Seeking Advice Starter Set Advice

[Sweetcurse]

Which weapons do you recommend modeling for the Delaque and Escher gangs in the starter?

 

Thanks!

[Dosjetka]

I'm not familiar enough with Delaque to offer advice about them but I've used my Escher gang enough to know what can work so I'll focus on them. :)

 

I'd start by choosing how to equip your Queen (Leader): my advice would be to give her a plasma pistol and either the shock whip, which will help keep her at arm's length from close combat harm, or a power/stiletto sword. If you go with the stiletto sword, I'd recommend getting her a chem-synth and not forgetting to activate it when you activate your leader (I speak from personal experience :sweat:)!

 

Then, I'd look at the two Matriarchs (Champions): the Nightshade chem thrower is fun enough as a weapon though I wouldn't recommend equipping both champions with the same weapon so one will suffice. That champion should also have a chem-synth to make her weapon more effective. A backup pistol like a stub gun would be handy. If you're feeling extra generous, give her a stiletto knife on top of that in case her chem thrower runs out of ammo: you'll be able to use her as a close combat support character and will still get use out of the 15-credit chem synth!

For the other champion, I'd recommend equipping her with a plasma pistol and whatever weapon option you didn't give your leader: variety is the spice of life and your leader would likely view one of her fighters being a copycat poorly (or not, it's up to you :)).

 

Now, for the Sisters (Gangers) and Little Sisters (Juves): I'd recommend equipping two to three gangers with lasguns as Escher get them for 5 credits and they will be the workhorse of your gang. Remember, you don't need to take enemy fighters out of action: pinning them is already a good way to disrupt their movement and attack capabilities and all you need to pin a fighter is to hit them, which Escher with lasguns do well. I'd advise against equipping any more than three gangers with lasguns though as it can quickly become obnoxious and not fun for the opposing player, especially if they're new to the game. As an alternative, you could equip all/some of these three gangers with autoguns as they are similar, though they are three times more expensive and less reliable. That said, they have the Rapid Fire (1) rule which is worth taking into consideration.

Next, I'd recommend equipping one ganger with a shotgun for that sweet, sweet Strength 4 Damage 2 at close range. If you're feeling generous, consider equipping her with acid rounds though don't forget that these can run out mid-battle so spend and plan wisely. This ganger can then accompany either of your close combat fighters (leader and champion) and make sure no one gets too close without her going BLAM in their face. :devil:

 

For the remaining three models that you can build , I'd recommend fielding them as juves and equipping them with a pistol and a close combat weapon, preferably a stiletto knife, given that they have a respectable WS 4+ as opposed to their not-so-great BS 5+. Keep 'em cheap and cheerful as they will likely be among your first casualties (though they're juves so that's what they're for!). You can run them up a flank if you're feeling devious and/or you can use them as meatshields/support for your close combat characters (leader and champion).

 

Equipment-wise, I wouldn't go too crazy at this stage: mesh armour for your leader and champions is a must in my view, and then I'd recommend giving all of your gangers flak armour. Flak armour on the juves is good but only if you have the credits. Otherwise, make sure to make them stick to cover/out of line of sight as much as possible (though this applies to all fighters in Necromunda, at least initially)!
As mentioned, leaders and champions with chem weapons should get a chem-synth if you have the credits. Last but not least, if you want to have a bit of fun, consider giving a fighter photon flash grenades: the Blind rule is especially spicy when it goes off. :devil:

 

There, I hope that helped you with your choices for the Escher side. Hopefully someone else can provide advice for the Delaque side; if not, I'll take a stab at it myself later this week. :)

[Sweetcurse]

Omg that is INCREDIBLE advice. I’m very new to it so I really appreciate the help. I wish I could repay the kindness but a huge thank you is all I have.

[Castigator]

I pretty much agree with Dosjetka's post regarding Escher except for one thing. I'd go for one champion and a Death Maiden rather than two champions. I'm not a fan of the Nightshade Chem-thrower and prefer to give the champion a Boltgun or a cheap pistol and wait until after the first game when they can buy a Long-Las for 20 creds.

The Chem-Thrower is fluffy though, I just find it too expensive for starting up when you're watching the creds.

I run my Death Maiden armed with a Power Sword and a Needle pistol. She started with Mesh armour and the skill Spring up. This little lot comes to 200 creds (so you can see why I avoid the Chem-Thrower) and as soon as I could afford it she was given an Armoured Undersuit to increase her save to 4+. She isn't optimised by any means but she's fun to use and she always represents a threat to her opponents.

 

I can't help you with Delaque unfortunately, they're on my to-do list when I've finished painting my Orlocks...and Slaaneshi Corpse Grinders...and Beastmaster crew 

[Dosjetka]

The issue with the Deathmaiden is it's not as straightforward to make one out of the contents of a single Escher gang box, hence why I didn't mention her. But yes, if Sweetcurse is willing to get a bit creative and do some extra cutting, you could relatively easily make a needle pistol out of a spare laspistol and the boltgun/needler rifle, for example. :)

 

My own Deathmaiden has two stiletto swords, a chem-synth, mesh armour, and the Combat Virtuoso skill to give her weapons the Versatile trait: she is rightly feared by those in my club whose gangs have crossed her path. :devil:

 

Omg that is INCREDIBLE advice. I’m very new to it so I really appreciate the help. I wish I could repay the kindness but a huge thank you is all I have.

Happy to help. :)

 

You can "repay" me by sticking around and sharing your gang progress, regaling us with tales of heroism and infamy when your gangs hit the table, asking whatever further questions you may have, and generally being a part of the community. Though only if you like it here: there's no actual obligation. ;)

Edited February 16, 2022 by Dosjetka

[Widowmaker82]

I can possibly help out a little bit with the Delaque gang. I've just bought one recently and I'm in the process of building the gang. 

 

First off, the basic Delaque gang doesn't have the best selection of weapons I'm afraid. All of the gangs have this to some extent, but Delaque is arguably the worst for a couple fo reasons; firstly the actual selection of weapons isn't brilliant, and the poses aren't great either in my opinion (there's only one carrying a rifle and that's one handed; the other rifles are slung over the backs). If you have the funds, I recommend getting the recently released weapon upgrade kit for them.

 

The weapons available in the base gang are (number of each in brackets):

 

Pistols: Autopistols (6), Stubguns (4), Laspistols (2), Grav-pistols (2), Flechette pistols (2), Hand flamers (2).

Basic weapons: Shotguns (2), Autoguns (2), Throwing knives (2).

Special weapons: Long rifle (2).

Melee weapons: Web gauntlet (2), Stiletto knives (4), Shock staves (2).

Other: Some grenades, including one being thrown, and pistol holsters that can be used for any pistol.

 

It's a decent selection of pistols, but the selection of basic and special weapons is quite lacking. Autopistols are great for Delaque because they're only 5 credits, but that means stubguns and laspistols (which are generally ok) are a bit overshadowed in some respects, though I'd still use them for a bit of variety. Grav-pistols are really good because of the persistent blast they leave which slows people down, but they're expensive and you probably don't want more than one. Flechette pistols are ok, though maybe a bit pricey. Hand flamers aren't terrible, but Delaque also have access to web pistols which are much better weapons and only cost 5 credits more.

 

Shotguns and autoguns are both decent, but again you probably won't want more than one in a starting gang. Throwing knives are cheap, but a bit mediocre. The biggest issue is the lack of lasguns; even though Delaque have to pay full cost for them (15 creds), they're still the best basic weapon they can take and the only one you'd probably consider taking more than one of in the starting gang. You could possibly convert one of the slung autoguns into a lasgun using parts from the laspistol, but it would be fairly tricky.

 

The long rifle is a decent weapon you'll probably want one of, but it can only be equipped by your leader, champions or a specialist ganger. The web gauntlet is good, and the stiletto knives and shock stave are both ok. Delaque aren't really made to be a melee gang though so you'll only usually want a couple of melee weapons in the starting gang.

 

The weapons & upgrades kit gives you access to:

 

Pistols: Web pistols and Plasma pistols.

Basic weapons: Lasguns and more Throwing knives (actually being thrown instead of just on the belt).

Special weapons: Flamers, Plasma-guns, Webguns, Grav-guns, Meltaguns and more Long rifles (being held instead of slung on the back).

Heavy weapons: Heavy flamer (which is absolute trash, but it's the only heavy weapon on the Delaque weapon list).

 

You get two of each, except you get 4 lasguns. I've marked in bold the weapons you'd seriously want to consider in a starting gang, though most of the rest of the weapons in that kit are decent as well; only really the flamer (which is overshadowed by the superior, and cheaper, webgun) and the heavy flamer (just always hot trash) are duds in that kit.

 

Gang list using just the base gang

Master of shadow (leader) with grav-pistol, web gauntlet and mesh armour

Phantom (champion) with master-crafted long rifle, autopistol and mesh armour

Phantom (champion) with shotgun, executioner ammo and mesh armour

Ghost Specialist (Ganger) with long rifle and laspistol

Ghost (Ganger) with autogun and autopistol

Ghost (Ganger) with autogun and stubgun

Ghost (Ganger) with shotgun

Ghost (Ganger) with flechette pistol and stiletto knife

Shadow (Juve) with laspistol and smoke grenades

Shadow (Juve) with two autopistols

 

I think that comes to 975 credits. It's pretty far from ideal though. I'd be tempted to swap the leader's equipment with one of the champions because I'm a bit wary of having my leader as such a close range fighter. I wouldn't usually bother with the bak-up pistols on so many models, but because the autoguns and long rifles are slung on the backs you need to do something with the hands on the models, which generally means putting a pistol or melee weapon in them.

 

Gang list with the weapon upgrade kit

Master of shadow (leader) with master-crafted long rifle and mesh armour

Phantom (champion) with web pistol, autopistol, shock stave and mesh armour

Phantom (champion) with plasmagun, autopistol and mesh armour

Ghost (Ganger) with lasgun

Ghost (Ganger) with lasgun

Ghost (Ganger) with autogun and autopistol

Ghost (Ganger) with shotgun

Ghost (Ganger) with stubgun and web gauntlet

Shadow (Juve) with laspistol and smoke grenades

Shadow (Juve) with two autopistols

 

I believe that comes to 970 credits, so again a little room to add more if you want. I think it has way more threat though; the plasmagun is a really solid weapon for downing pretty much anything the opponent is likely to have in a starting gang. The web pistol is a great weapon too (it's basically a flamer that bypasses armour and inflicts a serious injury result irrespective of the number of wounds the opponent has). 

 

For either gang, skills I would seriously consider for the leader/phantoms are infiltrate (especially on the web pistol or grav pistol/web gauntlet), overwatch (good on the long rifle or plasmagun) and faceless (good on the plasmagun or shotgun). However, Delaque have really solid options in their skill options because Cunning is such a good skill set, and they have solid other options. 

 

Just a last couple of things (if anyone is still reading this far!). Firstly, Delaque have access to psychic powers on their leaders and champions (plus the prospects), but I'm not really a huge fan of psychics in Necromunda. Having said that, Book of the Outcast has opened up some more solid options for psychics. Even so, it's probably something you can think about later in the campaign or when you've had more practice.

 

Secondly, there is the other kit that includes the alternate champions (Nacht-ghuls), prospects (Psy-gheists) and brute (Piscean Spektor) for Delaque (just like Escher have the kit for Death Maidens, Wyld Runners and Phelynx). Out of these, the Nacht-ghul is the only one I'd include in the starting gang; they're extremely good melee fighters that basically come with infiltrate for free. You could probably convert one if you have something to represent their main weapons; a sword (especially one that looks like a katana, because that's what edgy trench coat dudes love) or a pair of claws mounted to the back of their wrists. Psy-gheists are psykers with unfortunately poor willpower to actually cast the powers and the Spektor is very good, but something you'd really only include after a few games.

 

Anyway, no matter what you do, good luck with it and most importantly, I hope you have loads of fun! Welcome to the best game GW have ever made!!

[Sweetcurse]

Thank you man that is VERY useful. I do have the extra box of characters but no weapons upgrade yet. I’ll build as you suggested man thank you! I’ll keep you guys posted.