Necromunda

 

In a brief break from the busy Bloodbowl league, I will be starting in a Necromunda campaign with my newly funded Van Saar Underhive gang, the Techno Ghosts.

 

Necromunda is one of  the greatest game's ever made. It has it all, from Wild West type shoot outs to Cyberpunk horrors, which makes me sad to see that Necromunda has such a small following nowadays.

The appeal of Necromunda when we were youngsters was how affordable a  gang was. All you needed was a £12 gang boxed set, maybe two if you wanted some conversions. You got all the scenery in the big  box, plus plenty of plastic Orlocks and Goliaths, which no one actually liked, because they were buying Van Saar instead!

Fortunately the wargames club that I am part of has quite a few players who still remeber the hayday of games like Necromunda, Dark Future and Man'o'War!

Choosing a Necromunda Gang
In Necromunda, choosing the right gang makes a big difference. Gangs vary in visual style from hi-tech heroes to screaming women,  all with different access to the skills chart.

Escher Gangs
An Escher gang is entirely comprised of women, making them a very popular Necromunda gang amongst the geek elite. The Escher gang box contains some of Jes Goodwin's finest miniatures while being no slouch in the Necromunda game either. An Escher gang has access to the Agility, Combat and Stealth skills, making them fast and sneaky close combat specialists.

Orlock Gangs
The jack of all trades gang dressed like Mad Max. Orlock gangs have access to the Combat, Ferocity and Shooting skills, making them good at fighting, good at shooting and a little bit aggressive.

Cawdor Gangs
House Cawdor are a bunch of hooded fanatics with a medieval theme and are the least popular of the gangs (probably due to the dire model range). However, they have access to the Agility, Combat and Ferocity skills, making them aggressive close combat specialists.

Delaque Gangs
Delaque gangs combine trench coats with bald heads and glasses. A Delaque gang is often very sneaky, shooting enemy gangers in the back through a combination of Agility, Stealth and Shooting skills. These are the Matrix crew of Necromunda.

Goliath
A Goliath gang is all about Combat, Ferocity and Muscle skills. Goliath gangs have the poorest skill set available, making them particularly blunt and not very versatile. Never my favourite as the S&M bare chest and chains always put me off!

Van Saar
Van Saar are considered by many to be the best gang in Necromunda. A Van Saar gang not only looks cool, but has access to the Combat, Shooting and highly prized Techno skills.

So Why have I choosed a Van Saar Gang.
Techno, Techno, Techno! Techno is the best skill table in Necromunda and when an entire Van Saar gang has access to it, choosing skills becomes easy whether the gang member is a juve, ganger, leader or heavy, because you know that you are guaranteed to roll something good that will benefit the entire gang.

Van Saar also have access to the Shooting skills and even the Combat skills as a means of defence.

Because Necromunda is designed around shooting, a shooty gang will always have a big advantage. And when it comes to playing a Campaign, the Techno skills will always generate better income, more reliable weapons and even free equipment that can be sold for even more income.

The Techno Ghosts
My Van Saar gang is starting with eleven members. A leader, one heavy, six gangers and 3 juves. I have gone for numbers over adding a second heavy mainly due to the cost. An extra heavy with heavy stubber would cost 180 Credits!!!

 

As it will be a brand new gang and as such facing off against similar gangs I reckoned that the advantage in numbers and firepower would see me through. The juves will actually be my close combat roadblocks, hoping to skill up fairly quickly or if dying, be cheap to replace, whilst the gangers hold back and blast everything else.

 

The heavy will try and control one flank, with minimum movement and a couple of gangers for support, whilst my leader will be a trouble shooter - moving into position either to give a leadership boost or take advantage of enemies mistakes and shoot or engage in close combat.

 

Leader with Plasma Pistol and Chainsword and Heavy with Heavy Stubber

Gangers, Shotgun, Boltgun, 2 Lasgun's and 2 Autoguns

Juves, mix of Pistols and Knives