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I am putting together a massive set of Cultists, approximately 105, possibly 140. When you buy the individual boxes, or even the apocalypse set, only 40% of them come with autopistols. This is their cheap build, which is arguably the best build (some people use flamers). While I am primarily planning on running them as zombies, at times I will want to mix things up by using them as simple cannon fodder delivery systems. My questions is this: If I don't anticipate ever wanting to upgrade them to autoguns, am I going to run into WYSIWYG complications if some of them are modeled that way? Or can I just say that none of them have auto guns. I am not interested in spending another 150 dollars on models unless I have to.

In a strict WYSIWYG environment, yes you would technically have a problem. With that said, I have never been to a tournament that is this intolerant of the rule. Most people only get upset when something is in your list but not on the shown model. not the other way around. In the end, it comes down to the TO and your opponents opinions'. When in doubt ask ahead.

I'd allow it.

After all, I do it myself.

I just say the autoguns have run out of ammo.

Just tell your opponent ahead of the game that they're all armed with autopistols and you should be fine. If you make it clear that they're zombies it matters even less as zombies can't shoot anyways.

Page 61 of Chaos Space Marines, Typhus entry, Plague Zombies special rule. Final bit:

"They are armed with a single close combat weapon - any guns are used strictly for the purposes of clubbing their victims to death!"

From the Chaos Space Marines Errata v1.2:
"Page 61 – Typhus, Plague Zombies.
Change the second sentence to read ‘Plague Zombies are
Chaos Cultists that have the Fearless, Feel No Pain and Slow
and Purposeful specialrules and cannot purchase options
otherthan to add additional models to the unit.’"

The rules actually have you covered if you're running plague zombies. Doesn't matter if they have autoguns equipped, because to a zombie it's just a bigger club.

In a strict WYSIWYG environment, cultists NOT run as plague zombies would probably need to be armed 'correctly' though as has already been said, there is no official Cultist kits which give you the options to rig up either as CC or ranged. Most people are pretty understanding.

I'm in the middle of converting autogun cultists to autopistol and CC weapon thanks to zinge doing pistols at about the right size, it'll only matter if your group is strict WYSIWYG really. Who knows maybe in the next dex autogun will somehow be the better choice, at which point you'll be glad you didn't do all this converting

The only real issue is that as Zombies, your pistol still confers an extra CC attack.. So honestly just tell your opponents before hand that they should all have CCW + Pistols, but because GW is lame, they force you to take 1/2 in Autoguns.

GoliothOnline wrote:
The only real issue is that as Zombies, your pistol still confers an extra CC attack.. So honestly just tell your opponents before hand that they should all have CCW + Pistols, but because GW is lame, they force you to take 1/2 in Autoguns.

No, it doesn't. They don't have pistols, they only have a single CCW. Like the rules entry says.

It would be bad if they complained about that, GW don't produce the models. What I have found though is that converted IG Cadians make good plague zombies.

Mantic has a box of 35 modern/future zombies all with military gear for far less than you'll spend on GW

http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/warpath/zombie-apokalypse/product/zombie-apokalypse-marines-35-figures.html

The game technically doesn't say models have to be equipped with the weapons they have, it says upgrades have to be represented on the model. Taking an autogun cultist and saying he has ap/ccw is perfectly fine. In other words, over-representation. Just make it clear to your opponents. Classic "his power fist is turned off" comment on marine sergeants for example.

This allows you to convert your space marine sergeant to be bare-handed breaking the neck of a genestealer and still be equipped with "bolt pistol and close combat weapon" because that's his basic wargear. If you want to buy him a power sword, though, it should be strapped to his waist or embedded in the side of the genestealer or laying on the ground next to him etc. etc.

I have only 70 cultists, 32CCW/AP+3Flam, 32AR +3HS.
AR cultist can be good for sitting on back objectives. They just get 2 x the shots when they get charged.

The other idea is simply to glue autoguns to the side of the cultists. There's plenty of cheap sprues of things that look like autoguns available that could do this for you.