Necromunda Ironhead Squat Prospectors: Complete Gang Creation Guide

Squat Gang Creation Guide

I have been playing varied Squat gangs for a couple of years. From ranged to close combat-focused. I have generally gone for small gangs, averaging around 5 or 6 fighters to start with. Largely because they have access to good but expensive equipment. You can definitely make larger gangs with lighter armour, since they already have good toughness, but I like to lean into their sturdy and slow nature. A small gang with good armour and some rapid-fire weapons can go a long way. Sometimes a game may look bleak, then one good rapid-fire blast takes out multiple enemy fighters and it swings in your favour.

Armour

Give your Squats Light Carapace armour if you can afford it. Downgrade to Mesh armour for Gangers and Juves to save credits if necessary. Upgrade to Heavy Carapace armour for a shooty Leader or Champion.

Strategic Equipment

Since they are slow, get Smoke Grenades and use them to give your team cover while they move into position. Get some Photo-goggles to see through the smoke and extend Visibility by 9” for those who need to provide covering fire.
Alternatively, if your fighter has high armour and a powerful gun, then give them Photo Lumens. Of course, they will always be visible, but still get the Visibility extended by 9”, and it’s cheaper. They will attract lots of attention, and may be a good distraction.
If your campaign has plenty of vertical terrain or climbing on vehicles, then giving key fighters a Grav Chute or Drop Rig (cheaper and good paired with the “Nobody Pushes Kin Around” skill) will compensate for their relatively bad initiative.
To add accuracy, get the Mono-sight or Telescopic Sight. Most of the time, you cannot take the Infra-sight as it cannot be fitted to weapons with Rapid Fire or Blast, and most Ironhead shooting weapons have Rapid Fire. If you do have a fighter with a suitable weapon (probably from the Trading Post), then Infra-sight is great and will replace the need for Photo-goggles.

Power Pack Weapons

Buy Power Pack weapons if you can afford it, or over time, to give Squats a better chance in close combat. Only Squat gangs get access to Power Pack weapons, adding up to two Sidearm or Melee weapons. Either way, that gives additional dedicated attacks in close combat, or additional Sidearm choices to shoot with, especially if one jams. If possible, make sure you have at least a Fighting Knife or Axe as well, to avoid making any unarmed attacks.

Hangers-on and Brutes

Hire a Claim Jumper if you want to increase income and have good close combat support. He is very cheap and his Techmite will give you better credits for opening Loot Caskets from the “There’s Always Another Secret” skill. Plus, he may bring in credits in the post-battle sequence from the other gang’s territory.
Hire a Vartijan Exo-driller Brute if you want to add firepower. They are expensive, but they come with the “Nobody Pushes Kin Around” skill and have a good balance of close combat, armour and firepower. The Seismic Crusher is a template weapon ideal for hitting vehicles or fighters on a vehicle or elevated terrain, potentially causing loss of control or falling. The Vartijan Heavy Flamer is very good, with Firestorm, which is like Rapid Fire. Upgrading to the Vartijan Heavy Bolter is expensive but extremely powerful. Both heavy weapons options are not Unweildy, so you can move and fire. It also has it’s Visibility extended by 3” and can be deployed as a bonus fighter in scenarios where you need a sentry.
Get an Ambot because they are cool and scary. Having a big close-combat monster charging towards your enemy will take the pressure off your Squats.
Alternatively, if you want to lean into close combat fighters, you can hire a Chem Dealer, as they give you better access to Chems. If you want Frenzon, it is then easily accessible and cheap. There is also a skill that gives a Squat two uses for each Chem they buy.

Exotic Beasts

Add techmites for your leader and champions if you want them, as they are cute and fun. However, if you are new, it just complicates things, so leave them for later.
The Techmite Autoveyor has the “There’s Always Another Secret” skill and is like the one the Claim Jumper has, but with other weapon options, but a single weapon.
The Techmite Exovator gets two weapons and has the “Nobody Pushes Kin Around” skill.
The Techmite Oculi can go up to 18” away instead of 3” and reduces negative cover modifiers when its fighter is shooting a target within 6” of them. Plus, they get “Escape Artist” and “Evade” skills and can fly, but they only have a pair of Pincers weapons.

Charter Master, Leader

Your leader is good at shooting and close combat. A balanced build may include an Ironhead Boltgun, Ironhead Power Fist or a Power Hammer and an Ironhead Autopistol. The primary skill sets are Brawn, Shooting and Leadership. I usually get a Shooting or Brawn skill and lean into one or the other for related equipment.
A shooty build may have any of the heavy weapons, or you may go for Ironhead Flamer or Ironhead Meltagun, but these are expensive. The Ironhead Heavy Stubber can be pretty effective. However, I recently used the Ironhead Grenade Launcher with Seismic Grenades (the only grenade option for this) as it is the least optimal option, and I wanted to see what it was like. I had loads of fun using it to pin multiple targets with a blast template. He was a crowd control menace.
The Shooting skills “Fast Shot” and “Hip Shooting” that let you shoot twice or double move and shoot (not for Unwieldy weapons) are particularly useful when paired with a really good weapon, or the Ironhead Grenade Launcher.
If you want a Leader that is a bit of a short-range shooting cowboy, then take two Sidearms. Bolt Pistols, if you can afford them. Then take the “Gunfighter” skill so you can shoot with both Sidearms without penalty.
For a close combat build, get one of the two-handed close combat weapons with an Ironhead Autogun, plus a couple of Power Pack weapons to add close combat attacks. The Circular Stone Saw is cheap and effective. Take a Brawn skill. “Bull Charge” is great for charging into combat for extra oomph. “Bulging Biceps” lets you use a two-handed close combat weapon with one hand; in which case, get another close combat weapon, Ironhead Autopistol or Ironhead Stub Gun, instead of the Autogun, for the other hand. If you use a close combat weapon and a two-handed close combat weapon, then you have no weapon slots left for a ranged weapon and will need a Power Pack sidearm. “Headbut” and “Hurl” are just lots of fun.

Drill Master, Champion

Your champion is good at shooting but has the Squat “Wisdom of the Ancients” as a primary skill set, in place of the Shooting skill set. Get “Nobody Pushes Kin Around” to avoid Knockback and falling, which is good with a Drop Rig to jump off vehicles or elevated terrain. Get “Dependable Like Kin” to re-roll ammo checks and remove Unstable from weapons. This is particularly good if you buy any kind of Plasma weapon from the Trading Post. Or get “Subborn to the Last” if you want to go out in a blaze of glory. “Chemical Bonds Never Break” is what you take if you hire a Chem Dealer.
The Drill Master also gets Brawn skills, so close combat is still a good option, especially if you use Chems like Frenzon. The previous advice for Charter Master weapons and Brawn skill advice is just as valid here, too.

Exo Master Champion

The Exo Master champion gets an Exo-suit included, which makes them immune to the Blaze and Rad-phage traits, but you should buy them an Armoured Undersuit too. They are very close-combat focused. Make sure you get a Power Pack sidearm weapon if you get a two-handed weapon or two close combat weapons. However, you do have some ranged options and can get the Ironhead Combat Shotgun, Storm-welder or Heavy Melta. The shotgun is pretty good, as it has Rapid Fire, but no alternate ammo options. The Heavy Melta is powerful and has Rapid Fire, but it is Unwieldy and expensive. Plus, there is no Suspensor available in the Exo Master equipment list, so you would have to get that from the Trading Post later. The Storm-welder is dangerous to your fighter and your other gang members, as it has Unstable and Reckless with Rapid Fire (3). Only take it if you have the “Dependable Like Kin” skill to remove Unstable, and be very careful which direction you are facing when you shoot it!

Other Fighters

With the Drill-kyn Gangers and Digger Juves, get Ironhead Autoguns for most of them. The only other basic weapon is the Ironhead Boltgun but that is a bit expensive. Or you can get any cheap Sidearms and/or basic close-combat weapons for close-range fighting and to mix things up a bit. Throw in some grenades, photo-goggles, and a Mono-sight to improve accuracy.
For the Exo-kyn Prospects, get a couple of close combat weapons that you can afford and a Power Pack Sidearm weapon. They do not get basic weapons or pistol options, but do have access to the Storm-welder. I do not recommend this unless you are feeling particularly crazy, as they do not have access to “Dependable Like Kin”. If you have a couple of Exo-kyn with Storm-welders and a death wish running towards the enemy, shooting lightning randomly around them, expect hilarity and injuries on both sides.
Note that Juves have a Move of 5 and Initiative of 4+, while other Ironhead Squats have a Move of 4 and Initiative of 5+. Plus Exo-kyn Prospects have Initiative of 4+. Keep that in mind for getting to objectives faster or if needing to jump off elevated terrain and vehicles. In the Ash Wastes, if you need to put some fighters on Waster’s Dirtbikes, then a Juve or Prospect is less likely to fall when hit.

Summary

For a small gang of five fighters:

• Have a Leader and a Champion with one leaning into shooting and one into close combat (as outlined above), with a mix of three Gangers, Juves and/or Prospects. Invest in their survival and make the Leader and Champion lots of fun to play.

For a larger gang of seven fighters:

• Have a Leader and two Champions, with a mix of four Gangers, Juves and/or Prospects. Downgrade the armour and equipment to a minimum. Investing in the key fighters where needed most. Keeping other fighters to minimal basic weapons and pistols to save cost.

Notes

If you want a gang to be focused on the Exo Master and Exo-kyn models, the Leader will not have an Exo-suit. He will, however, be the only one with a decent selection of ranged weapons, so he will be supporting the rest of the gang. The Exo Master can buy other heavy weapons from the Trading Post later, though.
If you want a Hanger-on or Brute, then lock that in early so you can balance the cost of the other fighters around that. An Exo-driller or Ambot can take a large chunk of your starting credits.