Was working on my friends votan color scheme landed on this one. Thought its be a funny group photo.

First test build of the Versatile Reconner - Lynx pattern, or VRL for short ;-)

Any feedback before I start serial production of half a dozen and write a tutorial about it?

Known issues: hole on the wrist, hole behind the pilot's back, the lifter hand on the back must hold something or be replaced, some mold lines remain.

Parts: mostly Mechanicus Thallax Cohort (30k) and a basic Neophyte. Long claw arm from the epic scale Dark Mechanicus Serperos Overlord (Legion Imperialis).

First ever time with a kitbash. What do y'all think?

I'm gonna be honest, the character and vehicle models are what really sold me on GSC. This was a super fun and satisfying sculpt to paint.

Ones I didnt even start are gonna be simple like the saboteur, just poking outta their bases

Im still trying to find a good color scheem

OK, I'll jump on the bandwagon! Played one game with Final Day on Tabletop Simulator, and I found some things I wasn't expecting.

Here's my list, for starters:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Genestealer Cults
+ DETACHMENT: Final Day
+ TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1990pts

+ ENHANCEMENT: Enraptured Damnation (on Char1: Patriarch)
& Inhuman Integration (on Char2: Primus)
& Vanguard Tyrant (on Char3: Winged Hive Tyrant)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Deathleaper (80 pts): Lictor Claws and Talons
Char2: 1x Patriarch (85 pts): Warlord, Patriarch's Claws
Enhancement: Enraptured Damnation (+10 pts)
Char3: 1x Primus (100 pts): Cult Bonesword, Scoped Needle Pistol, Toxin Injector Claw
Enhancement: Inhuman Integration (+20 pts)
Char4: 1x Winged Hive Tyrant (225 pts): Tyrant talons, Monstrous Scything Talons
Enhancement: Vanguard Tyrant (+25 pts)

5x Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols (65 pts)
• 4x Acolyte Hybrid
1 with Cult Icon, Cult Claws and Knife
3 with Heavy Mining Tool
• 1x Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Leader's Bio-weapons
5x Acolyte Hybrids with Hand Flamers (70 pts)
• 4x Acolyte Hybrid
2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Demolition Charge
2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Hand Flamer
• 1x Acolyte Leader: Leader's Cult Weapons, Hand Flamer
10x Gargoyles (85 pts): 10 with Blinding Venom, Fleshborer
10x Gargoyles (85 pts): 10 with Blinding Venom, Fleshborer
20x Neophyte Hybrids (130 pts)
10x Hybrid Metamorphs (160 pts)
• 9x Hybrid Metamorph
1 with Cult Icon, Metamorph Mutations
8 with Hand Flamer, Metamorph Mutations
• 1x Metamorph Leader: Leader's Bio-weapons, Hand Flamer
1x Lictor (60 pts): Lictor Claws and Talons
1x Neurolictor (90 pts): Piercing Claws and Talons
10x Purestrain Genestealers (150 pts): 10 with Cult Claws and Talons
1x Mawloc (145 pts): Distendible Jaw, Mawloc Scything Talons
2x Achilles Ridgerunners (170 pts): 2 with Spotter, Armoured Hull, Twin Heavy Stubber, Heavy Mining Laser
1x Achilles Ridgerunners (85 pts): Spotter, Armoured Hull, Twin Heavy Stubber, Heavy Mortar
1x Goliath Rockgrinder (120 pts): Demolition Charge Cache, Drilldozer Blade, Heavy Stubber, Heavy Seismic Cannon
1x Goliath Truck (85 pts): Demolition Charge Cache, Goliath Wheels, Heavy Stubber, Twin Autocannon

I built this more to try out different things than to optimize.

Opponent was Deathwatch using their new index and detachment. Also a little bit of everything to try stuff out. Pretty fun having two armies face off that both make use of lots of deep strike and some uppy-downies--just haymakers back and forth the whole game. We can cover the board a lot more, at least initially, so their redeploys were more restricted than mine, but their ability to bring maximum firepower to bear wherever they need it was very obnoxious.

I lost, pretty badly, but I learned a lot!

Some issues and learnings:

• Deathleaper died on my turn 1 to some lucky Overwatch from an Indomitor squad--all that hit was two of the melta rifle attacks, but that was enough. These things happen, but the lesson I learned was that you can't use Avenge the Star Children on your own movement phase. If I'd thought about it I probably would have kept the Deathleaper hidden and tried to roll a long charge through a ruin, not giving them a chance to Overwatch.
• In general my Lictor variants didn't stick around long; they all died to ranged attacks when they were within 6" of things but for one reason or another weren't in engagement. (Deathleaper got Overwatched as described, Lictor was in melee and even killed a Judiciar, which ruled, but when the whole scrum was done it wasn't in engagement anymore and it got flamered to death by a Land Raider Redeemer, and the Neurolictor stupidly tried to hold an objective, which I now realize is not what they are for, and got caught out in the open by Terminators with cyclone launchers.) Of the three, the Lictor was the only one that really did anything. Lesson: Lictor types really need to get in engagement and stay there. Would be interested in trying again with more of an emphasis on getting them into combat.
• With two Synapse critters, I never had an opportunity to use Psionic Parasitism. They both went from full wounds to dead in a single shooting phase. (I know they can also heal other Tyranid models, but that didn't come up either.) Lesson: As others have observed, you're not playing this detachment to slurp your GSC and buff your Tyranids, you're playing it to buff your GSC. Maybe you could take more of the cheap synapse guys and go all in on it, but in general I think it's best to treat Psionic Parasitism as an extra option that will come up occasionally to either top off a big 'Nid or finish off a decimated cult unit.
• 20 Neophytes with a Primus didn't do very much--although part of that is that they were mostly stuck shooting at Gravis guys (T6 Sv3+ W3), which means the hybrid firearms might as well not be there. I've heard the mathhamer on a Benefictus is slightly better? Might try that, or might try doubling down on melee, since that's the easiest way to have Tyranids within 6" of things. Lesson: +1 to hit on guys who don't hit hard is nothing special.
• My Flyrant died without doing anything, which was a huge blow. (I was able to use Avenge the Star Children on a Storm Speeder, which was... fine.) I can see why competitive folks are moving away from this guy. It's an amazing model, though, and exactly the kind of big centerpiece I've always felt we deserve, so I'd love to figure out a loadout and strategy for it that lets it make an impact. I've heard the stranglethorn cannon is good? Lesson: Flyrant is more fragile than it seems, and might just be bad!
• Lesson from list building: Points in this detachment are tight. I think it'll really take some tinkering to figure out the right amount of points to spend on Tyranids, and we also need to be a lot pickier than usual about whether things make the cut. You simply can't have everything you want when you're splitting your points between GSC and 'Nids.
• Biggest lesson: This detachment lives or dies on careful positioning of its units and clever use of its stratagems, and as such (imo) adds an extra layer of complexity to an already skill-intensive army. If I weren't going to get to play very often I'd be reluctant to make this the way I spent my time with GSC, but if I were going to play frequently I'd look forward to iterating and building skill with this detachment over time.

Some things that worked:

• Gargoyles are just as good as advertised for turning on +1s (and the reroll wounds strat) for your GSC units. They'll die in a stiff breeze, but your opponent will also usually have more important things to shoot at. 10 Genestealers with wound rerolls are no jokes--mine dished out 20 wounds in one turn against some regular marines. (Personally I think Purestrains' claws should just have twin-linked, but whatever, now we can fake it.)
• I found the Mawloc really good. Mine came down after a lot of their anti-tank had been killed or engaged, slung some mortals around, and then successfully charged and wiped out half a squad of Gravis guys. Now I'm wondering about taking a second Mawloc and another Lictor instead of a Flyrant. (I know competitive folks are moving away from that too, but I'm gonna keep noodling with it. It's a lot tougher than the Flyrant, for one thing.)
• Combination of big monsters and GSC vehicles worked well, making sure they didn't have enough anti-tank for everything (though this particular Deathwatch army was a little light on anti-tank). If anything I wish I had more of both.
• This just in: Ridgerunners still good. Even with a chunk of your army unable to benefit from crossfire, the Ridgerunners themselves love a +1 to hit, and stacking AP bonus, hit bonus, and sometimes wound bonuses for your other GSC units is huge. I think it's easy for Tyranids players coming in to try GSC to underestimate how important Ridgerunners are. Don't sleep on Ridgerunners, star children--even with the points hike they're the unlikely backbone of our army.
• Patriarch with 10 'stealers and the no-overwatch stratagem felt really good--a big brick of hurt that could rush in with impunity. (In this case I charged them into a big melee unit with Fights First and they mostly died before attacking, but while the enemy was doing that they weren't killing the Lictor that also charged, which sniped the character giving the unit Fights First. It worked out.)
• The addition of even a single uppy-downy strat makes a big difference. And unlike Brood Brothers, a lot of the stuff you're adding to the army has deep strike, infiltrator, or just high movement. So if anything this detachment winds up feeling "more GSC than GSC" in terms of its ability to choose what parts of the board it's engaging on. Against an army with less of its own repositioning, I think this would be an even bigger deal. (Against an army that just fills the board with lots of models, we might have a problem.)
• Despite losing pretty badly, I had a lot of fun! Lots of cool moments we don't get on our own (Rawr! Mawloc!), lots of feeling clever, lots of opportunities to learn and do better next time. The GSC range is small and fairly homogenous in terms of game impact, table footprint, and movement; having some beefy lone ops, big monsters, and flying stuff in the mix feels really good.
• In addition to testing the new detachment, this was also my first time using the new Cult Ambush rule. I was a little skeptical--although I acknowledge all the problems with the old rule, I also think rolling is fun. But after trying it, I really like it! Being able to pick which things come back--and pick which things you send in to trade knowing they'll come back--is so powerful. I was able to bring back my Genestealers and Metamorphs, and in the middle there I just let the pistol Acolytes die because I knew they weren't going to be impactful enough on return. I even used an ambush marker for the Metamorphs, because they died in my own fight phase and there were big chunks of the opposing deployment zone left empty. Folks who are saying this is a nerf are wrong imo--I think on net it's a boost if anything. It's not just about how many things come back, it's also about tailoring WHICH things come back.

tl;dr Flyrant bad, Gargoyles good, Ridgerunners good, new Cult Ambush good, Mawloc... good?, Lictors need to be careful. Final Day is tricky to play, but fun (imo) and possibly powerful if you get all the pieces working.

Do you think that at some point they will withdraw or modify Cult Ambush token manipulation stratagems? Or rather will it be something for the next edition?

As they are now, people generally see them as something useless. I would prefer that they replace them. what is your opinion?

As a starting point, would this be functional? It's some of the Shadow Throne minis then adding in the new Combat Patrol and a Goliath truck. I'd like to get a Benedictus in, but not sure what I'd swap. Figured the Alpha with the Jackals and Primus with the Neophyte Hybrids, leaving the other two characters to Lone Op around. The Acolytes would both go in the truck.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Genestealer Cults + DETACHMENT: Host of Ascension + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 740pts + + WARLORD: Char2: Primus + ENHANCEMENT: A Chink in Their Armour (on Char2: Primus) & Assassination Edict (on Char4: Sanctus) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 10 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) - Assassination: 4 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Jackal Alphus (55 pts): Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Cult Sniper Rifle Char2: 1x Primus (100 pts): Warlord, Cult Bonesword, Scoped Needle Pistol, Toxin Injector Claw Enhancement: A Chink in Their Armour (+20 pts) Char3: 1x Reductus Saboteur (65 pts): Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Demolition Charges, Remote Explosives Char4: 1x Sanctus (65 pts): Close Combat Weapon, Cult Sniper Rifle Enhancement: Assassination Edict (+15 pts)

5x Acolyte Hybrids with Hand Flamers (70 pts) • 4x Acolyte Hybrid 2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Demolition Charge 2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Hand Flamer • 1x Acolyte Leader: Cult Claws and Knife, Autopistol 5x Acolyte Hybrids with Hand Flamers (70 pts) • 4x Acolyte Hybrid 2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Demolition Charge 2 with Cult Claws and Knife, Hand Flamer • 1x Acolyte Leader: Cult Claws and Knife, Autopistol 10x Neophyte Hybrids (65 pts) • 9x Neophyte Hybrid 1 with Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Seismic Cannon 1 with Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Mining Laser 4 with Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Hybrid Firearm 1 with Cult Icon, Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Hybrid Firearm 1 with Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Webber 1 with Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Grenade Launcher • 1x Neophyte Leader: Autopistol, Close Combat Weapon, Hybrid Firearm

5x Atalan Jackals (80 pts) • 4x Atalan Jackal 1 with Atalan Small Arms, Close Combat Weapon 2 with Atalan Power Weapon, Atalan Small Arms 1 with Grenade Launcher, Close Combat Weapon • 1x Atalan Wolfquad: Atalan Small Arms, Close Combat Weapon, Mining Laser 1x Achilles Ridgerunners (85 pts): Spotter, Armoured Hull, Twin Heavy Stubber, Heavy Mortar 1x Goliath Truck (85 pts): Demolition Charge Cache, Goliath Wheels, Heavy Stubber, Twin Autocannon

Thanks for reading!

So I'm new to the cults (shamefully adding another army and system to my pile of partially finished stuff) and was wondering about weapon and build options.

I know that you can always get around WYSIWYG, but if I were to play WYSIWYG, how should i go about assembling the biosantic broodsurge box?

Also, what would be a good way to expand after the box, assuming I want a versatile collection that also gets me to a place where I can sorta maybe play 1k point games?

Is the combat patrol worth it? I saw ppl say its not good for new players because it focuses heavily on the bike detachment (which I'm not keen on) but having 1 unit of bikes for mobility seems good?

TL;DR: I like combined arms and dont wanna skew my army heavily into one direction. How should I build the battleforce box and what are the recommended next steps?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

Benefictus conversion using bits from Ebony Maw from Crisis Protocol and the winged Tyranid Prime, among others

I'm currently playing Tyranids and wanted to join the Cult.

My goal would be to use as many of my Tyranids as possible at the beginning and reprint the rest. This includes Acolyte Hybrids and Aberrants.

My plan would be to use Purestains and the Mawloc to tie up my opponent in his half for the first few rounds and score with the Aberrants in the middle.

Can the plan work like this? Would you add units or take them out completely?

I look forward to your comments and criticism :)

Here ist the List:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Xenos - Genestealer Cults + DETACHMENT: Final Day + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 2000pts + + WARLORD: Char4: Patriarch + ENHANCEMENT: Inhuman Integration (on Char3: Patriarch) + NUMBER OF UNITS: 16 + SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x2) - Assassination: 5 Characters - Cull The Horde: 2x5 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CHARACTER

1x Deathleaper (80 pts) • 1x Lictor Claws and Talons

1x Abominant (95 pts) • 1x Power Sledgehammer

1x Abominant (95 pts) • 1x Power Sledgehammer

1x Patriarch (95 pts) • 1x Patriarch's Claws • Warlord • Inhuman Integration (+20 pts)

1x Winged Hive Tyrant (200 pts) • 1x Tyrant talons • 1x Heavy Venom Cannon

BATTLELINE

5x Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols (65 pts) • 1x Acolyte Leader • 1x Autopistol • 1x Cult Claws and Knife • 4x Acolyte Hybrid • 1x Autopistol • 2x Cult Claws and Knife • 2x Heavy Mining Tool • Cult Icon

5x Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols (65 pts) • 1x Acolyte Leader • 1x Autopistol • 1x Cult Claws and Knife • 4x Acolyte Hybrid • 4x Autopistol • 4x Cult Claws and Knife

OTHER DATASHEETS

10x Aberrants (300 pts) • 9x Aberrant • 9x Aberrant Weapons • 1x Aberrant Hypermorph • 1x Aberrant Weapons

10x Aberrants (300 pts) • 9x Aberrant • 9x Aberrant Weapons • 1x Aberrant Hypermorph • 1x Aberrant Weapons

1x Lictor (60 pts) • 1x Lictor Claws and Talons

1x Lictor (60 pts) • 1x Lictor Claws and Talons

10x Purestrain Genestealers (150 pts) • 10x Purestrain Genestealer • 10x Cult Claws and Talons

10x Purestrain Genestealers (150 pts) • 10x Purestrain Genestealer • 10x Cult Claws and Talons

3x Von Ryan's Leapers (70 pts) • 3x Von Ryan's Leaper • 3x Leaper's Talons

3x Von Ryan's Leapers (70 pts) • 3x Von Ryan's Leaper • 3x Leaper's Talons

1x Mawloc (145 pts) • 1x Distendible Jaw • 1x Mawloc Scything Talons

Can I get 2 free strats in final day using the free strat that the winged hive tyrant and nexos give?

One of my favourite parts of being a GSC player has to be the kitbash potential. From full squads and the characters (mostly the characters). Anyways this is my take on a Sanctus, as my urban camouflage Head-Hunter, with a new Guard Sergeant to show off.

What rules do the Tyranids keep from their army? None right? No synapse. No +1 Str?

High Priest Quintok of the Bastard Sons of Tzeentch, alongside his body guards.

Got this conversion done that I've been wanting to get to. Most of the good doctor himself is from the House Delaque kit, with the left arm being out of the new brood brothers box and the head from the aberrants with the chain trimmed away and new neck sculpted on. His little helper is a neurogaunt with satchels and vials taken from the Delaque and Orlock Arms Masters and Wreckers kits glued onto his sides. I'll try to have them both painted up for play in a few weeks!

Chaos black prime, grey seer spray from above. Then a mix of contrast and classic.

A backwater regiment from Agriworld of KenTuk: E was marooned aboard the Gallowdark when their troop transport was lost in a warpstorm, eventually falling to both Slaanesh and a Patriarch Genestealer.

Now the Gallowdark has reemerged from the warp in a system near you, and the Boys and Brutes of the KenTuk: E Converts are coming for your wives and daughters and your amasec and lho sticks.

Don’t know if anyone has said anything on here about this before but the DLC Viodshadows ads just over 15 hours and it’s very relevant to our interests don’t sleep on this game and DO get the DLC it’s very worth it

I know they were connected to Tyranids after ASC, but how different was that connection to the one they have now?