N18 Zombies in N18

[Wasteland]

Greetings Hive dweller,

have there been sightings (rules) of zombies in the Underhive in the last two years? My gangers need some target practice akin to "shoot ´em in the head" which should come along in special scenarios populated by the shambling dead. Any news about this would be appreciated.


Have a nice day in the sump,
Wasteland

 

[Ml2sjw]

Check the book of peril, it has your answers

 

[Wasteland]

Check the book of peril, it has your answers

I just checked the book of peril:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Necromunda-The-Book-of-Peril-EN-2019

No info about any zombies whatsoever.

 

[Ml2sjw]

I just checked the book of peril:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Necromunda-The-Book-of-Peril-EN-2019

No info about any zombies whatsoever.

It's in the underhive hazards events for brainleaf zombies but specifically mentions multiple optionsnfor causing zombies.

 

[Wasteland]

Thanks for the more detailed info.

You mentioned brainleaf zombies. So the origin of the undead from Necromunda is not Karloth Valois anymore but a plant species? Has the old term of plague zombies also been changed to just zombies in N17?

 

[Ml2sjw]

The rules mention brain leaf thralls, sump virus victims spider venom madmen and plague zombies. Rules are the same for all of them though

 

[Ardavion]

Thanks for the more detailed info.

You mentioned brainleaf zombies. So the origin of the undead from Necromunda is not Karloth Valois anymore but a plant species? Has the old term of plague zombies also been changed to just zombies in N17?

Brain Leaf "zombies" aren't actually zombies, they're being rudimentally psychically controlled by a Brain Leaf; the main plant attaches a leaf onto a nearby creature either for protection, to make the creature (or others) die nearby for compost or to make the controlled creature wander off and spread its seeds, to allow more Brain Leaf plants to grow elsewhere when the controlled creature dies.

You can read more about them on page 21 of The Arbitrator Campaign PDF.

Also, Karloth Valois isn't the origin of Plague Zombies, they predate him; traditionally it is various suspect/derelict labs, bad drugs, something in a food supply somewhere, some form of mutation; in short, hivers don't actually know the cause of the zombie plague, only that it intermittently flares up (from whichever lab it started in, from wandering zombies that escaped previous cleanses, from another bad batch of drugs, who knows) and rides through the underhive until being put down with extreme prejudice by local arbites, enforcers and deputised gangs (the "Purge" Arbitrator scenario from the original rules modelled such events).

Hoping that the new rules writers aren't just riding roughshod over what Necromunda used to be (ahem) all the "zombies" should be different...

The rules mention brain leaf thralls, sump virus victims spider venom madmen and plague zombies. Rules are the same for all of them though

Oh dear. That is a shame, especially since in the pre-N17 rules they all behaved differently because they were fundamentally different.

 

[Ml2sjw]

They are put down as an arbitor resource. They don't have behaviour rules which means the arbitor can paly then as fitting the scenaro/type of zombie. Lots of opportunities for customisation. We just have them move toward the closest model and attack when they are an event. In a more narrative event then we would probably tweak that. As is they basically occupied the toll bridge in my last game

 

[JawRippa]

If I understand it correctly, even in CC you can only kill them with OOA injury dice roll and they ignore everything else. This makes these buggers EXTREMELY tanky, it is almost as if they have a 2++. Also 2d6" movement is no joke. Way too tanky and fast for my taste.

If anyone could provide alternative or older rules for zombies I'd be glad to check it. We've had an idea for a custom mission where all gangs send representatives (2 gangers from each side) for temporary cease fire discussion, which turns into L4D scenario when a hive quake causes all of them to drop into an old sealed equipment storage filled with plague zombies.

 

[spafe]

We've had an idea for a custom mission where all gangs send representatives (2 gangers from each side) for temporary cease fire discussion, which turns into L4D scenario when a hive quake causes all of them to drop into an old sealed equipment storage filled with plague zombies.

for that scenario, I'd suggest dropping their movement to d6.

For the main rules and how they could work, having a handful near a brainleaf plant, on a 3d board, the 2d6 is needed to make them a threat and not a laughable slow thing that jsut closes off a small area of the board but otherwise does nothing.

 

[Ben_S]

Older as in ORB/LRB/NCE? You should be able to find them in the Vault (in Outlanders/Scavvy rules).

 

[Ml2sjw]

We played that they could be coup de grace'd in cc on a down result which made them a little less tanky. Might be our miss reading on the rules for that one but it worked. As was they effectively won the the toll bridge scenario last week when two of my guys were turned into brain leaf zombies stalling the Escher counter attack.

 

[Petitioner's City]

Do guys and gals who get turned into brainleaf zombies count as 66 dead, do you think?

 

[Thorgor]

Do guys and gals who get turned into brainleaf zombies count as 66 dead, do you think?

No. Actually, becoming a brainleaf zombie makes you immune to death (and crippling injuries):

At the end of the game, fighters who became Brainleaf Zombies automatically go into Recovery, though suffer no other adverse effects.

 

[Petitioner's City]

No. Actually, becoming a brainleaf zombie makes you immune to death (and crippling injuries):

Wow, what a nice result! I guess it makes sense but plague zombies were so mean in the past ...

 

[Punktaku]

aren’t plague zombies and brainleaf zombies two different things?

 

[Ardavion]

aren’t plague zombies and brainleaf zombies two different things?

They're supposed to be, but the N18 rules team seem to want to streamline things by making zombies and mind-controlled people essentially the same thing rules wise...

Another set of house rules inbound, methinks; I've taken the plunge on the book of perils just to see what extra rules have been made up, but I just can't shake the first impression from N17 to actually play any more games with the ruleset.

 

[Ml2sjw]

I expect we may well see so e plague zombies at some point, particularly if some on at FW wants to sculpt them. The rules are a useful "catch all" for an arbitor than wants to add some form of zombies to the game. In that situation house rules are encouraged surely!

 

[Ardavion]

I'd doubt FW will do plague zombies, you really need a sizeable amount to do plague zombies justice (unless you're talking about Scavvy gangs and their access to plague zombies).

Given the costs, I would think *any other zombie minis* would be a preferable purchase; heck, even https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Deadwalkers-Zombies-2018 with weapon swaps/removals would be a safer GW push.

I look forward to FW proving me wrong, and I look forward to seeing how many get sold given the inevitable eyewatering price gouging that will occur; they'll have to bear in mind their old plague zombie minis currently sell for up to £8 on UK eBay...

 

[Ml2sjw]

I'd doubt FW will do plague zombies, you really need a sizeable amount to do plague zombies justice (unless you're talking about Scavvy gangs and their access to plague zombies).

Given the costs, I would think *any other zombie minis* would be a preferable purchase; heck, even https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Deadwalkers-Zombies-2018 with weapon swaps/removals would be a safer GW push.

I look forward to FW proving me wrong, and I look forward to seeing how many get sold given the inevitable eyewatering price gouging that will occur; they'll have to bear in mind their old plague zombie minis currently sell for up to £8 on UK eBay...

In an ideal world id love them to do booster packs like anvil industries

Zombie Heads (7)

Anvil Industry makes high quality resin 28mm heroic scale sci-fi wargaming miniatures.

anvilindustry.co.uk

To turn regular gang plastics into zombies but that's just me. Although I'd prefere them to do some "civilian" boosters first to represent hivrs who aren't in the gangs but are aligned to a house like apparently most of the population are.

Failing that I may need to make a small zombie horde by combining the anvil parts with the genestealer cult box for a suitable horror based scenario....