Genestealer Cults & The Deathwatch Coming To Warhammer 40,000?
May 6, 2015 by brennon
Rumours have popped up online recently surrounding whispers of both Genestealer Cults and the Deathwatch returning to the fold of Warhammer 40,000 from Games Workshop. While this, right now at least, sounds like it could be simple wishlisting Games Workshop have been breaking out the oldies (like the new Assassins & Adeptus Mechanicus) recently...
Cultist From Another Mother
The first batch of rumours focuses in on the Genestealer Cults and word of both two plastic character models alongside three plastic unit boxes that would supplement it. So far the thinking revolves around...
- Genestealer Cult Magos
- Unspecificed 'Large Cranium' Model
- Genestealer Hybrids
- Genestealer Cultists
- Cult Truck
...which all sounds fairly awesome if it were to come true, although I'm not sure on the truck. The Magos is presented (Apparently. Take lots of salt with all of this remember) with a staff and robe in the classic depiction.
In terms of units the Hybrids are meant to represent the more mutated versions of the Cultists with more obvious Tyranid arms and legs alongside human weaponry. They'd be on 32mm bases too so slightly larger. By comparison the Cultists are more in keeping with the 'human' aspect of the Cult wearing human armour but with Tyranid style weapons perhaps.
Last but not least is that Truck which immediately sounds utterly stupid to me and I really hope it doesn't become a reality. Please no 'Limousines' again!
Deathwatch Incoming
The second batch of information drips in surrounding the Deathwatch Space Marines, a group of utter bad asses drawn from a variety of different Chapters to serve together in a special operations style affair to take down Xenos threats on a more personal level. Think of them as The Night's Watch (minus the crime) or XCOM of the 41st Millennium.
The kit is said to be based on one that already exists; the Sternguard. New options include a variety of different chapter shoulder pads to represent the various home worlds alongside new weapons, equipment, heads and accessories to make them look as individual as possible.
What Could It Mean?
This is purely speculation of course but what this all sounds like is either Games Workshop pushing two separate releases with the Genestealer Cult getting their own HalfDex (my new term for their weird Codices that never have everything in them) and the Deathwatch getting the same OR it's someone catching onto the tail end of another board game project from the boys in Nottingham.
With Assassinorum: Execution Force actually going down quite well with fans of the grim dark I could see them pitting a team of Deathwatch Space Marines against a Genestealer Cult in a similar style to how the later was presented.
Four Deathwatch Marines, a handful of these new Genestealer Cultists and a bunch of new tiles and scenarios to play on. Who knows, maybe they even make it so that you could do a bit of mixing and matching between these further down the line.
This angle certainly sounds more plausible to me than two brand new armies/supplements.
What do you think?
"...the Hybrids are meant to represent the more mutated versions of the Cultists with more obvious Tyranid arms and legs alongside human weaponry"
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"I could see them pitting a team of Deathwatch Space Marines against a Genestealer Cult in a similar style board game..."
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@brennon I actually would love to have a cult limousine again, they were awesome back in the day, nearest thing you got to having mafia in 40k!
I could not disagree more with you brennon, please bring back the Limo!!! 🙂
Can’t have a ‘Stealer Cult without a Limo! 😉 If this rumour is true I might actually be tempted back to 40k- I used to run a ‘Stealer Cult gang for Necromunda…
My God you lot and your nostalgia! @shyvax & @deaddave 😉
BoW Ben
Hey, if your gona ride, ride in style 😉
I never even knew those limos existed. Why are they not still in it, those are amazing!
I am really excited for this. I have always loved the genestealer cults in the background, but even more I have been planning on a Deathwatch army for years. I even bought Justin’s Space Marines and began converting them with Forge World shoulder pads, but I just can’t strip the paint off!
The limo really didn’t exist so much as all that. The Genestealer Cult was originally just part of the Tyranid rules, back when ‘nids could also take mind slaver squads. No limo back then. In the 2nd ed, they split the force lists, but allowed the cults to ally with ‘nids- then they included a new Genestealer Cult in the back of the ‘nid ‘dex, but didn’t allow them to ally anymore. Still no limosines. In the 3rd ed, ‘stealers were squatted- except for a fan made list that was made semi-official by being published in Citadel Journal. That list… Read more »
I didn’t see every iteration of the Rogue Trader lists for them (and back then, there were often rules you could only get if you bought a particular White Dwarf) so it is possible that there was some way to get rules for a limo.
I always figured it was just that fan’s tribute to a piece of artwork that showed how cults use civilian vehicles.
Limos were in the original army list. The Genestealer Cult had nothing to do with the Tyranids back then and the list was printed in WD 114-116, and reprinted in the Warhammer 40,000 Compendium. This was my first 40K army.
Excuse me, it was in the Compilation rather than the Compendium.
Just dug out my copy of the army list –
“The coven will often require transport for the Patriarch-Oracle and the Initiates of the brood to travel in Human society without the risk of discovery. The cult can own enough limousines to carry all of the coven members. As each limo can hold six people, the coven is allowed to have one vehicle for each group of six coven members, or part thereof. Surplus equipment generated on the Special Equipment Charts can be mounted on the limousine. You can use 1:43 scale die-cast metal car models to represent a coven limousine.”
Instead of using 1:43 scale die-cast metal cars, today’s cult limousines will be $143 GW models.
Just say yes to the limo! Although the term “Limousine” can’t be trademarked, so will likely not be what it is called.
Deathlimoskulllspearpointyteethlimo
Culteptus Limocarum.
Why have a sensible sounding name, when you can have a cod-Latin one?
I always thought the limousines were scratch built, I don’t remember them being available as GW kits.
But, 40k automobiles aside, if it’s got cultists, I’m in. I was really pleased when GW released the plastic Chaos Cultists and I’d love to see the Hybrids and perhaps Genestealer cultists brought in either as Nid allies or as a sub-faction of Nids.
On the other hand, if it’s a board game. Gimme.
They were scratchbuilt. These days GW won’t release anything that’s not a kit, but if they do a limo – and get it right – I’ll be grinning like a fool as I hand over a load of cash for it 🙂
The Limos are scratch build, the genestealer cult was my first 40k army in the early 90’s and I always was looking to get one like the one in the left side of the picture. I still have my army in a miniature case waiting for this new codex so they could rise again.
genestealer cults were great 🙂 I was always confused why they squatted them ?
yeah would be cool to have these released in a board game like the assassins were 🙂
They squatted a lot of my favorite forces back then. They’ve brought back a number of them now, but when they were squatted, they were far from alone. Here are some other forces that got squatted alongside them:
Chaos Cults
Daemon World
Necrons
Harlequins
Legion of the Damned
Squats
And that’s not including things like Exodite Eldar who never got their own list.
I hope its all wrong! the cult army could get me back into 40k…
and dont call the limo a truck please 🙂
Yes! That Genestealer cult looks awesome.
Wow, that pic of the Genestealer Cult just took me back a few years.
I thought A:EF had sold pretty badly .. the “limited” stock doesnt seem to be out @ GW yet, but then we dont know how limited it actually is. Many online stores carry lots of boxes as well wich had me wondering how well its really done. Always liked the genestealer cult army though .. used one in 40k 2nd edition, still regret selling the off :/
Wasn’t so much a case of it selling badly – more the opinion from people who have played it saying it’s actually a pretty good game.
From the reviews ive read there are just as many saying it is a pretty weak game, most of the positives seem to stem from people excusing it because “alternative view on the 40k universe” and “omg assassins” .. but its entierly possible i have missed a bunch of reviews commenting on how positive actial gameplay is.
Reviews are a waste of time, everyone is raving about the new avengers movie, I just thought it was bit meh. Until you can play/watch/do something for yourself, you’re always in the dark.
No, reviews are helpful, the trick is to read a couple and see if there seems to be a pattern to some opinions. If things i am sceptical about keeps popping up in several reviews theres a chance its not worth my time or money. Reading comments to reviews can seriously help puzzle together a “sense” of whats going on. Thing is im willing to give new stuff a chance, just that with this game there were several warning signals ..with the price/content elephant in the room it would be pretty dumb not to read a review or three before… Read more »
If it’s true …… I want ! If their designed well
I would love to see the return of Genestealer Cults and Deathwatch Teams. The Deathwatch are ridiculously awesome alien hunters and offer an excuse to wheel out all kinds of rare weapons and devices of forbidden xenos origin as speciality wargear. What’s not to love? As for the Genestealer Cults, from a fluff perspective they allow for a closer focus on just how Genestealers go about subverting Imperial societies,. which has been an important part of the Genestealer lore in every incarnation of the Tyranid Codex for years. As noted upthread, they also open the possibility for a Tyranid subfaction… Read more »
But, what selfrespecting Cult Magos would move around scheming schemes without his limousine?!
Well this is interesting. I never thought that they would bring back Genestealer Cult.
Genestealer Cultists that takes you back the vehicles would look good in Dredd game’s as well?
Very covert riding around a purple limo :p
I hope it’s true – I always saw the Genestealer cult’s as the 40k equivilent of HP Lovecraft’s Shadow over Innsmouth occupants in that they are mutated humans with a distinctly horror cult feel to them.
I this is true I would be delighted, great news.
No need for limos in a boardgame.
Otherwise the limos are the strongest point 😉
Of course they need the limousine.
God, I hope they do the limo. However, I am willing to bet 50p on the “truck” being a variant of the Taurox kit.
You just know they are going to be renamed “Cultus Genum Stealerem” or something silly like that.
I’m working on a cult right now. I’d dearly love a limo, but it’s NEVER going to happen.
The Genestealer Cult was my first ever 40K army and the seated Patriarch is my all-time favourite 40K mini. And yes, the limos are awesome. They still exist and I’ve had the privilege of seeing all of those minis up close, including both limos. I was even offered the chance to pick them up for a closer look but I had visions of my clumsy hands dropping them so declined.