How to Play House Orlock in Necromunda
Today take a look at some basics of how to play and get started with Necromunda House Orlock, the rowdy roadies.
The Orlocks are one of the six Clan House gangs of Necromunda. The Orlocks are responsible for the production of the majority of the iron in Hive Primus, which has led to the house earning the sobriquet of “House of Iron”. House Orlock also holds a monopoly of the convoys serving Ash Wastes slag-heaps.
Below we offer some tips on how to play the gang and get started with them.
Who Is House Orlock?
The history of House Orlock beings in M38 among the Ash Waste Nomads. One, Olandus Orlock, was considered prosperous by the standards of the duster clans. In 003.M38 Olandus and his family were caught in a particularly bad duststorm and took shelter in an ancient wreck to escape. This was revealed to be an ancient vessel, which Olandus scavenged for archeotech over the coming years, quietly amassing wealth. The House grew in power and inside his ancient wreck Olandus was able to threaten minor Clans such as Kamund, Cinderjack, and Merdena into allying with him and waging war against the more powerful House Orlund.
House Orlock continued to grow in power over the centuries. However, by the end of the 38th Millennium, they had grown weak and complacent due to their status. In early M39 the combination of crushing production quotas, excess, and unreliable security forces came to a head when a work crew in one of the Bighole oliff mines launched a revolt. The rebellion quickly spread across the spoil and other Houses took advantage of Orlock’s weakness. The Uprising proved a chance for hardliners nostalgic for the days of the House being led by hardened prospectors to make their move. These rebels claimed themselves the true successors to the Orlock and allied families, making deals with the strongest rebel leaders.
Why Play House Orlock
The Orlocks are great all-rounders. Their stats are pretty close to baseline average and they have solid, if plain, weaponry. If you like playing to your tastes, House Orlock may be the gang for you.
Strengths of the Gang
- Solid shooting and combat
- Good starting wargear/weapons
- Bolters!
Weakness of the Gang
- Masters of none.
- The cool stuff costs a lot of creds.
House Orlock Signature Rules
Every Clan House gang has something special that truly defines them. Orlocks have Legendary Names, which gives them access to a special set of rules to pick for Leaders and Champs at creation. These various rules represent the exploits your characters have gotten into before the campaign started, in their legendary career. There are a full 18 to choose from, so you should be able to go through many campaigns without repeating. Full rules can be found in the House of Iron book.
Orlock Gang Units To Know
There are lots of ways to build a gang and a variety of fighters you can use. Here are some suggestions to get you off on the right track.
Road Captain (Leader)
In Necromunda your gang will only ever have one leader, and the Road Captain is a great one. Compared to most Leaders, the Road Captain is extra tough, sporting an additional Wound. Above we have a named Road Captain, Slate Merdena, a very notable member of House Orlock.
Road Sergeant (Champion)
The basic Orlock champion, with group activation, good stats, and good weapon options.
Arms Master (Champion)
The less traditional of the Orlock champions, the Arms Master applies the Rule of Iron to the gang and makes them less likely to Bottle Out. Exemplifying the gangs all-rounder status, the Arms Master can be made into an exo-suit combat monster or a deadly shotgun surgeon with equal persuasion.
Gunner
The basic Orlock ganger. Average Joes if there was such a thing on Necromunda. Give em’ a gun.
Wreckers
Specially equipped Jetpack Juves, Wreckers are super cool. They can blast over or around terrain, and kick people really hard. Once they get some advancements Wreckers can become quite amusing.
Outrider Quads
House Orlock is also featuring prominently in the new Ash Wastes rules set, which provides even more unique units to add to your gang, like these bolter-toting Quads. The Quad is a swift dune buggy capable of defending or attacking Ash Wastes caravans.
All hail the House of Iron
