Additional Rules
Epic Armageddon - Genestealer Cults

Authors Notes


Back To The Main Page
Back To Additional Rules


Genestealer Cult Force Lite (PDF)
Authors Notes
Background
Formations
Unit Stats
Allies and Thralls


Authors Notes

Hello, and welcome to the latest incarnation of the Genestealer Cult Army List for Epic. It would seem a fairly logical step for me to update the list that I put together for Epic 40K with the advent of the new game. However, the truth is that this list actually began before I was even aware of the fourth edition of Epic. It grew out of conversations and musings about the last version, and from a few of the areas of that list that I was not as happy about. While I still like the Epic 40K cult list, it lacks a certain feeling and focus that I was trying to capture. That lead me right back to the drawing board, re-evaluating every unit in the force and validating its presence in the list. Perhaps the biggest change for this list is that I have concentrated on humans to make up the ranks. The decision to drop the Ork brood brothers was made because I felt that it lead to a force which was non-unified and became a strange mix of miniatures and styles. However, I have included options for other races as brood brothers, but now a Genestealer force only has one race to be used as brood brothers, representing the fact that a cult will be embedded in a single society of a single race.

I wanted a cult that behaved more like a guerilla force. One that had the feeling of a mass of fanatical troops, with whatever they lacked in training and equipment made up for in sheer determination to a cause. I hope that the result is closer to the vision that I had in mind, and that it feels not only like an army that is different from the other forces available to the Epic player, but like one which fits the deep background of the Genestealers.

I have been infected by the Genestealers right from the start of my tabletop wargaming days, and while I have been tempted away from them by minor considerations like official army lists and actual dedicated models of other armies, the Genestealer army is one of the few that has always stayed with me. I think that a lot of players find that. Whatever forces they build for their games, the first that the encountered always has a special place.

This list reflects my own thoughts and ideas about how a Genestealer Cult army would fight and behave on the Epic battle field. I would like to say thanks, firstly to my regular opponent Tim who batted ideas back and forth with me almost as soon as the Epic 40K list was unleashed, and also to a second Tim, of the Genestealer Cult list for 40K fame for his last minute advice. Some of this list is taken directly from the Epic 40K version. I make no appologies for this, since that is where it all started.

This list is not set in stone, and in some ways it will never really be complete. If you have any comments or suggestions about it, please feel free to let me know. You can either drop in to the EpiComms forums, or send me an email. I welcome any feedback.

Points Values

OK, let me get this out of the way right from the start. The points values here are going to prove to be a sticky subject. This list can be considered to be completely unofficial - it will never be official and will never be accepted in tournament play. In theory, this means that there doesnt actually need to be any points values attached to the list. However, while this may work for the occassional unit, and I support the absence of points values in this way, it is unrealistic to have an entire army list which operates this way. Another alternative is to simply have the entire list as duplicates for an existing and official list. For example, Genestealer Hybrid stands are actually used as Chaos Space Marines, Brood Brothers are actually Chaos Cultists, etc. But, this means that the Genestealer must then behave and fight in the same style as another, existing force. That doesnt feel right either. So, I have chosen to create an army complete with points values and which can be used alongside the 'official' lists.

The largest consequence of this, is that the Genestealer Cult list uses units which only appear in the other Imperial Guard lists as hard to find miniatures or stand-ins and proxies for other, more common and official units. This means that I have had to improvise and add points values to units which were always intended never to have values. For this, I appologise to Jervis. However, I will point out that most of the vehicles in a Cult Army are not identicle to their Imperial counterparts. Genestealer forces find it difficult to aquire a reasonable number of heavy weapons, and many vehicles have their secondary armament removed so that it can be distributed amoung the covens.

I guess that the point that I am trying to make is that I have improvised the points values and applied them to different patterns of familiar vehicles. In addition, the vehicles are used in the context of a Genestealer force. The value of a Leman Russ could vary depending on the support that it is given, its vulnerability to air attack, whether it is one of the largest targets for the enemy and many other factors. The points values here should be taken at face value, and should not be applied to other forces or used as a rationale or basis for vehicles or units in other forces or other situations.

In addition, the stats of some of the units also vary. A Genestealer in a cult is different from one which is a part of a Tyranid swarm. It is bred to infiltrate and to remain hidden and covert. Tyranid Genestealers are created for a more all-out attack. The rules here are not supposed to be used as a basis for units in other forces. You should treat a Genestealer here as a different beast to one in a Tyranid army, and a cult Gorgon is different from one in an Imperial Guard army.

Background Notes

The background of the Genestealer Cult has changed considerably over the years. Initially, a cult originated as a single Purestrain, infecting a host species to produce first generation hybrids. These then infected further hosts to produce second generation hyrids and this continues for four generations. Fourth generation Genestealer Hybrids can produce normal human offspring, hybrids of any generation or Purestrain Genestealers. When the fourth generation Hybrid has matured, the structure of the cult changes. Where the cult was scattered and disparate, it closes ranks and moves as a more cohesive force within the society. The original Purestrain grows and takes up his role as the head of the cult, or the father, the Patriarch. In addition, one of the fourth generation hybrids rises through the ranks, in order to act as the liason for the cult and takes on the mantle of the Magus. Both the Patriarch and the Magus develop strong psychic powers, and the Magus and other fourth generation hybrids show a magnetism and charisma which gives the cult a persuasive voice on a planet.

Later background on the Genestealers placed them as an arm of the Tyranid invasion force, where they fulfil the role of the vanguard. They are used to disrupt enemy forces and prepare the way for the main Tyranid invasion forces. When a cult acting in this capacity matures and the fourth generation hybrids are established, the psychic gestalt broadcasts its location and the whereabouts of a planet ripe for destruction. Alternatively, a Genestealer cult finds itself established on a planet away from the main Tyranid invasion. This cult then disrupts forces and drives them away from strategic points. A cult left in this capacity is capable of decimating a planet, and often the outside galaxy is unaware of its plight until it is too late. Genestealer Hybrid generations were abandoned in favour of a more generic structure and simply placing all Hybrids as a single troop type.

I favour the original verison, using four generations of Hybrid, but this level of detail is lost on the Epic battle field. Therefore, I have adopted a compromise, where Hybrids are split into stands of fourth generation Genestealers, acting as sub-commanders for broods, and first, second and third generation Hybrids grouped together on stands.

Further explanation of the background to Genestealer Cults can be found on the next page.

Structure of this list

The aim of this list is to take you through the necessary stages to explain and develop a Genestealer Cult army for use in the fourth edition of Epic, Epic Armageddon. The next page details the background in order to give you a flavour of the army before looking at the specifics of it as a fighting force. The formations and army structure are explained, and then the types of units and troops which are used in the formations of a cult army. A Genestealer Cult army is able to ally itself with local Chaos cults, both factions gaining strength from the alliance, and rules for doing this are given towards the end of the list. In addition, while this list represents a Genestealer Cult which has taken root within a human society and infected the local Planetary Defence Force and garrison, it is possible that Genestealers find themselves in other societies and other races. Rules and guidelines for this are also included. Finally, I have decided to dedicate a page to actually building this force in 6mm. Initially this can seem a little daunting, as without specific troops produced for this list, you are faced with the challenge of converting in 1:300 scale. However, there are suitable miniatures out there, and I would like to show you how I have done it. While this page will be relatively limited to begin with, I will attempt to update it as I put more troops together.

I hope that you enjoy this list. If you do put together a Genestealer Cult list for Epic Armageddon using this list, drop me an email and let me know. I would love to hear about your experiences and opinions and I am always happy to chat about it endlessly.

Next Page - Background
Top of Page

Version 2.1: 06/06/2003
Feedback on these rules: cybershadow@epic40k.co.uk