Gangs I'd like to see in Necromunda

With a Necromunda campaign about to start at NWA (expect to see it covered here), I thought I'd do a little entry in the vein of my old one for the previous edition of Kill Team a few years ago. I played quite a bit of the classic Necromunda and I was honestly resistant to try Underhive, mostly because the changes seemed massive and the reviews I'd had from customers and friends were fairly negative. When a campaign was running at work though, I finally dived in and found a game I really enjoy, even if it is very different in many ways to the one I enjoyed previously. That said, there is plenty of room for some of the older elements to make their way back into the game, especially the gangs, and it is kind of baffling that Squats, Corpse Grinders and Enforcers made it in before Scavvies and Ratskins. Anyway, on with the listicle.


Missing Classic Gangs

As mentioned above, I'd very much like to see the last of the classic Necromunda gangs back in the game. My huge collection of Scavvies are ready to get back into action, but it would also be great to see Ratskins, Spyres and Pit Slaves make a return with new models. Much as I enjoy my Corpse Grinders and Ash Nomads, their making it into the game before those in the old Outlanders supplement is a tad confusing. Scavvies and Ratskins especially are so iconic to the game and setting, it feels like they should have been in a long time ago.


Arbites

With the Adeptus Arbites getting new models for the first time in close to 20 years, I really hope there's some Necromunda stats in White Dwarf soon, because, well, Enforcers are pretty lame, rules-wise. The new kit feels like a good opportunity to expand the options for Necromunda without designing and casting a new kit from scratch, as well as welcoming back classic gang that's been featured in every previous incarnation of the game. For my money, the rules from Fanatic were about the best the gang ever had, with a full "pool" of officers to choose from limited by the size of the opposing gang; it kind of felt the most like a response force rather than just a gang with different equipment.


Spider Cultists

An element of the Necromunda fiction from the very first book, the Giant Spiders and those who worship them have never really featured as part of the miniature line from Games Workshop for some reason. I made my own versions using a spider-themed Warcry faction, which I play with the Cawdor rules, but it really does feel like these guys should make a proper appearance. Though the game is already replete with cults of varying kinds of cult, Spider Worshipers could have a variety of options beyond what is already in the game, from riding and herding spiders to being good at climbing thanks to webs and claws. Plus it would both add diversity to the game whilst paying tribute to the classic era of the setting.


Shanty Dwellers, Guilders and other Necromunda Magazine Gangs

The short-lived Necromunda Magazine, and Gang War before it, introduced a great many new options for gangs, most of which were pretty miserable, like Vampyres and Brats, but there were a few that at least had excellent concepts. The pair that spring to mind immediately were Shanty Dwellers and Guilders, though both had major game-play issues if memory serves. Shanty Dwellers lived short, miserable lives outside of the hive, so the gangers had low Toughness, but fielded a wave of expendable Juves, whereas Guilders had a useless leader and well-armed mercenaries to protect his journey through the Underhive. Whilst both concepts do exist in some form in the current game, gangs that work around them could be a lot of fun and provide opportunities for unique new model lines.


A better version of Venators

Ok, so I'm not entirely sure what I'm strictly asking for here is too much like Venators in terms of how they play, but more like how they're described, as a team of bounty hunters operating like a gang. Essentially what I'm imagining is an elite team with better armour and weapons that aren't tied to a major allegiance. Now, this could be something like a Safari of Hive Nobles, Off-World Bounty Hunters, Inquisition Agents or a dozen other things suitable for the setting, but it would be a kitbashers dream. Maybe not so different from Venators as they are now or the Guilders above, but it is a niche I feel needs filling, though maybe as something unofficial and just for the real convertors and narrative players.

Well that's my list, hope it sparks some ideas or at least discussion and hopefully you'll see some Necromunda campaign reports up on this blog sooner or later.