I mean, Geedubs has been doing that its whole career, Rogue Trader was basically Fantasy Mad Max in spaaaaace, plus a bunch of other borrowed themes from other intellectual properties.
Heck, remember the old Adeptus Arbites models? Someone in geedubs wanted Judge Dredd in their game and a whole gang was spawned round it.
I think it's worth looking at the texts already in print, and thinking 'big picture':
THE HOUSE
They are highly 'feudal'
"House Van Saar is ordered according to a strictly defined system of feudal ranking, with the most senior and privileged families forming an inner circle with access to the most advanced, and therefore most dangerous, Standard Template Construct imprints. Lesser-ranked families have access only to the lesser products of the STC that sustains the House. As a result, the scions of inner circle families are the most sickly of the population, their bodies sustained by the continuous application of the rarest of purgatives. The ruler of the House is Duke Otto Van Saar XXIInd, a man as pale as death and withered as a corpse, yet as dangerous as the most experienced underhive bounty-killer." (Necromunda Underhive rulebook, 2018)
They are the second oldest clan house still extant, and like House Escher, probably will be established as having noble origins - this is intimated especially by the Naming your Van Saar box, and were rivals to the Eschaki
"Van Saar names are distinctive, harkening back to the ancient family line that spawned the clan, and still used as a means of binding the close and secretive House together." (GotU)
"As the menfolk of Eschaki continued in their decline, the Flesh Curse, as it became known, reached the clan’s patriarchy in the closing decades of the 39th Millennium. Eloch Twice-born, the last man to rule the Eschaki, was a withered thing. The combat stimms and genetic-manipulations that had once made the clan’s chem-warriors so feared, were now required simply to keep Eloch and his kin alive, albeit in a greatly diminished state. The enemies of the House who had long been observing its decline now moved in for the kill. House Van Saar was the first to strike, taking over Eschaki’s holdings in Hive Secundus and all but exterminating the clan’s settlements in the hive’s glittering Hall of Graces. In Hive Mortis and Hive Ceres, agents working on behalf of House Ran Lo engineered a mass exile of Eschaki workers, diverting their factorum transports out into the wastes, and shipping in their own helots to take over. When the Eschaki tried to retaliate, gangs of hired guns were ready and waiting." (House of Blades, p. 12)
"This started when the Orlocks destroyed House Orlund in M.38. At the time, House Orlund, then one of the Clan Houses of Hive Primus, was the main importer of ore into the hive and owned hundreds of mines on the Palatine Plateau. Its lords had been protesting for years about the upstart Orlocks raiding their wasteland settlements, or hijacking their shipments. Other Houses also complained against the apparent rebels in their midst, old Houses such as the Van Saar, though probably more out of a concern for their trade deals with Lord Helmawr than because of any real interest in the fate of House Orlund." (House of Iron, p. 7)
Their territories are among the highest of the Hive City
"House Escher dominates the upper reaches of Hive City in Hive Primus. Many of their domes and levels lie just below the Wall that divides the spire from the rest of the hive, and many of the gates between the two regions are controlled by the House of Blades in alliance with the Guild of Coin. While it competes with House Van Saar for the regions around the Primus Spaceport that rings the highest levels of Hive City, House Escher has held this ground in the name of the Matriarch Primus for hundreds of years" (House of Blades, p. 22)
EDIT - "An estimated 5 to 10 billion people live and work within Hive City. These range from clanners serving one of the great Clan Houses to the helot workers who make up the hive’s drudging classes. The Clans are the de facto rulers of Hive City and their domains reflect their importance – nation states in their own right, each one dominates a region of Hive City. The Orlocks control much of the Nexus, and many of the ash gates that lead to it, in the name of the Guild of Coin. Goliaths rule Vat City, constantly expanding their realm to make room for even greater furnaces and new arena towns filled with fighting pits. The Van Saar and Escher, as befits their rank as the oldest Clan Houses, dwell largely in the upper reaches of the Teeming, controlling parts of the Spaceport and the domes that cling to the underside of the Wall. Cawdor and Delaque are different in that their Clans can be found almost anywhere in Hive City – the Cawdor thriving in every disused nook and cranny, the Delaque mysteriously appearing where they are least expected." (Apocrypha Necromunda, 'Hive City')
House Escher dominates the upper reaches of Hive City in Hive Primus. Many of their domes and levels lie just below the Wall that divides the spire from the rest of the hive, and many of the gates between the two regions are controlled by the House of Blades in alliance with the Guild of Coin. While it competes with House Van Saar for the regions around the Primus Spaceport that rings the highest levels of Hive City, House Escher has held this ground in the name of the Matriarch Primus for hundreds of years. The principal House Escher settlement in Hive Primus is the Sirens. Its numerous towers rise out of the hive just below the barbed crown of defences that mark the outer edges of the Wall between Hive City and the spire. Among this cluster of towers are three that rise higher than any other: the Maiden Spire, Mother Spire and Matriarch Spire, each home to a different faction within the clan. At the very top of the Matriarch Spire, its peak sometimes pushing through the toxic cloud cover of Necromunda, are the Sky Gardens. Here the Matriarch Primus holds court, and the Council of Crones gathers to advise her.
The Sirens are close enough to the spire that several narrow bridges link its tallest towers to the domains of the Great Houses – House Ulanti in particular – these tiny threads a reminder to all other Clan Houses of House Escher’s ancient history and special privileges on Necromunda. It is rumoured that these bridges were first constructed in the age of the Eschaki when there was great demand among the Noble Houses for time with the clan’s male gene-warriors. Lords and ladies of the spire would pay huge sums for the company of the greatest of these modified heroes, often to parade at their extravagant parties before their jealous rivals. Later, when the Matriarch Primus became the ruler of the clan, many a Hive Queen used these same bridges to visit patrons or suitors in the spire, thereby ensuring that the influence of House Escher remained unchallenged. It is said that the Bridge of Scorn was so named because it was where Matriarch Primus Alansia threw the Prince of Ko’Iron to his death, after discovering that he had betrayed her with another.
Edit: Finally, forgot to add about their Techno-Lingua:
"The House of Artifice prides itself on the sophistication of its communication. While other Clan Houses might engage in crude or base versions of more evolved languages, members of House Van Saar use binary codes and ancient dialect forms to talk to one another. Among the Archeoteks, this is especially prevalent as they use a tongue known as Tek-Nik-El. This was handed down through the generations from the first of their kind, who themselves claim descent from those first colonists of Necromunda. Tek-Nik-El is a form of ancient Terran, and uses words like Dosrite – a term to denote someone speaks true – or Harshtarg – a word that can mean ‘everything I say is now connected’ or ‘heed my words for they carry great import’. It is from Tek-Nik-El that many Van Saar objects and jobs derive their names, like the Koders who mind-wipe mono-task servitors, or the Tek-Jacks, whose job it is to follow power cables to their true source. Over the centuries, House Van Saar has also been influenced by its association with the Adeptus Mechanicus and the worship of the Omnissiah. Though the faith is still a small part of the Clan House, and these connections are mostly made through the passing down of archprints to the factorums of Necromunda, some of the tongue of the Red Planet has found a home with the clanners of House Van Saar. The most prevalent of these is the binharic cant practised by the lowest echelons of the tech priesthood. Van Saar gangs have adopted this, as it is a code few other gangs can crack – the varying code bursts sound like background noise to the untrained ear. Sometimes the Van Saar even turn the cant into actual words – phrases like all ones and no zeros or two by none are instantly recognisable as terms for untrustworthy fighters or places." (Apocrypha Necromunda, 'Lingua Primus Part 2')
GANGS
The gangs are expunged from or made outliers to the house - read this as rebels or as agents, up to you!
"Van Saar gangs thrust into the war between the Houses must forsake ties to their former masters. While they remain as cogs in the great House Van Saar machine, the gangs are now part of its farthest extremities." (GotU)
Their gangs (presumably not the Outlaw ones!) are often led by genius artificers
"Unlike other Houses, which often seek out dissidents and hyper-violent misfits to fight their endless inter- House wars, House Van Saar chooses its gang Leaders from master crafters, tech-scriveners, and cognus-scholars. These learned men and women are more than mere weapons to be used against their rivals, but also innovators and salvagers, creating and recovering technologies for the House’s masters. Well-versed in the catechisms of tech and the prayers to the machine, they have an understanding of the Imperium’s ancient machines second only to the servants of the Mechanicum. Often, their mission is to recover lost tech from the depths of a hive or the vaults of their rivals – each find adding to the clan’s arsenal of advancements. The greatest of these gang masters might be honoured for their work with unique tech gifts from their House, or if they have done Van Saar a truly exceptional service may even have a weapon variant or device named after them – like the Gantic pattern plasma gun or the Haex scrambler." (GotU)
They use a lot of high-tech equipment that are beautiful in quality:
"As befits the fighters of a House rich in mechanical resources, Van Saar gangs favour technological solutions to battlefield challenges. Like the chambers of a well-greased stub gun, the gang enters the fray with each warrior knowing their role. An overseer of combat, the gang leader directs their followers, luring the foe into killing grounds, feinting with skirmishers and probing with speculative fire. Enemies are often detected in halos of green light on bio-scanner screens or upon pict thieves long before they are aware of the Van Saar fighters’ presence, while meticulously machined and maintained plasma pistols, las carbines and rad guns track their advance. To a Van Saar fighter, a weapon is more than merely a tool with which to bring down rivals, but a gift from the great work conclaves of the House. Like a child, it is theirs to care for and maintain, the weapon’s life given purpose in their willing hands. For this reason, the gangers rarely use scavenged weaponry or anything that has not been crafted by the gang itself. Even seemingly crude weaponry, such as clubs or knives, are works of art – handles perfectly weighted against heads, the hafts fitted with pneumatic compellers to enhance swing, or edges tipped with monofilament strands to make them impossibly sharp." (GotU)
Their hideouts sounds fun - great modelling projects
"Where a Van Saar gang takes root, its Leader will build their own machine temple. These shadow forges are a pale reflection of the fabricator vaults of the House itself, but compared to the bases of other gangs they sufficiently provide the Van Saar gangers with a ready-made place to fashion weapons, charge power packs or craft armour. In the centre of such a hideout, the leader’s own weapons and armour stand sentinel, almost a blessed relic to the gang, whose machine spirit, like the leader, watches over their endeavours." (GotU)
Aspring Juves might hope for a rare piece of tech from the leader as a sign of favour:
"‘Excellent work!’ The words washed over Skinny Verhven like a synth-shot full of bliss. Getting a compliment out of Harsher Harman, leader of the Van Saar DeltaV gang, was a bit less common than getting a brace of grilled sumprats from a hive trader for free. And this in the eatery, before the entire gang. Verhven felt like whooping and head bashing like a stimm-crazed scummer. He almost missed Harman dismissing the gang. Dutifully, he turned away from his moment of glory. ‘Not you, Skinny,’ said Harman. Verhven froze, unsure what to think. DeltaV members brought up for a private conference with Harman had a disturbing propensity to end up in the ash-and-crash squad, or as burnt corpses head down in the sludge vats. But then Verhven forced himself to relax. He’d just got one of Harman’s rare compliments. The boss must simply be extremely happy with him, to give a juve a private audience. Maybe he was due some piece of rare tech, or a promotion to full gang member. He tried to convince himself of this as the rest of the DeltaV filed out of the hall, leaving the low benches and the scarred, black reinforced plasteel tables empty." (Long Way Down)
But otherwise might have handmedowns:
"Verhven sank to a crouch in the middle, one kneepad resting on the pipe’s dark, dry floor. He dug into his chest harness, and pulled out a corpse-starch ration bar. Twisting the squishy material in two, he offered one half to Maial. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘And for recommending me for the scout team.’ Verhven gave her a quick nod, keeping his eyes on the flickering light further down the pipe, where it ended in a shadowed cranny of a thoroughfare. ‘What are friends for?’ he said. ‘Besides, you’re good with a knife.’ Maial grunted, her mouth full of ration bar. She wiped her fingers on one of the armoured plates protecting her thigh. The black body armour made her dark skin look sallow, the Van Saar curse of radiation damage bleaching it in palm-sized splotches. ‘I’m better than you with a gun,’ she said, chewing. ‘Nah,’ Verhven said, ‘just luckier.’ Maial punched him lightly in the arm. The plasteel insets in her combat glove thudded softly against the protective shoulder pads of Verhven’s bodyglove. ‘Quit that,’ hissed Bleyn. He shook his head. ‘Juves.’ They waited. The older gangers drank from their harness-mounted water reclamation units, or checked their equipment. The Van Saar party was armed for speed and bursts of overwhelming firepower, with Van Saarmade lasguns and las-subcarbines, the latter being rapid-fire sidearms. Prone to draining their energy cells, the small weapons could put a lot of las-blasts in the air at the same time and while not accurate at long ranges, they were excellent in suppressing enemies up close. Each ganger in the scouting party had one for close-in combat, in addition to the shock batons they carried at their belts. Only Verhven and Maial hadn’t been given any, lacking the DeltaV tags that signified full membership in the gang, and gave them unrestricted access to the armoury. Instead they had to make do with their regular weapons, a hand-me-down lasgun for Verhven, its black anodised finish polished to a mirror-like sheen, and a laspistol and a pair of fighting knives for Maial." (Long Way Down)
OUTLAWS/SERF VAN SAAR/VAN SAAR RENEGADES:
Freikstorn:
"Freikstorn Strix is an exile of House Van Saar and former Clan Archetek. Ancient by the standards of his House at the age of 47 Terran solar cycles, Strix has converted his bodysuit into an armoured life-support cradle, and replaced his limbs with powerful cybernetics. Many of his body modifications are of Strix’s own invention, mixing the Van Saar’s STC technologies with the more common tech of the Imperium. Strix must routinely prey upon enemies for the parts to keep himself alive, sometimes throwing his lot in with gangs if there is the promise of technology or a hefty score of creds. Strix’s jet pack assembly, the Strixian harness and ornithoptical combat kit or S.H.O.C.K. wing, allows him to soar across the battlefield, leaping high over the reach of his foes as he assails them with his pneumatic-claw gun. Perhaps Strix’s greatest weapon though is the fear he engenders in his foes, and many believe he is not human at all, but some mechanical hunting horror unleashed by the noble houses for their own dark amusement." (Book of Peril, p. 31)
There is the Rogue Factoria, Cornalis Gar:
"The Archwerks dominates the Rogue Factoria enterprises of the Palatine Cluster. Its boss, the renegade Van Saar Cornalis Gar, oversees dozens of secret manufactorums throughout the underhive turning out guns, machinery and gear crafted from dozens of stolen Archprints. Gar is hunted by both the Imperial House for endangering its obligations to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and his former Clan House after he absconded with prototype designs extracted from the Van Saar STC.The Archwerks have been so prolific that millions of weapons and items of wargear bearing his secret maker’s mark (the broken cog) have found their way into hundreds of Necromundan hives and even out into the wider Imperium. An architectural genius, Gar has managed to evade his many enemies by creating logic traps and optical pitfalls in the badzones surrounding his hideouts. One story tells of how an Escher gang, sent by their House to claim Gar’s head, became lost in a labyrinth of seemingly identical corridors for days. In fact, the fighters were covering the same few hundred metres again and again, convinced by a cunning illusion of intersecting perspective to turn back the way they had come each time they reached the way out." (Book of Judgement, p. 9).
Teffan Valdin, and his workshop:
"Jarene had raised her fist but hadn’t actually knocked on the door when an apparently unremarkable dark plate on it suddenly crackled into life and revealed itself to be a pict screen, out of which stared the dark-ringed eyes of Teffan Valdin. [...] The interior of Valdin’s workshop was like a shrine to some idolatrous god of technology. There was barely a surface that wasn’t festooned with wires or cables, bits of metal that had clearly had some use originally, but were now orphaned and waiting to be reassigned, unfeasible-looking tools of obscure origin and unguessable purpose, or half-empty vessels containing the brown sludge of long-cold caff. In the middle of it all sat Teffan Valdin, upper body clad as always in his dark purple environ-suit, his waist disappearing into the tracked mini-crawler that housed his shattered legs. ‘Ladies,’ Valdin greeted them, turning on the spot to face them in a whine of servos. He wore a visor that broadcast the image of his face to the pict screen on the door, which he flipped up out of his line of sight. ‘How can you make me richer today?’ Jarene quite liked the Beard. He wasn’t the liveliest of company, but that wasn’t what they hired him for: he was quite simply the best fixer in the zone, and probably beyond. No one else understood tech and power like Teffan Valdin. He also spoke his mind, didn’t dance around trying to use fancy words or talk down to the Wild Cats or flirt with them, but also didn’t front up trying to prove he wasn’t scared. He just did business, straight and true, which was why the Wild Cats trusted him." (Wanted: Dead)
Escaped Slaves:
"Charon was tall and thin, and wore a long, black velveteen coat, soiled breeches, laced half-boots, a dented black felt hat and a fraying cloth tied about his neck. He had three day’s growth on his cheeks, but his scalp was bald and marked with columns of tattooed inscriptions that I could not read. ‘What do those symbols mean?’ I asked him once, when I had stopped fearing him. I had been a year or more with him and we had just killed a sumpkroc, and the shared danger and thrill had brought us together. He’d just eaten a whole kroc steak to himself and had sweetened his mood with a tumbler of Wildsnake. He sniffed and at last he said, ‘My master did it.’ He was not talking about Solomon. He was talking about an earlier time. ‘You had a master?’ I said. He nodded as he stabbed his knife into the tabletop. It quivered for a moment. ‘I was sold as a child. To House Van Saar. The richest House in the hive paid thirty credits…’ He tapped his head. ‘Indentured slave 75653. This is my ID, and these are the accounts. Above this ear are the expenses. This one food tallies. Lodging. Fines.’ He turned his head. ‘This side is the work I did. After ten years I owed more than three hundred credits.’ Charon smiled. His teeth were bright in the darkness but there was no humour. ‘I knew then that I would never get out of there alive.’" (Terminal Overkill)
"There were twelve of them, each one dressed in the distinctive Van Saar blue-black enviro-suits. They were oblivious or over-cocky and had lit a fire to cook whatever they had caught for dinner. It smelled like roast spider eggs, which meant they knew something of the underhive. Solomon would have mind-blasted them if his psyche could reach this far. The smell of cooking mixed with their relaxed chatter. They had used kroc-skin coracles to cross to the island and these were pulled up amongst rocks at the side of the island. I could hear the viscous plop! of the bursting bubbles. ‘How will we get across?’ I asked. ‘Watch,’ Charon said. He took spider silk from a pouch at his belt and wrapped Ozin’s hands and feet. We gave him a shimmy up to reach the low ceiling, then Ozin hung upside-down. The thread was strong enough to carry him across. I could hear the silk coming away from the ceiling with a soft tear of fibres, like zelcro. ‘How will he get down?’ I asked. Jak rolled his eyes. Clearly I had a lot to learn. When he had reached the island Ozin stuck one end of the spider thread to the ceiling and then very carefully let the spider silk unravel from his hands as he abseiled down. The wait was an ordeal. But after maybe an hour Ozin came back with the coracles. Charon could not wait to get in, but Sphinx would not follow and we ended up tying him to a bent piece of rusting rebar sticking up from the floor. We climbed in and paddled slowly across. Once we reached the island Charon led us over the tumbled rocks until we were within twenty feet of our enemy. But instead of ordering us to attack, Charon astonished me by standing and calling out, ‘Green jacket!’ The renegades fell silent. We could hear the sound of them drawing guns, the keen whisper of a knife leaving its sheath. Then one of them stood and walked towards us. He was a small man in an ill-fitting, dust-stained enviro-suit with a necklace of rat teeth about his neck. He and Charon faced off against each other. ‘I know you,’ Charon said. The other man pulled the hood of his suit back and I saw a skull marked with the same long lines of serf-accounts. ‘They call me Fargen,’ the other man said. ‘You were 75653.’ Charon stiffened at his slave ident. ‘What are you doing, dressed like that?’ Fargen lifted the autogun he was carrying. It was hung with teeth and charms, and what looked like a man’s scalp. ‘We broke free,’ he said. ‘Just like you did.’" (Terminal Overkill)
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Just worth keeping in mind as we anticipate (or fear) House of Artifice!
-
Finally, on flying through tight tunnels, how is this not flashing in your minds?
I doubt they will be available to Venators, sadly. While I would be surprised and pleased with a "equipment item and initial stab at vehicles rules," the newer Codex format we have seen instead [as with Orlocks] tends toward "this Unit gets the following special trait." I doubt that it will be an item that ex-VanSaar venators could have. Alas.
Though now I have to look at the Ash Wastes rules for N95, and plunk together a "default powerboard" item, and see what its creds would be like....
EDIT. Hmm. Ash Wastes rules only allow for a single-person light vehicle skimmer that moves up to 6" per turn, with up to two 45 degree turns. Really, it should be a bit faster than that I should think. Oh! Wait! Include the GorkaMorka Thrusters rules. Ignore "Combat Speed" options. Instead, after that 6" move, the powerboard may use Thrust move(s) as described in the GorkaMorka Rulez Book. There. Sorted.
Cost 100 creds [single seater light] -25 creds [hover], so a 75 credit Rare Trade item [therefore 75+1D6 credits to buy], for N95.
And there's our "Gangs of Commorragh" rules, too. After all, humans tend to a slightly higher Ld than orks, making steering a board viable for human gangers [though with much risk of ensuing hilarious collisions], and even higher for eldar [thus making for decent steering capabilities]. Hoverboard, not a true "flier." Options would be to increase cost by rolling a "grav chute" into the build.
Much like the wreckers im sure the board won't be separate kit. But I'll make it none the less only need the gaming group to agree and its no hold bars when it comes to making bounty hunters for the pool.
I am concerned about how well a single Neo could block a ZM hallway.
They look to be on 32mm bases, judging by the bulkier champs and going off of Arms Masters. So that is already a roadblock, but if the VS player is brave enough to lay it down when pinned then RAW opponent fighters can’t get within an inch of the 4”ish tall fighter.
If you ignore the stem (any rules to suggest that as ZM goes off the base?) then the surfboard Looks a good 2-3” long on its own.
As long as the surfer isn’t Seriously Injured that is a significant barricade the enemy can’t cross.
Prone fighters only ever take up the board space that their bases occupied while standing, as per the diagram on page (I don't have my book at hand right now).
As far as dismounting the power sleds... we'll I'm pretty confident that if the models don't dismount, then it can't be done in the game.
One thing that struck me was the cover for House of Artifice. The covers of the three released books so far highlighted the feudal nature of Necromunda in general by showing a representative of each of three estates: Worker, Ganger, and Noble. But the House of Artifice cover seems to show three gangers:
So, did they just stop following the now-established cover convention (if so, that’s a shame, I think), or do all Van Saar simply look the same due to their bodysuits?
I know where my vote is. And after all, in a Faction Codex for 40K, do you show off any models on the cover painting that you cannot field in battle? Why advertise models you don't sell?
One thing that struck me was the cover for House of Artifice. The covers of the three released books so far highlighted the feudal nature of Necromunda in general by showing a representative of each of three estates: Worker, Ganger, and Noble. But the House of Artifice cover seems to show three gangers:
That is a cool observation, i've never noticed that before! Or at least never put much thought into it. It would be kinda ironic if folks behind necromunda suddenly would rewrite the fluff to be the opposite of what Petitioner's City quoted.
I know where my vote is. And after all, in a Faction Codex for 40K, do you show off any models on the cover painting that you cannot field in battle? Why advertise models you don't sell?
That explanation doesn't seem very probable. They've done it for 3 book covers so far, all of which depict "models" which they don't sell, why would it suddenly start bothering them?
One thing that struck me was the cover for House of Artifice. The covers of the three released books so far highlighted the feudal nature of Necromunda in general by showing a representative of each of three estates: Worker, Ganger, and Noble. But the House of Artifice cover seems to show three gangers:
So, did they just stop following the now-established cover convention (if so, that’s a shame, I think), or do all Van Saar simply look the same due to their bodysuits?
Really good point, @Crazy Ivan - I don't think all Van Saar look the same, or wear the same clothes in modernmunda, as we even have variations in the art from Gang War 3, most especially "X Alsander" of the Sentinels of Steel:
Artistic licence, of course - and notably the other houses also have a good amount of art variety, but I always found Alsander a really exciting departure.
Overall, I imagine the lack of worker or noble on the cover is due to the artists either not producing the two full length portraits of a worker and noble, or not making two full length portraits deemed good enough to include in the book.
The new Van Saar were a big surprise. Now I am eagerly awaiting the rules for the Van Saar grav-cutters. For example, do they work like a kind of elevator or are they limited in their flight height above the ground? - I would actually expect the latter.
Otherwise, I suspect advantages in terms of speed / range and disadvantages in terms of ballistic accuracy. And it's probably easy to fall off too.
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P.S.: Of course it's different. The new Necromunda was located higher up from the start. I would say the difference is something between gangs in films like "The Gangs of New York" or "The Warriors" versus the Umbrella Corporation with their private security army in "Resident Evil".
Then, if you think of the houses as intended to be large corporations that have existed for many centuries and divided the planet among themselves, some must be immensely wealthy. Van Saar is very rich and a technological leader. The Neoteks are the Van Saar offspring and why shouldn't they have expensive toys too?
But I just started with the new Necromunda. So it will probably be easier for me to follow. But I also like it when every house has something special and from a technological point of view, the leap from Orlock jump-packs to Van Saar grav-cutters doesn't seem particularly so big to me.
So I notice everyone is talking about the grav-boards and the art cover. Did anyone notice the choice of skin tones used on the models? I've seen dead people with livelier skin tone.
From my perspective, every gang has some sort of weakness or short coming. Furthermore they all have had thier own specialty that they had to pay for. For Golaiths its the gene-smithing its a one time upfront credit cost. For Escher, its a sustained as you want to use it credit cost. Orlocks buy their "names" with experience over time.
I would not be surprised if Van Saar's specialty was all the tech we're seeing with the new models, but it won't cost credits or experience. You'll pay for it in Stats, the more tech or the more dangerous tech you want to have access to and use, the more your stats are lowered. It would tie into Van Saar's fluff and would offer a counter balance to the gear. Now if this would be a one time cost when you purchased a fighter or if it was something you could upgrade; I wont take a guess about as I'm already theorizing out my ass by several yards.
I would love to see Van Saar hit with some type of Neg trait like Nurgle/Mummy Rot. Like when opponent rolls two injury dice and choose the result when determining a wound result or roll twice on the lasting injury result per OOA result and applying both. Both would do a good job of representing how frail VS gangers have become.
Do feel that van saar dont have much of a drawback for the improved ballistic skill currently, And it seems unlikely they will lose the undersuit like other gangs lost free armour.
Im looking forward to see what they get as a skill tree and tech bonus because it really could go anywhere at this point. And they need a drawback that is more than just a higher cred cost.
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