In Warhammer Underworlds, we’re used to commanding warbands of varied fighters, but have you ever wondered how one of your heroes would fare on their own?
Arena Mortis lets you pick a champion and challenge other Warhammer Underworlds warriors in swift, uncompromising battles for supremacy. Those clashes now take place in Direchasm’s death pits which might eat your fighter if you’re not careful – be warned.
Fans of Arena Mortis’ fast-paced 3-6 player scraps can look forward to a whole new edition which is on the way soon. Expect sharper rules, gory hazards, and a collection of universal cards that can be used in all games of Warhammer Underworlds.
What’s in the Box?
The Arena Mortis expansion contains a double-sided game board that you can also use in games of Warhammer Underworlds, as well as 20 universal gambit cards and 20 universal upgrade cards. You’ll also get your hands on the Arena Mortis rulebook and all the tokens you need to play in the arena, including hazard tokens showing some fanged maws that are just waiting to chew your fighters up.
If you thought that was disconcerting, there are even greater dangers lurking in the new hazard deck.
The Hazards of Arena Mortis
For even the most hardened warriors of the Mortal Realms, the arena is a horrible place to be. At the beginning of each round, a card from the 20-strong hazard deck must be resolved – and these challenges often have dire consequences.
For example, Firebite Tuskgnats love the taste of those who wear the best armour.
As well as hazards, you can look forward to a ruleset designed to add some extra twists and turns to your games. At a glance, you might expect mighty fighters like Hrothgorn of Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers to start with an advantage in this every-fighter-for-themselves* contest. However, the fewer wounds a champion has, the more upgrades they have at the start of the game.
And even if the worst happens, you can Raise your out of action fighter to get revenge. You might be down, but you’re never completely out in Arena Mortis.
New Power Cards
The new universal power card set consists of 20 upgrades and 20 gambits. You can use these in any of your games of Warhammer Underworlds, not just in Arena Mortis, and there are cards that every warband will find helpful.
For example, Your Blade is Broken is incredibly useful for permanently reducing an enemy fighter’s attack characteristic.
Cards like this make it worthwhile sacrificing a weaker fighter such as Toq from the Starblood Stalkers to reduce the offensive power of your opponent’s heavy hitter.
How about the ability to upgrade your fighter to be faster and hardier, as well as giving them the ability to move through blocked hexes?
Yes, you have to discard a glory point to equip it, but can you put a cost on the extra flexibility the Blessing of Behemat gives to fighters from warbands such as Morgok’s Krushas and The Wurmspat?
If you’re a fan of multiplayer Warhammer Underworlds, you’ll know that there’s nothing better than ruining an opponent’s best-laid plans. The Seal of Ordolos is perfect for such occasions.
Not only can you vastly improve the defence of one of your fighters, but you can help decide the game’s outcome by handing out glory. Sometimes, if you can’t win, it’s just as much fun stopping someone else.
The new edition of Arena Mortis is available to pre-order next month. If you’ve not taken your first steps with Warhammer Underworlds yet, pick up the super-accessible Starter Set – it’s the ideal introduction to the ultimate competitive miniatures game.
* Rules for Tag-Team Elimination and 4-6 player Team games are also included in the rulebook, if you fancy playing with some allies.