The new edition of Warhammer Underworlds is introducing changes to the game that tighten up and streamline an already deep and tactical ruleset. As part of this, old cards are going, decks and warbands are being designed around one of four play styles, and warbands are getting new warscroll cards to help define them, whether they’re blood-splattered warriors or daemonic gardeners with rotting green thumbs.
Curious to find out more about these important, yet carefully made, decisions, we put on our game faces and asked the Warhammer Design Studio a few questions about the reasoning behind them.
Warhammer Community: The new edition of Warhammer Underworlds is nearly here, and it’s bringing some big changes, including completely resetting the card pool. Why did you decide now was the time to make these changes?
Warhammer Design Studio: We had three big design change goals for the new edition. Increased accessibility was the first, both for the rules system and the product range. Over the seven years of the first edition, we had grown the game in a number of ways, and by the end of the edition, we had a ruleset that was nearly 50 pages long.
These additions were all made for good reasons: we wanted to add new and exciting things to the game, and we wanted a tight and specific ruleset. This did, however, create a barrier to entry for new players, who are the lifeblood of the game. Many of these cards and warbands were out of print, locking new players out of them. At any given time in the first edition, there was only a very limited selection of warbands to purchase and we wanted to increase this number significantly. Resetting the game system allowed us to reimagine these warbands with a streamlined experience that is easier for us to create, balance, and keep in stock. We streamlined things very carefully, as we did not want to lose the depth of player experience, tactical challenge, and unique warband rules in the game.
This was really tough for many of us on a personal level. Everyone who works on Warhammer Underworlds loves the game very much, and we have large personal collections with cards that won’t be usable in the new edition. But ultimately, we all decided this sacrifice was worth making to ensure new players can enter the game and to refine the play experience for everyone. We’re in this with our fellow players and fans, and we all want to see the player base grow. Having more opponents and rules that are easier to grasp is better for us all.
WarCom: One of the biggest changes is Warband decks going in favour of Warband Warscroll cards, which work alongside the new universal Rivals decks. What was the reason for this?
WDS: In part, this is about streamlining things, but it’s also about the second big design change goal: improved game balance. In the past edition, warbands had unique cards or decks, creating an uneven playing field. We wanted everyone to have access to the same cards and decks no matter what warband they chose. While some decks pair better with some warbands, you’ll always have the same options as your opponent when choosing which cards to use. In addition, we did this to preserve a warband’s playstyle when switching decks or building decks. It also helps with our third major design change goal. We wanted to remove wins that don’t feel fun and create more wins through in-game player choices. Most players don’t like being surprised by a powerful card they’d never heard of.
WarCom: Certain things that veterans of WHU are used to, such as Critical Success and board placement, have had their impact toned down. Can you expand on why?
WDS: We want players to achieve victory through in-game decision making while having fun at the forefront. We’ve all won or lost by a lucky crit roll, and while this can be memorable, it doesn’t feel great over the long term. Even when winning, you’d often be apologising to your opponent for it. Game board placement was more in the player’s control, but the layouts could have a huge impact on who won or lost the game. We believe the path to victory should be fun, and setting up game boards to disadvantage your opponent’s playstyle created some negative play experiences. Though they have been toned down, crits and board placement are both still meaningful. You’ll still want to choose the board placement, and you’ll still want to roll crits, you just won’t be as upset if you don’t (or your opponent does)!
WarCom: The new edition is also an aesthetic and setting shift – can you talk a little about the new design style and the new setting for the core set?
WDS: Starting with the Gnarlwood season, we aligned the Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Underworlds stories. Warhammer Underworlds tells a specific tale within the main Age of Sigmar narrative, allowing us to explore it in new and exciting ways. The design changes are for more practical reasons. The streamlining goals had us change rules layouts to present information as simply and clearly as possible. We also wanted to make it very clear that the Embergard box is the start of a new edition, not just a new core set. Warhammer Underworlds had six-month seasonal core sets in the past, and the edition change needed to be immediately apparent, no matter if you were looking at fighter cards, power cards, or the boxes the cards came in.
One change has created a lot of buzz in the Warhammer Underworlds community – the shift to photography instead of art on the cards. In addition to marking a clear distinction in edition change, we did this for two reasons. Firstly, it allows us to show off the miniatures. If you see a character you like, you’ll know exactly what the miniature looks like, and it might even inspire you to try out that warband. Secondly, it ensures consistency of image quality and visual identity. The photography team has been hard at work to make these cards shine, with each featuring a cinematic scene with added lighting, smoke, and effects to tell a story.
WarCom: With some substantial changes to Organised Play formats, including warband rotation and limited card-pool deck-building formats, what can the most competitive players expect from the new edition?
WDS: We’ve made lots of changes to create a better tournament and league game. Now, each fighter has a bounty characteristic, so stronger fighters are worth more Glory points – or fewer if we wanted to make a dangerous, throw-away fighter like Tik-Tik! Each warband’s bounty is always seven Glory points, so you’ll be able to score consistently from slaying your foes. In addition, we made sure each Rivals deck has 16 Glory points to score. This means you’ll always be competing for the same point potential in Rivals format (decks can go beyond this in Nemesis), with about 1/3rd from bounty and 2/3rds from achieving your objectives. In addition, expect to earn victory through your in-game choices. While deck choice or build will help you outscore your opponent, you’ll always have to outplay them to win, and the new board layout and improved fighter health stats mean you’ll be having meaningful interactions with your opponent right from the start. In addition, you can expect expanding options of warbands to purchase and more opponents to play with as new products are released and new players join us.
WarCom: Finally, what are you most excited about for the new edition, and is there anything coming in the future we’ve not touched on yet?
WDS: Growing the player base while giving them lots of exciting new things to look forward to! We want to bring in as many new players as possible and give them many warbands to choose from. We are looking forward to bringing back old favourites and making new friends. We’ll see you in the Underworlds!
Thanks for the insight. If you want to get involved in Warhammer Underworlds, then Embergard, the core set for the new edition, is available to pre-order on Saturday. It contains everything you need to start playing, including two warbands and four Rivals decks.
