The Dustfarers - Ash Waste Nomads between the hives of Necromunda

Well Necromunda doesn't stop to inspire many of us and I've found it to be the perfect excuse to go back and dwell in the leadpile to find old projects that could be good to tick off the list !

Ash waste nomads were exactly that !

As you may have noticed, I have a very deep fondness for Confrontation (Necromunda's ancestor) and I have to say having a gang of each entry in the game would be quite of an achievement for me. ^^

Two opportunities have made the Ash waste nomads climb to the top of the painting queue : Necromunda and Dracula's America.

What's the link with Dracula ?

I'm going to tell you.

Little time ago, some of my WIPster friends came up with some very positive reviews of Osprey's Dracula's America, which even lead Sho3box to come up with a 40k flavoured gang of Ratskins for it.

Trying new games is always fun, committing models wise less so, I'll always be wary of starting something new since I do like to build a world of my own with my models. But blending the setting we've jointly been building with Dracula's America's, now there was an idea. 

His ratskins/native americans could surely find worthy opponents.

Now with the release of the new Necromunda, I also wanted a fresh gang. And what original gang had the true desert dwelling vibe I needed ? Yep, Ash Waste nomads !

Like often, the illustrations from John Blanche had everything I needed to work from :

The sketches also provided plenty of info :

Of course, the first models I picked were the original nomads I had (and yes I'm missing the shotgun one, I KNOW). Beautiful Marauder models along this sublime Goodwin leader !

Then I wanted to add a bit more variety so I kept the ideas in Blanche's sketches with concealed faces, hoods, hats and all sorts of protective gear. You have all sorts of models here from a converted Perry tank crew, to a Copplestone scavenger, to a kitbashed scout, a converted Goodwin chaos warrior and a scavvy ganger turned into a heavy.

Now I had this very precise idea that Ash Waste Nomads are a superstitious kind, worshipping the sun and different elements like deities. In that regard, I thought it would be fun to have some of them embracing the gifts from their gods and roaming the wastes free of breathers, goggles and all.

I'm not sure I'd use them any differently in gaming turns but I really liked the idea of those mutants inspired by all sorts of the usual sources like Judge Dredd, Fallout and the like...

The sun blessed as are deeply deranged inside as they are outside but their insanity makes them jolly and very useful companions when crossing the wastes.

Colours wise, a brutal change occured midway through blocking all colours. It doesn't happen often but at some point I just realised I was facing a wall :

The main colours was initially some deep reddish brown which thought would suit them and would make them look like they're blending with the martian kind of environment (my martian desert gaming mat) they'd dwell on. But after adding the green (to echo the possible acid lakes you'd find in the wastes, I thought they'd look way too much like my scavvies :

So I swapped the reddish brown from some good old charadon granite. Only problem being the green and red now make them look a little like Sho3box's ratskins now (which they might face soon enough...) :

Rules wise in Necromunda, I suppose they would be pretty good scavvies (unless Ash Waste Nomads get their own rules (wink wink Mr Hoare) but for now, they could be either Vansaars (for the protective gear) or just Orlocks.

In Dracula's america, I think using the rules for either the congregation or the Dark confederacy. The former would suit the Ash waste more (good guys, worshiping the forces of nature), but the rules of the confederacy would suit the zombie aspect of the Sun blessed more I suppose. I'll have to think about that as it would potentially mean more models to paint if I chose the former... ;)

Anyway, I'm really chuffed to have these guys done, I just have to move on to a new gang now... or get back to an old one ?

Anyway, I've got some chaos to paint again this month for my renegade army ! There's always plenty of cool projects ahead !