Saim-Hann

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Saim-Hann is one of the Eldar Craftworlds featured in the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe.

The Eldar craftworld of Saim-Hann was one of the first craftworlds to abandon the crone worlds as the Fall of the Eldar approached, heeding their Farseer's warnings. As such they have spent far more time isolated from the rest of the Eldar than the other main craftworlds, although they do contact and have a similar culture to the Exodite worlds. They are fierce warriors, who place upon honour a higher value than their sophisticated kin. This, coupled with their pride, has sadly led them to conflict with each other and different craftworlds. While this generally takes the form of an organised duel between representatives of each clan, in which first blood is usually sufficient, the high number of deaths from these conflicts has lent to the barbaric reputation of the craftworld.

On the tabletop the Wild Host of Saim-Hann is comprised almost entirely of jetbikes. Any unit which cannot be mounted on jetbikes or do not have a fast form of movement (such as warp jump generators or Swooping Hawk wings) is normally given a wave serpent transport. An exception to this is the Wraithlord and Dark Reapers, whose role is normally to give covering fire to the scarlet arrow of anti-grav. vehicles. The force is fast moving and tactically flexible, meaning that even against a far stronger or more numerous enemy the Eldar of Saim-Hann can always remain just beyond their reach.

Colour Scheme

The Saim-Hann warhosts are generally coloured red or a light scarlet colour. They are generally highlighted with contrasting clours, mainly black, white or yellow in striped patterns. The different warrior clans have different personal symbols, however, so there is almost certain to be a significant amount of variation between clans, squads or even individuals. The craftworld symbol is a stylised serpent. The serpent is significant in Eldar mythology because it is supposed to be the only creature to exist in the spiritual and physical worlds at the same time. Indeed, it is revered so much by the Saim-Hann Eldar that one of their coming-of-age rites is to catch a daggersnake (found on the worlds of the Exodites) in mid-strike. The serpent also epitomises the attack style of Saim-Hann-a fast, deadly strike before withdrawing, leaving the enemy panicked and confused.

Game Tactics

Saim-Hann armies generally favour a very flexible and adjustable battle plan. Jetbikes, Vypers and transported assault troops are perfect for flanking the enemy while the Wraithlords, heavy tanks and wraithlords hold the centre line. This creates a "pincer" effect, giving the enemy nowhere to run and destroying them in a devastating crossfire. If playing an objectives game, take an Autarch as a HQ choice. Give him Swooping Hawk wings to keep up with the rest of the army and perhaps a fusion gun for tank hunting. Keep two large units of jetbikes in reserve. On turn 4 or five use the Autarch's ability to call the jetbikes onto the table and turbo-boost onto the objective, thus neatly winning the game (hopefully). As an aside, letting your jetbikes get stuck in an assault is tantamount to a deathwish. Keep them out of combat whenever possible. Taking an Autarch such as the one above and attaching him to a unit of Swooping Hawks allows them to deepstrike in on turn 2 on a 3+ and on a 2+ every turn after that, covering your opponent with S4 AP5 ordnance templates.