Delaque was my second gang after Vans, and I find them really interesting to play. In a lot of ways, they're quite challenging, as they have pretty average stat lines, and not their house weapon list is mostly fairly basic. This means they tend to be sort of an "all-rounder" gang where you want to capitalize on what your opponent doesn't do as well. Unfortunately, in a straight up fight, they can struggle, as they have many of the weaknesses that gangs like Cawdor and Helot Cults have (very average stat line, and not amazing house access), without the benefit of being as cheap. Flechette pistols, web guns/gauntlets, and long rifles are what I had the most success with, but it really pays to have a good number of gangers with more basic weapons as well, to help with board control. Careful positioning and smart play are very important for Delaque in a way that it maybe sometimes isn't for more durable or more killy gangs like Vans, Goliaths, Enforcers, or Orlocks. Where Delaque really shine is their equipment list. They get access to gear like photo-goggles and gun shrouds for much cheaper than other gangs, meaning you can do very well in scenarios that are in the dark and/or use sentries. If you are playing with Tactics cards, they can become downright unfair, with some of their cards practically allowing you to control the whole battle. The big downside to this is that it can make some games with them really frustrating for your opponent as you pick off their gangers without them being able to properly retaliate.
I played delaque both in old necromunda and the new game. These days they play very much like ranged assassins. Their stats usually mean they’ll crumble in a straight up fight so you rely on shooting your opponents from cover out outmanoeuvring them they have a lot of access to silenced and poisoned weaponry as well as long rifles, which can be absolutely devastating if you have them in a good spot.
I think the scariest thing about the Delaque is the fact that they know where everyone else is, but no one knows where they are. They're nomadic (or at least have a highly secret location where they call "base"). If you attacked Delaque, all it takes is for them to spread a lie to Goliaths or Palatine Enforcers that your gang has done something to piss them off. Delaque doesn't have to worry about additional losses or effort while taking care of multiple problems at once and probably even getting paid for it.
Due to their access to he cunning skill tree, Delaque often use the infiltrate and overwatch skills. typically these are paired with the long rifle, which like the long las, is one of the most cost effective special weapons in the game and is thoroughly annoying to face. The other really nasty Delaque long rifle skill pick (from the leadership and shooting skill lists) I have seen is leader with overseer and champ with long rifle and fast shot. Giving him 4 shots a turn (yikes!). Their Spyker brute is obnoxious to kill, but you could probably ignore it. The psychic assault thing it does to a single target within 18" sucks, but it is as impactful as you let it be most of the time. Especially in missions with defined objectives, you just stay focused on the mission and let it fly around being spooky. It is certainly no Ambot or Zerker. Overall, Delaque are in that "average" group of gangs: Cawdor, Escher, Orlock, Palanite, Cults, and Delaque, where their stat lines are pretty similar. The skills define their leaders, but most of the work is going to get done, with bog standard dudes getting it done with autoguns and shotguns (that's what comes in the box, sadly no lasguns). The flechette pistol is neat, but I am not sure this is the gang I want getting close and personal. As it stands now, their house weapon list doesn't reward a hand to handy approach to the gang. I am sure some guys have some anectdotes, but when you price it out, you are going to find it a solid "meh" for the credits to go hand to hand focused. Especially when there are kids that do it better like Escher and Orlock in the same "average ganger" bracket.
They kinda a have Genestealer quality to them that im actually digging, they're kinda inhuman and have acess to secrets no one else has, so they really can pull the strings of Necromunda's gangs for their own personal gain.
Lorewise, for me, my Delaques aren't humans. They're a sentient cybervirus that uses the bodies of recently-deceased humans to interact with the world. It's a bit like a hivemind, but every one of my Delaque is a bit different. The whole shtick is that they run a funeral home, of sorts. They'll dispose of bodies legally and illegally, but instead of burying them, they're shorn clean, bleached and made anonymous by removing finger prints. Then they are used as a new vessel for the cybervirus. Hence their slightly alien appearance, because they're corpses puppeteered by a non-human life-form. Also why they're inquisitve and curious about secrets. The virus learns.
Given that from the little confirmed lore about them, they scrawl (coded) information on walls etc. for other delaque gangers, I find it really hard to buy in to that theory (although it is kinda cool, admittedly).
I play a Snoper with a shrapnel gun. Skills to lower enemy cover Leader with a melta and sneaky skills to get close. Champion with web gauntlet. Couple of Gangers with long weapons and then lots of Jives as they are the fitire
May not run a Delaque gang force, but the lore is intriguing, and the models ought to make wicked conversions for Drukhari or a Masque of the Silent Shroud Harlequin unit.
They’re definitely not Xenos because if they were, they would’ve been crushed by the imperial fists the second they hear that. They couldn’t tolerate Xenos on one of their recruiting worlds.