2020 Narrative Campaign Local FAQ

Louisville Necromunda League 2020 FAQ

Q: I’m going to run a Venator Bounty Hunter Gang, and as with every other gang in a Dominion Campaign, they receive a Settlement territory to serve as their base of operations (and cannot be captured/used as a stake during a challenge).  Do they get to generate free Fighters as per other Gangs?

A: They do not.  Venators are particular about who they work with (hence their inability to hire normal Bounty Hunters, though Dramatis Personae and Hive Scum are allowed), and do not generate free Fighters at their Settlement. 

Q: How will our campaign handle Tactics Cards, as their (legal) availability is hit-or-miss, barring high prices on secondary markets like eBay?

A: Tactics Cards will be 100% voluntary for our campaign (due to the availability issue).  If two players agree to use Tactics Cards for their battle, please note the following conditions:

-Follow all Scenario guidelines for using Tactics Cards (i.e. random/custom selection).

-“Deckbuilding” or “deck-loading” is not allowed; only one copy of ANY card may be included in a player’s deck.

-Decks should contain no more than 12 cards.

-The cards “History of Violence” (Delaque Pack) and “Dangerous Footing” (Van Saar Pack) are expressly banned from play (they are too powerful and unfun, defeating the spirit of friendly play).

Q: How can I mitigate being a severe underdog during the campaign when I have several fighters dead or in recovery?

A: In order to stay afloat while a Gang is hurting, players will be able to utilize options to help compensate.  House Favors (in The Book of Ruin) and House Patronage (White Dwarf, May 2019) are tools to help out struggling Gang Leaders.  Favors are limited to once per Campaign Phase (excluding any Downtime), while Patronage will be available before each battle.

Please note that in order to take advantage of House Patronage, the following must apply:

-The Underdog (player with the lower Gang Rating or Crew value in credits, as determined by the scenario) needs to be more than 100 credits below the opposing Gang in order to qualify for House Patronage.  Necromunda is not specifically about matched play, so being a few credits shy of an “even” match is perfectly okay.

-Players must have appropriate models to represent any temporary Juves/Gangers/Bounty Hunters/Hive Scum/Dramatis Personae they intend to hire on for the battle.

Full rules will be available for both Favors and Patronage in Campaign Packets during each season.

Q: When hiring Bounty Hunters and Hive Scum (from Gangs of the Underhive), do I *really* have to pay the hire cost AND the full price of any equipment they come with?

A: Yes.  This is why, outside of House Patronage, special Scenario rules, certain Alliances, and Boons associated with Territories/Rackets, you will likely never see anyone fielding them.

Q: How do I determine a model’s facing, for purposes of attacks, the Backstab weapon trait, and directional armor (like Goliath Furnace Plate and Subjugator Enforcer Assault Shields)?

A: Players can either paint the 45 degree front arc on their bases (using the arc templates from the starter sets for 25mm, 32mm, or 40mm bases as appropriate), or agree on a mutually understandable point of reference, such as a model’s face/eyes forming the center line to use an arc template on.

For the purpose of armor saves conferred from directional armor/shields, a prone model is considered to have NO facing, and does not gain any additional benefits from their directional armor/shield.

Q: How are we treating WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) for the purposes of our campaign?

A: First, pistols, grenades, knives, armor, and Wargear do not need to be strictly modeled (most can be assumed as concealed in a pouch or pocket); just be sure to notify your opponent on what weapons, armor, and Wargear your model has that isn’t visible or apparent.

Secondly, since budgets for players tend to vary and time is often more valuable than money, it would be unreasonable to assume that every player has to make a model for every type of Fighter/weapon combo they may want to use in a battle or campaign (though if you have the means to do so, conversions are always appreciated).  Therefore, a simple proxy system will be used:

-Models with Basic weapons (such as shotguns, autoguns, lasguns, etc) can proxy other Basic weapons.

-Models with Special weapons (plasma guns, flamers, grav guns, etc) can proxy other Special weapons.

-Models with Heavy weapons (heavy stubbers, heavy bolters, harpoon launchers, etc) can proxy other Heavy weapons.

-Models with Close Combat Weapons should attempt to proxy as other similar weapons (ie a Two-Handed Axe can be a regular Axe or a Power Axe).

As above, be sure to notify your opponent of any proxied weapons.

Q: There are a TON of Hangers-on, Exotic Pets, Brutes, and Dramatis Personae that GW/Forge World have given us rules for but haven’t made any official models for.  How can we include them in our Gangs?

A: Since we are allowing older Necromunda models and kitbashed Gangs from other GW lines (Drukhari Wyches as Escher, Astra Militarum Catachans as Orlocks, etc), it would be a shame to exclude any wonderful kitbashed models from the campaign!  That being said, some reasonable rules need to be established:

-Please remember and respect any company/store rules regarding the use of non-official models (such as Games Workshop), along with any rulings by any campaign leaders.  To err on the safe side, contacting the Arbitrator before modelling or purchasing anything for approval might be the best thing to do.

-Hangers-on are easily kitbashed, as most will never see battle and they have limited weapons/Wargear options, if any; however, as your home base may come under attack, you do need to have a model for them just in case.  Basing should be done on a 25mm or 32mm base, depending on the model.  The exception to this is the named Ammo-Jack Ragnar Gunnstein, who needs to be the official model.

-Exotic Pets can be easily portrayed in a similar fashion as Hangers-on.  As long as the Pet in question appears obvious (i.e. large dog for Cyber-Mastiff, bird for Sheen Bird, etc), make sure to model on the appropriate size base (25mm for smaller beasts, 32mm for larger ones).

-Brutes have a sole model as of this writing: The Ambot.  In order to include a Brute in your Gang, a kitbash or alternate model from a third-party company will have to fill in.  Since Brutes should be brutish, a 40mm or 50mm base should be appropriate for these heavy hitters.

-Dramatis Personae, by and large, will not be appearing in our campaign, as the 2020 Warhammer 40,000 Narrative Campaign will not be taking place on Necromunda itself.  However, to avoid penalizing anyone that wants to or has purchased any of these characterful models, they can be included using a different name (i.e. Kal Jericho is now “Jal Kericho”) and they must be an official model (i.e. if a model has not yet been made for them, please do not plan to include them at this time).  This is meant to keep players from picking and choosing which rules to use for their generic Hive Scum/Bounty Hunters as a form of meta-gaming.

In the rare event that two or more players are attempting to use the same Dramatis Personae in a battle or campaign, only one of them will be the “real” character – but the imposter(s) will only be found out when they lose!

Q: I have some older models from Specialist Games’ previous Necromunda line in the 1980s-1990s, can I use them?

A: For the most part, yes.  The scale has changed somewhat, mostly noticeable on the Goliath models (that are now on a 32mm base), but the change is not so drastic as to be a dealbreaker.  Though you’ll lack some of the new flavor from the new plastic sculpts (especially with the House-specific weapons) and some of your metal models will have invalid weapons choices (i.e. Orlocks don’t take lasguns, Van Saar don’t take autoguns, etc), these are issues that can be resolved with clear communication.  I would rather see people fielding old models than not play at all!

If nothing else, do what I do: use them as Hive Scum or Bounty Hunters during the odd times you’ll be able to field them!

Q: What about non-GW/FW models?

A: As above with the Brutes/Hangers-on/etc, there are some things that should be considered:

-Please remember and respect any company/store rules regarding the use of non-official models (such as Games Workshop), along with any rulings by any campaign leaders.  To err on the safe side, contacting the Arbitrator before modelling or purchasing anything for approval might be the best thing to do.

-Don’t roll up to the table with a completely unconverted Malifaux warband or Warmachine army and expect to use them as proxies (nothing against Wyrd or Privateer Press, they make great products).  Though using alternate models is not expressly forbidden, in the spirit of the game, it would be better to see models created or converted for battle in the Underhive.  Plus, it’s a lot easier to play if it’s clear to everyone involved what they’re looking at on the table.

-Converted or altered base models that fit within the setting are perfectly acceptable, provided it is clear what the model is standing in place for.

Q: Per the 2019 Official Necromunda FAQ, the Enforcers and Corpse Grinder Cults now have access to the Trading Post (and Black Market, when available), but mentioned that Arbitrators can place their own limits on what kind of access Enforcers get.  Will Enforcers have free reign in the Post/Market, or will there be any restrictions?

A: Owing to the Enforcers having superior equipment and armor, they will have some reasonable restrictions placed on their expanded armory options to fit better within established narrative guidelines.  First and foremost, they are little better than government-sponsored brutes, but to this they owe some level of discretion and uniformity.  The choices below were culled from Enforcer House Lists from previous editions, which will be helpful for anyone planning to use older Enforcer models:

2020 Louisville Necromunda League Purchase Options for Enforcers 

Trading Post at normal Rarity Value and cost, unless otherwise marked.

No additional armor can be purchased (except for Field armor).  No other Wargear restrictions (except for Illegal items from the Black Market, when available).

Close Combat Weapons

Fighting Knife

Grenades

Choke Gas Grenades

Pistols

Bolt Pistol

Laspistol

Plasma Pistol

Special Weapons

Flamer

Plasma Gun

Heavy Weapons

Heavy Stubber

Heavy Bolter

Autocannon (Black Market)