New 40k Codex: Enoulians?

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**rockerbikie**

I have an idea for a new Xenos Codex. I think it is a good idea to introduce this race because they hate the IoM and it would be a good choice for anyone who despises Space Marines and the Imperium in general. They have an interesting description which can be expanded in such a way that the fluff could even rival races such as the Eldar and the Orks. What do you think about the idea?

From Lexicanum:
Not much is known about Enoulian history, or the location of their homeworlds.

The Enoulians have a deep hatred of the Imperium, bordering on the irrational. Reacting with uncontrollable rage to the icons and symbols such as the Imperial Eagle. They also do not work with Imperial organisations for any reason.

This hatred does not extend to humans as a species however, and criminal elements or chaos cultists have been able to "purchase" the loyalty of Enoulian mercenaries from time to time.

An interesting fact of Enoulian culture is that they do not seem to place the same values on precious metals or items for barter. Instead they choose their payment from seemingly worthless items such as bones, plants or junk. This has led to concern from the Ordo Xenos that the Enoulians are using these items in dark and terrible rituals.
Enoulian technology is quite advanced and different from Imperial technology; in ranged combat they utilise Shard Weaponry which use solid crystals as ammunition. Tearing minute pieces from it electrically and discharging them at speed to tear opponents apart, similar to the Splinter Weaponry used by the Dark Eldar

In close combat, the Enoulians have been known to use Whisper Lines which are one metre lengths of monomolecular wire which they wield as whips or garrotte lines. Interestingly, only the Enoulians themselves can use the Whisper Lines without the cord cutting through their hands.
Enoulians are smaller than baseline humans, being on average 1.5m tall with a slight build. They also have yellow skin that exudes a lubricating material that allows them to slip free from any attempt to capture them.

They do not have externally developed ears or noses like other humanoid creatures such as Humans or Eldar instead having simple slits where those organs should be.

They wear simplistic clothing, which often leads humans to believe that they are a race of primitives. Yet they are a highly advanced species and use technologies unavailable to the Imperium.

**CthuluIsSpy**

Sounds interesting.
Sadly, I don't see GW releasing them officially, unless they were to gain a significant amount of power.

**English Assassin**

The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

From that short extract, for instance, Enoulians look very much as though they would play very much like Tau or Eldar - mobile, shooty and useless in close assault. If you're trying to dream up new possible armies, the starting point really needs to be the rules, not the fluff.

**Durza**

Wielding monomolecular whips without cutting themselves doesn't sound too useless in CC to me.

**Croaker**

English Assassin wrote:The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

I know this would spoil someone's grim dark grimdarkness, but I'd love an army that was a consortium of minor factions that cooperate for survival against the major factions. Hrud, Q'orl, Slann. There are dozens of these races to choose from, and I think that would be what would make such an army so great. You'd have different species filling different roles, and conversely, having different weaknesses.

**SagesStone**

That's likely something like what the Tau are heading towards.

**Croaker**

Yep. My only issue with Tau is that I don't like Tau.

**rockerbikie**

English Assassin wrote:The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

From that short extract, for instance, Enoulians look very much as though they would play very much like Tau or Eldar - mobile, shooty and useless in close assault. If you're trying to dream up new possible armies, the starting point really needs to be the rules, not the fluff.

They weild whips without cutting themselves. They would not be useless at CC, I think they would play as an Infiltrate army.

**English Assassin**

rockerbikie wrote:
English Assassin wrote:The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

From that short extract, for instance, Enoulians look very much as though they would play very much like Tau or Eldar - mobile, shooty and useless in close assault. If you're trying to dream up new possible armies, the starting point really needs to be the rules, not the fluff.

They weild whips without cutting themselves. They would not be useless at CC, I think they would play as an Infiltrate army.

They're described as being small and puny. I think I ignored the whips simply because they're silly even by 40k's standards. In any case, I don't really see what in that background justifies an infiltration-based army, and as I said, armies need to start with the concept of something distinct on the tabletop, not with fluff.

**CthuluIsSpy**

English Assassin wrote:
rockerbikie wrote:
English Assassin wrote:The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

From that short extract, for instance, Enoulians look very much as though they would play very much like Tau or Eldar - mobile, shooty and useless in close assault. If you're trying to dream up new possible armies, the starting point really needs to be the rules, not the fluff.

They weild whips without cutting themselves. They would not be useless at CC, I think they would play as an Infiltrate army.

They're described as being small and puny. .

So are dwarves, and I sure as hell wouldn't pick a fight with Gimli.

**Platuan4th**

CthuluIsSpy wrote:
English Assassin wrote:
rockerbikie wrote:
English Assassin wrote:The fluff is full of minor xenos factions, some more interesting and distinct than others. However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

From that short extract, for instance, Enoulians look very much as though they would play very much like Tau or Eldar - mobile, shooty and useless in close assault. If you're trying to dream up new possible armies, the starting point really needs to be the rules, not the fluff.

They weild whips without cutting themselves. They would not be useless at CC, I think they would play as an Infiltrate army.

They're described as being small and puny. .

So are dwarves, and I sure as hell wouldn't pick a fight with Gimli.

No, dwarves are described as short and stout.

I've NEVER seen a descriptor for dwarves that describes them as "puny"(which by definition means "of less than normal size and strength; weak").

I'd think a race that's described as weak and less than normal strength would find itself outclassed in melee.

**Begel Dverl**

I'm pretty sure you can use them as Dark Eldar...

**nomsheep**

@OP: Are you planning on writing up any rules for them?

Nom

**rockerbikie**

nomsheep wrote:@OP: Are you planning on writing up any rules for them?

Nom

I am bad at writing rules for them, if I have the time. I would be willing to write a narrative for them and appropiate rules.

**nomsheep**

@rockerbikie: If i write up somer ules and run them past you would write the story behind that?

They aren't ikely to become a legit gw codex, but they could become a decent fandex.

Nom

**JohnnoM**

Id be up to adding to the rules for sure, they seem very interesting.

**sudojoe**

speaking of rules and architypes: (I mean as how people generally think of them, they can all be build differently to be shooty/mech/elites but are less good than others)

Horde armies:
Ork
Tyranid
IG (can be anyway)

CC army:
Daemons
Tyranids
Orks
BA (can do pretty good mech shooty too)

Shooty army:
Tau
Eldar
DE (can be CC too I suppose)
necrons
Sisters
SW
GK
IG
Black templars
Darkangels (can be choppy too I think but I've seen most kills by those guys via cyclone missle launchers)
Chaos SM (can do ok choppy too)

-------------------------

Feels to me that we've got way too many shooty armies and not enough horde/choppy choices. These Enoulians should probably focus themselves into this nitch.

**nomsheep**

Sort of like skaven in space then? loads of weak cheap troops like the slaves or goblins from WFB?

Nom

**JohnnoM**

I think we should make them either:

a) Very powerful psykers, because they are rumored to be from the halo stars, and no one knows whats out there.

OR

b) Ethereal, in game terms everyone has stealth because of their place of origin (the halo stars) they aren't fully in our world, so they are semi-ethereal.

**nomsheep**

Or a combiantion of both. but they would be a very elite army in that case.

Nom

**sudojoe**

I feel like we have way too many elite armies already as the above lists. I'm tossing in my vote for space skavens. Horde of weak units like orks/nids with some more tanks and less MC's. Possibly improved slightly shooting but with weak wepons overall. (somewhere less shooty than guard but more than orks and more choppy than guard but less than orks)

**Chesh**

We have way too many codices as is, and you want to add another one?

Pass, thanks.

I'd rather see the non-IoM races get the same treatment that the IoM has (marines in particular). In fact, let every faction get the same treatment - things like Codex: Catachan, or Codex: Craftworld Iyanden alongside Codex: Imperial Guard and Codex: Eldar. THEN we can add more factions.

**rockerbikie**

sudojoe wrote:I feel like we have way too many elite armies already as the above lists. I'm tossing in my vote for space skavens. Horde of weak units like orks/nids with some more tanks and less MC's. Possibly improved slightly shooting but with weak wepons overall. (somewhere less shooty than guard but more than orks and more choppy than guard but less than orks)

Look up the Hrud.

**Commander Jimbob**

I personally think this codex would be interesting. However, to match current races it would need a lot of work...

English Assassin wrote:However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

I know this was posted a while ago but I have to say I (almost) completely disagree, making an army based on its rules and then writing fluff for the rules isn't particularly imaginative, as that Jervis guy said in a White Dwarf article last year. Write the fluff, then create rules to fit the fluff, doing so will make an army that is fun to play and allows players to really feel the army coming to life... I'd assume.

**rockerbikie**

Commander Jimbob wrote:I personally think this codex would be interesting. However, to match current races it would need a lot of work...

English Assassin wrote:However cool the fluff might be, what matters when it comes to writing a codex is producing an army which plays distinctively on the tabletop.

I know this was posted a while ago but I have to say I (almost) completely disagree, making an army based on its rules and then writing fluff for the rules isn't particularly imaginative, as that Jervis guy said in a White Dwarf article last year. Write the fluff, then create rules to fit the fluff, doing so will make an army that is fun to play and allows players to really feel the army coming to life... I'd assume.

Correct. Points go to Commander JimBob. The Dark Eldar fit the fluff and so do the Orks and they are really fun to play against and play.

**nomsheep**

It's sort of on topic. would anyone want to make a dakka Fandex:xenos/mercs based on the little bits of fluff available for the small armies?

Nom

**Red Comet**

To be honest I could see these Xenos being part of multiple codices. Think of them like the Mercenary Faction in Warmahordes. They would essentially be allies. It'd be cool to see this done, but like others have said, it looks too much like stuff that's already been done.