Warhammer Underworlds: New Starter Set Looks Promising
Looking to dive into Warhammer Underworlds but aren’t sure where to start? The new Starter Set coming to Pre-order looks promising.
Warhammer Underworlds is an Arena Combat miniatures game set in the Mortal Realms of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. It’s been around for a while now and has had quite a few expansions, warbands, and updates as the game has continued to be supported by GW. In fact, Underworlds roster of Warbands is quite large and frankly can be a bit overwhelming – especially if you’re new or just now getting interested in playing. Thankfully, Games Workshop has a new started box coming designed to ease new players into the game.
“Designed from the ground up to be the easiest, most accessible way to get involved, it includes everything you need to get started. Let’s take a peek at what’s in the box and discover why it’s great for getting into the game. “
Re-Introducing Warhammer Underworlds
Gone are the seasonal subtitles like Shadespire, Beastgrave, Direchasm, or [insert boxed set name]. This new box is just “Warhammer Underworlds” and that’s a good starting point already. Inside the box you’ll get access to two different warbands which is perfect for new players. It also includes everything you need to get started with the game – all in one box.
And all you veteran players out there, guess what?! It’s two completely *new Warbands to collect, too. So yes, if you’re a collector and “need all the things,” they are going to get you as well. On the plus side, these two warbands do sound like they are different to other warbands out there.
Storm of Celestus
Featuring 3 Stormcast Eternal Castigators and a Gryph-hound, this warband is described as:
“[A] hard-hitting flex control warband, able to dominate the battlefield by holding objectives while punishing enemy fighters with their formidable ranged weapons.”
Stormcasts in Underworlds are typically more elite and fewer in number than other warbands out there. At least with this one you’ll have 4 models which I think is a sweet spot for new players to get used to. 4 models and 4 activations in a round – keeping it simple.
Drepur’s Wraithcreepers
The other warband in the box is a quad-pod of Glaivewraith Stalkers know as Drepur’s Wraithcreepers. They are described as:
“[A]n aggro warband, as they possess lots of ways to inflict damage upon their enemies and can use their spectral nature to drift through terrain and even enemy fighters.”
We already know they are going to have some movement shenanigans and will probably be able to move through obstructed and deadly terrain with little issue.
*Note: These models aren’t new. They are reboxed “easy to build” models that now have new rules for Warhammer Underworlds. Realistically, this just means if you already have the models and the extras to play Warhammer Underworlds already, you’ll be able to get the Warband Cards from GW and you can play using these models now.
All The Fixins
Aside from the models, as mentioned above, this box has everything else you’ll need to play. Pre-built decks for each warband, boards, tokens, dice, and of course a 36-page rules booklet. This book in particular is unique for this boxed set.
“This 36-page booklet has been specially created to help you learn the basics of the game. One of the key differences between this and the complete rulebook is that it keeps the focus on the core gameplay, enabling you to get stuck in and krumping each other’s warbands as quickly as possible.”
Did Warhammer Underworlds need another starter box? Debatable. On one hand, each season had a new “starter box” that focused on the new seasonal launch. On the other hand, those didn’t stick around after the season rolled off. This new box can be the launching point for new players. GW can just keep printing these boxes and any new player can dive in regardless of future seasonal releases. Plus they won’t have to learn that new seasonal mechanic and can just learn to play with the core of the game rules – and that’s kind of what you want in a starter box.
The new Warhammer Underworlds starter is going up for pre-order this weekend.
