Hello and Welcome back to my blog.
In this Wasteland Wondering I will be talking about the new GW release Necromunda, or Necromunda 2 as many of us greybeards are calling it. The rumours and drip fed eye candy has been about for a few months now. In my usual style I am late to the party.
When I first heard about Necromunda returning I was excited about the news. However giving the past history of GW I was a little reserved as they have had a habit of ruining things in pursuit of profit.
So the new rules are going to be based on the new edition of 40k. Having not played the new version of 40K I cannot not comment. That said I have only played Necromunda 3 or 4 times and I liked the rules (although I prefer Neutronyork 3000 to Necromunda). Sure it had its failures but then rulesets are like people. Each one is different and none of them are perfect. With this in mind I will approach the new rules with a open mind. If I don't like them I still have the old rules and a host of other rulesets to fall back on.
Then there was the news that the bases will be 32mm in diameter and slightly thicker than the old 25mm slotta base. This caused much wailing on the internet. This is not really an issue for me as I would be rebasing them on 25mm or smaller anyway. It makes using them in confined spaces such as gantries a lot easier. So for me it is not a issue. I may end up using coins or washers as bases.
The new figures would be 32mm rather than 28mm heroic scale. Looking at the shared pictures online the new figures look a head higher than the older ones. This has caused some grumbling from the Oldhammer collectors who have old Necromunda gangs they want to get out.
Now I don't know if you have noticed but people come in a whole range of sizes. I have friends that range from 4 foot 8 to 6 foot 3. I also know a few people who are over 6 foot 6 inches. In 28mm terms that translates as roughly 26mm to 35mm from the top of the head to the foot. A seven footer would be 38mm. All within the human size range. Who knows what another 38,000 years will do to human evolution?
Over the years in my haphazard way I have collected figures from many lines from 25mm through to 32mm. I have never let the height or bulk bother me. As I mentioned earlier, folks come in all manner of sizes. One trick to cut down height is instead of using a slotta base is to use a coin or washer. That lowers the figures height and makes things look at bit more even on the table top. Another trick is to shave a mm or two off the soles of the shoes/boots off the figures.
When the news landed that the game was to take place using tiles it caused even more wailing and gnashing of teeth on the internet. After all Necromunda was always a 3d multilevel game. It was one of it's selling points.
To my mind the multistory looking levels whilst looking good rarely fitted the massive underside of a city. These areas are usually tunnels, rooms, ancient sewers and forgotten basements. Yes giving the Necromunda fluff lost domes and multilevels can still be part of the game but tunnel warfare makes much more sense to my twisted mind.
I am lucky to have my own tunnel system built. Tunnel Terrain Page. Now old Necromunda fans may like the challenges of multi levels but tunnel fights are far different. One automatic weapon can control a whole corridor. But better pray you don't get a jam. Grenades become your new best friends, if they don't bring the roof down (I wonder if the new rules covers this?). Watching corners becomes important. When close combat breaks out it renders your fancy guns useless as it can block a tunnel and you can't get a clear shot or LOS.
In short I am looking forward to seeing the new game but I still remain reserved. At least I will have a couple of new gangs for my wastelands.
Just my thoughts. Thanks for reading.
Take care out there!
your tunnel terrain is really well done! ew
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you said, especially the bit about people coming in all shapes and sizes.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the wailing and gnashing of teeth was false starts from people jumping to conclusions. The core of the rules is still the same as the original, with some of the problem areas updated with some better concepts. Some of these concepts did come from 8th edition 40k, but it still feels like the original.
ReplyDeleteThe models are a bit bigger than the originals so that they scale with more recent plastics, but actually... the Escher models aren't *that* much bigger and scale nicely. I've seen comparison shots next to the old Mad Donna figure and they are pretty close. The only ones that are vastly different are the Goliaths and they have given a good excuse for making them so (plus the old models weren't great anyway).
As for the tunnels, I agree. They make far more sense to me too. A lot of the complainers seem to be people that just want to moan to be honest. The one thing to look out for is the suggested build for the Escher is good for 3d games, but can be a little limiting in a 2d setting as it doesn't play as well to their strengths. A little bit of thought and placement will be needed, but it is not at all broken.
I have to agree. Reading through the rules they don't seem too bad. I am looking forward to trying the game. I feel a few Necromunda inspired industrial looking tunnels may be constructed in the near future.
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