N18 Corpse Grinder Group Activation new 2023 Rules Question

TheWilliam

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Hi there, I am wanting to use a Corpse Grinder Cult gang and am a little confused about group activation for them (Leader/Champion) based off the new 2023 rule book.
In the old rule book, page 57, all leaders and champions were said to have Group Activation. In the new rule book, page 101 group activation says "some fighters, most notable leaders and champions" then proceeds to explicitly state having a special rule "Group Activation (X)". Then the following paragraph again states "Group Activation (X): When a fighter with this special rule is activated..."
As Corpse Grinders (and Palanites, Genestealers, others) don't have this explicite "Group Activation (X)" does this mean the rules are exempting them now from group activation? RAW that seems a clear interpretation. I'm fine if that's the case, just wondering if anyone has any information on it or is it another GW oversight needing an FAQ already?
Thanks!!
 
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Personally, I would play it as all leaders and champions in the older gangs like Corpse Grinders have group activation unless otherwise stated. These lists were written at a time when all leaders/champions had group activation before campions like Stimmers appeared which didn’t have group activation.
 
Exactly that- it's just a rules hole left by the core rules getting updated. Playing the leader as Group Activation (2) and champions as Group Activation (1) is the sensible way to do things until an FAQ or gang list update tells us otherwise.

I can sort of see the narrative argument that blood-mad cannibals would have worse leadership (i.e. group activation) abilities, but that line of reasoning doesn't fly at all with more teamwork minded and/or fanatically devoted Enforcers, Helots, Venators, and GSC.
 
we count all the gang leaders have group activation.
if a 6 foot tall cannibal told me to hurry up id get a shuffle on even if his organizational skills went up to much
I would like to find a flaw in your reasoning but it might ire the Hungry Hungry Hippos
 
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Hi there, I am wanting to use a Corpse Grinder Cult gang and am a little confused about group activation for them (Leader/Champion) based off the new 2023 rule book.
In the old rule book, page 57, all leaders and champions were said to have Group Activation. In the new rule book, page 101 group activation says "some fighters, most notable leaders and champions" then proceeds to explicitly state having a special rule "Group Activation (X)". Then the following paragraph again states "Group Activation (X): When a fighter with this special rule is activated..."
As Corpse Grinders (and Palanites, Genestealers, others) don't have this explicite "Group Activation (X)" does this mean the rules are exempting them now from group activation? RAW that seems a clear interpretation. I'm fine if that's the case, just wondering if anyone has any information on it or is it another GW oversight needing an FAQ already?
Thanks!!
No, it doesn't.

Corpse Grinder Cult together with enforcer, bounty hunter gang and the other cults are from a different version of the game (N19) and Group Activation (X) wasn't introduced until N20. It's just a cosmetic rename without any practical change. Same with a lot of stuff that changed format from N19 to N20.

I think this might be a concern mainly for newer players? Because for us who played from 2017-2019, it was an universal fact that Leaders have Group Acticvation (2) and Champs Group Activation (1). This was RAW without exceptions! The new term was first released in HoC (N20) and at that time it would seem outrageous that this was supposed to remove GA for everyone else. And that's how it's been since. Personally I'd like FAQs for a lot of things, but this ain't even on the list.
 
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I'm sure I will get shot down, but in the Book of Ruin.....
Helot Chaos Cults Page 25
Hierarchy of the Damned
Unless specified otherwise, a Cult Demagogue follows all of the rules for a Leader, and Cult Disciples and Cult Witches follow all of the rules for Champions. For example, either one can lead a Group Activation - a Cult Demagogue would be able to lead a group of two other fighters, while a Cult Disciple or Witch would be able to lead one other fighter.
The closest that the Helots get to any mention of a "bubble" is the Demagogue's "Devotion" special rule on Page 30.
Genestealer Cults Page 40
Unless specified otherwise, a Cult Adept or Cult Alpha follows all of the rules for a Leader, and Acolyte Hybrids follow all of the rules for Champions. For example, either one can lead a Group Activation - a Cult dept or Cult Alpha would be able to lead a group of two other fighters, while an Acolyte Hybrid would be able to lead one other fighter.

The above could be construed to indicate that they all also have the "Bottle Bubble" and equally that the "Group Activation" is the only attribute.

There is no mention at all in the Corpse Grinder Cults entry about them having either "Group Activation" or the "Bottle Bubble".

Bizarrely they do have access to a Cult Icon and that is apparently only able to be used by someone with access to the "Group Activation" special rule.
 
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It's just a reminder that's applied unevenly. Isn't this the case for virtually all other reminders? Turning the clock back to N19 and release of Ruin, GSC was already on version 3 at this point (first WD then pdf). CC was on version 3.1 (WD, first pdf and second pdf). CGC was on version 1 (or 2 if you take N19 rulebook into account, don't remember which came first). All of these were probably written by different people, none of which having even played the game (as far as I can tell). So yeah I'd shoot that down. Random reminders for random teams in the worst era of rules writing for this game. It doesn't mean anything.

Nobody asked this question back in 2019 because everyone knew that all leaders and all champs had these rules. Only reason people ask today is because the game changed so much. Doesn't change the fact that these started with all the leader/champ rules and nothing has taken that away from them.
 
I'm sure I will get shot down, but in the Book of Ruin.....
Helot Chaos Cults Page 25
Hierarchy of the Damned
Unless specified otherwise, a Cult Demagogue follows all of the rules for a Leader, and Cult Disciples and Cult Witches follow all of the rules for Champions. For example, either one can lead a Group Activation - a Cult Demagogue would be able to lead a group of two other fighters, while a Cult Disciple or Witch would be able to lead one other fighter.
The closest that the Helots get to any mention of a "bubble" is the Demagogue's "Devotion" special rule on Page 30.
Genestealer Cults Page 40
Unless specified otherwise, a Cult Adept or Cult Alpha follows all of the rules for a Leader, and Acolyte Hybrids follow all of the rules for Champions. For example, either one can lead a Group Activation - a Cult dept or Cult Alpha would be able to lead a group of two other fighters, while an Acolyte Hybrid would be able to lead one other fighter.

The above could be construed to indicate that they all also have the "Bottle Bubble" and equally that the "Group Activation" is the only attribute.

There is no mention at all in the Corpse Grinder Cults entry about them having either "Group Activation" or the "Bottle Bubble".

Bizarrely they do have access to a Cult Icon and that is apparently only able to be used by someone with access to the "Group Activation" special rule.
For me it's a very valid point. It was one book, and other gangs have this rule clarification, and thise one don't intentionally.
 
Sadly I only have "The Book of Ruin" and would need to borrow a copy of the "Dark Uprising" rules to compare them.

Purely from my (and I emphasise it is "my") fluff perspective, having a bunch of Khorne berserkers NOT having "Group Activation" makes sense to me. The gang has a leader that everyone knows will chop them up in a heartbeat if they look at him sideways, but when the battle starts everyone wants to prove their worth to Khorne.

The Cult Icon they have specifically rouses everyone's desire to get into close combat by increasing their movement and can be given to anyone. Other gangs the Icon must go on a leader or champ and increases their Group Activation ability.
 
The Dark Uprising book included in the Activations section of the rules, the points that any Leader has what is now called Group Activation (2) and that any Champion has what is now called Group Activation (1).

And that would be (I think?) the edition of the rules under which the Book of Ruin is operating. If so, then yes, the rule should retro-fit itself to them.

Badzone Enforcers, at least, DO have Group Activation (X) on their Leaders and Champions. So there may be precedent to retroactively apply it to gangs which were last updated before that shifted from being a general rule to being a specific rule.
 
So it would seem that the change to the Group Activation rule initially occurred with the Hive War Rulebook and is reiterated in the new Rulebook.
Hive War and the latest Rulebook both state that the Group Activation (x) rule is noted on the fighter's profile.

Edited thought.
The fact that Corpse Grinders are the only gang that doesn't make mention of Group activation in the Book of Ruin constitute a subtle nerf by GW?
 
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This should be real simple. Hive War is N21 and is irrelevant because this topic is about N19 vs N20. The only gang? No gangs before N20 mentioned this! Did any of you play back in 2019? This question didn't exist then, nobody asked it! Because everyone had GA & LBE. So why question it now? How are these comments and fluff excuses taking into account the facts that are already stated in this discussion?

Edit: Ok, I get why it is asked now, because the N21 & N23 rulebooks explain it according to the N20+ gang structure. But that simply doesn't apply to N19 gangs. Necromunda isn't written with this kind of logic, it is a mess and a mix of things with different formats from different times and new rulebooks simply doesn't take this into account.
 
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