Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

What is the best way to support an harlequin assault themed army? Which units do you use to support such an army? What type of troop and heavy support choices do you take in specific?

Falcons are the best support for Harlies. 3 Falcons and 3 squads of 6 Harlies are made for each other like peanutbutter and jelly. Jetbikes are also very helpful because their speed lets them screen the Harlies and assault with them.

Darrian

http://peanutbutterbriantime.ytmnd.com/

Like everyone has said take falcons. I've found that shining spears with a farseer are as resilant and fast as a falcon. Also normal jet bikes can be used to good effect. If you are playing on a bored with a tourement style no mans land in the middle then regular jet bikes can be a real boon. Your whole army can zoom out in one turn and then assualt the next and there are general too many resilent targets to take on. Also bike can pin down mobile units like tau crisis suits. One of my best friends plays tau. So defacto I play a lot of tau. I been using my bike to lock down suits so that the combat can screen for other oarts of my army and give my space clown a chance to hop out of their falcon and take their sweet time charging in.

And if you want a Harlequin themed army, you'll need to do some conversion.
Farseer= great shadowseer
make some harlebike. (which might look awesome)
ect

Well, Harlies are best delivered by a Falcon.
HS: 3 Falcons, or 1 Falcon and 2 Fire Prisms.
Troops: Pathfinders, helping to keep away infiltrators from my tanks in 1st turn.

Try not to take harlequins at all =P. In all seriousness, it depends on the rest of your list. I think warp spiders or jetbikes work well if they are going to be aggressive and heading towards the enemy. Otherwise, if you are going to be outshooting your opponent, just take an objective with them and don't worry too much since the enemy will be coming to you anyway (like khorne or space wolves). Just be careful of drop pod marines.

I use just one unit of Harlies, and they did always well.
Eldar is best played shooty keeping the enemy at arm's length.
The Harlies are there to take on tougher enemy units (e.g., DPs, TMCs).

An Autarch (generally on a jetbike with laser lance for mobility and killiness) is the third element of the Falcon/Harlequins combo. His +1 to reserve rolls is huge in Escalation missions.

Vypers are the fourth piece of the combo, though many less-experienced users overlook it. Vypers can be placed behind the Falcon hatch to prevent your opponent from blocking it in his movement phase and delaying your assault for a turn. Even if they kill the Vyper, the Harlequins can still get out. If you use Jetbikes for this, your opponent can assault them, and Consolidate to block the hatch after killing them.

A squad of Fire Dragons (either riding in a Falcon or in a Wave Serpent) in place of one unit of Harlequins is often a good complement. Their anti-tank fire can be a big help. The exach can also take a heavy flamer for anti-horde work.

Another element in this combo are Pathfinders.
They can infiltrate and thus (1) occupy mission objects early in the game and/or (2) prevent enemy infiltrators (like Chosen with plasma guns) to threaten the (stationary) Falcons (in the first turn),

Nice idea with the vipers. I had not considered that option. Fortunately, I have 5 of them painted up and ready to go. I guess with that job in mind I will equip them with shuriken cannons top and bottom and keep them cheap.

Darrian

Falcons, bikes, vypers, and warp spiders.

You sure the warpspiders can keep up with the rest of that bunch?

Darrian

You sure the warpspiders can keep up with the rest of that bunch?

They can due to their 2D6'' movement at the end of the shooting phase.

I might just have to try them.
But if they do not work, I will come looking for you to pay me the $30 US I wasted on them (joke).

Darrian

Important thing o remember about spiders is that there random assault jump can really kick you in the balls sometimes. Generally they'll move about 7 inches with their second jump (7 is the most common rolled number with two d6 and my experience has backed this up.) They can work well with avoidance armies popping out from some cover to pepper som shots the jumping back in cover can annoy the piss off an opponent. Though my luck has been once per a game to roll short on my second jump (2 or 3 inches) and my squad gets caught out in the wind.

Their surprise assault power can be nifty too. I've used it to DS behind basilisks and hammerheads to good effect. The problem with that though is the exarch gets pricey and they tend to get sacrificed.

warp spiders aren't that bad. Their just not that stellar.

I avoid Warp Spiders in my Eldar army. They can be targetted by ordnance, deep strikers (Termies), or drop podders (tactical Marines), while Falcons, Prisms, or (partly) Serpents are immune to ordnance, assault cannons, or short ranged meltas.

Darrian13 wrote:Nice idea with the vipers. I had not considered that option. Fortunately, I have 5 of them painted up and ready to go. I guess with that job in mind I will equip them with shuriken cannons top and bottom and keep them cheap.

Darrian

Proper credit goes to Flavius Infernus, who put the tactic into regular practice before me.

Harlequins can be countered by cheap stuff that blocks their way, like a Gauntscreen in front of TMCs for example. Therefore you should have a plan to deal with weak and numerous infantry. How you do this of course depends on the rest of your list.

Falcons for example can tankshock a path through enemy units once they have deployed their cargo. You have to remember that you cant split the movement of a disembarking unit though. So Harlequins cant jump out, then their Falcon moves, then Harlequins move 6".

My solution is this: 3 Falcons move close to the enemy, two with Harlequins in front, one with Firedragons+Flamer behind them. The Falcon with Dragons blocks both front-Falcons exits (so no need for a Viper here). In my next turn the Firedragons can disembark and move, then their Falcon moves and possibly tankshocks. At this time he is propably shaken anyways and the tankshock not only clears a path for Harlequin-assaults, but also bunches up the opponents infantry in front of the firedragons flamer.

Now the first Harlequins disembark and move 6". Then their Falcon moves and possibly tankshocks another assault avenue for the 3rd Harlequin unit etc..

A word of caution: This has not been tested yet for I hardly play.