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Koyote enters the Underhive


Koyote

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So I've decided to take the plunge and play Necromunda.  Returning to the GW fold makes me feel kinda icky, but I'll just keep telling myself that it's "Specialist Games".

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Based upon from what I've read on the interwebs and my own observations, the House I've chosen, Cawdor, isn't really good at any one thing, so it's a bit of an underdog gang.   Nevertheless, I love the models and I'm eager to get started.

Overall, the stats of Cawdor fighters are slightly worse than those of other houses, but in exchange they are less expensive.  Similarly, some of their equipment is inferior,  but again,  this appears to be balanced out by a decrease in price.  Taken together, I was initially convinced that Cawdor gangs are supposed to make up for what they lack in stats and equipment with gang size, so my first shot at a 1000 credit Cawdor list included 12 models.  However, this notion got thrown out the window when I got a look at the scenarios in the Necromunda Rulebook, where many, if not most, restrict the gang size to a randomly generated number between 4 and 7 models.

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So I went back to the drawing board and designed a gang comprised of 10 models.  The credits not spent on the gangers number 11 and 12 were instead spent on extra equipment.  

Leader: polearm-autogun, flail, mesh armor, & bulging biceps
Champion: cawdor heavy crossbow, & headbutt
Champion: long rifle, flail, auto-pistol, & bull charge
Ganger: polearm-blunderbuss
Ganger: polearm-blunderbuss
Ganger: reclaimed autogun & axe
Ganger: reclaimed autogun & axe
Ganger: flail & reclaimed auto-pistol
Ganger: flail & reclaimed auto-pistol
Juve: stubgun, auto-pistol, & flak armor

If I were to use this in campaign play, my priority post-game purchases would include smoke grenades, incendiary grenades, a cult icon, and bomb delivery rats.

The cawdor polearm weapons appear to be a point of contention with the internetz chattering class, but they look cool and if used correctly, can give my gang some modest advantages -namely, the ability to deny some reaction attacks and equip models with half-price hand flamers.

Equipping my leader with a polearm-autogun isn't optimal, but the model pictured below is my favorite out-of-the box pose, so that model is going to be my leader. I'll give him a different head, a flail hanging from his belt, and add a bit of bling, but that's probably about it.

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Since this is going to be primarily a painting project (I typically spend much more time painting than playing), I spent a lot of time looking online at how others have painted their Cawdor.  I decided to shamelessly steal someone else's color scheme, and paint them yellow and black.  The Imperial Fists recruit from Necromunda, so perhaps my gang's color is meant to emulate the Emperor's angels of death?

WIP pics to follow...

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I told myself that if I get into Necromunda, I won't go hog wild and build a full table of terrain for it.  I'd play on store terrain or other players' tables.

However, I am intrigued by the two types of play, Sector Mechanicus and Zone Mortalis.  

I've always like the look of Zone Mortalis boards, but since I've hung up my bolter and chainsword, I haven't had much use for Zone Mortalis terrain, until now.

Giving FW a car payment for 15 pounds of toxic resin isn't very appealing; however, I recently learned that Death Ray Designs sells a nice MDF alternative.  Even better, one of Death Ray's kits, the Deadbolt’s Derelict Corridors Bundle, appears to have been designed specifically for the Necromunda tiles and scenarios, and you get it all for only $130.  

I can see myself using the Death Ray walls and Necromunda tiles for TNT as well.  

Hmm?  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  5MfInp.gif

 

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The Deadbolt’s Derelict: Corridors Bundle include parts to build the following:

  • 18 Corridor Double Wall (1.3″ x 3.7″ x 2.75″)
  • 20 Corridor Single Wall (1.3″ x 2″ x 2.75″)
  • 24 Corridor Columns (2″ x 2″ x 2.75″)

This bundle is a boatload of terrain, great for Necromunda, Warhammer 40k, This is Not a Test and just about any other sci-fi tabletop.  These walls are sized to fit the Games Workshop Necromunda: Underhive Tile sets and contains enough pieces to set up any of the scenarios maps from the base game.

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3 hours ago, Koyote said:

I told myself that if I get into Necromunda, I won't go hog wild and build a full table of terrain for it.  I'd play on store terrain or other players' tables.

However, I am intrigued by the two types of play, Sector Mechanicus and Zone Mortalis.  

I've always like the look of Zone Mortalis boards, but since I've hung up my bolter and chainsword, I haven't had much use for Zone Mortalis terrain, until now.

Giving FW a car payment for 15 pounds of toxic resin isn't very appealing; however, I recently learned that Death Ray Designs sells a nice MDF alternative.  Even better, one of Death Ray's kits, the Deadbolt’s Derelict Corridors Bundle, appears to have been designed specifically for the Necromunda tiles and scenarios, and you get it all for only $130.  

I can see myself using the Death Ray walls and Necromunda tiles for TNT as well.  

Hmm?  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  5MfInp.gif

 

I have them! Multiple sets, love them, they travel and are what I was gonna use for your demo when you are ready... a scenario worth is even painted!😇

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On 2/15/2019 at 12:45 PM, VonVilkee said:

I have them! Multiple sets, love them, they travel and are what I was gonna use for your demo when you are ready... a scenario worth is even painted!😇

Sweet! 

My gang is still in the WIP stage, but it is assembled enough to play.  I have the Cawdor card, but not my dice yet.

Speaking of cards... The fighter cards are a cool idea, especially for scenarios that require the selection of random fighters, but House Gang card decks don't give you enough for a proper gang and it doesn't look like GW sells them separately.  Also, unless you laminate them, they are one use, no? 

I suppose one can print their own, but I like feel of cards printed on card stock.

What's your availability like on the weekends?

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18 minutes ago, Koyote said:

Sweet! 

My gang is still in the WIP stage, but it is assembled enough to play.  I have the Cawdor card, but not my dice yet.

Speaking of cards... The fighter cards are a cool idea, especially for scenarios that require the selection of random fighters, but House Gang card decks don't give you enough for a proper gang and it doesn't look like GW sells them separately.  Also, unless you laminate them, they are one use, no? 

I suppose one can print their own, but I like feel of cards printed on card stock.

What's your availability like on the weekends?

My availability on weekends is great especially if you are willing to host or travel to ferndale 😁.

 

I agree on the cards most gangers won't advance much. I could prolly hook you up with a few non cawdor (I bought two starter boxes after all) combine that with the cawdor and your predilection of sticking with specific models mechanics be damned should work out well.

 

If this works out you thinking you'd be interested in making David start the dark tower campaign?

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Orlock.  I like the aesthetic of their weapons so much.  I used to play Delaque and their game style fits me to a T, but the new models just didn't grab me, the poses were too awkward (no one is aiming a gun and no one is holding a rifle...).  I could see playing Goliath or Van Saar or Venators in the future.

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The first game of the campaign went well for my Cawdor gang, the Second Sons.  We played the Zone Mortalis Tunnel Skirmish scenario.  

My opponent played a Genestealer Cult.  Except for his leader, familiar, and an aberrant, all of the cultists were equipped with hazard suits, making them immune to the Blaze rule.  Doh!

The game began with the Genestealer Cult's champions (Hybrid Acolytes) infiltrating 9 inches down the corridor from my gang.  One was equipped with mining lasers (the champ's 3rd arm allowed it to move and shoot the heavy weapon -yikes!) and the other was equipped for close combat.  The two champions were hiding around a corner at the end of the hall, so they were out of LOS and charge range.  

I won the first priority roll and group activated a champion and a ganger.  I moved the ganger (aptly named Demo) 5 inches down the hall and lobbed a blasting charge another 6 inches.  The 5" template's hole cleared the end of the corridor's walls, catching the concealed Genestealer champions in the blast.  The fighter with the mining laser was taken out-of-action and the other was unhurt, but knocked down.  The knocked down cult champion eventually got back up and caused a little trouble a turn or two later, but shortly thereafter, I severely wound him with a long range autogun shot, and then Demo ran over and took him out-of-action with his flail.

This particular Genestealer Cult is led by a Cult Adept  "equipped" with a psychic familiar.  Boy, that familiar was a pain in the ass!  If my opponent had played less aggressively with him, I don't know how I would have taken him out.  Fortunately, he elected to move the Cult Adept and familiar to my right flank, unsupported.  This let me group activate my leader and 2 gangers and exploit the Omen of Fortune's  limitation of avoiding "one successful hit per turn".  It took a couple turns but I managed to set the Adept on fire and then chase him down the corridor to finish him off in melee.

Lady luck smiled on me for the third time during Round 1 when a cultist smashed open a loot casket, triggering a booby trap.  The blast knocked down 4 cultists and 1 or 2 of them suffered a flesh wound.  

The game ended on Round 5 or 6 with all the Genestealer Cultists out-of-action.  Only two of  my models went out, a ganger and my champion equipped with the Cawdor heavy crossbow.  My ganger received the Out Cold  result (no effect).  I rolled a 66 for my champion and his spirit was released to join The Emperor.  Thankfully, I ended the game with models on the table, so I was able to reclaim my dead champion's crossbow.  Losing the crossbow would of cost me 125 credits to replace. Yikes!

One of our campaign house-rules allows players who perform a coup de grace to elect to "knock out" their opponent rather than taking the fighter out-of-action per the standard rules.  If a fighter "knocks out" an opponent, that fighter earns an extra xp.  A fighter who is knocked out is removed from the game, but does not roll on the injury table.  The rule's purpose is to make the games a bit less deadly with the aim of reducing the kinds of crippling losses that make players drop out of campaigns.

 My leader "knocked out" the Cult Adept, took a ganger out-of-action, was the winning leader, and survived the game, so he ended up with 7 xp.  That's enough for some advances, but I think I'll hold on to the xp and save up for a toughness increase or possibly an extra wound.

Demo received 6 xp for taking a champ out-of-action, performing a "knock out" coup de grace on a second champ, and surviving the game.  His BS is now 3+.  Ha ha ha.  All the better to blow things up with.

After a rough start, Cage managed to earn himself 3 xp.  I spent the xp to increase his Intelligence stat because I now have the credits to purchase bomb delivery rats.  Squeak-BOOM!

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Another campaign house-rule modifies the loot caskets table, making it significantly more generous.  A 2-4 produces 2d6x10 credits. 

I opened 2 loot caskets (both had credits), won the game, collected the bounty for taking a Non-Sanction Psyker out-of-action, and collected income from the Settlement that I began with and the Refuse Drift territory that I won in the fight.  I also managed to capture one of the Neophyte Hybrids and I ransomed it for 50 credits.  My sum total was 375 credits.  Crazy!

I used my ill gotten gains to replace my dead champion and add a third champion to my roster. I purchased shotguns for Howler and Nox, bomb delivery rats for Cage, and plasma pistol & flail for my new Champion, Crow.

Crow (Champion)
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Since all of the campaign's scenarios will be played using Zone Mortalis terrain, Nox and Howler have exchanged their reclaimed autoguns for shotguns.  

In general, I prefer to play WYSWIG, so I've begun to 'magnetize' some of my models' weapons.  The smallest magnets I have on hand are 1.5mm, but as you can see from the photos they are a tad too big for the Cawdors' spindly little arms.  Where the drill bit that I used to drill the spotface holes broke through the sides of the arms, I used GS to patch and reinforce the surrounding material. The cowls' shoulder drapes conceal the point where the arm meets the body, so I was able to use slightly larger (and stronger) magnets in the models' armpits.

The FW Cawdor Weapon Sets 1 and 2 include sawn-off shotguns, but not shotguns.  Using some plastic dowel cut from a GW SM bike flag pole/antenna, I extended the sawn-off shotguns' barrels and added tubular magazines.

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  • 5 weeks later...

GW's boxed games have given them the opportunity to make some really fun character minis that otherwise wouldn't have made it to store shelves.  The Rogue Trader and Blackstone Fortress boxes are treasure troves of cool, quirky minis that I'd like to paint and play with.  Problem is, I'm not interested in playing the boxed games or returning to the 40K fold.  So how do I justify purchasing my favorite Blackstone and RT minis from eBay?  

Necromunda.  

Using the Venator rules, the minis will form the core of an Ordo Xenos “gang” comprised of an Inquisitor and his cadre of agents. The genius of the Venator rules is that each class of fighter (i.e. leaders, champion, and ganger) has four stat lines to choose from.  This lets you start the gang formation process by picking the models that you want to use, and then selecting the stat line you feel best represents each model.  For instance, I want to include one of the Blackstone Ratlings in my "gang", so for the  Ratling I’ll select that stat line with the improved BS and decreased WS. 

The Ordor Xenos Inquisitor, Lucian Baptiste, was an important character in my 40K Mortifactors army.  I’ve decided that prior to leading an Astartes strike force against Dark Eldar incursions, a much younger Inquisitor Baptiste spent years assigned to the Hive World Necromunda, tasked with rooting out and eliminating the Genestealer cult-clans who dwell among the criminals, mutants, and scum of the Underhive.

I've selected Artel Miniatures' Inquisitor Gregor to serve as the younger Baptiste.  And because I couldn't pass up such a bizzare model, Artel's Preacher Ignacius Fahrnsworth will serve as one of his Acolytes.

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Inquisitor Baptiste adheres to the philosophy that the Puritans of his Order label ‘radical’.  As such, the Inquisitor's henchmen will include both ab-humans and aliens.  In fact, two of his most loyal agents are a Kroot Mercenary that he inherited from his Inquisitor Lord, and a Ratling scout that the Inquisitor saved from the gallows.

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Some of his other agents will include a master poisoner, a lectro-maester tech-priest, bounty hunters, former gangers, and any other quirky models that strike my fancy.

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