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Do all craft world look the same or all have different designs?

How big are they and do they have weapons?

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg227/ShasO_A/wh40k/Craftworld_game.jpg

Nope, not all craftworlds have the same design. They probably had a similar design when they were first built oh....10,000 years ago, but in that time the add ons that the Eldar have put on as well as damage sustained has made each craftworld look different from all the rest. So far, (iirc) the only craftworld we have seen an image of is Iyaden. The other craftworlds probably have the same generic design characteristics but will look quite different.

Craftworld's are massive craft, being easily able to house the Eldar fleet. Each craftworld is probably comparable to a good sized planetoid in terms of size. I think they do have weapons, but I can't be entirely sure. The craftworld itself has been heavily implied as being sentient thanks to the Infinity Circuit.

Also, as they are constructed of Wraithbone (which grows), and as they are self-aware, surely they grow extra bits and bobs of their own accord.

As for weapons, I once saw a picture of a craftworld and couldn't see any weapons, but that's not surprising given it's size. For one thing is has a sizable defensive fleet, and for another thing, due to its size, any guns it has would not be so much gun ports on a ship, as defence lasers on the surface of a planet.
That said, I don't doubt most craftworlds have several nasty surprises tucked away here and there!

A Craftworld can range in size from a city to a Moon.

A full out Craftworld apparently dwarfs an Eldar Void Stalker (not sure on the exact size of one of those, but it gives a comparison). The exact size difference I read (page 8 of the Necron Codex) was to compare Void Stalkers to a Craftworld is "like minnows to a leviathan".

I think that each craft world has a simular over all layout but I expect that they all look quite diffrentn due to the eldar in diffrent craftworlds specializing in diffrent areas.

They would most likely have weapons even though their primary purpose is not to attack or participate in an attack.

There was a craftworld in Battlefleet gothic (can't remember if it was custom or not). It was super-ginormous. Had two bases!

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was a craftworld in Battlefleet gothic....it was the table they were playing the game on.

Quote fixed for correct scale.

s.j.mccartney wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was a craftworld in Battlefleet gothic....it was the table they were playing the game on.

Quote fixed for correct scale.

The one they had was probably one of the "small" city sized ones. IIRC it couldn't even turn.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

s.j.mccartney wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was a craftworld in Battlefleet gothic....it was the table they were playing the game on.

Quote fixed for correct scale.

The one they had was probably one of the "small" city sized ones. IIRC it couldn't even turn.

Yes, and to get 2 light years behind the location they were in, they had to circle the whole Universe (assuming it's circular in 40k), taking roughly...errrrrr...12490210423223423423 billion years maybe?

aka_tizz wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

s.j.mccartney wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:There was a craftworld in Battlefleet gothic....it was the table they were playing the game on.

Quote fixed for correct scale.

The one they had was probably one of the "small" city sized ones. IIRC it couldn't even turn.

Yes, and to get 2 light years behind the location they were in, they had to circle the whole Universe (assuming it's circular in 40k), taking roughly...errrrrr...12490210423223423423 billion years maybe?

huh? No I'm not saying they can't actually turn. Just not within the scope of BFG game. Its like reloading a manticore. I think craftwords can actually go through the webway somehow and pop up anywhere.

I'd imagine that the Craftworlds are shaped however the Bonesinger making it damn well pleases.

Afaik a Craftworld is shaped by the culture of the Eldar that inhabit it, so no, they wouldn't all look the same; for example i imagine Biel-Tan to be much more of a fortress than a Craftworld that focuses on art rather than war (although all Craftworlds are nigh unbeatable)

That makes sense. I'd imagine that the Infinity Circuit would be the one directing the growth of the craftworld, and if the Circuit is full of the warrior personalities of Aspect Warriors and the like, no doubt it's going to react.

I also would have to think that Craftworld's have SOME armarment. As I recall, the 40k Rulebook's fluff section say the Imperium got completely curb stomped the last time it tried to attack a craft world, and makes it clear that, "[Craftworlds] are just as likely to attack Imperial forces as they are to come to their aid." That makes me think that the craftworld is decently armed to defend itself at the very least...Just that it isn't heavily armed enough to be on its own, as Iyanden was pretty pissed when Yriel took their entire fleet to go Chaos hunting....

ChrisWWII wrote:That makes sense. I'd imagine that the Infinity Circuit would be the one directing the growth of the craftworld, and if the Circuit is full of the warrior personalities of Aspect Warriors and the like, no doubt it's going to react.

I also would have to think that Craftworld's have SOME armarment. As I recall, the 40k Rulebook's fluff section say the Imperium got completely curb stomped the last time it tried to attack a craft world, and makes it clear that, "[Craftworlds] are just as likely to attack Imperial forces as they are to come to their aid." That makes me think that the craftworld is decently armed to defend itself at the very least...Just that it isn't heavily armed enough to be on its own, as Iyanden was pretty pissed when Yriel took their entire fleet to go Chaos hunting....

Yes, but only a colosal screw up on the part of their farseer would put the Craftworld in danger. The always try to stay out of sight.

That's very true. But hey, even Eldrad (the bastard) didn't predict his soul getting swallowed up by a Blackstone Fortress....One would think he'd spot that coming from a mile away. If the best farseer the Eldar can produce did that, who knows how much others can screw up?

Well, Iyanden screw it up pretty bad not seeing the Tyranids coming...Now i don't think it can get much worse than that...Without destroying the craftworld at least

After reading this thread I kinda feel sorry that in the codices craftworlds are always getting messed up and destroyed . . . if they're really so majestic / powerful / irreplaceable then you'd think it wouldn't happen so much.

Off the top of my head there's Malanta'i, Idharae and Iyaden, and the one in the Daemon codex that got destroyed because of the power of loooooove.

Ok that's only 4, but I'm sure there are more, and its not like the eldar can build any new ones.

What is the name of this craftworld that was destroyed by daemons/love?

I forget, Yhrys or something like that.

Basically this Keeper of Secrets (iirc) was lusting after the delicious eldar souls on the craftworld. But he couldn't get in because of all the wards and runes. So he disguises himself as an eldar, and seduces an eldar maiden who falls in love with him 'as only an eldar can.' He convinces her to bring him home to meet the parents, and apparently the power of love can cloak a greater daemon from an entire craftworld's worth of anti-daemon warning devices (I'm not making this up).

So soon after the KoS opens a gate into the warp, daemons pour out and slaughter the craftworld. As a final insult the KoS possesses the resident Avatar as well, at least he didn't uppercut him.

The Invaders chapter did a full-on assualt onto the Beil-Tan craftworld.
They sustained 50% casulties (i think) but I don't remember the eldar casulties.

ChrisWWII wrote:That's very true. But hey, even Eldrad (the bastard) didn't predict his soul getting swallowed up by a Blackstone Fortress....One would think he'd spot that coming from a mile away. If the best farseer the Eldar can produce did that, who knows how much others can screw up?

He did forsee it, he sacrificed himself to stop the black crusade which would have eventually lead to further loss of eldar life. He wasnt doing it for his own good, he did it to save his entire craftworld.

Gorechild wrote:

ChrisWWII wrote:That's very true. But hey, even Eldrad (the bastard) didn't predict his soul getting swallowed up by a Blackstone Fortress....One would think he'd spot that coming from a mile away. If the best farseer the Eldar can produce did that, who knows how much others can screw up?

He did forsee it, he sacrificed himself to stop the black crusade which would have eventually lead to further loss of eldar life. He wasnt doing it for his own good, he did it to save his entire craftworld.

Huh....Well, if that's what the official codex or whatever says what happened then I guess I'm wrong. Lexicanum just made it seem that he hadn't forseen that the Blackstone fortress would eat his soul.....

Lexicanum wrote: During the Thirteenth Black Crusade, the Eldar of Ulthwé fought against the forces of Chaos, and Eldrad was at the forefront, knowing he would not live to see the end of the conflict. Eldrad attempted to retake a Blackstone Fortress, but the fortress was already occupied by Slaanesh, the Great Enemy. As Eldrad realised his folly, his soul was devoured, and the greatest Farseer of the Eldar was lost, however a handfull of waystones he had created still remained active causing some Eldar to believe that he's still alive but trapped in the warp.

Of course, the official stuff outweighs Lexicanum, but that definitely seems to show that he might have known he was going to die, but he didn't know that this was the WAY he was going to die. He didn't go gracefully into Slaneesh's grasp, but was caught off guard by what had happened with the Blackstone.

ChrisWWII wrote:That makes sense. I'd imagine that the Infinity Circuit would be the one directing the growth of the craftworld, and if the Circuit is full of the warrior personalities of Aspect Warriors and the like, no doubt it's going to react.

I also would have to think that Craftworld's have SOME armarment. As I recall, the 40k Rulebook's fluff section say the Imperium got completely curb stomped the last time it tried to attack a craft world, and makes it clear that, "[Craftworlds] are just as likely to attack Imperial forces as they are to come to their aid." That makes me think that the craftworld is decently armed to defend itself at the very least...Just that it isn't heavily armed enough to be on its own, as Iyanden was pretty pissed when Yriel took their entire fleet to go Chaos hunting....

And that was the whole sector battlefleet.

What? What happened to Eldrad? He got eaten by a rock?!

rabidaskal wrote:I forget, Yhrys or something like that.

Basically this Keeper of Secrets (iirc) was lusting after the delicious eldar souls on the craftworld. But he couldn't get in because of all the wards and runes. So he disguises himself as an eldar, and seduces an eldar maiden who falls in love with him 'as only an eldar can.' He convinces her to bring him home to meet the parents, and apparently the power of love can cloak a greater daemon from an entire craftworld's worth of anti-daemon warning devices (I'm not making this up).

So soon after the KoS opens a gate into the warp, daemons pour out and slaughter the craftworld. As a final insult the KoS possesses the resident Avatar as well, at least he didn't uppercut him.

lmao, that's some awesome fluff; in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium there is only...LOVE

And the Invaders didn't attack Biel-Tan (that would be utter suicide), they attacked some no-name craftworld called Idharae

KamikazeCanuck wrote:What? What happened to Eldrad? He got eaten by a rock?!

Not enitrerly....he got eaten by a rock POSSESSED by Slaanesh. Still...he did get eaten. A perfect way to go for the guy, what a dick.

ChrisWWII wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:What? What happened to Eldrad? He got eaten by a rock?!

Not enitrerly....he got eaten by a rock POSSESSED by Slaanesh. Still...he did get eaten. A perfect way to go for the guy, what a dick.

lol, ya good riddance. But seriously a rock possed by Slaanesh? WTF?...I definately feel like I missed something. Were did that happen? A campaign?

Well, less a rock...more a Blackstone Fortress. He still got eaten by it.....iono when exactly it happened. In fluff terms it happened during the 13th Black Crusade, but that's all I know about it....I wasn't into 40k when that campaign was run.

IvanTih wrote:
And that was the whole sector battlefleet.

Curb-stomping is indeed the correct word for it. Since then the Imperium has seen fit to establish a 'Let sleeping dogs lie' policy, and avoid taking any serious action against Eldar unless they are either attacked or Eldar piracy is becoming a huge problem.

Retribution wrote:

And the Invaders didn't attack Biel-Tan (that would be utter suicide), they attacked some no-name craftworld called Idharae

The Invaders (not unsupoorted mind you) razed Idhare (to the ground?), sustaining heavy casualties. In retaliation the Biel-Tan decimated their Chapter World, destroying their Monastery. The remnants of the Invaders are a fleet based chapter now.

Of the utterly destroyed craftworlds I can remember Malanta'i, Deamon-love place and *possibly* Idharae. Iyanden doesn't count as they were not destroyed, just ravaged, and I am not sure how extensive the destruction on Idharae was, or if it was completely annhilated. There was also some story or other about a Craftworld that died soon after a war with Saim-Hann from either Slaanesh or bad plot or some gak. The author...Goto was it?

Until the more recent codexes, you'd be hard pressed to find evidence of any destroyed craftworlds other than those in the early times of the Fall. Now though, the stories about their destruction are popping up like daisies.