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I have to ask, which is preferred?

Shadow War is much bigger in my gaming areas. Why?

-It allows people to use their existing models, or dig into the bits boxes and make models that work for the game.
-People in the area find the factions for 40k more appealing than the gangers
-The gangers are limited, and most folks aren't keen on waiting another year for the faction they like.
-Shadow War requires ONE book.

So, that being said- what does Necromunda do differently or better?

Is there a way to bring Necromunda gangers into Shadow War?

Hive gangs are stated to be pressganged when it's time to fill the Guard tithe quota. Easy enough to do gangs all armed with lasguns or autoguns.

 Flinty wrote:
Hive gangs are stated to be pressganged when it's time to fill the Guard tithe quota. Easy enough to do gangs all armed with lasguns or autoguns.

So there's no way to work them into Shadow War, even with the old Necromunda rulebook? (I don't have it, but I could get it).

As to "what Necromunda do differently or better" those are really two separate questions, as this can refer to Newcromunda or Oldcromunda on which Shadow War is based. And answers differ:
Oldcromunda is much deeper (much better campaign system) and more ballanced than Shadow War while playing pretty much the same.
Newcromunda is completely different mechanics, as it is alternating activations instead of IGOUGO and for some people this is the main reason to play it over those two other options. It is also a bit better at one-off games, but incomplete when it comes to comparing campaign modes - currently it is comparable with Shadow War in this regard, and t it will be trully campaign-ready not earlier than GW3 in the summer. Main Newcromunda advantage (besides AA) is that there is a lot of new content on the way - it is the only one actively supported.

As to bringing Necromunda gangers to Shadow War, just get Oldcromunda rulebook (available online) and use those legacy rules, they are nearly 1:1 compatible with Shadow War. But beware, gangs are lower strenght than Genestealer Cults. It would be much harder to get 40K factions to work with Newcromunda as it is to ballance legacy gangs into Shadow War.

Necromunda is a better setting for this style of game IMO. Because Shadow War is kind of like 40k light or skirmish 40k in terms of how it looks on the table. Shadow War is more accessible cause people can use their existing collections and models for it and thus spend less money. Which is really what many people love to do...spend as little money as possible.

So with Shadow War you have people using existing collections. Whereas Necromunda is being revamped aesthetically from the ground up over the course of the rest of the year. It will take time for Necromunda to grow but it's an exciting ride so far. I also prefer the alternating activations as I find it more immediately engaging, with more action/reaction so the pacing of the game is better.

The downside to Necromunda is they split the rules into basic rules and advanced rules, even though they are both essential. So the way the rules are organized is not very convenient. But once you have the basic memorized it becomes less of a big deal.

I think Newcromunda is much more promising, while shadow war seems to be a stop-gap solution of GW to sell a box of terrain and the developers at the time had nothing to do with the necromunda reboot being developed.

Shadow war has the advantage of being accessible to 40k players, and YMMV, but in my opinion if people are too lazy and/or uninterested in the lore of Necromunda to paint up 10 figurines, then it's already hopeless to actually maintain a campaign, which is the real
proper way to play both these games. Both games require a significant investment in terrain which happily, works for both systems so if you really don't like one you can play the other.

Also, I believe the new rulebook is spoilered to be inclusive of Genestealer cult and Chaos cult, and now a squat (!) which are technically 40k figures so you can see GW is not so averse to including 40k stuff in there. I can easily imagine inquisitors making it in at some point.

The rules for Newcromunda are superior, which is the most promising aspect I think. It's a much more modernized ruleset that gets rid of the UGOIGO system and makes for a cleaner, more engaging game. You shouldn't expect the rules to be 100% internally consistent or very balanced, but i think the game is 'swingy' enough with all the varying missions being played and improved campaign system, and luck has it's place in every stage of that. The point is that the engine of the game itself is improved. Neither of these games really hold up to a
competitive standard. For that you want shadespire.