Wanted: Dead

[nooker]

Wanted: Dead is quickly becoming my favorite Necromunda novel and possibly in the top 10 favorite novels period. I like the main character, Jarene, a lot and she's cute with her girlfriend in way that seems real and doesn't make me want to gag or is salacious. It's also fucking brutal, which feels right for the Underhive. And speaking of the Underhive, this is the first novel that really talks about the anatomy of the Underhive that also really seems to understand it. Several of the novels obviously take place in the Underhive, but it's anatomy isn't a big part of the story so they only touch on it, which is fine. Others do talk about the anatomy of the hive, but get REALLY wrong, from putting the Ash Wastes solidly inside the hive, to making it some sort of hollowed out cone where you could see the sump from the spire. The only other book that did it well was Junktion, but I didn't really like that one (found the main character to be WAY too lackadaisical about the deaths occurring around him). Wanted: Dead takes in all the new lore and rules, it even starts with a scenario So, if you don't like the new rules, you won't like this, but I think the new take on Eschers are pretty cool as the old lore was basically, look: girl gang! (I do know it was more than that, but not a whole lot more) The characters feel real, gang feels real, the hive feels real. It is awesome!

 

[el_guestos]

Wanted: Dead is quickly becoming my favorite Necromunda novel and possibly in the top 10 favorite novels period. I like the main character, Jarene, a lot and she's cute with her girlfriend in way that seems real and doesn't make me want to gag or is salacious. It's also fucking brutal, which feels right for the Underhive. And speaking of the Underhive, this is the first novel that really talks about the anatomy of the Underhive that also really seems to understand it. Several of the novels obviously take place in the Underhive, but it's anatomy isn't a big part of the story so they only touch on it, which is fine. Others do talk about the anatomy of the hive, but get REALLY wrong, from putting the Ash Wastes solidly inside the hive, to making it some sort of hollowed out cone where you could see the sump from the spire. The only other book that did it well was Junktion, but I didn't really like that one (found the main character to be WAY too lackadaisical about the deaths occurring around him). Wanted: Dead takes in all the new lore and rules, it even starts with a scenario So, if you don't like the new rules, you won't like this, but I think the new take on Eschers are pretty cool as the old lore was basically, look: girl gang! (I do know it was more than that, but not a whole lot more) The characters feel real, gang feels real, the hive feels real. It is awesome!

Agreed, absolutely loved this book

 

[Stoof]

Wanted: Dead is great!

I would, however, contest the point that it takes in the new lore. Right at the very start it says the gang recruits from the hive city, taking in girls who would rather escape to take a chance living with the gangs than do a lifetime of 18 hour shifts before dying of chemical poisoning. New fluff is that workers do mandatory stints in the gangs - there is no choice and no escape involved.

They are starving and trying to scrape a living out in the underhive. New lore gangs are not rogue bands of chancers eking out a meagre day-to-day life - they are the sanctioned and organised militias of their house, supported and supplied by them.

Wanted: Dead is has all of the hallmarks of being set in the original Necromunda lore. It doesn't look like the writer was familiar with the new fluff, or if they were, they were also heavily nostalgic about the old and chose to ignore most of it...

...which is a great thing, because that desperation angle really improves the setting and the story!

 

[el_guestos]

Yeah in fairness I've mostly ignored the new fluff, in my head and in our campaigns all the new gangs are still beat down workers trying to escape the grind

 

[nooker]

Well, I've been in it a long time, I missed the aspects of the new lore missed, probably because I like the old stuff he left in. However, he doesn't ignore all of it. The Escher have stilettos and chem throwers. Maybe it just feels really fresh and it is extremely rare for an author to understand the setting.

 

[Ash_Wastes_Traveler]

Wanted: Dead is quickly becoming my favorite Necromunda novel and possibly in the top 10 favorite novels period. I like the main character, Jarene, a lot and she's cute with her girlfriend in way that seems real and doesn't make me want to gag or is salacious. It's also fucking brutal, which feels right for the Underhive. And speaking of the Underhive, this is the first novel that really talks about the anatomy of the Underhive that also really seems to understand it. Several of the novels obviously take place in the Underhive, but it's anatomy isn't a big part of the story so they only touch on it, which is fine. Others do talk about the anatomy of the hive, but get REALLY wrong, from putting the Ash Wastes solidly inside the hive, to making it some sort of hollowed out cone where you could see the sump from the spire. The only other book that did it well was Junktion, but I didn't really like that one (found the main character to be WAY too lackadaisical about the deaths occurring around him). Wanted: Dead takes in all the new lore and rules, it even starts with a scenario So, if you don't like the new rules, you won't like this, but I think the new take on Eschers are pretty cool as the old lore was basically, look: girl gang! (I do know it was more than that, but not a whole lot more) The characters feel real, gang feels real, the hive feels real. It is awesome!

Well I would say Survival Instinct also describes the underhive well as Mad Donna are moving though it, but I'm guessing you are leaning toward the now Necromunda.

 

[nooker]

Did Survival Instinct go into the anatomy of the hive much? It's been a long time since I read it and while I like it a lot, I don't know that I remember it real well. I do remember they talked about the Spire and how people were up there. Really showed why she wanted out in a way that talked about how the Spire was set up, but I don't remember much of how they talked about lower down. Either that or I was totally distracted by someone somehow got an ekranoplan into the Sump.

 

[Stoof]

Survival Instinct does do a really good job throughout - not exactly surprising considering it was written by Andy Chambers! If he writes some Necromunda fluff and we don't agree with it, it's us that's wrong

Wanted: Dead has the same feel. The writer has indeed used cool bits of the new setting (the gangers have armour, chem throwers etc), but the overall feel is definitely retromunda.

 

[Space Truckin]

Ok I'm sold!
Just finished most of the new short stories, with the exception of one they were all enjoyable reads.

 

[nooker]

I would love to know what Andy's reasoning is for having such a large flying vehicle anywhere in the hive, letalone hive bottom. Maybe he's just trying to tell us it really is that big?

@Space Truckin, which story didn't you like?

 

[Space Truckin]

Emprah's Eye. 10 pages into a 33 page short story and still couldn't tell you anything meaningful about what I've read. I'll just leave it at that.
To balance things out I thought Burned was great and so was Dirty Dealings.

On topic of NSMR Lore (Non Space Marine Related) really enjoying John French's Horusian Wars but that's another topic.

 

[Stoof]

I would love to know what Andy's reasoning is for having such a large flying vehicle anywhere in the hive, letalone hive bottom. Maybe he's just trying to tell us it really is that big

It's been a while since I read it but I think it was there to show how huge the sump actually is (large enough to require large vessels to cross). I think it was mentioned that it was there from a time when there was surface water and access outside of the hive from wherever it was. It was certainly a luxury rather than commercial vehicle. I think Survival Instinct is due a re-read.

Also - ekranoplans are neat.

 

[nooker]

I think Survival Instinct is due a re-read

That's becoming painfully obvious! Really wish they would put anything Necromunda into audio and Survival Instinct would be a good place to start. Speaking of audio, Horusian Wars is over at audible! I'll have to pick that up.

 

[SumpRat]

Size is something I always scale up for the Hive. The size given doesn’t really add up in my head. Eventually i’ma do a post asking folk to check the maths and see where it goes. I

As for Wanted Dead, I really liked it, but it still didn’t quite grab what I consider Necromunda to be. There were a couple of questionable moments (‘get your hands off my woman’ - was that originally intended to be a lot worse than it was or is she a psycho or did I misread something?), but generally it was quite a fun read.

One part I particularly liked was the protein candy bar. I could have easily rolled my eyes if it was written different but I thought that worked quite well.

 

[nooker]

Size is something I always scale up for the Hive. The size given doesn’t really add up in my head. Eventually i’ma do a post asking folk to check the maths and see where it goes. I

Been done!
https://yaktribe.games/community/threads/hive-primus-volumes.472/

 

[SumpRat]

Been done!
https://yaktribe.games/community/threads/hive-primus-volumes.472/

That thread is a gold mine! Good catch!

 

[Ash_Wastes_Traveler]

That's becoming painfully obvious! Really wish they would put anything Necromunda into audio and Survival Instinct would be a good place to start. Speaking of audio, Horusian Wars is over at audible! I'll have to pick that up.

Making some of the Necromunda books into audio book would be nice, it would help when painting and one doesn't have ones hands and eyes free for reading, I tried listening to the GorkaMorka (Can't remember what it was called) audio book, not that inspiring when trying to paint Eschers.

 

[nooker]

Ask and you shall receive apparently! Half-Horn, Expectatio, & The Deserter. Unfortunately they're short, but still Necromunda! Speaking Escher there's Sister of Battle audio which is pretty good.

 

[FerociousBeast]

Been done!
https://yaktribe.games/community/threads/hive-primus-volumes.472/

Been done a couple times

https://yaktribe.games/community/threads/mathletes-needed-population-density-of-hive-primus.7186/

 

[nooker]

Sweet! I knew there was another one , but couldn't find it!