But it wasn't always so.
Like a lot of gamers, I played 40k when I was younger. There was a time I loved nothing more than hefting a frag grenade through a broken window to take out an Ork weapon team . Well, the space marine, not me. Well, not really him either, it was kind of how I imagined he would throw it. Space marines probably heft a lot of things. If they were real. Anyway.
I never really left fantasy, but I played a lot of 1st - 3rd edition 40k. I had a few armies, but the one I loved the most was the genestealer cult. 'The what now?' I hear you say.
The genestealer cult was essentially the extended brood of a single powerful genestealer known as the patriarch. All the humans he had infected, all their hybrid progeny and the eventual purestrains that resulted formed a secret organisation which slowly ate away at a host society until they reached the positions of power required to undermine it and pave the way for tyranid invasion. The patriarch was unaware that eventually the entire world would be eaten if he was successful. This included his followers, which added that extra level of horror.This made for a great looking army. Infected humans, known as brood brothers, might look human, but were utterly loyal to the cult. Human/genestealer hybrids, ramshackle vehicles, even a limo for the patriarch. I love that. An alien four-armed monster, but dammit, he wants to ride in a limo. In the 40th millennium. Genius.
Sadly, the cult was abandoned in later editions, and ultimately I left the game to concentrate on fantasy, though I do still run a genestealer cult gang in Necromunda. Which brings me (eventually) to my point. I have heard some exciting little rumours that we may see the return of the cult with 6th edition. This is awesome news, if true. This would be the list that would make me take up 40k again. In. A. Heartbeat.
Hey, they brought the Jokaero back.
For a great cult army take a gander here: Chris Showers Genestealer Cult
I would be all over a Genestealer cult too, if it were to return to the game.
ReplyDeleteWe went through a phase of making our regular 40K games '750 point themed' sessions, so I used the current (i.e. 5th edition tyranid codex) for a 'counts as' cult list. In short: Prime = Patriarch, Warriors = purestrain Genestealers, Genestealers = 1st or 2nd generation Genestealers, Termagants = brood brothers. You could probably make a call for a Zoanthrope as Magus. I think I used a Lictor to represent a Genestealer ambush. The Prime and Warrior were tooled with talons and claws, of course, and Fleshborers (carried by Termagants) are identical in game terms to bolt pistols.
There also exists a fairly professionally done Fan-dex, posted on the BoLS site somewhere, though I've never used it.
It sure is tempting to do a proxy list. Hmm...
ReplyDeleteI too wish they would bring them back. I never got a chance to play them when they were around but I find them fascinating.
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