THE FUTURE Necromunda Redux MEN WITHOUT NAMES... Hired Guns in the Ash Wastes THE AMBUSH AT SHANTY TOWN PARADISO Ash Wastes Battle Report THE RAT SHOOT & THE BREWERY Two New Scenarios for NecromundaDT eee eT a OR oeHello again and, sadly, good bye. This issue of Necromunda magazine is my last as editor. Before leaving you all to the tender mercies of the new editor, Matt Keefe, I would like to say thank you to all the dedicated Necromunda players out there who have sent articles, letters and ideas over the past years. It is your contributions that have made and sustained Necromunda Mag (I think), a good quality hobby magazine. I can't name all of you, but it has become evident in my time at the helm, that almost eight years after publication there is still a large, dedicated and enthusiastic following for the game, making the work Fanatic is doing in supporting and ‘growing’ the hobby vital. I think we have a stronger hobby now than we did two years ago, with more new miniatures and more new players. I have no doubt Plans for a new edition of the game. By Jervis Jobnson. By Stuart Witter & Chris Ward TALES FROM THE HIVE ‘Your letters. THE BREWERY & THE RAT SHOO’ ‘Two quick, easy to play scenarios for By Nick Jakos CONTACTS PAGE An Ash Wastes Battle Report. =a strc: EDITORIAL CONTEN THE FUTURE: NECROMUNDA REDUX BATTLES IN THE ASH WASTES: HIRED GUNS Rules for hired guns in the Ash Wastes, including two new mercs for hire! Everything you need to know about Fanatic! AMBUSH AT SHANTY TOWN PARADISO By Stuart Witter, Chris Ward, Warwick Kinrade & Matt Keefe ey that Necromunda's future is secure and that it will continue to grow. Whilst there is demand, Fanatic is here to fulfil it. Although I shall no longer be editing the magazine I shall still ‘take part in the development of the game and assist in playtesting new rules with Matt and the rest of the team. HEAD FANATIC Jervis Johnson EDITOR Matt Keefe PRODUCTION/ COVER RENDER Dean Spencer PROOF READING Talima Fox Having said my fond farewells I'll hand over to Matt. Cheers and good hunting to all Steve Thank you Steve. All that really remains for me to say is to apologise for the delay in getting this magazine out. In the hectic —_ editorial changeover, we effectively had to skip an issue, meaning this issue arrives a rather embarrassing two months late. Sorry! Matt 2 12 T r Necromunda. 16 a7THE FUTURE: NECROMUNDA REDUX by Jervis Johnson Necromunda is, and always bas been, one of the most popular games that Games Workshop has ever produced. In recent times, it may seem like we have been neglecting Necromunda a little, b ut fear not, this is just the calm before the storm of many great new things. Here Jervis Jobnson describes the forthcoming Necromunda Redux. I would imagine that fans of Necromunda have been watching what Fanatic has been doing for the other games in the specialist games range up until now with some envy. While these other games have been getting new models, annuals, rules reviews, website revamps and White Dwarf articles, Necromunda players have had to make do with a handful of new models and that's pretty much it. If it wasn’t for the excellent Ash Wastes articles by Stuart Witter and Chris Ward then there really wouldn't have been very much to get excited about at all. ‘The good news, really great news in fact, is that this situation is about to change, and the purpose of this article is to let Necromunda fans know about the exciting things we have planned for the game. The first and most important thing to say is that everyone in the Fanatic bunker and throughout Games Workshop in general CONFRONTATION LPO SR fo) UC) Tedd think Necromunda is simply a great game, and we can’t wait to be able to support it properly. Speaking personally, I have always felt that Necromunda was one of the finest games in the GW range, and I am immensely proud to have been one of the members of the original development team for the game back in the mid 90’s. And it’s clearly not just the game’s developers who feel this way, because even with the lack of new material Necromunda is still one of the most popular games in the specialist games range. I think that the reason behind Necromunda’s enduring popularity is the way it combines a superb tabletop skirmish game with a groundbreaking campaign system and an immensely characterful background setting. Speaking personally, once again, Necromunda remains one of my favorite tabletop games. I find that it’s balance between detail and playability is just right, and there is very little 1 would want to either add or take away from the core game system. However, while the core game rules produce a compelling tabletop game, it is probably the campaign system and the game's background that are its most important features for _ hardcore Necromunda fans. The campaign system was actually an ‘evolution’ of the campaign rules developed for the 3rd edition of Blood Bowl, but luckily for us it worked as well (if not better) in Necromunda. More importantly the campaign rules transformed Necromunda from anexcellent tactical game into a truly groundbreaking design that combined the _ best features of __ tabletop wargaming with the role-play and character development of a role-playing game Necromunda designer Rick Priestley dreamed up the powerful game background. Quite how the little fellow me up the idea of a kilometers high hive where a callous elite ruled over warring Houses is difficult to ;, though personally I think it has something to do with affeine-induced illusions brought on by too many cups extra-strong Yorkshire tea. Other’s feel it might have something to do with the special bacon Rick insists on being used in his daily triple-decker bacon butty, but I digress. Wherever the ideas came from, Rick produced what is arguably the most interesting background setting for a game ever. The success of the novels and comic strips set on Necromunda are testament to just how fascinating the background is. All in all, then, Necromunda is something of a classic game. There is only one minor problem with the game at present, and that is that the rules and miniatures are currently only available from our UK Mail Order department... Now, the rules being unavailable in most places in the world makes our job of the supporting the game rather difficult, to say the least. To make matters worse the last version of the rulebook is in serious need of an update, and the terrain and plastic models that were an integral part of the game are no longer available. So, taking the bull by the horns, we've decided to bring out a new version of the Necromunda rulebook to be released next summer, that we're going to call Necromunda Redux, which willbe supported by a full range of miniatures and will be available worldwide. I've also decided not to bring out any new models for Necromnunda until after we get the Necromunda Redux rulebook back in print, as it would clearly be a bit silly bringing out new models for a set of rules that is difficult to get hold of. On the other hand this docs mean that we have some really cool stuff ready and waiting to bring out once Necromunda Redux is available. So what exactly does the Necromunda Redux project entail, and what do we have planned for the game? First and foremost, though, don’t panic, we don’t plan to change the rules for the game. We just want to get Necromunda in print again and give it a bit of a facelift. That's why we've chosen the name Necromunda Redux for the project as, according to my computer’s dictionary, redux means "brought back, especially in being restored to former importance or prominence", and this is exactly what we are planning to do. The way we're going to go about getting the game back in print is to reformat the text from the rule books in the original Necromunda boxed game into a single stand-alone volume. As already noted, I don't plan to change the game rules, but we will fix some minor bits of errata, clarify rules that are unclear, and make a few very minor tweaks to the game system. We'll also take the opportunity to generate all new artwork for the book and generally make it look as up to date as possible. ‘The finished rulebook will be sold on its own (ie. not as part of a boxed game) We're also taking the opportunity to makesome new metal Goliath and Orlock models to replace the rather tired plastic versions from the original game. This will allow us to do the models in the new ‘body plus weapons’ format first used for our Ash Waste Nomads. All the ‘body plus weapons’ format means is that each model will come with a separate weapon sprue allowing you to choose exactly how each member of your gang is armed. This format is perfect of Necromunda, and is that way we are going to do all new models for the game from now on. At the time of writing we've just received the first castings of the new Goliaths and master models for the new Orlocks. Check ‘out the pictures of the models that appear in this article to see what a superb job new Citadel designers Adam Clarke and Martin Footitt have done on the models. At the same time as we bring out the new rules and models, we'll also be re-releasing the boxed sets and blister packs of miniatures for the other Necromunda gangs, so you will be able to get models for all six Houses when the new rulebook comes out. In addition we'll be releasing a new Necromunda terrain set containing all of the scenery from the original boxed game. These three things — rule book, miniatures, and terrain set - will mean that all of the things that were in the original Necromunda boxed game will be fully available again to players all over the world. However, rather than bundling all the bits together into a single box they will all come separately, allowing players to pick and choose what they want. This should be especially useful for established players, who won't have to buy stuff they already have, though I think making the terrain available in a separate set will be useful for just about all Necromunda players (and quite a few 40K players too I'd imagine!) By now quite a few of you will be saying “Hold on just a minute Johnson, what about the stuff from Outlanders? When will that be out? Will it be out?!?" The answer to this very sensible question is that I've decided to save up the material from Outlanders and bring, it out slowly following the release of the main game. For example, the first of the Outlander gangs we'll be bringing out will be the Redemptionists, that will come out about two months after the new rulebook is printed. We'll then slowly work our way through the other Outlander gangs over the course of the first year or so of the game’sfrom the Outlanders supplement were a bit rushed, so while I'm happy to let the main game rules go Ror through unchanged, I would like to SS EER | cio a little bit more development work on the rules that appeared in Outlanders, and delaying the release of the Outlander gangs will allow me to do just that Established players that _use Outlander gangs already shouldn't worry though; you'll still be able to use the old rules in order to field your gang until the new rules come out, so you won't have to retire them to gather dust on your shelves! The other question many of you will be asking is "Whe will appear in Necromunda —_Necromunda Redux come out? I want it magazine first of all, and then be compiled now, I tell you, NOW!!!" The answer to this together in the first Necromunda Annual. question is that Redux won't be released until... the early summer next year . Yes I know it seems like ages to wait, but we need that long in order to do all of the production work and generate the new artwork needed for the book. Unfortunately I can’t give an exact date as it will be up to our local sales teams as to when the game goes on sale in different countries, but at present it lool { game will go on sale sometime between the start of May and the end of July depending on where you live and how it takes to ship the new rulebooks to your distributor, Until then you can still get hold of the old models from our Mail Order department in the UK on (0115) 9140000 or by visiting the UK on-line store at www.games-workshop.co.uk. We'll let you know more about the exact releases dates Necromunda Magazine as we get closer to the time And is pretty much all there is to now about the Necromunda Redux project at the present time. Hopefully you agree with me that all of the things we have planned are just what's needed to restore Necromunda to its rightful place as one of the most important games in the whole GW range. I also think it’s going to make next summer a very exciting time for Necromunda fans everywhere. I, for one, can't wait. eee ee Best regards, Jervis Johnson Head FanaticBATTLES IN THE ASH WASTES HIRED GUNS by Chris Ward and Stuart Witter Continuing our Ash Wastes series of articles, Chris Ward and Stuart Witter go in search of bounty hunters, mutant scum and other hired guns, and find that even in the Ash Wastes almost anything or anyone can be found... for a price! Just as in the Underhive, there are many hired guns for sale in the Ash Wastes as long as you know where to look. Mercenary scum. crop up at trading posts, shanty towns and journeymen depots. Wandering nomad guides are found working with many gangs. For a fee their valuable knowledge of the Wastes can help find the quickest route, or set up the most effective ambush. Even bounty hunters can be found in the wastes, after all many outlaws think hiding amongst the dunes and pollutants can save them, and many guilders are determined to prove this is not the case. This article details the types of hired guns that may be found and hired in the Ash Wastes, and by whom. Many of these you will already be familiar with, but some are found only in the desolation of Necromunda’s ash deserts. Note that all hired guns are assumed to be equipped with 1 if this is not stated in their normal rules. Please show OD this on the mode £ UNDERHIVE SCUM Although not strictly ‘Underhive’ scum, there are many scum fighters to be found in the Ash Wastes: shanty scum, escaped outlaws and more. Underhive scum can therefore be used by any gangs in Necromunda: Battles in the Ash Wastes, following the normal rules in Necromunda As it states in the rules, a scummer will never use any weapons or equipment other than his own, so he may not drive a vehicle or ride a beast, but may ride as a passenger as normal, and may take over the controls in an emergency. Ash Waste Shaman Well, of course you can have these! Any gangs in Necromunda: Battles in the Ash Wastes may hire an Ash Wastes Shaman except Guilders, who see them as criminals and offer a bounty on their heads, and Hive Prospector teams, who are professionals and do not hire any outside help. Ash Wastes Shamans can only ride as passengers just like other hired guns.Bounty Hunters These are still occasionally found in the wastes, and may be hired as per the standard rules found in Necromunda by Guilders, Journeymen and Shanty Town gangs. Again, they cannot use any other equipment than their own, so may only take over vehicle controls in an emergency, but may ride as a passenger as normal. Ogryn Bodyguard Guilder gangs may hire these rare and hideously expensive bodyguards, but no one can. They cannot take over a vehicle even in an emergency, let alone drive one normally, and take up two crew spaces in vehicles that can hold five or less crew, thanks to their massive 4 Pit Slaves Hive Prospector teams have a kind of pit slave: servitors, which are dealt with separately in the Hive Prospector rules. Of the other gangs in the Ash Wastes, none have the technology or resources to maintain pit slaves except for Guilders, who may hire pit slaves as per the normal rules in Outlanders. Pit Slaves may only ride as a passenger in a vehicle as with Scum and Bounty Hunters, and may only use their own equipment as normal. Pit Slaves are still capable of driving a vehicle, but in an emergency only. Sniper/Defence Force Deserter These are PDF deserters that have found their way to the shanty towns in the Ash Wastes, but may be hired following the normal rules in Necromunda magazine. Guilders and Hive Prospector teams may not hire Snipers, but all other Ash Wastes gangs can. Again they can only be passengers in vehicles. Defence Force Deserters (from Gang War 3), may not be used in the Ash Wastes; their wargear is far too hard to maintain in this hostile environment. Ratling Sniper These diminutive marksmen have an incredibly weak constitution and would die within hours of leaving the protection of the hive. Ratskin Scouts Ratskins will never abandon the underhive; it is their sacred homeland, and thus no gangs in Necromunda: Battles in the Ash Wastes may hire them when outside the hive. These are much less common in the Wastes than the underhive. They are rare mutants, and thanks to the sparse population of the Wastes few survive, especially considering many Wyrds are physically weak and less able to survive in the Wastes. However, that is not to say they don’t exist at all, so they may still be hired by any gang that can afford their services, except Guilders, who would sooner have them shot, and House Prospector teams who don’t hire anyone. Pyromaniac Wyrds should re-roll result 5 (flame blast), as in the high winds of the Wastes they are only going to cook themselves with this power. Beastmaster Wyrds may only have Giant Rats (evil mutant rats at that), or Milliasaurs, as Ripper Jacks have nowhere to hide and hang upside down in the dark if they go outside the hive. As before, Wyrds may ride vehicles as passengers only.Nomad Guide Profile Nomad Guides have special skills as well as superior characteristic values. This is worked out only after the Nomad guide is recruited. The basic characteristic profile is given below, and is the base level for characteristic values. In addition to this the Nomad Guide will have a number of ‘advances’ as explained below. Nomad Guide Advances MWS BS S$ T WI A Id Btn: Stns let 3s heed A Nomad guide has three advances, which are either bonuses on his profile or skills Roll a D6 three times and consult the chart below, noting down the skills and increases as you go along. A Nomad guide may not increase any characteristic by more than +2; if an increase is rolled for a third time re-roll the result. Similarly if you roll the same skill twice re-roll to get another. 1-2 +1 Ballistic Skill 3 +1 Toughness 4 — Rolla further D6: +1 Weapon NOMAD GUIDE 1 Not all Nomads operate in bands of 2 +1 Strength wandering raiders, some may be found 3. +L Initiative walking the toxic wastes alone, surviving by 4 +1 Wound their own considerable skill. They may be 5 +1 Leadership outcasts from the Nomad tribe, the last 6 +1 Attack survivor of a gang destroyed by freak storms «5.6 _ Rolla further D6: or simply prefer to live alone. Nevertheless. is * ears these nomads often turn up at a shanty 45 Rapid Fire town or mid-waste refuelling point to lend 6 Roll a further D6: their expertise to any who can afford their 1 Crack Shot services. These guides may be sought out 7 Ambush, far and wide by gangs looking for 3. \Weapoosmith knowledge of the wastes, ambush sites and 4 Restoatecstiont short cuts from hive to hive. 5 hecneeganceStect Recruiting Nomad Guides 6 Dive to hire a Nomad guide he must pay the standard hire fee, which 15 credits. A gang may only have one Nomad Guide. The profile and skills for a Nomad Guide are worked out after they are hired. Shanty Town gangs and Journeymen may hire Nomad Guides, Guilders see them , Nomads view them as outcasts and Prospector teams don’t hire anyone. For the purposes of calculating the gang rating Nomad Guides have a value of 75 (5x5), Ifa player wishSpecial Nomad Guide Rules Nomad Guides are experts at survival in the wilderness of the Ash Wastes, and thus have the following special rules: Knowledge of the Wastes ‘The Nomad Guide's huge knowledge of the wastes; its hidden routes, weather patterns and secret lairs provide several advantages to the gang who employ him. A gang with a Nomad Guide may re-roll the first result on the Treacherous Conditions table if they wish. The second result must be accepted even if it is less favourable than the first. Note that as an Ash Nomad the Nomad Guide is not affected by the treacherous conditions himself, except the Dead Calm (26) result. This represents the Guide forewarning the gang about the conditions in that area, thus allowing them to choose another route, or another site for an ambush, or perhaps just prepare better for the conditions they will face. If both gangs have a Nomad Guide then neither gang can claim the advantage, so no re-rolls are allowed. Loner The Nomad Guide is completely independent; he is used to working alone in the vastness of the Wastes without the backup of a gang behind him. As a result he is treated similarly to a Leader in that he does not require another model within 2" to roll to escape from pinning. Nomad Guide Weapons A Nomad Guide fights with his own weapons as described below. They cannot buy other weapons or equipment. Nomad Guides generally spend all their money on keeping their equipment maintained and providing enough food and supplies for their survival in the Wastes. Nomad Guides may not be assigned as the driver for a vehicle, but may still take over in an ‘emergency as normal. Nomad Guides are armed with the following: Knife or double bladed knife Respirator Plus any one of the following Long rifle Autogun and frag grenades Lasgun and laspistol/autopistol MUTANT SCUM Scum. A catch all term for pretty much any wandering gunman that will fight for a handful of creds and a bottle of wildsnake. Even in the Wastes there are many types of scum for hire, from men wanted by the guilders that have fled the hive to shanty gunmen and drifters. However, it is in the shanty towns that a different kind of scum may be available to hire — mutants. The offspring of parents only recently cast out of the hive, there are many mutants whose genetic make-up is not yet resistant to the countless toxins they are exposed to on a daily basis in the Ash Wastes. Some of these mutants will survive, as their mutation gives them advantages that others do not have, and often leaves them far stronger physically than their weak shanty dwelling companions. Nevertheless, the life of the mutant is a lonely one, for even amongst the stunted and disfigured of the shanty people true’ mutants are still feared and shunned. That is, of course, not to say that shanty gangs do not make use of the mutants when they choose; by searching the worst parts of the shanty a gang leader can usually unearth a mutant willing to fight for the cost of a few creds. Recruiting Mutant Scum If a player wants to hire a Mutant Scummer he must pay the standard hire fee, which is 10 creds per Mutant Scummer. A gang mayhire as many Mutant Scum as the player wishes, but each must have a different mutation (see later). The profile and skills for Mutant Scum are worked out after they are hired. Only Shanty Town gangs may hire Mutant Scum, nobody else is quite that desperate! For the purposes of calculating the gang rating, each Mutant Scummer has a value of 50 (ie, his hire fee 10x5). Mutant Scum Profile Mutant Scum may have special skills and superior characteristic values. This is worked out only after the Mutant Scummer is recruited. The basic characteristic profile is given below, which is the base level for its characteristic values. In addition to this a Mutant Scummer will have a number of advances as explained below. Mutant Scum Advances MWSBS S T WI A Id Sis Bowen re Bits Dre tO A Mutant Scummer has three ‘advances’, which are either bonuses on his profile or skills. Roll a D6 three times and consult the chart below, noting down the skills and increases as you go along. A Mutant sScummer may not improve any characteristic by more than +2; if an increase is rolled for a third time re-roll the result. Similarly if you roll the same skill twice re-roll to get another. D6 Advance +1 Weapon Skill +1 Ballistic Skill +1 Toughness Roll a further D6: +1 Weapon Skill +1 Strength +1 Initiative +1 Wound +1 Leadership +1 Attack 5-6 Roll a further D6: 13. Killer Reputation 45 Berserk Charge 6 Roll a further D6: Impetuous Head Butt ‘True Grit Hipshooting Nerves of Steel Crushing Blow RON aAueuNe 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mutant Scum Special Rules Mutants: Mutant Scum have one big difference when compared to regular gangers — they're mutants! A Mutant Scum has one mutation chosen from the list below. Note that I have allowed players to choose the mutation even though some may be considered *better’ than others for two reasons: 1) The mutation costs given in the Scavvy rules are based on games in the hive; these may not necessarily reflect on their effectiveness in the sparser surroundings of the Wastes. 2) It is assumed that many players will only have one or two converted Mutant Scum models (the idea is not just to use Scavvy Mutants) to choose from anyway. Choose one mutation from: Eyestalks Claw ‘Tentacle /o Heads (note that a Mutant Scum will never have two pistols though) Spikes Extra Arm Wings (not as good in the Wastes though. . .) ‘The rules for these mutations are covered in the Scavvy gang section of Outlanders. Mutant Scum Weapons A Mutant Scummer is armed with his own weapons as described below. They cannot buy other weapons or equipment. Mutant Scum generally spend all their creds on Wildsnake and Second Best to try and shut out the reality of being a mutant and living in a toxic wasteland. Mutant Scum cannot be the driver of a vehicle except in an emergency as for other hired guns. Mutant Scum are armed with the following Knife Respirator Plus one of the following: Autogun, Stubgun with dum dums or autopistol and club/maul/bludgeon Shotgun with solid and scatter shellsTales from the Hive... Your Letters answered by Warwick Write to us at: Fanatic, Games Workshop, Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2WS, UK or e-mail us at [email protected] NOBODY EXPECTS THE INQUISITION Dear Fanatic, I saw that you are currently interested in getting some ideas for Necromunda magazine. So, I thought why not? I'll send in an e-mail. Anyway, these ideas are not even fully thought-out yet, committed to paper or play-tested. As I have always been fascinated by the Inquisition and am a big Necromunda fan, I have been trying to find a way to combine the two together, ie, have an Inquisition warband in Necromunda. My ideas are as follows: 1. Have Inquisitors as a type of Hired Gun but use the special character rules, ie. the Inquisitor finds the gang, not the other way around. 2. Have a full blown gang for Inquisitors. This could be a potential nightmare for game balance, but a few limitations should make a difference, For a start no Space Marines, due to the fact that an Inquisitor is more likely to hire local talent. And that the henchmen you get are random. This would mean that an Inquisitor himself would have say three companions at the start of a campaign, each of them reasonably powerful. But as the Inquisitor gained experience, then he would be allowed a number of rolls on a ‘Henchmen table’ to see what kind of person the Inquisitor’s prestige and fame has attracted. Or simply what type of scum has gravitated towards him, ‘Thanks for your attention and time. Brian Dyer, Dublin So you'd like to play a game involving an Inquisitor and a small warband, I think we ‘might be able to help you. SPYRERS BEWARE Dear Fanatics, I've been playing Necromunda for two years and have a Van Saar gang. Now don’t get me wrong I love the models but as Matt said in issue 8 they are just too hard to convert. I think what you have done with the Ash Waste gangs is cool but why are the weapons pointing up on the Heavies? I now own six, yes six, Necromunda terrain sets (I swapped two for the models in the box) resulting in VERY tall towers and these really hurt Spyrers when your Heavy has the hurl skill. Splat!! I think that the Up-Hivers mentioned in issue 8 should be used only by the Arbitrator (so not attacking one gang) as they are too hard for the likes of my gang (and any of my ‘opponents who don’t play as them) when two Orrus go round beating seven shades out of my best gangers One more thing, please make a Redeemer model and Nemo The Faceless. You're probably fed up with my rantings, so until next time. Jack (Wacko) Morrissey, Cheltenham We have got plans for a Redeemer model as @ special character when we re-do the Redemptionist range. Other characters from Warhammer Monthly may follow: EASY RIDERS Hi Guys, Some feedback for ya. Bikes in Necromunda have the serious liability of pinning. In Gorkamorka it wasn’t a big deal, you just didn’t put Diggaz on bikes. But in this game I think bikes are too vulnerable to being immobilised. This could be fixed by allowing the biker to pass a Leadership test to restart the bike after he recovers from pinning, Bikes are supposed to be fast and agile, Allow them to have improved acceleration and the ability to perform skid turns like they did in 2nd ed 40k.In Necro mag 8 you mentioned that sidecars were too complicated in the play-test rules. The rules already exist in 2nd ed. All you would have to do is alter the Bike Hit Location table to match the one from Gorka (you could have a buddy riding ‘bitch’ in that game) except give them the protection of the bike's armour. A bike with a sidecar could mount a fixed basic, special, basic/special weapon on the side could be fired by the gunner in a 90° are forward (I got this from the pictures in the experimental rules). The gunner could also fire any personal weapon in a 360° arc but anything other than grenades or pistols would be at -1 to hit due to the bouncing along of the bike. Miner 49er: The House prospectors are interesting except that they lack heavies. I don't know if this was deliberate or an oversight but it seriously takes away from them. Maybe you could allow any gang member, other than apprentices, to crew a fixed weapon. That would make them dependant on their vehicles for that much- needed support fire. ‘Two heads are better than one: | think Shanty dwellers should be allowed to have mutations, particularly the ‘armoured hide’ mutation from the Chaos Cultist list, due to their adapting to a polluted atmosphere. They could also have a Scaly or some other type of monstrosity gang member. New friends: I would really like to see a new hired gun, the Ash Nomad Scout. He could have some special guidance rules like a Ratskin, just geared towards the Ash Waste. And if you equip him with a long rifle, 1 guarantee everybody in my campaign will want to buy one to lead their gangs around. Brian Ledbetter Some interesting suggestions Bryan, thanks for all the others we couldn't include due to space constraints! EASY CONVERSION I love Necromunda. I play other Games Workshop games as well but Necromunda is the best. I've found that with the Ash Wastes ganger with autogun, that if you carefully clip and file off the autogun, you can fit any weapon from the Ash Wastes rifle sprue on with just a bit more clipping on the hands. Voila! An instant weapon change! Tve also discovered that if you take two shootas with holes in the barrels from the Ork Boyz sprue, you can carefully clip the entire barrel off one of the shootas. Then extremely carefully clip the tip of the other shoota barrel off and stick the barrel onto the end where the tip was removed from. You now have a heavy stubber! You can glue this heavy stubber to the Ash Wastes ganger with autogun and you will have a heavy with Heavy stubber. I wrote this because I just love big, powerful guns! Sam, Oz Its exactly for this reason that we have decided in future to include optional weapons and bands with each new gang we release. Those who have seen the Ash Wastes Nomads will know what we mean. BIKES IN THE HIVE Dear Fanatic, I read in Necro mag 4 or 5 that, ‘vehicles cannot enter the Hive, ever!’ However, there are already existing rules for bike gangs in regular games of Necromunda, so surely Nomad bikers could use their bikes in the Hive. Can you clarify this for me or am I completely wrong? ‘Go-Home’ James Wills Gangs within the Hive get to ride around, but Ash Wastes Nomads might struggle to get their bikes inside. However, there is no reason why an Ash Wastes Nomad gang who had access to the Hive shouldn't get their bikes inside as well. I would limit vebicles to a maximum ofThis issue we present two scenarios for Necromunda from Nick Jakos. These are designed to be short, easy to play games for a little quick and uncomplicated fun, so don't take it too seriously! In this scenario, one gang is attempting to raid a brewery under the control of a rival gang. Any gangs can take part in this — you do not necessarily need to possess a brewery territory or anything to defend it with. TERRAIN Terrain is set up in the normal fashion, though there must be a brewery placed at the centre of the table. D6 barrels of Second Best Brew should be set-up anywhere within 2* of the brewery. Before setting up, the defender splits his gang into one or more groups, each comprising two or three models. The defending player then chooses one of these groups and deploys anywhere within 4” of the brewery. DEPLOYMENT The attacker sets up 2D6 of his gang members to take part in this game. All the attacking fighters must be deployed no less than 16" from the brewery and in cover. Up to D3 of the attackers may begin the game in overwatch Once the attackers are set up, roll a D6 for each of the defending player's remaining groups and consult the table below: D6 Result 1-3. The group is not set up at the start of the game. At the start of each of the defender’s turn, roll a D6. On the roll of a 6 the group may enter the table from a random table edge (determine the edge in the same way as the Hit & Run scenario). 45 The group must be set up at least 6" from both the brewery and the attackers, 6 ‘The group must be set up within 6" of the brewery. BEGINNING THE GAME Decide randomly who takes the first turn. ‘The attacking gang must try to get away with as many barrels of brew as they can. To carry a barrel, a fighter must begin his Movement phase in contact with a barrel. He may then roll the barrel as if he were moving through difficult terrain and may not run or charge. Up to two models may roll a barrel together, thus moving at the speed of the slower of the ‘two, but may still not run or charge. Fighters dragging barrels can fire pistol weapons only and may not move & fire. If a model is charged whilst dragging a barrel he counts as being encumbered and has a -1 to his WS during combat. When shooting at a ganger dragging a barrel, decide randomly if the shot hits the barrel or the fighter. Barrels have a single ‘wound’ with a ‘Toughness of 4. If the ‘to wound’ roll is a ‘6’, the barrel explodes, creating a fireball D3” in diameter. Any fighter (or barrel) in the explosion suffers a Strength 3 hit. ENDING THE GAME ‘The games ends when a) the attackers have escaped with all the barrels, b) either gang has no more standing fighters, or c) either gang bottles out. EXPERIENCE Gang members fighting in this scenario earn the following experience +D6 Surviving +5 Per wounding hit +10 Winning leader +5 For carrying away a barrel. SPECIAL INCOME For every barrel taken off the table, the attackers earn 2D6x10 creds. They also get ‘one dose of liquor per gang member to keep for themselves (use the rules for Wildsnake found in the Outlanders rulebook) For every barrel left on the table, the defenders earn D6x10 creds. The defenders will also earn D6x5 creds for each attacker that is taken out of action during the fightTo the occupants of the Underhive, rat- shooting is sport. Standing high above the dome floors, they practice their aim and hone their skills, shooting the giant rats that scurry frantically beneath. Not just target practice, rat-shooting is something to bet on, with gangs employing their best shots to shark their rivals for profit. In The Rat Shoot scenario, gangs enter such a contest for personal clan and, perhaps more importantly, profit. TERRAIN The terrain is set up in the usual fashion, though take care to ensure there is a large, mostly open space on the lowest level of the table, and several walkways above it, anywhere from 6: to 12" off the table floor and as well interconnected as possible RATS - THE FODDER The number of giant rats (though any similar creature will work just as well) is determined by rolling a D6 for each fighter taking part in the competition and adding the results together. The rats are deployed on the lowest level of the table, within 4" of at least one other rat, and at least 12" from any table edge. This scenario is open to as many gangs (or even individuals) as can possibly be convinced to participate. The players agree how many fighters to use, and may choose those taking part from the Gang roster. If many players are participating, it’s probably best for each player to just use their best shooter. ‘The gangs deploy after the rats have been placed on the table. Each fighter must be within 4" of at least one other gang member (unless they are a lone participant of course) and each gang should set up no more than 12" away from another gang. Rapid fire and template weapons are not allowed in the Rat-shoot. BEGINNING THE GAME ‘To begin the game, each fighter rolls a D6 and adds their Initiative, just like in the Shoot Out scenario from the main book (note that the skill Quickdraw is effective here). ‘The fighter with the highest score goes first, and so on down the line. MOVING RATS Once all the shooters have taken their turn, the rats move their normal movement in random directions (use a Games Workshop scatter dice, or spin a pencil). They will generally not climb onto structures unless otherwise presented with a dead end, but they will attack as normal if the players get within charge range ENDING THE GAME The players should agree between themselves on a number of pelts. Once any one fighter has collected the requisite number of pelts, he (and his gang) wins the game. Rats are automatically killed if wounded, EXPERIENCE ‘The following experience is given after the game +D6 Surviving +D6 Each rat taken out +5 Per wounding hit not on a rat +5 For the shooter with the most pelts +5 For the winning gang leader SPECIAL INCOME The fighters can collect the pelts of the rats they kill and sell them for D6x5 creds per rat. The winning fighter doubles his total due to the contests purse, gambling share and so on. SPECIAL VARIATIONS A number of things can happen in this scenario. There is nothing preventing the gangs from attacking each other, though any gang who attacks another will not gain any special income from the game (even if it was attacked first).‘Come and meet us at these events. 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We welcome submissions for our magazines ~ the majority of the articles are written by dedicated hobbyists like yourselves, Before you send us anything we recommend you read the submission guidelines. These can be found at our website wwwspecialist-games.com in the Fanatic Studio section.BATTLES IN THE ASH WASTES AMBUSH AT SHANTY TOWN PARADISO A Battle Report by Chris Ward, Stuart Witter, Warwick Kinrade & Matt Keefe We've been running the Necromunda: Battles in the Ash Wastes articles since what seems like almost the dawn of time (or the dawn of Necromunda magazine at least!), so we thought it was high time for a battle report using the Ash Waste setting, rules and gangs. For such a special occasion as this, the very first Ash Wastes battle report in Necromunda magazine, we thought it only right and proper that it be contested by Chris Ward and Stuart Witter ~ two of the names, faces and bodies bebind the Ash Wastes rules. Nee eae RCE Chris: Now, normally when playing Necromunda: Battles in the Ash Wastes 1 choose to play the Nomads, the only difference this time being in the gang design. Despite writing the rules for vehicles in the Ash Wastes with my (dis?)honourable opponent I tend to field Nomad gangs on foot. However, for this game I decided to go for a different. approach and get some real variation into my gang, so I've taken a couple of buggies and a couple of beasts, the idea being that flexibility is the key. The plan is to charge on in with the buggies and small beast to run him down and blast him at close range, while the large beast will lumber along behind, providing some fire support. My final ‘ace’ is my ganger with frags — because Shanty Juves hang around with other people to get their Leadership (they can’t use their own), they are great targets for area effect weapons. If this works as well as it has in the past, it’s a potential game winner. Stuart: I have only reluctantly agreed to play this battle report as I will be shown up as tactically inept to the masses. The fact is I just can’t beat Chris at Necromunda. He is uncannily good at shooting all of my guys with various fruity weapons, not running away and laughing as my gang squirms around in his crossfire. I love close combat and as such find myself charging around the battlefield lopping off heads against less experienced opponents but — more wandering around in the open getting shot at by veteran ones. This taken into account I decided to take a mainly close combat gang consisting of a gaggle of Shanty Juves armed with bottles, chains and half bricks in socks. ‘To back them up, I picked a fairly well armed Elder, a Ganger with blunderbuss to accompany a group of Juves ‘up close and personal’ and a huge tracked shed armed with a heavy stubber (complete with driver and heavy gunner). ‘The plan is simple. In an ambush your force has to be split into groups. I chose to do this as follows: the Elder and the Ganger with chuff gun and wellies will babysit a group of juves, this means that the Juves can use their leadership and they may not run from the battlefield as quickly. A third group of Juves will stay protected in the vehicle using the gunner/driver’s Leadership whilst, hopefully they can be then delivered where they may be of some use later in the game.THE DUST RIDERS ASH WASTES NOMADS GANG ASH WASTES ; HOUSE/GANG Type: AST WASTE GANG NAME: THE DUST RIDERS Lasgun, Shotgun (solid & scatter) al | ides'n Besa. i ‘Harpoon (mounted on beast). Rides large beast. ‘Autopistol Rides in a Buggy. ‘St in. area ‘small Beast. ‘Chainsword, Rides a Bike, aieele Te a3 333 aesTHE RABID HEAD BOYS SHANTY DWELLERS GANG HOUSE/GANG TYPE: , SHANTY, GANG NAME: RABID HEAD BOYS DWELLERS ee aa UNCLE MUCK | (eissiesTsT rer ‘Shotgun (solid & scatter), Hand Stee Sarr us een ee ageTer Hendon, [so 6 = Heavy Stubber (vehicle mounted), 7 | Autopistol, Knife. ‘Shanty Dweller] Drives the UBig Red Shackil ZED Shanty Dweller| LIL MICKEY 2x St Shanty Juve | [ai ae Seas 2 x Stubguns, Club. faz ZEKE ‘Autopistol, CLub. ‘Shanty Juve BUBBA iia |Autopistol, Chain Shanty Juve Laspistol, Pick TINY BOB | (wiwslsa[s|F [wy Eyam] | Laspistol. Shanty Juve | [472 (2/3) 3] 1/3] 116) " pe Seite eee teen orca roraus: [1093] 178 |‘The Ash Nomads unleash their ambush, taking the first turn. Abu, mounted on a small chicken-like lizard charges forward recklessly, only to find his enemy out of reach, stranding him out in the open. Zanadu kicks his bike into gear and speeds out from behind a rocky outcrop, closing in on the Shanty Dwellers’ Big Red Shack. Kalim makes the first attack, leaping out from cover to hurl a frag grenade at the Shanty Dwellers onboard their vehicle. The lob is wayward though, and the grenade skitters across the iron roof of the ‘Shack. The resulting explosion is nowhere near powerful enough to damage the Big Red Shack’s armoured structure. Jemah is the first of the buggy riders to make an appearance, streaking into view from behind a nearby chem-extractor pipe before cracking off a woefully lazy shot at Bubba the Shanty Dweller. Azim the Great One races out next, bringing his buggy round to face the Big Red Shack. Following the emerging trend, Azim blasts his. shotgun far wide of his target. Aaul is the last of the Nomads to make his burst from cover, lagging somewhat behind his fellows due to the cold-blooded and largely lethargic temperament of his beast. Not wanting to make his comrades look inadequate, Azul generously skews his harpoon clear past the surprised (but relieved) Little Mickey. After unleashing their respective shots, Azim, Jemahl and Zanadu speed away from the Shanty Dwellers, ready for their next hit and run sweep. ‘As unprepared for the ambush as they may have been, the Shanty Dwellers have ample time to react to the Nomads careless bout of hipshooting. Catching the Nomads with the speed of their own ambush, the Big Red Shack grumbles to life, steaming forwards to run over Zanadu, crushing his bike beneath its wheels. Zanadu is left with badly mauled forks and tom tyres. Uncle Muck, the Shanty Elder, leads by ‘example and instantly catches the oncoming Kalim with a blast of his shotgun, leaving the scrufly Nomad down in the dust, barely conscious. The massed guns of the Shanty Dwellers riding on the Big Red Shack, accompanied by the vehicle’s own heavy stubber, blaze away at Zanadu as he struggles to regain control of his bike after the collision. Zanadu manages to keep the mangled bike between himself and any bullets headed his way. Bob Bob sneaks around the very rocks that had allowed the Nomads to sneak up on him, before blasting away at an unsuspecting Abu and knocking him from his beast. Zed, with a golden opportunity to catch Jemahl at point blank range with his blunderbuss, misses. Spectacularly.In a sweep of carnage, Jemahl streaks across the wastes, running over Zed and Little Mickey. Spotting an opportunity, Azim motors forwards alongside Jemahl, crushing the already prone Little Mickey and forcing Bubba to hurl himself out of the path of the speeding buggy. Bubba barely has time to. dust himself off before Azim unleashes a shotgun blast straight at him, downing the unfortunate Shanty Dweller . Intent on using speed to his advantage, Zanadu speeds straight towards the Big Red Shack, but veers away at the last moment. Azul nudges his beast down from its vantage point atop the waste pipe and plods slowly across the wastes, before Azul unleashes his harpoon at the Big Red Shack, only to see it skim harmlessly off the thick metal plates covering the engines. Azul frantically winds the harpoon’s tether in, ready for another shot at the Shanty Dweller’s lone vehicle. After such a spree of destruction, the Shanty Dweller’s nerve is tested, but they managed to keep their bottle and mount a defence. ‘The Big Red Shack, seemingly too sturdy for the Nomads to destroy opens fire with its heavy stubber at Jemahl, spraying his buggy with bullets, but even this is thwarted by the tough vehicle. John Bob meets with a similar lack of success as he sees his shot cannon of Zanadu’s bike. Shanty Pete, Bob Bob and Tiny Bob collectively have more luck as they shoot and again pin the recovering Abu.Cynically preying on an easy target, Jemahl runs over Bubba, finishing him off, as he speeds on straight at the Big Red Shack. Old Bob, behind the wheel of the Big Red. Shack, puts his foot down and both vehicles zoom forwards, colliding head on. Jemahl is knocked out by the force of the impact, as his wheels buckled and the engine is crushed, smashing the gear box. With no-one to steer it, the buggy finally skids off wildly. ‘The Big Red Shack is badly damaged by the impact and its entire chassis begins to buckle as a small explosion destroys the heavy stubbers ammo clip. Capitalising on Jemahl’s catastrophic ramming attempt, the Big Red Shack moves round to close on Azim, but he spots them and swerves away to the left Seizing the initiative, Shanty Pete, Bob Bob and Tiny Bob charge at Abu. Bob Bob is held at bay by a sudden and unexpected peck from Abu’s beast, but Tiny Bob, in an amazing display of courage, drags Abu from his saddle and puts him clean out of action. TURN - As the turn ends, Zed’s wounds overcome him — he will play no further part in the battle.Azim makes desperate another hit and run, pinning down flesh wounding Tiny Bob Pete. But its probably and pinning down Bob already too late, Jemahl Bob. The unconscious Jemahl’s buggy runs out of control, spinning and sliding across the Ash wastes until it strikes Zanadu, who is sent flying from his bike as it is crushed under the wheels of Jemahl’s errant vehicle. Abu again launches his harpoon towards the Big Red Shack, intent on hitting home at least once. The Big Red Shack is suffering from a weakened structure after Jemahl’s maniacal ramming, but even so the harpoon once again glances of the Shack’s dependable armour. Abu again begins winding... Ina last ditch effort to rescue the situation, Kalim snaps off a shot, Shanty goes out of action and the Shanty Dwellers quickly push on with the attack. Bob Bob and Tiny Bob, invigorated by their previous slaying off Abu and his beast, charge headlong at Azim on board on his buggy. ‘They leap but miss, and bounce off whilst trying to board, rolling = unceremoniously across the dirt. ‘The Juves ~ Zeke, John Bob and Buddy - who have so far spent most of the battle in the safety of | the Big Red Shack’s crew compartment leap out and join | the thick of the action. All three fire off hurried shots at Azul, but ‘| bounce harmlessly off his beast’s thick hide. The Big Red Shack | follows suit, but has better luck and streaks bullets across the rider, leaving him slumped in the J saddle Uncle Mack too makes his first impression on the battle, shooting and wounding Kalim. With half his gang down or out, the Ash Nomad leader himself flees the battle — victory belongs to the Shanty Dwellers!Chris: I can think of a number of words that describe my current thoughts, but none of them are printable, so I'll remain calm and just say “DAMN YOU SHANTY FREAKS AND YOUR INFERNAL CONTRAPTIONS!” ‘That vehicle just would not die! Considering the number of hits with the harpoon gun (which, trust_me, junks vehicles like it's going out of fashion) that vehicle should not still be running, let alone virtually undamaged! Now, more constructively, where did I go wrong? It was all going swimmingly to start with, and I had Stuart taking Bottle tests every turn for ages (independent adjudicator = seize those dice!), but he refused to run, and since his powerhouse vehicle was fine he could still inflict damage, and lots of it. Meanwhile, I scooted around firing a few shots at his vehicle, and a few at some juves with little or no effect, when I should have been concentrating on one or the other. In fact, better than that, I should have tried to take out his leader who cowered in the middle of the table blasting holes in my gang and shouting “don't run away yet lads.” ‘That's my official excuse for losing anyway. Veteran gamers, here are my ‘real’ excuses: 1. For this game I was using mostly Stuart’s models (miniatures, that is). 2. Stuart doesn’t believe in giving his models many guns (sometimes none) as he is a close combat nut. 3. I prefer shooting people, usually while they are asleep, or at least looking the other way, with really powerful guns. 4, 1 didn’t have any really powerful guns. So, remember this, flexibility is the key. Do I blow them to bits with my missile launcher, ‘or my plasma gun? Stuart: Crikey! Well, after setting up first then watching as Chris took the first turn I thought my days were numbered. I was sure the big old shack was screwed as a Nomad hurled a frag grenade in its direction; 1 breathed a sigh of relief as it missed, only to have the damn thing scatter right onto the middle of my vehicle. This aside, the first tum left my gang relatively unscathed and 1 put some of my plan into action. Most of my gang couldn't hit a barn door — or get out of the way of a barn door slowly sidling up to them. My casualties consisted mainly of ‘road kill’, ‘Ah, but I won, hurrah! And I did so using the following cunning ploys... I kept my Juves in groups, their inabilities were made up for by weight of numbers and I always concentrated my fire onto one target until it was 100% combat ineffective (dead) then moved on to the next one. I also kept my elder out of the action, I have lost too many games by throwing my ‘commander/generalfleader into combat and getting him/her killed way before I need to use their superior Leadership. 1 also ingeniously removed all the ranged weapons from my miniatures before allowing Chris to select his gang (bwa ha ha... not really, I just don’t like ‘em. Noisy and smelly, give me a good old sword any day! I remember during the war, when all this was fields...) Editor’s Note: Despite Stuart’s obvious excitement at bis victory, it’s only fair that we should point out that Stuart actually lost this game. Three times.Chris Ward's Ash Wastes Nomad Gang prepares for battle. RO RR RR oe eR ee a ee Turn to page 17 for more of both these gangsCTE Colin Ce ea ee rvis discusses the future of Necromunda, and reveals the forthcoming Re etna eas POC COC by Chris Ward & Stuart Witter TORO CCUM Rem ce el R RUC Neen Cenr eon enc ecomecetii Buea ae Urea Cd Two new fun, easy to play, scenarios for the Underhive. Bue eam tet ed Te Seco Cee en OC Cee ne rer Ro ele ken i Cea m nr Se Ce ce er a Beas Paveeesrs Vie I PRODUCT CODE 60710599012