N18 Badzone Enforcers (WD 2022-06)

[TopsyKretts]

For once GW made some extra content that actually makes sense: The Badzone Enforcers (WD 2022-06).

Changes:

• Defunct distinction between Subjugators and Palanites is gone
• Fighters cost less --> Less included starting equipment (no longer starts with stub gun & flak)
• Gang equipment table (instead of gang equipment list)
• Updated with N20-N21 wordings (Gang Hierarchy, Tools of the Trade)
• Got Hacked cyber-mastiff (instead of hardcase)
• Uses old (N20-N21) "faction fighter" wording for stuff like Group Activation and Leading By Example (Gang Hierarchy) instead of the simplified N22 wording which only uses "friendly fighter"
• Better implementation of Juves (?), no longer free.
• Works like normal gangs for Dominion campaign (campaign got bigger problems but hey).

Stats and skill access looks to be identical. Minor changes to available weapons & wargear.

When ganger is promoted to specialist, it gains access to some special & heavy weapons from the gang equipment list. However, there is a bulletpoint stating the following:

Once promoted, a Badzone Enforcers Specialist has no restrictions upon the types of weapon they can have, all weapon types from this list, the Trading Post or the Black Market become available.

A little bit uncertain what this means, as normally, "weapon type" would indicate gaining access to the special & heavy weapons, but why then specify Trading Post or Black Market? Copy-paste? It doesn't add anything but confusion in this context, unless specialists can take all and any weapons from any source.

Note that this is not the only (potential) copy-paste. Gangers got the "Gang Hierarchy (Ganger)" rule, stating the following:

The total number of fighters with the Gang Fighter (X) special rule in the gang must always be equal to, or higher than, the total number of fighters without the Gang Fighter (X) special rule combined, not counting Hangers-on or Hired Guns.

However, the gang composition rules also exclude Hive Scum (Juves) from this balance:

The total number of fighters with the Gang Fighter (X) special rule in the gang must always be equal to, or higher than, the total number of fighters without the Gang Fighter (X) special rule combined, not counting Enlisted Hive Scum, Hangers-on or Hired Guns.

Way to complicate a simple balance rule which means "must have at least 1 ganger per leader / champ".

 

[cronevald]

I may need to pick this issue up. It sounds like these changes could be useful for including Enforcers in the hybrid N17+/ORB system I've been cooking up.

 

[reough]

It's a really nice list, heavy stubber is thrown in there and enforcer boltgun/shotguns are made scarce due to their distance from HQ. Whoever did the conversions for the article did a really cool job as well.

 

[JayTee]

I like:

• Additional thematic weapon choices (Autoguns, webguns, Flamers (lol), heavy stubbers)
• Additional thematic wargear (Field armour, photo goggles)
• Dropping mandatory armour and stubguns makes building the gang out better
• Thematic addition of deputised Hive Scum
• Removal of the weird-to-grok Subjugator vs Palanite "restrictions" that caused no end of arguments/discussions
  • Though I'd prefer it if the distinction was more like the Redemptionist/Cawdor distinction where the two types have very different themes and playstyles
• Thematic stuff to give Scarce to Bolters, Carbines, etc
• Actual proper clarification on Specialist Patrolmen
• Removal of the weird wording around maximum 2 Sergeants

I don't like:

• Loss of any of the options for the Grenade launcher. Thanks to the idiotic FAQ ruling this means the Enforcer GL is stuck with only Frag and Stun grenades
• The utterly broken costs for some armour types
• Enforcer Boltguns on a Ganger are Scarce. Boltguns on a Goliath Ganger are not
  • This is more a problem with Boltguns rather than the Enforcer boltguns, though a 6+ reload on normal Boltguns is pretty close to Scarce
• No changes to the crap statlines
  • Captains really should have 3+ BS, Sergeants really should have 2A at a minimum

I'll definitely reverse-engineer some of the changes to the 'Core' Enforcer gang for our next campaign

 

[TopsyKretts]

I may need to pick this issue up. It sounds like these changes could be useful for including Enforcers in the hybrid N17+/ORB system I've been cooking up.

It's not a whole lot of content, can be summarized down to 2 pages:

 

[cronevald]

It's not a whole lot of content, can be summarized down to 2 pages:
View attachment 155965
View attachment 155962

Thanks very much. On a quick glance it looks like it might be just right for what I'm doing.

 

[TopsyKretts]

A small nuisance I have with the N20-N21 gang equipment "table" (or fighter specific equipment lists) applies here (as well as for several other gangs the past 2 years). Most fighters have the expected options we all know from enforcers and their plastic kits (the boltguns, combat shotguns, grenade launchers, assault rams, shields and so forth). So far so good. But the last fighter, the enlisted hive scum, that's completely different! Looks like it's something similar to standard hive scum copied into the gang, a cheap and easy way to re-use existing content. Enlisted hive scum introduces all sorts of stuff not typical for enforcers like lasguns and reclaimed auto pistols. And this leads to the following problems:

• It is misleading/suggestive that only this fighter can take these options, however they are common and available to leader and champions too! But doesn't exist on their lists. Common Wargear like Drop rig is also available to gangers.
• Cost disparity. Photo-lumens cost 15, except enlisted hive scum which must pay 20?!?
• This distinction is only relevant for the first battle. Why is it so important to prevent leader/champ from having a sawn-off shotgun the first battle?!? Is it valuable to have this emphasis on micro-management when there are so many other things that would improve game and balance?

 

[TopsyKretts]

I mislabeled Enlisted Hive Scum as "Juves". But what kind of freaks are they?

• Stats of a Ganger / Hive Scum.
• Promoted after 5 Advancements like Juves.
• No Advancement discount like Juves.
• Hot-headed like Prospects ("Specialist Juves").
• Promoted to Gangers!?!

How exactly does Enlisted Hive Scum spend XP?!?

 

[JayTee]

Think they're best treated as Juves for the purposes of game effects and advancements.

They don't have access to TP/BM weapons, they have generally crap weapon choices (Nothing more expensive than the hilariously trash 2-Handed Hammer), they promote to Gangers, they only have 1 Primary and 2 Secondary skill choices like other Juves, so they 'feel' like a wacky Juve.

 

[TopsyKretts]

Note that this is the first time any fighter promotes to ganger in this edition! Nice throw-back to previous editions. But it's kinda weird going from choosing advancements to rolling randomly, to then, if lucky, becoming champ and choosing advancements again

I will treat them as Juves like you say.

 

[Sergiom]

The rule itself is explained as these Hive Scum not being officially part of the gang from an In-world perspective (in fact, they don't even have a fighter category). If they die, no enforcer will give a shit about it, while if they perform well the enforcer squad may consider them to join the squad "officially". I like it the fluffy flavour the Hive Scum rules have in this gang.

 

[TopsyKretts]

They have the hot-headed rule from specialist juves (prospects) yes. Wasteland Giant Rats also have this rule. All of which can spend XP and gain advancements. You are probably right the fluff text is as close it gets to a rule.

 

[cronevald]

I don't think the White Dwarf material can be held to quite the same standard as the rulebook material. Each article I've seen seems to be quicker and more off the cuff ideas. They all function but perhaps haven't been as thought out or considered as the rulebook material. I think recognizing this going in makes it easier to incorporate the articles into your game.

 

[TopsyKretts]

My problem is I'm incorporating it into formal rules. Anyway I think treating them as juves solves a lot of problems and give parity to other gangs.

 

[almic85]

Note that this is not the only (potential) copy-paste. Gangers got the "Gang Hierarchy (Ganger)" rule, stating the following:
However, the gang composition rules also exclude Hive Scum (Juves) from this balance:
Way to complicate a simple balance rule which means "must have at least 1 ganger per leader / champ".

I’m glad you picked up that it is different in the gang composition be the ganger rules for Gang Hierarchy (x) as I missed it and only read the Ganger one.

I thought that I needed an enforcer for every hive scum and it would have blown out the gang.

On the plus side this list actually makes me want to try and play an Enforcer gang where before they just looked like a bit of a mess.

On boltguns with Scarce I think it might be appropriate to add scarce to a lot more weapons if you are basing your campaign in the Underhive or anywhere that is not in a major settlement.

 

[tom_gore]

Hello! Anyone know if this gang list will be incorporated into the Gang Manager anytime soon? My FLGS is running a campaign starting in September and I'm participating with the Badzone Enforcers. Would love to be able to use the GM to manage my gang for the campaign

 

[TopsyKretts]

I don't know how many months it lags behind.

 

[spafe]

Hello! Anyone know if this gang list will be incorporated into the Gang Manager anytime soon? My FLGS is running a campaign starting in September and I'm participating with the Badzone Enforcers. Would love to be able to use the GM to manage my gang for the campaign

So the tools are taking a while to impliment, @Malo is a one man band when it comes to this entire site, including the tools, and the book of outcasts is throwing up issues with how to put them in given the crazy open nature of them.

For the badzone enforcers, what I would suggest is creating the 4 new profiles as custom gangers and assigning them to the enforcer gang. This will allow you to make them jsut by only hiring those fighters when creating an enforcer gang.

 

[The Red Knight]

It really looks like GW tried to fix Enforcers. I'm currently running a normal Enforcer list. I bought the WD when I saw it and love the new list, but was too far into the current campaign to switch over. The Badzone Enforcers behave a lot more like a normal gang, which helps them fit into campaigns better, especially Dominion. It creatively limits the weapons you really kinda, have to spam on the original list, while giving you access to hive scum for numbers and basic weapons like las and autoguns.

 

[TopsyKretts]

I think all Enforcers already had access to common weapons like las- and auto weapons.