Musings of an (Arcromunda) Dome Ambasssador
With Arcromunda just a couple of short months away I thought it was time to consult an expert on what are the considerations for putting together a fun gang to play against. Who would know more about what it takes to have fun and be great opponent at the same time than our very own twice crowned Dome Ambassador (Best Sport) and voice of the Necromunda Pod Cast "The Underhive Lorekeepers", Spamuel Von Hohneck.
So without further adieu here are his words of wisdom as he begins his campaign to achieve a three-peat performance and attempts to win another Dome Ambassador (Best Sport) award.
Enjoy - RobTO.
Building a better gang.
In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war, but at Arcromunda, there is also a sports score.
Hey there scummers, Spamuel here and I’m wanting to talk about getting the most out of your gang this year at Arcromunda. Most games focus on winning and why not? We all love a victory. But we also want to have a weekend of solid fun, heart wrenching memories, improbable beat downs and games you’ll be talking about for campaigns to come.
So guys, gals and stable abhuman pals, let’s get into it.
The natural impulse when building your gang is to min-max your way to victory, as a proud son of Van Saar, my answer is obvious. Lots of plasma and fantastic shooting. But that just doesn’t suit how I want to play my gang, I want a story and I will use every opportunity I’ve got to tell it.
The first thing is to know what everyone’s individual job is going to be, not just where they sit in the gang, but what you plan on doing with them throughout the event. Is your champion going to be a front line brawler, or your savvy trader ensuring the rest of the crew gets the best gear possible? Is your ganger going to be going down the specialist route and getting themselves a tasty special weapon, or are they getting the medkit and sticking to your leader like stink on a scavvy? I play my gangs a little old school, a leader, 2 champs and a hell of a lot of juves. But I also play my gangers as individuals. Not just cloning the gear and equipment, but trying out as many different mixes of gear as possible. Cause you never know what is going to work for you in each situation.
The best question you could ask yourself when building a list is this, would I enjoy playing against this gang? Cause if you won’t like it, why would your opponent? Now I’m not telling you to play a soft list and not have fun yourself, but a good game takes 2. Don’t be afraid to buy into some ridiculous combinations, get those Xenos weapons, try the zaniest mix you can, it might not work, but it also might be a hell of a lot of fun and make the best stories!
Skills are up next and this is where things can get really fun. Everyone loves mentor, or overseer, or fast shot. But ask yourself, do they suit your character? Sure they give some great benefits, but trading skills do too! Not to mention that with the new rules, we can get those tasty secondary skills for 12 exp. Branch out, try something new, whether it’s an Orlock name you’ve not tried, a psyker power you’re itching to try, or some genesmithing that makes your meatnecks a bit slower.
Hell, how did we forget to mention chems?! Drugs are bad, but chems make the hive go round. Slap a frenzon collar on your champion and watch them go to town. Or a quick hit of ghost can add some spice to any game. I for one loved watching a Cawdor develop firebolts and 66 my ganger. It also makes a great time when you have the memories of some of the ridiculous nonsense that a game like Necromunda makes available. I can’t tell you how many enemies my leader took down with his fast shot, overcharged plasma gun, but I sure remember how badly he got slapped around when I called out my opponents Butcher to a 1v1 duel. It was a lot. Seriously, I got stomped hard. Don’t do it.
I hope this has shed a little light on how you can get the best out of your sports scores this year and I’m looking forward to throwing a few dice and (likely) cursing them as they roll too many 1’s for me with as many of you as I can!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have squats to paint!
Spamuel 'Dome Ambassador' Von Hohneck.
Arcromunda III - Road Warriors (4/5th Nov '23) tickets available now
