Tribes of the Wasteland: Ash Waste Nomads
Well we are back again, Ash Waste Nomads are the second none-house gang to receive their own book and so I'm here to help us all go through the “Tribes of the Wasteland” and see what new tips and tricks we can reveal!
Why choose Nomads?
Ash Waste Nomads are a quick gang with some amazing skill options and unique mechanics. If you like making people fight you on your own terms, or you are a big fan of the Freman or Tuskan Raiders, then regardless of where you fight in the Wastes or the Hive, no matter the boards you are playing on, the Nomads have an answer.
The Nomads are a quick paced gang that utilise ambush tactics, shock weaponry and manipulating the visibility to control the game from the first turn.
What makes them different?
Nomads have a unique aesthetic in the mysterious raiders that strike from the ash storms with unique weapons and unorthodox weapons and tactics. The Nomads utilise the shock trait more than any other gang in the game, have their own weapon traits in Haywire, have their own unique ambush mechanic for Hunters and even have their own trading post culminating in probably the most thematic feeling gang in Necromunda.
So let's start with the weapons of the nomads:
Ranged
Blast carbine - Rapid fire 1, 10”/24” range, +2 to hit in short range and shock? Its no secret how much I love these pea shooters, they are the workhorse of the Nomads list. Being able to wound even the toughest models if you roll that 6 to hit and also giving even a Dust Runner a 3+ to hit at short range with Rapid Fire 1 is 10/10. Now you can upgrade this with the Electrostatic Generator (more on this later) it's even dangerous against vehicles.
Blast Rifle - Competing with the Lasgun it has a smaller short range (10”/24”) to get your +1 to hit, it doesn't have plentiful but also gets shock. Personally I think the carbine is worth the credit bump for the rapid fire and extra hit chance. I still think that if they had made this +1 to hit at long range instead it would have a use but even with the Electrostatic Generator it just pales to the Blast Carbine.
Blast Pistol - Pistol with shock for 15 credits, I’m more and more looking to add pistols to my melee fighters and for 15 credits being able to potentially roll a 6 and wound something super tough is nothing to sniff at, especially if you get pinned before your charge, at least you can do some damage if you stand up and have nowhere to run to.
Venom Caster - A blast template with toxin, again i've been vocal about how much I love this, its not the best for its cost but its super thematic and can do some serious damage, especially against multi wound models. Great in the Hive, because it doesn’t work against vehicles it has less uses in the hive. Still good though.
Charge Caster - A missile launcher but replace Frag with Blast. This caster is a slightly shorter range (20”/40”) and Frag has AP -1 and knockback compared to Blast ammo being no AP, knockback but gains shock. Also its 10 credits less, now you can also add Electrostatic Ammo for an additional 20 credits you get a 3” blast marker with ap-1, damage 2 and Haywire, great against vehicles and pointless against anything else.
Heavy Blaster - Rapid fire 2, S4 with Shock but only damage 1, it is basically a Heavy Stubber with Shock and a slightly shorter range and 5+ ammo, with the right combos can be a game changer against vehicles and is still very handy against everything else as well. Can be upgraded with the Electrostatic Generator to make mince meat of any vehicles you come across.
Long Rifle - Not exclusive to Nomads but being able to take them on gangers as a basic weapon is superb, especially if you interpret that as them being a basic weapon for the purposes of being allowed a gun shroud… Ask your Arbitrator and if they sign it off you might want to think about it. Regardless they are bloody good on gangers who also get access to cunning as primary as well as anyone else for that matter, especially if you are in the wastes and hit that visibility issue of being forced to fire at long range modifiers, that's when they are at their best.
Reclaimed Auto/stub guns - Basically the same as the standard version but with worse ammo roll. It's cheap and better things can be taken most of the time.
Lasgun - What's not to love? Its a 2+ ammo roll with plentiful, the only issue with the Lasgun is the blast carbine exists and is so potent for its cost.
Shotgun - Happy to get this in the Nomad Trading Post, and not a scavenged version either. It gets even better when you add the nomad unique ammo, electrostatic for yet another cheap haywire weapon.
Web Pistol - Web pistols are great and even better on the Sha’Dar Hunter which we will get onto later.
Laspistol/Autopistol - always good potions for cheap pistols, nothing changes with them being options for nomads.
Close Combat
Chain Lance - Chain Lances are great weapons with versatile 2” and +2 Strength, AP-2 and Damage 2. These things are already amazing but now you can add Electrostatic Discharge for 20 credits and against vehicles you are getting -1 AP and Damage 2 with Haywire, that might be the most dangerous anti vehicle weapon going.
Long Blade - +1 to hit, AP-2 and parry for 30 credits is not too shabby and definitely worth it.
Mono Hook - A melee weapon with a blip of AP(-1) and damage 2 with Pulverise, that will do nicely.
Stalking Knife - Similar to a fighting knife for 5 credits more, for that extra creds you get +1 to hit. A solid choice, especially on a cheap fighter.
Now to finish off the close combat weapons, let's look at the Hunter exclusive melee weapons.
Bone Talons - Strength user, Ap-1 and damage 1 with rending for only 20 credits, that’s not too bad for a cheap melee weapon but unfortunately is outshined a little by other weapons.
Chitin Dagger - Strength user again with damage 1, Backstab and Rending for 15 credits is basically a fighting knife with Rending for the same price. I really wish I could get these on my normal mooks because I would 100% hand these out to everyone with a spare weapon slot.
Chitin Gauntlet - Strength +1, Ap-1, damage 1 and Pulverise. Priced at 25 credits it's not my first pick but it's definitely in my top 3 for the Hunter weapons. Being able to wound most fighters on 3’s with Pulverise can really up your chances for that Coup De Gras.
Insective Knives - Strength user, AP-1, Damage 1 with Backstab and Chem delivery. This weapon gives me pause, on one side it's great because it's a fighting knife with Chem delivery, and there are some great choices for Chems, but the rules for it don't quite add up. RAW with Chem delivery weapons you hit your target, your opponent has to do a toughness test instead of a wound roll and if they fail then they are subject to the chem, you can't then do damage because you haven't rolled a wound roll.
It also says “When a weapon with the Chem Delivery trait is used, the fighter declares what kind of Chem they are firing at the target. This can be any Chem the fighter is equipped with (note that firing the weapon does not cost a dose of the Chem and that friendly fighters cannot be targeted), or if the weapon also has the Toxin or Gas trait, the fighter can use these Traits instead”, So again RAW you have to use a Chem if you have them on your fighter profile, this poses a problem. If you have a Chem on hand then you can't do any damage with the weapon, if you don't have a Chem then it's an expensive fighting knife. I really think this should have been a throwing knife profile instead but that might just be me.
Trident - One of the contenders for top spot of “best Hunter weapon” the Trident has Versatile 2”, -1 to hit at short range, Strength +1, Ap-1, damage 1 and shock for 30 credits. This is great, it's not quite a chain lance but at a 25 credit discount and the addition of shock it's well worth taking.
Venom Whip - The other contender for top spot the Venom Whip also has Versatile 2”, -1 to hit at short range but with Toxin for 30 credits. The main reason there is a contest between the 2 weapons is it really depends on who you are facing. If you are playing against fighter heavy gangs, maybe they are bringing multi wound fighters like Orlock or Goliath (or Ogryns) then I would take the Whip.
Venom Stave - I'm still not 100% sure how much I like this weapon. It's lacking the versatile range of the whip but does have Ap-1, Toxin and Pulverise so it's a deadly piece of kit but at 35 credits I think I would rather take the Chitin Gauntlets for a 10 credit discount, i’m happy to be proven wrong and will be doing more play testing with this to make a decision either way.
Booby Traps
Well its about time, the idea of Nomads being ambush hunters fits them being able to get Booby traps, now there are only 3 options which is a bit of a shame but let's take a little look.
Electrostatic Trap - Blast 5”, strength 2, Ap-1 and Damage 1 with single shot and haywire. For 50 credits this is a bit of a risk but can really mess with vehicles if used right. Imagine you are playing on a board that's entirely dangerous terrain so they are hugging the road, well now you need to be careful because you might get taken out by a mine as well.
Gas Trap - 5” blast again, this is a decent way to toxin dump an area you want, more useful in the hive in my opinion but can also deny your enemy potential cover or an objective if you're in the wastes.
Shock Trap - Well it had to happen didn’t it? Strength 3 and Damage 1 with shock using the 5” blast like the others, for 20 credits to me makes this one the best choice. Just to clarify as well, shock says “on a 6 to hit” but the Booby Trap rules don’t actually roll to hit but roll to see if its dud or not, so common sense says that's the 6 roll you need for the shock trait.
Nomad Trading Post
I won't go deep into the Nomad Trading Post (NTP) but what i will say is although I understand that people will be upset that the Nomads have lost access to the same weapons the rest of the gangs, I think that this is a great decision because theme is more important to me than anything.
Weapon Traits
Haywire - Haywire is the Nomads answer to the question of Vehicles. Lacking in any weapons that have high Damage nor massive Strength, the Nomads really needed a way to deal with vehicles reliably, the spirits did answer and provided Haywire.
“When a vehicle is hit by a weapon with this Trait, instead of rolling to wound roll a D6; on a result of 4+ the vehicle is wounded. If a weapon with the Haywire trait has a Strength of * then it causes no damage to fighters and does not cause them to become Prone and Pinned, otherwise resolve any hits normally.” No matter the strength of your weapon you can wound any vehicle on a 4+, suddenly Iron Crawlers are not so scary.
Fighters
Chieftain - The Chieftain can take multiple roles in your gang, with a 3+ WS and 2 Attacks it can be a decent melee fighter especially with access to Agility, Combat and Wasteland skills as Secondary and a 6” Movement Characteristic. Having access to Leadership, Savant and Cunning skills as Primary I think it makes a good utility piece as well.
Watcher - The standard Champion for the Nomads, the watcher boasts a 3+ BS, access to Shooting and Wasteland skills makes them well geared to ranged warfare and with Cunning, Ferocity and Leadership as Secondary there are a lot of different ways you could take a Watcher with a couple of advancements.
Stormcaller - Our Special Champion, i’m remis to call it the “Super Champion” as is often in reference to the alternative champion option in the house gangs (Death Maiden, Nacht-Ghul etc) but it still has a use. The Stormcaller when equipped with a Stormcaller Staff can change the visibility of the battlefield with a double action, if there is no visibility in play you bring it in at 24” and can increase or decrease by 6” each time. As standard the Stormcaller has a Helamite mount that unfortunately they cant get off makinging the Stormcaller locked to the Wastes only, which isn’t to much of a shame as that is thematic to the narrative of the Nomads, and they have a WS of 3+ and 2 attacks like the Chieftain
Sha’Dar Hunter - The newest addition to the Nomads, the Hunters have an ambush mechanic in the wastes that make them a superb utility damage piece, if you like getting into melee and causing havoc this is the model or you. If you are playing in the hive they are melee monsters, moving 6” an activation and 3+ WS with access to weapons that just blend fighters they are basically pseudo champions in my eyes.
Warrior - Standard Nomad fighter, but they are super quick with a movement of 6” and initiative of 3+ and access to Long rifles as basic weapons these guys are far from “basic”. Unfortunately they tend to get outshined by other things in the nomad rosta but being able to take one as a specialist on creation means you will more then likely be taking at least one warrior. I like giving my Specialist a Charge Caster ASAP and watch them be another thorne in your opponents backside.
Dust Rider - The Nomads Prospect slot, cheap when you consider the standard cost of the Helamite, 2 attacks makes them decent melee fighters with the right weapon and they get 4/4s for BS/WS, if you want to spec for Melee then you should look towards the stalking knife or long blade for the +1, meaning they are hitting on 3+ or the Blast Carbine or Long Rifle for ranged, letting you hit on 2+ in short range with the Carbine or 3+ at long range (which you will be at with the visibility rule in play) with the Rifle. Definitely worth thinking about for the wastes to fill Ganger slots efficiently, especially as they are hard to pin down due to their mounted movement.
Dust Runner - My favourite Juve in the Game to be honest, 35 credits gives you a fairly standard stat line but with the movement of 6” and access to the Blast Carbine makes these juves very efficient for their cost.
Outcast - Nomads version of Hive Scum, for a standard of 30 credits you can exceed the scenario limit of crew selection, if you are flush with credits and want to really make sure you have the advantage this is not a bad shout to get one or two of these guys. Because you get up to 60 credits worth of wargear (which you have to pay for) you can get them a Blast Carbine or Long Rifle and just lay down cover fire while your gang does the actual work.
Harrier - Bounty Hunters for Nomads, they function exactly the same except for a couple of rules, first of all if you wreck a vehicle you rol a d6, on a 3+ you gain d6x10 credits ,, as well as the standard “dead not alive” rule that lets you claim half a dead fighters credit cost, although if you claim both in a single game you are guaranteed to lose the Harrier for future games.
Spirits and Tribes
Technically this should be part of the “what makes us different” section but its such a large part of the new Nomads that I think it deserves its own section.
I spoke about the spirits from the Apocrypha Necromunda article and have made it very known how much I love them, now we have 4 distinct tribes that have their own spirits to roll for.
So let's have a quick talk about how you generate spirits, for every champion (Watcher and Stormcaller thanks to this update, previously it was only the Watcher) and your leader you roll a D6 and relate it to your tribes table, each spirit can be activated by a champion or leader at the start of their activation and can only be used once per dice i.e if you have 3 champs and a leader you get to roll 4 dice so you get 4 single use spirits. I have heard a lot of people say they don't like how random they are but personally I love it and would love to see more random mechanics in the game.
Oilrun stalkers-
The Nomads that live near/on the great Sump Seas on Necromunda, these guys are amazing in the hive, especially if you play on dense terrain or on Sump Boards
Sump Spirit - Using this you can effectively run straight forward gaining quick ground in tight ZM boards, retreat out of a bad spot through a wall or even charge through a wall to catch a model unaware and from behind (nice with backstab skill/weapons) only works on whatever level you are on but
Mutation Spirit - Strength and toughness +1 for an entire round? Yes please, its basically a free Stimm slug without the movement.
Vapour Spirit - Move through any terrain like the Sump Spirit but with the added benefit of just moving straight up? Amazing on boards with lots of levels to traverse.
Radiation Spirit - Add radphage to a weapon, I'd put this on a chain lance to make sure the thing I'm hitting dies or at least becomes ineffective but can be useful if you ust need to make sure whatever you hit dies asap.
Carapace spirit - +1 to armour for a turn is great if you are worried about getting ganked, maybe you are about to charge a brute or champion, maybe you are staring down a Ironhead bolter barrel, this will keep you going a bit longer.
Miasma spirit - Always considered to be in partial cover (I think it should say "at least partial cover) but if there is no cover and you need to move forward this is super useful.
I think the Oilrun Stalkers are a good choice for those people who like movement shenanigans and are forgiving if you find yourself out of position, one of the better choices especially in the Hive.
Dustwall crawlers -
Based around the Dustwall surrounding Secundus, the Dustwall Crawlers are even more isolationist then nomads often are and are considered strange by other Nomads. If you want to play weird Nomads with mutations and the like this is the one to choose.
Chitin Spirit - No AP can hit you until your next activation, really helpful if you know you need to deal with a brute or champ that has, say, a mining laser or melta gun.
Toxin Spirit - One of the poorer Spirits but if you are within 3" of a few models as you activate, why not force them to take a toxin hit before rushing in to do more damage. Also nothing says they have to be in LoS so maybe you can do this through doors?
Fire Spirit - Add 2 attacks and 1 to ws rolls for an activation? You can also give it to someone else within 12", including the Duneskuttler… it's great to see this spirit come back into the new lists.
Darkness Spirit - Until your next activation you can only be hit on a roll of a natural 6? Perfect, no notes
Insect Spirit - Less good then the others but forcing a handling check or become Stationary & Stalled but also is considered difficult terrain for enemy fighters within 3" of the model. Not bad for slowing an advance and if you are in the hive you can use it to deny your opponent a route for a turn.
Blood Spirit - in the world of trading, sometimes its worth taking an injury dice to spread a toxin dice back to your opponent. Not fantastic but not useless.
The Dustwall Crawlers seem to be the tanky choice, focusing on survival you can really weather the storm with this tribe.
Grey waste walkers -
The box art Tribe, the Grey Waste Walkers are the most social of all the tribes, trading with hivers on the regular and raiding those in their territories.
Ash Spirit - Blind people within 3" of you on a failed initiative check? It's alright if you find yourself near a bunch of people or are close to a heavy weapon that you don't want to start firing. As there is no mention of being in LoS you can even do this to someone you are above/below.
Electro Spirit - All shock goes off on a hit 12/10 no notes, this was my favourite spirit in the Apocrypha list so it's great to see it back.
Life Spirit - Recover all Flesh wounds instead of activating. Nice if you scrape away from a fight, beat up and bloody, recover your flesh wounds and get back into the fight.
Road Spirit - Extra 2" movement can be crucial for getting a good charge off, if you combine with the Stormwalker skill you can get an additional 4” of movement on the battlefield surface on a model that's already at least movement 5.
Scrap Spirit - Place a 5” blast marker on your chosen champ and every Enemy model takes a s3 hit, Pin a big bunch if done right.
Technology Spirit - AoE click card.... what's not to love, you can place a 5” blast template anywhere within 6” of your chosen champ and everything within the marker has to do an ammo check, this does include your own guys but if you're smart you can potentially ruin someone's plan. I'm a big fan of this one.
As the Poster children of the Nomads their spirits are decent and have a lot of versatility, there are some nice combo options, very versatile.
Leadsky seers (my favourite currently) -
Storm Spirit - Teleport anywhere outside of Visibility (X) in return for an activation, super helpful when doing objective games, requires visibility rules to work so better in the wastes where the storm caller can make the visibility really low by the end of turn 2. Because it takes your entire activation I would use it to move onto an objective but it has many uses.
Motion Spirit - Move 5" or more and gain full cover until your next activation. Super handy especially when all your guys have a minimum movement characteristic of 5”, this would also allow you to charge over 5” and be -2 to hit on reaction attacks and other incoming attacks until your next activation.
Blade Spirit - Change a single melee weapon to have ap-3 and damage +1 for their activation That's one seriously dangerous charge, for example you could get a Longblade to be +1 to hit, Ap-3 and Damage 2.
Eclipse Spirit - Sacrifice all attacks but 1 but gain sever on that attack? You could use this on a ride by and increase your chance of out of actioning a target is well worth having.
Chem Spirit - Place a 5" Blast centered on this model and the ground around it becomes dangerous terrain only for the enemy? Then you get to activate and bugger off? That's superb area denial for 1 turn.
Chance Spirit - Lucky? Get to make any dice you want that activation a 1 or a 6. Paired with a shock weapon and precision shot and you are auto hitting, wounding and no armour saves allowed. Just remember you need to declare it straight away and not roll the dice then decide.
Yea i’m a big fan of the Leadsky Seers, I love their aesthetic and the Spirits they have have no duds, this is probably the best for out in the wastes.
Starting List
Now if you have read the previous guide on the Nomads, both the starting lists there (Boys over bugs and Bug over boys) are still valid and genuinely decent for Hive based games. If you want to add the new hunter models you can replace the Warrior Specialist for the Sha’Dar Hunter with Trident or Venom Whip for the same cost, just remember the Hunters don't get to use their Ambush mechanic in the Hive.
For the following lists I am focusing on the wastes, first up we have;
Riders on the Storm
This list is focusing on Speed and Maneuverability. I would begin by making the Visibility as low as possible before striking hard and fast, focusing on key targets to break the back of your opponent before mopping up.
Chieftain - Starting with Overseer as its skill, Conversion field for that 5+ save that can't be modified (and causes flash if you save a wound against everyone within 3”), Helamite mount and a Chain Lance. The plan is to use Overseer, and with a Leadership of 5+ it should be easy, on the Stormcaller to get the visibility as low as possible so you can strike hard and fast when the time is right. With the Chain Lance you can ride by attack people as you get into position with your 8” movement so you can charge the key targets and with a 3+ WS, 2 attacks as standard (plus 1 on the charge) and the extra Helamite Claw attack from their mount you can really stack up some damage to anyone within 2”.
Stormcaller - Equipped with Mesh Armour and the Stormcaller staff and the Fixer Skill.
The Stormcallers job is to make the visibility as low as possible and because you can reduce it by 6” as a Double action, combined with the Chieftains Overseer that’s reduced by 12” a turn, that means you can get to 6” visibility by the 2nd activation of turn 2 if you want it. Then it's time to charge.
Watcher - This Watcher has Mesh, a Helamite and a Long Rifle with the Skill, Bring it Down.
This Watcher runs with the pack, marking targets with Bring it Down, allowing all your Gang to re-roll any hit roll against a specified target. This is a great skill especially if you are fishing for 6’s with those shock weapons.
Watcher - A second Watcher and this one is the only member of the gang not on a mount, the Watcher is equipped with Mesh Armour and the Heavy Blaster along with Precision Shot as a skill. The Heavy Blaster and Precision Shot combo is a beast against vehicles, if you can score that 6 to hit you are not only auto wounding your target but also removing their armour saves. Pair this with the re rolls from Bring it Down and maybe one of the spirits like the Chance spirit you can wrack up the vehicle kills like nothing else, as well as being fairly decent at removing fighters as well.
Dust Riders x3 - So we have the hierarchy sorted for the gang, now is time for the work horses, the Prospects are mounted on a Helamite so they get the extra attack from their Helamite claws as well as their 2 attacks base making these a decent melee threat as well if you wanted to give them Long Blades down the line, but I have chosen for them to start with Blast Carbines. Now the Riders have better BS and WS then their runner counterparts at 4+ for both, with the carbine in short range that's now 2+ to hit. Wait for the visibility to be low enough that you can get into that short range without getting shot and wreak havoc.
Sha’Dar Hunter - Equipped with Mesh Armour, a Helamite mount and a Trident for more of that shock goodness the Hunter rounds this list off well. Coming in at the end phase of turn 2 and with an effective range of 8”+d3 from the charge and +2” from the trident, that's a potential charge of 13” and that's a threat your opponent has to consider at all times. If you want to hold off past turn 2 and wait for the right moment to strike, feel free, it's an ace in the hole for when you need it. If you want the hunter to specialise more in killing fighters then you can opt for the Venom Whip for the same cost but I think the Trident is an all round threat.
Hunt and Raid
Chieftain - Similar to the first list this Leader has Mesh Armour, Long Rifle and Overseer. Our main job with the Leader is to use Overseer on the Storm Caller again, and once the visibility is as low as you want it, they can support your Heavy Blaster Watcher to get more shots out of that bad boy.
Stormcaller - Stormcaller Staff and Fixer, so no armour on this one. For the first game or so you need to be careful with the Stormcaller in case it goes out of action and you don't get those Fixer credits but once the visibility is nice and low they are a decent melee threat on their Helamites using their Stormcaller staff.
Watcher - This first watcher has our Bring it Down skill and both a Long Rifle and a Long Blade, all while riding a Helamite. As with the last list, your main objective with this model is to target threats and priority targets with Bring it Down, letting your gang get their re rolls to Hit against the target and play keep away using the mounts speed.
Watcher - The second Watcher again has the Heavy Blaster and Precision Shot. combined with Bring it Down on your other watcher to fish for 6’s this weapon can do serious work on even the biggest Rigs on the Wastes.
Dust Riders x2 - One equipped with a Blast Carbine and the other has a Stalking Knife and a Reclaimed Stub Gun. The Carbine Rider can be used to shoot and run in that close range while the Stalker Knife Rider is definitely wanting to charge in with its 2 attacks base and the +1 to hit from the Stalker Knife means they are hitting on 3’s in melee and thanks to its Backstab trait if you can get into your target outside of their vision arc then you are fighting at Strength 4.
Sha’Dar Hunter - It would be rude not to add a Hunter into this list, and this time I went for Mesh Armour and a Venom Whip. The Venom Whip can obviously swap out with the Trident if you want to be able to damage vehicles as well, but the idea for this fighter is to assassinate Leaders and Champions your opponent brings.
Warrior Specialist - Initially equipped with a Long Rife, I would be saving up quickly to get the specialist a Charge Caster and raining fire upon your opponent between this and the Heavy Blaster Champ while the rest of your gang gets in amongst the enemy and sows chaos.
Duneskuttler - I couldn't help myself, the Duneskutler is a melee monster and in the wastes it's amazing at running forward as the Stormcaller reduces visibility, only revealing itself when it's charging in, by which time so will the rest of your gang. Keep your opponent guessing at what the biggest priority is by running this Big Bug into their vehicles while they are also being shot at by the Heavy Blaster, all while everyone gets rerolls to hit from the Watcher with Bring it Down.
Campaign Progression
Exotic Beasts
It's worth to note that as none of these beasts have the ash cloak they are all affected by the battlefield conditions unlike the Nomads themselves, I think this was an oversight and any arbitrators out there might want to house rule this.
Ashwing Helamites (Hierarchy only) - 30 credits, 0-2 - The 9” leash is amazing, especially as they can fly so you can use them to attack people on different levels. You can also use a basic action to throw a “lure” basically giving the Ashwing an activation of its own (as long as it stays within 9” of the lure. You can pick the lure up and move it with any fighter and the Ashwing has a single attack with toxin and that's nothing to sniff at. You could also throw a lure into a transport bed of a vehicle and the Ashwings will chase the vehicle until someone moves it off the bed which is funny.
Unbound Helamites - 30 credits, 0-2 - If you are on a Helamite and fail your “I get knocked down” check, you can do another initiative check to pass it off to your unbound mite, basically if you get shot while mounted you get 2 3+ initiative checks to avoid the falling damage and being pinned, it's important to note that if your spare Helamite goes down it doesn't get the falling damage like a mounted fighter would. Alternatively you can use these guys as a normal pet, they aren't the best, with 1 attack, strength and toughness 3 and AP-1 on its attack. I would probably use this as cover whenever possible to reduce the chance your fighter takes the hit, but if they manage to pass their checks to shoot at you there is still a chance that it doesn't do as much damage as it could potentially do. It's also worth noting that you can take these guys into the hive where as the mounts can't be.
Arthromite spireworm (Hunter only) - 45 credits, 0-2 - These little worms can infiltrate in with the Sha’Dar Hunters and provide a bit of potential cover for the Hunter, with 1 wound, 1 attack base, 4+ Weapon skill, strength and Toughness 3 and rending it has some potential damage but a later game purchase I think. They are also -1 to be hit by ranged attacks and can never be the target of a stray shot, finally they can also charge though terrain but with the standard 3” leash it is limited in use.
Brute and Hanger on
Now eagle eyed readers might have noticed that you used to be able to take 4 hangers on in the book of the outland, unfortunately that is no longer the case.
Now there is only a single Hanger on and just as it was before only one Brute, so lets take a look.
Arthromite Duneskuttler - A melee monster, This big bug is basically an Ogryn with a 6” move and Nerves of Steel and Fearsome skills from creation as well as Heavy Carapace as standard and 4 attacks. I love this Brute, but wait there's more! Big Bug also comes with 2 special rules;
Hard to Kill - When suffering a Lasting Injury roll, roll twice and choose one result to apply. This lets you throw your Skuttler into all sorts of danger knowing the likelihood of him dying is very low.
When an Arthromite Duneskuttler climbs, the vertical distance they move is not halved. In other words, they always count as climbing up or down a ladder, charging up the side of buildings? Why the Hell not? For tall boards this can be a game charger as people will struggle to adjust, think your heavy weapon champion is safe because they are 6 inches up? Boom! Charge up the side of the building and punish them for their insolence. Against vehicles the Duneskuttler is also great with its 4 attacks base with AP-1 and damage 2 and Rending it can get some serious work done on any target it comes across.
Arthromite Herder - Paired with the Duneskuttler this hanger on boosts your big bug to being truly a force to be reckoned with. For 40 credits it has 2 functions, as part of the post battle sequence you can choose to do one of the following things;
Artromite Whispers - If not in Recovery, roll a 3+ to heal a Lasting Injury. What’s that? The already hard to kill Duneskuttler is now shaking off lasting injuries? It must be related to the cockroach because this pain train doesn't stop.
Training Program: This fighter can pass an Intelligence test (7+) to give the Duneskuttler D3 XP. So my Bug hasn't taken any lasting injuries, why not see if i can give it more exp for free?
I would get this hanger on ASAP if you have a Duneskuttler as it will pay for itself time and time again.
I'm a big fan of Hangers on and it's a shame that we have lost the other 3 options from the Book of the Outland, again if you find yourself looking to expand this list, speak to your arbitrator and maybe claim back the Rogue Doc, Slopper and Ammo Jack. If you're thinking of other options I would look at the Proxy as well to gain access to the standard trading post (albeit without any modifiers outside of the proxies +1).
Equipment
Electrostatic Generator - A weapon accessory you can attach to the Blast Carbine, Blast Rifle and Heavy Blaster, if you add this 25 credit upgrade you gain the Haywire trait on the weapon allowing you to wound a vehicle on a 4+.
Electrostatic Pulse Emitter - for 70 credits you get a once per game 5” blast template that only affects vehicles, but it hits those vehicles at Strength * (not needed) Ap-1 and Damage 2 with the Haywire trait, meaning they wound the vehicle on a 4+ regardless. Additionally all vehicles hit by this Blast template become stationary and stalled. This could ruin gangs playing on rolling roads scenarios as well as any scenarios where the ground is dangerous terrain and they were relying on the transport beds to keep them alive.
Treatment Pouch - Lacking the option to buy the Rogue Doc the Nomads can instead buy Treatment Pouches for 50 credits and make any fighter a Doc. So a Fighter equipped with a treatment pouch may perform a Medical Escort post-battle action even if the fighter is not normally eligible to perform post-battle actions. When you use the Treatment Pouch it does not cost any credits, however, a result of a 6 on the table is treated as Stabilised rather than Full
Recovery. It's worth pointing out that RAW you can give this to a fighter that has the “Tools of the Trade” rule and only add it to fighters not taking part in the battle so is always available to be used, but at the same time it might be worth spamming on your Juves and Gangers so you're Hierarchy can focus on getting a good scavenge roll.
Venom Sacs - Basically a Chem Synth for Nomads, “At the start of their activation, a Standing and Active or Standing and Engaged fighter with venom sacs can choose to make an Initiative test. If the test is passed, any weapons with the Gas and/or Toxin traits they use until the end of their activation are enhanced and the target’s Toughness is reduced by 1 when resolving attacks from those weapons.” Very handy for those Toxin weapons but I have no idea why it costs 35 credits instead of 15 like the Chem Synth.
Telescopic sights - The Nomads have a few weapons that give bonus’ to hit in close range, the Blast Carbine for example gives you a +2 to hit within 10”, making even your Juves which would usually be hitting on a 5+ suddenly hit on a 3+ which is huge. If you give these weapons telescopic sights then while you aim, regardless of whether you are shooting at short or long range, your Juves are hitting on a 2+ and that's not bad at all if you have the credits to burn.
Chems
Milk of the Harpy - Increase your movement characteristic by 2” and their attack characteristic by 1 but if you don't move a minimum of 5” a turn you take a flesh wound. If you have a fighter with a versatile weapon that can let you move and fight without getting tied up in combat then it could be a great way to increase your effectiveness, you can also deliver this to enemy fighters using the Insectoid Knife. I would be tempted to inject this into your opponent's heavy weapon fighter and laugh as they run about, unable to do anything useful for the entire game without taking a flesh wound for their trouble.
Ash Orchid Venom - Every time a fighter on this Chem activates, they must make a willpower test, if they pass they can activate as normal, if they fail they are limited to a single activation. Regardless of if they passed or not you can remove a flesh wound at the end of the activation. During the End Phase, you can attempt to shake off the effects of the Chem by rolling 2d6 and adding your toughness, if you get over a 10 then you shake the effects.
This is an interesting choice as you can potentially recover a flesh wound every round but if you don't have a good willpower you could be in trouble.
Tears of the Storm - In return for gaining the insane condition you gain an additional activation. This is already unlikely to be something you want to give to your own fighters as Inane is a harsh (if incredibly funny) condition. Again during the End Phase you can try and shake the effects but if you do you don't lose the insane condition and only do a single action for the rest of the battle. Definitely something I would like to administer to an enemy fighter, shame there is no way to do that at range.
Duststalker Mandibles - While on this Chem you can ignore the Visibility (x) special rule in return for all your attacks gaining the Reckless trait and if you get hit with any flash weapons you automatically fail. There is also a good chance you can become addicted to this Chem, during the Wrap-up Phase you need to take a toughness test (with a +1) or become addicted.
Again I think this is more of a Chem you want to administer to an opponent's fighter, man I wish the Nomads had a ranged weapon with Chem Delivery.
Combos
Uber Hunter - Hunter (65 creds), chain lance (NTP 55 creds) , primary skill upgrade - backstab, ambush 9” away and behind a model, striking at s6, ap-2 and d2 per attack, hitting on 4+ but 3 attacks.
Vehicle Killer - Watcher with Heavy Blaster and Precision Shot - 6’s to hit auto wound and deny any armour saves. Overkill on most gangers but amazing against vehicles (how did i miss this first time round), if paired with Leadsky Seers’ chance spirit for an auto 6 once per game. You could guarantee at least 2 rolls of the vehicle dice with potential for 6, if you can't roll a vehicle with all that then you're not trying hard enough.
Ash Storm - Leader with Overseer and Storm caller - use the leaders activation to allow the storm caller to double activate and change the weather. If there is no visibility issues in play you can get the visibility down to 18” turn 1 and by turn 3 (when your hunters come in to play) it can be as low as it goes at 6”
Hyper Watcher - A Watcher can move 5” but with Stormwalker as long as you start your activation on the battlefield surface you gain an extra 2” of movement. Vapor and Sump spirits from the Oilrun stalkers and on a flat ZM board you can charge 5”+2”+d3” by the most direct route as you ignore terrain, or if you are on a SM board you can use the Vapor spirit to do the same in any direction, meaning you can stand under someone above you and still make a charge without fear of being shot before hand. To make this really filthy pair it with Hip Shooting with a web gun or Venom Caster and you have a 22” effective range, and why not throw milk of the harpy in for another 4” (that’s 26” of effectiveness) you can thank Gaz from GFR for the second half of that combo.
Or you can go Grey Waste Walkers, use the road spirit with the above combo and gain an extra 2” per move for 30” effective range, if we are being really silly you add overseer from your leader to give the Watcher an activation before you do this and you can add 14” of additional movement, that’s 44” of threat, Speedy Gonzalez eat your heart out.
Vehicle buster Juves - Dustrunner (35), blast carbine (25) electro-gen (25) means a 85c Juve is potentially doing 3 hits on 3s to hit at short range. 6s auto wound (obvs) but have a 4+ every other time to wound vehicles. You can swarm these come the mid game.
Closing Thoughts
This is the type of update I want for every gang in Necromunda, it seems that the writing team focused on the theme above everything else and I love it so much. Now there are definitely things I would want to add and change (i’m only (Ab)Human after all, but honestly reducing the options available to the gang with the addition of exclusive items makes the Nomads feel like that they are not just another flavour of the House gangs, instead they feel unique and interesting.
The addition of Helamites for everyone is a welcome change and Electrostatic and Haywire weapons give the Nomads an answer to Vehicles that they were sorely needing.
I have made no secret about how much I loved about the Nomads in the Book of the Outland, the additional rules from the Tribes of the Wasteland only round out a gang that I already thought was incredibly fun to play, and play against.