BUST FALLS By John French & ‘Harry’ Harrington This isthe first ina series of articles on a cool Necromunda campaign by Harry and John, 's got new background, mad scenarios and even some modelling lunacy. But first a few words from our sponsor. WHAT HAVE WE HERE? Jake: One of my pet belies about both Necromunda and ‘Mordheim is that they're both sul widely played, but only by secret covens, each of which have sworn never to speak 1 outsiders. Wel I've various plans afoot (some of Which, may even have borne fruit by the time you read this) to bring you all out kicking and screaming into the burning sunlight. And no, you're not melting. Honest An example of the cool stuff that’s quietly going on behind closed doors is tis lite campaign which is being ‘when you ring up GWA secret coven right under my nose, “They've decided to add detail (one of the locations mentioned in the main rules, and I think they've done a really nice job of i On top of that they've decided 10 return to the old Idea of using movies, comics and s0 08, as the inspiration for ‘cinematic’ scenarios, and this has produced some real crackers. The fists Included in this, fssue, along with an introduction to one of the gangs that's king part. Over the next few issues we'll come back to this campaign to introduce the rest of the gangs and some more oftheir scenarios, so stay tuned run by some of our Hobby Specialist guys from Direct Sales ~ the helpful fellows who answer all your queries Meanwhile, ack inthe hive. eae ey Sree een er ere oar ern eee es Pra eee ee ce ean aT eer ae ace ere rece ee carer oss his face was getting more unpleasant by the second, but it was better than breathing in the fine purtcles that tured every light in Dust Fils into 4 haloed orb that lowed with «bile yellow luminsceace Two figures coalesced out of the dust a yard in (oat of him, and he had to swing to one side as they pasted by this beat heads. swathed in dust soaked cloth ther goggle covered eyes fixed on the ground just to thet front) He ee ee er eee eee eens Ee oa aT areas liked about the plies: how cary it was to be nothing, to be jst another faceless “aller wripped up aguinst the dust Apirt from this benefit he despised the place more thin almost any other sei hole below the wal. but there wie ee ee eee eee er) een eee er cee nore Ree ee eee rae eee eee Eonar see reson door clamped shut in the hole benesth the light bracket. There wis po en eae eee ee ne eer ee rere Paar eer eran er ae ene er re te Pen rr a ea ee er ane eee a ce poner eee ceoeg eres ee ee ec cee ee ee ene) ee sh eee ee ee ee eet ey ‘begun to vibrate the si 26 the Isgun came up and fired 2 cracking bolt of caegy. fonising the dust around the muzzle in + puogeat tang He stepped over the lip of the doorfeame, the gun whining aod cracking at it spat out ce er ec ee ee ene ee re a ae eee pour into the tom and settle over everything, its dull powdery odour masking the steach of burned flesh. The mas Se eee ee een eee Oe ee ers atre anes Tens eetJohn: No one knows exactly where it came from, but in a ‘ume now long pasta thread of dust dribbled down into the Underhive and began to pile above a dome. Grain by -rain that pile grew until the dome beneath it gave way in a cascade of debris, More dust fll and was added roby the detritus of collapsing domes, until the dust had driven path down into darkness, That time is long past, but che ‘dust sll ills in a tickle into the Abyss opened grain by grain Ie was not long before men came to the opening of the Abyss, but like the Abyss itself the setlement that would bbe Dust Falls grew by degrees. It began as a clutch of bulldogs let as base camps for the fist few to go down Inco the Underhive in search of fortune, Then a few more, perhaps as defence against those that returned, changed men. Then guilds smelt profit and opportunity and came and set up camp, and in their wake came their Watchmen, and the gangs who come to any centre of Humanity ike ‘wasps to honey So Dust Falls was born. Spreading a fest along the fim of the Abyss, where the fist dome had collapsed, and then down into the twisted structures of the tunnel’s walls beneath the rim, When it became known as Dust Falls is not known, but at some point it acquired the name and it has been so ever since. RES es BN Smee ‘The physical focus of Dust Falls, and the reason for its ‘existence, is the ragged, plunging shaft that is known as the Abyss. It begins some distance below the wall, blooming out of nothing like a worm-burrowed hole in 2 spotless feu. It is at the point where the shaft begins that the settlement of Dust Falls is located, From this beginning the Abyss goes straight down to the hive bottom. The width ofthe Abyss varies from between half a mile on some stretches to only fifty yards at others. The rim of the Abyss around and beneath which Dust Falls is built was pethaps a hundred and fifty yards in diameter (Over time though the constructions of the inhabitants has ‘contracted the diameter of the hole to pethaps a hundred yards. ‘The main bulk of Dust Falls is centred on the Abyss spreading both outwards fom the rim and downwards for a fluctuating distance bellow it. While much of Dust Falls 's simply the persistent ype of scratched together slum that makes up almost all Underhive setlements, there are two areas which have an importance and character all of their own and so have names. These areas are ‘The Gater and the ‘Haggle MarkerPanot_st_67 6/2/04 4:13 pm Page 60 ‘The Gates ar, strangely enough, not on the periphery of Dust Falls but right atts empty heart. The Gates is the area ‘which directly borders onto the Abyss, and this area is spiked with ganties,jeties and cranes that juc out oto it Huge coils of plastecl cable le on drums that are turned by alcohol powered engines. These belch caustic fumes out as they coll and un-coll thousands of feet of cable, polluting ‘even more the aleeady clogged air For it is here that many fortune seekers come to buy their passage down into the Abyss aboatd one of the welded cages that dangle below ‘every jetty. The ‘Gates’ themselves are the gates chat stand at the landward end of every jetty: Most have no physical Darier as such, just a crude ffame daubed with the owner's name and the tags of the gangs he pays for protection. Anyone passing through a gate into the Abyss ‘must pay a cll to the owner ofthe gate, a cll that includes 4 commission to the guild for being allowed to charge the ‘oll. The colls ae often for both entry and exit through the _c, but some charge a recur tll payable ifand when the ‘uaveller returns. Returning 2nd failing to pay because of an unprofitable expedition results in the feturnce being, hung from the underside of the jery. There are many fragmenting. corpses grinning warnings at those who “descend past them in the swaying cages. OF course, no single cage can take a treasure seeker all the ‘way to the bottom of the Abyss ina single drop, but there ate several waypoints at various depths, formed around, ‘convenient protuberances from che Abyss wall, From these points a treasure seeker can set off to plunder whatever deep level they are on, of begin the treacherous descent tothe hive bottom itself. Those that are foolhardy ‘enough for the second option must tavel down through the twisted wreckage that makes up the Abyss's honeyeomb-like walls. Such a journey can take along time and so the high prices charged by the gatekeepers of the deepest travelling cages is offen willingly pald by fortune seekers who wish to keep theic journey to the depths of the Underhive as brief as possible On returning, anything of value found since passing through the gate must have a tanff paid on it to the Gullders whose representatives assess the tariff required based on the value which they place on the items. There are, of course, many gates, and only so many Guilders, making bribes to lec explorers passa gate with undeclared, booty a common source of profit for gatekeepers. The penalty for passing through a gate without paying the tariff on ieems of value i to be summarily thrown into the Abyss and gatekeepers found to be taking bribes are hung from their own gate until there is nothing left hanging ‘This makes the bribes they require fairly steep, but even so i's offen cheaper than paying the Gullders. The Guild also reserves the right to purchase any archeotech at the price they assign. Fallure to comply results inthe long fall, Inco the Abyss Haggle Market, or simply “the Haggle” as i's often known, 1s a‘small area centred on the open space next to the Guild House. Here, licensed traders barter and sell, and profit flows (mostly into the Guild coffers). Some i the Guild controlled tading of items brought up ftom the Abyss. The ‘overwhelming majority of the wade though is to those about co venture into the Abys, All manner of equipment, ln varying states of tepals ison offer — fom Van Sane made ‘envirosuits to luminescent snake venom sticks. Again, the Gulld dominates Haggle Marker, but taders offering other Services such as surgery, writing, fortune telling and the ubiquitous booze sellers, thei huge crazed glas jas lashed ‘onto their shoulders, also ply their trade inthe Haggle WER S AUTHORITY Dust Falls 4s a place of wild dreams and crazed ventures, Dbuc i is also a place of great potential wealth and as such has always be dominated by ewo power blocks; the Guild and the Underworld. The Guild keeps as ight a hold on, Dust Falls a5 it can using i licensing of gates and conteol ‘of tadable goods brought up fom the Abyss as a means to keep the settlement ia hand. Not that this control is ‘easy of without conflict, The Guild relies heavily on agreements with local gangs over protection rights to the ‘ates to maintaa their authority If this relationship were ‘ever co fall the Gullders' grip would sip, as their means of ‘enforcement became less keen to carry ou their duties.‘The other major power in Dust Falls are the networks of smugelers, legal traders and extortionists who fun theie ‘operations like a shadow ofthe official Guild operation In fact the two worlds of Guild and Underworld feequendly intermvine and become difficult to distinguish Usually both sides tolerate each other as long as the one ‘does not threaten the continued existence of the other. If the Guild clamps down too harshly on smuggling of ‘goods from the Abyss, a violent and usually shore wa will result, in which gates will be destroyed, Guid property smashed and goods stolen. Ifthe Underworld begins to bypass the gate tariffs to such an extent that Guild profit ls reduced, killteams will be dispatched and the Underworld will be culled until che equilibeium is re established. It is an unlikely, but symbiotic, celationship bought in blood over many decades, and the details of exactly what each side can do within its boundaries have been honed fo a fine ar ‘The oficial keepers of the peace are hited by the Guild from local gangs and are divided into wo types: Watchmen, and Gateguards. The Watchmen are charged with keeping the peace within the settlement boundaries (though they care itl for what goes on its margins or outside) and i is 4 position that is hartered for ferociously herween the ‘gangs and the Gulld as the benefice of enforcing the peace lp Dust Falls can turn a gang's fortunes inthe Undeshive ‘The Gateguards are unique to Dust Falls and are charged with ensuring that gate tarifs are paid. They are also charged with the defence of Dust Falls from anything chat might decide to creep up out of the darkness below; hence ‘angers fcom the Gateguatd gangs man the weapons that are mounted on antes extending out over the Abyss, their muzzles tained on the depths Gangs from all the major houses are present in Dust Fall, many function as Guild of Underworld muscle (somesimes both). Others come in the hope of buying passage down lento the Abyss and returning wealthy. Whatever draws them, the aumber of gangers in Dust Falls is huge with each conttolling territory in and around the main sertiement. The amount of cfeds and goods that pass through the empry-hearted town s such that war between, the gangs és almost constant. Much of this conflict takes place on the margins of Dust Falls, bu it is not uncommon, fora dispute over gate protection rights t0 result in raids ‘on the gate in question, or gunfights in the streetsPanot_st_67 6/9/04 4:14 pm age 62 THE BASICS Setting a Necromunda campaign in and around Dust Falls ives players the opportunity to experience a slightly dlfferen campaign from what they might be used ro, but a the same time can be run without having to convert loads of new miniatures or scenery. It can also serve as a Jumping-off point into a very much more demanding Hive Bottom campaign. I you do decide to run a campaiga in and around Dust Falls the following modifications are made tothe relevant sections of the rulebook Starting a Gang: All gangs may buy fugs/respirators at the initial point of ‘gang creation. These are essential for Ife around Dust Falls, ‘Territories: Subsucute the Waterstill and Spore Cave teeetories with the ‘Gate into The Abyss! territory. This terrizary earns the ‘gang D6 x10 creds and has no special rules, Scenarios: Al scenarios remain unchanged with the exception of "The Rald’.A Raid ts automatieally a raid on 2 gate, even if the defending gang does not have agate territory ~one of their other territories includes the vital approaches to ‘The set up for the game is diferent from normal: + One third of the table is covered with a black cloth This represents a portion of the Abyss. Any model falling into the Abyss i automatically killed + AG" by 3° gantry must be placed extending out into the Abyss. This s now the objective of the raid FALLING BUST FALLING QUST: Dust pervades everything in Dust Falls, as you might ‘expect, and the fine grains that cleaved the Abyss stl fll from above. To represent unique conditions of Dust Falls roll D6 oa the following table before each game: 1.2 Settled Dust: Everything is coated in a thick layer of dust, but the aif Is clear and so no special conditions apply 3 Lighe Fall A recent fll has filled the aie with swirling dust, exposing a -1 to all ranged To Hi rolls. 4 Heavy Fall: A large cascade of dust has plunged down into the Abyss filling the air ‘witha thick cloud of dust that clogs up and shortcircuits machinery. There is 2-1 To Hit fon all ranged attacks and all weaponry ddecteases its Ammo roll value by 1 (a las pistol, for example, goes from passing an ‘Ammo roll on 2+ to passing on 2 31). 5 Dust Devils: Air currents have whipped up the dust into small vortices chat Dustfller's call devils, Place DS standard Blast markers fn the table, Each moves 2D" in a random direction at the start of each player's turn. ‘Any miniature touched by a marker is pinned find must make an Ammo roll for any ranged ‘weapons they have. A miniature touched by multiple markers must make an Ammo roll for each maker, Dust devils do not obscure line of sight but do impose a-1 penalty co hit fon any ranged attacks that pass through them. 6 Dust Avalanche: A great surge of dust has exploded into the upper sections of the |Abyss, turning It into a land populated by steange, haglimpsed shapes. All anges and line of sight are reduced to a maximum of 8 all weapons reduce their chance of passing fan Ammo roll by 1, and all weapons must ‘make an Ammo roll before the game begins. Note: The conditions above are always rolled before a ame in a Dust Falls campaign and if treacherous conditions are being used (sce Fanatlc Magazine Issue 4) they are taken in addition to the conditions imposed by the table above,Part of Harry's Delague Gang, known around these parts as The Regulators THE LOCALS Jake: This month we're looking at just one gang: Harry's Delaques, knowin to the locals as The Regulators THE REGULATORS Harry: As Jake already mentioned, when we started 10 ‘organise our campaign we decided that 2 ‘cinematic’ ‘theme would be cool a game where larger than life heroes and dramatic set piece showdowns would be the ‘order ofthe day. Buc to play in this dramatic environment ‘we needed dramatic gangs to0, 50 when It came (0 my ‘turn to start one I searched high and low for a good Image. I found i in the Old West. My Necromunda gang will look strangely familar 10 anyone who's ever seen a Western movie as the generic ‘ang of gunslingers who roll in out ofthe dust to cause ‘wouble. Sounded just right for me! I really liked the idea fof the gang of selfstyled marshals (or maybe real ex marshals) who upheld whacever law paid them the mos, s0 the long duster coats and cowboy hats was the uniform, of choice (Delaques with some Green Stuff hats would do nicely) All they needed was a name, and ater rummaging, around in the Old West abit more, "The Regulators” were born. These hired gunmen hide thelr tue colours behind the silver stars on their chest and a hook of law in theit breast pocket. The Delaque skills also fitted really well ‘with the background idea; using stealth and secrecy ‘coupled with good shooting skills really felt right for my low-down dirty wannabe lawmen. ‘With the overall idea in place 1 now had to work our the decals, and this i where I slide away from the norm, I ‘decided early on that I didn’t want to have a Heavy in my ‘gang ~ it did't sit well with the theme and not taking one also freed up some points for a few more men (quantity has a qual all of ts own) 1 also steered away from exotic weaponry; lasguns and shorguas are reliable as well a packing enough punch for most guys. Of course, my leader has a couple of bolt Pistols for show, buc overall it's a prety hase force ‘The only twist to this basic moxto is my Ratskin Scout Hired Gun who I think fits the theme wel, as well as helping in the game. So here they are, The Regulators, ready to chew gum and kick ass (and guess what ~ they're all out of gum). A note about WYSIWYG. In both Mordheim and Necromunda, gangs that have a strong theme look relly [great as marks them out as much mote than just a bunch ff individuals. Even so, the figures themselves are a lot mote varied and changeable than in our other game systems. Over the course of three of four games a Juve ‘may well change his weapons a couple of times, reach the rank of Ganger and end up with a bionic eye, Personally I make sure that fa guy has 2 lasgun on the page, there's a lasgun on the model, but I'm not as stringent about the scar on his left cheek, two frag ‘grenades and a pet ferret called Cecil he keeps in his lett pocket. If you point out that ‘Big John’ ss carrying ‘grenades and that the Juve figure with ewo handguns is actualy only carrying one I don't think that's a problem. ‘The beardy “oh by the way that Juve figure is actually ny second Heavy and the pistol he is carrying transforms into 2 lascannon” halfway through the game should be frowned on (and by frowned on I mean “hit repeatedly then forced to eat the figure in question’). With the Introduction of the individual weapon hands for some ‘gangs, converting has become even easier. But in skirmish ‘games a figure has a high probability of dying every other ‘week and as long a8 they look the pat I don't see the Gaming Police coming to take you away if something's less ‘than completely perfect