There’s been a lot of buzz coming out of Hive Secundus, with Spyrers delving into its xeno-infested ruins and whispers of Lord Helmawr’s successor mounting her own expedition for lost archaeotech. You can’t keep juicy rumours of wondrous loot out of the hands of Necromunda’s gangs for long, and the gold rush for the secrets of Secundus kicks off later this year in The Book of Desolation.
This book adds a wealth of new content for Necromunda focusing on the Secundan Abyss. It follows on from the Necromunda: Hive Secundus boxed set – a standalone game set within the Underhells – by taking full multiplayer campaigns into the depths. There are four new gang rosters, new Dramatis Personae such as the terrifying Malstrain Alpha, and loads of extras to spice up your games.
All of this is wrapped up in the new Underhells Campaign system – a dramatic narrative adventure that tasks players with breaching the seemingly impenetrable Dust Wall surrounding Hive Secundus, surviving the arduous trek across the exclusion zone beyond, and plundering the ruins for fame, glory, and riches (mostly riches).
Of the four new gangs, one is designed solely for use in the Underhells Campaign.
Malstrain gangs collect the most horrific and mutated creations of the Broodmind into ferocious hunting packs, in which hordes of Brood Scum overwhelm their prey while lethal Malstrain Genestealers tear foolhardy fighters to bloody ribbons. Any loss of customisation options is made up for with a much greater number of Brute-level fighters, giving the Malstrain gang a very different feel from other gangs.
However, if you’d prefer to take your xeno-corrupted minions out of the Abyss and into other Necromunda campaigns, you can opt for a Malstrain Corrupted gang. These variant gangs allow you to seed a limited number of Malstrain fighters into most of the mainline gangs, including the six houses, Badzone Enforcers, Corpse Grinder Cults, and Palanite Enforcers. These are the corrupted souls who fell under the Broodmind’s influence and have returned to the surface as hidden agents of the Patriarch.
Spyrer Hunting Parties represent the rare moments when these usually solitary apex predators of the underhives come together in small groups aiming to reap as high a body count as possible. They operate like no other gang in Necromunda, numbering only three to four fighters when they set out, though each Spyrer is a powerful combatant with advanced technology far beyond that of regular gangs.
Rather than hunting for riches and rewards, Spyrers seek only to kill as much as they can, for their body count unlocks dormant systems in their hunting rigs that raise their capabilities even higher. This means each fighter must carefully select their targets, as, despite the power of such wondrous rigs, they can still be brought down by a determined counterattack.*
Other gangs hoping to survive in the Underhells may enlist the support of a singular Spyrer to help tackle the worst of the Malstrain, becoming a Secundan Incursion gang. These outfits simply replace their Leader with an Orrus, Yeld, Jakara, or Malcadon Spyre Hunter.
As part of the Underhells Campaign, players venturing into the Abyss in search of plunder will also hire a specialist team of Abyssal Ferrymen when mustering their gang. These expert guides are essential to crossing the Dust Wall and the exclusion zone around the Secundan Abyss, and are highly customisable fighters with a wide variety of weapons, wargear, and skills available – including Custom Rig vehicles.
The gangs of House Van Saar are some of the most common expeditioners found beyond the Dust Wall, drawn by the allure of lost archaeotech, and as such field a unique type of specialist explorer known as a Tek-hunter. Each is an expert in one of four fields – Augurtek, Bioteknist, Gunntek, or Teknomat – which unlock access to advanced weapons and equipment, and perhaps most important of all they sport a positively nippy Movement characteristic of 5” – a rarity in Van Saar gangs.
Rules for the three recently revealed Dramatis Personae are also included – the aforementioned Malstrain Alpha, Hermiatus the Second Son, and the newly improved Lady Haera Helmawr – as well as two unique Ferryman teams. These powerful characters can have a massive impact on your Underhells Campaigns, and their models are absolutely gorgeous to boot.
Stay tuned to Warhammer Community this week as we have a closer look at the Underhells Campaign rules and join members of the Necromunda team for a chit-chat about Spyrers, miniature design, and all things Secundus.
* Or Blaze, Insane, and Toxin…