Stealer Cults army list first brain vomit.

From: Sam Dale <epic_at_...>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 01:44:00 -0000

This is an hours verbal spewing, and i'd appreciate comments and any ideas.

I've not done this army list thing before much, and i'm struggling a little
to make sure it's gonna be a unique army. There's only so much can be done
where an army cannibalises resources from the host society. Not being a very
regular player of anything at the mo and being in the process of trying to
find a new job and house (next stop Nottingham) ain't helping.


Genestealer cult netepic army
==========================
I'll dredge up background info and so on, but will need help once the rest
of this stuff is in place, cos the oldest of my WDs are missing presumed
sold. They may resurface, but i'm not sure...

The original Space Marine Cult list was based on dicing for what the cults
had available until you ran out of points i think (certainly random what you
got), and was intended using for very small battles. This ain't good for
mass battles and for the current epic thinking that doesn't use randomly
mustered forces (cept the death company). Better to use a fixed list,
tailored to what the player desires (high tech, feudal, chaos, uncovered
cult, cult in full obnoxious mode), then introduce random elements later.

These guys ain't necessarily suited to mass battles. By the time they hit
the mass battle stage, they're either sprung before they're ready, in the
process of taking over the planet or being invaded once the planet it taken.
And until they're ready, they're not gonna have access to all the toys they
might want. And even once the place is theirs, they're gonna be limited to
planetary resources.

Orky mob structures? These guys rely on waves of cannon fodder to run down
the opponent before the hard stuff arrives to finish off. Several cults
forming one army? Traditionally, just one cult will rise and take control of
a planet. But what about the likes of hive worlds, where you'd take one
spire at a time. Different cult in each one? They'd probably work together
to take over or defend against invaders before the assimilation into the
hive.

So, like the orks, take a cult core, all support cards just add units to the
whole thing. only certain units can act independantly (hunters, stealers,
berserkers, infiltrators). Imagine an ig army (with purestrains in place of
oggies) using an ork organisation structure that won't fall apart till the
leaders are dead, then they cut and run.

Masters of infiltration. The point in setting up a cult is to infiltrate the
society from top to bottom, so when the revolution comes, it hits throughout
society and hopefully cripples resistance. Focuses on politicians and
military. Because most of the cult looks like civilians, they can infiltrate
and use hidden setup whatever the battlefield. These guys don't tend to
leave the planet except to launch more purestrains, so will always be on
home turf. Maybe use some specialist troops for this rather than anything.

Hive mind. Cults are centred round the patriarch. then the magus. both get
psycic powers. P from the nid box, M and lesser psychics from ig. M gets one
from nids. Command ranges? must remain with cult? Chaos powers? Any what
move out of command range revert to regular morale, all within immune. The
cult could split into two with half lead by the P and the other half by the
M? Some cults won't have hit even 4th generation before taking the field,
they won't have a Magus yet.

the cult holds no fear while the patriarch is alive, even the death of the
magus will only distract em, but once they're both gone, they cult will
shatter. at very least become subject to morale checks, probably test em
straight away an all.

Repair. They're not well known for keeping their gear up to standard. Roll
1d6 for each vehicle squadron pre-game, on a 1, it's buggered. Too steep a
penalty? Doesn't affect limos...

Nid special cards? A few of em plus some extras relating to infiltration,
sabotage, dirty political tricks, assassinations, suicide bombs, booby
trapped scenery, etc.

Nids. Potentially, these guys could be used as an ally of a Nid swarm.
Before the hive has had time to consume them, the nids attack from one
direction, while the cult rises up against the defenders. Would haveta do
something to seperate Cult cards and Nid cards, and there's no chance of
chaos cults being re-assimilated. And they won't even notice when the magus
and patriarch get geeked.

Special characters? add some of the ones from the prototype list (tim
somethingberry's one).

Anti aircraft? Absolutely critical after trying out aircraft under these
rules...

Possibly allow IG vehicle companies as 25% of total points cost, elegantly
keeping em out of small battles, but allowing them in more major conflicts,
while not allowing em to be more present than the hordes of cannon fodder.

Base cult comes with hybrids, patriarch, cultists. 5 support, 1 special,
magus optional. Special cards will include any but the most basic armoured
vehicles, plus animal hybrids, demons, special characters.

patriarch
magus
sub-bosses (4th gen) (these have a name, but i can't remember it...)
neophytes (2nd-4th gen shooty hybrids)
acolytes (1st-2nd gen hacky hybrids)
purestrains

beastmen
psykers
berserkers (ig assault without guns or jump packs)
hunters (75cm, 4+, tsm 0)
cannon-fodder cultists (caf 0, 25cm range)
brood brothers (IG tactical, assault and heavy)
suicide bombs
mutants (randomise movement and caf?)
summonable daemons (pick a power, and place these near a psyker at an
opportune moment)
chaos spawn
animal-hybrids (elephant stealer hybrids? tyrannosaur hybrid? Pikabroo?)
foos
bikers
horsemen

limos (hybrid transport) (aka rhinos with car looks)
buggies (Ork models)
cwt trucks (cultist transports) (wwII)
some tanks (and thunderbolts) as support cards only
specialist tanks n stuff as specials
light arty and aa


Sam & the Genestealer Cult
==========================

Always liked the stealer cults. Ever since the first list way back when, in
the days where chaos meant CHAOS! and all your recuiting was done to the
tune of the dice. Never did much to build up a force, as i was in the "ohh
thats cool, having one of them, that's cool, having that, don't care that
there's no army being built up properly" phase but still ended up with a
dozen or so hybrids, plastic guardsmen, a patriarch, magus.

Got me ass kicked fielding a 40k force in 2nd edition at uni, where the
opponent squeezed 11 targeter-equipped heavy bolters (and two autocannons
and two missile launchers) into 1500 points of space marines...

Got involved in an email run 40krp game playing the tech in an ig team crash
landing on their planet to discover the place had been overrun. That game
was fun, but ran out of steam after a bit, and the gm lost his notes before
i could get a copy of the whole adventure. :-(

Had a bit more success with em in 3rd edition, using the prototype army
list, but regarded em as screwed over after reading the Journal edition
where the hybrids are so overpriced it hurts. Stats of an Eldar Guardian,
with a gun with a point less strengh (and without fleet of foot), for 12
points to the Guardian's 8? Plus the loss of a couple of the more
interesting toys (mole mortars and thudd guns and attack buggies) kinda
killed the fun.

On the other hand, i realised the old school stealer hybrids (both metal and
especially plastic) just didn't look like part of the society that spawned
the catachan army i'd built up by now, so took some stealers, old nid bits,
and some plastic catachans and hacked em up into some really twisted
hybrids. Ugly looking critters, but i'm happier with them, and they look a
lot better leading the Sutherland 3rd troops than the old ones did. Did a
pair of heavy flamer armed dune buggies from ork buggies for these guys an
all.

Never been a great quality player, painter, rules mechanic or lawyer, but
i've been gaming on and off since Forest of Doom was a new release, Warlock
magazine was young, and Warhammer was in it's second edition.

===============================

Animal hybrid conversions... mmmmm... plastic nid kits and childrens toys...

My brain, just like the rest of me after an hours circuit training earlier
tonight, now hurts.

Sam.
Received on Thu Feb 28 2002 - 01:44:00 UTC