Hive Gang Necromunda Rogue Trader Oldhammer Art

The Hive Gangs of Necromunda are the gritty, violent heart of the Underhive—a sprawling, labyrinthine underworld beneath the towering spires of the planet’s hive cities. In the Oldhammer era, these gangs embodied the brutal, dog-eat-dog reality of life in the hive, where survival often meant taking up arms against rival gangs, mutants, and the harsh environment itself.

Each Hive Gang was more than just a group of criminals; they were a microcosm of the hive’s fractured society, with their own cultures, territories, and codes of honor. The Escher gang, for example, was notorious for its all-female members, who combined deadly agility with a deep knowledge of poisons. Their style was as fierce as their combat skills, with colorful hair and elaborate warpaint marking them out in the dark underhive. In contrast, the Goliaths were hulking brutes, built like slabs of muscle and sinew, whose love for brute strength and massive weapons was matched only by their disdain for anyone weaker than them.

These gangs were often tied to the noble houses that ruled the upper levels of the hive, serving as their enforcers, spies, and even soldiers when the need arose. House Orlock, known as the House of Iron, was famous for its mining operations and its gangs that were skilled in using heavy machinery as weapons, turning tools of labor into instruments of war. House Delaque, shrouded in mystery, operated in the shadows, with their gangs specializing in subterfuge, assassination, and espionage, their bald heads and trench coats becoming symbols of fear in the hive.

Oldhammer’s Necromunda wasn’t just about the battles between these gangs; it was about the stories that emerged from the dark corners of the hive. It was a world where a single, desperate ganger could rise to power through sheer cunning or where a well-placed betrayal could topple a gang’s reign. The underhive was alive with rumors, alliances, and vendettas, and each gang’s struggle for survival painted a vivid picture of life in the Warhammer 40,000 universe’s most dangerous and corrupt places.

In the Oldhammer tradition, the art and lore surrounding these gangs were rich with detail, bringing to life the grimy, neon-lit streets and the desperate, violent lives of the underhive’s inhabitants. This era captured the spirit of Necromunda as a place where the lines between law and chaos blurred, and where the only law that truly mattered was the law of the jungle.