N18 New Goliath Gang Idea (gang box+leftovers)

[Mark Ancketill]

I'm considering building a new Goliath gang using just the main gang box and some Goliath leftover parts (mainly a bolt gun and shotguns).

I want it to be fun but also able to put up a decent fight/showing.
I also like the idea of each Goliath that has genesmithing having a different setup, so they're more individual and fun.

With all that said, here is the list idea:

Forge tyrant, furnace plates, bolt gun, stub gun, nat born, tyrants own, nerves of steel

Forge boss, furnace plates, combat shotgun, unborn, scar tissue, hip shooting

Stimmer, furnace plates, renderizer, stub gun, vat born, dermal hardening, nerves of steel

Bruiser (specialist), furnace plates, grenade launcher, smoke grenades, vat born, reduced bone density

2x bruisers, furnace plates, shotguns

2x bullys, furnace plates, stub guns

I know there are more optimal setups for these characters, especially the stimmer, but I really like the look and idea of this list.
What do you you guys think about it? Is it just a terrible Idea? Also, does the stimmer need the stub gun? I had 5pts to use up!

 

[katfezza]

All seems pretty reasonable to me.

- Tyrant has the best BS so having a bolter is a sound choice, it's what I give mine. It will earn them decent XP opretty quickly, just beware of the 6+ ammo. I like starting tyrants with a melee weapon to also make use of their melee stats but you can hold off for a game and punch people.
- I have also run that hipshooting combat shottie boss. They run around blasting people and the scar tissue is great.
- There's nothing wrong with a renderizer as it puts you up to S6 D2 and pulverise can be very useful to counter a bunch of unlucky all flesh wounds rolls. Stubber is handy for the times you are outside charge range and want to at least pin an opponent.
- Grenadier specialist is a common choice as it's relatively cheap and effective.
- Shotguns are decent weapons but you could swap one out for a stubcannon to avoid repetition and save 10cr which will be relevant in my next comment.
- I'd suggest springing for some melee weapons on your bullies. They are decent fighters in melee and will perform well with even cheap weapons like axes and fighting knives paired with their stubguns. The saving from the shotgun downgrade will allow one bully to get a weapon. Taking Terminal Biology on one will net another 10creds for another cheap melee weapon. Terminal Biology has only triggered once in about 3 campaigns amongst my gaming group with there being a Goliath gang in each campaign.

If you wanted a little more variation you could run a Forge Born for the higher movement. Might help with some objectives.

 

[Mark Ancketill]

All seems pretty reasonable to me.

- Tyrant has the best BS so having a bolter is a sound choice, it's what I give mine. It will earn them decent XP opretty quickly, just beware of the 6+ ammo. I like starting tyrants with a melee weapon to also make use of their melee stats but you can hold off for a game and punch people.
- I have also run that hipshooting combat shottie boss. They run around blasting people and the scar tissue is great.
- There's nothing wrong with a renderizer as it puts you up to S6 D2 and pulverise can be very useful to counter a bunch of unlucky all flesh wounds rolls. Stubber is handy for the times you are outside charge range and want to at least pin an opponent.
- Grenadier specialist is a common choice as it's relatively cheap and effective.
- Shotguns are decent weapons but you could swap one out for a stubcannon to avoid repetition and save 10cr which will be relevant in my next comment.
- I'd suggest springing for some melee weapons on your bullies. They are decent fighters in melee and will perform well with even cheap weapons like axes and fighting knives paired with their stubguns. The saving from the shotgun downgrade will allow one bully to get a weapon. Taking Terminal Biology on one will net another 10creds for another cheap melee weapon. Terminal Biology has only triggered once in about 3 campaigns amongst my gaming group with there being a Goliath gang in each campaign.

If you wanted a little more variation you could run a Forge Born for the higher movement. Might help with some objectives.

Thanks for your thoughts, they're really helpful.

What if I just drop the smoke grenades, and also the stub gun off the stimmer?
That would then give me enough points for either an axe or fighting knife on each bully.

 

[katfezza]

The thing with the smoke grenades is they give you a better chance to reload the launcher if you run out of ammo, but they are common so you could cope without for a game. The melee weapons may be more useful for getting some xp on the bullies. They don't pay a tax for taking multiples of the same characteristic so you can spec them the way you want . Don't be too tempted to turn them into specialists as soon as you can unless you want to unlock different skill tables on them.

 

[Mark Ancketill]

How are stub cannons in game? Are they better than the shotgun?

 

[katfezza]

They are not necessarily better. They have better range, ammo, and strength than a shotgun, but shotguns generally do more damage and have an accuracy bonus at short range, and access to special ammo.

Stubcannons are your cheapest long range weapon so are useful in a starting gang where credits can be tight. The S5 is useful against rival goliaths and some brutes too. They also look really cool which is definitely an important factor.

Shotguns are more flexible and are better long term. Executioner ammo will punch through armour once your opponents start upgrading, plus long range accuracy bonus. Inferno shells can disrupt enemies with blaze (plus lighting people up in the dark in scenarios with visibility rules).

 

[Beebopalulla]

I would say that for 20 cred a Stub Canon is more than adequate. It let you save money when it comes to high strength weapons.

It's efficient against anything with T4 and T5 in early campaign where the chance to encounter a rival gang with a lot of armor is slim.

Even with armor the best one can still failed.

 

[Mark Ancketill]

Taking on board people's comments and suggestions, how about this:

Forge tyrant, furnace plates, bolt gun, stub gun, nat born, tyrants own, nerves of steel

Forge boss, furnace plates, combat shotgun, unborn, scar tissue, hip shooting

Stimmer, furnace plates, renderizer, vat born, dermal hardening, nerves of steel

Bruiser (specialist), furnace plates, grenade launcher, smoke grenades, vat born, reduced bone density

Bruiser, furnace plates, shotgun, vat born, hardened immune system

Bruiser, furnace plates, stub cannon, vat born, terminal biology

2x bullys, furnace plates, stub guns, axes

I quite like the idea of terminal biology on the stub cannon wielding bruiser as he's kinda the cheap expendable guy anyway!
Not sure about hardened immune system on the shotgun bruiser though. Is it better to use those points on a stub gun for the stimmer?

 

[Beebopalulla]

I quite like this one better than the previous one.

 

[katfezza]

Hardened immune system is useful and makes the gang less repetitive. It can be handy against Escher. Stub gun can easily be picked up after game 1.

 

[Mark Ancketill]

So, I decided to take the plunge and order some extra bits to primarily make a single forge born option for the gang. The idea being they could replace one of the bullys.

Here is the list with the forge born:

Forge tyrant, furnace plates, bolt gun, stub gun, nat born, tyrants own, nerves of steel

Forge boss, furnace plates, combat shotgun, unborn, scar tissue, hip shooting

Stimmer, furnace plates, renderizer, vat born, dermal hardening, nerves of steel

Bruiser (specialist), furnace plates, grenade launcher, smoke grenades, vat born, reduced bone density

Bruiser, furnace plates, shotgun

Bruiser, furnace plates, stub cannon, vat born, terminal biology

Bully, furnace plate, stub gun, axe

Forge born, furnace plates, stub gun, knife, vat born, overdeveloped musculature

It gives a bit more variety with the inclusion of the forge born. Not sure about overdeveloped musculature on the forge born but it seemed kinda cool for 5pts in combination with the knife. Is this a good idea or not?