(Lion in the Stars @ Aug. 10 2006,21:14)
QUOTE
If the power-up the Tau got is any indication of what the Eldar codex will be, the Eldar are going to be nasty. ?'Their arrogance is matched only by their firepower' indeed. ?The changes seem to be more making the Aspect warriors the core of the army, with Guardians as support. ?If you've played Eldar in 3rd edition, the Aspect powers are getting changed, to affect the whole squad, rather than just the Exarch. ?
The Autarch is coming to 40k, and he's a super-aspect warrior (but not an Exarch). ?He's trod many Paths of the Warrior, but has not succumbed to the siren call of the Exarch. ?He has access to Aspect wargear, but not Exarch powers. ?Mandiblaster + Banshee Mask + Fusion gun + powerblades = Death. ?
All the random hit weapons have been changed to average hit#, and the Starcannon has been tweaked (lost one shot, down to 2). ?Shuricannon has 3 shots, Scatterlaser has 4. ?Pulse Laser has 2 shots. ?The 'bank shot' of Fire Prisms is back. ?I believe that all the heavy weapon platforms have been re-priced. ?Also, the Support Weapons have been re-worked as well. ?D-cannon is now a longer-ranged wraithcannon (Wounds on a 2+, Dead outright, regardless of wounds on a 6), but is still Guess-range.
There are more options in each section of the Force Org chart. ?(Jetbikes are Troops, so that a Saim-Hann army isn't 18 Vypers.) ?Harlequins are an Elites choice. ?The best part (and worst part) is that there aren't any more no-brainer choices... Except maybe a set of 3 WarWalkers with Starcannon and Scatter Laser (since taking 2 identical weapons gives you a twin-linked weapon now).
I'd like to start Eldar, but I still don't paint well enough to do them justice yet.
A quick review of 40k armies:
Marines (Chaos & Loyal): ?Everybody's got some, good all-around troops, but are outclassed in one area by the specialists in the other armies. ?Recommended for a starter army.
IG: ?Want lots of guys, backed up by a platoon of Tanks? ?Here's the army for you.
Inquisitorial: ?The 'Hunters' armies are somewhere between Marines and IG, and can take both. ?Grey Knight Termies are the best Termies in the game, but the models are really expensive (both $$ and points).
Tyranids: ?You can build 3 different bug armies: ?Stealers, 'Nidzilla, and mixed. ?Right now, even mix seems to be the weakest. ?I've watched a 'Nidzilla army (2 Hive Tyrants, 5 Carnifexes, 3 Zoanthropes, and Stealers to fill the points) outshoot my Tau. ?Lots of Genestealers will scare the crap out of anyone, and I can bring a max of 83+Broodlord (most 1850 armies will run 60 or so).
Tau: ?The Tau shoot. ?A lot. ?Just don't expect to survive if someone gets into CC with you. ?There's a couple different army compositions out there. ?Static Fire Warrior gunlines, 'Fish of Fury' (mechanized FW), and the Crisis horde. ?Fish of Fury is probably the most effective, but I like my crisis suits. ?Tau are very combined-arms. ?One of the best basic warriors in the game, but FW need other units to be most effective.
Eldar: ?I've covered the 'confirmed rumor' changes above. ?Eldar are a finesse army, and must be used together in concert.
Dark Eldar: ?Less Finesse than Eldar, faster than Eldar, nastier in CC than Eldar. ?Much more fragile than Eldar, too.
Orks: ?The Barbarian Horde. ?Mad Max meets Viking raiders. ?Bring lots of Boyz, you'll need them.
Thanks Lion, very nice summary of the 40k current universe.
Like the idea of an autarch in 40k not just E:A
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). I think I even have a Chapter Banner design lying around somewhere in my archives. 
Only ?5 was a good deal.