Want some tabletop action without the 40k model count and game length? You might want to give Necromunda a try. It’s better than you think!
This is all coming from a brand new Necromunda player who’s spent a lot of time in the 40k/AoS corner…And after a few games of Necromunda, here is an honest opinion on what it has to offer.
5 Reasons You Should Quit 40k & Play Necromunda!
When it comes to 40k, you might be used to having incredible synergies between units and characters. You might be a big fan of having some powerhouse characters like Knights that stomp the enemy off the board in a turn or two…You might even be fully aware that games can take upwards of three hours depending on your opponent and considering all of these things (they aren’t bad), Necromunda might serve as a breath of fresh air.
What Necromunda Isn’t:
We should clarify some things about Necromunda before we jump into the main draws about the game. And we don’t expect a skirmisher like this to be for everyone… So for the sake of time, if you like having a badass unit or two that hits on a 2+ at S8 with a 2+ save, you probably won’t like Necromunda.
If you enjoy melting through armor saves with relic power swords/thunder hammers you probably won’t like Necromunda. And if you enjoy scouring the web for the latest meta army composition you probably won’t like Necromunda.
Necromunda isn’t a game where the Imperium’s finest go to do battle. The factions in the game are, for the most part, regular Imperial citizens that have been dealt a bad hand in life and are trying to make the most of it in one of the most dangerous hive cities within Imperial control. You’ll find that even your leader comes with (generally) a 4+ WS, a 4+ BS, a 6+ Sv and maybe one or two slightly more average stats (or example, an extra attack).
Bottom line, if you took one of these guys against most things in 40k, they would get creamed.
But when you consider that all the other factions are struggling with wargear and training as much as you, it makes for a really close game where spiking rolls at certain points can really turn the tides of the match. Plus they don’t take over an hour to play if you’re pushed for time, which is always nice.
What Necromunda Is:
Necromunda is a small skirmisher game that uses a loose framework of 8th edition rules for movement, shooting, combat, and save rolls. However, being that this is a more zoomed-in game from the broad counterpart-40k, GW has also made some incredible rules that allow more depth to the game.
Without going into too much detail for example, with weapons that are more devastating and off-the-wall, you’ll have to make an ammo check and have to reload before you fire. The crossbow rocket launcher for House Cawdor is a prime example. You don’t always find a missile lying in some crates where a gang war just happened to burst out. So every time you fire the thing, there’s a chance you’ll run out of ammo…
Which pushes you to balance your list with bodies that use cheaper/less effective weapons, with the tradeoff being that ammo is literally everywhere. You also have to worry about the injuries your fighters take as they could take a flesh wound or, if it’s bad enough, break a few bones.
In-game, they just take longer to recover and are more prone to getting picked on by the enemy. But each loss is much more devastating in Necromunda than in 40k if you were to sacrifice a simple Guard squad to some thunder hammers.
Necromunda Isn’t a Hyper-Meta Game
With what I’m about to say here might make a few of you smile and a few of you frown. But you’ll find that for the most part, the Necromunda community is a player base of casual gamers that equip their gangs with things that they think look cool. They don’t always try to crack the code for their gang and take the best of the best combinations that are physically possible.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. However if you’re wanting to step into a game that should serve as a breath of fresh air for what you might be used to, you’ll be happy to know that the chances of you putting a gang on the table and getting wiped in a turn or two is extremely low.
The Horizons for Necromunda Look Great
If you’re like me, one of the biggest turnoffs to a game might lie in the question of “Is this game going to die off” or “how popular is it“. To answer the first question, since GW resurrected the game, there has been a consistent wave after wave of releases and it doesn’t look like things are about to slow down.
New models and a brand new book were of the latest batch of previews for what’s coming to the game. And if this is the first time you’re seeing this stuff, it’s because previews for 40k and AoS usually eclipse the specialist games.
And to answer the second question, it’s as popular as your LGS makes it! If you’ve got a group of friends, you can drop about $40 each for your own gang and pitch in to get a rulebook or two and you’ve basically got what you need to play.
You will need some special Necromunda dice but you can find those almost anywhere on the web or in a Necromunda Box Set if you split one with a friend.
Dollar, Dollar, Bills, Y’all.
By seeing that $40 price tag, your ears might have perked up… And sadly, 40k armies have skyrocketed in overall price recently with an average cost being about $1000-$2000. And we get it. Life happens and some big fans of the grimdark universe might just not be able to shell out that kind of money.
Luckily, one gang kit gives you all the models you’ll need for almost every kind of Necromunda game you’ll ever play. And that’s cheaper than most 40k kits for a basic Troops choice!
At the end of the day, if you want a casual game that’s easy on the wallet and is a ton of fun, you might want to give Necromunda a try. You might even get hooked.
What are your thoughts on Necromunda? Do you go to Necromunda as a break from 40k? What gang do you play?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
