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Currently running a Chaos Kill Team and considering running a Chaos Cultist Kill team in our next campaign. I'll use the Genestealer Cult profiles/costs/weapons, but Operatives don't exactly work. Any suggestions?

Would love to be able to get a CSM as a Special Operative but that would require building the profile/equipment. Do you think it would be balanced simply to use the Chaos Operative list?

I'm playing with my own group and not at a store/club, we're pretty tolerant and not strict.

charlest wrote:
I'll use the Genestealer Cult profiles/costs/weapons, but specialists don't exactly work.

In what sense?

Also have you thought of using the Guard list?

Whoops, wrong terminology. I meant Operatives. Operatives don't work because they consist of Purebred Genestealers and the like.

Going to edit and fix my improper wording.

The Guard list would work probably, but I think the Genestealer Cult fits a little better.

Eh, purestrain GS is a good enough match for a Chaos Spawn. the real issue is Chaos Terminator. Since your friends are pretty chill, I doubt they will complain too much if you just switch in CSM specops.

This idea is awesome! The only thing I want to add is, Genestealer Cult is great for representing a cult of Slaanesh, because their higher Initiative of 4 across the board represents how these cultists have the Mark of Slaanesh. I love it because it's a closer fit than even the Chaos Space Marine list allows for Slaaneshi Cultists. You basically invented the Slaanesh Daemonkin faction for SW:A.

(An aside - Initiative, atm, imho is still a little underappreciated. It's a great "utility" stat that has so many uses in SW:A.)

I also agree with the Operatives issue above. Let's say you consider my feedback on specifically a Slaaneshi cult, because the mechanics fit the fluff so well. In that case, a Purestrain Genestealer could represent something akin to a Slaaneshi Chaos Spawn that is akin to a Daemonette. Pic related, imagine the Purestrain proxy as the figure on the right:



Aside from adhering closer to fluff and sportsmanship, the other benefit is that, imho a Purestrain is more useful than other Operatives, due to when you would actually use an Operative in SW:A campaign rules. I'll just mention this because not everyone has the rulebook yet, but "hiring" an Operative for a game costs a Prometheum Cache...which is the prize for you doing a mission in the first place. You get a Cache if you lose, 3 or maybe 4 if you win big, so when you have to spend 1 just to bring an Operative, it's a hard thing to justify. The exception is if you have to do a Rescue mission, when you have to sneak in and rescue a captured squadmate. In that scenario, an Operative is a great choice, and imho I think the Purestrain is a great choice for that. You want something that moves fast (he runs/charges 18") and is very unlikely to sound alarms (usually by firing guns, pistols or noisy chainswords...he has none).

In any case, the idea of a Slaaneshi cult with Genestealer Cult rules is just so cool, nice one!

You will only be using the Genestealer operative.. as he is that much better then the others.. and it is simple to just use a Daemon summoned by the cult for it