I was thinking a little about what type of space pirates to use in a Deathwatch campaign I'm planning. I'm now working out the details on my Dark Heresy campaign I posted about some time ago, but I thought that I should get the ball moving for a Deathwatch campaign, which in honestly I'm more confinced I will find players for. The main ideaI is that the Tau have undermined and then outright annexed a swath of Imperial space with support from Xenophiles among the general population, Adeptus Terra and PDF forces. The Imperial respons to this is a "minor" crusade to take it back, it causes lots of chaos and raiders and pirates sweep in to take advantage of it, and so the players will be assigned, among other things, to guard the supply lines and protect the civilian population by hunting down these raiders.

Therefor I'm asking the forum which types of pirates and raiders could work? I'm having thoughts about Orks, Space Ghouls (my creation for a debased form of abhumans/mutants) and a take on Lovecraft's Flying Polyps. But even more so I would like to try out Eldar pirates. The question is of course what Eldar pirates want and do? Are they just like pirates in stealing stuff or is there some other Eldar-esque unknown agenda? Or it be a better choice Eldar strike force out for some hidden objectives work better? I'm a bit scared about throwing to much into, what is essentially a side track in concern to the war against the Tau, but I would still like to have it flesh out and give my players a taste of something beside the Tau and Xenophile traitors to fight.

Oddly enough I'm about to use some Eldar in my DW game and just started using dark eldar in my DH campaign. If you go with Eldar corsairs, it could be something as mundane as grabbing booty and such. Although I'd rather go with something that at least appears mysterious at first. Perhaps it's one of those if we don't act some horrible thing will happen way down the line plans. Which is actually what I have in my DW game. The eldar are trying to stop/kill an Ordo Xenos inquisitor before he becomes radical, then heretical, then unintentionally summons a greater daemon into the Calixis Sector.

The other option would be Dark Eldar, there are stats for them and their equipment in Dark Heresy (specifically Purge The Unclean) as well as some of the Rogue Trader books. If you go with DE it's pretty much straightforward raiding for slaves and causing general mayhem. Of course if you don't find info on the DE you like, just throw some spikes and evilness on regular eldar and you're pretty much set. I forget who did it, but The Children of Isha fanmade stuff is excellent for eldar stats on general and specialised troops.

Thank you for your comment.

The Dark Eldar were acually my first choice but since I didn't want to spend money on buy books just to get them and I had the Childre of Isha pdf I picked the Eldar instead. While it would be tempting to make some Dark Eldar I don't feel totally in the water to use them as I'm a bit lacking in the fluff and stuff about them.

Having the Eldar be after some occult objective is certainly a traditional way but so is also the idea of having them more like reavers. Or a combination thereof. The idea of them trying to kill or manipulate the Imperials usually works and I think that I will pick it. The Eldar's involvement could even be a mix between secret manipulation of the future, reaving and also revenge.

First the Eldar comes with the twin targets of making sure the crusade isn't to successful, because that will lead to one of the commander being promoted and thus lead a strike force to come upon and purge a few Maiden World populated by Exodites OR that it will lead to a new major crusade against the Tau that results in both sides being weakened so that the Tyranids can arrive to strike down and consume vast number of systems and perhaps doom the entire galaxy. And some normal pirate stuff with plunder from the Imperials and Tau alike. Then as the game progresses the Kill-Team might come to kill several Eldars that makes the Eldar leader take personal interest in seeking revenge upon the humans beyond the need to alter the future or take loot. Which could either work make sure that the Eldar continue to operate and hinder the Imperials - or make for a long term antagonist against the Kill-Team who can show up with his troops to make life painful for the Space Marines.