The blue-collar members of House Orlock have been hard at work as their gangs seek to claim their own corners of the underhive. Now, with the release of the House of Iron book, they’ll have new rules, new fighters and new tactics with which to ensure their dominance. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the new rules from the ultimate tome of all things Orlock.
House of Iron introduces two new fighters for Orlock gangs – the Arms Masters and the Wreckers.
Arms Masters are responsible for maintaining order within a gang, helping the Road Captain by keeping the Gunners and Greenhorns in line. In battle, these experienced fighters inspire the rest of the gang.
As befits their position as Champions within an Orlock gang, Arms Masters have access to some of the best weapons that the clan can provide. The arc hammer is one such weapon, and is ideal for any Arms Master that likes to get up close and personal.
With a Damage characteristic of 3, even Ogryns are going to be wary of getting too close to an Orlock armed with one of these!
Arms Masters can also be accompanied by up to two Cyber-mastiffs. Not only are these four-legged friends handy in a scrap, but you don’t need to walk them every day and they’re not fussy eaters – Escher, Delaque, Corpse Grinder, you name it, they’ll eat it.
They’re especially good at protecting their masters should enemy fighters be looking to quickly take them Out of Action.
Cyber-mastiffs are a great addition to any gang, adding some real bite!
At the other end of the experience scale are the Wreckers – risk-takers who court danger and are seeking to make names for themselves. For a mere 55 credits, they are a great way of filling out your gang with extra fighters that quickly improve over the course of a campaign.
Included in their cost is a jump booster, which makes getting around the underhive much quicker. You can even overcharge it to go faster, but that’s not without its risks.
Use these fighters to quickly claim loot crates or similar objectives, and make sure that you Charge into combat to take advantage of those modifiers.
Skill Up
Gangs from House Orlock have access to their own skill set – Bravado. These are all about relying on your fellow gang members, calling out your enemies and making the most of your kit, abilities and connections. For example, thanks to your skills, you can always get the best results out of a shotgun.
Use this on your Arms Masters equipped with a combat shotgun to get the shells really flying.
Terrific Tactics
The House of Iron introduces a range of new Orlock-specific tactics that can be used to ensure success in the underhive. Need some last-minute reinforcements before a battle? Call up your guilder contacts and grab a pair of Hive Scum to help out.
Or make the most of your skills in close combat.
Use this with your Wreckers so they can get the most out of charging with their jump boosters.
What’s in a Name?
Orlock gangers live and die by their reputation. To represent this, your Orlock Leaders and Champions can now be given Orlock Legendary Names. These are Orlock-specific Advancements that symbolise some great deed. Be careful though, part of being a legend is living up to your own hype. For example, maybe your fighter is incredibly lucky, but maybe they're so lucky that they’re not around for the worst fights.
Or perhaps they can take out an opponent with a single punch!
The Orlock Legendary Names are a great way to really add character to your gang, and also open up some really cool painting and conversion opportunities for your models. Maybe “Lucky” has a tattoo of the number 13 somewhere, for example.
The House of Iron supplement opens up loads of new ways to play an Orlock gang in Necromunda and will be available to pre-order soon, along with a kit to build your Arms Masters, Wreckers and Cyber-mastiffs. In the meantime, grab yourself an Orlock Gang so that you’re ready to take this rebellious house to the top of the underhive.