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To accompany the development of my new Genestealer Cult Codex, I am working up a Genestealer Cult army. The army is designed to work using either my home-brew rules, or as an Imperial Guard force (with Tyranid allies with my opponent's permission).

As the impetus to get the project rolling, I am planning to take a 200 point Kill Team using Imperial Guard rules to an upcoming tournament at my local game store, but the army is intended to grow well beyond that as I have time.

The army list I am working up is as follows:


Brood Brother Comrade Squad (IG Veteran Squad)
- Hybrid Overseer w/ Power Sword & Shotgun (Veteran Sergeant)
- 1 Comrade w/ Grenade Launcher
- 1 Comrade w/ Flamer
- 7 Comrades w/ Autoguns

90 pts


Genestealer Hybrid Brood
- 1 Genestealer Hybrid Neophyte (Penal Custodian)
- 9 Genestealer Hybrid Acolytes (Penal Legionnaires)

80 pts


Genestealer Hybrid Snipers (Ratling Squad)

30 pts


Below are the models as they stand right now. Most of them are the new Chaos Cult models, with a few heads taken from the Catachan command sprue, and a few other bits here and there. The Neophyte uses a WHFB Crypt Ghoul as the base, while the snipers are multi-part Night Goblins with scoped lasguns. The models are all assembled, and most of the green stuff work is done. I plan to paint them up in a style that will hit strongly at the classic blue & purple Genestealer color scheme, but I think I might go a bit darker to make them more sinister. Not 100% sure on that yet. (I plan to paint a standard Genestealer up as the basis of the scheme, and build the rest around that.) I still need to do a bit of filing, cleanup and more green stuff work, but I wanted to get them up and see what people thought at this stage.


Brood Brother Comrade Squad:



Comrades w/ Autoguns



Hybrid Overseer w/ Shotgun & Power Sword





Comrade w/ Grenade Launcher (converted from an Autogun and a Cadian Grenade Launcher)



Comrade w/ Flamer (shortened the barrel)



Hybrid Acolyte Brood



Hybrid Neophyte w/ Autopistol & Close Combat Weapon





Hybrid Acolytes w/ Autoguns





Closeup on the sculpted sleeve.



Hybrid Snipers

Ok, this has my interest piqued. I will be following this thread because GS cults are something I've always thoroughly enjoyed the look & feel of.

I was thinking, with forgeworld now having the centaur available as a dedicated transport for a CCS numbering 5 men, a light, fast, open-topped transport vehicle would make a perfect cult limo. For the patriarch (however you eventually do him) a chimera would work well as a "counts-as" ark.

The primaris psyker would make an excellent Magus, the psyker battle squad would work as a group of hybrids, 4th generation IIRC, which I think is right before the magus' generation.

Conscripts & penal troopers would work well for cultist rabble. Vet squads with carapace could be hybrids with chitinous plates. You could count stormtroopers as infected arbites who are now cultists perhaps.

Just some thoughts. BTW, have you been to the Genestealer Cult yahoo group formed by Tim "Hivemind" Huckleberry who created the first GS cult army & rules for GW? I highly recommend it.

like em all except the hybrid snipers. gobbos just dont seem to fit.

@ Red-Starrise: Thanks for the comments, and the thoughts on the Counts As army. I agree with much of what you say, as we seem to be thinking along similar lines. However, I think Penal Legions actually make the best Hybrids, as the Desperadoes rule goes a long way toward actually representing their heightened Close Combat abilities. (Gunfighters doesn't work as well, but the other two are great!)

I am a member of the "GenestealerCults" Yahoo Group, and have posted both these models and my codex to that list. There was another one, called "GenestealerCultsCodex" that seems to have passed into SpamLand.


@Orinoco: Thanks to you too. The goblins were really more of an afterthought when I went to write a list for the Kill Team tournament - I needed to fill 30 points, and I wanted something that would actually help my army rather than just fill points, so I figured I could cobble together some Ratling proxies. They aren't as cool looking as the rest, but I think when I get them painted up properly, they will actually look a bit better and more appropriate than you might think.

Oh, this is interesting!

My most beloved army project is building a Genestealer Cult (counts-as tyranids... usually). It's on hold until summer due to cramped living conditions, and your models makes my modding-fingers itch :-)


I have a suggestion: To make a "legal" army, ally your counts-as-guardsmen with counts-as-Grey Knights, focusing on inquisitors and henchmen.

Coteaz have nice rules to represent a broodlord. (good meleefighter, has some spy-theme abilities and is a psyker) And most importantly he lets you take Henchmen groups as troop choices!

And henchmen groups can be made up of Death Cult Assassins who have very appropriate rules for genestealers (ws5, I6, 3xPW-attacks, 5+/5++ dodge save).
You can even mix them up with Neophytes with arbites-shields (counts as a Crusader = WS4 guardsman with Storm Shields + powerweapon) to make a truly competitive melee unit!

They can also take liberated rhinos/razorbacks/chimeras as transports. Just paint them in your arbites-colors and add some purple FREEDOM on the side ;-)

For elite choice, there is an Imperial assassin, their sneaky style fits well with the GS-cult.

In the HS-slot you can even find a melee-built MC, if you feel like modding an ogryn-hybrid or something similar :-)

In fact, it is probably quite possible to make the Inquisitors the main army, and use IG as allies, since even two troop choices gives you a lot of cheap infantry that way.

Wow, that's pretty nifty! May have to integrate your ideas, they make so much sense!

I have looked into various "counts as" options, and while some of them work ok, none of them a really truly satisfactory. The best bet is either home-brew rules (as I am working on), or getting permission to add Tyranid allies to an IG force - using a Tyranid Prime as the Patriarch and one or two small Genestealer Broods as Troops. Most folks I talk to are quite cool with that.

Finally an update. I got around to finishing up my test model to set my overall color scheme in order. It is, of course, a Purestrain Genestealer, and it is based on the classic purple & blue color scheme of the old school 'Stealers, but a bit more muted and organic, so it doesn't like quite so clownish. The rest of the cult will key off of these colors in a unifying theme. Most cloth will be purple, msot armour will be blue, and Hybrid skin tones will be a purple/flesh tone mix. All purestrains and hybrids will have black eyes (when they can be seen), as I think it makes them look alien and sinister.

Constructive criticism is appreciated.

A nice interpretation of the classic look!

Maybe give the blue areas a drybrush towards grey to make them look a bit more like bone armor?

I am pretty happy with how he looks right now, and the scheme is really starting to come together on the cultists as well. I plan to post an update with pictures some time this weekend.

Finally another update. Sorry for the delay. The units for my upcoming Kill Team tournament are all now painted.

Brood Brother Comrade Squad (Counts as Imperial Guard Veteran Squad)



Hybrid Overseer (Counts as Imperial Guard Veteran Sergeant)



Note the Genestealer Cult logo on the back of his trenchcoat. Still working on my freehand skills, but at least it resembles what it is supposed to be.



Genestealer Hybrid Brood (Counts as Imperial Guard Penal Legion Squad)



Hybrid Neophyte (Counts as Penal Custodian)





Hybrid Acolytes (Count as Penal Legionnaires)





Hybrid Sniper Squad (Count as Ratling Snipers)

Another update for my cult. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

My Patriarch is starting to come together. He uses an old Ravener carapace, with Genestealer legs, arms and head. I plan to use some greenstuff to bulk his head, limbs and such up a bit, to go with his bloated midsection. I think the bigger look and the hunched pose helps separate him well from Broodlords.





Here is what I am thinking for the Brood Brother Initiate mobs. Three cultists per base represents their 3W/3A, and the lovely CCW cultist models make for a nice rag-tag look. The fact that there are 4 different pistol/ccw poses means I can mix the bases up so no two are quite the same (different models, different positions on the base, a few conversions here and there).



Finally, I have been working on my first scratch-built truck. It turned out better than I was expecting, which encourages me to make more! As you can see, it features the new "tube missile" upgrade I added with the most recent iteration of the Codex. (Which I uploaded today. See my signature for a link to the thread.) It also has a pintle-mounted heavy stubber and searchlight. I am working on giving it improvised armour (the bolted-on section on the door is the first example) and plan to give it rigged systems as well (a few grenades and pouches strapped here and there with some wires linking them all to the cab should do the trick).

Time for another sporadic update. I've had a bit of a building and converting bug lately, so I've made some significant progress on that front.


Cult Truck update. I have added the "Rigged Systems" upgrade that turns it into a car-bomb, and added some extra armour plating and some inscribed weathering detail that will really only show up once I get to painting. One more of these and two gun trucks are yet to come for my planned 1500 point army.






Brood Brother Initiates. I really like these guys. They look nicely rag-tag and disorganized, and should provide quite an unusual challenge on the tabletop. Most swarms are on 40mm bases and roughly half the height of a human sized model. These guys take up more space, and block more line of sight, but they aren't Fearless like typical swarms (unless near the Patriarch or Magus). Should be fun!




Martyr Harness Detail - this little toy allows a nasty surprise up close, and allows them to be a bit of a suicide unit.




Magus w/ Force Stave - he still needs quite a bit of work, but the general idea should be apparent.




Hybrid Overseer w/ Rending Claw - OK, sue me. I love the Cultist leader model. He makes a GREAT base for a Genestealer Cultist. This one turned out pretty nicely - the pose makes him look like he is circling a foe, sizing them up, ready to slash them apart with his rending claw.




Hybrid Acolytes w/ Melta Guns - I converted these from cut-down flamers, adding bits from the IG Sentinel Heavy Plasma Cannon power plant for the fuel canisters. (I forgot to take a photo of them from behind, but they both also have a "cylinder in a pouch" bit hanging from their belts as extra ammo. They do need some green stuff work to add hoods and robes so they fit in withe the rest of their unit.




Hybrid Acolytes w/ Heavy Stubbers - pretty basic right now. They too need some hoods and robes sculpted to fit with the other Acolytes.




Zealot w/ Martyr Harness - This guy started life as a Gorkamorka Digga Yoof, but I figured he would make a perfect Zealot once loaded down with plenty of explosives.




Purestrain Firstborn - So far I've just added a few extended carapace bits. Not sure what else to do - I don't want to bulk him up too much, or he will end up competing with the Patriarch, but I want him to be easy to pick out of the crowd so you know who is who in the unit. Suggestions are appreciated.




Army Shot - Current Progress



Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

Row 1: Brood Brother Comrades w/ Flamer, Cult Truck, Magus, Hybrid Neophyte, Brood Brother Support Squad, Zealot, Hybrid Acolytes w/ 2 Heavy Stubbers

Row 2: Brood Brother Comrades w/ Grenade Launcher, Genestealer Purestrains, Genestealer Patriarch, Hybrid Acolytes w/ 2 Melta Guns & 4 Rending Claws

Row 3: Brood Brother Initiate Pack

Wayyyy cool bro. I exalted this thread.

- J

Where's the limo ?

There will be a limo or two eventually. Not sure if I wills scratch-build, or try to find a good model to base it on.

I have joined an escalation league at my local gaming store, and the organizer is letting me use my home-brew Genestealer Cult Codex (link in my signature), which means I now have a strong impetus to build some models. I have a few to share today, and should have quite a few more to show off over the next few weeks as the tournament progresses. (We are starting at 500 points, and we have to add 500 points each week until we hit 2500!)

First up is a Hierarch. This guy will lead my 500 point force as Warlord, but will be supplanted by the Magus at 1500 points, and the Patriarch himself once we hit 2000. He is a Mastery 1 Psyker armed with a Force Axe and an Autopistol, as well as Frag & Krak Grenades and Carapace Armour. I still have some Green Stuff work to do on him, but he is at least playable right now, which is what I need to aim for for the next few weeks.



Hybrid Neophyte Brood. These guys are the earlier generation Hybrids, the ones that still look a lot like Genestealers. I used Vampire Counts Crypt Ghouls as they have a great hunched over look and nice bestial faces and sharp-looking claws. I wish they were a tad larger, but they still look awesome! I've gone with a mix of 2-, 3- and 4-armed versions to signify varying generations, and given them various weapons. As a whole, the unit is considered to be armed with Autopistols and Rending Claws, as well as Frag Grenades, so they should be pretty effective up-close.

I definitely still need to do some work on these guys, as I want most of them to be wearing at least some type of clothing, and some of them to have at least the remnants of some robes that might have concealed their hideous form. That will come later though - on to more models for the league!



Close-up views of a few of my favorites. The one on the right is my favorite model in the unit. The pose just screams "I am deadly in combat, stay back." I decided that he would be the de-facto unit leader (there is not an option for an upgrade character in my Hybrid units), and accordingly tooled him up with two pistols (from a modelling standpoint only) and several pouches and grenades as well as a large sword and a small dagger.

The middle guy is the most similar to a Genestealer. He has a 'stealer head, four arms, and I plan to give him quite a bit of chitinous armour and possibly even a tail, but still have his coloration point to his hybrid origins. One other model in the unit has a 'stealer head as well.





And finally, my first Gun Truck. I really enjoyed scratch-building my first transport Truck, but since I need models quickly, I found some dollar-store toys that will help me get some Gun Trucks up and running fast. This one was a tractor, and a bit of added armour and a few bits already have it looking pretty sweet. I still need some sort of view port on the front of the cab, and it still needs a pintle heavy stubber and a tube-missile to fit my army list, but I feel I'm off to a good start at least.

More work done on my Genestealer Cult for the Escalation League. Got another game tomorrow, so I had to get these models finished up to hit my 1000 pts.


Here are the Support Squad Heavy Weapons (2 Missile Launchers, 1 Lascannon). I am quite pleased with how these turned out, especially the Lascannon, which is converted from a Heavy Stubber and a cut up Sentinel Lascannon. I love how versatile these Chaos Cultist models are - so many possibilities! I plan to eventually put some RPG-style rockets sticking out of the missile launchers for that insurrectionist feel, and I think the guy on the left might get an extra rocket in his left hand as well. For now though, they are good enough for the tournament.




On the left is my first Disguised Genestealer. These guys lurk hidden in units of Brood Brothers or Hybrids, just waiting for a chance to leap out at unsuspecting prey and tear them limb from limb.

On the right is another Hierarch.. My intention is for him to hang back with the support squad to supplement their low Leadership and keep them in the fight. With this in mind, he is armed with a Grenade Launcher so he can lend some additional firepower to the unit as well, at least once the enemy gets within mid-range.






Next up is my Sentinel, armed for tackling transports and other light vehicles with an Autocannon and Tube Missile. Improvised armour and smoke launchers might just allow it to survive long enough to actually accomplish something as well!







Last up for today are a pair of Gun Trucks. On the left is the tractor-based version featured earlier. As you can see, it is much closer to completion now, though it still needs some rivets and a few other small details added. The other is a another dollar-store toy - this time an SUV. It is tooled up similar to the Sentinel above, with an Autocannon and Tube Missile, but also carries a Heavy Stubber for a little extra firepower against enemy infantry, or miraculous glancing hits against the rear armour of light transports.

I included a brood brother as a size reference, so you can see how these things match up alongside my troops.

good stuff. keep it up

I've made a start on a scratch-built Griffon Heavy Mortar. I am mostly using Plastruct styrene sheets, rods and tubes, with a few GW bits here and there as well. I still need to make the tracks and the big gun, and of course add lots of details, but I thought I would share it in its current form to see what people thought. Comments? Suggestions? Undue praise?

Needs more limousine

The new tank is awesome. What kind of gun are you going to put back there? something from puppets war or anvil?

Always good to see some Cult stuff! The Magus looks pretty good too.

Orinoco wrote:The new tank is awesome. What kind of gun are you going to put back there? something from puppets war or anvil?

I am planning to scratch-build a heavy mortar. Keep watching to see how it turns out.

Roy Langa wrote:Always good to see some Cult stuff! The Magus looks pretty good too.

Thanks! I plan to do more work on him eventually. I will be adding a bit more flair to the staff, as well as giving him Carapace Armour at the very least.

YourSwordisMine wrote:Needs more limousine

Not to worry, a limo is on the way...

Back with another update on my growing Genestealer Cult. First up is the heavy mortar for my scratch-built Griffon. I used a heavy cardboard tube, a plastic tube, some inner workings from a pair of correction tape rollers (the large gears), and some plasticard. I think it turned out pretty well. I am keeping it separate until I get it and the tank's weapon bay painted.






Here is the Griffon as it stands now, with the heavy mortar in place, but still unglued as mentioned above. I've added quite a bit more detailing, including tracks, more armour plating, and lots of little sunken rivets which I added simply by drilling a shallow hole. The little wheel-caps on the lower track areas are alternating halves of clothing snaps that my wife gave me from her sewing box. She is a great source for little fiddly bits sometimes! I would like to add further detail to the tracks, but I'm not sure exactly what I want to do to them yet.








Here are my pair of autocannon-armed Gun Trucks. The one on the left I have shown before, but it has had a bit more detail added - most notably the shield on the hood, and the large bolts on the front bumper. The one on the right is newly constructed, and I decided I wanted a gunner standing on the back. I think he turned out fairly well. I plan to paint up the large slab of plasticard on the hood as a large piece of concrete or something similar to really sell the "improvised armour" look. They still need some rivet work, either sunken rivets like the Griffon above, or else raised rivets like the transport Truck earlier in the thread. The raised rivets look great, but the sunken version is a lot easier! Maybe since these vehicles are more ramshackle, a mix of the two would be appropriate.






These three zealots are armed with martyr harnesses, allowing them to blow themselves up and (hopefully) take quite a few enemy with them. They are generated from hidden tunnels (a fortification exclusive to the Genestealer Cult - see my homebrew codex for details) at a rate of one per tunnel per game, and don't give up a kill point, but cannot hold or contest objectives.




Last up is the third in my trio of Hierarchs. This one is armed with an Autopistol and a Rending Claw. I decided he would have his pistol holstered and gave him a suitably brutal-looking war-ball weapon stolen from one of the other chaos cultist models. I love how easy these guys are to convert, despite being fixed-pose models.

Small update tonight. First up, a unit I've been eager to get to, but they didn't make the Army List cut until the 2000 point mark, so I had to wait until now. They are called Hulking Hybrids, and are basically what happens when a Genestealer implants Ogryn and they mate. I used Vampire Counts Crypt Horrors as the basis, with a few Tyranid Warrior rending claws added in.

I've gone for early-generation style with big claws, multiple arms (one has 2, one has 3 and one has 4), with the earliest hybrid sporting a 'Stealer head as well. Like the Neophytes, they need some work - I will give them loin cloths at least.





The other unit I got together tonight is my Brood Brother Bodyguard squad. These guys have big heavy shields with which to protect the Patriarch or Magus from enemy fire, and various power weapons (2 swords, 2 mauls, 1 axe) in order to deal with various enemy types.




I should have the Cult Limo up soon, as least as a WIP, since it makes its appearance at 2000 points. Expect it tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest!

Got a decent start on the Limo tonight. I have extended the cab from a two-seater to a more appropriate length, which of course means I need to rebuild some sections of siding and roof. However, I think this is giving it a great appearence of having actually been modified from its original form to better suit the cult, with up-armoured windows and a heavier body.

I still need to finish enclosing the passenger compartment, add a few details here and there (like hinges and handles on the front doors), and of course arm it. My army list calls for a Storm Bolter and a Tube Missile. I think I may have the Storm Bolter on the hood, possibly looking more like twin-linked bolters firing fixed-forward, just because I think that will look cool. Not quite sure where I want the Tube Missile. Probably on top, but I am open to other suggestions.

Wow! This is really inspiring, great creative vision and fantastic execution. I look forward to the next update.

The Limo as it stands now. It is in a playable condition, but it will get more details eventually. (Vision slits on the armoured windows, hinges & handles on the front doors, hand grips for the extended running boards, etc).

I am buying two copies of Deathwatch Overkill this weekend when they come in to my FLGS, and this game (and especially it's Genestealer Cult models) really has me excited and wanting to work on my Cult some more.

As cool as the new models are, however, one of the things I want to be able to do is to use my existing Cult as the new Ghosar Quintus Broodkin formation, which I noticed I can do with very few additions/modifications. Mostly I need a model armed properly to represent the Primus, a second guy with a Lascannon/Mining Laser, two more 1st/2nd generaiton Hybrids, four Aberrants and some Genestealer Familiars.

Below are my efforts toward this goal:



Left: Cult Primus with Needle Pistol & Bonesword - I like how this guy is turning out. He still needs some armour sculpted on his torso, and maybe a little work on the transition between his elbow and his Genestealer arm.

Right: Aberrant with Power Pick - Obviously the hole in his stomach needs filled and resculpted to match the surrounding area. I think I want to make maybe one more guy this size, then get some Orks or other bulky, muscle-bound models to base the other two Aberrants on, to give an interesting mix of body types to the unit. The Power Pick still needs some swort of power supply as well.




Left: My original Lascannon model, now with a bit of added detail on the flat open areas of his weapon (which is now a Mining Laser in the new official rules).

Right: The new Mining Laser operator, made from basically the same bits, just with a head swap and a slightly different power coupling for the smaller power cables, just to keep them from looking too uniform.