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So, I'm thinking of maybe possibly starting eldar sometime. Trouble is my friend plays eldar, and he has heavily encouraged me to 'wait for a new book, eldar can't compete right now'

I'm looking over upgrades and stuff and I've come across the star engine, the overall opinion seems to be 'this is a waste' and even I think that it's kinda sub-optimal, but in the back of my mind, a vehicle that can basically run has so many uses. This is why I need you, dakka, to snap me out of it.

Convince me that Star Engines suck, because I haven't been convinced yet.

*devils advocate* They dont suck, 36' movement is insane, and useful!

IF YOU TAKE STAR ENGINES, I WILL BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH YOUR OWN HANDS! (Did that work? )

I dont see the problem with star engines. Mount howling banshees in the transport, shoot to the other end of the board, and dismount. Whats the problem?

The question is, does "May move an additional 12" in liue of shooting" in combonation with the FAQ answer (not errata) of "this extra move of 12" is executed in the shooting phase"
allows one to Ram with star engines in your Gaming Group?

Yes, take them.
No, Mehish.

Well, I'd say that 24" movement, plus 12" in the next turn, is enough to get any shooting unit in range. Star engines could be useful to take an assault unit right up close to the enemy - since you can't assault after disembarking from a moving wave serpent - but in that case, your opponent would be close enough to block off the exit hatch, even if he didn't manage to destroy the vehicle.

I think they might be useful occassionally, but not often. Eldar vehicles are expensive enough as it is.

I always take them, points allowing for my assault type squads. It means less time to get set into that perfect range to drop and charge the next turn, at the expense of not firing one twin linky weapon (oooh big loss...)

The downside to them is that I seldom use them more than for that initial jump and maybe one repostition. But I think they are very handy in repositioning if I need to. I don't like how much they cost for how little I use them.

If your friend says they can't compete then he's doing it wrong. Some of it is outdated, but other units still rock if used precisely for their role.

Back to star engines. Most Eldar games I have played successfully involve picking a flank and hammering it so hard and fast with everything so there is precious little keft to fire back or countercharge in the immediate vicinity. Star Engines make it much more versatile since you can deploy in an even spread so he wont know where the attack is going to concentrate, and you can pretty much haul clear accross from one flank to the other for that concentrated punch.

... I hate my friends star engines.,.. especially when he uses them to get behind me 1st turn and starts popping out troops second turn... star engines do anything but suck.

Another hypothetical use for them would be that, once you drop off your squad of Fire Dragons after moving 12, you can then pivot on the spot in the shooting phase. As dragons need to be as close as possible to their target, the Serpent is vulnerable to being shot in the rear armor. That also goes for Banshees and Dire Avengers(extra range is always good for a shooty squad).

But they are a bit costly, especially if you're one of those that uses many Wave Serpents in your army.