N18 Cawdor Starter Gang

[Asydic]

Hi!

Me and some friends are getting into necromunda, I looked at the goonhammer article and fiddled around with some of the equipment to add a bit more variety (namely adding a couple of redemptionists over having 4 blunderpole men), Any feedback would be appreciated! I'm worried there might be too many templates/not enough ranged firepower but definitely seems strong when it gets close.

Priest 185
-master-crafted chain axe, exterminator, mesh armor, smoke grenades, stub gun

Deacon 185
Grenade Launcher, smoke grenades, mesh armor

Firebrand 135
Long Rifle, Reclaimed Autopistol, Flak Armor

Redemptionist Brethren 95
Shotgun, Exterminator

Redemptionist Brethren
Shotgun, Exterminator

Brethren 85
blunderpole

Brethren 85
blunderpole

Brethren 85
blunderpole

Bonepicker 25
stub gun

Bonepicker 25
stub gun

Should be 1000 on the nose

Thanks for any help!

 

[Lunarcruiser]

Drop the mastercrafted on the chain axe. You can always add it later. Frees up some credits for more armour. Same with all the exterminators.
You have plenty of templates with your blunderpoles to start. You will want more later but it really is it a problem for Cawdor later.
Flak armour is a trap. It's only 5ctedits more for mesh and that's 5+ save is all the time not just when they meet a template. I would just go without flack, if it is the only one on your starting equipment list, for your first game and buy mesh armour at the Trade Post.
Your long rifle firebrand does not need a reclaimed auto pistol. If your long range sniper is caught in pistol range then they should be running for cover. The reclaimed pistol is also more unreliable than your main gun which is not ideal in a back up piece. You may find that the long rifle loses it's punch as other gangs get tougher and more armour, although with good positioning and a handy wall to Knockback a foe into it can reach Str5, but it only costs 30 credits so is not a huge loss in value if you chose to get a more powerful gun, say a plasma rifle later. The long rifle will make a good back up longarm in this case.

With the money saved by dropping the exterminators and master crafted upgrade you could squeeze in a Bone
Picker or two maybe a brethren. Remember as Cawdor you can take an additional (Pious) brethren and D3 bonepickers over a missions crew limits so you can bring 14 bodies to a 10 crew mission. Your bone pickers may be garbage but they make good ablative armour for your heavy hitters.

 

[Lunarcruiser]

Cawdor are the template/flamer range kings of necromunda. Blaze as well. The gang may seem weak at mid to long range and despite the shotgun access it basically is. Your long ranged options are either opportunistic shots like the long rifle or a tactical weapon like the heavy crossbow. Where you will shine is hordes of cheap fighters overwhelming the foe close range settings folk on fire.

You need a lot of credit and Rarity investment to complete with say, Van Saar or Enforcers, as the shooty gang via the Trade Post. Play to the gangs strengths. Have a Horde. Get Blunderpoles and as much Blaze as you can. Take your inevitable hits on the chin as you close and then hose the opponents down with blunderpoles and Blaze.

In the later game consider to equip a champion with a bolter with gunk bolts from the Trade Post. The normal bolter round are quite punchy against Gang Fighters and champions on thier own but the Gunk bolts are great for two reasons.
One, they slow down the enemy so that rampaging stimmer takes longer to reach you for example.
Two, it causes Blaze to be triggered on a 2+ instead of a 4+. It essentially eliminates your statistical random chance of not setting your foe on fire. (A natural 1 fails and a natural 6 automatically succeeds so you only really have a random chance on 2,3,4 and 5)

 

[daveh]

put a cheap melee weapon on the bonepickers for the extra attack.
and an extra picker to take advantage of the devout masses rule.
master crafted is expensive for little benefit.
welcome to the empraahs side.

confessor.jpg

• daveh
• Oct 5, 2023

cawdor3.JPG

• daveh
• Feb 28, 2022
• cawdor gang

the book keepers

book keepers1.JPG

• daveh
• Mar 20, 2022

reinforcements

 

[Psyan]

+100 on everything Lunarcruiser said. Drop the Smoke Grenade from your Leader, too. He has more important things to do than throw grenades.

I would probably reconsider the Long Rifle. It's good for the cost, but not great. If you can find the credits, get a Grenade Launcher. If you want to get serious about suppressing enemy shooters, get a Heavy Crossbow; both settings are excellent and the price is very nice for a heavy weapon.

 

[Lunarcruiser]

+100 on everything Lunarcruiser said. Drop the Smoke Grenade from your Leader, too. He has more important things to do than throw grenades.

I would probably reconsider the Long Rifle. It's good for the cost, but not great. If you can find the credits, get a Grenade Launcher. If you want to get serious about suppressing enemy shooters, get a Heavy Crossbow; both settings are excellent and the price is very nice for a heavy weapon.

Who cares about the price of a heavy crossbow?
It has a 5" pie plate template at good range for pinning on your class list. Whatever the price get a heavy crossbow at some point it's awesome.
Most importantly. Mmmm pie.

 

[Heart of Storm]

Agree with most of the above, lose the flak and the smokes in my view, they're later picks

I quite like a long rifle in a Cawdor gang, albeit on a specialist not a champion, gives you the ability to plink away at overconfident enemy shooters trying to delete your flameboys.

Big fan of the crossbow, 5" S4 pie plate will make your opponent have to rethink any big group activations and keep their gang members spread out, plus it means even on a scatter you still have a good chance to hit.

For Cawdor, every time you think "Stub Gun" substitute with "reclaimed autopistol" - same price but gets rapid fire in exchange for a slightly worse ammo roll, if you're going to be rolling ammo dice anyway may as well make use of all the faces and not just the "jam" right?

 

[Asydic]

Thanks for all the advice!