Guide to Necromunda

 

Necromunda originated as a squad based tactical game branching off from Warhammer 40k back in 2nd edition. Since then, the rulesets have diverged significantly, though some similarities remain. It has strong tactical wargaming elements as well as roleplaying elements, and is typically played against other players in one of many available scenarios in a campaign or league setting.

 

 

 

Rulebook(available free at gamesworkshop.com. Click the bottom link in the Specialist Games menu, then click Necromunda. The rulebook and suppliments are available in PDF form here)

Vassal w 40k module(If playing online)

Dice, models and terrain(if playing offline. Any roughly human models will do, but Games Workshop sells models specifically for each gang)

An opponent.

 

 

 

Either online or off, your first step will be to build a gang. Typically, this involves one leader, one or two heavies, a few gangers, and a couple of juves. Some gangs have different titles for these positions, but all are roughly equivelant in nature(save for spyrers). I reccomend starting out with one of the six standard gangs in any case, and branching out once you understand the game well. Van Saar are typically considered the strongest to start with, but several others are quite competative, with Delaque as my personal favorite. You will typically start with a budget of 1000 credits, which must be split between hiring men and purchasing weapons. This means you probably should avoid purchasing the best of everything to start with, as it'll put a severe crimp in your numbers. In general, numbers divisible by three are the ideal gang sizes for income reasons. Nine is particularly desirable, for leadership reasons you'll become familiar with later. Save about 30-45% of your budget for weaponry though, depending on how much firepower you want.

 

 

Heavies pack the biggest punch, at a hefty price. I reccomend splurging on one good support weapon(Heavy Stubber being the reccomended option), and purchasing another one down the road. Gangers will typically offer ranged support, with rifles being preferred option. Shotguns are also decent, but the special ammo types get expensive quite rapidly. I suggest lasguns for most situations, as you avoid the ammo problems that tend to plague gangs until backup weapons are common. Juves should be equipped with just a pistol, as they get a knife for free. This allows them to have decent short range shooting, and perform well in melee. With a bit of luck, most of them will survive to become useful assets. Last but not least is your leader. Representing a large chunk of your starting credits, he has the best skillset initially as well. As a result, make sure he has either a decent ranged weapon(Melta or Plasma) or is properly outfitted for close combat, preferably with a chainsword. This not only makes him lethal, it encourages others not to try to take him on. Definitely a good thing, given the investment you have in a leader initially.

 

 

Tauonline.com has a small Necromunda league run by yours truly, and warseer.com also has a thriving Necromunda community. Either of those are a great way to get into the game, or find some local players. Of course, simply stopping by your local game shop is also a great idea, especially if they carry other GW products. Many hobby shops have a bulletin board where you can post requests for games, and theres always a chance of running into a gamer willing to give a new game a go. If finding games is a real problem, I suggest building two or more gangs, so you'll have models handy to loan to a prospective player. Being able to try a game out before buying in is always helpful, after all.

One off games are fun, but you won't truly see all the aspects of Necromunda unless you do a campaign or league. Seeing your gang develop over time is a good bit of the fun. Plus, you get much more diversity as your gangers gain skills and improve statistics. Each gang will have it's own distinct style shortly, so everyone should give a campaign a shot. To spice up a campaign, house or extended rules are frequently used. Games workshop has released rules for additional gang types here , and the Specialist Games extended rules have been archived as well. Once you've got the core rules down, toss in some more to spice things up.

Coming soon: House rules and special scenarios I've crafted for Necromunda, as well as scenario and gang building strategies.