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Genestaler Cult background development ideas in 40k, Kill Team and Necromunda  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






HATE Club, East London

A good while back, Penitentjake posted his thoughts on developing a Genestealer Cult and its background within multiple game settings. Ilike the idea so much I have pretty much stolen it. I also listened to the Stormcast S2E2 and Sam Pearson mentioned that he had an AoS Khorne army where once his characters and generals died, they permadied and he recorded their exploits and the model was used to represent a new general. I liked that idea. Overall, between the three games, I'll need a lot of names, so I made a random generator on Execl using lookup tables and random number generators. My 1st generation acolytes will all get four-syallable names. Some of the favourites I generated were Lumichobex, Vathathistic and Rezikachesk. 2nd generation names, all three syllables include Jumenub, Stelenav and Desenox. 3rd generation neophytes, you guessed it, have two syllables - Toshob, Caswag and and Covach. 4th generation neophytes get just one - Thex, Chuv and Stoq. I have a different generator for Aberrants, because they always get a blend for their first consonant, so names like Krug, Glom and Froob. Purestrains would not have an actual name; more likely some sort of description, but I am not sure yet. Magi, Primuses and so on would be likely to break these simple rules.

Now, for a society as hierarchical as I see Genestealer cults, there need to be titles...

I had the idea of giving each type of 'stealer within the cult a rank/title. It seemed right, but left out possibility of advancement, and I have now come up with this, so there is a title based on generation/societal role along with an honorific that modifies the actual title.

Rank Cycle Stage Role Male Title
9 1 Patriarch Sire
1 2 Brood Brother (or sister) Kith
8 3 Primus Promised
7 3 Iconward Eldest
6 3 Alpha Chosen
4 3 Metamorph Herald
5 3 1st Gen Acolyte Elder
6 4 Adept Prophet (or Speaker)
4 4 2nd Gen Acolyte Elder
3 5 3rd Gen Neophyte Brother
8 6 Magus (Lord) Prophet
2 6 4th Gen Neophyte Brother
7 7 Purestrain Scion/Sire
0 any Aberrant (none)

Honorifics
1 Valued
2 Cherished
3 Esteemed
4 Honoured
5 Exalted
6 Venerated
7 Revered

Brother Nok will never be known as Elder Nok, but he could become known as Valued Brother Nok if he does something good. Maybe one day he could even become Exalted or Venerated Brother Nok. In the most remarkable cases, he might even be Revered Brother Nok.

Each rank could be seen almost like a "+1" to the inherent rank of a generation/societal role. A venerated chosen might have more influence than a valued primus in some situations, for example. A bit like a grizzled sergeant being more valuable than a rookie captain, but still not truly having power over him. He'd need to know his place, but as long as he doesn't push it, could exert massive influence and the patriarch would elevate him. Revered Brother Nok would be able to talk back to Valued Elder Lubik, even outright argue against him, but he had better not outright disrespect him - some things are built into the society. In extreme circumstances, Revered Brother Nok might even act as a Primus, though he is not inherently of that type.

Alternative Titles and/or Sobriquets
Father
Saint
Apostle
Harbinger
Master
Ascendant
Almighty
Emancipator?)

One who has transcended their role may gain such a sobriquet. For example, Prophet Zicarios might eventually become Revered Prophet Zicarios the Apostle, or be so famous that he is simply known as Zicarios the Apostle, Apostle Zicarios or even just "The Apostle". Revered Brother Nok might even become known as Wizened Nok if he lived to be old and infulential enough. Of course, the chances of a mere neophyte doing enough impressive things to gain a unique title is pretty damn remote. Life as a neophyte is dangerous!

I plan to use these name generators for my Necromunda Gangs and Kill Teams, and those who do exceptional things might then appear in my 40k armies. Similarly, I'll choose one or two individual purestrains from 40k to be the theoretical sire of the new family branch I am creating in Necromunda.

Am I getting carried away?


This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2019/01/16 22:24:37


Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.

Posting as Fifty_Painting on Instagram.

My blog - almost 40 pages of Badab War, Eldar, undead and other assorted projects 
   
Made in gb
Junior Officer with Laspistol





The Shire(s)

Absolutely not, this is awesome! I really like the social system you are creating here! Going into far too much depth is part of the hobby

You should post some example models you have already dubbed!


 ChargerIIC wrote:
If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
 
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut





This is really cool- I love the interaction between the static titles and the honorifics; the syllabic code for the names is brilliant- the name, besides giving the model an identity, really communicates a lot of meaning.

Have you got a group to play the campaign out?

I'm trying to put together a project of my own for the full year, and it would be cool to run ideas by each other. Tonight I'm picking my six favourite purestrains from the spacehulk box, and that will be the starting point for my cult.

Thanks for the shout out, and keep posting- this is really solid work!
   
Made in us
Ancient Venerable Dreadnought




San Jose, CA

Necromunda lets your imagination go wild. Could be a lone genestealer stowed aboard one of the many conveyors that are used to transport goods across the galaxy and found it's way to the underhive so it could propagate their spawn. could be some delaque were infested or escher, goliath, etc. kitbashing would be quite easy due to the variety of choices. aberrants could bash well with goliath, neophytes with VanSaar, Orlock. the only gang I couldn't figure out would be Cawdor. Developing justification for what's used for what wouldn't be that hard.
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut





I have the six picked. I'm contemplating the starting scenarios; I will write them up in detail at some point, but I haven't yet been able to purchase either Necromunda or Kill Team, but I want the idea to be useful in both games plus 40k.

So in each of the first six battle, one stealer goes up against a team of ten humans- my teams will all be mixed Escher/ Delaque gangers (previous edition), but you could just as easily use guard.

The games would be played on a 4x4 table densely packed with scenery. The humans are there to retrieve an objective. There will be 4 designated "Entry Points" from which the stealer can emerge. A stealer can also enter at one point and emerge from any other point in the subsequent turn. The stealers goal is to take out as many humans as possible.

The game ends if a) all humans are destroyed or flee b) the humans claim their objective and retreat off the board or c) the genestealer decides it has recruited enough minions and chooses to leave.

Only models actually injured/ destroyed by the stealer count as recruits; those who flee get to carry on with their normal human lives.

Once each stealer of the six has played through the scenario, whichever one took the greatest number of recruits begins to evolve into the patriarch.

All captured humans will be available to fight with the cult in game seven; this represents the fact that the recruiting games are not fought sequentially- rather, the stealers attack different areas of the underhive at the same time.

Anyway, that's what I've got so far.
   
Made in gb
Junior Officer with Laspistol





The Shire(s)

What about option D) the purestrain is somehow killed?

I'm guessing your purestrain Necromunda rules will make that spectacularly unlikely?

 ChargerIIC wrote:
If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
 
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut





Forgot about that option- thanks for the input.

So if a stealer actually gets taken out during one of those first six games, it doesn't die, but it automatically loses the right to become the patriarch, even if its kill count is the highest.

Because I have neither necromunda nor kill team rules yet and I really want to get playing, I'll be using regular ole 40k rules with the CA 2018 campaign stuff.

If I end up getting additional rule sets as the campaign goes on, I'll incorporate them when I get there.

   
 
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