Then came the Harlequins. Out of the blue, a whole new type of Eldar somersaulted and flipped onto the pages of Warhammer 40,000 history. The Harlequins were the Eldar taken to the very extreme. They were highly skilled and well armed (in fact, in the first list they were almost unstoppable, even with only sixteen models in your army!). But more than that, ideas regarding the myths and prehistory of the Eldar began to filter through. We started getting mentions of Fallen Gods, of how the Eldar created their nemesis, the Chaos god Slaanesh. The Black Library, a receptacle of great knowledge beyond space and time, was introduced. The Harlequins articles marked the establishment of the Eldar origins, their myths and their future. Suddenly, these flimsy, piratical, ne'er-do-wells take on a tragic pathos. They become a shattered race struggling to avoid extinction. They become the victims of their own tempestuous emotions. They become the Eldar we know today.

But wait, the Eldar background didn't stop developing there, did it? Oh no, we knew now of their lost empire and their conflict with Chaos, and particularly Slaanesh. But what of those craftworlds, the ones the Harlequins visit? What are they like?

The answer was to come in another pivotal moment of the Eldar's genesis. It was perhaps the single most important moment in my career as a gamer, and certainly marked a turning point in the future development of the Eldar. Those who know whisper its name with awe.

Many of the characteristics of the current Eldar army were introduced in White Dwarf 127.

White Dwarf 127. Yes, White Dwarf 127 (reprinted in the Warhammer 40,000 Compilation) was the introduction of the new craftworld army list. Wow, was that an issue to remember. I recall being blown away by Jes' sketches and reading about Farseers and Warlocks and Avatars. But the most important change, the most fundamental change, was the introduction of Aspect Warriors.

Not only did this change the army of the craftworlds, it introduced the concept of the Eldar Path; the lifestyle by which an Eldar dedicates themselves to one facet of their life at a time and allows them to perfect it, enabling them to control their heightened emotions and sensibilities. The Aspect Warriors introduced a darker edge to the Eldar, the part of their personality that lusts after bloodshed and the exhilaration of battle. The description of the ritual to awaken the Avatar of Khaine is superb, and gave me shudders of fear and excitement in equal measure. I had a few Eldar in my miniatures collection at the time, including a Harlequins army, but, from that moment on, I needed them. They called to me and I set about collecting an entire army of these enigmatic but deadly aliens. I've never looked back.

White Dwarf 127 also firmed up the events of the Fall, the collapse of the ancient Eldar empire. It spoke of the Exodites fleeing to their primal worlds and the craftworlds setting off on their eternal wanderings across the stars. We found out about the spirit stones which the Eldar wear to protect them from the predations of Slaanesh, the Great Enemy. In White Dwarf 127, the warp gates within the craftworlds become the Webway, a labyrinthine maze of warp tunnels that bind the Eldar together across the vast distances of space. In my opinion, it was White Dwarf 127 that heralded the Eldar as a race and not just an itinerant threat to the Imperium.

From that momentous article, things have settled down into the familiar territory we know and love today. In the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000, Codex: Eldar changed little, a few new ideas were introduced, like the Phoenix Lords, but there was little need to add or change anything. It was at this point that the characteristics of some of the different craftworlds were examined, giving rise to the Wild Riders of Saim-Hann, the Black Guardians of Ulthwé and other distinctions between the various Eldar societies.

By 1990 the first Aspect Warriors had begun to appear, whilst the 'Pirates' have evolved into 'Guardians'. Click the images above for a closer look.

And so this was the position of the Eldar background when we came to writing the latest Codex: Eldar. What was I to bring to this magnificent race? How could I further enrich this wealth of myth and background? Well, by going back to basics, as it happened. Over the years, as the Eldar had become more established as a race, there was a growing feeling amongst gamers that they were somehow 'good guys'. It is easy to see why this might be the case, as they have a special hatred for Chaos, the eternal enemy of Mankind. It was this falsehood, that the Eldar were somehow fighting for a higher cause other than their own survival and benefit, that I wanted to correct. So, I went back to the origins of the Eldar, in Rogue Trader, and set about working out just what it was about them that made them a threat there. I decided to emphasis the capricious, self-centred nature of the Eldar. I wanted to remind people that they are aliens, not to be trusted if at all possible, and certainly not your friend, except in the most short-term circumstances.

It was also the original roots of the Eldar that gave us inspiration for their wicked cousins - the Dark Eldar. Dark Eldar had been mentioned in passing before, but were generally seen as Chaos worshipping Eldar who had remained on the Eldar homeworlds. We wanted something more than just Chaos Eldar, and returned to the Eldar's roots for inspiration. As the Eldar of the craftworlds had grown into something much larger and more wonderful, so the piratical renegades from Rogue Trader and the Book of the Astronomican became the malevolent, vicious and downright evil Dark Eldar. The idea of the neutral bodyguards was reborn in the form of the Incubi, and overall the pirate theme was imbedded in every part of their culture and army. The Dark Eldar introduced another facet to the Fall of the Eldar, demonstrating another survival strategy against the all-devouring presence of Slaanesh.

With Codex: Craftworld Eldar, we've taken a closer look at the differences between the various craftworlds, hopefully demonstrating the great variety of cultures within the Eldar race. Not only do we look at their military formations, but take a peek at the history and temperament of these different cultures, examining why they are different and how they have adapted to their own needs, opportunities and goals.

And hopefully, in time, there will be more to come, when we get around to the Exodites and the Harlequins...

Next: The Craftworld Army.
Previous: Introduction.