INTRODUCTION

Throughout the Imperium, an insidious threat has been spreading for many years. From planet to planet, system to system, worlds are falling to a subversive force guided not by material conquest or love of battle, but by inbred genetic drives unfathomable to mankind. Spread by seemingly random chance throughout the galaxy like seeds in the wind, the alien Genestealers arrive quietly on unsuspecting and unprepared worlds. Once they set a foothold in the unsuspecting populace their drive to conquer asserts itself, and far too many times the planet is thus doomed. Their true alien masters arrive from the void between stars to consume the living biosphere of the planet: the way of the intergalactic Tyranids, who must devour fresh life for new genetic materials.

Codex: Genestealer Cults represents the forces commonly developed by the Genestealers and their offspring. The Cult will slowly grow on a planet as more and more natives are infected with the Genestealer implants, binding them to the Cult and insuring their future children are also bound genetically to the Cult. Each Genestealer can infect scores of natives via small ovipositors in their long whip-like tongues, corrupting their genetic makeup forever. Parents are hypnotically conditioned to cherish and care for their inhuman children by the strong Brood Telepathy of the Hive Mind, linking all those who carry the Genestealer mark together. These resulting Genestealer Hybrid offspring can also infect others, and thus the Cult grows larger and larger.

Leading the Cult is small inner circle cynically using the bulk of the membership to take over either a local area, or the entire planet eventually. Under the common guise of a religious cult, the leaders know only that they must remain free of outside interference and must grow constantly, driven by unwavering instinct. The leaders have no hesitancy in having their followers die and die often, to preserve the Brood. They will send them off to battle, and sometimes maybe join them, but the overriding goal is preservation of the Cult hierarchy. This especially holds true for the Magus, the most human and most powerful leader of the Cult. As long as one Genestealer, or the Magus (especially him, as he can more easily hide in normal society) can escape, then the Cult will live on again. This is the difficulty the Imperium faces in dealing with these infestations – if only one member escapes, the entire Cult can reemerge generations later, more powerful than before.

Hypnotically the Magus leads his followers; they will follow him anywhere, often to a painful death in his protection. His psychic powers are a part of his alien heritage, part of the Hive Mind mentality that flows through all those in the Cult. The more pure their Genestealer makeup, the stronger the mental link, such that Cult forces can communicate at vast distances via the Brood telepathy. The Cult forms a Rabble in Arms, but a fanatical rabble. All are ready to die for the cause, not knowing that the cause is a fraud. Even the Cult leaders are unaware of their true nature. Genestealers are merely following the genetic instructions from their Tyranid creators. Infect Others. Sow Confusion. Preserve the Seed. Make all ready for the Arrival.

Cult weapons and equipment are for the most part stolen, bought via illegal means, or home-made – resulting in quite a range of armaments. They usually have access to a very wide variety of weapons & vehicles (via converted military or government authorities), but this comes at a cost as they often cannot keep them adequately maintained. Vehicles are limited to those which are easy to steal or build, thus the Cult lacks specialized vehicles and must rely on the more common varieties. Attempts to gain more esoteric and powerful weapons sometimes happens via raids on weapons depots or by converting higher ranking authorities to the Cult, but time spent in such efforts is at the expense of gaining more commonly available items.

Cults also must rely on home-made war machines, converting many civilian vehicles into military use. The Cult limousines that are used to transport members around without revealing their true natures are adapted for use in battle by adding extra armor – turning a city vehicle into a lightly armored combat transport. Lacking any real military doctrine or training, the Cult prepares for battle as a hodge-podge sputtering vehicles, members mounted on horseback or bike or whatever they can find, and masses of ground troops armed with whatever weapons they can find.

Once the Cult has grown to a large enough strength (and at this point is usually involved in armed combat), their Hive Mind signal becomes strong enough to attract the Tyranid Hive Fleets slowly roaming between the stars. Like their hidden puppet-masters, the Cult is also driven to consume. It will always be impelled to overthrow any local or planetary forces, to ensure its safety and continued growth. Actual combats between the Cult and other forces increases the signal, creating a beacon indicating that food is plentiful. Once the Tyranids arrive, all is lost – any surviving Cult forces are absorbed into the Hive Ships, and the planet is rendered down for bio-mass and new genetic materials. Even if the Tyranids are fought off, the planet usually lays in ruins or must be Virus Bombed to ensure no Genestealer presence remains. One by one, worlds are being lost to the Imperium as the seemingly unstoppable disease spreads across the galaxy.

Hmmm, good question actually. You certainly won’t have the best troops in the game, or the best weapons. You’ll also need to make most of the figures up yourself. So what do you get?

For many Tyranid players, you get a chance to expand your brood with some actual tech weapons and vehicles while still staying "loyal" to the cause. If you’re a fellow bug player, you’ve probably always been envious of all those tanks and guns the other side have, and this is your chance to get them in a greater spread than most other Imperial armies. You can essentially create an Imperial Guard army in the guise of your Cult. For other players, it’s a chance to finally play those nasty ‘stealers that always make mincemeat of your finest warriors, without having to go whole hog with a Tyranid army. Cults are a nice blend of Imperial and alien forces, with a little Orky randomness mixed in.

You also get the fun of almost literally custom making your army. No two Cults have looked the same in my experience, while it’s pretty darn hard to tell say one Blood Angel army from another. Your Cult forces are strongly imprinted with your hobby skills, as it takes a lot of effort to make up a Cult force. You’ll be painting a large number of figures, plus converting up quite a few as well. Make no mistake – a Cult is a lot of work! But you’ll wind up with a staggering mix of figures from several different model ranges. It’s a strong visually appealing force on the tabletop.

They are also fun to play, period. In battle, you’ll be constantly frustrated by the poor shooting and fighting of your often bumbling Brood Brothers, as well as how quickly they can drop like flies at the merest hint of weapons fire. But you’ll also be rewarded as they stay stuck in the fight when lesser armies would have the sense to get out! Your masses of vehicles will always pick the worst times to fall apart too, of course, but hopefully not before they’ve ripped up the enemy nicely. You’ll be fielding some of the worst troops in the game, but also some of the most steadfast as well. But in huge numbers, backed up with the finest assault forces around, they form an overall effective fighting force.

Lastly, you get the chance to play a force unlike all the others in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. Genestealer Cults aren’t defending the Imperium, or struggling for the survival of their Craftworld, or fighting for the sheer love of it or to right ancient wrongs. They are attempting to overthrow the local governmental authorities (and anyone else in the way as well!). There is a subversive delight in plotting the revolution, as the Cult rises from its hidden power base in its bid for conquest. Not an actual military force, the Cult represents more closely a common uprising, making do with whatever weapons it can steal, make, or improvise. Undaunted, they fight onwards under the gaze of the all-seeing hypnotic gaze of their inhuman leaders. Let them sweep the unbelievers from the land. Any not part of the Cult are against it, and must die!

Now the battle cries ring out as the Cult marches forth to overthrow the false rulers of the land! Down with the Imperium and all who serve it! Forward the Father! Long live the Brood!

And of course, Viva la Revolution!