...of seeing them as player characters in the humanly foreseeable future? I was stoked when I heard that there would be two aliens in Into the Storm, and more than a bit miffed that cannibal and mushroom got the spots. But the future doesn't look bright for the Eldar either:

Q4 2010, Edge of the Abyss: No way.

Q4 2010, The Warpstorm Triology: Adventure with new career path? That's something I only know from Pathfinder so far.

Q1 2011, Battlefleet Koronus: Will probably have a few Eldar ships and a bunch of great rules for player ships. Playable Eldar? No way.

Q2 2011, Hostile Acquisitions: Well, it is among other things about piracy, so there is an extremely slim chance for an Eldar raider career......

Q3 2011, Xenos Compendium: From the text I would say a very small chance for new Eldar careers but bigger than that in Hostile Acquisitions....

Any opinions or rumours?

I've not seen Eldar PC rules yet, and I don't know if they're in the works or not, but then I've not seen everything that's lined up for RT yet, so it may be coming at some point.

There certainly has been much demand for Eldar PCs, since Dark Heresy came out.

It would be nice to see them, ratlings and ogryn as PCs. But you may wind up getting Eldar in any of the three games so who knows.

MILLANDSON said:

Peacekeeper_b said:

Ogryns and Ratlings would be cool too, I guess the optimal place for them would be Only War for Dark Heresy. Eldar would fit in both, Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader, even though DH missed the best opportunities (Radical's Handbook *cough*), and RT has at least started introducing xenos, including rules for "sacntioned xenos". I guess we will never ever see one of them in Deathwatch.

Well, I think creating the mindset for a xenos race to be played and offering guidelines to do so will be a tedious task. Because we are human how to think like a xenos? Fascinating though.

A ranger or some sort of generic corsair career would be pretty cool and in line with the mercenary xeno careers that are already out. The release schedule being what it is, I doubt we'd see anything along those lines before 2012, as which the world's supposed to end, or magic's supposed to come back, or something. I'll settle either for playable Eldar career in RT or Shadowrun.

Any book that featured Eldar career paths I would purchase immediately.

As much as I would love to see a book which allows Eldar player characters, there are some issues. First, the Eldar paths, while suited for the DH/RT/DW advancement system, might seem odd when Eldar pcs advance too quickly. It might be fine to take the guardian path, but would that lead to the warrior path, and hence Striking Scorpians, Swooping Hawks, Crystal Dragons, etc? Additionally, how rapidly would you allow players to advance given the very lengthy lifespan of the eldar; one doesn't become an Exarch very soon (although, it is conceivable that a pc could indulge too much in love of war and so become caught in that path). Second, eldar can change paths, such as an instance when a character in a book (Path of the Warrior) went from the artist's path to the warrior. Therefore, is it not inconceivable a pc could jump from warrior to seer path? I don't think the current advancement system would allow that. Then again, there could be a workaround. Third, the 40k setting uses the idea of 'the alien' for thematic purposes - if anything, to encourage the atmosphere and the reality of the Imperium's xenophobia/hatred of the xenos. Allowing alien xenos goes against that. But RT already allows Kroot and Ork pcs.

Personally, I believe FFGs are going to release a core rulebook within three years, and follow White Wolf's example with the new World of Darkness. That way they can retool the rules and then release books specific for DH/RT and DW. Each book then adding talents and gear, etc. They could easily release an alien/daemon compendium, so we don't have the current spread of foes across so many books. Anyway, I am getting off topic. I think an eldar expansion book in the vein of the above titles could work.

Mmmm not sure that an eldar mercenary would be in keeping with Rogue Trader.

My reasoning is thus:

Craftworld Eldar? No. They are all fixated on one path or another. And unless the eldar have a "hobbnobbing with the filthy monkeigh" path I doubt that they would consider working for a human. I can think of in the fluff of only one occasion were the eldar hung about with a rogue trader (the novel farseer) and in that book they hired HIM, as well as spending a great deal bitching and sneering how primitive and savage they were, especially the bodyguard to the Farseer who believed hiring them was a waste of time. And they were the "open minded ones" who even considered hitching a ride with the men. I think Craftworld Eldar hiring themselves to Rogue Trader would be almost unheard of and a allliance would be unheard of

Dark Eldar? Hiring themselves to....cattle?

This leaves:

Corsairs, Exdites, Pathfinder/rangers, harlequins

In the original RT (late 80's) the eldar were more flexible and described as fickle alien mercenaries for whoever could hire them. In a sense the corsairs fit that description. But I think that you could only hire entire ships worth. They are more likely to arrange their own affairs on their own ships than hang out as part of the Rogue Trader's crew.

Exodites....Possibly, though these were the Eldar that chose to isolate themselves from the rest of the Eldar so that they wouldnt be led astray by things such as power or profit.

Pathfinders/ Rangers are more ameanable. Simply because they have chosen to wander the universe and i can imagine that in their wanderlust they would possibly hitch a ride with a Rogue Trader especially since their explorer nature coincides a lot with what a Rogue Trader does.

But the most possible I believe would be a Harlequin. Yes I know they answer only to the laughing God but hear me out.

In the novel Farseer the Eldar are apprehensive about travelling with a rogue Trader. As the Navigator finds out there is a reason they rarely travel with humans. They are terrified of the warp. Infact in the novel they view travelling with the rogue trader in their primitive ship with a geller field madness, because as it was written in the novel the warp 'is especially drawn to the Eldar'. Thats why on Imperial ships they constantly screen for nascent psykers because it could all go horribly wrong. This would be enough to to put off 99.9% of the eldar who rather than travel in a dodgy monkeigh ship would use the webway. No amount of mere profit is worth hiring yourself out to a human if there is there is an increased possibility of your immortal soul to be consumed by slaanesh and you be concious while it happens. In Farseer the Eldar had no choice because the Maiden world had its webways sealed off and they were acting against orders.

Harlequins famously however are immune from the depradtions of Slaanesh.

"Harlequins must pass a trial known only as The Ritual upon initiation into a Harlequin band. This ritual is said to free the Harlequins of Slaanesh's claim on Eldar souls. This is why Harlequins do not wear waystones, and do not have to endure the tiring soul-draining that other Eldar endure when in the Webway for prolonged periods of time." (From Lexicanum)

So common Eldar get Soul Drained when in the webway where they are safe....can you imagine what its does to them in a warp capable ship?

No....It has to be harlequins. Only ones that can handle it...and considering their free wheeling nature fits in with Rogue Traders quite nicely.

The only problem is that when most people think of the eldar, they think of aspect warriors, guardians and seers. I think Harlequins are too niche. While I do not think that they shouldn't be pcs, I think that they shouldn't be the only ones.

Wilfred Owen said:

True but thesame could be said of Orks. Most kids know orks as being Goffs Bad Moons Snakebites etc...etc.. rather than Freebooter who were themselves niche. Even the Kroot in Into the Storm are atypical because they do not follow the greater good like the majority of their kind. Rogue Traders because of their nature tend to attact those that are trully 'niche', outcasts, wanderers and weirdos, being on the fringes of the imperium and all that. Besides even harlequins have massive subdivisions that can be played with:

Mimes, Great Harlequins, Death Jesters, Solitaires, Shadowseers. etc etc. You could build it that after they have undergone their first ritual in casting out Slaanesh they have to wander for anumber of years to find their true part to play in a harlequin troupe, and many find the wide range of experiences on a Rogue Trader vessel perfect for their inner journey of self discovery.

Captain Harlock said:

Agreed, but I think the ork careers we have are diverse enough and generic for orks. Harlequins are pretty specific; a troupe of 'dancers' with quite an exotic appearance. Again, I do not say we shouldn't have them in the game; but there should be more variety - perhaps, rangers/pathfinders, an aspect or two.

But I would love to play a Solitaire

Wilfred Owen said:

Lol...It would be great wouldn't it, I think thats probably the niche Harlequin one that doesn't need to be included. Soooo powerfull that even GW has retired it from the minature game (I think). Rangers/Pathfinder....yes I can see it, though an explanation would be needed for why the wouldn't fear travelling in what they would consider a primitive death trap of a ship. Aspect warriors....trying to figure out which of the warrior aspects would fit in with a Rogue Trader. Might be one for FF to see if they can twist GW arm in allowing a aspect of the bloody handed God to be created especially.

Angry Badger aspect warrior anyone? (Aspect of the warrior that travels in darkness of the void?)

Captain Harlock said:

LOL! I want to see that aspect in the next codex, along with the Destructive Slime Mould aspect.

I'm certain that, if they did Eldar PCs, they'd be Outcasts/Rangers/Pathfinders. They're the only ones really to be anywhere near common enough, and independent enough, to be around to join up with a Rogue Trader.

Wilfred Owen said:

Somehow I doubt it, though If you want I create some power clawed fiend in black carapace armour with a striped helmet and say it was a warrior aspect temple lost deep in the expanse that for obvious reasons never caught on in the eldar craftworlds. Beauty of the Koronus expanse is that crackpot ideas like this are almost plausable.

Is that a slipped hint Millardson? Or Wishfull musings?

Captain Harlock said:

As I said before, I've not seen or heard anything about Eldar PC rules, so I've got nothing to hint with. That was just my general opinion on the matter

Maybe I'm alone here, but I'd throw a dozen sourcebooks filled with Eldar rules straight into the trash for ten seconds of perusing a book with Hrud careers and ships.

Personally I would go with the two types from Inquisitor, Eldar Rangers and Eldar Pirates (of course both can have been anything that isn't stuck on a path before leaving the craftworld, even though Yriel was an Autarch who became a pirate...). While Eldar are afraid for their souls it never hindered them to risk them in pointless fighting ("Those are our maiden worlds mon-keigh! We are dying out and will never again be enough to settle them, but they are ours, DIE, DIE, DIE!") and since the webway is slowly breaking down traversing the warp is the only way to reach some destinations. Harlequins may be immune to Slaanesh's soulsucking, but they have barely any reason to travel with a Rogue Trader for more than a mission and they are bound to their troupe like a Space Marine to his squad.

Mjoellnir said:

True, but as I said there could be a interim period before they fully join their troupe where they might be given some leeway. Besides which they are not as aloof as the other eldar. Though I get what you mean in that so far they have never been spotted individually away from their troupe (except for solitaires who being souless pariahs stand apart from the troupe and appear and disappear at will, blending in with eldar society until opportune moments)

Thematically of course Corsairs/pirates and Pathfinders make more sense, though more so pathfinders as they are motivated by exploration and adventure, while I doubt that there would be anything a Corsair would want from a Rogue Trader except for slaves.

Captain Harlock said:

Careful, Eldar Pirates =/= Dark Eldar. It's just the dumb mon-keigh who don't get the difference. Pirates are usually Craftworld Eldar on the path of the outcast like rangers but on a larger scale. The best example from current fluff is Yriel who went into exile with a lot of his soldiers when he was demoted after a victory against the forces of chaos. What a single pirate would want from a Rogue Trader depends one the pirate. Maybe he wants to learn about humans, maybe the Rogue Trader saved his life, maybe he wants to make sure that the Rogue Trader doesn't do anything dumb like stirring up a tomb world full of Necrons, or he searches for a lost Eldar world where you can't travel to via webway anymore. The possibilities are legion.