Long-awaited Necromunda Underhive is finally released. We’ve tried it and want to share our impressions.
You can find everything you need for the game in this heavy box – dices, templates, profile cards. Rules and 9 two-sided plates 12x12 inches which make your battlefield. And, sure, there are miniatures of two gangs and plastic barricades and tokens. You’ve surely seen them in previews.
Miniatures are definitely great – traditionally high quality and details, charismatic appearance and many different weapons. Good thing is that both bands are available separately. So, here comes a logical question – could you play Necromunda without this box? And it’s the main issue you need to consider when buying it.
The rules included in this set, let you play battles between gangs on 2-dimensional battleboard – on the plates with barriers, doors, and barricades. Even the box itself is an important part of the terrain. By the way, if you were afraid that this would look like a tabletop game where models move on squares – don’t worry. The models move just like in usual Warhammer – with traditional inch ruler. The squares just help you visualize and make it faster. The rules are quite friendly and divided into two sets – basic and advanced. This will let new players adjust faster.
And here the old Necromunda players might have a simple question – where is those great rules for multi-level terrain, which let you play on any battleboard, creating amazing gameplay moments? The good news is – they are still here. Not so good news is – you have to buy them separately. There’s a boot Gang War, which includes all the advanced rules and missions which make your Necromunda look like an old one. So, if you want to play new Necromunda in full-scale, you might not need to buy this starter set. The gangs and rules are sold separately, and plates from the started are required only for playing 2-dimensional game mode.
However, it doesn’t make it useless. The full rules are quite complicated and it might be easier for a new player to start with 2-dimensional version. Besides, this box lets you play the game literally on the dinner table, without carrying a case with your terrain with you. And the plates are quite interesting – you can use them for Killteam, Zone Mortalis or even small-scale WH40K games. So, if you are the beginner and have neither miniatures nor terrain – this starter is exactly what you need. You can always get advanced rules and transfer your game onto the full-scale battleboard.
And what about the rules? We’ve mentioned them so often but didn’t say anything in detail. It’s because they are extremely close to Shadow War: Armageddon, released in the beginning of this year. So close, that it looks a bit weird – to release the same game twice a year. The main difference is the setting – Armageddon is still a traditional WH40K game when Necromunda is about gang wars in the hive-city. So, each one chooses for himself. We’ve described Armageddon rules in details here. And they are really close to the old Necromunda, so, in general, it’s a nice thing for the Underhive. If you are tired from the primitive 8ed WH40K mechanics, this game is for you. A complicated system of covers, templates, modifiers, where you have to think of every move instead of burying your opponent under the bunch of dices.
So, in general, we have a full-scale Necromunda reboot, available for every kind of player. The oldfags will be glad to see refreshed rules and new gangs. The newcomers will easily join the new game using the starter set. The great thing is that there are many new gangs announced as well as the rules for the old ones, from the 1st Necromunda. Maybe it’s just the case GW managed to please everyone at the same time. Let’s just hope that this game won’t be forgotten so fast as Shadow War was – all in all, it was also very popular at the start.
