The new edition of Warhammer Underworlds has been burning bright, appropriately for the Realm of Fire, and no sooner have we welcomed four new warbands into the fold,* before another emerges to stake its claim.
Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz are six crafty grots in search of Trugg, the Troggoth king. What they lack in strength – more or less everything – they more than make up for with cunning schemes and ruses.
Borgit Wolf-Killa fancies himself a hunter, and he’s dragged along his mates
Snagz and Hobblin’ Dregg. None of them cut an imposing figure, but luckily they’re joined by Uglug, a smaller Troggoth who dreams of bigger things, as well as Rigg and Shamm, who lead Uglug around by pretending to be his pet squig.
This is a Flex warband, with a tinge of Mastery, in which you manipulate your minions to set fiendish traps to take down stronger enemies. Borgit and Uglug are the main fighters – but neither of them will survive toe-to-toe with an angry Saurus or a blazing-eyed Stormcast, so you have to use your weaker fighters as Da Bait, as is the Moonclan way. Combine that with some Gittish Taktiks, and suddenly your grots have teeth.
Gittish Taktikz
Borgit and his mates see no reason to engage in a fair fight.
Use this immediately after a friendly Uglug or friendly Borgit’s successful Attack. Until the end of the battle round, the target of that Attack is da mugginz. Friendly minions’ melee weapons have Grievous when targeting da mugginz. You can only use the ‘Gittish Taktikz’ ability once per game.
Da Bait
Immediately after a friendly minion is slain, push your leader a number of hexes equal to the Health characteristic of the slain minion. That push must end adjacent to an enemy fighter.
Such sharp practice needs a Rivals Deck that rewards dirty fighting – and you’ll find that in the Edge of the Knife, a new Flex deck which focuses on fighters with a low Wounds characteristic (or those who have taken damage). The Plot Card grants Tempered to any fighter with two Wounds or fewer, and you can use the rest of the deck to interact with them.
The cards Sneak Into Position and Risky Position both reward those who take risks with their little guys with Glory, while the likes of Death Throes and Parting Shot grant bonuses – both to fighters still standing, and to those breathing their last…
Sneak into Position
Score this immediately after an opponent’s Action step if 2 or more tempered friendly fighters are adjacent to the same enemy fighter.
‘You snag ’em and I’ll stick ’em good.’ – Peggz
Risky Position
Score this in an end phase if a tempered friendly fighter is in enemy territory.
‘Yes-yes! Die-die, aelf-thing! Erm... truce-truce?’ – Skulck
Death Throes
Pick a tempered friendly fighter. In the next Action step, Attacks that target this fighter have -2 Attack dice.
When facing down one’s demise, sometimes it’s not about survival – just surviving long enough to take your enemies with you.
Parting Shot
Pyrrhic Strike: Immediately after this fighter is slain by an enemy fighter, before removing them from
the battlefield, pick an enemy fighter within 2 hexes of them. Give that fighter a stagger token. If this fighter was tempered before inflicting the damage that would slay them, inflict 1 damage on that fighter.
Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz and Edge of the Knife will both be available to pre-order shortly.
* The Emberwatch, Zikkit’s Tunnelpack, the Jaws of Itzl and Grandfather’s Gardeners.
