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I'm trying to get a new 40k RPG-esque campaign going, and I find myself leaning more and more towards doing it on the scale of a huge city (not necessarily a Hive, or at least a tall one). As a part of this city, I would love to be able to represent gangers as a part of it - and I already have a growing collection of Necromunda gangers.

The thing is, I would like to have all this going on in a world of my own making, and NOT in Necromunda, ideally. So my question is this - how likely is it that one would find Necromunda gangs on other worlds? Perhaps their houses wish to expand, and see great profit with putting their 'people' /gangs on such other worlds to reap the benefit? Or is this just completely unheard of/inconceivable?

Lord Helmwar holds the reigns of off planet travel and I don't think he'd want to let the houses expand their influence outside of his reach. However, other hive worlds are likely to have their own versions of the Necromunda gangs.

You could say that your world's population is descended from the survivors of a veteran Necromundan IG regiment who were retired and granted settlement rights on the newly conquered planet. We know from official fluff that this sort of thing happens in the Imperium (usually at the end of a successful crusade).

You'd have to make sure the timeline worked out (IIRC, not all the 'modern' Necromundan houses were around centuries or millennia ago), and some houses might only be superficially similar to their Necromundan antecedents due to genetic changes over the generations (e.g. your 'Escher' descendants might still be matriarchal, but without the weird parthenogenesis stuff - it would just be a cultural trait rather than a genetic necessity). In fact, the houses on your world might not be genetically distinct at all, but just a cultural holdover from their original birth-planet, filtered through years of service together in the IG and then centuries on a new planet. Maybe all-female gangs call themselves 'Eschers' because some old myth claims that there was a great warrior-woman called 'Escher' back in the Before Time. Maybe those with an aptitude for technology are nicknamed 'Vanns', after the legendary 'Vann Saw', who once built a suit of power armour out of a box of scraps in a cave. And so on.

There's probably some high-ranking or ambitious members of the Necromundan Houses on other planets, but not many.

Why not use the miniatures and invent your own gangs?

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
There's probably some high-ranking or ambitious members of the Necromundan Houses on other planets, but not many.

Why not use the miniatures and invent your own gangs?

I think your solution is much more in line with the process and the idea of a custom campaign, so I'm all for it

Why not just make the ganges very similar? Tech gang, all ladies gang, strong gang and so on could definitely be present but in slightly different guises. Unfortunately it's fairly unlikely that minor houses are active on other worlds. The Spire houses though are far more likely to have presences on various worlds (the Spyre gangs). How it can work as an example is a contract for the orlocks to get raw materials shipped from of world. However the raw material production is far more likely to be from a house on a diffrent world. The Imperium is filled with noble houses and internal cultural conflicts on a world by world basis. Those that extend to several worlds or entire sectors are usually the ones that jealously rig the political (by not having other houses grow in power).

The Spire houses are likely to have offworld enclaves, but I doubt they take Spyrer hunting rigs with them. That seems like the sort of thing that gets awkward questions asked ...

If you make your own gangs, it means you don't need to stick to the same archetypes as the Necromundan houses; mix orlock and Escher models (or parts across models) if you like, or perhaps have gangs composed of Orlock models as overseers and Cawdor models as conscripted rabble.

Why not use Armageddon as the planet and hive infernus or helsreach as the setting?

Then rename the existing gangs

Duskweaver wrote:You could say that your world's population is descended from the survivors of a veteran Necromundan IG regiment who were retired and granted settlement rights on the newly conquered planet. We know from official fluff that this sort of thing happens in the Imperium (usually at the end of a successful crusade).

You'd have to make sure the timeline worked out (IIRC, not all the 'modern' Necromundan houses were around centuries or millennia ago), and some houses might only be superficially similar to their Necromundan antecedents due to genetic changes over the generations (e.g. your 'Escher' descendants might still be matriarchal, but without the weird parthenogenesis stuff - it would just be a cultural trait rather than a genetic necessity). In fact, the houses on your world might not be genetically distinct at all, but just a cultural holdover from their original birth-planet, filtered through years of service together in the IG and then centuries on a new planet. Maybe all-female gangs call themselves 'Eschers' because some old myth claims that there was a great warrior-woman called 'Escher' back in the Before Time. Maybe those with an aptitude for technology are nicknamed 'Vanns', after the legendary 'Vann Saw', who once built a suit of power armour out of a box of scraps in a cave. And so on.

Nerak wrote:Why not just make the ganges very similar? Tech gang, all ladies gang, strong gang and so on could definitely be present but in slightly different guises. Unfortunately it's fairly unlikely that minor houses are active on other worlds. The Spire houses though are far more likely to have presences on various worlds (the Spyre gangs). How it can work as an example is a contract for the orlocks to get raw materials shipped from of world. However the raw material production is far more likely to be from a house on a diffrent world. The Imperium is filled with noble houses and internal cultural conflicts on a world by world basis. Those that extend to several worlds or entire sectors are usually the ones that jealously rig the political (by not having other houses grow in power).

I'm reaaallly liking both of these ideas, thank you! Though admittedly I do want to have as much of their culture/etc. intact. It seems like these may indeed be the best options, but it would mean that on these off-world locations, they would only have been there recently, and so territory and entrenched/ancient ties etc. would matter very little there. It could be that's enough for my purposes but it is a bit limiting, it seems.

It appears the options really are limited indeed, though I do like that Necromunda gangs tend to stick to home, lore-wise. It just makes this a bit difficult. Thanks to you all for highlighting that!

I suppose just for sake of consideration/debate and well, just to make sure, how varied IS Necromunda? I've never dove TOO deeply into its lore more than here and there. Are there 'nice' places within it, that are actually largely just focused on trade, or are simply fascinating? I'm shooting to kick off the first arc of my campaign in a 40k city that ISN'T blatantly hellish lol. Interesting, more like it. Maybe some cities or hives that are surprisingly well-off and good to its citizens, in some ways at least? Or are there some 'unknown' or 'secret' hives that I can create on Necromunda itself, perhaps? EDIT: Doesn't even have to be secret - I just want to know if there is room to develop a completely unique hive here.

The hives are hellish, there isn’t anything good about them that’s why They’re called death worlds

You should read this only takes 2 mins
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Necromunda_(planet)

Hiveworlds AREN'T "deathworlds" though - hellish as they are.

Necromunda ISNT the only Hiveworld - there's at least three others named in the fluff (NOT counting Terra, which also counts as one).

"Necromundan gangs on other worlds" not so much. It takes money, power or influence to get off-world and hive gangers tend to have none of that.
Hive Spire gangs with a similar heirarchy in other hives on other hive cities and worlds, of a certainty.

Even with a similar look. None of it is exclusive to one planet (or if it was it would never have left earth. I mean, hyper-religiousity culties who like hoods and burning stuff, roid-ragers, matriarchal societies, etc. ALL of those have shown up in human history on this planet.

I disagree that you wouldn’t be able to find them and say It’s plausable. Look at modern day gangs and how they have expanded around the world. You can easily find US gangs in other countries and vice versa. There’s even a video of some US Bloods dancing around in England on YouTube. Modern day country X is to Earth as to Necromunda is to the Galaxy.

You could justify this by using the Necromunda fluff. Necromunda recruits citizens from the Hive for the IG. Say survivors formed up their old gang on Planet X. Or some gang members snuck on a cargo ship or Naval ship and got off and formed a satellite gang on Planet X.

The fluff also suggests Van Saar has friends all over the Administration and their gang is well known because it issues weapons out to the IG and possibly the Inquisition. This type of influence, the size of the Imperium, realistically means they would have to be other places as well and not just on Necromunda.

 chromedog wrote:
Hiveworlds AREN'T "deathworlds" though - hellish as they are.

Necromunda ISNT the only Hiveworld - there's at least three others named in the fluff (NOT counting Terra, which also counts as one).

"Necromundan gangs on other worlds" not so much. It takes money, power or influence to get off-world and hive gangers tend to have none of that.
Hive Spire gangs with a similar heirarchy in other hives on other hive cities and worlds, of a certainty.

Even with a similar look. None of it is exclusive to one planet (or if it was it would never have left earth. I mean, hyper-religiousity culties who like hoods and burning stuff, roid-ragers, matriarchal societies, etc. ALL of those have shown up in human history on this planet.

Many more than three. Although which three are you thinking of? Necromunda, Armageddon and ...?

At least five are or were Space Marine homeworlds, not including the Imperial Fists recruiting from Terra and Necromunda.

The definition of a Deathworld is a planet that is too dangerous for normal human habitation; Hiveworlds don't count because they didn't start out as such - they've been made that way by the population itself (although Krieg blurs the line somewhat).

Yes, you can come up with justification for having outposts of the Necromunda hive gangs on other worlds. It's just less interesting, IMO, than inventing something new.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
Hiveworlds AREN'T "deathworlds" though - hellish as they are.

Necromunda ISNT the only Hiveworld - there's at least three others named in the fluff (NOT counting Terra, which also counts as one).

"Necromundan gangs on other worlds" not so much. It takes money, power or influence to get off-world and hive gangers tend to have none of that.
Hive Spire gangs with a similar heirarchy in other hives on other hive cities and worlds, of a certainty.

Even with a similar look. None of it is exclusive to one planet (or if it was it would never have left earth. I mean, hyper-religiousity culties who like hoods and burning stuff, roid-ragers, matriarchal societies, etc. ALL of those have shown up in human history on this planet.

Many more than three. Although which three are you thinking of? Necromunda, Armageddon and ...?

At least five are or were Space Marine homeworlds, not including the Imperial Fists recruiting from Terra and Necromunda.

The definition of a Deathworld is a planet that is too dangerous for normal human habitation; Hiveworlds don't count because they didn't start out as such - they've been made that way by the population itself (although Krieg blurs the line somewhat).

Yes, you can come up with justification for having outposts of the Necromunda hive gangs on other worlds. It's just less interesting, IMO, than inventing something new.

Minea maybe? It was in the 5th ed rulebook with a factfile. According to the 5th ed rulebook, there are approximately 32000 Hive worlds in the Imperium. Which Marine homeworlds are you thinking? I can only think of Meridian for the Blood Ravens.

The only Hive world I can think of that may also be classified as a Death world is Valhalla. It has hives under the ice, but the surface will freeze an unprotected human in seconds. I am fairly sure it has been described as both at various times.

Marines with homeworlds that are or were Hiveworlds:
Luna Wolves, Nght Lords, Astral Claws, Crimson Consuls, Night Swords, Imperial Reavers, Raven Guard (Deliverance is a moon of the hiveworld Kiavahr).
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Hive_World#Notable_Hive_Worlds

There are also worlds which aren't hive worlds per se, but that have isolated hives on them - the hive complex seems to be the end state of Imperial colonisation/population expansion.

Valhalla, Mordian, Praetoria, Armageddon and Necromunda are all hiveworlds that have produced famous Astra Militarum regiments.

First off, thank you god (at the timing of this lol): https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/03/12/apocrypha-necromundus-dust-fallsfw-homepage-post-1/

Your posts definitely give some hope then, it's nice to know there is indeed some leeway in this regard. MAYBE I'll go with that original idea of going off-world anyway.

But in terms of just doing something on Necromunda itself, I see from its wiki (not lexicanum - I'm not sure why they don't like to post anywhere near as much as 40k fandom does) that there are thousands of hives/cities on Necromunda. This INCLUDES a democracy!

But how far could this go? Could there be self-enclosed cities of citizens that think they are the only ones on the planet? Cut off? Or just a city that has an enclosed exterior that makes the sky look blue, with beautiful clouds etc.? A paradise hive, that keeps its gangs very much contained (as much as possible)? Or do you think that sort of thing would go against the grain of Necromunda, that such a thing could last for millennia?

Generally speaking the spire of a hive world reaches above the clouds so up there the sky is always blue and the sun always shines (more or less). Think of it as if you where living on top of mount everest.

In 40k anything is possible. There's cities floating on water, cities that walk (check out Ambulon), cities inside volcanoes, cities full of monsters, various xeno beings hiding around with strange powers, cave men and so on. The democracy part is uncommon but not unheard of. it comes with a certain drawback. No matter the government of a city or a state they are answerable to the planetary governor or (as in the case of necromunda) to the sector governor. However, most planetary governors are only really interested in meeting the imperial tithe (IE: paying their taxes and providing soldiers for the imperial guard) and the capture of psykers for delivery to the black ships. Planetary governors may take an interest in the state of the Planetary defence force as well as the political situation but that's usually about it. If tithes are not met the Imperium may declare the world to be in rebellion and no one wants that to happen.

As far as your ideas for paradise hive and such go, then just go nuts. Pretty much anything is possible. There's entire worlds dedicated only to various forms of pleasure. A hive constructed to have mind altering drugs in the vent that make everyone experience the world as pretty wouldn't be impossible. A hive with an enormous forcefield that expunges waste outside of it and has the inside in a perpetual state of beauty is possible. Cities that's only aware of their own existence is possible if a little weird. If a world mapping satellite could pick it up from orbit then someone would probably come knocking. Maybe a hive that had some catastrophe in the past, was left abandoned and restored (without the planetary governors knowledge) after millennia of work could function. Hive come with a problem of food supply, lots of it commonly comes from trade or off world shipment (from nearby agri-worlds). I guess one with great hydroponics facilities could maybe pull it off. You could make a hive that's the pinnacle of law and order with almost no gangs active if you so desire, it's not unheard of. You could even have one where the people that live at the bottom are using plate armour, swords and bows fabricated from the metal around them who just assume the world is made of metal, never knowing that their actually inside a hive. If you want more on that particular idea then look into the ratskinns of necromunuda.

Think of 40k as your playing field. There's a few guidlines. The nobles rule, psykers are shunned, the planetary tithes must be met and the ecclesiarchy are insanely powerfull. Other then that there's very little limitations.

 Nerak wrote:
Generally speaking the spire of a hive world reaches above the clouds so up there the sky is always blue and the sun always shines (more or less). Think of it as if you where living on top of mount everest.

In 40k anything is possible. There's cities floating on water, cities that walk (check out Ambulon), cities inside volcanoes, cities full of monsters, various xeno beings hiding around with strange powers, cave men and so on. The democracy part is uncommon but not unheard of. it comes with a certain drawback. No matter the government of a city or a state they are answerable to the planetary governor or (as in the case of necromunda) to the sector governor. However, most planetary governors are only really interested in meeting the imperial tithe (IE: paying their taxes and providing soldiers for the imperial guard) and the capture of psykers for delivery to the black ships. Planetary governors may take an interest in the state of the Planetary defence force as well as the political situation but that's usually about it. If tithes are not met the Imperium may declare the world to be in rebellion and no one wants that to happen.

As far as your ideas for paradise hive and such go, then just go nuts. Pretty much anything is possible. There's entire worlds dedicated only to various forms of pleasure. A hive constructed to have mind altering drugs in the vent that make everyone experience the world as pretty wouldn't be impossible. A hive with an enormous forcefield that expunges waste outside of it and has the inside in a perpetual state of beauty is possible. Cities that's only aware of their own existence is possible if a little weird. If a world mapping satellite could pick it up from orbit then someone would probably come knocking. Maybe a hive that had some catastrophe in the past, was left abandoned and restored (without the planetary governors knowledge) after millennia of work could function. Hive come with a problem of food supply, lots of it commonly comes from trade or off world shipment (from nearby agri-worlds). I guess one with great hydroponics facilities could maybe pull it off. You could make a hive that's the pinnacle of law and order with almost no gangs active if you so desire, it's not unheard of. You could even have one where the people that live at the bottom are using plate armour, swords and bows fabricated from the metal around them who just assume the world is made of metal, never knowing that their actually inside a hive. If you want more on that particular idea then look into the ratskinns of necromunuda.

Think of 40k as your playing field. There's a few guidlines. The nobles rule, psykers are shunned, the planetary tithes must be met and the ecclesiarchy are insanely powerfull. Other then that there's very little limitations.

This really is quite inspiring - thank you! I suppose I wanted to know just how odd folks might find it. I don't know why, but after reading a bunch of Vigilus stories, and seeing all GW has put out lately...well, they put out great stuff, but it is just so pure, 100% grimdark/war, with 0 focus on anything cultural or uniquely interested about a world. I suppose I've been put off by that, as late.

But it's so good to have that reassurance of the actual range of that variety.


Now I'm left to wonder as to how malleable the Necromunda rules are. Can they accomodate things like Sisters of Battle, or Space Marines? How easy would it be to house rule some incredible stuff, where it takes crap-tons of gangers to take on forces like that, or even throw in Saint Celastine, etc.? (I'm gearing to make a sort of RPG-like campaign, and i've been debating using FFG, Necromunda, or Kill Team rules to base it off of)

A single generic space marine should be able to take on whole underhive settlements on their own. Graphite ran a campaign hunting orks at one point, and a single ork was about as good as half a quite experienced gang, which felt about right.

Now the Imperial Fists have a chapter fortress in hive prius so there would be some around. Maybe run something around a test for aspirants. Need to hunt a deadly creature or something and some aspirants turn up. Maybe even as far as scouts, but I think a full marine would just not work, let alone a living saint.

The shadow war rules allow scouts/ imperial guard/ orks to fight against hive gangs

You're in luck: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j12m7uykdvykpko/Inquisimunda_a5_booklet.pdf?dl=0

I bring you Inquisimunda. I couldn't find it online so I put one on dropbox (and made it easily downloadable). A fanmade rework of the old necromunda rules to include every 40k faction. There's lots of stuff from the lore that's not represented by gw. It's based around the 4th ed rules so might not be immediatly familiar. If you're wondering just how an orc grot might fare against a giant centepide then this is probably the best comparison you're going to get. Space marines and regular gangers are of course included. Other then that I'd suggest a look at the original dark heresy, if you can get your hands on it. The first edition that is. It really goes into detail on civil life in the Imperium. Diffrences in technology on various worlds, culture and inter world trade is deeply explored. If you want to know how space marines compare on a one to one difference to a ganger then deathwatch rpg or only war rpg (both follow ups to dark heresy) is the best place to look. All this might seem a tad overwhelming so I'd suggest just checking out the above link and you'll definitely get a feel for stats and such. Apparently there is a project going on to make inquisimunda 2.0 for the more recent necromunda game but doesn't appear to be as extensive.

If there's some forum policy against dropbox links then please inform me and I'll remove it. The thing is fanmade and completly free with all rights reserved.

Edit: It starts going over stats from page 20 so you might wanna start there. From there on, if it's in 40k it's probably given stats. Special characters do not appear.

Van Saar have been taken as tithes to the IG, so anywhere some end up garrisoned could easily develop gangs in their image.

With Delaque being hired by Noblemen as assassins, its easy to imagine they'd eventually end up with multi-planet networks of assassins.