N18 Choosing My Next Necromunda Gang – Cawdor, Genestealer, or Outcasts?

J

JoFrie83

Juve
Feb 3, 2025
16
6
8
Germany
I’m currently in my first Necromunda campaign and have really grown to love the game. For my introduction, I chose a Corpse Grinder Cult, and overall, I’m quite happy with them.
Now, my group is planning a new campaign with different gangs, and I’m considering playing House Cawdor, a Genestealer Cult, or an Outcast gang.
Since many of you have far more experience, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you have any insights, recommendations, or tips for these gangs? Any strengths, weaknesses, or playstyle tendencies I should keep in mind?
Looking forward to your advice—thanks in advance!
 
JoFrie83 said:
I’m currently in my first Necromunda campaign and have really grown to love the game. For my introduction, I chose a Corpse Grinder Cult, and overall, I’m quite happy with them.
Now, my group is planning a new campaign with different gangs, and I’m considering playing House Cawdor, a Genestealer Cult, or an Outcast gang.
Since many of you have far more experience, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you have any insights, recommendations, or tips for these gangs? Any strengths, weaknesses, or playstyle tendencies I should keep in mind?
Looking forward to your advice—thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
If you already have corpse grinders, seems like genestealers are the obvious next one, from your list, since they both find their rules in Book of Ruin and you'd therefore need to buy less books. Maybe book buying isn't a factor for you.

If your group is putting forth options, could ask about doing a underhells campaign (hive secundus book). It has rules where you can take a normal gang (like cawdor) and either add a spyre leader or add genestealers. We've been having fun with that, locally. I mean, it's a bloodbath, but it's interesting.

So you could take your cawdor and also your genestealers - the best of both worlds.
 
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The advantage of outcast is that they share some sculp with the genestealer cult from hive secundus. That's make the acquisition of genestealer cult véhicule like rockgrinder interesting. Depending on your country if you have access to the hachette collection you can also have genestealer cult cheaper.

So miniatures wise it can be interesting.
 
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Cawdor. When you live below minimum wage, get tired and go rip and tear with good old chainsaw and blazing banana flambe on your head. On a serious note, bunch of templates, robes and emperors faith. You can get a good Cawdor backed outcast gang with Klovis the redeemer as a leader or get Corpse Guild as a main part of your outcast team backed by Cawdor.

Outcasts are cool narratively and also they are pretty strong. You can make your own character. For example, I made George "Flash" Escher Outcast leader. Got him 7' move profile and 2+ BS, 2 plasma pistols, power axe and added 2 phyrr cats. He is from Escher and my gang is backed by Escher. Dude was born in matriarchy couldn't bear it and left, becoming one of the last man Escher ever produced. After hardcore life as a young boy in Escher community he truly got Nerves of Steel. He shoots things and his phyrr cats Agony and Misery Coup de Grace anyone seriously injured. Then i added wyrd outcast champ with quickening and power axe to make it force weapon later and give it sever. One more champ and some hive scum. Here it goes something special. You can make your own story and character up.

My friend runs Genestealer Cult Gang. Amount of conversions you can do is amazing. GSC shoot hard. Also, narratively there are a lot of cool things to think about. My buddy made a GSC gang and according to his story every member of the gang was so high on chems during chem reservoir explosion that they lost the connection to the swarm coming back fully to human senses. So, now they just trying to survive flabbergasted by their looks and odd amount of hands.

Feel free to create and use your creativity to enjoy Necromunda to the fullest.
 
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Curious bit of rules interaction:
The Path of Faith and the Articles of Faith that are part of it are a special rule of either Cawdor leader - so elevating one to Outcasts Leader should import those rules into an Outcasts gang.

This thematically shouldn’t fit so much, but mechanically seems to be the Rules as Writ.

You would lose access to the having piles of extra fighters in your starting crew, though, as those are special rules in their gangers and Juves. But you could have both Path of Faith and Mutations in the same gang of Hive Scum, or Path of Faith and psyker champions. Weird.
 
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daveh said:
thats correct , i find cawdor to be very fragile.
poor weapons. weak stats. faith points that have no use and seldom activate.
but as i said , lots of character.
also if you play a campain you have the chance of extra gang members , though that doesnt apply in one-off games.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. I see them as a paysan militia lead by a minor noble. Useless at first but when your cheap peasan all get decent armor you get number and durability.
 
Okay, i see your point here. Therefore maybe some clarification about the "Devout Masses" rule for Cawdor Brethren (Ganger) and Bonepicker (Juve) be could help my decision?

Since it is a trait of the INDIVIDUAL GANGER, the logic suggests that it applies to EACH MODEL with this trait, meaning that in a "Custom Selection (6)" scenario up to 18 Juves could be on the field (lucky Dice and enough Gang-Menbers provided). ls this correct? And if so or if not, could anyone point me to an official ruling or source that clarifies this?
 
(already replied in the reddit)
yes but it seems to apply to gangers/juves you have in reserve,
RAW I suppose it's up for discussion if your 'additional' gangers/juves also trigger the devout masses rule as well
 
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It's not about the additional at all, since this part seems clear to me, since the "choose crew" step is closed by this action. Therefore the limit might be 18 in Max (which is quite a lot for Necromunda I get that).
 
I haven't found a maximum gang size (including reserves)
but most people seemed to agree each Ganger/Juve could each trigger 1 ganger/d3 juves.

the limit for this rule would be hard/limited by gear & ganger costs.
(the iron guild alliance may help there though...)
 
It's obviously +1 ganger and +D3 juves in total. No matter how many you have, how mnay have joined. If you have those extra fighters not part of the crew, they can be part of the crew. This is an exception, so it doesn't matter if happens after crew is selected. There are generic limit of 18 anywhere I can remember.
 
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