Meet the Sludge Sifters, a Necromunda Gang Profile

The last couple of weeks I have been giving Mordoc and his Mad Marauders a break, and started playing my new gang, "The Sludge Sifters".
The Sludge Sifters belong to the Prophets of War faction, and believe they are on their own against the forces of Chaos, stuck in the warp storm for all eternity, they feel the Emperor (if there even is such a thing) has abandoned them and that the Imperium of man will never send assistance to this small system they call home.
The Sludge Sifters have been very successful in their ventures, living down by the Sludge River, harvesting sludge from the river, filtering it and using it as a source of nourishment.  Deep in the ruins of the under-hive not only have they survived, but they have thrived.  Successfully establishing settlements, and setting up trade networks, and even a small defense force.

On to the gang members:

First up we have the Gang Leader, Sinclair "The Foreman"
M:4, WS:6, BS:5, S:3, T:3, W: 1, I:4, A:1, LD:9
Wargear: Chainsword, Plasma Pistol, Bolt Pistol, Knife, Respirator, Flak Armor
Skills: Escape Artist, Body Slam, Counter Attack
Cost 220
Xp: 217

The Leader of the Sludge Sifters, Sinclair leads by example, and is not afraid to lead the charge and get stuck in, showing the "Juvees" how it's done.

Ganger, "Face"
M:4, WS:3, BS:3, S:3, T:3, W:1, I:4, A:1, LD:7
Wargear: Shotgun, Auto-Pistol, Knife
XP: 36
Cost: 85

Face tends to bite off more than he can chew in an effort to impress the boss.  Quite often he finds himself out of the fight before he can truly be of help to anyone, but hey, he keeps trying.
(Poor Face, I've had to replace this ganger 3xs in this campaign!)

Fred and Charlie, along with Face these guys form the "Fire Support" element of my gang.  Fred typically works with Face, advancing as a pair (more often than not with Bucky the Ratskin Scout as a guide) while Charlie acts in support of Rufus the Heavy of the group.

Fred: M:4, WS:3, BS:5, S:3, T:4, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:7
Wargear: Shotgun, Knife
Skills: Bitter Enemy (Sister Superior Christina's Sisters of Battle)
Killer Reputation
Cost: 125
Xp: 68
Charlie: M:4, WS:3, BS:3, T:3, W:1, I:4, A:1, LD:7
Wargear: Boltgun with Telescopic Sight, Knife and Auto-Pistol
Skills: Killer Reputation, Impetuous, Berserk Charge
Cost:148
Xp: 95

Shiv and Packrat, the assault troops of my Gang.  Shiv started as a Juve, and has been with Sinclair since a child.  He has grown to be one of the most powerful members of the gang and answers only to Packrat, and Sinclair himself.  These two don't hesitate to take the fight to the enemy, and frequently make use of vents to take up a position early on in battle to surprise their enemies.

Shiv: M:4, WS:5, BS:3, S:3, T:4, W:1, I:3, A:2, LD:6
Wargear: Laspistol, Chainsword (a gift from Sinclair), and a knife
Cost: 65
Xp: 51
Packrat: M:4, WS:4, BS:6, S:4, T:3, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:7
Wargear: 2x Auto-Pistols, Massive Axe, Frag Grenades, Knife
Skills: Horrible Scars, Old Battle Wound
Cost: 125
Xp: 94

Junker and Scrapper, the two newbies in the gang.  Still trying to prove themselves, they are ill-equipped but very eager to make their names known.  With 3 settlements now under Sludge Sifter control, there is never a shortage of young men looking to join our ranks.
Scrapper: M:4, WS:2, BS:2, S:3, T:3, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:6
Wargear: Stubber and Knife
Skills: Nerves of Steel
Cost: 35
Xp:6
Junker: M:4, WS:2, BS:2, S:3, T:3, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:6
Wargear: Laspistol and Knife

Rufus is Sinclair's 2nd in command.  Rufus typically uses vents to set up an excellent lane of fire.  Then when opportunity presents itself has a habit of using all of his ammo in one volley.  That shortcoming aside Rufus is truly the backbone of the gang.
Rufus: M:4, WS:3, BS:3, S:4, T:4, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:7
Wargear: Heavy Bolter, Auto-Pistol, Knife
Skills: Armorer, Medic
Cost: 255
Xp: 143

The Hired Guns: Pistol Pete, Boris, and Bucky

Pistol Pete: Underhive Scum
M:4, WS:3, BS:4, S:3, T:3, W:1, I:4, A:1, LD:8
Wargear: Pair of Bolt Pistols
Skills: Quickdraw, Gunfighter, Dodge
Boris: Underhive Scum
M:4, WS: 3, BS:4, S:3, T:3, W:1, I:5, A:1, LD:8
Wargear: Pair of Bolt Pistols
Bucky: Ratskin Scout
M:4, WS:4, BS:3, S:3, T:4, W:1, I:3, A:1, LD:8
Wargear: Knife, Axe, Autogun, Blind Snake Pouch

And last but not least we have Mutt.  Mutt has just recently joined the gang and is obviously still WIP, I will get some paint on him tonight though, so that he can fight tomorrow with the rest of the boys.













I am using the Cawdor rules for this gang, mainly because that was the only gang that could start with a bolter, and thats what Charlie was armed with.  My gang has an odd assortment of advances and skills that don't always match their gear, but that is part of their charm.

Gang Rating currently stands at: 2016 (with the Hired Guns)
with 33 Credits in the stash.

Hope you all enjoyed this overview of my current gang.
Till next time, thanks for reading!

The Colonial, Cold Wars, Necromunda, sooo much to talk about...

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since my last post.  Not because I haven't wanted to blog, but because I have been very busy.  No, not at work but on the hobby front for once.

Two weeks ago I attended the Colonial GT.  This is the 3rd year that Chris Nanry has owned this event, purchasing it from Matt York.  For many years this was a must attend event for WHFB players all over.  Chris however has done a wonderful job expanding the event.  This year breaking it up into two separate events.  Two weeks ago was the Warmachine and WH40k event.  (the WHFB event will take place during the Warstore Weekend the first weekend of November).
I took my Space Wolves and threw together a quick list as I haven't been playing much 40k lately being fully involved with Necromunda.

I took a soft list, with 3 Pods a couple of Razorbacks, some Scouts and LongFangs, with a mix of GreyHunters and Wolfguard leading the way.  All led by the Old Wolf himself.
Yes, I got my ass kicked.  Alllll weekend long.
Not that I really care mind ya, I specifically went with the purpose of hanging out with some old friends this weekend.  The gaming was really secondary to seeing those folks that I only get to see 2-3 times a year.

Gaming-wise the highlight of the weekend was Logan Grimnar defeating this Daemon Prince in Close Combat.
Was a great time, and I came away with 3rd best paint, and an idea for a new army that will remain top secret for now...

Last weekend, my buddy Matt and I took a day trip to Lancaster Pa. to attend Cold Wars.  What a great time.  I have said before that one day is not enough for an event like that and I am considering taking 2 or 3 days to go to Historicon this summer.

Check out the size of the dealers area!  You could spend a whole day just looking through all the gems tucked away here.

Ah, the Necromunda update.  We have had two gaming sessions since I last posted, the current campaign standings are:
Crusade of Fire: 5
Prophets of War: 6
Servants of Ruin: 7
Chaos is ahead, Plague Zombies are running amuck, and things are getting crazy!
Yesterday we played a 4 player game.  Zombies were found to be lurking around the Sludge River, and pushed the Sludge Sifters (my new gang) out of their territory, with the Cawdor hot on the heels of the Zombies, hunting them down in a Crusade of Fire, this pushed the Sludge Sifters into Sister Superior Christine's territory where her Sisters were in battle with the Brides of Chucky, a renegade group formerly of Christines band, and now worshiping Khrone.  Whew, our Multi-player games are great.

One of Sister Superiors Battle Sisters taking the high ground

The Cawdor, acting in support of their Under-Hive Scum guide, hunting Zombies!

Seems even the Sisters are not above employing some Under-Hive Scum.

Zombies seemed to be everywhere!

My new gang came out swinging, errrr, I mean shooting.
The battle was hard fought, but at the end of the day the I the Brides of Chucky were chased off by Sister Superior Christine's Battle Sisters, The Cawdor evacuated the area as well to regroup, and my Sludge Sifters managed to hold their ground, sending the Battle Sisters packing.  A victory to the Sludge Sifters and a campaign point to the Prophets of War!

Next week I hope to have my Chaos gang back up and running, but I have a thing about playing with unpainted models, so gave them the week off while I finish up 2 new models for the gang.

I have however gotten some new terrain up on the board

Above you can see my new Apartment complex, and some of the new scatter terrain I did for the board.  Still lots to do, but we are getting there.
Above you can also see the platform (landing pad) with the ruined building on top.  Playing and moving underneath it has been a pain in the ass, game play-wise.

So, I am fixing it.  I think closing off the bottom will make game play much better on our board.
Oh, one last tidbit. 

I got these babies from a company called "Litko" you can custom make game markers.  They took about 4 weeks to get, but we used them last week and found them to be much better than trying to use dice or chits, little gems ect.

Well that's it for today, (isn't that enough?)
Thanks for reading!!!

Yet another Necromunda update

Good news and bad for my Gang.  After being nearly wiped out, they went on a bit of a rampage.  My settlement pulled in 2 new Juves, and one of my Gangers (an inventor) made himself a Power Weapon.  I quickly set to work building and painting the new models for Murdoc's Marauders.  Only to have them totally crushed this past Sunday.  It wouldn't have been so bad if not for us trying out the event cards.  Someone played the "Live Wire" card on my last remaining Heavy, killing him, and I also lost a Juve and a Ganger to some bad rolls.  I hated to start over, but the losses were too great to make it worth continuing.
Story-wise, Murdoc made his escape, and is recruiting new Cultists to further his cause.

Our game last week was a great one, a 5 way free-for-all (games with multiple players is quickly becoming our favorite way to play).  At the end of the day, the Cawdor gang was the only one left on the field, chasing off 2 Chaos Gangs (including mine), a Pirate Gang, and of course the ancient Sisters of Battle gang, who was eyeballing the Cawdor for some kind of mating ritual.
The Cawdor, feeling confident that all Chaos Taint had been eradicated from this area of the Under-Hive returned to their encampments, to tend to wounds and repair equipment.
After the battlefield was empty a lone figure was found to still be alive, the Chaos Magus, "Weird Al" formerly in the service of Murdoc, made his way to the Sludge River, communing with the voice he heard coming from within.  Once at the rivers bank, a figure emerged, a Greater Daemon of Nurgle.  "You have done well Al, they all fell right into our trap, plenty of corpses, Papa Nurgle is pleased.  Have you brought the tome?"  Al could only respond with a nod.  "Good" the Daemon continued, "finish the spell, and raise the dead, they yet have a part to play in the spreading of the Plague of Nurgle..."  The Daemon then sunk back into the river from whence it came, leaving Al alone in the dark, with the evil tome in his hands, surrounded by the dead who would not be dead for long....

This weeks campaign tally:
Crusade of Fire: 5
Prophets of War: 5
Servants of Ruin: 6

I re-rolled my Chaos Cultist gang, so Murdoc is ready to go again and continue to pursue his quest for immortality.
I also finished my other gang, Sinclair's Sludge Sifters

Simply painted, with just a base coat and some wash, I didn't spend a lot of time on them anticipating lots of weapon swaps, and scarring through the course of the campaign. 
I also modeled up and painted a couple of Underhive Scum for some added muscle.

The River has also been finished

In progress, I have some more scatter terrain, another apartment building and another walkway to go across the river.

Sorry about the picture quality on those last few, but it was 5 am...

We continue to have a blast with this campaign, in fact we have all now started over at some point, except for Chris and his Sisters of Battle (Escher) enclave.  Sister Superior Christina is now a high priority on my hit list.

Whats next?  well, I am planning a heavily converted Goliath Gang, and my son is working on converting a Redemptionist Gang as we speak.  Still lots to do.

I am still planning a couple full fledged batreps as soon as some of the other players get their gangs fully painted as well as a full profile showing them off on the blog here, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!

Week 3, some more terrain finished, and some more WIP

Firstly, some quick notes on week 3.  I thought we would try something different.  I assigned the scenarios to each player, with each having a primary opponent.  We then set up on opposite corners and we all played in turn on the same board.
The gangs could interact with each other, attack each other, or work out temporary alliances to accomplish their missions.  This made for a very exciting game.
After that first game a couple of the players, had to leave so we broke down into a few one on one games for some fast action.
I didn't move the actual campaign forward last week, but we did tie up some loose ends, with a territory being fought over, a rescue mission attempt (which was failed by me, causing the loss of not one, but two gangers!) and the introduction of a new gang to the campaign.
My son had started anew, and built a Chaos Cult gang using the Escher rules.  He decided they would be worshipers of Khorne, and were at one time members of the Sisters of Battle Cult that belongs to Chris.  They however have been consumed by a Bloodlust and have turned to Khorne.
At the end of the first game, I almost thought all was lost for my Chaos Cultist gang.  I had lost those 2 Gangers, and yet a 3rd died in the after action.  Not wanting to give up though, I gave it another go with the remnants of my gang, which was at that point at 7 fighters, including my Chaos Mage "Wyrd Al".

At the end of the night however, after a couple of lucky games things started turning around!  I gained not one but 2 Juves from my settlement! the first two the whole campaign.  And my 2 inventors made a Ratskin map, a Grapnel, and last but certainly not least a Power Axe!  I am back in action!

Currently our campaign status is as follows"
Crusade of Fire: 4
Prophets of War: 5
Servants of Ruin: 6

Servants of Ruin have pulled ahead a little bit, but to be honest that is mostly because of Chaos vs. Chaos games.  I give them the campaign point anyway, as I figure they are causing Chaos, and furthering the goals of whichever Chaos Daemon they are serving.  Besides it suits the plot-line for Chaos to have a slight advantage at this stage of things.

Now on to some new terrain, first up we have my freshly painted Hab-block.  Its architecture is quite different from the other pieces of the board.  But that is intentional.  I am using a mixture of building styles and types on this board, and once I build my second Hab-Block, repeating the style it wont look so out of place.

 It is quite a large piece and will be a great center piece blocking some lanes of fire on our already cluttered board.
Next up we have my very WIP  Toxic River, a 3' long river of sludge...

 Above you can see some of the little details I put into it, some barrels and drowning Gangers.
Below you can see it with some paint, tonight I fill it with Water Effects from Woodland Scenics.  Hopefully it will be hard by Sunday.

I have a lot I want to get finished by Sunday, I have 6 more Zombies to put the finishing touches on as the Plague of Nurgle begins to infiltrate the ruins of the Under-Hive, and I have my 2 new Juves and a remodeled Ganger to paint.  (gotta have my shiny new Power Axe for Sunday)

Well, I'm off to work.  Gotta get that out of the way to I can get to the important stuff in life, you know, like gaming...

Some WIP Necromunda stuff, new gangs, terrain, and of course some zombies!

Ok, so I am hooked.  This is the most fun I have had in ages playing a miniatures game.
Chucky, Matt and I managed to get together for a few games the other night.  While we didn't push our actual campaign plot forward any, we did solidify relationships between gangs, build on some characters, and of course gained some loot and XPs.
Of course it wouldn't have been a game night if I didn't have a ganger die.  Of course it was my guy with 3 base attacks and a WS4...

In the up coming weeks, I hope to do full profiles of each gang, each one having its own post.  Should be fun.

Anyway on with some new stuff.  Below you can see my WIP "Hab-Block"  I think every Necromunda board needs its own "Peach Trees" apartment complex.

 It is very WIP, but I hope to make it a full 3 stories high, with the decking going around each level.  This is the first piece I am making that is more geared for phase 3+ of my campaign.  Representing the return of some sort of Government to the system, and the rebuilding of the Hive.

After posting my board on Dakka-Dakka, I got some good feedback stating that I needed more bridges and walkways connecting pieces of terrain.  Taking this to heart, I started to construct a few, along with some more scatter terrain, as that was another comment.  Below you can see the start of that effort.

 I absolutely LOVE the GW plastic movement tray kits, it is relatively inexpensive and is very sturdy and easy to work with for flooring, gangplanks, bridges, and so on.

Above you can see a finished example, quick and easy.  Oh, and yes that is my Hummer, $2.00 at a local Dry-Goods store, couldn't go wrong, so I picked it up, painted it and threw it on the board.  A little silly? maybe, but I love it.

Next up we have my new Gang!  I have the starting gang all built and primed awaiting paint.  9 models to start, all made strictly using bits from my bits box, or should I say bits room?  I will be using Orlock rules for these guys, but I haven't made a background or come up with a gang name yet.  But I am fond of the way they are turning out.
Below we have the Gang Leader, armed with Chain Sword and Bolt Pistol.  I am going to get him some Flak armor as soon as possible (common item in our group) as it looks like he is wearing some sort of armor.

 Above you can see a group shot of the 3 that have paint on them, and below my favorite so far of the bunch.  They are all made with Brettonian Men-at-Arms as a base for the torso, and a variety of kits for weapons, heads, arms and so on.  These guys aren't really finished.  I just put a base coat and a wash on them, very quickly to get them battle ready.  I don't really want to spend too much time on them as I am sure they will be scarred, wounded, get new equipment and all through out the course of the campaign.  Unlike some gamers, that is one of my favorite parts of Necromunda, doing the weapon swaps, and adding those little touches in between games.  A starting gang in my opinion should look completely different by campaigns end.

And finally, above you can see 3 of 9 Zombies that I am making for our campaign.  Seems Papa Nurgle is going to pay a visit to the Under-Hive, now I just have to finish them up and get a Chaos Magus painted up, and lots of Chaos is going to ensue...

Well, that's it for now, lots of work to do!  Thanks for reading!!!

Necromunda Campaign Week 2, Phase 0

Week 2:  Selena and her Crimson Raiders (Kendell's Gang) having defeated one band of Chaos Cultists last week was full of confidence as they made their way into the underhive and encountered Murdoc and his Chaos band.  Selena and her crew were forced to retreat and lick their wounds.  Lost deep in the underhive with nowhere to go, Selena swore revenge against the Chaos Gang, and then encountered the Steel Brotherhood led by Brother Corbin.  Selena convinced the Steel Brotherhood that they were agents of the Imperium, and that the Warp Storms have lifted and they were here to save them (of course this was all a lie).  The Steel Brotherhood formed a loose alliance with Selena and the 2 gangs quickly made their way to where Selena believed that Murdoc and his gang were holed up.  Selena would have here revenge.

What Selena thought would be an easy raid however turned into a major engagement as a group of Chaos Cultists worshiping Khorne were found to be allied with Murdoc's band.

Battle in the underhive ensued, and the combined might of the Steel Brotherhood and the Crimson raiders chased off the chaos cultists leaving the spoils to the victors.

 Above we have the Ratskin scout of the Crimson Raiders taking the high ground

 The Chaos Magus was put down quickly by heavy fire power as he tried to respond to the sounds of gun fire in the Khorne camp

 a Ganger in the Steel Brotherhood quickly dispatches one of the Gangers of Khorne.

 Members of the Crimson Raiders providing cover-fire as the Steel Brotherhood advances

Murdoc and his boys move in, making an effort to support the surrounded Khorne gang.

When the smoke cleared, the Chaos Gangs fled to lick their wounds and return to fight another day leaving the territory free for the taking.  It was then that the true colors of the Crimson Raiders shown through as they turned on the Steel Brotherhood.
This territory would be theirs...

A second game was played as well, this time Chaos won out.  Things so far have been pretty even up.
My gang had a tough week.  I didn't win either game, and while I did get some pretty decent advances, one of my heavies died...
Oh well there is always next week.

Here is where things are standing after week 2:
Crusade of Fire: 3
Prophets of War: 4
Servants of Ruin: 3

Next week we have lots to do.  I still have 2 gangers held captive by the Sisters, Matt has one held captive by those bitches as well.
Kendell and Matt also have to duke it out over the territory from the game they won this week.
On top of all that, I'm sure that the newly formed Khorne cult gang is not happy with getting their butts whipped and will be looking for revenge.
Ah, life in the Under-Hive...

Necromunda Campaign Week 1, Phase 0

Well yesterday kicked off the first day of our Necromunda Campaign, and I do think it was successful.

We had six players, playing in one on one games on two tables, playing in a round robin style of play, this gave people a chance to take a break, work on models, update their rosters and so on...

Above you can see a shot of the main board, the Under-Hive in the ruins of Hive Primus, on Corvus Majoris in the Corvus Sub-Sector.

A world still ravaged by Warp Storms and separated from the Imperium for 1000 years.  Plunged into Civil War, small pockets of survivors make their way in the world, hoping that the Warp Storms will abate and that the Imperium will return to the sector and save them.  Others are trying to further the cause of the Dark Gods and have joined one of dozens of Cult groups, summoning Daemons, practicing dark magics and worse.

This is where our gangers live, fight, and die...
Below we have a couple of shots of the action,

 Above you can see my Son's Chaos Cultist gang advancing on the descendants of the Sisters of Battle that once protected the Shrines of Corvus Majoris.

Above we have the Heavies of Murdoc's Marauders of my Gang, taking the high ground with back up from a Chaos Sorcerer (Wyrd) and a couple of Gangers.
Below, Murdoc and his bodyguards advance under the Cover-Fire provided from above.

No one likes to be on the receiving end of my Heavies!

Taking the Bridge!

I didn't get a lot of pictures of the other players gangs this week, as the majority of them are still not painted.  Rest assured though, in the coming weeks I will post some full battle reports of the actions.

After a full day of fighting, seven games took place.  Grudges, enemies, plots and schemes have all been made.

Campaign Status? here is where we stand so far
Crusade of Fire: 2
Prophets of War: 3
Servants of Ruin: 2

I managed to play 2 games myself, and while I won both games, I feel I have not done much to further the cause of my Faction (the Servants of Ruin). 

I did manage to sway a Chaos Sorcerer to my cause, but failed to capture a Warp Gate which was to be used for future Daemon Summoning.  Kendell's Land Pirates, the Crimson Raiders also failed to take it though, so I still have a chance.

Those blasted Sisters of Battle (Escher) captured not one but two of my Cultists!  surely they will be tortured for information before being put to death, I must launch an offensive in an effort to rescue them, not because they cannot be replace, but because I don't want them divulging my evil plans to those pathetic servants to the Emperor, holding on to lost hope...