It's only a copy-paste from Raiders for the moment but I'll add to it as time goes on.
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The Dark Eldar should play even more fragile than the Eldar Craftworld armies. Your staple units are light vehicles and subject to AP and AT fire, so expect them to die when hit, despite the 4+ armor. At the same time the dark kin have tools that are extremely powerful, from the drop capacity of the Executor to the Wyches assault armor value.  Playing the Dark Eldar should feel like playing dirty poker - lots of tricks up your sleeves but if you get caught you have four burly cowboys beating you to a pulp.

Whatever you accomplish you need to do quickly because the Dark Eldar lack staying power. To achieve victory you need to strike hard on turn 1 and keep that momentum going without standing toe-to-toe.  If opportunity to strike on turn 1 doesn't manifest, it is best to stay well hidden and in cover while you wait for turn 2.  Even the Tormentor titan may find itself stripped of its invaluable shadowfields and facing a grim second activation.  Only a few units can manage to absorb fire from the enemy; most notably would be Talos, Perditors, and the Executor.  Don't forget that shadowfields provide an automatic -1 cover modifier, something that will save your most precious investments from certain destruction.

Hit-and-run tactics should dominate your game play. Use the Fleet of Foot special rule to set up crossfires and support your assaults.  Reducing your opponent's armor rolls will be advantageous and supporting fire quite often helps turn assaults in your favor.  High activations may help you achieve this goal and there are plenty of fast moving expendable formations to develop such a list.

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author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.

Resurrect!

I haven't seen too much in the way of Dark Eldar tactica around the forums, and am trying to design a 3000 point list to mess around with. Right now it's looking like this:

525 - 3x Kabal Flotilla with Sybarites  
450 - 2x Kabal Syndicates with Sybarites
325 - 1x Kabal Syndicate with Sybarite, Archon
450 - 2x Scourge Flights
450 - 3x Corsairs
500 - 2x Vessels of Pain

The whole mindset behind this list is to really present minor targets everywhere, while having enough formations that simple heavy volume of fire will break the nastiest enemy formations. It would focus on Break Their Spirit and Blitz as the two easiest-to-achieve objectives. The Archon would hopefully make up for an important activation failure.

However, after putting it on paper, I started to worry. I'm thinking in terms of the Craftworld Eldar rolling assaults, and I don't think these guys can really handle it, as no singular unit really has much staying power. So I'd really be left with doubling again and again versus a single unit, firing and running away so it accumulates a ton of blast markers with any casualties caused being bonus. The Ravagers look to be decent little tank hunters, but I had initially added them to the list for the support they could provide in assault, but they're so fragile it'd almost be an "eggs in one basket" approach. I took the Corsairs so as to provide something that couldn't be destroyed while blasting warmachines to bits, and the Vessels of Pain seemed to be a little tougher as a unit than the Titan route, while being a decent all-rounder war engine.

So... the big question is, how do people really use these guys?

Try to create a synergy with Webway portals, air/space drop assaults, teleports and deadly support fire. Use cover, skimmer and high movement a lot to your advantage. I have some limited experience with the list in play, but generally, I've come to the conclusion that you can't treat the DE as a stand up and fight army. Like Moscovian says, you have to cheat, all the time. Doubling back and forth, nibbling at the enemy won't do you much good, unless this is part of a plan that will unleash "unfair" assaults at the target.

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"Don't use finesse, if force will solve the problem."

- Lieutenant General Michael O'Neal

That list has no AA at all.

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http://www.troublemakergames.co.uk/
Epic: Hive Development Thread

You're absolutely right. I actually always forget about AA. Is there a "magic number" most people use?

Howdy Eypeash,

AA is a problem if for no other reason that your Light Vehicles are major victims of aircraft, specifically Thunderbolts.  What you can normally hide in or behind terrain has no hope to hide from aircraft.  So your Ravagers (which are most useful) will most certainly be amongst the first targets to be wiped out.  You should bring at least one formation of Ravens to protect yourself, perhaps two if your opponent tends to go heavy on AA.  Of course, I was at a tournament once where zero of eight participants brought aircraft.  You never know.

There are a few other things I was surprised not to see on your list:

Kashnarak.  For 50 points, it is an opportunity to scare the living daylights out of an unfamiliar opponent.  As players get more accustomed to the thing it will be less of an asset but for now I'd say bring one.


Wraithgate.  It is one of those things that -unless you have a very specific plan for your point allocation- I would always bring one.

You are smart to drop Sybarites in the small flotilla formations as it helps them shed their BMs, but remember also you can hide them in the webway.  If your opponent is not astute enough to pick up on this fact, the placement of objectives at setup may easily go in your favor, leaving you to give the flotillas the ultimate in cover: not being on the board.  

If you like the lance shots from the Ravagers, one of the best places to purchase them is as add-ons to your Syndicates.  At 50 points for one, they are a steal.  You may want to consider the larger flotillas, however, as they will be able to absorb power shots without breaking.  Just throwing it out there.

Don't be fooled by the Scourges firepower.  Unless they can get cover, those 6+ armor saves won't help that formation enough.  They are a good formation to have as a one-off, not as a staple.  If you are looking for deep strike killers try the Mandrakes out.  I've had some good success with them.  Dwarf Supreme lost his Ordinatus to them on the first activation, forgetting that the Mandrakes could teleport.

If you can manage these things and still bring the Corsairs, then by all means try it. I am curious to see how well they work.

I am interested in seeing what you eventually do.

_________________
author of Syncing Forward and other stories...

It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.