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So, as the title says, I'm building a Genestealer Cult. I have a bunch of Hybrid models and more on the way, as well as some others.
I have yet to figure out what units I want to "count as" with particular units in the Cult, but I have some ideas.

First, I should say that I have almost ZERO experience building armies from the codices I'm considering. So, I'm definitely accepting advice.
My initial thought was to use the new Astra Militarum codex. As I looked into it, though, it just doesn't have the psychic "oomph" that I think the cult should have. So, I'm considering adding an Ally codex, as well. Gladly ignoring rules that won't be appropriate (like the ability to use Sanctific Psychic powers), I was thinking about Grey Knights. I'm open to other suggestions and reasonings.

The background for the army is that it is a very old cult. It has gotten so powerful that it has attracted the attention of a local Hive Fleet (I will decide on an original color scheme). As such, I will be mixing in Tyranid models, as well as certain "expected" Genestealer models. Additionally, it has welcomed the disaffected population of its' home world. So, there will be mutant models, as well.

I will have Harpies and Hive Crone models. These will be built in such a manner that they could CA (Count As) Valkyries and/or Vendettas.
I have a Patriarch. My initial thought was to CA Yarrick with him... but how Tough would he be if I did a CA Draigo with him, instead? Any other suggestions?
I have a bunch of EoT style mutants. I will use these as Conscripts, when they see play. I'm open to other suggestions, as well.
There are about 12 Heavy Weapons units, as well. All are Mutants from a Traitor Guard lot I bought. I am thinking they can be just that... Heavy Weapon emplacements.
There are obvious "Magus as psykers" selections, of course.
My thoughts for units is that I would have OOP Hybris models mixed into them. They would be Command Squads, as well as Heavy Weapons. I would use a single hybrid on a 40mm base (my group is casual) with an OOP (appropriate) heavy weapon to represent the 2 Heavy Weapon models in the squads.
Converted Empire Flagellants as Wyrdvane.
I have some non-GW Zoanthrope proxy models. These could be librarians, to represent their increased psychic ability over the Magi.
I am trying to trade for 10 Scout Bikers and 8 OOP PLASTIC Space Hulk hybrids. With a bit of converting, these would be my Rough Riders.
I would use damaged & repaired tanks as whatever the model is (Chimeras, Russes, etc).
I have a Broodlord that I want to use as Nork Deddog.
I have some NIB Ogryn/Bullgryn models. With some conversions to fit the hybrid theme, I would use these as their codex units.

Any suggestions?
I'm looking for the following, especially, but would love any input on anything you see fit:

What codex to ally with?
How to fit any of the above units or anything not mentioned into a Genestealer Cult.
What would work as good "Count as" options. For example, a Mawlock is much larger than a Dreadknight but, in a pinch, could make an effective CA model (it's deep strike counting as his teleport, etc).
What would make a good Cult Limosine? I have a NIB taurox, but... just not sure.
Army Build lists? I always seem to build the army I'd like to field... then have to figure out a way to trim it down to 2000 points (from the 3000 to 3500 I end up with LOL).

Thanks for checking this out. I look forward to any help and suggestions you might want to give!

Eric

The new Imperial Armour book by forgeworld actually has an army list for Renegades & Heretics - basically think Chaos version of the Imperial guard.

It has mutant squads and whatnot - may be a better core list option than straight IG

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/IMPERIAL_ARMOUR_VOLUME_THIRTEEN_WAR_MACHINES_OF_THE_LOST_AND_THE_DAMNED.html

Thanks for the heads up. The rulebook is a bit pricey for me, but I have a buddy who will probably buy it, if he hasn't already *he buys all the FW books). So, I'll definitely look into it.

In the mean time, any ideas on units from existing codices?

Thanks.

Eric

That sounds like a fantastic project Eric. I look forward to following it. I have some older rogue trader and second edition tyranids hanging around. While they aren't on my trade thread, I would let them go for a cool project like this.

Thanks.
I shot you a PM.

At this point, I'm looking at digging into it in 2015. I'll start a P&M blog, probably, too.
I'm about to go to NYC and am getting a bunch of Feebay sales together. Then, Christmas & New Year are here... I don't expect to have time before that.
Plus, the metal Hybrids are purchased but have yet to arrive. So, I'm waiting for them, too.

What I'm in need of now are Plastic Hybrids. If I can collect 7 or 8 more, I intend to hack them up and use their torsos with SM Scout Bikers as the rough riders. Otherwise, I'll have to settle for converting them with some IG torsos & heads.

I wish I was more talented. I'd love to sculpt and cast some old school Tyranid symbols as Icons for the vehicles, standards, etc.

Eric

Sounds like a cool project! As for other codices, you might want to look into the Inquisition: they sport cheap henchmen/mutants, psykers, and plenty of fanatics that potentially fall in character with a GS cult. You should also look into the Tyranid Vanguard Rising Leviathan I dataslate, as it contains some actual Genestealer formations that could fill in some gaps in your list.

Good to know. Thanks for the info.

Oddly, I was just thinking about the =I= today. I just won a NIB "running" Patriarch, so don't need the second one I have, which is on a throne.
Then, I realized that Karamazov was on a throne.
Then, the smart*ss in me got to thinking how hilarious it would be to buy a Karamazov and convert it to use throned Patriarch, instead of the throned Karamazov, but Count As a Karamazov.

Then, the cheapskate in me said, "I'm not paying that kind of money for a Karamazov model that I'll never use and am not wasting such an expensive model for that!"
So, that was kind of the end of that idea. LOL

I really like the idea of a Patriarch with Yarrick's stat line. I'll have to see is there's something better in the =I= codex.


Oh, and I have a single Tallarn that I am going to use as a Vindicare.


In other news, I should be able to check out a copy of IA 13 tonight, to see if the rules work for what I want.


Eric

 MagickalMemories wrote:
Then, I realized that Karamazov was on a throne.
Then, the smart*ss in me got to thinking how hilarious it would be to buy a Karamazov and convert it to use throned Patriarch, instead of the throned Karamazov, but Count As a Karamazov.

My GS Cult sports a counts-as Karamazov, and I find it to be a good fit, along with an entourage of Magai (usually IG Primaris Psykers) and Ministorum priests:



This could also double as a Herald or even DP of Tzeentch in a pinch (with a nod to the old Chaos/GS cults of the late 80's).

Hey, thanks for posting that.
I checked out your gallery. I have to ask; how do you run your lists? What do they Count As and what units do you use?

I really like the genestealer image on the side of the Land Raider. That was pretty cool.

Is Karamazov a psyker? I don't really even know the rules for him. I'd have t check them out.

Thanks.

Eric

 MagickalMemories wrote:
Hey, thanks for posting that.
I checked out your gallery. I have to ask; how do you run your lists? What do they Count As and what units do you use?

Is Karamazov a psyker? I don't really even know the rules for him. I'd have t check them out.

I run my list as Inquisition and Astra Militarum, as they seem to be [for me] the best fit for my cult. The only real 'counts-as' model is Karamazov; unfortunately, he is not a psyker, but he has some cool abilities (including orbital strikes) that really gel with the army...Of course, the main selling point was the throne. He is usually my warlord (and under protection of the cult), along with a 'tainted' Ordo Xenos Inquisitor and henchmen (including several hybrid models and even beastmen), Jokaero hybrids, psykers and priests (the Inquisition dex has them all, which is just a perfect fit).

The IG/Astra Militarum (in my fluff, a local PDF force that became infected, etc) provides Primaris Psykers (Magai), tons of conscripts, and some armor. I also [desperate] allied in a Genestealer formation from the Rising Leviathan dataslate in order to run actual Genestealers; I initially tried running them as Arco-flagellents from the Inquisition dex (think genestealers with mind-control implants), but I prefer to run actual GS stats...And the RL dataslate fits in nicely. The GS formation includes infiltrating stealers, so you can keep them safely away from the rest of your army.

I ran this list in a team tournament, along with a Nid player (teams were considered as Allies of Convenience), and we took second place. It was quite a bit of fun, fairly fluffy...And of course the 'victors' all ended up on the Nid buffet in the end.

 MagickalMemories wrote:
Hey, thanks for posting that.
I really like the genestealer image on the side of the Land Raider. That was pretty cool.

Thanks! I drew inspiration from a web GS image that I stumbled across at some point in the near past, which really rocked. Speaking of vehicles, your Taurox should make a fine limo, although I recommend the third-party wheel conversion kit that is floating around. The Taurox itself seems to be rather soft-skinned, although the Taurox Prime offers some upgrades; a couple of these would make for a nice limo service. They are not options in the Inquistion dex, but can be purchased as troop transports via the IG/AM dex).


Automatically Appended Next Post:
PS-I ran this guy as a Broodlord in the Rising Leviathan dataslate GS formation:

Yeah. I'm building the Tauroxen as Primes. My group is lenient, so I can use them as regular Tauroxen, should I choose. I like that wheeled conversion kit. It's a little pricey, but not horribly so. I have a Hellhound (maybe it spews some sort of bio-ichor?) that I am considering buying the Chapterhouse wheeled conversion for; not because I need it, so much as because I'm looking for SOME way to support them. Converting all my vehicles, where possible, to wheeled versions would be a nice way to give the vehicles a move civilian and less military look.

Personally, I'm not a fan of unbound armies. So, using Stealers AS Stealers isn't likely to happen. I'm not really sure how I would use them, considering that the Astra Mil codex doesn't have a lot of good HtH units. It I go with, say, Greay Knights, they could use GK stats... but that just seems weird to me.

If they weren't so dang pricey, I'd be looking for some Zoats to pick up and use for SOMETHING.

Considering my fluff, if I went with the GK codex, I could run a terminator squad with double swords and use Warrior or Ravenor models. I'm trying to stick mostly cult, though, so it's not really likely. Still, though, it's interesting to contemplate the possibilities.

For me, fluff will be more important in this build than being competitive. That said... I'd really like to be ABLE to win with it. LOL


Eric

 MagickalMemories wrote:
Personally, I'm not a fan of unbound armies. So, using Stealers AS Stealers isn't likely to happen. I'm not really sure how I would use them, considering that the Astra Mil codex doesn't have a lot of good

Come the Apocalypse allies does not equal unbound; you just have to keep the units a bit spread out (if they do get too close, there is a chance that they won't do anything that turn)....Which I suppose kind of fits Nids/Genestealers in general.

I recommend looking into the Inquisiton's Arco-Flagellants: strength 5, lots of melee attacks, but no armor (FNP only), so they are not a far cry from actual Stealers (low initiative, though).

My bad. I got distracted and left that part out. I don't like "Come the Apocalypse," either.
Heck, I don't like MANY of the allies allowed in the matrix for this edition. LOL
If I go the =I= route, making them arco-flag is easily handled. Considering the fluff for the army, they could be newly born/hatched Stealers and, thus, not at full strength.

I appreciate the input!

Eric

Great idea, I love the old genestealer cult. There's miniatures from ages ago but I think they'd be pretty hard to find these days. I think there's even a codex for them in 2nd..

I play a Admech 'count as' army and run genestealer models converted as "xeno-servitors" to count as either arco flagelents or death cult assassins.

I think you'd do well with Inq and imperial guard. This sounds dodge, but could you be loading up land raiders with genestealer models (counting as arcos). The chimera makes for a nice armoured rhino though.

But I acknowledge my 'count as' is easy because there's heaps of imperium of man to choose from and I've never played unfriendly alliance levels.

If you don't play tournaments and your group of friends is cool with it, maybe ask if you can run something with a few homebrew tweaks. For example in friendly games at my mate's place, I swapped out Ministorium Priest with Enginseer.

Anyway, love the idea. Looking forward to some pics.

My first shot at a cult was with the previous IG and Nid codices in 6e. I allied Stealers and IG. I tried to stay as fluffy as possible and not be cheesey.
The "worst" I did was using Vendetta, reasoning them as having been stolen. I played a Swarm Lord as a Patriarch (using a BroodLord model), some Genestealers and then a relatively typical IG army.
It didn't fare very well... but I didn't really expect it to. : )

I'm really looking forward to the new year, when I should have time to get started.

Eric

Good luck to you, fellow Patriarch!

I sent you a PM about Hybrids...

Well for the variability and to represent Genestealers/Tyranids coming out of everywhere I'd do IG/Chaos Daemons.

Your "Magus" at that point could easily be something like a Keeper of Secrets or a Great Unclean One (Stat wise). With the units they summoned being converted Tyranids that are the outriders of the hive fleet (I've done similar with my allied Daemons for my nids).

If you're against CtA allies that's understandable but from a fluff standpoint I think this actually works the best. Outrider organisms. The rank and file not being around the big guy as much (magus's don't lead from the front). Lots of possibility for conversions in the IG book with a lot of extra ones from Daemons.

Also it'd be fun to play and a solid army on the tabletop as well.

There's some definite possibility to that (IG/Daemons). I'd have to really stretch to make myself happy with it (I mean, I'm not summoning anything, regardless what I call it, and using the Tz Horrors stat line. LOL I'm not trying to create a Daemonbomb army. : )

There is definitely some playability to it, though.

The great thing about the project, really, is that I can do that and, the next week, do something entirely different with THE SAME MODELS.

Eric

Have you considered the ork codex? Lots of group models that have fair cc skills., all the way up to great combat. Wired psyker guys, cars you can stuff lots of people in, and potential conversions trough the roof. As well as looted bits. Also, can they still ally with guard?

In this edition, pretty much everyone can ally with everyone else.
Blech!
I have the Ork codex, but haven't really considered it. I already have an ork army, and am looking to do something different.
Right now, I have SM, Orks, CSM, DE and Necron armies. So, I want this one to emulate something I don't have - preferably different than any of the above. That's why IG (and even Demon allies) actually works well.

Eric

I exercised my Google-Fu and, while I came up with a number of Genestealer Cult threads out there, I didn't find precisely what I'm looking for.

Does anyone know of a bitz company that makes after-market parts to convert hybrids?
Specifically, I'm looking for humanesque heads that might go on Cadian models to make them look 'almost" human, arm swaps and maybe even torso and leg swaps.
Really, though, anything that will work.

I'm not looking to do conversions for the rank & file, though. So it pretty much needs to be straight bit swaps.

Thanks, all.

Eric

I don't think i saw anyone suggest this, but why not Inquisition?
Patriarchs could be Inquisitors, hybrid troopers are acolytes, magus are psykers. You could mess around with the other options, too.

Yes. It was suggested to use them as allies with the IG. It's very much a possibility.

What I am liking about this army, as I delve into it, is that there's no reason I HAVE to use the same codex or combination of codices any two times in a row. : )

Eric

 MagickalMemories wrote:
I exercised my Google-Fu and, while I came up with a number of Genestealer Cult threads out there, I didn't find precisely what I'm looking for.

Does anyone know of a bitz company that makes after-market parts to convert hybrids?
Specifically, I'm looking for humanesque heads that might go on Cadian models to make them look 'almost" human, arm swaps and maybe even torso and leg swaps.

Maxmini has a cool selection of heads. Notably, the Tox Guardsmen and Generic Male ( for that bald vibe, reminiscent of old hybrid models). I used them on both Cadian and Empire Flagellent bodies, and they fit nicely.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Pink Horror arms also make worthy hybrid limbs, as they are not as bulky as Genestealer arms, yet still have a humanoid air about them.

The Renegades list in IA:13 might work nicely as well.

TK -
The Tox guardsmen heads don't really match with what I am looking for, but those generic heads aren't bad. With a little purple in the flesh tones, those could be great.
They're a little expensive but, with what the rest of the army costs (a bunch of hybrids, Magi and one of each Patriarch really adds up! LOL), I would not have a hard time justifying the expenditure. I'll have to see how many I need. : )

Not a fan of the Tz arms. Too demonic. I'd rather kitbash GStealer arms with Cadian and Catachan arms... I'm just REALLY trying to avoid kitbashing. LOL

Grendel - thanks for the suggestion. Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread. I've looked it up and, really, it's just TOO chaosy for me. It just doesn't really match up with the vibe I'm putting out there for them. Again, though, thanks!

Eric

So, I've gotten started.
Here's my WIP thread. Advice, input, etc. is ALWAYS welcome and appreciated!


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/633360.page

Eric