N18 Skaven-themed GSC - Suggestions

[ChapterAquila92]

Heyo, ChapterAquila92 here!

On a bit of a lark, and after some discussion with a member of my local gaming group about how attempting a Skryre Mordheim warband would more or less end up being Skaven Necromunda, I got to thinking about a more literal interpretation of such as a cheesy gang (pun intended) in Necromunda itself.

Servants of the Rat-Emperor of Man-Things

Genestealer Cult gang with a rating of 1000 by ChapterAquila92

yaktribe.games

Leader (Adept) - Ikit Claw/Arch-Warlock
Equipment: Hand flamer, Shock stave, Mesh Armour
Skills: Mentor
Wyrd Powers: Zealot

Gutter Runner (Acolyte, Early Gen)
Equipment: Fighting knife x2, Needle pistol, Hazard suit
Skills: Infiltrate
Special: Third Arm

Globadier (Acolyte)
Equipment: Grenade Launcher, Hazard Suit
Skills: Overwatch

Jezzail (Acolyte)
Equipment: Long Las*, Hazard Suit
Skills: Infiltrate
*Would consider upgrading to long rifle at earliest opportunity

Rat Ogre (Aberrant)
Equipment: Fighting Knife x2
Skills: Unstoppable

Clanrat (Neophyte Specialist)
Equipment: Autogun, Hazard suit

Clanrat (Neophyte)
Equipment: Autogun, Hazard suit

Clanrat (Neophyte)
Equipment: Autogun, Hazard suit

Not entirely meant for serious play, but rather a gag run amok. Apart from the neophytes and the jezzail, I currently have all the models required out of my skaven range to do this.

Thoughts?

 

[mateyboy3000]

3 things. 1, GSC are hard capped at 2 acolytes for creation. 2, you can't put weapons down, if you give the acolyte a long Las he will have a long Las until he dies even if you give him a long rifle. 3, GSC don't get a specialist at creation, instead after creation any number of gangers can have special weapons

 

[ChapterAquila92]

1, GSC are hard capped at 2 acolytes for creation.

So they are. Any recommendation as to which one should be dropped?

Actually, scratch that; your second question is giving me enough of an answer on that:

2, you can't put weapons down, if you give the acolyte a long Las he will have a long Las until he dies even if you give him a long rifle.

I'm well aware of that. Reading into it further, whilst GSC technically allows for all of its fighters to have multiple fighter cards, I guess we know which dirtbag I'm dropping from the list after all.

3, GSC don't get a specialist at creation, instead after creation any number of gangers can have special weapons

Pity. Oh well...

In any case, any suggestions apart from my misreadings?

 

[Punktaku]

Make them and post pics.

 

[Malevolent Pink Cat]

Surely hand flamer should be "hand warpfire thrower"?

Other than that, this looks great - might try and squeeze a flail in at earliest opportunity (after the classic mordheim rat-with-two-handed-morningstar), but beyond that it looks very faithful (even got the three autoguns so you can proxy the dreaded sling-spam, I see!).

 

[mateyboy3000]

I'm well aware of that. Reading into it further, whilst GSC technically allows for all of its fighters to have multiple fighter cards, I guess we know which dirtbag I'm dropping from the list after all.

Incorrect, only the leader and acolytes can have multiple cards, see book of ruin page 40 second block of bullet points, bp's 5 and 6

Pity. Oh well...

GSC get the old, and better special weapon rule, after creation EVERY ganger can take a special weapon so you could run everyone with plasma guns if you really wanted, though I do not recommend or endorse this in any way, it is anti friends.

Otherwise the only thing I would say is you lack longer range punch, you are entirely dependent on the Grenade launcher. You could take a shotgun instead of an autogun to get a S4 shot at 16"

 

[Jayward]

Would an infected Escher gang work better for this? You'd get the Agility access which seems fitting, Khymerix could be a rat ogre, get all the poisons, Warpfire Thrower is the Nightshade, Poison Wind is Choke Gas (although GSC get them anyway) could use Phelynx as giant rats... Big loss would be Infiltrate on the Gutter Runner.

Hell, even if you don't use it I'm quite taken with the idea!

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Would an infected Escher gang work better for this? You'd get the Agility access which seems fitting, Khymerix could be a rat ogre, get all the poisons, Warpfire Thrower is the Nightshade, Poison Wind is Choke Gas (although GSC get them anyway) could use Phelynx as giant rats... Big loss would be Infiltrate on the Gutter Runner.

Hell, even if you don't use it I'm quite taken with the idea!

I was personally contemplating Cawdor for an infected gang version, actually (after all, one hired gun from their ranks genuinely believes that the Emperor speaks to him through rats). Building it off of that instead also allows me to make widespread use of polearm weapons, which would be well-suited to a quasi-stormvermin get-up for the gangers in this merry band of critically lost Skaven (juves can naturally take up the clanrat/slaverat shtick, with "Hybrid Juves" making up up-coming night runners, heavy weapons rats, or something to that effect). For added hilarity, giving them Criminal allegiance to the Rogue Factoria would be all the more fitting (and model the Rogue Factoria delegation as skaven themselves).

Alternatively, Delaque would also serve as a decent base for skills and equipment.

With all that said however, infected gangs are still limited to the skill sets and equipment of their non-infected counterparts. This in itself isn't too bad so long as you're not looking to create a composite Skaven warband in Necromunda (i.e. using Goliath for Moulder, Escher for Pestilens, Cawdor for Skryre, Delaque for Eshin, etc). In many ways, GSC is still arguably the better means to start a classic Mordheim-esque Skaven gang in Necromunda. The Cunning skill set, combined with immediate access to Third Arm ('cause tail fighting), lends itself quite well to sneaky shenanigans with gutter runners and night runners in a much more thematic way.

 

[ChapterAquila92]

I was personally contemplating Cawdor for an infected gang version, actually (after all, one hired gun from their ranks genuinely believes that the Emperor speaks to him through rats). Building it off of that instead also allows me to make widespread use of polearm weapons, which would be well-suited to a quasi-stormvermin get-up for the gangers in this merry band of critically lost Skaven (juves can naturally take up the clanrat/slaverat shtick, with "Hybrid Juves" making up up-coming night runners, heavy weapons rats, or something to that effect). For added hilarity, giving them Criminal allegiance to the Rogue Factoria would be all the more fitting.

This is what I came up with along these lines for a "Skryre" gang:
https://yaktribe.games/underhive/gang/servants_of_the_rat-emperor_of_man-things.232377/

 

[Jayward]

You're right, that does have a nice feel to it!

 

[ChapterAquila92]

The arch-warlock leader of this merry band. Painted up this armoured rat over a year ago for my Age of Sigmar army.

 

[Punktaku]

Nice! A few subtle blues and purples and he’s good to go!

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Nice! A few subtle blues and purples and he’s good to go!

I actually went with a really dark midnight blue on the robes. Sadly doesn't show up very well in photos, whatnot with the green glow and everything.

Progress tax: a "deacon" and "firebrand" join the ranks!

Both the globadier and jezzail are from Punga Miniatures. I was especially more than amused by the break-loading grenade launcher, hence the inclusion in the list.

 

[Punktaku]

Oh, the “blues and purples” thing was just in reference to them being a counts as GSC. But they’re “counts as” which opens the door for any color scheme you want. (Heck, even if they were actually GSC there’d be no need to use blue and purple at all. Breaking the tradition is half the fun sometimes!)

I think your pic is too back-lit, which is why the painted one looks so dark.

 

[Ben_S]

I like the rather monochrome style, except for the green glow. Kinda like Sin City or something. I've seen other people paint like that too.

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Planning ahead, I've been contemplating how I might build the blunder-pole "stormvermin" brethren. It's not the first time I've cannibalized a stormvermin kit (I kitbashed my first three jezzails using stormvermin, skitarii rangers, and cheesecloth before), but I get the feeling I'll be needing to get a little creative with plasticard, tubing, and/or green stuff for something that's both distinctly skaven yet also a blunder-pole.

I'm honestly debating mounting radium carbines from the skitarii kit to stormvermin halberds.

Thoughts?

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Planning ahead, I've been contemplating how I might build the blunder-pole "stormvermin" brethren. It's not the first time I've cannibalized a stormvermin kit (I kitbashed my first three jezzails using stormvermin, skitarii rangers, and cheesecloth before), but I get the feeling I'll be needing to get a little creative with plasticard, tubing, and/or green stuff for something that's both distinctly skaven yet also a blunder-pole.

I'm honestly debating mounting radium carbines from the skitarii kit to stormvermin halberds.

Thoughts?

Found a better solution: cannibalizing Orlock combat shotguns.

 

[ChapterAquila92]

With two more stormvermin done up for gangers, here's the state of the gang thus far:

I actually built one more stormvermin than the 1000-credit list called for, knowing that I'd likely need to add more anyway. The clanrats were poached out of the models I use for Mordheim and general roleplay minis, and I'm still waiting on a rat ogre to show up to throw into the mix as an aberrant.

 

[ChapterAquila92]

While still awaiting for the rat ogre to show up, I nonetheless had a pretty entertaining first game with the "gang" (had to use my Blood Bowl rat ogre as a proxy) on a set of Space Hulk tiles for Zone Mortalis (Tunnel Skirmish). It culminated in a loss against a flame-happy Redemptionist gang, along with my starting specialist captured, but I enjoyed how they played so far and look forward to more games with them.

In the meantime, conversions abound.

As I've fittingly aligned this "infected Cawdor" gang with the Rogue Factoria, I've gotten started with modelling a similarly Skaven-themed Factoria Work Gang, starting with the Overseer. Thus far I've gotten the auto/plas combi-pistol (Orlock autopistol, Orlock plasma pistol, and Stormfiend warpstone shard) and stun baton (shortened Skitarii Taser Goad) assembled, and I'm thinking I'll get a Clawlord model in the near future to put them on.

The Work Party Boss may very well be a stormvermin using a packmaster's whip, if not a Master Moulder instead.

I'm still a little undecided as to what to use for the workers apart from just using clanrats with knives.

 

[RandomTerror]

This is a great idea!
I've been looking at doing something similar, but maybe using Escher as the base instead, trying to make every weapon as unstable and deadly as possible, the true Skaven way!

What would you call this race of ratmen? Skaven seems to be a little on the nose.
I've read "Ver'myn" somewhere, so thats what I'm going with for now until I can find something more fitting.