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 Accolade wrote:
I'm just sitting here waiting for Necromunda to come back. IMO, that is where the genestealer cult will shine (or perhaps more-so in an inquisi-munda sort of game)

Man, don't gets my hope high. An Inquisimunda game would literally be a dream come true.

There's the RPG Dark Heresy 2.0 which basically is.

Nah not really. For a first, it doesn't have models.

I know duh, but mechanically its just as brutal and can play a game like it.

If you want an actual board game though then I guess hope FW and its specialists get around to it sooner rather than later.

Are there any good FFG roleplay resource books for Genestealer cults or Tyranids in general?

There's genestealers and Lictors in Dark heresy 2.0 Enemies Without and they can also be found in Deathwatch Mark of the Xenos.

This is just off the top of my head.

We went up against a 'stealer cult in our DH campaign. I assume the GM got the stats from the traditional source - he made them up.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Are there any good FFG roleplay resource books for Genestealer cults or Tyranids in general?

Tyranids yes, mostly in Deathwatch. Genestealer Cults? Nope. They've been taboo for a long time. 'Spose we know why now. Latest Genestealer rules are in Enemies Without, for DH2.0... which *cough* I wrote *cough* (/shameless plug).

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
We went up against a 'stealer cult in our DH campaign. I assume the GM got the stats from the traditional source - he made them up.

That's what I did in our DH campaign.

...Well, now that I've seen the snippets of the Ally matrix for the cults.

I'm kind of disappointed.

Same ally matrix as Tyranids (i.e. Come the Apocalyse for everything save Tyranids). Really disappointing when you consider all the fluff for the Stealer Cults and indeed fiction in the past few years has Tau, Guard and Orks and the original Cults could ally with Chaos or at the very least Lost and the Damned.

Great potential to have a mini-faction that would bridge gaps between one force and the other wasted. Seriously, you could've taken the Cult as the main force and had allied detachments of other things to bridge the gap. :(

HBMC, which FFG book has the most fluff on Tyranids/gene stealers? FFG's done so well with the background for the other factions, I would like to see what they've done for the 'nids.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Are there any good FFG roleplay resource books for Genestealer cults or Tyranids in general?

Tyranids yes, mostly in Deathwatch. Genestealer Cults? Nope. They've been taboo for a long time. 'Spose we know why now. Latest Genestealer rules are in Enemies Without, for DH2.0... which *cough* I wrote *cough* (/shameless plug).

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
We went up against a 'stealer cult in our DH campaign. I assume the GM got the stats from the traditional source - he made them up.

That's what I did in our DH campaign.

Wow really? Are you freelancer or work full time with ffg? Got any hints about upcoming 40k rpg goodness?

 DarkStarSabre wrote:
...Well, now that I've seen the snippets of the Ally matrix for the cults.

I'm kind of disappointed.

Same ally matrix as Tyranids (i.e. Come the Apocalyse for everything save Tyranids). Really disappointing when you consider all the fluff for the Stealer Cults and indeed fiction in the past few years has Tau, Guard and Orks and the original Cults could ally with Chaos or at the very least Lost and the Damned.

Great potential to have a mini-faction that would bridge gaps between one force and the other wasted. Seriously, you could've taken the Cult as the main force and had allied detachments of other things to bridge the gap. :(

I can understand non-tyranids being fooled enough to ally with 3rd-4th generations, but the rest of the models are pretty obviously Xenos of some sort. Unless I'm missing something from the fluff (which I admittedly don't know very well beyond the DW RPG and Space Hulk), the matrix seems spot-on to me.

The new only potential ally I can see they should have is Astra Militarum to represent cult sided units. Anything else makes little sense and I can think of no fluff that suggests the cult can begin in non human worlds. It makes fluff sense that mankind prospers in large numbers on worlds with resources , hence the cult draws the tyranids to them. Tau don't have the numbers or the society to support easily hidden cults. Orks largely kill anything different or enslave it, and mostly don't live on worlds that are great for life.

I guess guard have been left behind to avoid silliness.

Tau, Orks and Humans are the three species that have explicit canon examples of Genestealer Cult infestation, Chaos Daemons as BBC would be a nice callback to RT

Charax wrote:
Tau ... have explicit canon examples of Genestealer Cult infestation...

Can I ask where?

Charax wrote:
... Orks ... have explicit canon examples of Genestealer Cult infestation...

Since the RT days? Can I ask where?

There is also a canon example of a Eldar Genestealer Hybrid in a short story.

The Tau cult is part of the Inquisitor Water Caste Envoy's background

Inquisitor Kryptmann seeded an Ork cult on Octavius using the space hulk Perdition's Flame (it's explicitly noted that the Genestealers were sent to "infect" the Orks, not just fight them

Surely as a contributor to FFG you should have vast resources for research available to you and shouldn't need to ask such questions on forums?

HBMC is not omniscient, Charax. As we all have seen, hohohoho

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

Charax wrote:
... Orks ... have explicit canon examples of Genestealer Cult infestation...

Since the RT days? Can I ask where?

He's right. Definitely remember seeing some pics of Ork/genestealer cultists, it's in some of the first edition stuff (although can't remember where - will have to have a think)

Although, this is way before Orks starter being born from a mushroom so not sure how the fluff would fit nowadays.

Yup. Ork hybrids existed.
There was 1 Ork Hybrid miniature, in one of the "Freebooter" blisters of 1st edition.
The rules were in the Ork bood "Freebooterz".

I have the model and converted a few extra with plastic hybrid bits and the plastic orks from back then.

In the background Orks can smell them out, so infiltration does not work. So hybrids tend to be exterminated or band together in small groups to protect themselves and sell their skills as freebooterz (orks for hire).

In regard to orks from mushroom: that does not conflict with the 1st edition fluff really.
The old and "new" background more or less fill in each other's blanks.
According to 1st edition background the Orks were designed by what Orks call "Brainboyz" as a working and soldier race.
The Brainboyz were a smaller highly intelligent race (think snotling size).
This intelligence was partly brought by eating specific type of mushrooms.
When Orks got their hands on too many mushrooms, their intelligence evolved enough to understand that they were a lot more powerfull then their masters, so they took over by force (which is what Orks do ;-)
The Brainboyz that were left did not get many magic mushrooms, so devolved into snotlings.

 Pacific wrote:

He's right. Definitely remember seeing some pics of Ork/genestealer cultists, it's in some of the first edition stuff (although can't remember where - will have to have a think)

Although, this is way before Orks starter being born from a mushroom so not sure how the fluff would fit nowadays.

The Genestealer infects the target organism with its DNA, lets call the target#1.
The genes of #1 are hijacked by the complex tyranid DNA - overriding some of the brain function and the reproductive system.

It doesnt matter whether #1 reproduces sexually or asexually, through eggs, spores or division- the 'stealer DNA corrupts it.
The Ork spores now spawn hybrids, the human womb produces hybrids, the kroot lay hybrid eggs, the Amoebans from Cellulus 5 divide to produce hybrids.

Supposedly it's not as effective with Orks as the hybrids can be detected as 'un orky' by da boyz but when the Clan is on a war-footing (most of the time) it'd be hard to notice. Particularly if they can find a place to hide and grow their numbers first. Like the twisting, anarchic corridors of an ork ship or... a space hulk.
I wonder if that's why there's so many genestealers on hulks? The Orks hitched a ride but brought a few infected boyz with them. Decades later, the boyz are all dead, the cult is dead and only the purestrains live in hibernation.

 =Angel= wrote:
The Genestealer infects the target organism with its DNA, lets call the target#1.
The genes of #1 are hijacked by the complex tyranid DNA - overriding some of the brain function and the reproductive system.

It doesnt matter whether #1 reproduces sexually or asexually, through eggs, spores or division- the 'stealer DNA corrupts it.
The Ork spores now spawn hybrids, the human womb produces hybrids, the kroot lay hybrid eggs, the Amoebans from Cellulus 5 divide to produce hybrids.

Supposedly it's not as effective with Orks as the hybrids can be detected as 'un orky' by da boyz but when the Clan is on a war-footing (most of the time) it'd be hard to notice. Particularly if they can find a place to hide and grow their numbers first. Like the twisting, anarchic corridors of an ork ship or... a space hulk.
I wonder if that's why there's so many genestealers on hulks? The Orks hitched a ride but brought a few infected boyz with them. Decades later, the boyz are all dead, the cult is dead and only the purestrains live in hibernation.

That makes a lot of sense. Head-canon accepted. Sure it doesn't have to be the only reason but it makes sense to me.

 Gamgee wrote:
I'm so exited about the potential for Kroot.

Since Kroot talk is in this thread...what would happen if Kroot ate genestealers?

 Lord Scythican wrote:

Since Kroot talk is in this thread...what would happen if Kroot ate genestealers?

Mind. Blown.

@hbmc, Tau hybrids/cult in Ciaphas Cain books I believe -

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 Lord Scythican wrote:

Since Kroot talk is in this thread...what would happen if Kroot ate genestealers?

Mind. Blown.

Canon?
Kroot think 'nids (and most chaos) taste icky, so it wouldn't happen. First tau codex somewhere.

 Mr_Rose wrote:

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 Lord Scythican wrote:

Since Kroot talk is in this thread...what would happen if Kroot ate genestealers?

Mind. Blown.

Canon?
Kroot think 'nids (and most chaos) taste icky, so it wouldn't happen. First tau codex somewhere.

I'm sure Kroot have their equivalent of Bear Grylls who are just itching to drink 'stealer piss.

 Lord Scythican wrote:

 Gamgee wrote:
I'm so exited about the potential for Kroot.

Since Kroot talk is in this thread...what would happen if Kroot ate genestealers?

Horrible stuff to the Kroot. Tyranid isn't something you want to eat, specially as the Kroot don't really control the effects.

NEW "Old School" 'Stealer Patriarch preview!!!

The GoA Boromite Broodmother is great


Anyway, some photos of the original Ork Genestealer Cults (1st Ed Freebooterz army book) - pics by Mr. Bug Man and Lexicanum








The one front left is the only ever released Ork Hybrid model (metal with plastic arms)




Fluff from Advanced Space Crusade about Hybrids on Hive ships




2nd Edition rules (Black Codex afaik) - Genestealers could infect "other living organisms" - no limitations





TheOttoVonBismark made some new Hybork kits which are or have been for sale