What I've Learned: House Escher - A Necromunda Guide

[@DaThingOnTheDoorstep]

Buying Hotshot packs for your lasgun-toting Sisters is crucial. Boosting that ho-hum S3 to S4 AP -1 that can touch almost everywhere you need to on the board is just too good. My Escher Gang Queen usually moves up with a couple of stubgun/stiletto knife Little Sisters to soak up any bullets before she gets stuck in with her chainaxe. I think it makes the most out of her stat line, boosting both to hit and strength so she'll do +2/+3 on most gangs. There's no "Escher" chainaxe, so I had to raid my bitz box. I have a plasma gun Matriarch as well, the gun is just way too good not to use, and cheap for what it can do! Without access to Gunfighter or Hip Shooting from the Shooting skills to mix it up with plasma pistols and melta guns, I feel the Matriarch is a bit of a one trick pony. Yeah, they have access to Combat skills, but why would you kit out a Matriarch for melee when you can just use Deathmaidens? As for chem-alchemy, I mean, the Escher didn't really have the credits to play with them this campaign. My preferred Gas ammo effects are Liftin and Leaden though, dropping the template 6" further makes for very surprised opponents and leaving behind a 3" pie plate that remains for the rest of the round just rubs it in. But great video, looking forward to what insights you have on the other gangs. I'm a lot less savvy with them as I am with my Escher.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Nice! I still have much to learn! Pinning this!

[@ExiledLoiner]

Great video, it's always interesting to hear another perspective on the Escher. I'd like to point out that the little sister no longer has a move of 6", sadly it's dropped to 5" but it's not all bad, their strength has increased from 2 to 3 with the House of Blades. Because of this I've replaced their Stiletto Knife with a Fighting Knife to save 5 creds (every credit counts at the start). A little Sister with a Stub Gun and Fighting Knife is a bargain at 40 creds! My Specialist of choice has a Grenade Launcher with Photon Flash Grenades for 70 creds. This is 30 creds cheaper than a plasma gun and is more forgiving if they roll a miss thanks to the 5" blast template. If I have any credits left over I give her smoke as well. This model has improved my gang immeasurably. For the Champion, I give mine an Auto Pistol and then as soon as I've played my first game I buy her a Long-Las for 20 credits. It might sound like a bit of a weedy gun but my champion has more 'kills' than my Queen and Death Maiden combined! As much as I like the Wyld Runner model (and the idea of them) I can't get them to work. I only use them if I'm lucky enough to get them for free with the Escher Tactic Card. I don't bother with armour on most of my girls. Flak just isn't worth it in my opinion, the credits soon mount up if every ganger is given Flak and a 6+ save isn't great. I give my Queen and my Specialist a little protection with Mesh Armour. My Death Maiden gets Mesh and an Armoured Undersuit but everybody else has to wait until I get more credits. Thanks for giving us a platform to talk about the Escher, I agree that the Escher are less forgiving if your founding gang is a bit iffy compared to other gangs so it's more important to watch the credits and focus more on getting a solid foundation. Experience has shown me that this foundation involves more bodies rather than ineffective armour. Being a narrative player myself, that doesn't necessarily mean all Lasguns (We house rule that no gang can take more than 3 of a basic or specialist weapon) but more bodies with a cheap (ish) load out.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Excellent feedback! Spoken like a true Escher Champion! As I learn your ways I'll maybe update with a part II of what I've learned. Thank you for sharing and guiding others that may find this video.

[@ArdWulf]

This new facet of your channel is well appreciated...You've made many excellent points and I appreciate your desire to improve your own play, but especially the content of the channel. Kudos! And of course, Cheers!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Cheers, Wulf! Thank you for the continued support 🙂

[@mr.m1703]

Your Necromunda videos are just great! I love how you narrate and give commentary - almost like watching a sports report; it's a great style. Can't wait for the next campaign!

[@janklevaivancic4263]

Nice content, keep it up ;) Btw, from your review of Chem-alchemy it wasn't clear that you can combine up to 3 out of those 10 'effects' per table into 1 Toxin ammo dose/Stimm dose: for example, since you were not impressed with the Chem-thrower, have you considered mixing: Liftin' (to fire the Flame template up to 6'' further) + Pyrophoric (Blaze on the Template) + Bane (if your'te facing Goliaths) or Acidic (when other gangs start buying Respirators and Hazard suits to counter your gasses)... As for Stimms, I always keep 1 dose of Ice cold on the gang Leader, in case the gang fails its Bottle check and I have to roll Cool checks to keep the fighters on the table, she can buff her Cool mid-game to make the Cool check and 'Lead by example' for most of the gang. Just a couple observations from my experience with Eschers; anyway, cheers! :)

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks for posting! Combining into your own is extremely powerful and something we'll have to try. I appreciate you sharing. :)

[@intvlan1shut]

This was a great watch! Really informative to someone looking to get into the game. I know making these is a lot of work but I for one would love to see similar videos for each gang from the campaign. I also want to say that I appreciate the fact that your games/campaigns are more narrative based. My kids an I enjoy watching all your videos!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Outstanding! Thank you for the comment. :) Yes, all gangs will be coming at some point working from the bottom up.

[@heretical_hobbyist]

This is excellent, and perfectly timed! My wife is interested in building an Escher gang so that she can play with us, so this video is invaluable. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing more of these 👍

[@MrLeviathan40k]

Great recap! Looking forward to the next ones. Specially for the Corpse Grinder Cult 🙂

[@misterymaybe5584]

Corpse grinders players don’t need any help! 😆🤣😂

[@MrRyamEros]

Killer video. I have painted up a whole Escher gang, including a Chem thrower. It just looks really cool!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Totally thematic! I love the way they look as well. No regrets from me 🙂

[@Atzy]

Personally I feel the chem-thrower is the best weapon to give your Specialist Sister. If you have a clan alchemist you can spruce it up something fierce with chem-alchemy. My favorites are Lifting, Bane, Pyrophoric. Costly, but a gas weapon that almost guarantees injuries when used with Chem-Synth, with a 14,5' reach and also sets people on fire? Yes please.

[@frankodonnell5247]

Excellent view of Escher I really enjoyed it, so thanks for taking the time to do it :)

[@battlemind]

Very thorough. Thanks for posting this!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks! Getting out of my comfort zone a bit.

[@kromyrthedamned3457]

Great as always. Thank you for the insights.

[@sebastianjones2651]

Great vid. Looking forward to seeing your take on the other gangs

[@christopherjoachimwallat1429]

Very informative, thank you. Can't wait for your thoughts on the other gangs!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks! Yes I will get to those while we have some battle report downtime. 🙂

[@annoyingrequirement]

This is great and enjoy the narrative focus of your content and playthroughs, it's enjoyable to watch. Cheers!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks you!

[@Steve_Keen]

I liked the video! I'm looking forward to the rundown for each gang.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks, Steve!

[@ojsims38]

Great stuff bud. Me and friends are starting up our own campaign, with me playing Escher, this is a great help as it's a learning curve.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Glad you enjoyed it! Best of luck to you guys.

[@Lord-83]

I am just starting Necromunda and my first gang is Escher. This video has already been very useful

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Great! Makes it totally worth it! 🙂

[@hobby_kiste]

Awesome, really useful for me as I plan to start Escher after my Orlock that I am working on at the moment! Keep up the cool stuff, would like to see more like this too.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Excellent! Thank you 🙂

[@leenewport1793]

Just about to paint up my Escher girls. This will be of great help once they are ready for the tabletop. Thank You.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Best of luck with the ladies! 🙂

[@hde_miniatures5295]

Thank you very much, a really instructive video. Right now I'm starting to paint my Escher band, I take note of how to assemble the rest of the minis.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stuartbanana5083]

Love your content! Loving this dive into the gangs, especially after the campaigns you have run. Excellent point of view. Chem alchemy: I haven’t gotten tooooo deep, but a Chem Alchemist makes them actually usable on a game to game basis. I like them for a Counter Toolbox. You don’t need to buy photo goggles for everyone when you can buy some wide eye for a game for much cheaper for instance. The toxin ammo I am trying to nail down. So many fun effects but haven’t really come into use much. Usually the toxin claw DM just slays what it touches, toxin ammo or no. I’m currently running with an Escher gang with a Bullet Merchant and Gaseous Bolts for a bolt fun and shotguns. One shot insanity blasts are a fun surprise, if a bit expensive. The choke grenades from a launcher are soooooo good. Haven’t had much luck or run with Chem Thrower though.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Nice! Thank you for adding these thoughts and experiences. :) More for me to chew on for season 4!

[@erikgustavsson3865]

Thank's för a great video, and a great campaign overall 👍 I have actually bought my first gang because your videos have inspired me so much! I bought the Orlocks so I'm really looking forward to that video. Have a Good one... / Erik

[@robertholmberg8962]

Great video, looking forward to hear you talk about Delaque in a future video.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks! All in good time! :)

[@hisingenwargamer2996]

great video like always!! :)

[@calumdeighton]

Certainly be interested in a Orlock Gang video like this. Thinking of getting into Necromunda, need to check your video on that first. But certainly be interested in an Orlock video, as I think they are the coolest next to the Enforcers.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I like the House of Iron. They are tough as nails! I will get a video for them eventually. :)

[@calumdeighton]

@@MiniatureGameMontage Orlock rules!

[@jimmygallagher9843]

You have a wonderful channel and definitely deserve more subscribers.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks! 🙂 I really enjoy making them.

[@sarah-bethm9265]

Great video, some really good tips.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks so much!

[@SweenyMarc]

I'm just about to start my first campaign, playing Escher AND it's my first ever tabletop wargame so this has been really helpful. I've been struggling to get enough gang members at 1000CR as I want everyone to have good armour and weapons. Seems I may need to reduce how much stuff I'm bringing to the fight and accept more bodies that are riskier to play. One thing you don't mention is the Escher Acid Shotgun. I've found in our test games that my Champions loaded with Acid are really heavy hitters.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Nice! I'll have to try that out! Thank you for sharing.

[@SweenyMarc]

@@MiniatureGameMontage The slightly short range is a bit scary but using Spring Up to get in close, dive for cover and then stand up for free (99% of the time) next activation makes getting into the action a bit safer and once you are in range Strength 3 AP -1 Blaze and Scattershot do serious work. I am considering adding a melee weapon to their gear as I've ended up in a fistfight a couple of times when the RNG has gone against me on the shotgun and that's not so fun!

[@williamyoung2691]

Great video!! Cant wait to see you cover the other gangs.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks bud! :)

[@Ewarner1983]

This is great!

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Great idea for a cool series of videos!

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks! Hope to do more during our down weeks. Have a lot to paint!

[@codywinig9894]

This video is full of solid information. Are you boys going to make one for every gang in this past campaign? Love your necromunda work sir. you have a loyal follower over here in northern Nevada.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks, sir! I do plan on doing them for each gang over time. I appreciate you watching and for the comment 🙂

[@codywinig9894]

Cant wait for your coverage on the Orkock. House of iron all day and campaign 3 with those ogruns is going to be the highlight of my year. Keep up the fun work

[@MalakhimJWQ1]

Hail all

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Hail!

[@sarahhillary7698]

Hail!

[@wellywoodwargaming]

good stuff dude

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks, guys! 🙂

[@DT-ce1fb]

Personally I find the plasma pistol is a better buy for an Escher leader than the needle pistol. It's a little more expensive but it's worth the extra cost for the added punch it gives. Needle weapons on Death Maidens work nicely but the leader doesn't have the innate toxin buff. So they tend to perform poorly against things like Goliaths or some of the tougher brutes.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Agreed could easily go for more plasma! Plasma is so good! Thanks for watching!

[@ja37d-34]

Thanks for the tips! Just starting out so.. :)

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Welcome!

[@ja37d-34]

@@MiniatureGameMontage Thanks mate!

[@jschwa7390]

Sweet Info, I thought the chem-thrower was like the flame thrower auto hit, i guess the range is the issue. Heavy Stubber plus a chem-bullets would also be a good option. Use her as bait/ tank and watch her flanks.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

While it auto-hits it doesn't pin so that's the big difference. I'll have to check that heavy stubber combo out!

[@dysonraf]

Will you be doing anymore of these? Palanite enforcers particularly 🤣

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Absolutely! I’ll get them next!

[@FlimFlame]

Hey thanks for this, I have been enjoying the game plays, and your primo terrain! I'm playing Delaque next, for the 1st time, any advice gratefully accepted

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Great! I really enjoy delaque. Get a good grip on their tactics cards as they are brutal! Web weapons are awesome and can cause issues for even multiwound fighters. Auto-guns are also pretty dang good weapons! Rapid fire I think. I haven’t played with their expansion yet but I will soon! 🙂

[@sarahhillary7698]

The problem I find with Escher is their cool checks. If Gangers start dropping and they fail their bottle test then you’re likely to loser gangers quickly due to failed cool checks.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Can be an issue. The Queen is a 5 so trying to form a 12" bubble around her will help. Death Maidens are 4 and those are the best they have.

[@sarahhillary7698]

@@MiniatureGameMontage very true

[@kirvesuk6908]

I can't see any Van Saar content on your channel, is this something that might happen? Cheers from the UK

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

So yes...I just have so much of a backlog right now. It's difficult to find time to paint. Ogryns are done, Cawdor is halfway done, also have the new Nomads and terrain to paint...some genestealers and more. Eventually yes! :D

[@Redtecho]

what do you think about Melta Guns?

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Looks like it would destroy anything it hits, lol. Never used them but they have a scary stat line! Not sure how much they cost as I don’t have my book handy.

[@Redtecho]

I was thinking of trying escher Metlas since they are a mid range team.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

@@Redtecho totally viable in my opinion. I think it would be good for control as well. I would know where that gun is at all times and not go near it, lol

[@sarahhillary7698]

Most likely a good weapon for use against Ash Waste vehicles especially multi-meltas. The main problem is short range meaning that anyone using one is likely going to be a priority target to take out before they get close.

[@stuartbanana5083]

One of those instances where they tend to be overkill early game and So many points. 135 off the top of my head. Mid to late game they are so very good at turning brutes and Van Saar armor nuts like nothing else. I Love Meltas but don’t get to use them until late game. Had a Venator player run a leader with one and hip shooting…. Tearjerker Cheers!

[@Warrior51970]

Do toxin weapons still grant armor saves?

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I rule yes. The rules are written a bit obscure but toxin weapons do have an AP modifier on some of them. Instead of making a wound roll, roll for Toxin. If passed and the armor save is failed, it’s automatic injury dice regardless of wounds.

[@Warrior51970]

@@MiniatureGameMontage thanks. That’s what I figured since they have AP.

[@mxnovicephotography]

Good video, but i feel like sh*t now, maybe you can help me out: I bought the hive war box and assembled all escher and delaque like in the manual. That manual doesnt even have a table for all points (e.g frag granades cost like 45pts, but nowhere stands anything about how much incendiary granades cost. Also i dont know how many pts a character *should* get (like, is 250 for a leader perfect, or too much?) Next, i hear you speaking about specialists an little sisters, those aren't even described here... I feel like i messed up, and i just played one round with a friend of mine. It went 3 hours and due to all the rules and weapon traits we didn't kill one single mini of the other one. Every mini was just lying prone after round 2... And the manual said you can just execute prone and seriously injured fighters via coup de grace? Can't you just shoot them? Or did i miss something? It frustrated me so much, because i want to learn it and i love the setting (also Terrainbuilding) but its so beginner unfriendly... Building a gang seems hard, but balancing two gangs so i can play with my friends is even harder. No one of is even in the miniature hobby space, and that's fine, but that leaves all the Gangbuilding to me. I therefore can't even build a strong gang, because i constantly have this balancing act in my head. Its frustrating Thanks for reading through my rant. And for some tips in advance.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

That’s quite the list! 🙂 I always recommend to start small. Take 3 fighters on a small board to get a feel for the mechanics and simple weapons. 250 is quite a bit for a leader out of the gate. A standard roster is 1000 credits so that’s 25% In one fighter. For point values and list building, yaktribe is a must for me. It makes things so simple. The book you have is probably the core rulebook. I reference a lot of material from the House of Blades book for Escher where you get the full rundown (little sisters, etc). You can build those lists on yaktribe so I can’t recommend it enough. Also, there’s a difference in being prone face up (pinned) and prone face down (seriously injured). You can shoot a prone fighter that’s not in cover. If you charge a pinned fighter they will stand up to fight back. If you charge an injured fighter you can freely take them out via coup de grace. I would recommend getting on yaktribe and building a small 400-500 point gang using basic equipment. It gets hard using toxin and whips with versatile and web weapons and such on your first go. Also, yaktribe has a forum where you can ask questions and you can see other lists people have built. Overall it’s a great reference.

[@mxnovicephotography]

@@MiniatureGameMontage thank you so much, i will look into yaktribe ❤️

[@anthonytanner2343]

Awesome video. Video request: House Orlock: What You've Learned. Can I bribe you into making this video with a Dragon's Milk? 🙃

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I love that stuff! House Orlock will be coming but probably last as I work my way up from the bottom of the standings. 🙂

[@ZodiusXx]

Why about the cats? Those pets with the bow girls are great

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I had them mentioned but ended up editing it out. We just really haven't used them enough so maybe What I've Learned Part II will come at some point. The Wyld Runners hit on 4s and the bows have a short range. Past 9" they hit on 5s before any modifiers. Love them thematically and will run them but little sisters feel like a better deal for the creds.

[@ZodiusXx]

@@MiniatureGameMontage I personally find it's worth running one with 2 pets as it gives you a cheap "sacrifice" option for coup de grace and will also take you above the mission number if fighters

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

@@ZodiusXx Cool I will try it out next campaign!

[@sjaugust1]

What about wyld hunters?

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I think Wyld Runners are a bit expensive for what they are. 45 credits base versus 20 credits for a little sister. I think they are thematic but a bit pricey.

[@dietrichknauth9305]

Don't ever buy flak armor. Buy mesh for your important fighters and don't waste credits on a 6+ save for the expendables.

[@-VOR]

No chem-alchemy? I used Liftin on my nightshade specialist every game. Gives her a 6" extension with the nightshade. Also Gave her the Sprint skill. Can move 15"! Edit due to clarification on the weapon. Sure it doesn't pin, but you're forgetting about its crowd control ability and the fact that the blaze rule can be a hell of a lot better than just simply pinning. Having 1 or multiple enemies on fire on the ground or running around on fire for an average on 2 rounds, beats the simple pin.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

Thanks for sharing! I still have more to learn! :)

[@-VOR]

@@MiniatureGameMontage also, the black market is incredible! Getting falsehoods for your death Maidens, chem thrower and other close units, is a must! Ive also given them all ablative overlays giving them a +2 to their armor save the first time they're need to save. And +1 there second time, for only 20 credits. And for 15 credits, a scrap shield gives any model that's engaged a +1 to their save.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

@@-VOR omg. 🤯 that’s nuts

[@-VOR]

@@MiniatureGameMontage right? Any model can have them. Its made my girls VERY hard to deal with.

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

@@-VOR I think it really illustrates to me how dominated I would get in the real world! 😂

[@hubertkafel640]

No beasts heresy

[@MiniatureGameMontage]

I just need to use them more. I have a Phyrr cat to paint!