WELCOME! Greetings, friends and fellow Necromunda fans. We hope that this message finds you well, and that you’ve enjoyed our previous Gameplay Overview #1 DevBlog. As promised, we’re back today with a new exciting entry, in order to cover the multiple Game Modes that will be available to you in...
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Up to four Gangs in each Match, for a total of up to 20 Fighters per Map.
Each of Underhive Wars’ three main Game Modes, which we’ll be presenting in detail today,
allows for up to 4 gangs (in various Team or Free-for-All configurations) to be facing-off simultaneously in the same battles.
This means that players will often find themselves in situations where
anywhere between 15-20 gangers will be present in the same map, each with their own turns to play, movements to accomplish and numerous actions to perform.
Redefining the classic formula by adding different Objectives
Underhive Wars will bring lots of twists to the classic Necromunda tabletop recipe, and one of the major ones is through the addition of different
Objective Scenarios - special victory conditions, mechanics and sub-goals added to each match, in order to provide players with incentives to accomplish other goals than simply eliminating the enemy force(s)... although going in guns blazing (or chainsword swinging) is still definitely an option.
These
Objective Scenarios will also be present in all three of the title’s Game Modes, offering new and interesting sets of opportunities and challenges with each battle fought.
Certain Objectives will sometimes also be accompanied by limited (albeit generous) Turn timers and Round counters, in order to reduce the downtime and
ensure that the moments you spend in the title are less about waiting, and more about playing, strategizing, fighting and managing your Gangs. We’ll be covering more details regarding these various Objective Scenarios in an upcoming update, along with the Environments (26 hand-crafted vertical Maps) you’ll find them in!
No “Bottle Test” Mechanic
Players who are familiar with the classic Necromunda tabletop game know that Gangs often see their numbers dwindle as battle rages on - something called the “Bottle Test” - a series of dice rolls (called “Cool Checks”) performed by Fighters of a Gang after seeing one of their own becoming
Seriously Injured, or being put
Out of Action. Failing these checks can lead the remaining Gangers (and sometimes, whole Gangs as a result) to immediately flee the battlefield.
Underhive Wars has no such Bottle mechanic. While you will be able to manually extract Fighters from the battlefield, at specific locations and for specific reasons (securing a captured Objective Item, for example), it will be entirely
YOUR choice of when to do so.
In other words,
each member of your Active Crew will be able to hold its own during combat, provided he or she remains alive - a system designed to make each battle a very engaging and tense affair until the very end.
Striking the right balance - both in and out of combat
Over the past few months,
we’ve spent a lot of time putting all the game’s systems to the test - striving to achieve a right balance of
gameplay momentum, pacing and strategic choices on different levels. One thing to keep in mind in this regard is that Necromunda: Underhive Wars has two main, complementary elements:
Battles and Gang Management.
Instead of focusing on one-off engagements, we’re putting together a complex-yet-approachable formula that will
allow you to witness and forge the evolution of your Gang, to get attached to its members, and see them evolve from one encounter to another.
Rather than making each engagement drag on,
we want you to be able to partake in multiple explosive scenarios in every play session. Whether you’re managing injuries (something bionic limbs and implants can help with), swapping Fighters to take full advantage of
synergies between different career compositions, or experimenting with the
Stats,
Skills and
Equipment systems - we want to give you ample tools to upgrade and tweak your Gang and its members in a meaningful way between each battle.
All-in-all, we’re absolutely convinced that the 5-member limit for Active Crews will make perfect sense when you finally get your hands on the game - it’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself in order to truly understand how all the pieces fit together.
GAME MODE #1 - AN EPIC STORY CAMPAIGN WRITTEN BY NECROMUNDA VETERAN ANDY CHAMBERS
Spanning 15 action-packed missions and written by acclaimed Warhammer 40,000 author Andy Chambers, this story-driven adventure will have you follow the fate of 3 infamous Gangs as they delve deep into the entrails of Hive Primus.
Led by a colourful cast of protagonists, these rival factions will be set on a true collision course with one another, as they race into the depths of the Underhive in search of the most valuable of long-lost treasures, encountering all kinds of dangers and memorable characters along the way.
Necromunda: Underhive Wars’ campaign will feature more than an hour of fully-voiced* cinematics, and will also serve as an in-game tutorial that will slowly guide you into learning and mastering all the tools you’ll need to fend against the numerous perils that await you in this dark and dangerous place.
*Full voice-over available for both English and French versions of the game.
GAME MODE #2 - OPERATIONS
The Operations game mode aims to provide you with an endlessly replayable single-player gameplay loop, where meaningful decisions both in and out of battle will determine the rise or fall of your Gangs. In it, you’ll travel to different sectors of the Underhive and secure their resources, while defending your HQ against the constant threat of rival factions...as well as putting their own defenses to the test!
This mode will allow you to create your own Gangs and experiment with deep customization mechanics, allowing you to tailor every (Gameplay and Cosmetic) aspect of the Fighters you will lead in battle. See them grow stronger with each hard-fought victory, as well as risk their lives with every new encounter!
GAME MODE #3 - ONLINE* SKIRMISH: TEST YOUR METTLE AGAINST OTHER PLAYERS!
*Offline Custom Skirmish Matches against the AI will always be available.
Now that we’ve covered the single player aspects of the game in more details, let’s take a look at what Necromunda: Underhive Wars will offer to players eager to take their Gangs online against other players and/or AI opponents!
If you’re looking for PvP (or PvPvE) action, you’ll be able to find it in two different ways - Contest and Exhibition - in either Matchmaking or Custom Matches - all featuring a multitude of different Objective Scenarios and rulesets to create tense and action-packed matches in one of the game’s 26 sprawling hand-crafted vertical environments.
Between the explosive
15-mission Story Campaign, the endlessly replayable
Operations and all the options available for
both online and offline Skirmishes, we’re absolutely convinced that you’ll find plenty of content to sink your tactical teeth - and Heavy Bolters - into, once the game finally releases!
