We’ll talk more about these powers in our updated Cawdor rundown, but we wanted to mention a few that stood out to us: Cawdor Polearm/Autogun [Word-Keeper, Firebrand, Cawdor Brethren]: The first of the Cawdor-specific “spear + gun = fun” weapons, the Polearm/Autogun is like the little brother to the venerable blunderpole. It definitely has good qualities, but if you’re gonna spend the cheddar to get one, why not spend the 20 more credits to get the better version? If you want range, spend 10 fewer credits on the Reclaimed Autogun. Rating: C+ Brethren get access to the same slate of weapons as before, with a couple of extra close combat weapons thrown in. The blunderpole’s still there, though, and that’s all anyone really cares about. Clever leaders will find new targets or crusades for their Redemptionist cults. More drastic means may also be utilised to control these cults, including condemning the members of a cult as Heretics themselves. Two Gangs for the Price of One: Along with a Cawdor gang, players can build a Redemptionist gang, which is similar, but a lot meaner. Or, they can mix and match Cawdor and Redemptionist fighters. The customizability and thematic potential of this gang is so far unmatched in Necromunda.

On the battlefield, a Deacon will fill a very similar roll to that of a Firebrand, but with a little extra punch. The Fanatical Fervour ability seems really good, but we need to remember that this is a WS 4+ character, so there’s a little bit of disconnect between what this fighter is actually going to be doing on the tabletop most of the time. That being said, the Deacon has access to the mostly excellent Piety skill tree (more on that later!), making them somewhat less dissonant than their Pious counterparts. Redemptionists often arm themselves with whatever comes to hand upon the onset of a crusade or mob gathering. Though Flame Weapons or Chain Weapons are most favored. Recommended equipment: Cawdor polearm/blunderbuss, reclaimed autogun, flak armor, incendiary charges. Many Redemptionists seek their own redemption on the battlefield for the sins they have committed against the God-Emperor.

Gangs who follow the Path of the Doomed tend to power up as they start losing members, and have the outright best Article of Faith: “And by the manner of his Death did the Emperor judge him!” If this article is invoked, the fighter makes a normal move and then explodes in a 5” blast template, immediately going Out of Action. Perfect for those speedy and expendable juves! I’m sure the other paths are cool or whatever, but after reading that, what more do you need to know? Doomed 4 lyfe. Weapons and Wargear Basic Weapons We saw upgrade kits for 5 of the 6 House Gangs this year. Getting this stuff in plastic rules! However… all of the kits contain two of the same sprue, so you end up with a lot of duplicated gear that you’re just never going to use. The Goliath kit comes with 2 flamers and 2 meltaguns… but no other heavy options. Thankfully, you do get some new heads and a sweet cigar-toting arm. S moking is still cool in the underhive. Skills are the same, Brawn and Combat for primaries, with Agility, Ferocity, Leadership, and the newly added Piety for secondaries. It would have been nice to get a more…usable set of primaries for the Firebrand, but you can’t always get what you want, huh? Like Word-Keepers, Firebrands get an upgraded equipment list, but there are no real surprises. Have no fear, heavy crossbows are very much still in play. Then (and only then) will the crusade move on to battle the forces of darkness, keeping their fellow citizens safe from the real or imagined mutants, witches and gangs of Heretics wandering their locale by shooting them on sight.

But for Redemptionists, sin exists in every creature, which can be purged only through bloodshed. A few cardinals within the Ecclesiarchy see these cults as breeding grounds for assassins of the faith. A Crusade is a gathering led by a religious figurehead, thus often has a more focused direction than a mob.Finally, before the gang can get any games in, the Leader (of which you can only take one) has to choose a Path of Faith. We’ll dive a bit more into this later, but it’s the set of available miracles that the gang can perform during a battle. Ok, on to the fighter breakdown! Flame Templates: Nobody in the Underhive can bring more template weapons to a fight than a Cawdor gang. It’s all thanks to a little weapon called the Polearm/Blunderbuss and it is the TRUTH. The trashbois can even do it cheaply which is truly wild. Their cheap template weapons are not only extremely effective at short range, they’re extremely reliable, can act as versatile weapons, and set people on fire! What more could you possibly ask for?! So if it is VanSaar that is added, do you think they will add new items too, or just throw them in to the game as it is? Outlander (Novel), which gives a story of three House Cawdor gangs, and a sense of day to day Cawdor life

Piety Skills were introduced in House of Faith. They’re mostly pretty good! This is great, as Cawdor desperately needed access to quality skills.

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By providing them with weapons and religious encouragement, the Ecclesiarchy sometimes uses Redemptionists to fight proxy wars against common enemies.