There’s a horde of rats on the battlefield, what are we going to do? We’re going to use eternal glory to smite those rats; that’s what we're going to do! That’s right, I’m back with another exciting review of the newest edition of the Underworlds skirmish game: Warhammer Underworlds Embergard offers a fast-paced and strategic tabletop experience that’s accessible to both seasoned veterans and newcomers to the game.
As it’s a full on skirmish game, there’s no spoilers or story to worry about. Which means I can get stuck into all the nitty gritty details of what to expect from this exciting battle filled skirmish game from Games Workshop.
Sigmar minimised
For those who are used to the large-scale battles that come with Age of Sigmar, you’ll notice one major difference; significantly less models. In Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard, players pit small warbands of models against each other in short skirmish battles. Each battle takes from 30-45 minutes which means you can pack a few battles into your play sessions rather than one large scale showdown.
In Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard, players pick a unique Warband to control throughout the battle, and utilise strategic positioning and focused deckbuilding to take control of objectives and maintain them to score points and achieve victory.
Another charming positive to Embergard is that less miniatures means that there’s less painting required before you can jump into a game. And if you’re anything like me, gone are the days when I could spend hours painting hundreds of miniatures for larger scale battles.
Bringing the battle to the table
The first thing I noticed when opening this box set is how incredibly neat the storage solution is. Each part has a place to fit snugly into, and there’s enough room to store your models at the bottom of the box too. And speaking of components, here’s exactly what you can expect to find in this neatly arranged box:
– 7x Citadel Miniatures, consisting of
– 3x The Emberwatch miniatures in blue-coloured plastic
– Ardorn Flamerunner
– Farasa Twice-risen
– Yurik Velzaine
– 5x Zikkit's Tunnelpack miniatures in green-coloured plastic
– Zikkit Rockgnaw
– Rittak Verm
– Krittatok
– Nitch Singe-snout
– Tik Tik
– 1x 36-page softcover rulebook
– 1x double-sided Quick Start Sheet
– 1x double-sided game board
– 1x Warhammer Underworlds token sheet
– 8x Warhammer Underworlds dice, consisting of five attack dice and three defence dice
– 2x Warband warscroll cards
– 4x Rivals Decks
It obviously goes without saying that you definitely get your money's worth with this set. Heaps of models, stat cards and a set stunning custom dice to roll till your heart’s content. It also helps that the components are designed to a really high quality and printed on strong material that’s made to last many play sessions.
Assembling the troops
Games Workshop have definitely outdone themselves with the miniatures in Embergard, as I’ve never seen a set of models that have this much detail included throughout. Each of the sprues are clean with no damages, and the layout is easy to navigate when you’re looking for the correct piece to assemble.
It’s also really useful that the models are push-fit, which negates the need for any glue. Simply cut out the pieces you need and push them together. Just think, if you don’t mind playing your intro game unpainted, you could be playing straight out of the box within 15 minutes.
That being said, there are a few models in this set that are quite fiddly to assemble, and if you push pressure in the wrong part of the model they’ll pop apart. Of course, it doesn’t cause any damage to the pieces, but it can be quite frustrating to deal with.
Game on!
To make things easier for new players, there’s a handy intro guide included in the box. This takes players through a mock battle to show how the basic mechanics work. It’s also designed in such a way that players can recreate the battle on their tabletop to have hands-on experience with the mechanics before jumping into their own game.
With each edition of Underworlds, the mechanics are simplified to create the most enjoyable experience for players as possible. Embergard is no different, and champions the ‘Beginner friendly’ term with mechanics, keywords and play styles that are easy to learn but hard to master.
As mentioned earlier, there are two battle hungry factions that are included in this box set; the Stormcast Eternals and Skaven. The Stormcast Eternals warband is renowned for its speed and powerful attacks. They excel at quickly closing the distance and overwhelming opponents. Whereas the Skaven warband are masters of positioning and can quickly overwhelm opponents with a swarm of attacks.
Of course, you may also be wondering why one warband has significantly more models than the other one does. Simply, it all comes down to three things; style of play, model strength and game balance. The stormcast Eternals are known for their strength and formidability, whilst the Skaven are typically a horde faction that provide strength in numbers.
Final thoughts
Personally, I prefer the fantasy elements of Age of Sigmar to the Sci-fi setting of Warhammer 40K; so Underworlds definitely appeals to me the most. However, if you’re more of a fan of 40K, I highly recommend checking out the Warhammer Kill Team skirmish game.
The smaller scale battles also appeal to me far more than battles with hundreds of models do. Mostly because I no longer have the time to paint large hordes of models like I used to. Which is why smaller skirmish games such as Underworlds and Malifuax hold my interest much easier.
I also love that the miniatures are far more unique than they have been in previous box sets. Each model stands out from the rest with their own personalities; which really separates Underworlds from the larger full scale horde battles. And if you wanted to show off these models in your other Warhammer game systems, you’ll be glad to know that they are compatible with Age of Sigmar.
That wraps up everything you need to know about this fantastic new entry point into the Warhammer Underworlds skirmish game. All that’s left now is to grab a box, pick a side and fight for victory!
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