip y

ou m

ayn

ot

mak

ean

y fu

rth

er

Co

mm

and

chec

ks

for

oth

erG

host

ship

s du

rin

g th

e sa

me

turn

.Yo

u

may

,ho

wev

er,

“The m

ind

of the

Farseer is u

tterly inh

uman in

its depth

and

complexity. W

itho

ut m

ercy o

r moral feeling

his

consciou

sness stands u

pon

theedge o

f spiritual destruction.

That he

does n

ot fall must be the result of c

onstraints and

balances w

hich

only

an E

ldar c

ould u

nderstand. T

o a mere

human it is ano

ther rem

inder that w

earebu

t ch

ildren in

comparison

to that ancient and

powerful race.

18

Direct attacks against a craftworld are exceedingly rare notleast because, despite their immense size, craftworlds areextremely elusive prey, rarely sighted by non-Eldar.However, when the Tyranid swarms of Hivefleet Krakendescended upon the galaxy, they did so in such numbersthat Iyanden could not help but cross their path and in sodoing find itself in the greatest peril of its history…

FORCESBoth fleets are of equal points. The defender (Eldar) doesnot spend extra points on planetary defences – these areincluded in the special rules for the craftworld instead(see below). Since the attackers are Tyranids, they do notgain any extra transport models (since all Tyranid shipsare ‘transports’ in effect), but if you want to replay thisscenario with another attacker, they may take two freetransports for every 500 points (or part) in his fleet.

BATTLEZONEA craftworld assault normally takes place in the system’sprimary biosphere, outer reaches or in deep space, sincethese are the regions through which craftworld’s mostcommonly travel. Declare one table edge as sunward andset up other celestial phenomena as normal.

THE CRAFTWORLDIn this scenario, the craftworld is considered to be the targetof an attack, in the same manner as a planet would be in aplanetary assault. The Tyranid assault of Hive Fleet Krakentargetted Iyanden, which is a very large craftworld (about25cm in diameter). However, if you are refighting thisscenario with another craftworld as the target, or if youwant to introduce some degree of randomness into thegame, you can always vary the size of the craftworld, or rollon a dice: 1 = small (no more than 15cm) , 2-5 = medium(no more than 20cm, 6 = large (no more than 30cm).Craftworlds follow all the rules for planets, since theirimmense size means they create their own gravity wells, etc.Small craftworlds have a gravity well of 10cm, mediumcraftworlds of 15cm and large craftworlds of 20cm.

The craftworld is placed no more than 150cm from one ofthe short table edges. Whilst craftworlds do actually travelthrough space, their progress is so remarkably slow thatduring the course of a battle they will exhibit no noticeablemovement, and hence the models themselves do not move,in just the same way as planets do not move during a battle,despite their actual movement in orbit of the nearest star.

Craftworlds are not surrounded by moons or rings, anddo not have planetary defences. Instead, individual areasof the craftworld provide defences, by means of pulselaser arrays aimed into stay, attack craft patrols and so on.In the particular case of Iyanden, these roles are fulfilledby two areas – the Fortress of Tears, and the Fortress of theRed Moon. Whilst other craftworlds may vary in theirdefences, you can safely use the following rules asstandard for all craftworlds.

Fortress of Tears & Fortress of the Red MoonBoth these fortresses are designed to repel invaders fromIyanden, utilising powerful but indirect plasma shots todisrupt and scatter any enemy which manage to evade thecraftworld’s cruiser patrols. At full effect the fortresses aredesigned to act as defence for the entire eastern andwestern halves of the craftworld respectively. Each timean Assault Point is ‘landed’ on the craftworld (ie, a newAssault Point is scored), roll a dice. On a score of a 4 ormore, one of the fortresses damages the attacking wave soheavily that the landing is essentially ineffective and noAssault Point is scored.

The fortresses also allow the craftworld to repel ships inlow orbit. During the Eldar player’s Shooting phase, thefortresses unleash one pulsar lance shot against eachvessel on the Low Orbit table.

However, there is always the danger that the fortressesthemselves will fall. During each End phase, roll one dicefor each Assault Point already scored on the craftworld. Ifany of these score a ‘6’ the fortresses are damaged, andthe chance of destroying enemy Assault Points, or scoringa hit on ships in low orbit, is reduced by 1 (ie, to a 5+ thefirst time, then to a 6+, then they are destroyedcompletely). No matter how many 6s are rolled, only asingle –1 reduction can apply in each End phase.

SET-UPThe defender can choose to place ships and squadronseither on patrol or on standby in high orbit, or within thecraftworld’s gravity. Roll a D6 for each defendingship/squadron (except Shadowhunters, see below) onpatrol: on a 1-3 the attacker may set up the ship/squadron,on a 4-6 the defender may set it up.

150cm

DefendersDeployment

Defen

ders D

eplo

ymen

t

30cm

CRAFTWORLD ASSAULT

Fan03_06-19 3/4/04 7:31 Page 18

19

ships and planetary defences. Deduct -1 Assault Point forevery 500 Victory Points (rounding up) scored by thedefender. Look up the adjusted Assault Point total on thetable below:

Total assault points Result

0-1 Defender’s VictoryThe attacking forces achieved almostnothing. The pitiful amount of assaultingtroops that reached the craftworld willbe quickly annihilated.

2-5 Defender’s Marginal WinThe assaulting forces are prevented frommaking a substantial landing on thecraftworld. Nonetheless, enemydetachments will now have to be hunteddown and destroyed.

6-9 Attacker’s Marginal WinThe assault dropped enough troops, etc,to capture a large part of the craftworld’sresources. Ongoing battles for control ofthe world will rage for months, evenyears.

10+ Attacker’s VictoryThe attackers succeeded in sweepingaside the defending forces and stagingdecisive landings at key points all overthe craftworld. Within a few weeks ofmopping up, the attackers will havecomplete control of the planet.

Ships on patrol may be set up anywhere that is not within30cm of a table edge or within an area of celestialphenomena. The defender always decides the facing ofships, regardless of who set them up. The attacker deployshis fleet within 15cm of the short table edge furthest fromthe planet. You will also need a separate low orbit table.

Shadowhunter PatrolsShadowhunters are quite simply the most nimble patrolvessels in the galaxy, and so must always be set-up onpatrol, but no dice roll is required, and they are alwaysdeployed by the defender.

FIRST TURNThe players roll a D6. Whoever got the highest may takeeither the first or second turn.

SPECIAL RULESAttacking ships must move within 30cm of the craftworldtable edge (which obviously replaces the planet edge) onthe low orbit table to send troops to the surface andbombard enemy positions. Remember that, since theattackers are most likely Tyranids, you should follow thespecial scenario considerations for Tyranids, as presentedin Armada. However, should you wish to vary theattackers, the following basic rules apply:

For each turn an attacking capital ship spends within30cm of the craftworld edge, the attacker scores 1 AssaultPoint. For each turn an attacking transport spends within30cm of the craftworld edge, the attacker scores 2 AssaultPoints. A ship deploying troops or bombarding thecraftworld may not do anything else that turn.

GAME LENGTHThe game lasts until one fleet is destroyed or disengages,or the attacker has scored 10 or more Assault Points.

VICTORY CONDITIONSAdd up the Assault Points earned by the attacker and add+1 to the total for every 500 Victory Points (roundingdown) scored by the attacker for destroying or crippling

Matt is preparing for Editorial dutieson issue 4, as Andy will be out of theoffice for a while. This is on top ofworking on version 2 of BFG!

Expect to see more Doom of the Eldarnext issue including Yriel’s flagship!

www.BattlefleetGothic.com

Author

FurtherInformationWebsite

A group of Shadowhunters give chase.