Necrodamus!

As mentioned in the earlier post, I recently got the Necromunda Hive Secundus starter set. Why? Simple. I wanted the minis for 5 Parsecs and there was a good deal at my FLGS. Ended up cheaper than buying the minis in separate packs in the way GW has “hived” off all minis from their starter boxes.

I’m also intrigued by the Necromunda setting. Grimdark, but not the overbearing Space Marine ethos of the rest of the grimdark universe. It’s kinda sort of post-apocalyptic if you sort of squint sideways for sure. And the models themselves are more interesting than most of the wider 40K universe (with the exception of T’au and Skitarii.)

That means I’ll definitely be playing Necromunda, whether solo or with some guys from my local group… but first I need to ask if any one actually PLAYS. All the buzz has been on 10th edition and the latest return of the Old Empire aka the recently resurrected WHFB. I’ve been assembling the minis and as usual WHAT. A. PAIN. Some parts of the assembly are sheer genius. Sublime in their design and it’s a joy to assemble. Others… all I can say is the person who designed those parts has issues. Some parts have pins and slots on them making it so easy to assemble. Others… you really need THREE hands to assemble. Needless to say, lots of cursing and swearing accompanied the process of assembly.

Painting the minis will come later. 

So I haven't completely assembled ALL the minis. There are 4 more Malstrain Genestealers, 1 more Tyramite, 1 more Van Saar Tek Hunter and the second Orrus Spyre Hunter. But for the first few games, this is all I need. I originally had fewer Brood Scum and one less Tek Hunter... but I learned that the Malstrain get infinite reinforcements for the Brood Scum every turn so I have to assemble all eight of them. And you DON'T get to recruit more Tek Hunters because this is a straight up dungeon crawl with you going deeper and deeper and deeper into the dungeon. So I'd better max out my crew.

Hive Secundus is unique in the sense that it’s probably easiest to convert to solo. The Malstrain side is a very mechanical faction build. 10 points and you're done. You're also constrained by how many Malstrain you can take at a time. And they are pretty straightforward to play. Move forward. Kill. Devour. So a simple AI like that found in Blackstone Fortress or Darktide the Minis Game might work well. The campaign is also intentionally designed as a dungeon crawl… albeit with a pathetic paper mat instead of a board map.

[Standard GW gripe: GW loves to nickel and dime its captive audience (the term Stockholm Syndrome comes to mind, including myself). You need Gang Tactics cards to play the game. What do you know. They don’t come in the starter set. It’s a separate purchase. The rules for Necromunda are complete (otherwise you can’t play!) with the exception of vehicles rules in the earlier Ash Wastes starter… also makes sense as Hive Sedundus is a dungeon crawl. No room for vehicles! BUT… the STATS for the models are unique to the Hive Secundus campaign. They are apparently different if you want to play normal Necromunda… and of course if you want THOSE normal stats… you need to buy a separate book supplement. Wheeee. Any time folks talk about Apple’s “walled garden” or “lock in” I will point them at GW.]

Now that I’ve vented my spleen, I will let you folks know how the Underhive project progresses. I’ve also started assembling the House DeLaque minis for 5 Parsecs. However, they can also be used in Hive Secundus apparently. And there’s a way of playing 2 player PvP where the Malstrain aka mutated genestealers are a 3rd party spoiler force, much like the Walkers in Mantic’s Walking Dead game. 

All in all, it should be interesting and cinematic since the rules allow for crazy shenanigans to happen.

BONUS photo. The Darktide Minis Game that I got for a significant discount because I wanted the minis for both 5 Parsecs and Blackstone Fortress. There's not much to be said about the game itself except that it's so simple I can play it with my son.