Necromunday: Components and the Weaponsmith

Welcome back, Scummmers, to another edition of Necromunday! This week, we’re expanding our Lost Zone module with a new Post-battle Action. You can find our last Lost Zone article here. The Lost Zone module is a Goonhammer-made add-on to Necromunda campaigns that focuses on narrative play amongst the outer reaches of the Underhive. We will be releasing our Lost Zone module in pieces, and we’d love to read your feedback! Hit us up at necromunday@goonhammer.com!

All right, Scummers, we’ve been hearing you! Not everyone is thrilled with our last article, and that’s ok! The Lost Zone module is not the “way Necromunda should be played”, but a system of add-on rules to help the game be a little bit different, and, we hope, a little bit better. One of the things we’ve heard most is, “But X gang needs their house list to be competitive!”

If you recall back to the trading post article, we suggest that house lists be locked after gang creation to manufacture a little bit of a slow-down in the arms race that some campaigns can turn into. Gang house lists, especially for gangs that have their own books, are generally central to a gang’s quick rise to prominence. But in the Lost Zones, a reliable supply line to a gang’s parent House cannot be counted on.

In steps the Weaponsmith. Out on the hive frontier, every settlement has one, as defending oneself from the horrors of the hive bottom are central to life in the Lost Zones. In narrative terms, the Weaponsmith might be an enterprising inventor, or a gun-crazed survivalist. In game terms, the Weaponsmith allows gangs to access their house equipment lists in return for components.

Components

Components are a new resource for Lost Zone campaigns. They represent usable weapon parts, batteries, and raw materials that a gifted machinist could use to turn into weapons, wargear, or armor. The primary manner for gaining components is by opening Loot Caskets. The rules are as follows:

  • If a Loot Casket has been successfully opened by a Bypass Loot Casket Lock (basic) action, and the result on the Opening Loot Caskets table was not a 1 (Dangerous Goods), this Loot Casket is worth 2d6 components.
  • If a Loot Casket has been successfully opened by a Smash Open Loot Casket (basic) action, and the result on the Opening Loot Caskets table was not a 1 (Dangerous Goods), this Loot Casket is worth 2d3 components.

Placing Loot Caskets

Some scenarios may have specific rules for placing Loot Caskets, but many do not. When playing a Lost Zone campaign game, all Loot Caskets must be placed using the following restrictions:

  1. Loot Caskets cannot be placed within 6” of a board edge.
  2. Loot Caskets cannot be placed within 12” of a deployment zone.

Scoring Loot Caskets

  1. If a fighter is within 1” of an opened Loot Casket at the end of the game, that fighter’s gang may claim the components.
  2. If the Loot Casket is wholly within a single gang’s deployment zone and there are no enemy fighters within 1” of the Loot Casket, then the gang whose deployment zone the Casket is in may claim the components.

Components may also be given as rewards for missions, and as income from certain gang territories, but we’ll talk more about that in future articles. Naturally, Arbitrators can put them anywhere they see fit, but for the purposes of this article, we’re sticking to Loot Caskets.

Visiting the Weaponsmith: a Post-Battle Action

A Leader or Gang Champ may visit the Weaponsmith as a post-battle action just like they would the Trading Post or Black market. There, they can trade in components and credits for weapons, wargear, and armor from their house equipment lists. If a player wishes to purchase an item for a fighter, it must be purchased from that fighter’s equipment list, if applicable. Not every gang has the “House of ___” treatment yet, but we think that the intention is clear, here. A fighter can make unlimited purchases from the Weaponsmith, as long as they have the credits and components to do so. It is to be understood that the Leader or Champion that went to the Weaponsmith brought along enough friendlies to help them carry the stuff back to the gang’s hideout, so there are no limits on how many items that can be bought except for components and credits. Exotic Beasts cannot be bought at the Weaponsmith (we will dive into recruitment and gang comp in a future article).

When a player wishes to buy items from the weaponsmith, they must pay the component and credits costs of the item in question. Each item type carries a specific component costs as detailed below:

  • Basic Weapons: 10 components + credit cost
  • Pistols: 10 components + credit cost
  • Melee Weapons: 10 components + credit cost
  • Grenades: 10 components + credit cost
  • Personal Equipment: 15 components + credit cost
  • Weapon Accessories: 15 components + credit cost
  • Gang Equipment/Terrain: 15 components + credit cost
  • Special Weapons: 20 components + credit cost
  • Heavy Weapons: 20 components + credit cost
  • Armor: 20 components + credit cost
  • Field Armor: 20 components + credit cost

Conclusion

Components and the Weaponsmith are primarily designed to give more importance to secondary mission objectives in Necromunda, while at the same time providing a way for gangs to get access to their house equipment lists. We feel that, with these rules, Loot Caskets will become a sought-after resource during games, prompting more movement-heavy and action-packed games. Even the oft-maligned Strip Kit becomes more important, to ensure those Loot Caskets get bypassed and not smashed.

Loot Caskets being the primary method to gain components means that players can either prioritize mission objectives and credits, to build up their equipment through the Lost Zone Trading Post and Black Market, or, if they’re after some specific tech that only their house equipment list can offer, they can prioritize Loot Caskets. Maybe they won’t win the scenario itself, but instead accrue valuable components to buy that unique enhancement that will give them the edge in the future. Either way, we think it will make for more dynamic games and an increased focus on objective play that Necromunda sorely needs.

That’s it for Lost Zone gear and equipment for now, scummers! Join us next week, when we talk about gang comp and recruiting in the Lost Zones (for real this time!). As always, feel free to drop us a line at necromunday@goonhammer.com. Be well, Scummers, and thanks for reading!