Deep below the ground of the Old World, Night Goblins lurk in their stolen homes. Similar at first glance to their goblin cousins, Warhammer Night Goblins have been twisted by long isolation in the deep dark – and copious substance abuse – to become something far stranger. This guide explains all their characteristics, lore, and Old World tabletop game rules.
If you need a more general grounding about Warhammer The Old World – Games Workshop’s reboot of its original fantasy wargame – check out our full guide to the Warhammer the Old World rules, and our rundown of the various Warhammer The Old World factions. We’ll include links at the end to some other WHTOW armies we’ve already taken a deep dive into.
For now, though, put on your finest cloak, grab your nearest mushroom, and come on a journey to meet the Old World’s Night Goblins. Beware, though – they’re sneaky, cunning, and full of surprises. Here are links to the topics we’ll cover:
Who are the Warhammer Night Goblins?
Like the unfortunately biologically determined classic Dungeons and Dragons goblins, as well as most MTG goblins, Warhammer goblins throughout the Old World have a reputation for sneakiness and cowardice.
Unsurprisingly, the darkness-loving Night Goblins exemplify both of these traits in spades, with lashings of strange mushroom-powered mischief on top. They’re the dagger in the side of Warhammer Dwarfs everywhere, the raiders who come by night, a troupe of madcap maniacs with a bevy of unexpected weapons to unleash on their foes.
Living deep underground and subsisting mainly on psychotropic mushrooms capable of altering their physiology, Night Goblins are related to Orcs and Goblins, but have a flavour entirely their own. Masters of night-time raids, Night Goblins excel in appearing where you least expect and attacking in surprising ways. Never relax around a Night Goblin; you never know what they’ll pull out of their cloaks next.
Night Goblins lore
Like most Warhammer fantasy games (and most fantasy) Night Goblins lore has unmistakeable Tolkienesque influences, but with a few lovable quirks and innovations. When the Orcs and Goblins first hitched a ride to the Warhammer Old World via the ships of the mysterious, magical Old Ones, they quickly dispersed across the land, forming tribes and fomenting war wherever they encountered other living things (or each other).
Some tribes, however, found their place in the underworld. Long forgotten Dwarf strongholds, deep caves, and caverns unseen by mortal eye became a safe haven for these shadow-loving Goblins. Over time they learned to shun daylight, preferring to travel through hidden tunnels, under cover of night, and – at the very last resort – under thick cloaks that hide them from the sun.
Their dank, dark homes are a fertile ground for all kinds of fungus. Night Goblin Shamans are experts at cultivating these mushrooms and distilling them into all manner of useful potions. Some give hallucinations; some can enhance battle prowess; some can even enhance magical abilities.
These potions also have the side effect of usually rendering the Night Goblin imbiber quite drunk, which sometimes causes them to overcome their natural timidity, but most often leads to the World’s Edge Mountains being shaken by the drunken songs of thousands of inebriated Night Goblins.
The few creatures that make their home deep underground have also been prey to the Night Goblins’ creativity. Giant Spiders and Giant Cave Squigs have become semi-domesticated into mounts for the Night Goblins when they have to move quickly. Giant Cave Squigs in particular are a favourite, with only the toughest and most cunning Night Goblins able to mount them…and survive.
This tendency is most evident in those Night Goblins who made it through the End Times into Age of Sigmar’s new Mortal Realms, becoming the Gloomspite Gitz. Undoubtedly one of the weirdest Age of Sigmar armies, they field whole squadrons of ballistic bouncing Squighoppers.
Over the many years the Night Goblins have spent raiding and warring under the World’s Edge Mountains, it’s most often the Dwarfs that make up their foes. The Warhammer The Old World factions who live above ground probably have little idea of the bitter, raging engagements occurring under their feet, with both Night Goblins and Dwarfs cultivating a mutual hatred that can never be quenched.
Night Goblins models
The return of Orcs and Goblins as part of the new Warhammer: The Old World miniature wargame releases will see a number of beloved, long-lost Goblins and Night Goblins models come back into use. Here’s all the Night Goblins models confirmed so far:
Battalion Box
Available to order soon from GW, the Orc and Goblin Tribes Battalion Box is a great way to get your hands on a basic greenskins army. That said, for Night Goblin players, there may be limited value in this mixed box.
While it does contain 40 Goblins with command upgrades, the other 33 models are all Orcs. You may want to invest and have these burly warriors on your side for the future, but if it’s only Goblins you’re looking at grabbing, it may be better to go for specific options.
Returning Plastic Night Goblin Models
Plenty of Warhammer Fantasy Battle Goblin plastic models are making their return, and they’ll be sold in larger numbers than before. Here are all the currently confirmed plastic Goblin models:
- Goblin Mob
- Night Goblin Mob
- Goblin Wolf Rider Mob
Returning Resin Night Goblin Models
So far the only confirmed Goblin resin models that’ll be returning are the Goblin Command Set, though there are a few other options available if you’re planning on fielding both Orcs and Goblins.
Returning Metal Night Goblin Models
Metal miniatures are coming back too, with quite a few different Goblin options to pack out your raiding parties:
- Goblin Bosses
- Goblin Wolf Rider Bosses
- Goblin Bolt Throwa
- Goblin Doom Diver Catapult
- Goblin Wolf Chariot
How to play Night Goblins in Warhammer The Old World
Night Goblins are the force for you if you want to throw a few nasty surprises in your opponent’s direction. Versatile and surprising, Night Goblins are the perfect army for those wanting to make sure your opponent never rests easy.
On the face of it, Night Goblins may look like a simple horde army, with weaker-than-most forces making up the majority of their units. Night Goblin Mobs, for example, have fairly average stat lines with Strength 3, Toughness 3, and an Initiative of 3. It’s in the special rules and the additional options you can take where Night Goblins really begin to shine.
Firstly, we have their Hatred of Dwarfs, meaning if you’re facing a Dwarfen Holds army, you can make them tremble in their boots when you hit them in melee. Your basic Mob units can replace their weapons with shortbows, giving them a ton of ranged power to pepper their targets with. They can also become Netters, a rule that lets them reduce the Strength of their target, bringing a whole range of brawnier foes down to size.
Finally, you can include Fanatics in your Night Goblin Mob. These particularly nasty individuals wield massive spiked metal balls attached to them via chain, and have entirely lost their grip on sanity through copious use of special mushroom brews.
Fanatics aren’t placed on the board at the start of the game – instead, a commander can announce they will ‘Release the Fanatics!’, a rule that sees them pop out of their concealing unit, erratically spinning around and smashing through friend and foe alike. Fanatics can be utterly deadly, pouring out of ostensibly non-threatening Night Goblin Mobs to smash through shield walls – or their uncontrolled movement could send them reeling right into their allies, leading to a costly defeat. Time to roll the dice!
It’s this randomness that’s core to much of the Night Goblin playstyle. A character mounted on a Giant Cave Squig, for example, becomes tougher, stronger, and has the Squig’s Massive Gob on hand for deadly extra attacks in close combat. Their random movement characteristic, however, may see your powerful character sitting around in the wrong place, only able to creep forward and missing out on the action.
Night Goblins also have Squig Herds they can call on. These tightly controlled beasts rely on Squig Herders to keep them pointing the right way and fighting the right enemy. Able to munch down whole enemies at a time, they can be terrifying to face. Again though, there is a downside. Should they Break and flee, Cave Squigs will go wild, causing them to lash out with abandon at anything nearby – friend or foe.
Night Goblins can be played much like their Goblin brethren, relying on hit and run tactics, using cheap units to bog down stronger foes, and hit from afar with Bolt Throwas and other ranged weapons. With the inclusion of their specific units and models, Night Goblins become something far stranger, far more unpredictable, and frankly far more fun to play.
You may end up losing your battles through a poor dice roll or a cataclysmic Fanatic spin, but if you’re able to laugh off a defeat and relish in your victories, Night Goblins may be the Old World army for you.
If not, fear not – we’ve got full guides to the Warhammer Lizardmen, the Warhammer Empire of Man, the undead Tomb Kings, the noble Kingdom of Bretonnia, and more.