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Made in kr
Death-Dealing Dark Angels Devastator





London

Good day

No codex, was wondering whether it would have anything in depth or not on genestealers, will probably get the cult codex if it is released?
Have finished my first batch or 12 from the lost patrol box with broodlord.
Whether is the case or no, getting about fifty more with all possible broodlord/counts as models, but was wondering is genestealers are found en masse or if they act in small packs?
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





Buffalo, NY

Yes. Yes to both.

You might have small packs inhabiting derelict ships waiting to start a cult. By the same token, if you have a large enough cult, you could have massed numbers.

Greebo had spent an irritating two minutes in that box. Technically, a cat locked in a box may be alive or it may be dead. You never know until you look. In fact, the mere act of opening the box will determine the state of the cat, although in this case there were three determinate states the cat could be in: these being Alive, Dead, and Bloody Furious.
Orks always ride in single file to hide their strength and numbers.
Gozer the Gozerian, Gozer the Destructor, Volguus Zildrohar, Gozer the Traveler, and Lord of the Sebouillia 
   
Made in us
Infiltrating Broodlord





Indiana

Frankly, it depends on the level of infestation
Traditionally, a genestealer infestation can be from anything from a single entity to several dozen. It's mostly a chart that looks something like this;

Invader- Single entity, escaped or travelling. Liable to lurk on board ships or having escaped imprisonment in transit. Liable to perform sneak attacks and subvert lone crew or personnel. If left unchecked, while almost impossible, they can lead to minor cult level situations at an extremely slow rate.

Vanguard- Small packs, traditionally between 3 to 5 entities per pack. They are either scouting space routes looking for large settlements of biomass or amongst the initial phases of planetary invasion, hiding and striking from cover towards small groups of crew or personnel. If left unchecked, these lead to minor cult level situations.

Minor Cult- Small conclave, traditionally no more than two or three dozen members. Having found suitable hosts, the genestealer have already begun subverting the population and created a home nest. One member has reached an alpha status and several decades have gone by, swelling the ranks with lesser strain mutants that retain some capabilities of the maternal race and to have access to native technology. Within a century or two, it can easily reach a major cult level situation.

Major Cult- Large conclave, traditionally many dozens of genestealers, one alpha entity, hordes of lesser strain mutants, slaved natives, as well as a primary psyker, and a Cadre of loyal genestealer progeny retaining the perfected form of the maternal race. The total size of these groups can range from several hundred to more than a thousand. At this point, subversion has reached a point where the lesser strains are well armed and insurrection can occur. Traditionally, this is the point where they are the most noticed, as well as the most dangerous. They will have begun resonating and send a signal out for tyranid fleets in the sector for immenent consumption.

Infestation- Several hundred entities have managed to perpetuate themselves. Traditionally only found in void situations such as derelict or space hulks, this is where they are the most dangerous.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/07/10 01:32:54


"There is a cancer eating at the Imperium. With each decade it advances deeper, leaving drained, dead worlds in its wake. This horror, this abomination, has thought and purpose that functions on an unimaginable, galactic scale and all we can do is try to stop the swarms of bioengineered monsters it unleashes upon us by instinct. We have given the horror a name to salve our fears; we call it the Tyranid race, but if is aware of us at all it must know us only as Prey."
Hive Fleet Grootslang 15000+
Servants of the Void 2000+ 
   
Made in kr
Death-Dealing Dark Angels Devastator





London

thanks guys, good to know.
.
   
Made in us
Flashy Flashgitz





Southern California

Unyielding Hunger, that's an excellent post on the evolution of a Genestealer Cult. Which includes Hybrids in its later stages. And, each stage is represented over the decades in one form or another in games from Necromunda to Space Hulk, etc. Of course, 40K is open ended enough to represent anything, really. The models from Deathwatch: Overkill have a 40K presence in the form of a White Dwarf formation.

But, the main representation of Genestealers for the last 18 years is as Tyranid units. Before Deathwatch: Overkill, this was their only "official" representation in the game 40K, and did not include Hybrids. Even then, the 40K crossover DW:OK formation includes exactly one Broodlord and 2 Purestrain Genestealers. There is a Cryptus formation that is all Purestrains. The form a GSC codex will take will determine more to come.

Bottom line, is 50 Genestealers in 40K is gonna be part of a Tyranid army or formation of some sort.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/07/11 15:17:30


 
   
Made in us
Infiltrating Broodlord





Indiana

It really depends on how you look at it. If you say a tyranid invasion, I say yes. You absolutely will find packs of them, just in the vanguard. You never will see them fielded alongside the main force. As for formations, yes. We already have a decent selection of genestealer focused formations.


"There is a cancer eating at the Imperium. With each decade it advances deeper, leaving drained, dead worlds in its wake. This horror, this abomination, has thought and purpose that functions on an unimaginable, galactic scale and all we can do is try to stop the swarms of bioengineered monsters it unleashes upon us by instinct. We have given the horror a name to salve our fears; we call it the Tyranid race, but if is aware of us at all it must know us only as Prey."
Hive Fleet Grootslang 15000+
Servants of the Void 2000+ 
   
 
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