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Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Necromunda Bug Bites Again!

As you've seen, I've recently been working on my new Adeptus Custodes army, while trying to finish my Goliath gang for Necromunda.  I've spent the last couple weekends working on the skin and hair for these roid-raging slabs of beef and it's coming along nicely.  Still quite a way to go but as I've said before, even if you can only spend 15 minutes or half an hour working on something, it's still that much closer to finished!

(The other six need their arms glued on after I've painted the bodies)

But, like many hobbyists, I like to keep some variety in my projects so that it never gets tedious.  That does mean I've got a growing backlog of other projects - despite an earlier article about why that's inadvisable.  But I suppose that makes me just like most of the rest, right?

So two other projects have worked their way into the queue.  When the rules for Genestealer Cults in Necromunda appeared in last month's White Dwarf, I figured I'd give them a go.  From the beginning, Necromunda has seemed like the ideal game for a small force of Genestealer cultists to appear.  There were rules for them in Shadow War: Armageddon, and despite some players thinking that such cults were out of place in this setting, I think that an Underhive is the perfect place for an alien cult to fester and spread.

I was reading some articles and watching videos on color theory (something I recommend every painter should do!) and I thought that orange would be a striking contrast to the blue carapace and lilac skin of Genestealer Hybrids.  A couple of Cults use that color scheme - the Cult of the Rusted Claw and the Cult Hydraic.  I think orange would look great on the hazard suits - kind of like the work suits of Brokkrs in Warpath, or flight suits in Star Wars.  Something like these dapper gents, painted by Darren Latham, who also sculpted the Genestealer Hybrid line:


And to see how that kind of scheme looks when we add in the blue carapace and spot colors, these Metamorphs from GW:


I haven't given too much consideration to the loadouts or roster, though my goal is to have a team that can be used in Necromunda and Shadow War interchangeably.  As for the weapons, I plan to go for form over function.  While certain guns might be more effective, I'm likely going to use as much repurposed mining equipment as possible.  I like the idea of Hybrids that have infiltrated the work force and steal their gear from work when the revolution begins.  Mining lasers, drills, saws, cutters, picks and dynamite... it may not be as good as heavy stubbers, shotguns and flamers but it will still be fun!

It will be a little while before I can get around to them but I'm hoping to make that my next project behind the Goliaths.  My FLGS is starting a new league in a few weeks and if I have my Goliaths done, I might actually get to play for a change! (See last week's article for more on that.)

So I stopped into my local Warhammer store to pick up a box of Acolyte Hybrids, and what do I see?  Yes, House Orlock was released a couple weeks ago.  I was kind of lukewarm about them in original Necromunda - they kind of looked like a bunch of dudes who washed out of Cobra-Kai or failed auditions for Rambo.  But my friend Don played them in our league back then and did well.  All of his gangers were named after famous serial killers, which is kind of disturbing until you consider how life in the Underhive is even worse.

But these new Orlocks look badass.  They have a unique appearance that's full of character.  In a way, they sort of remind me of the '80s classic movie The Warriors.  Here's the picture from their web store:

Look at them!  Stubbers with drum mags.... Tommy guns!  The leader's got a low-tech power fist!  And who else (besides Scalies) would use a harpoon gun in the Underhive?  I am going to need to pick up more of those nifty Underhive bases though.

In honor of Don's gang from the good old days, I am going to name them The Ripperjacks.  A Ripperjack is a predatory animal in the Underhives, kind of a cross between a bat and a Facehugger from Alien.  They drop onto their prey and bite out its eyes while tearing its throat open or choking with their long prehensile tail.  It sounds like the sort of thing that would be chosen for a gang name in the Underhive - and it's also a nod to Jack the Ripper, something Don would approve.  Come to think of it, maybe that will be the name of my leader...

This is why I love skirmish games - and particularly why Necromunda remains my all-time favorite.  You can take your time coming up with background and lavish extra time making a dozen guys look great - and then have time to play.

Even though three gangs sounds like a lot of work, it's still only a few dozen models - smaller than my long-term 2000-point Dark Angels army.  My goal is to get them all ready for the table by my birthday in June - it may not happen because I'm terrible with goals and deadlines make a hobby feel like work, but I'm putting that out there as a challenge to myself (and in the hopes that you all will keep me accountable).

Necromunda players - What's your favorite House, and why?  What sort of Gang do you play?  What are they called?  Got any pictures or stories to share?  Let us know!

2 comments:

  1. Those Goliaths are looking good. I think red is my favorite color to paint. It's so easy to work with compared to any other color.

    Yeah, the fun part of specialist games is it's easy to spread yourself out but still only have a few models to paint. It's not the same as starting a 2nd or 3rd army for 40K.

    I haven't played Necromunda yet, but the Goliaths are what appeal to me. I'm a sucker for the big jacked-up brutes in any game.

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    1. Indeed - as much as I admire those with skill and finesse, my personality is drawn to the "blunt object" approach. In most role-playing games, I'm more of the tank kind of guy.
      And the characters I most identify with in fiction and on the screen are guys like Jayne Cobb in Firefly, and guys like that. So Goliaths were a good fit for me.

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