Have a read through the new Dark Eldar codex, as it helps set them apart from their more apathetic and or wandering kin. That plus the write up on the children of the thorns is really all you should need to make them distinct from the other three eldar factions operating in the expanse.

There's also some information on the GW specialist games website in their battlefleet gothic section, including special weapons we're not likely to see RT conversions for until the Xenos book comes out.

I know it's not as ideal as having all of it laid out in one book for the system you're using, but it's probably better in the long run for you to peruse as much information as you can.

George Labour said:

As an aside, the new Dark Eldar codex is fantastic and really changes both the feel and the lore of the Dark Eldar and makes them much more fae-like and distinct from Craftworld Eldar.

George Labour said:

So...rather than have all the info I need given to me in a Rogue Trader book, you know, part of the franchise I'm interested in buying into, I should go out and buy more Games Workshop crap to get my info out of?

Fortinbras said:

Maybe you should give FFG some time. They have a grueling publishing schedule already, and it's no mean task to: a) convert more than 20 years of GW lore, units, gear, etc. into the RPG system, b) write up the fluff on races such as Dark Eldar in the region of space that FFG uses in the RPG. And if you really want Dark Eldar stuff, then get Purge the Unclean book. Or use player-made material on Darkreign40k.com.

Fortinbras said:

Its a big universe.

Razorboy said:

I'm not complaining, I think their output is fine. "Buy the Dark Eldar codex" isn't a good reply to those who feel that their current description is wanting, though. Games Workshop materials are just as expensive as FFG releases. Also, Games Worskhop books are severely lacking in enough backstory material for those of us who don't use premade modules.

I would however recommend resources like Lexicanum to supplement areas where Rogue Trader hasn't made it to yet.

Fortinbras said:

I didn't say you should buy the Dark Eldar codex, I merely said that it was actually very good, especially as far as codices go (on which point I agree with your complaint about the average GW product). And, by the way, it addresses your complaint about GW products as it has plenty of backstory materials, as well as information on funky new DE gear, Wracks, and other beasties and whatnot. Purge the Unclean, which I already mentioned, not only has the stats for Dark Eldar, but it also has stats for Warp Beasts, DE gear, as well as other non-DE related stuff, in case you don't want to buy GW material and would rather buy FFG material instead.

Who said you had to buy anything? You don't, if you're fine with adapting what you know to what you want to do.

However, if you want the 'official' fluff including loads of background information, stories, illustrations, etc then you're going to have to dig deeper than one or two books for one game line. That means you're at least going to have to do some googling if you don't want to visit a real store and maybe read some of the other books available.

As it stands the Dark Eldar Codex is a good read if you're interested in their desires, methods, history and whatnots. It makes them out as something other than BDSM eldar who live in nightmares and even provides potential adventure ideas for all three of FFG's game lines.

Let's face it, 40k grows on a weekly basis, and there's no way one can expect all of that to be compressed into an easy acess resource. At best you get the various wikis which contain the bare minimum of information you might want. But that often lacks the 'flavoring' a book or even an official article might provide.

OT a bit i know but people are discussing it.I dont play TT but some times the lore aint to bad.I bought the ork one but thats because orks fascinate me.So my question is,is the Dark eldar codex worth getting for the fluff alone.They seem very 2d at the moment so does it fill out they're purpose i suppose is the best word i can think of(bit cheeky to use 2d as an ork fan but i just kinda get orks and would like to more understand DE)

I pretty much dislike the eldar for a great many reasons and I still admit the lore and fluffy bits of the codex are very interesting. They're still evil elves who pillage, ****, and murder but they added a bit more to them thant just evil psychos.

The artwork is also particularly nice, especially the one for the Scourges, which are a DE messenger caste that have wings grafted onto their backs so they can go on an Icarus and Daedalus style quest to become one with the skies of their nightmare kingdom.

I'd suggest having a flip through in a store before you make a final decision on it, but it's possibly one of the most evocative 40k army book I've seen.

douglas9521 said:

I'd say yes. The original (circa 1999) DE codex was a joke, as it introduced a race and had little or no formal background for them at all.

The new Codex however is excellent, the best GW have done in a while. It's well thought through, well written, and really makes the Dark Eldar hang together in a coherent fashion. Recommended.

Cheers for help guys(another thing on the list of to buys )I remember flicking through the old one and thinking how it had nothing of value if you didnt play TT.So i'll try and browse it then decide.

Will this book have more on fighters and small craft?

And will it have only 'marco rules' (ie sending dozens of squads to fight in an abstract way) or detailed dog fighting rules for a handful of craft?

And, most importantly, will it have lots of pretty fighters, gunships, shuttles and boarding craft for me to drool over?

No clue but I'd wager they'll have stats for the three types used in battlfleet gothic, and you'll need to use the vehicle rules from Into the Storm for more personal scale dogfights with them. The hangar bay component will likely abstract their use, possibly with a special rule for letting a void master take the lead of some of them.

But that's just me guessing, I don't know anymore than you do.

George Labour said:

Bear in mind that stats for Fury-class Interceptors are already in Into the Storm; so at least some of the tools to engage in such dogfights are available. You'd need a few other starfighters (I'm tempted to write up a few, for different factions and species) and the like, but the groundwork (that is, the vehicle rules) are already there.