Warhammer Underworlds
- The Other Dave
- Destroyer of Worlds
- Posts: 5096
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 3:46 am
- Location: Nagoya
- Contact:
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
I think a lot of people worldwide are in that boat. It’s not like GW can slow the seasonal schedule more than they are (Q4 rather than the “traditional” Q3) but lots of people seem to be feeling the pain of a release schedule based fundamentally on playing games regularly, in a situation where they can’t play games regularly.
Feel free to call me Dave!
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Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
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Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
You know the solution to that problem?
Open the boxes and get painting.
Painted Minis in 2014: 510, in 2015: 300, in 2016 :369, in 2019: 417, in 2020: 450
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- Legend
- Posts: 1852
- Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:04 pm
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
I like to keep my Underworlds teams primed and ready - literally primed, one night of hasty painting and deck-throwing-together away from ready
In the likely event there is a Thunderstrike team in the new core I will definitely paint them up and use them straight away though.
In the likely event there is a Thunderstrike team in the new core I will definitely paint them up and use them straight away though.
- The Other Dave
- Destroyer of Worlds
- Posts: 5096
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 3:46 am
- Location: Nagoya
- Contact:
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
All right, let's talk Harrowdeep!
I've said elsewhere that some LGS drama and the oppressive hum of negativity from Internet Underworlds Personalities has got me down a bit, but the more I think about this the more I'm getting tentatively excited.
The models are really very good, but that's no surprise:
(I really hope his hat is a separate piece...)
Just... look at 'em! So good!
The very blue color scheme of the boards is lovely, and I'm unreasonably hype for the new purple magic dice.
But what's making my left eyebrow go up like Mr. Spock is hints about gameplay, new card backs kerfluffle notwithstanding:
-As "zoom, enhance" images of the cards show a total of only 308 cards for the whole season (several hundred less than in previous seasons), I'm thinking we may be seeing a significant tightening up of the game, making it easier for existing players to keep on top of it, and much easier for new players to get in. (Don't hold your breath thinking that warbands coming with fewer cards will bring the price down, though )
-The new format announced, Rivals, suggests that they'll be actively trying to make the new warbands' faction decks coherent and balanced (against each other, at least - but see my comment below), which is a huge bonus in my book. Ever since Beastgrave made it technically possible to use a pure faction deck, I've been simultaneously excited by the idea and saddened that the difference in power between pure-faction decks is often so large.
-The addition of Grand Alliance cards (remember that the two warbands in the new Starter Set had a Grand Alliance symbol on them - that's going to be a Thing moving forward I guess) is also potentially interesting, partly for the potential for bringing some more theme into the game, and partly because it again (along with the aforementioned card backs thing) suggests a kind of "soft reset," since old warbands don't have the Grand Alliance symbols and thus would probably technically not be able to use them. (Yes, it's obvious which alliance each belongs to, and easy to houserule, but that's not my point.)
All three of these points suggest (as yet vaguely) that GW may be actively moving to make the game more accessible and less overwhelming, with their patented "several ways to play," in this case a few different levels of "how much do I have to actually do deckbuilding," which is Very Good. It may be coming at the cost of some kind of limitation on backwards compatibility - it's still very unclear, but I think it's one possible reading of some of those hints. Rivals would almost certainly only allow Harrowdeep-and-later warbands, Grand Alliance cards would probably not be usable by old warbands (potentially limiting their attractiveness, especially given the smaller card pool), and of course there are the card backs.
For all that I have literally All the Warbands and would feel a twinge at any breaking of backwards compatibility, whether "hard" or "soft," I really do think that limiting the older warbands is very good for the game, as ALL* of the balance problems in Direchasm stemmed from Nightvault and Beastgrave warbands not interacting well with some of the Direchasm cards and rules. And if limiting myself to Harrowdeep warbands and cards means more people locally might be able to dip in? <insert gif of someone dramatically sweeping a big pile of stuff off of a messy overloaded table>
*Well, maybe 95% - Khagra's core mechanic being weak is probably the only native-to-Direchasm problem I can think of.
OK, I guess I'm still excited about the game.
I've said elsewhere that some LGS drama and the oppressive hum of negativity from Internet Underworlds Personalities has got me down a bit, but the more I think about this the more I'm getting tentatively excited.
The models are really very good, but that's no surprise:
(I really hope his hat is a separate piece...)
Just... look at 'em! So good!
The very blue color scheme of the boards is lovely, and I'm unreasonably hype for the new purple magic dice.
But what's making my left eyebrow go up like Mr. Spock is hints about gameplay, new card backs kerfluffle notwithstanding:
-As "zoom, enhance" images of the cards show a total of only 308 cards for the whole season (several hundred less than in previous seasons), I'm thinking we may be seeing a significant tightening up of the game, making it easier for existing players to keep on top of it, and much easier for new players to get in. (Don't hold your breath thinking that warbands coming with fewer cards will bring the price down, though )
-The new format announced, Rivals, suggests that they'll be actively trying to make the new warbands' faction decks coherent and balanced (against each other, at least - but see my comment below), which is a huge bonus in my book. Ever since Beastgrave made it technically possible to use a pure faction deck, I've been simultaneously excited by the idea and saddened that the difference in power between pure-faction decks is often so large.
-The addition of Grand Alliance cards (remember that the two warbands in the new Starter Set had a Grand Alliance symbol on them - that's going to be a Thing moving forward I guess) is also potentially interesting, partly for the potential for bringing some more theme into the game, and partly because it again (along with the aforementioned card backs thing) suggests a kind of "soft reset," since old warbands don't have the Grand Alliance symbols and thus would probably technically not be able to use them. (Yes, it's obvious which alliance each belongs to, and easy to houserule, but that's not my point.)
All three of these points suggest (as yet vaguely) that GW may be actively moving to make the game more accessible and less overwhelming, with their patented "several ways to play," in this case a few different levels of "how much do I have to actually do deckbuilding," which is Very Good. It may be coming at the cost of some kind of limitation on backwards compatibility - it's still very unclear, but I think it's one possible reading of some of those hints. Rivals would almost certainly only allow Harrowdeep-and-later warbands, Grand Alliance cards would probably not be usable by old warbands (potentially limiting their attractiveness, especially given the smaller card pool), and of course there are the card backs.
For all that I have literally All the Warbands and would feel a twinge at any breaking of backwards compatibility, whether "hard" or "soft," I really do think that limiting the older warbands is very good for the game, as ALL* of the balance problems in Direchasm stemmed from Nightvault and Beastgrave warbands not interacting well with some of the Direchasm cards and rules. And if limiting myself to Harrowdeep warbands and cards means more people locally might be able to dip in? <insert gif of someone dramatically sweeping a big pile of stuff off of a messy overloaded table>
*Well, maybe 95% - Khagra's core mechanic being weak is probably the only native-to-Direchasm problem I can think of.
OK, I guess I'm still excited about the game.
Feel free to call me Dave!
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-
- Legend
- Posts: 1852
- Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:04 pm
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
They had me at more Stormcast.
- The Other Dave
- Destroyer of Worlds
- Posts: 5096
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 3:46 am
- Location: Nagoya
- Contact:
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
They look real good, don't they? (I like them more than the orcs TBH)
Feel free to call me Dave!
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
- me_in_japan
- Moderator of Swoosh!
- Posts: 7382
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 2:46 pm
- Location: Tsu, Mie, Japan
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
I think the minis are great, but at this point I'm starting to think I may be a lost cause re rules changes and backward compatibility and whatnot. It feels a bit sad to be waving cheeriebye to a game, but I guess it'll still be there in future if I change my mind (or not, in which case I guess I'll be able to feel smugly vindicated?)
current (2019) hobby interests
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
eh, y'know. Stuff, and things
Wow. And then Corona happened. Just....crickets, all the way through to 2023...
- The Other Dave
- Destroyer of Worlds
- Posts: 5096
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 3:46 am
- Location: Nagoya
- Contact:
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
Yup, that's entirely fair! A lot of the buzz about the game at the moment centers around the difficulty of keeping up, especially with the rapid-fire release at the end of this season and the pressures of not playing much in COVID times - a lot of people are feeling the same way you are. Hopefully some of the potential shake-ups I mentioned will make it easier to engage with the game casually!
Feel free to call me Dave!
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-
- Legend
- Posts: 1852
- Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:04 pm
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
I did not expect Harrowdeep so soon - it's up for preorder this weekend!
I guess I'll just slot the new team into the pile of Stormcast I was planning on painting anyway
I guess I'll just slot the new team into the pile of Stormcast I was planning on painting anyway
- The Other Dave
- Destroyer of Worlds
- Posts: 5096
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 3:46 am
- Location: Nagoya
- Contact:
Re: Warhammer Underworlds
I know! Remember when first peeks were reliably 2 or 3 months before release? I was all psyching myself up to drop some cash on a warmaster, but both would strain the budget for the month Big stompy robot will have to wait!
Feel free to call me Dave!
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry
-----
Miniatures painted in 2023: 252
Miniatures painted in 2024:
Epic scale: 9 vehicles, 56 stands of infantry, a whole buncha terrain
32mm-ish: 3 infantry