On the Eldar Path...

Yes, it was. It includes a certain amount of 'hand-waving' but saves far, far more. It creates an integrated system by which exceptions to be made rather than a system where exceptions are made to everything in the hope that it creates a 'realistically complex' situation.


You would be wrong, I'm guessing. There is little inadvertent about it...


And I would say that you're incorrect in this assertion. Yes, the experience of the Path is unique to each indiviudal eldar, but that does not prevent there being specific generalities made.

Consider the typical favourite of wargamers: the Path of the Warrior. We know that there are going to be certain 'standard' approaches to, say, the Way of the Dire Avenger whether it's something as obvious and superficial as 'they can shoot a shuriken catapult' to something a bit more abstract. Does that nullify the concept of the Path system?

Or hang on, what about the 'Path of the Warrior' itself? Surely that is inherently restrictive because of the resolution into different Ways (Aspect Shrines)...?

Obviously not, for the last. Rather we have a "catch all" phrase ("Path of the Warrior") to which we place the various Aspect Shrines (Ways), either those that are canonical or those that we - as fans - make up. We do not necessarily restrict ourselves.

Thus with the advocated system. It allows for the general framework (Paths being split into finite, if very large in some cases, number of Ways) with the progression and individual experience and determinations of the eldar (or, rather, the player) allow variation from the template.

Otherwise it would be like saying, erm, all accountants are exactly the same? Surely if life itself is too complex to capture in an RPG then how the heck can a wargame do it? Or is one an acceptable level of abstraction and the other not, perhaps?

All valid questions...


Now that I would agree with. But you have to take everything in entirety, not take a 'blinkered' approach to each every little thing or manifestation of 'culture'. Consider, for example, the concept of personal responsibility, the nature of Clans (advocated herein), and then the Path...


Get a job. Get a life...

No, I'm not being harsh although it was designed to sound like it! (Hence over-dosing on smilies.) Rather your making the eldar sound rather human... which is fair enough in some regards. But RPGs have been caricaturing and abstracting humans for decades...

Remember, though, it's hard creating an abstract (discrete) system to model a more complex dynamic and continuous situation and rather easy to talk about such abstractions...