Send in The Clowns!

Fritzs Guide To Fielding A Harlequin Themed

Army In 40K 5th Edition

-1-
 Send in The Clowns!

Introduction
For the past two years I had been
zipping around on jetbikes, blasting
away with my vypers, and
generally having a blast win or
loose with my Saim-Hann Eldar
when the whispers of 40K 5th
edition started to roll around. Guys
in the club were talking about
starting new armies and in turn it
had me taking a new look at my
jetbike army.

New editions are always a great time to start new armies with a fresh
change in the rules as I started to seriously consider a second Eldar army
to compliment my jetbikes, vypers, and grav-tanks. I knew I wanted
something complexly different from my Saim-Hann so my next army had
to be all on foot- no skimmers, tanks, or flying models. I kind of felt like if I
had any, I might as well be playing my Saim-Hann warhost. I started to
look into swooping hawks and vibo-cannons as we moved into
Warhammer 40,000 5th edition.

The changes that came about from 4th to 5th are discussions for another
time but they caused me to rethink and rework my second army. No
models purchased yet, I was wargaming things out with proxies and
plastic count as tokens with Jawaballs trying to figure out what would
work and what wouldnt in the new gaming matrix.

Or course all during that time, with the rise of mechanization in 40K Eldar
armies started to become a more common sight in the tournament scene
with a proliferation of seer councils, wave serpents, and fire prisms. This
only fueled the thoughts of my second Eldar army as I wanted it to be
even more removed from the grav-tank spam scene.

-2-
 Send in The Clowns!

I was about to hit the order button

on the swooping hawks when I
suddenly thought of harlequins- the
often abused Eldar unit (clown
car/flying circus) of 4th edition
tournaments with prince Yriel. All
but dismissed in 5th edition they had
vanished from the tournament
scene and utterly dismissed in 5th
edition.

For this reason alone they

warranted a second look, besides, I
had always liked the old oop
models, and the 4th edition ones
were even better. Looking beyond
the scope of the game, as
compared to other armies, and
more at the trends that GW was
taking us, the idea of a full
harlequin army was born.

Being a themed army at 1750 points I had two goals in mind- first, fit in the
maximum amount of harlequins (30 over 3 elite slots) and then fill out the
rest of the army to make it as competitive as possible while filling the first
goal of maximum clowns on the table. Getting the most clowns on the
table means no falcon transports, which in the end worked out even
better then I could have planned, but it also meant I wouldnt be playing
a Saim-Hann-ish army.

Going against all the trends and internet wisdom of 5th edition I worked
out my harlequin army to take advantage of the rules and quirks of the
Eldar codex resulting in an extremely challenging and surprising army to
play. Challenging in that one mistake on the table gets you blasted with
little hope of recovery, surprising in that when used correctly harlequins
pack a punch that few players can see coming- add the unknown
factor in since nobody plays them (harlies) anymore and the army is very
satisfying to play- nothing more satisfying then saying Send in the
clowns! before you assault a unit and wipe it out before your opponent
can even attack!

-3-
 Send in The Clowns!

That said, all harlequins is a finesse army playing almost like a fantasy army
more then a 40K army. Using Veil of Tears and terrain you have to
position yourself so that you can wipe out your opponents opposing unit
on the charge- leaving any survivors or getting rapid fire will break your
army in a single turn.

With this .PDF Im going to walk you through the two army builds that I
have found to be most effective as an all comer list at 1750 points,
followed by understanding the synergy of the army to make it work, and
then ending with the three standard 40K missions and the approach I take
to win.

-4-
 Send in The Clowns!

Building Your Army

More so then ever the Eldar are the specialists specialist. Each unit works
with the others on the table to support the army as a whole. The units I
have selected for this army all accomplish this both on their own, and
when working to support other units- built around the core of maxed out
harlequins. Im going to start things off with my standard 1750 army list and
then work through the different units so you can see how they work
together and what the plan for them is for when we talk about playing
the three standard 40K missions later.

1750 Roster #1

Eldrad HQ 1 210
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer

Pathfinders Troops 5 120

Pathfinders Troops 5 120
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher

-5-
 Send in The Clowns!

1750 Roster #2

Maugan-Ra HQ 1 195
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer
2 Fusion Pistol, Death Jester,
Harlequins Elite 10 276 Shadowseer

Pathfinders Troops 6 139

Pathfinders Troops 5 120
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher
2x Flamers, Brightlance, Missile
Wraithlord Heavy 1 155 Launcher

(Note: For those of you playing 2000 points add in the troupe master for
each clown unit or another group of pathfinders- the second being the
better option then the first. A secondary option, which I have done at 2K is
to run a deathstar list with Eldrad and a generic farseer in support.
Eldrad works the front with the clowns and the generic seer works the
back with fortune/guide/doom.)

HQ Slot

The role of the HQ slot is to support the push of my harlequins into my

opponents army- either through offensive support via Maugan-Ra or
defensively through the use of Eldrad. Overall, for now, Eldrad is a better
choice as his psychic powers support the harlequins perfectly, but he is
vulnerable to being shut down by psychic hoods, rune staffs, etc. and with
the trends GW is taking with 40K, soon every race will be on par with Eldar
psykers and have a reliable way to shut them down. Which also means,
depending on your gaming group, Maugan-Ra might be a better choice
to lead the clowns. Mauggy is a bit more reliable then Eldrad, and his
inclusion really amplifies the hitting power of your clowns, plus, with some
of his abuses he is more satisfying and fun to play in my opinion.

-6-
 Send in The Clowns!

Eldrad puts the focus of your

Harlequins on the defensive, using
guide, fortune, and doom to bolster
their abilities in conjunction with the
pathfinders and wraithlords.

With both sets of runes standard, a

3+ invul save, multiple powers, and
divination redeployment there is no
reason to field a generic farseer to
try and save points. You wont gain
enough in return over not taking
Eldrad with a harlequin build.

Tactically he sits with one of the

pathfinder groups in cover casting
fortune on them for a 2+ re-roll
cover save, guides the wraithlords
nearby to pop transports, and then
dooms incoming units for the
harlequins to then hit. Rinse and
repeat.

With Eldard you are going to be projecting a 24 bubble (doom) that you
need to operate in. Placing objectives just inside this bubble to force your
opponent to enter is key. Moving past the range of Eldrads effect means
your clowns will be on their own, not that they cant operate like this, but
then you wont be fully benefitting from your HQ points spent.

Maugan-Ra is for when you prefer

to take the clowns on the offensive,
and in my experience when playing
in a tourney environment when
most armies are including some for
of psyker defense in their all comers
list. In many ways Mauggy works
better then Eldrad as he directly
joins a harlequin group using the
synergy between his abilities and
the shadowseers veil of tears to
really be a pain in the ass for your
opponent.

-7-
 Send in The Clowns!

Joining your front line harlequin unit (more on this in the missions) Mauggy
benefits from the veil of tears (VOT) rule in that your opponent cant
target him or the unit he is with out of 24. With the 36 range of the
maugateer this means if played correctly you are going to be shooting
your opponent with some annoying shots each turn and they cant fire
back at all. If you take Mauggy you want to use this annoyance to your
full advantage, using him and the harlies he is with to distract your
opponent and cause them to commit more resources then needed to
taking him out- this in turn gives the rest of your army a little more tactical
room on the table.

Lets talk about his shooting and how it bolsters the army. The goal of the
harlequin troupe is to assault your opponents unit and wipe them out in a
single turn. Gobbling up units is what they do best. Of course other armies
do this also and a good defense against assault armies is to mech up in
tanks and transports.

Regardless of the mission your

number one priority is to get your
opponent out on foot so you can
assault them. Popping tanks and
transports is key and each unit is
selected to accomplish this at the
appropriate range- Maugan-Ra
further adds to this with his exarch
powers and acute senses + insane
BS.

With crack shot you get 4 S6 rending shots that ignore cover- this is huge,
especially when hitting on a 2+/5+. The ability to ignore smoke on rhinos or
cover saves on fast moving skimmers helps bring your opponent out on
foot. Mauggy also doubles as a monstrous creature hunter since crack
shots allows you to ignore cover saves for when you rend, and allows you
to re-roll failed wounds, increasing your chance for rends on those big
boys. Add to this fast shot, an extra shot for when your opponent hasnt or
cant pop smoke or is out in the open, plus acute senses for night fight
and dawn of war which allow you to re-roll the spotting distance.

Finally Maugan-Ra also supports your front harlequin unit in the assault
with a high I, good number of attacks and a S6 power weapon. Downside
to this is that he does not have an invulnerable save, but this is offset a bit
in being eternal warrior.

-8-
 Send in The Clowns!

Elite Slot

The core of the army, and theme,

is thirty Harlequins and their only
goal is to keep your opponent
occupied long enough so you
can complete the victory
conditions of the game. It is a rare
game where my three units are
not completely wiped out, but this
is ok since the rest of my
opponents army is unable to
capture or contest enough mission
objectives to win. I have literally
send hundreds of clowns to their
death

As I briefly mentioned in the Maugan-Ra HQ slot the overall strategy of this

army is to assault my opponents units with the clowns and beat them in a
single round of assault. To do this I have to first get them out on foot, and
then put my clowns into a position where they can assault from a point of
advantage. Every member of the troupe taken at a full number of ten is
geared up to doing this. Think of harlequins as a rock band- each band
needs a singer, drummer, bass, etc. With the clowns you need the death
jester, shadowseer, etc. to make them work.

Lets start off with the death jester

since this is the starting point with
the harlequins at range. As an
aside related to nothing, the jester
is my favorite 40K model. Who
wouldnt want to wear leather
pants, over coat, and skull mask
while carrying around a big
oversized gun?

In the troupe the jester works like Maugan-Ra jr. His job is to reach out 24
and pop incoming rhinos and other light transports. Three S6 shots gives
you a somewhat decent chance of doing this. Remember, you only have
to stop the transport, so vehicles with AV 12 can still be taken out by
immobilizing them. Benefitting from VOT via the shadowseer you want to

-9-
 Send in The Clowns!

position the death jester as far forward as possible so you reach out as far
as you can with the 24 range pushing VOT.

Sadly, once you enter the assault the death jester then takes a back seat.
Without rending via the kiss and one less attack if you dont win the
assault either through sheer numbers or lousy rolling, the jester is the first to
take a wound though allocation, as taking down as much of your
opponent as possible in the next round of assault becomes more
important. The final role of the Death Jester is similar to the fusion guns in
your troupe- softening up your opponent before the charge as a way to
thin the numbers.

Taking the two fusion pistol upgrades is mandatory with the clowns, and
for only 20 points they are a steal. At first glance they look good for
popping tanks, but this is really a secondary (and dangerous!) use for
them. What they excel at is two close in assault shots that deny MEQ saves
before the assault. Two hits, two wounds, two kills in the best case.

Keeping with the theme of destroying whatever the clowns hit, you want
to pop off a few close shots before the assault. If you can take out 2-3
enemy models before the charge it only increases your chance of
winning the assault. While the shuriken pistols carried by the other
harlequins help with this, the shrieker cannon of the death jester and
fusion guns is where the action is at. Move as close as you can, denying a
terrain cover save and fire away before charging- especially useful
against similar close combat units where every pre-kill is so important.
Another quick and very important note- check out the range of the fusion
pistol- 6! Always make sure they are in the front ranks along with the
death jester so you are not out of range before the assault. Fusion pistols
are never in the back!

- 10 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Lets shift over to using fusion pistols to pop heavy armor like land raiders. I
only do this when other options have failed such as the lances on the
wraithlords. The reason for this is the fact that you have to get up within
kissing distance to the tank to get the 2d6 melta shot. Fusion pistols are so
good that they often explode the tank showering your clowns with
wounds that can wipe out half of your troupe. IF you are going to do this,
you need to make sure you are in cover when you hit the tank so if it
explodes you at least get a 4+ cover save or even a 3+ if you have to go
to ground depending on your location on the table. On the other hand
risks have their own reward, and being so close and popping a tank then
means you can assault the unit inside- and dont forget those flip belts
(more in a bit) which allow you to ignore the difficult terrain of the tank.

Which now brings us over to the single model that makes the entire army
work- the Shadowseer and veil of tears. VOT means that in order for your
opponent to shoot at the unit containing the seer they first have to spot
the unit by rolling 2d6 x 2- this being the maximum range that they can
shoot you at. On average this means you can be hit from around 16
away which in turn means by the time your opponent can shoot at you,

- 11 -
 Send in The Clowns!

they are in assault range. Read the codex one step more- Any unit
wishing to target the shadowseer or the unit This means you are
protected from barrage and other non LOS weapons as well. Codex
trumps rule book, and if you are placing a basilisk template over my
clowns you are targeting them so you are subject to VOT. This makes
shooting clowns very difficult and you have to get close to them to do
any real damage. VOT is also the delivery system to get your clowns into
assault and why they can work on foot over running mass banshees or
scorpions- as these elite will just get blasted off the table before they can
deliver their close combat goodness.

What about the troupe master? 100% he is worth it for the power weapon,
extra attack and +1 LD. Problem is I cant fit him in my 1750 list despite
fielding the actual model. Ive tried but it sacrifices in my troops and
heavy slot which are also very much needed, and dropping the jester
and fusion pistols are a no no! 2000 point games yes, along with some
more pathfinders as noted before.

Troop Slot

With so many points spent on a viable HQ choice to compliment the

clowns and on the clowns themselves there isnt much left over for troops.
The reason I selected pathfinder over another unit such as guardians or
even dire avengers is because of their 2+ cover save and ever so slight
ability to pop rhinos and the like at range (Remember: get them out on
foot!).

Imagine you are facing my harlequins from across the table. Tooled up for
shooting there is no way you can hit them from so far away. So what is
your next target? My pathfinders and wraithlords (more on them in a bit),
and being troops you are going to be blasting away at them. With a 2+
cover save they are terminator like and dont have to go to ground like

- 12 -
 Send in The Clowns!

rangers to get the 2+- this means they can also shoot each turn. Throw
Eldrad in with one unit and you get the 2+ cover save re-roll. This is key-
your opponent will shoot at the unit he can kill on the table so if you have
one this will drop first. With so few Eldar models on the table I needed to
make them all hard/impossible to kill from shooting (VOT, 2+ cover save,
T8, etc.) so my opponents only option it to try and get close for volume of
fire or assault- of which my clowns will pounce on them. Tau and IG
gunlines hate fighting this army! Pathfinders also have move through
cover, the ability to outflank, and get cover saves out in the open which is
all key to winning the objective missions.

Heavy Support Slot

Wraithlords are the perfect

choice for complimenting a
harlequin army since they are
good for both long range support
and assault support, while being
tough to kill for the reasons we
covered when looking at
pathfinders as a troop choice.

Armed with a brightlance and missile launcher the primary goal of my

wraithlords is to take out troop delivering tanks and to get my opponent
on foot at the start of the game- thats why they dont have the
wraithsword. As we move to mid game they advance with the clowns to
add some assault power being T8 and monstrous creatures. Being T8
means they are hard to kill- immune to bolter fire, and by using terrain to
get cover saves quite hardy against las cannons and missiles before we
even throw in fortune.

They also compliment the harleis taking advantage of the shadowseer to

negate wraithsight since she counts as a psyker. Using a harlie troupe with
wraitlord support is key. That said, pay attention to your WL placement
next to the clowns and what your opponent has on the table.

- 13 -
 Send in The Clowns!

As I advance I dont want my opponent to be able to indirectly target my

clowns. Example above of Eldar Vs. Eldar. If my lord is close to the
advancing clown unit my opponent can hit the WL with a template
weapon and hope to clip my clowns by having it scatter over to the
harlequins. Check your spacing as you advance, just within 6 for the
shadowseer but far enough to prevent a scatter. Of course sometimes
you have to just keep them far enough away and risk the wraithsight.

- 14 -
 Send in The Clowns!

The Bag Of Tricks

Now that we have walked though the how and why of the army roster we
are going to look at the bag of tricks needed to pull off the clowns on the
table. Much like remembering to cast your psyker powers at the start of
the turn, these are skills that you need to have 100% down to use the
army. Your first dozen or so games should just be about making these
ideas work before you even worry about winning any games.

Harlequins First!

Forget about marching out to meet your opponent. Yes VOT will protect
you along that way but by the time you arrive to your opponent and are
in range for him to bypass VOT you will be shot up by multiple units. As
they are, clowns cant really last a round of shooting from any unit. You
want to engage your opponent bit by bit, unit by unit, not directly head
on. Most of this is done though objective placement in the missions (next
chapter), but also through the use of terrain. At some point VOT will be
bypassed and you will be shot at- so using terrain as best you can to get a
4+ cover save is standard. Dont ever let yourself be caught out in the
open. If you have no choice but to go out in the open, then dont go! The
action of the game, and mistakes on your opponents part will bring them
to you.

A 5+ invul. save means nothing! Las guns, shooterz, bolters, plasma, all kill
you the same. Look to use terrain for your approach so you always get the
4+ cover save. I need to repeat this another three times! 4+ means your
harlies will have enough numbers to make it into the assault. Example
above- running down the central trench of a board to move up and
engage the orks. What makes this tactic fully workable is the use of flip

- 15 -
 Send in The Clowns!

belts- this means you never have to take a difficult terrain test for both
moving and assaulting. Before each game, plan for your avenue of
approach and stick with it. Again, and for the last time, never go out in
the open if your opponent can bypass VOT!

Hitting your opponent in the right place at the right time is also key. You
not only want to approach using terrain, but you want to engage your
opponent around terrain. The reason for this is that a good opponent will
speed bump you along the way- sacrifice a unit to your assault so the
clowns can be rapid fired out in the open. Watch out and dont fall for
this. You want to use terrain to move up, assault next to terrain, so when
you wipe out your opponent you can at least get half your clowns back
into terrain for the 4+ save on the massacre roll movement.

IF you are playing on a table with no real terrain then create it along the
way. Wait a turn or two before you pop your opponents tanks so they are
mid table where your clowns are going to be in a turn or two so you can
use the wreckage of the tanks to move into and get the 4+ cover save.

Understanding Distance.

More then anything, and perhaps

any other army, this one relies on
understanding distance and
being able to exploit it. It plays a
lot like Warhammer fantasy in that
you want to get the charge off
with the harlequins before your
opponent can shoot you. As my
opponent is moving his army
forward I am constantly adjusting
the movement of my clowns so
that when they end their move
they cant assault me, but I can
assault them next turn.

One of the things that is easy to forget is that you dont HAVE to move 6
and when you run you dont HAVE to move the full d6 distance. Using
harlequins means developing your visual measurement ability just by
looking. Practice by placing models out on the table at different ranges
from your harlequins and calling out how far away they are before
measuring.

- 16 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Against units that have a good amount of rapid fire shots you will be using
fleet to stay just out of 12 range- so next turn you can move 6, fleet d6
and then assault. Keep in mind if you are fleeting, you are not softening
up your opponent with some jester and fusion shots before the charge- so
use your rangers and wraithlords to do that.

Remember that this army is purposely built to be very hard to kill by

shooting at range- this forces your opponent to do the job of coming to
you. Pick the time and place to pounce on them!

Sacrifice Those Clowns!

You will also need to get past the points you are paying for your
harlequins and the notion that loosing models = loosing the game- which
is harder to do for some then others. 40K is NOT a game about killing
models, but rather being in the right place at the right time when the
game ends. Anything that accomplishes this is done, anything that takes
away from it is avoided. Be prepared to sacrifice your clowns to buy your
warithlords time to contest objectives and your pathfinders to hold
objectives.

Even with uber clown skills you are going to take heavy losses on the
harlequins. Any opponent worth a lick of skill, or once they loose that full
unit in the assault without even being able to hit back, is going to make
them target number one. It is never a question of if my opponent can kill
the clowns, but rather how long it is going to take them to do it. In this
regard going to ground is your best friend.

As long as a few of the harlies are up they are a threat. Once I am in my

opponents ranks and they are close enough to reliably bypass VOT Ill
often switch to going to ground for the 3+ cover save turning the space
elves into space marines- of course assuming you are in cover to begin
with for the base 4+. Sure you cant assault after, but if that means not
loosing 3-4 more clowns to shooting that keeps them up as a threat that
your opponent has to deal with again next turn- and if your numbers are
large enough you can bet they wont be assaulting you!

- 17 -
 Send in The Clowns!

One big squad of boyz and a

battle wagon later, Im deep in
greenskin country. Even with
crappy ork shooting Im going to
take heavy losses so I go to
ground for the 3+ cover forcing
the orks to deal with me for
another turn. In this case so my
second harlie squad backed by
two WLs could move up. The
only thing orks hate more then
clowns is flamers on the
wraithlords!

Pathfinder Country

With only two troop choices and

two of the three standard 40K
missions being objective based
you are going to need to become
a visionary in how you use your
pathfinders. Just like the harlequins
you need to be getting that 2+
cover save each and every time
with them- even out in the open if
needed.

Parking them in cover with an objective is a no brainer, getting that 2+

save out in the open is the plan and here is how it is done for those times
when you have to pull back from an objective, or even move to take
one. If you cant use terrain to block LOS for the 2+ then use your
wraithlords, or even better, harlequins! When your opponent shoots your
pathfinders they are going through the other unit so you get a 4+ cover
save base, taken down to a 2+ for the pathfinder rule. Taken a step further
the harlequins can be used as an invisible cover shield for your
pathfinders. Far enough out your opponent cant target the harlies thanks
to VOT, but they are still shooting though a unit (harlies) so you get the 2+.
The other reason for pathfinders is that in the worst of circumstances when
you have to go out in the open without terrain or unit cover saves, you
can still go to ground for the 4+ cover save out in the open. Keeping your
two troops alive at all costs is always more important then the loss of a turn
of shooting if needed.

- 18 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Send In The Brute Squad!

The wraithlords are more then long range support and brutes in close
combat, they are also often used to break the stalemate when a savvy
opponent wont let your harlequins assault.

My opponent having been burnt from the clowns before moves up his
Space Wolf rhinos to build the tried and true rhino wall. Jesters are up
front plinking away just at the very end of VOT range since there is no
cover to move into.

- 19 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Once the rhino conga line has arrived the wolves get out behind them so I
cant blow them up and then assault. We are both far enough away that
the first person to move up gets assaulted. That said, my opponent is close
enough to potentially bypass my VOT range and hit me with bolter fire so I
send in the wraithlords (upper left) to break the stalemate. With their T8
the lords are only vulnerable to melta or plasma in the squad- not
enough to take them out. If my opponent assaults the lords then he will
have to move up meaning my clowns can then assault next turn, or if he
allows the lords to assault that will anchor the wolves in place for my
clowns to then assault.

- 20 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Incase you are wondering how it ended, my opponent assaulted the

wraithlords punking them with plasma pistol shots before charging with
multiple power fists downing them. Even with a massacre roll trying to fall
back the wolves could not get away and my clowns pounced wiping
them and Njal completely off the table with a little doom support from
Eldrad camping out in the back with my other pathfinder group.

- 21 -
 Send in The Clowns!

The Three Standard 40K Missions

Now we get to the true tactica of this .PDF- how to win with an elite
harlequin army. Regardless of the mission, even non standard tournament
missions, you want to engage all of your army/units on small bite sized
chunks of your opponents army. You will 100% always be outnumbered
and outgunned, especially against newer codexes with their point
reductions in models, so going head to head against your opponent
Braveheart style will just get your balls kicked in and your army EBayed in
frustration.

Take them bit by bit over each turn and you will be fine. Again, remember
it is not about killing models but being in a better position then your
opponent for when the game ends. You also want to be in a position to
take advantage of any mistakes that your opponent makes, and they will
make mistakes trying to bypass the frustrations of playing this particular
army build once you get your game down

Note: For each mission we will be looking at both HQ build options- Eldrad
and Maugan-Ra as they alter the approach enough that it is worth
pointing out.

- 22 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Mission: Seize Ground

Playing an elite army with only two troops means that for seize ground
objective placement with a plan is more important then ever. You need
to go in with a plan and stick with the plan. For this example we will be
looking at the maximum of five objectives since this is the hardest
example to play- adjust as needed down to three or four objectives.

Right away since you only have two units of troops and only seven other
units on the table you are looking to capture two objectives with the
pathfinders and then contest two with the harlequins and wraithlords at
the last turn while your opponent has only one.

With the objectives you can place either two (red) or three (blue)
depending on the roll off. You want to mirror the above setup as best you
can, modified by terrain of course. You want to place all your objectives
in terrain so your harlequins, pathfinders, and maybe wraithlords can get a
cover save as they advance to hold. Two on one side, two on the other
and one in the center. The center objective is going to be key as it is
going to be the jumping off point mid game to head into your opponents
deployment zone to contest objectives.

If Eldrad is in the army then one unit of pathfinders goes out on the lower
center objective in cover to guide/fortune the pathfinders and so Eldrad
has range to the center table objective. The other unit of pathfinders goes
on the left/right side objective in cover. Since Eldrad will not be fortuning

- 23 -
 Send in The Clowns!

them up you might have to reserve them so they wont take fire for a turn
or two and then walk them on the board. This is a call you will have to
make based on your opponents army- can you stand up to their shooting
even with a 2+ save? Remember that survivability is more important then
shooting for this mission. If Maugan-Ra is in the list instead of Eldrad, both
pathfinder groups are still looking to park on the objectives, but both
might have to be fully reserved to later walk on the table.

In-between both objectives is going to be a harlequin unit and a

wraithlord. If Eldrad then the WL is close to him for warithsight and guide
on the lance/missile. If Mauggy then the WL hangs out away from them-
again trying to get cover even as a monstrous creature. These two units
are your counter assault unit for when/if your opponent moves to
take/contest your own two objectives. Of course we are going to be
doing our best to keep them busy from doing this, but you want to have
that plan at the ready just in case. If/when that happens and your
opponent gets close enough to the pathfinders to threaten them
(deepstrikers maybe?) then dont be afraid to move and then run the
pathfinders off and away from the objective- remember move through
cover, and getting cover saves out in the open as your WL and harlie unit
counter attack, get rid of the threat and then move the pathfinders back
on the objective.

Since we are talking about that, here is away to get some free movement
out of the pathfinders in just such a situation as it will come up

Pretend that a group of terminators land right down next to your

pathfinders on the deepstrike. They shoot for nothing, but next turn will
assault and take out said pathfinders. On your turn move the pathfinders
away towards the harlequin counter unit and bring the harlies and WL up
to meet the terminators. Next turn when you assault with harleies, also
assault with the pathfinders. This will allow the finders to move that extra
d6 in the assault, and then when your harlies take out the termies on the
first swing your pathfinder will get an extra d6 of movement back to the
objective with the massacre roll. The hitting power and high I of the
harlequins means your pathfinders will be safe from being squished by any
power fists.

Right above the lower center objective is going to be your other two
wraithlords and other harlequin units. If Maugy is in the list he goes in one
of the units. As a whole, when the time is right they are going to look to
move to the center objective as a blob and camp out there shooting and
assaulting anything your opponent throws there, and then from there the
wraithlords are going to then look to move out to contest the closest of

- 24 -
 Send in The Clowns!

your opponents objective- remember that they can run to make up the
distance. You want the a unit of clowns to contest the center objective
since if it is in cover you just go to ground for the 3+ save and it will be that
much harder for your opponent to dislodge you off them- and very few
players will try and assault you. Depending on what is happening and on
the conditions of the clowns if Maugan-Ra is in the list he might break
away with the WLs and also move to contest.

This now brings us to target priority for the mission. With the WLs and
Maugan-Ra you are looking to take out anything that can move troops at
the start of the game. Dakka tanks are also important but for the first few
turns VOT and range will protect you. Transports need to only be
immobilized and dakka tanks their main weapons blown off or
immobilized out of range if you cant destroy them or are facing them in
numbers. End game you want to start looking at taking out those units
that can last turn contest your own objectives, like speeders, etc. If Eldrad
is in the list, having him on the lower center objective means he can throw
eldritch storm on incoming tanks to the center objective to spin them
around for rear armor.

Opening Game: Transports, especially fast moving ones.

Mid Game: Transports & Dakka tanks.
End Game: Fast moving units that can contest.

- 25 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Mission: Capture & Control

Now onto the second standard 40K mission- and Im not going to sugar
coat it, but this is the hardest mission to win with a harlequin build. Without
any fast moving units to capture/control your opponents objective you
are either going to make it there or not, and what is going to do it is
controlling the range as discussed in the bag of tricks section.

If you are off but a bit then your clowns are going to go down and youll
never reach the other objective. The good news for this mission is that
pulling off a tie is almost a given so at least you wont loose in a friendly
game, and in a tourney setting you wont be down the full points making
a comeback to place possible.

When it comes time to place objectives you want to place yours opposite
your opponents as best you can and of course in cover. From here you
are going to divide your forces up into two groups. The first group is going
to be the pathfinders and a harlie + WL, and the second group is going to
be everybody else. If Eldrad is in the list the fist group of pathfinders goes
on your objective with him and fortunes up along with guiding the WL
nearby along with the harlie group. Just like before these are your counter
assault unit for when your opponent tries to contest your objective.
Everything else moves out towards your opponents objective as a blob
looking to punch though at that critical moment.

As for the second pathfinder unit, this is the wildcard that depends on your
level of risk and what is in your opponents army. If you think you can
outlast his shooting on your objective then they go for the outflank, if you
cant outlast then they go in reserves and/or also park near your

- 26 -
 Send in The Clowns!

objective. That said, probably 90% of the time I personally outflank the
pathfinders and here is the reason for that.

If my objective and my opponents are both on the same side of the

board that is a 66% chance of my pathfinders entering on that side of the
table from the outflank- and the later they enter the better. If my
opponent has broken through my forward pushing clown units and I need
another troop on my objective to keep holding it then the pathfinders
walk on the side close to me and park on the objective.

If my clowns are pushing forward or it is turn 4/5 then the pathfinders

come in on the side up near my opponents objective to contest it. As
mentioned in the bag of tricks section you can use your clown squad to
get the pathfinders a 2+ save out in the open. The pathfinders will again
move to contest my opponents objective with the outflank. However if
they come in on the other side then they are pretty much done and out
of the game- yes it is a risk, but the payoff is worth it. Plus it keeps your
opponent guessing.

While Im waiting for the pathfinders to come in the two clown groups and
two wraithlords are pushing forward to engage my opponent in the
center of the table. If Eldrad is in the list this is within doom range which
helps if needed, but is not always they best thing- and here is why- I want
to take advantage of the hit and run of the harlequins

With both of us (my opponent and I) going head to head, he might get
the charge off first on my clowns leaving me at S3 which means even with
the high I Im probably not going to wipe them out. At the end of combat
I use hit and run to pull out, get the free movement away from my
opponent, and then on my turn charge the WL in to break or tie up that
unit while my clowns move on.

Knowing when to use hit and run to gain that free movement and break
away in your turn is key to getting on the other side to contest the
objective. With the flip belts ignoring terrain, running, and using assaults to
bounce further harlies are surprisingly fast. Think about how you can use
hit and run to gain that extra bit of movement.

In the end, much like the first mission Im looking to contest my opponents
objective and hold my own.

- 27 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Mission: Annihilation

Space MarinesYou want us? Come and get us!

This is THE best mission for a harlequin themed army, and when played as
Im advocating it is very difficult to loose as once your opponent realizes
what is going on it is more then likely too late to do anything- perfect for
tournaments, and this mission favors the Eldrad build tremendously due to
divination.

If Eldrad is in the list

You want to take first turn if you can. Pick the side of the table with the
best terrain on the corner- a good place to hide your wraithlords and
pathfinders- the more elevated the better- and castle up on that side.

- 28 -
 Send in The Clowns!

Now, on the other side of the table (applicable by deployment) but out a
pathfinder squad as far forward and as out in the open as possible,
possibly with a harlequin unit to make it an attractive and easy kill point(s)
so far from your castled army. After your opponent deploys pull the unit (s)
back to your castled side of the table. What you are hoping is that your
opponent will pull off a unit or two from his army in deployment to go after
your two units- when you pull them back this takes those two opponent
deployed units out of the game- by the time they get over to your castle it
will be over. This allows you to focus all of your army on part of your
opponents. The reason you are only fake deploying two is that divination
only allows at a minimum two units, and since you roll of to see the
number allowed, you dont want to pull three but then only be able to
move two!

Castled up in the corner with the rest of my forces in reserve. Eldrad is with
the clowns to he cant be picked out thanks to VOT, but he is close
enough for guide, fortune, and then doom when it comes into range. The
WL is close enough away that the clowns cant get hit with a scatter, and
the pathfinders have a nice elevation with that 2+ cover save

- 29 -
 Send in The Clowns!

From here it is about target priority and fortuning up what needs to survive
to deny a kill point to your opponent- most likely the wraithlords. You are
looking to target rhinos, speeders, and weak units as they come into
range to pick up a kill point. Rinse and repeat as needed, assaulting only
with the clowns when your opponent makes it close to your castle
deployment. At the same time, with your WLs in cover you are looking to
fortune two of them up so all those long range las shots are going to be
that much harder to take them down with a re-roll on the 4+ cover save.

The only real change to the plan is if

your opponent has a back door
delivery system like drop pods that
can come right down and rapid fire
your harlequins. If so, then just
reserve all three harlie units, let the
pods drop close and then when
you move on the table with the
harlies assault them.

With Maugan-Ra things change a bit in that you would prefer to go

second turn since you dont have the redeploy ability and it will give you
the end of the turn to earn any kill points needed to break a tie or pull a
tie if needed.

In this case if you can go second you castle up on the side of the table
that is weaker to your opponent, or the one with more terrain for cover
saves with your clowns- this works even better if your opponent spreads
out on his deployment zone or if it spearhead since it will take a while to
get into rapid fire range.

WLs and pathfinders in cover as usual. Maugna-Ra joins a clown group

and moves a bit forward with them. VOT will protect you, the maugateer
will be in prime range and it will look like you are coming out to meet your
opponent- which usually has two effects. They will send out a unit or two
to meet you, or just hang back figuring you are coming to them. Of
course you are not doing that, but you want to make it look like you are
attacking. You want to leverage the shots and skills of Mauggy to pick up
a kill point and then run away back to your castled up army.

- 30 -
 Send in The Clowns!

What you do have to watch out for with this mission is your wraithlords-
even with T8 they are an attractive kill point for those long range shots,
which is why cover is needed. That said, for those tables that just dont
have enough to hide a monstrous creature you can do the wraithlord
shuffle. Put one in front of the other two so they (back two) get the cover
save. When the front one takes a wound or two, move him out for a fresh
one in the back.

Final ThoughtsFor Now

For the most part that concludes the basics that I have worked out with
fielding a harlequin heavy army. A final bit of advice is to allow yourself a
generous learning curve with the army, especially with learning the VOT
safety zone and assault zone/distance with the harlequins. The first few
games you will get rapid fired and vaped, but then youll start seeing
enough ahead that you will know the how and where to place the
harlequins to keep them safe, yet within assault range.

As always if you have any questions or unique harlie tactica ideas Id love
to hear from you and continue to try and help out.

-Fritz

http://www.veil-of-tears.blogspot.com/

This web site and document is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop
Limited. All associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units,
illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either , TM and/or Copyright
Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2010, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the
world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their
respective owners.

- 31 -