Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood will be the core set launching the seventh season of the Warhammer Underworlds tactical skirmish board game, Games Workshop has revealed. As usual, there’s a dramatic launch trailer showing off the new minis – you can watch it below.
Announced in an article on GW’s Warhammer Community website on Monday September 26, it’ll be the first Warhammer Underworlds set to take place in Ghur, the Realm of Beasts – the same setting as the recent Warcry: Heart of Ghur box. We don’t yet know what the warbands will be doing in the Gnarlwood, just that it involves venturing into the “colossal root-caverns beneath a man-eating jungle.”
The Warhammer Community article previews models from the two new warbands included in the Gnarlwood set. The Gnarlspirit Pack are an offshoot of the chaos-aligned Darkoath tribes, blending chaotic and bestial iconography, while the Sons of Velmorn are a skeletal warband that mixes the visual identity of the Soulblight Gravelords’ recent Deathrattle Skeletons, for Age of Sigmar, and the older Grave Guard kit.
WarCom is so far remaining coy about the warbands’ rules, hinting that the Gnarlspirit Pack ‘let their bestial nature take over for even greater strength’ but not giving us anything concrete just yet.
However, the video that accompanied the WarCom announcement contains a few cards, most of which are in blurry action shots, but the Inspired side of King Velmorn’s fighter card is quite legible.
After activating Velmorn gains a Command counter, which makes him count as supporting each Grave Guard in the warband.
According to GW, the Gnarlwood box set is “the most accessible Warhammer Underworlds core set ever released”. Advanced rules are separated out into their own section of the rulebook, which should make it easier for beginners to get started, and for veterans to reference what they need to know for competitive play.
This set also increases support for the Rivals format (introduced in the game’s previous season) which uses pre-constructed decks designed to offer an even playing experience and an easy entry point for new players.
As well as a Rivals deck for the Gnarlspirit Pack and the Sons of Velmorn, Games Workshop has shown us two new, generic Rivals decks, usable by any warband. This should make it easier for players who own an older warband to jump straight into a game with their friends.
A new season of Warhammer Underworlds also means new mechanics and an injection of new universal cards into the competitive format.
To get an idea of what else to expect in a Warhammer Underworlds core set, check out our Warhammer Underworlds: Nethermaze review.