Come see the current argument for the just who the heck Genestealer cults can ally with an why. This is turning into a circus..
First off I think we can all agree as reasonable hobbyists that the over all intent of the new Genestealers was that they can be part of a Tyranids army. If you can’t get behind that point, you may want to bail right now as this is not going to end well for you in the comments probably…
Larry over at BoLS poured gasoline on a fire with his take on the rules, and to be honest his reasoning isn’t half bad either. However it was more from the point of: “Hey if you come over to my house you can do this cause I’m not a dbag” kinda deal.
Now here some things to remember about “allies”:
- They are detachments
- They have objective secured
- You can NOT ally the same faction with a CAD (hence the Cult vs Tyranids issue) – but you can ally it to a detachment that isn’t a CAD.
- There are specific Force Org requirements for an Allied Detachment
- An ally does NOT need a CAD to attach to.
- They may not play nice with the rest of your army (see the allies martix chart)
Here’s some excerpts from Larry’s article:
Factions
First it’s time to familiarize ourselves with the rules on factions (p.118 40K rulebook)
Genestealer Cult Allies Rules
Now look at what the White Dwarf says about Genestealer Cult allies:
Faction Symbols
Here is the faction symbols used in the game so far:
This logo appears atop every Genestealer Cult unit and formation entry:
The default Warhammer 40,000 Faction logos (p.118 40K rulebook)
So with all those main rulebook points of reference, the argument breaks down to two simple points:
Are the Genestealer Cult their own “faction” (similar to how Black Legion works with Chaos Space Marines) but ally in the same way as the Tyranid faction would (but they are not the Tyranid faction).
OR are they part of Tyranids wholly and the designers never wanted them to be part of the same army (even though the Deathwatch can be part of a Space Marine Chapter XYZ army, along with the other points above).
Vote now for how you want it to work hobby world- oh wait is voting for how rules should work a good idea in the first place?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
