Of all the Games Workshop licenses, Necromunda is the one I’ve been hoping to see on PC. A turn-based tactical game of gang warfare in the fantastically rotten goth-tech underbelly of the 40k universe, it was my favourite tabletop game back in the day. Now that every other corner of the two Warhammer settings has been mined, the folks at Rogue Factor are finally digging into the rich vein of Necromunda. Their game, which carries the subtitle Underhive Wars [official site], is in development and though the announcement doesn’t provide much detail, we’ll be learning much more in the very near future.

You may remember Rogue Factor for Mordheim: City of the Damned, a game which made a fantastic first impression around these parts and a much cooler response at release. I thought the Early Access version showed some promise, but our final review found it less than impressive. Not having spent any time with the final release, I can’t really go any further than I did in those early thoughts, but there were certainly the seeds, at least, of an enjoyable tactical romp there. Here’s hoping Rogue Factor can apply what they’ve learned when they take on the hives.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a turn-based tactical RPG. Rival gangs of ruthless warriors are locked in an endless war for control of the Underhive, a gigantic warren of derelict factories, rusted metal husks, and forgotten technologies. Anarchy, violence, betrayal and death rule this hellish place, long forsaken by any semblance of civilization.

Whether this will be a more traditional form of turn-based game than Mordheim isn’t clear but I hope so. Mordheim’s odd approach of letting characters move within a set radius while the world is frozen around them was interesting but made the maps seem much messier than an actual grid and action points system would.

I want weird characters, weirder techs and weirderest environments, and I hope there’s a strong sense of team-building and progression, whether through a dynamic campaign or a scripted one. As I mentioned above, we’ll know more soon.

NECROMUNDA