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.

Kicking around an idea for an Eldar Craftworld background as I plan rebuild my wraith based force I sold off a few years back. I'm not really down with the whole we do evil stuff and it is really good vibe of the setting, but get that the setting sort of demands that approach. So how do I come up with a background I identify with while fitting in the setting? My thought is to take an angle that the craftworld tries to do the right thing so to speak, but basically gets screwed over all the time because of it which reinforces the idea that you have to essentially be bad to survive or thrive in this setting.

The reason they act as they do is that their Farseers are convinced that Tyranids/Orks/Necrons (I haven't worked out which) will destroy all in the galaxy unless humans, tau and eldar set aside their differences and coordinate a defense. They are driven to attempt to unify these factions in some way. The problem is the Imperium, other Eldar, and even Tau keep backstabbing them. They have been significantly harmed by those they try to ally with and because of this rely more and more on wraith constructs as they fight. Their struggle is a hopeless one because the factions will never unite, but they can't abandon their path because they know that if they fail the galaxy is doomed.

They still have the Eldar arrogance which interferes with their efforts, but they won't simply sacrifice a hundred human worlds to save an Exodite one. They'll still try to manipulate events which trends to undercut their efforts at times.

That's the basic framework. So, too noble bright, Mary Sue or whatever?

Not too Mary Sue, especially if they keep getting boned.

I think, from an Eldar perspective, they come off as naive rather than Mary Sue. The idea that the lesser races will screw them rather than cooperate is something the rest of the Eldar already know.

If the leaders of your craftworld are young, or idealistic, this can make sense.

As long as they are failing occasionally it cant really be that mary sue now can it.

they are naive to a fault is always a fun angle.

This might be a good angle to paint humans in the light that the rest of the Eldar see them. That is, as particularly-violent, especially-stupid apes.

Of course if they keep failing, you have to wonder why they keep pressing on with a failed policy. At the other end of the spectrum, you don't want them to be seen as being idiots for repeatedly trying what does not work. A few glimmers of light makes the darkness all the more dark, so perhaps they should still see or have minor successes that leads them to still hope or think this is a viable course of action. Alternatively they could also go down the embittered path of forcing others to work together (with Eldar as the leaders and guidance of course) if they cannot willing do so themselves. In typical Eldar fashion, this may be done through manipulation as much as overt domination, such as through manipulating events to support those more sympathetic to their cause.

If anything, this is too un-Mary Sue. You need to have them, at the very least, succeeding in uniting a few lesser species. Perhaps you could have them forge an alliance between a bunch of Exodite Worlds and a few of the Inquisitors in a nearby Sector. Such agreements are not uncommon, and the Inquisitors would be more likely to trust the Eldar than virtually any other species (simply due to the face that the Eldar are basically the Alpha Legion, only they work with the Imperium just a little bit more). Or, you could have a few lesser Xenos Empires unite with some Exodite worlds. Or pretty much anything like that, so long as they have a reason for continuing to try to unite the different races.

Iracundus wrote:
Alternatively they could also go down the embittered path of forcing others to work together (with Eldar as the leaders and guidance of course) if they cannot willing do so themselves. In typical Eldar fashion, this may be done through manipulation as much as overt domination, such as through manipulating events to support those more sympathetic to their cause.

Like this!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Jimsolo wrote:
...If the leaders of your craftworld are young, or idealistic, this can make sense.

I'm leaning towards aged, but didn't go into my thinking there. My thought is they feel in their gut that this is a hopeless venture, probably hate working with or for Mon-Keigh, but every time they look into the future, the only glimmer of hope comes if they push for this goal. They are aged, tired, even resentful of what they have to do, but see no alternative.

Young, naive is a different angle though. Have to give it a think. Two paths to the same end. Wonder which presents more interesting possibilities.

 dusara217 wrote:
If anything, this is too un-Mary Sue. You need to have them, at the very least, succeeding in uniting a few lesser species.

I like this chain of thought.

Your leaders don't need to be idealistic to believe that they have to unite other races or perish in the face of the Tyranids. You could well have a Farseer powerful enough to do a Tiberiuys, or saw the extent of the threat posed by the Hive Mind, but knew they had no choice. The result is that they still see Mon-Keigh as apes, and the cousins as degenerates, but swallow their differences because they see it as necessary. You could even set them up as successors of the Cabal.

With regards to unifying a few lesser races, you could pull in some Demiurg as a good place to start.

 Ketara wrote:
he result is that they still see Mon-Keigh as apes, and the cousins as degenerates, but swallow their differences because they see it as necessary. You could even set them up as successors of the Cabal.

With regards to unifying a few lesser races, you could pull in some Demiurg as a good place to start.

Do they have Demiurg models?

Certainly an interesting premise. As others have said it might be better to present it as them being disgruntled at the fact that they have to resort to diplomatic hand-holding and even rely on these lesser races for support since they simply don't have the manpower or resources to achieve sod all without them.

You'd also need to consider whether your Craftworld is doing this through open diplomatic means, back-door channels or a mixture? Do they rely on trade, intimidation, blackmailing, crystal-ball-political-advice, hostages? Do the races they unite even attribute their co-operation to the Eldar?

One thing you could point out is that the Eldar see so many future threats as blindingly obvious, but the other races they are in contact with are obstinately oblivious to them until it's too late (or almost too late if the day is saved).

"GREENSKIN WAAAGH IMMINENT!
"Um... you mean that one Nob on the remote desert planet with a few tribes under his belt? Sure, let us know how that turns out."

"BEWARE! THE RUINOUS POWERS APPROACH!"
"Nice try, xenos. We already know that those ancient temples are long abandoned. Stop wasting our time."

"A HIVE FLEET COMES THIS WAY! DOOM! DOOOOOOOM!"
"Calm your tits, Eldar. A few reports of genestealers on that one mining moon is hardly a Hive Fleet. Almost had us scared there."

 dusara217 wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
he result is that they still see Mon-Keigh as apes, and the cousins as degenerates, but swallow their differences because they see it as necessary. You could even set them up as successors of the Cabal.

With regards to unifying a few lesser races, you could pull in some Demiurg as a good place to start.

Do they have Demiurg models?

No. No, there are not. :(

 dusara217 wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
he result is that they still see Mon-Keigh as apes, and the cousins as degenerates, but swallow their differences because they see it as necessary. You could even set them up as successors of the Cabal.

With regards to unifying a few lesser races, you could pull in some Demiurg as a good place to start.

Do they have Demiurg models?

Demiurg are easy enough to pull in 'counts as' models for. You've got Mantic's Forgefather range:




Bob Olley's Scrunts




Old Squats, Inso style.



Or even suitably modified Warhammer Dwarves, OkkiW style.






So yes. Plenty to choose from.