Hedkrakka’s Madmob is coming to Direchasm soon – can they throw a spanner in the plans of warbands such as the Starblood Stalkers and Khagra’s Ravagers? We sat down with Warhammer Underworlds lead designer Dave Sanders to find out. After he’d finished bellowing “Waaagh!”, here’s what he had to say.
Dave: Hedkrakka’s Madmob has burst into Direchasm, ready to show everyone that orruks are the biggest, the best, and more than a match for a massive carnivorous god-mountain. The strength of the orruks is their combination of kunnin’ and brutality, and I’m going to highlight a few of their abilities that exemplify this trait.
Magical Might
The leader of the Madmob, Hedkrakka himself, has an unusual spell Attack action called Bone Krusha. It has a Range of 3, like most spell Attack actions, making it ineligible for most Damage-increasing gambits and upgrades, such as Great Strength.
However, if Hedkrakka targets an adjacent foe with it, it has +1 Damage or +2 Damage if he is Inspired. This means it can hit harder than most spells without losing any versatility – the only other spell Attack action with a similar trick is Colossal Fist, which has a Range of 1. In turn, this makes it perfect for scoring objectives that require you to deal damage with spells, such as Predatory Spell.
Tireless Trackers
Toofdagga, the hard-hitting Boss, has an ability, Tireless Trackers, which kicks in at the start of the first round – an unusual window for an ability. It lets you push the final two members of the warband – Wollop and Dakko – 1 hex towards an enemy leader.
This is a powerful ability that rewards kunnin’ when choosing your game board, setting up the battlefield, and placing your fighters. An unwary opponent can be caught off the hop, with one or two of your fighters in position to make an Attack action at the start of the game without even having to make a Charge action.
Lethal Leveller
The axe-wielding fighter, Wollop da Skul, has an ability on his Big Chompa Attack action called Leveller. This gives his already respectable Damage 2 Attack action +1 Damage when his target has a Wounds characteristic of 4 or more.
Wollop is ideal for going after enemy leaders and other elite fighters, where he can really punch above his weight. His ability also synergises with the Range 3 Attack actions of Hedkrakka and Dakko, who can either soften up Wollop’s target or follow after him to strike the finishing blow.
Primal Pace
The last fighter, Dakko Sharp-Stikka, is the warband’s archer, but the rule I’m going to highlight is his Primal Tracker ability. Hedkrakka’s Madmob is an aggressive warband, concerned mostly with gaining the Primacy token and eliminating enemy fighters (though not necessarily in that order). This means you may find opponents who prefer to remain at the back of the battlefield rather than going toe to toe with your brutal orruks.
This isn’t a problem for Dakko, as Primal Tracker gives you a way to gain the Primacy token without losing a single arrow. If Dakko holds an objective in enemy territory after his Move action and there are no enemy fighters within two hexes of him, you gain the Primacy token. This can be a great way to get the game rolling, and it rewards you for placing an objective token just inside enemy territory.
Thanks, Dave! We hope you’ve enjoyed this quick look at some of the warband’s unique tricks. Make sure you don’t miss any of the latest updates from Direchasm by signing up for our newsletter, and let us know what you think of this super-aggressive warband on Facebook and Twitter.