Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War

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Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War is a turn-based strategy game, available on Good Old Games. Unlike most of Warhammer vidya gaems, which have the Imperium as the centred faction, this time the Eldar are the protagonists. The game was released in June 30, 1999 for Windows 98 by Dreamforge Entertainment and published by Strategic Simulations.

Campaign Story

The Eldar Empire, during its apex, had engineered countless worlds to become habitable paradises; these are known as Maiden Worlds and a majority of these worlds had been destroyed, with the birth of Slaanesh, lost or forgotten through time. Skipping forwards to the 41st Millennium, one of these Maiden Worlds, named Davinnus, was rediscovered by Craftworld Iyanden. However the planet had already been settled by the Imperium, as a Frontier World. The Eldar perceived that they couldn't possibly reclaim the world from the Imperium, however they couldn't rely on their usual shenanigans of deceiving some other faction - like the Orks - to weaken the Mon-keigh resistance, in order for the Eldar to swoop-in and oust them out; they realised that historical records and artefacts of great power remained in Davinnus (thankfully for Iyanden, the Blood Ravens hadn't yet arrived to the planet to steal claim these artefacts), thus they tried to retrieve those items with minimal forces, for secrecy. The Mon-keigh spot them almost immediately and attack the xenos, which shocked the Eldar as why they would fight them unprovoked.

As they continue to contest with the Imperium for these treasures, an unforeseen evil was present. Turns out Genestealer cultists had infiltrated parts of the colony and they were planning to call a Hive Ship to devour the world. To save that planet from the Tyranids, the Eldar teamed-up the Imperium (which included the Imperial Guard, the Sisters of Battle and the Blood Angels) and with the power of friendship they were successful. After their victory, a truce was struck and the Eldar were let free to finish their plans.

Faction Forces

From the in-game encyclopedia and the manual:

The Eldar

Tactical Units

• Dire Avengers - The Dire Avengers represent the god Khaine in his aspect as an honourable, noble warrior. They are the most numerous of all the Aspect Warriors, with shrines on all the Craftworlds. Dire Avengers are the most tactically flexible of all Aspect Warriors. They are armed with the Shuriken Catapult.
• Dire Avenger Exarch - The Dire Avenger Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Dire Avengers path. The Exarchs’ fanatical dedication drives them to achieve spectacular levels of skill in their chosen path. They are armed with the Shuriken Catapult. The Dire Avenger Exarchis a well-balanced unit and equally suited for attack and defence on the battlefield.
• Guardians - Every Eldar is trained and ready to fight if need be. The Guardians are the Craftworld’s most numerous body of fighting troops. Guardians are armed with the versatile Shuriken Catapult, which allows them to make a solid defence or counterattack with speed. They are often accompanied by special anti-grav platforms mounting heavy weapons. Unlike the slow and ponderous supporting units of other races, this enables the Eldar to stay mobile while delivering lethal strikes. Guardians are all-purpose, basic troops. They are relatively weak, but gain experience quickly.
• Warp Spiders - The heavily-armoured Warp Spiders use a compact warp generator to teleport short distances through the warp. This allows them to circumnavigate any barrier or defensive line to occupy the most favourableposition in battle. Warp Spiders are feared for this ability as well as their extremely deadly weapons, the Death Spinners. These weapons project a long thread of single-molecule chain, or mono-filament wire. The technology used to create this device is unique to the Eldar. The Death Spinner’s magnetic containment field spools the wire together and hurls it towards the enemy in a rapidly expanding mist-like mass. As the wire strikes its target, tension causes the wire to writhe and lash as loose ends seek out tiny holes in the victim’s armour. Where it touches flesh or soft tissue, the wire uncoils inside the victim’s body, severing limbs and turning flesh into pulp. Warp Spiders are especially deadly against units moving in Formation.
• Warp Spider Exarch - The Warp Spiders Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Warp Spider path. Armed with a pair of fearsome Death Spinners, they are especially deadly against units moving in formation.
• Wraithguards - The Wraithguards are not living warriors, but robotic bodies constructed to house the spirits of dead heroes of the Eldar. Only in times of great need are the dead stirred from their slumber and brought to battle, butthe sturdy armour and devastating Wraith cannon have won many battle swhich otherwise would have been lost. The Wraithcannon is a weapon unique to the Eldar Wraithguards and is powered by the psychic energy of the Wraithguards’ Spirit Stone. This energy is focused to open a temporary rift between reality and warp space within the target, tearing it apart or warping it a distance away. The effects of the Wraithcannon are very similar to that of the Artillery weapon, the D-Cannon, but the results are tightly controlled and far more accurate. Armed with the Wraithcannon, Wraithguards can be effective against armoured troops.

Scout Units

• Mimes - Mimes have yet to undertake the Ritual, and so have not been initiated into the full secrets of the Harlequins. They are brought to a band by the solitaires, and it is up to the Great Harlequin what they must do to earn the right to be taught the ways of the Harlequins. Mimes may spend many years serving their Harlequin band in this way, moving from Craftworld to Craftworld through the material universe, watching and listening to all that happens. Mimes make good scouts and can manoeuvre quickly across the battlefield.
• Harlequins - The Harlequins are warrior troubadours whose carefully constructed masques and impressive displays of mime and acrobatics tell the many strange stories of Eldar mythology. They wear exotic multicoloured costumes, brightly patterned to represent figures from the Eldar myth cycles. They never show their real faces but conceal them beneath a shifting costume mask that can assume any image at the will of the Harlequins. When the Harlequins fight in battle their masks are said to reflect the worst nightmares of all those who gaze upon them, causing their foes to quail with supernatural fear. Harlequins are armed with the Harlequin’s Kiss, a tubular weapon that straps to the back of one’s forearm. By punching forward, the Harlequin activates the weapon and releases a tightly curled 100 meter long mono-filament wire (a wire only one molecule thick). If the tip of the weapon touches the enemy, the wire filament pierces armour and flesh to instantly uncoil inside the victim’s body. Within the space of a heartbeat, the enemy’s insides are reduced to the consistency of soup, and the wire whips back into the Harlequin’s Kiss. With their Harlequin’s Kiss, these stealthy scouts can make effective hit and run attacks against a more powerful enemy.
• Great Harlequin - The Great Harlequin of the Laughing God is a leader among the Harlequins and the most powerful of hand-to-hand combatants from among all those wandering warriors. The Great Harlequin bears the honour of representing the Laughing God, and wears a grotesque mask in the image of this enigmatic being. The Great Harlequin is armed with the Harlequin’s Kiss. The Great Harlequin can attack from cover and deal significant damage before escaping to disappear from the enemy’s sight once again. It is an excellent harasser.

Assault Units

• Avatar of Khaine - The heart of every Craftworld contains a shrine in which sits the Avatar of the Bloody Handed God, Kaela Mensha Khaine - the Eldar god of war. When the Eldar engage in desperate struggles, the Avatar is roused from its brooding slumber as an embodiment of terror and carnage, prepared to lead the Eldar into battle. The Avatar is a monstrous creature, with molten metal for blood, steel-like skin, and smouldering eyes intent on death and destruction. In one hand it wields the Wailing Doom, one of the most devastating hand held weapons known. This mighty Sword is capable of smashing tanks and slicing the most heavily armoured warrior in two. The Avatar’s other hand constantly drips with blood, capable of crushing a skull with ease or smashing through muscle and bone with a single blow. The Avatar can be the ultimate Eldar fighting unit; however, even a lion can be brought down by enough jackals. Always defend the Avatar’s flanks.
• Howling Banshees - The Howling Banshees are swift and mobile troops, most deadly in hand-to-hand fighting. Their Banshee masks contain psychosonic amplifiers that magnify their battle screams into mind-destroying barrages. Their screams inflict a severe shock to the central nervous system of the Eldar’s foe, causing momentary paralysis. Banshees are excellent at terminating enemy troops caught in the open or in light cover, as their psychic screams prevent most opponents from even firing back. Most Howling Banshees are female, although any Aspect Warriors can be male or female. Howling Banshees are armed with power swords.
• Howling Banshee Exarch - The Howling Banshee Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Howling Banshee path. A warrior having achieved this level can never again experience any life or existence that is not dedicated completely to their warrior code. The Exarchs’ fanatical dedication drives them to achieve spectacular levels of skill in their chosen path. Howling Banshee Exarchs are armed with a devastating power axe. Howling Banshee Exarchs make effective shock troops, as their stunned opponents are incapable of launching a full-force counter attack. If they themselves fall victim to a surprise assault, however, they can be vulnerable.
• Striking Scorpions - The Striking Scorpions are among the most powerful of the hand-to-hand fighting Aspect Warriors. Striking Scorpions carry powered saw-toothed swords called chainswords. In effect, chainswords are elegant, high-powered chainsaws that can easily rip through flesh or metal. Striking Scorpions excel at breaking through hardened lines, where their heavier armour allows them to charge into melee range. Once Scorpions have closed the necessary distance, no opponent can stand long against their furious battle prowess.
• Striking Scorpion Exarch - The Striking Scorpion Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Striking Scorpion path. The Striking Scorpion Exarch is armed with a chainsword. Striking Scorpion Exarchs are best suited for close, hand to hand assaults. They are very durable, shrugging off wounds that would destroy lesser units.

Aerial Units

• Swooping Hawks - The Swooping Hawks wear cunningly constructed wings made from vibrating feather plates. The pitch and vibration of these plates turns the wings into a blur of colour, which carries the Eldar high into the air. From the air, Swooping Hawks wield Lasblasters, enabling them to rain a hail of suppressing death upon foes below. The Swooping Hawks’ costumes reflect the background colour of the sky.
• Swooping Hawk Exarch - The Swooping Hawk Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Swooping Hawks path. Swooping Hawk Exarchs wield powerful Lasblasters, enabling them to rain a hail of suppressing death upon foes below. Their wings are coloured in brilliant shades that create dazzling polychromatic patterns when in flight. Swooping Hawk Exarchs defend the sky above their embattled brethren, engaging enemy aerial units before they can wreak havoc on the Eldar below.

Devastator Units

• Dark Reapers - Dark Reapers are Aspect Warriors who embody their god Khaine in his aspect of Destroyer, and are armed appropriately. Dark Reapers wield the deadly long ranged Reaper Launcher which fires a hail of armour-piercing rockets. These provide solid long-ranged support for any Eldar attack. The Dark Reapers’ armour is composed of heavy interlocking plates. Their lower leg armour is specially designed to stabilise their bodies and thus allow for more accurate targeting. Dark Reapers provide good long range support, even against armour; however, they are slow and must be deployed with forethought.
• Dark Reaper Exarch - The Dark Reaper Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Dark Reapers path. Dark Reaper Exarchs wield the deadly long ranged Reaper Launcher which fires a hail of armour-piercing rockets. These provide solid long-ranged support for any Eldar attack. The Dark Reaper Exarch’s armour is composed of heavy interlocking plates. Their lower leg armour is specially designed to stabilise their bodies and thus allow for more accurate targeting. Dark Reaper Exarchs provide good long range support, even against armour; however, they are slow and must be deployed with forethought.
• Death Jester - The Death Jester wears the costume of Death. His mask is a skull, and the bones that decorate his costume are made from the bones of the Harlequin group’s previous Death Jester. Unlike other Harlequins, the Death Jester is heavily armed in battle. He wields the massive and deadly Shrieker Cannon, which provides the troupe’s long range weaponry. Death, it is said, strikes from afar and with great surety. The Shuriken Shrieker Cannon is an upgraded version of the shuriken catapult with a longer barrel. It fires shrieker ammunition, delivering a genetic serum which kills its victims in a particularly horrifying and untidy manner. The Death Jester shares the stealthy traits of its Harlequin lineage, and stands good chance of breaking its opponent through the sheer surprise and force of its deadly assault.
• Fire Dragons - The Fire Dragons are among the most specialised and least numerous of the Aspect Warriors. They carry powerful Fusion guns which deliver a blast of intense heat, melting through armour, searing flesh, and leaving the target a charred wreck. Fire Dragons excel at hunting down enemy tanks, whose hulls they can rapidly slag with their fiery weapons.
• Fire Dragon Exarch - The Fire Dragon Exarch represents the highest level of skill and proficiency possible for a warrior on the Fire Dragon path. This Exarch carries a powerful firepike which delivers a blast of intense heat, melting through armour, searing flesh, and leaving the target a charred wreck. The Fire Dragon Exarch excels at destroying War Machines, but proves vulnerable to well-coordinated melee assaults.

War Machines

• Falcon - Falcon Grav Tanks are the standard gravtank of the Eldar. Its primary armament is a single powerful pulse cannon and backed up by multiple shuriken cannons allowing it to strike with unparalleled power and frequency. The Falcons weapons boast sufficient power to punch significant holes in most other War Machines, and a rate of fire that proves very effective in anti-infantry actions.
• Fire Prism - Fire Prism Grav Tanks mount a single large laser weapon, known as the Prism Cannon, which uses a massive crystal to focus its energy before delivering a devastating blast. It is used to provide swift-moving, heavy firepower in support of Eldar War Machines. The blast of a Fire Prism’s main cannon is a concentrated burst of energy that detonates in spectacular release of superheated fury. Though an excellent War Machine, devastating against armour and squads, the power required to operate the Fire Prism Cannon precludes the mounting of secondary support weapons, making it relatively vulnerable to close range infantry attacks.
• Vypers - The Eldars are famed for their large variety of anti-gravity vehicles, most prominent of these being Jetbikes and Vypers, both capable of flying at high speeds, thus making them difficult to hit or damage. Vypers accommodate two crew members and are augmented by a sophisticated technology that allows them to move at high speed but sustain a barrage of fire. The second crew member occupies a weapons platform behind the Vyper’s cockpit, from which he commands a deadly shuriken cannon. Highly mobile and boasting lethal weaponry, Vypers can be used to bolster a flagging defence or launch rapid hit-and-run attacks. They should not be used in toe to toe battles with heavy enemy armour.
• War Walker - War Walkers are vehicles of extremely unusual design. They resemble a Wraithlord in that it they are massive and vaguely humanoid, with long but tremendously powerful limbs. The single crewman is protected by a sophisticated energy shield. War Walkers provide the ideal means of moving over steep or broken ground, as their limbs have the agility of a living body. These large, mechanised weapon platforms are deadly against units of the enemy Devastator class and other concentrated ground troops.
• Wraithlord - As a Wraithguard is an artificial body housing a dead warrior’s spirit, so too is the mighty Wraithlord. The Wraithlord’s power on the battlefield, however, is greater than an entire unit of the smaller Wraithguards. The souls of the greatest battle-sung heroes of the craftworld are integrated with these huge war machines, which tower over a man. Laden with destructive weaponry, the Wraithlords stride into battle with the fluidity and ease of a living Eldar. They crush foes with their mighty fists. Their shoulder mounted D-Cannon is the Eldar race’s most devastating weapon. This fearsome monstrosity can all but crush any opposition. Nevertheless, it is best to employ the Wraithlord at the vanguard of a coordinated force, so that it is not endanger of being overwhelmed by the enemy’s sheer numbers.

Artillery Units

• D-Cannon - The distort or “D-cannon” is an Eldar weapon that makes use of the same warp-technology that enables spacecraft to move in and out of warp space. The weapon emits a low droning noise which builds in pitch until it fires with a high-pitched shriek, spewing a beam of impenetrable blackness towards its target. When this momentary rift between real space and the warp strikes the target, the unlucky foe is enmeshed in blackness and violently wrenched between warp space and reality. An extremely deadly artillery piece. As with all artillery, it is best used as a ranged support weapon and kept out of the vanguard where it would prove most vulnerable.
• Brightlance - The Eldar have a grasp of technology which far surpasses that of most other races. They utilise this advantage to the fullest in the battlefield, mounting their ultra tech weapons on hovering platforms enabling crews to move these powerful weapons around the battlefield with great speed and little assistance. The most common types of these systems include an extremely powerful Brightlance. Brightlance are high powered weapons capable of cutting through heavily armoured vehicles with ease. They are vulnerable in melee combat.
• Scatter Laser - The Eldar originally devised Scatter Lasers for use by some of their more powerful War Machines, though the Eldar Guardians quickly adapted a version to be fitted to the anti-grav platform. This weapon comprises six separate laser chambers that can be fired simultaneously, at the same or different targets. Scatter Lasers are similar to Imperial Lasers, but infinitely more refined. Scatter Lasers are often employed to soften targeted positions before a full assault of Eldar troops is launched.
• Vibro Cannon - Vibro Cannon are a uniquely Eldar weapons which use resonant force as a powerful means of destruction. A vehicle hit by Vibro Cannon shakes violently and may fall apart. Troops are flung to the ground quivering uncontrollably. Even the ground itself is ripped asunder by shock waves emanating from Vibro Cannon. The weapon can be directed against a specific point on the battlefield, but its forces are transmitted through the ground all the way to its target. Vibro Cannon are actually more effective against troops in fortified or entrenched positions, as the very defences they depended upon are weakened by the seismic disturbance.

Psyker Units

All Eldar Psyker units can use one of four Psyker Powers per turn, depending upon his experience level.

• Farseer - The Farseer provides guidance to the Craftworld and commands the Eldar forces in battle. His powerful psychic abilities allow him to foresee the possible futures that extend from every decision and action. He can also unleash psychic powers of unparalleled magnitude to either aid his own troops or smite their enemies. In battle, the Farseer proves himself an ancient, experienced, and skilled opponent, commanding respect from friend and foe alike. Wounds do not slow a Farseer in battle, as his number of attacks stay constant, even near death.
• Warlock - The Eldar are a psychically sensitive race and have the inner strength to develop their powers in many extraordinary ways. Eldar who choose this path are called Seers. A Seer uses mystic runes to focus his powers, enabling him to foretell the future. He carries spirit stones, which contain the essences of long dead Seers as his spiritual guides. Some Seers’ power go far beyond prediction, and these more powerful individuals are called Warlocks. A Warlock can focus energies in destructive as well as creative ways, sending psychic blasts hurtling from his mind. The Warlock is armed with a Shuriken Pistol. A compact version of the Shuriken Catapult, it fires lethal disks of spinning death.
• Warlock Champion - The Warlock Champion is a step along the path of devotion that can take an Eldar from Warlock to Warlock Master. The Warlock Champion can focus energies in destructive as well as creative ways, sending psychic blasts hurtling from his mind. The Warlock Champion is armed with a Witch Blade, a weapon only Psykers can wield. Inside the sword is interwoven a powerful ps-convertor, a special material formed into a precise serpentine shape which concentrates and directs psychic energy. This makes the Witch Blade a weapon to be feared in the hands of an experienced Warlock Champion.
• Warlock Master - The Warlock Master represents the next step along the path of devotion that can take an Eldar from Warlock Champion to Farseer. He is armed with a Singing spear; a force weapon like the Champion’s sword, but one that can also be thrown for a deadly ranged attack.

The Imperium

Tactical Units

• Imperial Guard -
• Sisters of Battle -
• Space Marines -
• Terminators -

Scout Unit

• Marine Scouts -

Assault Units

• Imperial Assault Squad -
• Terminator Assault Squad -

Aerial Units

• Jump Marines -
• Seraphim -

Devastator Units

• Imperial Missile Team -
• Marine Devastators -
• Terminator Devastators -

War Machines

• Immolator -
• Land Raider -
• Leman Russ -

Artillery Units

• Imperial Guard Autocannon -
• Whirlwind -

Psyker Unit

• Librarian -

The Tyranid

Tactical Units

• Brood Guard -
• Termagants -
• Tyranid Warriors -

Scout Unit

• Lictors -

Assault Units

• Carnifex -
• Genestealers -
• Hormagaunts -

Aerial Unit

• Gargoyles -

Devastator Units

• Brood Missile Team -
• Venom Warriors -

War Machines

• Brood Land Raider -
• Brood Leman Russ -

Artillery Units

• Biovores -
• Brood Autocannon -
• Brood Whirlwind -

Psyker Units

• Hive Tyrant -
• Magus -
• Zoanthrope -

Gallery

• 

  Farseer giving a briefing.