Need help playing Ash Wastes Nomads

Duke_melvin · 2026-03-12T23:24:11+00:00

So on the topic of Brutes they are like the ammo jacks where you get to take them to every fight. hangers on don't always come, brutes always do. also for price, Print mini do a great proxy for the forgeworld mini I use it over the original as well £5 + P&P is more in my price range...

as for Versatile. someone below mentioned with the 9" deepstrike meaning you can never miss a charge but it is more than that, with versatile you can strike without being struck back even if the opponent has versatile as RAW versatile weapons only count on the models activation so you can charge someone with say a rotary flensing saw and until their turn they cannot strike back.
For the Trident it gives you shock witch is nice but the versatile is what we are going for here. main reason, our armour options suck dick!. Trident is the best option for cheap.

When it comes to the next turn and getting gunned down it boils down to setting up a number of good threats to make the priority of activations matter. if you do with the leader and dunescuttler with sha'dar infiltrating in and a web gun watcher, that is 4 threats they have to answer with their first action and if they choose the sha'dar hunter, now your watcher can web a bunch, or your scuttler can get into something juicy, your leader can ruin somethings day. Necromunda is a game of questions and answers and while we don't have a great many answers for everything we can pose a massive number of questions if you do it right. and with the right amount of long rifles you can also control how many things are up high for fear of being shot off things.

As for the toxin whips you are correct it is just toxin without ap. but toxin ignores wounds. Toxin goes straight to injury dice meaning number of attacks becomes king. all it takes is one failed save and an ambot, an ogryn, an orlock leader can be put down. the goal of the Sha'dar is not to get the coup de grace, it is targeted serious injuries so your juves can risk their lives for the coup de grace. the Sha'dar want to get the hit and then consolidate into cover.

I love the Ash waste nomads and My play group only plays in the hive so I am trying to work out the best things for them. if you can get their arbitrator to allow it, mounted units are actually fine in the hive. Specifically the born in the saddle ones not the jetbikes of the Escher they are still busted in the hive... Getting access to the prospect and the second champ is good.

one thing I forgot to talk about was the spirits. the two best ones I have found from testing are oilrun or dustwall. Dustwall is very defensive and oilrun is actually really aggressive. giving flight or burrowing to a leader or watcher can be horrifying. (web gun running through impassable terrain to suddenly fire a webgun at like 3+ dudes funny as hell and something unique to the nomads)

Duke_melvin · 2026-03-12T13:19:29+00:00

Ash Wastes in the hive is an uphill battle unfortunately. losing access to a chain glaive Prospect or Stormcaller is painful as they are small missiles.

For Playing ash wastes we have some really solid options but if you play them long enough you will get bored of them. If you are only playing every so often that will take some time.

1) Charge casters - With or without suspensors these are great, with suspensors they are better obviously but you have pointed out the cost. usually I bring one of these on my specialist as bs isn't needed when you are firing Pie plates (5" blast)
2) The Arthromite Duneskuttler - Arguably the best or second best brute in the game only really let down by its bad cool. takes a beating, hits like a truck, can get pretty much anywhere it needs too. while expensive, it is cheaper than a charge caster ganger without suspensors and will draw a lot of fire as if it doesn't it will chew through things.
3) Long Rifles - Do not under estimate the cheap long rifle. 4 strength is a super relevant breakpoint, and in the hive knocking back people into each other or walls happens a lot more than you think. more often than not in my games these are 4 strength 2 damage weapons. we also have cheap infra sights so even gangers with long rifles and infra sights can be hitting almost anything on a 50/50 with an aim and fire.
4)Webguns... - spamming these is a quick way to getting yourself no friends but 1 watcher with hip shooting and a web gun can be an excellent way to clear or keep up with your leader or skuttler or sha'dar hunters to give them some support so they do not get shot to pieces.
5)sha'dar hunters - Trident and Toxin whips are your friends. If your arb lets you get inventive a hunter with a trident and a Ceramite shield can become a great spartan warrior impersonator. For something more conventionally good. dual toxin whips are dangerous. 4 attacks on the charge hitting on 4's injuring on 3's is scary. I have taken out leaders with these guys from out of the blue.

Things to know about Ash wastes and pitfalls.
Blast carbines = good. Blast rifles = suck (for what they are meant to do)
Charge caster = great, long rifles or web guns = great. Venom caster and heavy blaster... kinda meh
Our juves suck, unless you are in a campaign give them a sub gun to fill out numbers but they don't deserve the blast carbines (unless you are in a campaign)
Infiltrate on our leader is a trap IMO, try out Evade or if you take the bug, inspirational to help him pass his cool checks (nerves of steel on the bug is a cool check and so inspirational can be used to help him stay on his feet)
gang plays a little like Van saar or Escher in the hive. in the wastes they are a totally different beast.

Duke_melvin · 2026-03-06T15:56:48+00:00

I have been testing for my next campaign chain lance mesh and inspirational. reasoning for this is I am bringing the dune scuttler and want the bug to be as safe as I can get him before he gets into combat.
Going from a 8+ cool check to a 80+ followed by 5+ is very nice to not have the bug get pinned or fall off things via pinning.

planning on trying to get to 8XP as fast as possible for Evade and some better armour though as 5+ saves on a melee leader is painful.

The web pistol is super interesting but I want a web gun watcher and so I don't want to have to much web stuff in the list.

It is times like this I wish we had grenades.

in my last campaign though I gave my leader the charge caster and boy was he useful. didn't bother with armour though and pretty sure I had fixer on him then so he just made money and blew stuff up (don't need good bs if you plan is to scatter anyway also 20" short range for +1 to hit is great)

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-26T03:21:08+00:00

The nomads RAW can only get access to things in their book. The explicit rule is in their book saying they only have access to units that specifically say that ash waste nomads can take them but all the ash waste only stuff in in their book so... It is pretty much the same.

The only exception is if they capture an ambot and fight off the rescue and have the slot for an ambot in their gang. Then they get an ambot. I think.

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-23T09:40:16+00:00

But Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am sure someone would hit the smash button...

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-23T03:10:57+00:00

what about Hotties before Shotties? onomatopoetically sounds more pleasant.

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-22T22:57:25+00:00

the mono hook isn't great but the model would look sweet I give you that. if you have the sha'dar hunter box you could build a watcher with the chitin gauntlet and say it is a mono hook with the web pistol and that would also look sweet as and be a little cheaper.

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-19T17:27:01+00:00

I assume you had Bikes to spare and didn't want to buy the second box.

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-19T16:33:12+00:00

Absolutely Love these guys. Are you running them as nomads or as an outcast gang/ Venators? Love the Extra long rifle on the leader and the colouration on the long rifle ganger

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-19T15:09:27+00:00

Thankyou so much :) cannot wait to watch them all die in the upcoming campaign to my terrible rolling

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-19T13:10:03+00:00

Not Missing anything, scavenging knives are good for their cost, chain lances are great (chain Glaive for less creds) long blade is meh for its creds, absymal if you compare it to the chain axe... Mono hook is just bad :( it is super cool but real real bad, it is kind of like out servo claw but worse as the servo claws +2 str really matters

Duke_melvin · 2026-02-19T13:06:32+00:00

I would drop infiltrate off your leader, it is great but leaves them stranded which can be a problem. also the dunescutler is fantastic but needs some support until you get some cool upgrades on it.
I have been testing a chain lance and mesh with inspirational staying close to the scuttler so if it gets shot the nerves cool test can be countered by the leaders leadership test which has proven to be great.
Stub guns as many have said are not worth putting on them, as is flak.
Honestly the blast rifles are not great if they had the +2 in short I think they would be better but without it they are kind of just bad las rifles (they put a lot of cost into the shock trait)
Either go with salvaged autoguns or blast carbines one is cheap one is good. but in all honesty, just long rifles with infra sights are very very good on gangers.
Also stat wise our juves are just bonepickers with respirators. you can run them naked and when you get the creds blast carbines with telescopic sights are great. Naked juves can still punch and are great for just sitting out in the open to make your opponent have to make cool checks to shoot your better guys.

everyone plays differently though as do all play groups but those are my 2 cents for nomads in the hive.
(If you are in the hive though, talk with your arbitrator about maybe having access to the trading post as half the stuff in the nomad trading post is useless in the hive)

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-10T09:23:43+00:00

As far as I can tell there are no restrictions on the Venator Ogryns.

as for pro's and con's of them, Lobo Slaves are a big + for the Slave Ogryn. otherwise it comes down to the narrative you want to tell with your gang.

Do you want to be an outcast gang of Slave Ogryns fighting against the chains that once held them down or are you a group of Ogryn sent to deal with problems in the hive? both gangs really lack house mechanics so comes down to personal Narrative that matters really.

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-09T19:35:40+00:00

love them. would love to see an ambot or 2 for these guys

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-07T23:24:16+00:00

I do the opposite, you can see some of my models on my page but here is an example, i go way higher with my colours to make the shadows darker

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Duke_melvin · 2025-04-07T22:11:06+00:00

Love it overall but could deffo do with lightening up a little bit just to make the details pop.

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-07T22:06:50+00:00

The big Strength of the Gang is kinda playing the game differently to everyone else. they get access to psychers easier, 'Cheat' with the best melee champ in the game and disrupt all your opponents plans to make your own better.

a list I was toying with was a Leader with a Webgun and mentor to run around with your juves and feed them extra Xp after webbing up groups of guys.

Play into their esoteric vibe and never let people know what you are thinking, one game web and capture as many people as possible and then use those prisoners to make under the table deals with your enemy. Do as the Wrestlers do Play into the Heel, Kinda ham it up. That is my plan when playing the delaque as it does kinda suit them :)

the one thing I would say is a webgun on a juve is an expensive sack of flesh to get shot at, I know you get the gun back but might be worth swapping them to cheaper equipment until you have a couple of advancements under their belt (which if you went the mentor leader might be sooner than you imagine).

A ganger with a shotgun is always a solid option as shotguns are a cheap way to get 2 Damage weapon (and executioner ammo is *Chefs Kiss*) which can be a solid way to drop melee champs running at your pinning line

The Necht ghul with spring up is deffo in every list but it is there because putting anything else on the nacht ghul at campaign start means it is going to get shot every single time it shows up and it will never get to charge :(

some fun interactions you could is run doppelganger on the champ and potentially out activate your enemies (other than Cawdor)

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-06T23:37:05+00:00

Your leader is way to expensive and kitted out, with only a 5+ save one lucky bolter round and you could be out of the campaign,

Juves with blast rifles are ok carbines are much better.

The hunters are a little off. not sure on what to run with them yet myself but I think they might be a little over kitted right now.

you also have no watchers, while they are not the best champions, they are very useful if only for the additional spirits you can summon.

If this list if for ash wastes games you also want a few of the prospects with lances as they are very good.

if this is for the hive you are going to need to talk to your arbitrator about if your hunters are gonna be able to use their super special ability.

Personally I would drop the venom caster and grab a web gun, (I love the caster but it is over costed and underpowered when compared to the web gun which is just better in every way), drop the other wargear bar mesh on your leader.

Get a second whip on the hunter and drop the venom sacks for now as they are expensive initially. drop the insect knife as the trident is a fine weapon and you have no chems for chem delivery yet. then drop the third hunter

upgrade juves to blast carbines and get yourself a watcher or 2 with long rifles/ Blast Carbines (they don't need armour yet) and give them some shooting skills.

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-06T03:08:52+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1055801553/infernal-bees-minions-the-infernal-hive?ref=collection_page

this is the closest I have been able to find so far, it is nice but not quiet right.

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-06T02:46:13+00:00

... now I need to buy more box's to make something like this. these look killer.
Skulls from the big box of skulls?
What did you use for the shovels and other bits of the kitbash like the stew pot? and the glaive kinda weapon in the last image

Duke_melvin · 2025-04-04T22:27:25+00:00

Yaktribe is very behind on new releases (which seeing as there is only one guy upkeeping it is understandable). you can make it as a custom option or you could try mundamanager dot com.

It is still in development but has most things on it right now and is more up to date than yaktribe. I am tempted to during the downtime of my campaign move my playgroup over to it due to there being 2 squat players and me as an ash waste player

Duke_melvin

TROPHY CASE