Why are there no Tau, Eldar or Ork Genestealer Cults?

[Axineton]

Just a random thought I had today and wondered why there are no GSC of these races? Is there a lore reason and can someone clue me up?

[Halandaar]

All of those races can be infected, and as far as I remember there were even Ork Genestealer Cult models back in the day.

 

That said, the new Codex talks a little bit about why each of these races doesn't really have a prevalent GSC problem; specifically with the Eldar it was to do with their long lives and the huge amount of time between their generations making it very difficult to build up a large amount of hybrids undetected.

[Axineton]

Aha! Ok mate cheers for the info. It just popped into my head today this question.

[Slave to Darkness]

Yep Eldar reproduce slowly, Orks are now made from mushroom spores so not sure how that would work in current lore. 

 

Tbh I'd say they dont exist because its more minis for GW to make that may not sell well. I love GSC but I wouldnt want to spend money on Tau cults, and GW would have to do new statlines etc for alt race hybrids. 

[RandyB]

Yep Eldar reproduce slowly, Orks are now made from mushroom spores so not sure how that would work in current lore.

 

Tbh I'd say they dont exist because its more minis for GW to make that may not sell well. I love GSC but I wouldnt want to spend money on Tau cults, and GW would have to do new statlines etc for alt race hybrids.

Or *shudder* offer rules for modifying statlines.

 

I know - crazy talk!

[Slasher956]

re ork cults.... Da Boss pole mentioned this when talking about getting bugs Dakka of one of the boyz ... saying ignore him going on about the 4 armed gork!

 

https://regimental-standard.com/2018/10/10/your-guide-to-dakka/

 

 

 

Some of da boyz from Octarius got their mekz to loot some of da dakka from da tirry-nids. Works pretty well if you keep ’em fed. You can get sum from Ulg Lotsarms and his boyz, just smack ‘im in da gob if he keeps talkin’ about “Gork and Mork but wiv four arms for hittin’ people” and “the patriork” and uvver rubbish.

[Brother Casman]

Another thing to keep in mind is the Imperium is technically the largest unified empire in the setting of 40k, so there's going to be lots of chances for Genestealer Cults to spring up in the Imperial domains.

[Halandaar]

Here's the snippet from the Codex I was referring to;

[WickedJester1013]

I don’t remeber where the source came from but I heard that orks can be infected but due to the latent psykic link between them the can quick “smell” the bad ones. It was said feral orks could be infected better, again don’t remeber source

[Rogue]

Years back, Adrian Wood converted some ork hybrids - it was in White Dwarf. I don't think there were ever models made, but there might have been rules for those who fancied making their own. But this would have been something like second edition.

 

(Spikey Bits has a post called 'How Genestealer Cults Work' from 2016 which includes a picture of the models, plus the original genestealer cult complete with limousines.)

[drogg]

Years back, Adrian Wood converted some ork hybrids - it was in White Dwarf. I don't think there were ever models made, but there might have been rules for those who fancied making their own. But this would have been something like second edition.

 

(Spikey Bits has a post called 'How Genestealer Cults Work' from 2016 which includes a picture of the models, plus the original genestealer cult complete with limousines.)

kev adams sculpted some for a fan commission that uscarl is now selling: http://uscarlminis.free.fr/UM_SCI-FI_uk.htm

[Panzer]

Here's the snippet from the Codex I was referring to;

The part about the T'au is interesting though we should also mention that there's fluff about a group of T'au researchers that did experiments on a genestealer and not too long afterwards contact with the planet got lost so there's that as well. ^^

[ashc]

Ethereals get taken out all the time, it makes sense that then a colony of tau could be susceptible..

[Arson Fire]

The dark eldar seem to have worked around the lengthy gestation cycle issue by capturing cultists from other races, harvesting them for parts, and grafting them onto each other.

A very 'dark eldar' solution to the problem :D

[Link2edition]

The dark eldar seem to have worked around the lengthy gestation cycle issue by capturing cultists from other races, harvesting them for parts, and grafting them onto each other.

A very 'dark eldar' solution to the problem

if someone wrote a novel about a GSC infecting a dark eldar stronghold via infected captives I would read it.

[Panzer]

Ethereals get taken out all the time, it makes sense that then a colony of tau could be susceptible..

It was not just some random colony. It was one of the already conquered planets in their Empire. ^^

[Arson Fire]

 

The dark eldar seem to have worked around the lengthy gestation cycle issue by capturing cultists from other races, harvesting them for parts, and grafting them onto each other.

A very 'dark eldar' solution to the problem

if someone wrote a novel about a GSC infecting a dark eldar stronghold via infected captives I would read it.

 

Funny thing is, when a bunch of dark eldar form a secretive murdery death cult, create a horde of hideously mutated multi-limbed abominations, and aspire to overthrow the upper layers of their society...  I'm pretty sure that's just another Tuesday in Commoragh.  It doesn't take genestealers for them to get all culty.

 

That fluff with the body part grafting suggests that a bunch of regular dark eldar figured out more or less exactly what was going on with the genestealer cult, and just decided 'Great Idea! That looks like fun! Let's do it too!'.

[Halandaar]

Years back, Adrian Wood converted some ork hybrids - it was in White Dwarf. I don't think there were ever models made, but there might have been rules for those who fancied making their own. But this would have been something like second edition.

These are the models I was thinking of; are these Adi Wood's?

[Panzer]

 

 

The dark eldar seem to have worked around the lengthy gestation cycle issue by capturing cultists from other races, harvesting them for parts, and grafting them onto each other.

A very 'dark eldar' solution to the problem

if someone wrote a novel about a GSC infecting a dark eldar stronghold via infected captives I would read it.

 

Funny thing is, when a bunch of dark eldar form a secretive murdery death cult, create a horde of hideously mutated multi-limbed abominations, and aspire to overthrow the upper layers of their society...  I'm pretty sure that's just another Tuesday in Commoragh.  It doesn't take genestealers for them to get all culty.

 

That fluff with the body part grafting suggests that a bunch of regular dark eldar figured out more or less exactly what was going on with the genestealer cult, and just decided 'Great Idea! That looks like fun! Let's do it too!'.

 

 

It becomes a problem if that cult attracts a Hive fleet by just being there though. :D

[Slave to Darkness]

Years back, Adrian Wood converted some ork hybrids - it was in White Dwarf. I don't think there were ever models made, but there might have been rules for those who fancied making their own. But this would have been something like second edition.

These are the models I was thinking of; are these Adi Wood's?

Official GW Ork Hybrids released in 1st ed.

[Halandaar]

Official GW Ork Hybrids released in 1st ed.

 

Nice, I was fairly sure there were official models for them but wasn't 100%.

[Exilyth]

If I remember correctly, one of the codices (T'au 7th ed or 6th ed?) had a bit about a T'au etheral who acted a bit funny.

 

7th ed GSC codex has a bit about Orks getting infected (in the timeline section).

[Arson Fire]

If I remember correctly, one of the codices (T'au 7th ed or 6th ed?) had a bit about a T'au etheral who acted a bit funny.

 

7th ed GSC codex has a bit about Orks getting infected (in the timeline section).

Both of those are in the new 8th ed codex too.

 

 

A Genestealer Cult rises in the shadows of the Octarius Sector’s Scrapworld Dakka. The Orks of Mount Mekaniak are impressed by the massive gargant Clawbeast, a purple monstrosity of beaten metal built with six limbs. When the Vostroyan Firstborn descend to kill the planet’s ruler, Gurnmek of the Iron Fist, Clawbeast is deployed to terrifying effect. The Vostroyans send in whole companies of Devil Dog tanks to carve up the gargant, and succeed in stopping it in its tracks – until the Gargant’s great belly hinges open, spilling hundreds of Genestealers into the ranks of the Astra Militarum. They tear open the tanks and feast on the fleshy bounty within.

A lone Genestealer from Hive Fleet Gorgon reaches the T’au sept world of Ksi’m’yen. The creature is captured by the planet’s Earth caste scientists and subjected to extensive analysis, resulting in a lowly worker being implanted with a measure of germ-seed. The grotesque anatomies that spring up in the laboratories are seen as curios rather than blasphemous by the ever-inquisitive Earth caste, for the T’au approach to alien life forms is founded on the concept of acceptance and tolerance. When the research divisions experience a bloody schism twenty years later, the Fire caste are called in, only to find many subterranean research facilities overrun. Ksi’m’yen is consumed by war, and quarantined for almost ten years before the eccentric Ethereal Aun’Ghol declares it productive and clean.

'Aun-Ghol' is such a great name for an infected ethereal

[Slave to Darkness]

 

Official GW Ork Hybrids released in 1st ed.

Nice, I was fairly sure there were official models for them but wasn't 100%.

Yea they were fun to paint, well they were considering the sculpts at the time. Wish I never sold mine now. :,(

 

Just rememberd how bad the original plastic hybrids were... Awful minis even by yesteryears standards GW really dropped the ball with them.

[Rogue]

I'm pretty sure that's just the genestealer hybrid model, but painted green with an ork bolter. The rest are either genestealers or orks, with one ork painted to match the hybrids. Nothing there is a specific ork hybrid release - just a bit of kit-bashing and different colours.