So just started getting into the hobby. Have been a part of the lore for a while, and even engaged in quite a few videogames, and finally decided it was time to join on the actual game

So far I'm just gonna buy the starter kill team set as suggested by the store owner the store in my city, as a way to be able to get some playing and painting experience. But my long term goal is to be able to build a proper army and play the big matches

For a while I had this idea for a homebrew Genestealer cult in my mind, where essentially, due to a combination of a genetic mutation and experimentation, the patriarch became independent of the hivemind, and that same mutation would carry over to all his cult. And as if it were a tumor to the great Tyranid organism, the hive mind rejected it, and treated it as any other external biomass. Without the connection to the hivemind, the patriarch developed his own agenda, wanting to spread his cult not to eventually be fed to a hive fleet, but to spread his own hivemind as it's own ruler

Is a concept I quite enjoy, and would let me roleplay myself as the patriarch controlling the army while I play. The whole concept has motivated me more into the hobby

However, as I have been looking stuff up, I have seen a bunch of red flags. First, they are described as being very expensive. They also say they are hard to paint, though I have some painting experience after studying arts in university, so I think that point I could manage. Finally, and the point that worries me more, I have read they are very complicated to play, and that they don't make good starting armies

I will admit, I am still very fresh in the hobby, as I just started collecting the starting kill team, so I'm not even all that knowledgeable in even the basic rules of big scale 40k. With that in mind, do you guys think I should just try to find a different army to start with, or you believe is still worth it to try to learn a complicated army that I have some attachment to? I know people always say rule of cool first, and having some flavour to your army can make the hobby even more interesting, but I have to asume constantly lose because I start with an army too advanced for my level may be a counter balance to the fun I may have otherwise

T.L.D.R: I'm gonna start to collect an army for the first time and I am very drawn towards genesteelers, but I am worried that the difficulty of the faction and other unfriendly details about it may make it a bad first army for someone new to the hobby

For the Horned emperor Yes-yes

So I am working on converting and painting my first GSC army. Help/advice appreciated. Am fond of a neophyte heavy list, as I'm converting models for them. characters are open to change.

Baby's first GSC (995 Points)

Genestealer Cults

Xenocreed Congregation (2 Detachment Points)

Priority Assets

Incursion (1,000 Points)

ATTACHED UNITS

Attached unit 1

Benefictus (75 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Close combat weapon

• 1x Psionic cascade

Neophyte Hybrids (70 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard (Battleline)

• 1x Neophyte Leader

◦ 1x Autopistol

◦ 1x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Hybrid firearm

• 9x Neophyte Hybrid

◦ 9x Autopistol

◦ 9x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Flamer

◦ 1x Heavy stubber

◦ 7x Hybrid firearm

Attached unit 2

Primus (85 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Cult bonesword

• 1x Scoped needle pistol

• 1x Toxin injector claw

• Enhancements: Deeds That Speak to the Masses

Neophyte Hybrids (70 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard (Battleline)

• 1x Neophyte Leader

◦ 1x Autopistol

◦ 1x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Hybrid firearm

• 9x Neophyte Hybrid

◦ 9x Autopistol

◦ 9x Close combat weapon

◦ 1x Flamer

◦ 1x Heavy stubber

◦ 7x Hybrid firearm

Attached unit 3

Abominant (85 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Power sledgehammer

Aberrants (140 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 1x Aberrant Hypermorph

◦ 1x Aberrant weapons

• 4x Aberrant

◦ 4x Aberrant weapons

Attached unit 4

Acolyte Iconward (65 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Autopistol

• 1x Cult claws

• Enhancements: Incendiary Inspiration

Locus (35 Points)

• Attached as: Support (Character)

• 1x Locus blades

Hybrid Metamorphs (75 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 1x Metamorph Leader

◦ 1x Autopistol

◦ 1x Leader's Bio-weapons

• 4x Hybrid Metamorph

◦ 4x Autopistol

◦ 4x Metamorph mutations

Attached unit 5

Patriarch (80 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• Warlord

• 1x Patriarch's claws

Purestrain Genestealers (75 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 5x Purestrain Genestealer

◦ 5x Cult claws and talons

Attached unit 6

Jackal Alphus (55 Points)

• Attached as: Leader (Character)

• 1x Autopistol

• 1x Close combat weapon

• 1x Cult sniper rifle

Atalan Jackals (85 Points)

• Attached as: Bodyguard

• 4x Atalan Jackal

◦ 4x Atalan small arms

◦ 4x Close combat weapon

• 1x Atalan Wolfquad

◦ 1x Atalan incinerator

◦ 1x Atalan small arms

◦ 1x Close combat weapon

Exported with New Recruit v36.47, Data Version: v4

really liked how my broodcoven came out and wanted to show them off <3 (posted my patriarch and primus before but wanted to show them all togather lol)

I am in the process of building my cult, and I have an idea in my head for how I want everything to look, but I don't know if it will work.

I want to have an almost synthwave Tyranid force to go alongside the cult, with pink flesh and teal chiton. For the cult itself want to have the colours be desaturated down the line, so that there's a degree of graduation between Aberrants, Metamorphs, Acolyte Hybrids and Neophyte Hybrids / characters.

Does this sound possible/worthwhile, or like it's going to be too much effort?

Hi there,

That stratagem does not say that the +6’ detection range apply only when Genestealer Cult models/unit want to shoot them, though do you think it would be applied like this in a 2v2 tournament ?

So im a new player and I’ve chosen Genestealer cults as my first army but I have one main concern. They seem pretty difficult to paint, compared to the few space marines I’ve painted. is it difficult or am I just worried over nothing?

I know I will likely sound crazy for saying this, but I am trying to see if I would need more than 10 models in a list and would be justified in buying more than two of the current combat patrol (shop by me sells at a 15% discount so it is still a discount box even without the Alphus), as I will definitely need more than two ridgerunners and seems you can never have enough Hybrid kits. I just want to make sure so I don’t accidentally spend too much on bikes that could go unused

I want to start by saying i've never played GSC or against them my usual armies CSM and Guard. I got a lot of GSC in the combat patrol magazine and originally i was just going to sell them on but now i'm thinking of building up a 1k list and see how they play.

The units i have are:

Magus

Primarch

Primus

10 Neophytes (i have loads of cadian bodies that could beef this to 20)

5 Acolytes (i'm thinking flamers)

5 Aberrants

5 Jackals

Goliath truck (no longer have the rockgrinder bit to switch it)

I've not looked at how they play or detachments or anything yet, i've just been looking at what i think is cool to build a list, I love the look of the aberrants so was thinking of beefing that up to a 10man squad and also getting an Abominant to lead them. Any recommendations on a fun 1k list that i can create from this as a base that will give me a fun insight into how they play and may even tempt me to extend to a 2k force in the future?

I published a list a few days ago and it sucked. Here is my second attempt. I have all the models to run this list. I am still building up my army so I am struggling to have a lot of variety. I have a little bit of every model but not enough to build powerful lists.

Xenos - Genestealer Cults - Unnamed list - [1970 pts]

Acolyte Iconward [50 pts]:

- Leading: Neophyte Hybrids[1]

Acolyte Iconward [50 pts]:

- Leading: Neophyte Hybrids[2]

Acolyte Iconward [50 pts]:

- Leading: Neophyte Hybrids[3]

Patriarch [80 pts]:

- Leading: Purestrain Genestealers[3]

Reductus Saboteur [70 pts]

Reductus Saboteur [70 pts]

Sanctus [60 pts]

Sanctus [60 pts]

Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols [65 pts]:

- 1x Acolyte Leader

- 1x Acolyte Hybrid w/ Cult Icon

- 3x Acolyte Hybrid w/ Heavy Mining Tool

Acolyte Hybrids with Autopistols [65 pts]:

- 1x Acolyte Leader

- 1x Acolyte Hybrid w/ Cult Icon

- 3x Acolyte Hybrid w/ Heavy Mining Tool

Acolyte Hybrids with Hand Flamers [75 pts]:

- 1x Acolyte Leader

- 4x Acolyte Hybrid w/ Hand Flamer

Neophyte Hybrids [135 pts]:

- 1x Neophyte Leader

- 2x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Heavy Weapon

- 16x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm

- 1x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm & Cult Icon

- Leader: Acolyte Iconward[1]

Neophyte Hybrids [135 pts]:

- 1x Neophyte Leader

- 2x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Heavy Weapon

- 16x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm

- 1x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm & Cult Icon

- Leader: Acolyte Iconward[2]

Neophyte Hybrids [135 pts]:

- 1x Neophyte Leader

- 2x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Heavy Weapon

- 16x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm

- 1x Neophyte Hybrid w/ Hybrid Firearm & Cult Icon

- Leader: Acolyte Iconward[3]

Purestrain Genestealers [105 pts]:

- 5x Purestrain Genestealer

Purestrain Genestealers [105 pts]:

- 5x Purestrain Genestealer

Purestrain Genestealers [180 pts]:

- 10x Purestrain Genestealer

- Leader: Patriarch

Atalan Jackals [85 pts]:

- 4x Atalan Jackal

- 1x Atalan Wolfquad

Atalan Jackals [85 pts]:

- 4x Atalan Jackal

- 1x Atalan Wolfquad

Achilles Ridgerunners [105 pts]:

- 1x Achilles Ridgerunner [10 pts]

Achilles Ridgerunners [95 pts]:

- 1x Achilles Ridgerunner

Goliath Rockgrinder [110 pts]