Necromunda Tournament Rules Update and FAQs

I received an interesting question via email today in regards to Redemptionist gangs in the tournament. Specifically:

"I know that you cannot recruit new fighters as per the tournament rules. But Redemptionists have this special rule:

The death of the faithful only serves to fuel the belief of the

devout and may attract new Devotees to join a gang. So as

redemptionists fall others take their place. After a game in which

a Redemptionist of any type dies (11-16 on the serious injury

chart) roll a D6 for each member of the gang who died. On a 4+

the gang gains a Devotee armed with a knife for free. Additional

equipment may be given to the new Devotee using the gangs

stash or income.

Does that rule still apply or not?"

That's a really great question and one I haven't been faced with before. So now I'm faced with a difficult ruling to make in regards to this issue.

On the one hand, I can see how this fits with both the established Redemptionist fluff and the prevailing "horde strategy" of many players. The title of the rule in question is "A Gathering of the Redeemed", which assumes the mob holds some form of macabre revival in an effort to recruit more followers after one of their previous fighters dies. It's an interesting rule even outside the tournament setting, as it allows the Redemptionist player the ability to utilize their biggest strength - keeping a large contingent of fighters on the board in the late stages of campaigns, when most other gang's manpower is depleted through injuries, capture and deaths.

On the other hand, I can easily see how this could be viewed as unfair in a tournament that limits recruitment. First, it can be seen as a backdoor recruitment process, circumventing the overall rules set. Second, an unscrupulous player can exploit this rule to their decided advantage.

Redemptionist players running a Mob benefit greatly from this rule, as their Leadership score is based on the highest Ld model + the number of friendly fighters on the table. In this way, it's easy for the Redemptionist player to keep both a high model count and a high Ld, when most gangs would have a smaller model count and, occasionally, less Ld (if their Leader is killed).

It's a tough call...

In the spirit of fairness, I'm willing to make a compromise. The "A Gathering of the Redeemed" rule is amended for the tournament, as follows:

The death of the faithful only serves to fuel the belief of the

devout and may attract new Devotees to join a gang. So as

redemptionists fall others take their place. After a game in which

a Redemptionist of any type dies (11-16 on the serious injury

chart), roll a D6 for each member of the gang who died. On a 5+

the gang gains a Devotee armed with a knife for free. Additional

equipment may be given to the new Devotee using the gangs'

stash, so long as it conforms to the Devotee's weapons limitations.

The maximum number of Devotees who may be recruited in this

fashion is limited to (2) two for the entire tournament.

I hope all players are satisfied by this ruling. If not, feel free to write me a sternly-worded email peppered with aspersions to my general character and ancestry!

Also, here are some FAQs:

-The rules state that bonus credits may be spent on two (2) Rare and/or four (4) Common items. Is this a choice between 2 Rare and 4 Common or a combination of both?

Players may purchase any combination of add'l items, so long as they do not exceed the total of either Rare or Common items.

-Does purchasing items "at full cost" mean that an item with a variable price costs its base price PLUS the maximum variable cost?

Yes.

-Can items be left in the Gang Stash for later use?

Yes, but be aware that equipping a model with something from your Stash later in the tournament must conform to the WYSIWYG rule.

-My gang is allowed to purchase items from either the normal Trading Post or the Outlaw Trading post. Can I by add'l items from just one or both?

You can buy any combination from either Trading Post, so long as you do not exceed the 2 Rare/4 Common item limitation.