Games Workshop is producing a Necromunda TTRPG

Games Workshop is getting back into the tabletop RPG business. Announced on Friday during a Warhammer Preview event, Games Workshop is releasing Necromunda: Roleplay, a new miniatures-focused tabletop RPG set on the Warhammer 40K world of Necromunda. While Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar have all been the subject of many RPGs over the years, this is the first RPG (at least based on our research) produced by Games Workshop since the 1980s, as opposed to being licensed by a third party such as Cubicle 7. The game is a spinoff of Necromunda Skirmish, a miniatures game in which players build gang armies battling for control of the Underhive beneath the hive cities of the ashen waste world of Necromunda.

In Necromunda Roleplay, players take on the role of bounty hunters sent on missions by an Arbitrator, which is the equivalent of a Game Master. The game system uses a bespoke game system that primarily involves a d100. The general game mechanic is that players have to roll below a target number to successfully attack or complete checks. There are also D6 injury and firepower dice that are used in attacks.

Since this is a Games Workshop product, the Necromunda Roleplay Core Set comes with 18 new miniatures along with a 224-page rulebook. Also included are dice, playmats, and a mix of pre-made and blank character sheets. Necromunda Roleplay is also compatible with the Necromunda line of miniatures.

 

[GreyLord]

Necromunda was basically almost an RPG already. It was played as such by a few, and though basically a skirmish game, had enough elements that some adapted play to that type of RPG style.

This sounds like they are taking what they already have with it, tweaking it a little and calling it a full blown RPG.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

For me the surprise is this will be published by GW itself instead to be a licence.

How would be a Gorka-Morka RPG played with a VTT? And Mordheim, or the spiritual succesor in Age of Sigmar?

 

[MGibster]

Interesting choice, especially since they sort of went down this path before with Inquisitor, which was still a skirmish game, but was more of a narrative game, rather than a competitive skirmish game.

There was a fairly strong narrative bent to the original Necromunda back in 1995. In Necromunda, your gang might be made up of anywhere between 7-12 miniatures, each one is named individually, and as the game progresses they each get experience and new gear. New gear was tough to handle in the era of metal miniatures.

Sounds a lot like Blackstone Fortress or Warhammer Quest. Not sure what had made them choose to brand it an RPG rather than a board game.

GW's mission is to explore strange, new markets, to seek out new customers and products, to boldly go where no British company has gone before.

My guess is the buisness model is to sell adtional charachter/minatures in expansion packs so that will be the norm.

Bingo! GW is a model company and just about everything they do is to support their line of models.

 

[ngenius]

So probably rebuilding Games Workshop's own game engine during their foray as Black Industries into Dark Heresy role playing in 2014, eh?

 

[aramis erak]

For me the surprise is this will be published by GW itself instead to be a licence.

How would be a Gorka-Morka RPG played with a VTT? And Mordheim, or the spiritual succesor in Age of Sigmar?

unofficially, most likely.

 

[aramis erak]

So probably rebuilding Games Workshop's own game engine during their foray as Black Industries into Dark Heresy role playing in 2014, eh?

doubtful. BI and GW did NOT write WFRP 2E in house; Chris Pramas of Green Ronin was hired to do the writing (hence the GR logo on the cover). DH was derived from it.

 

[Von Ether]

Necromunda is a great setting for an RPG.

That said ... minis heavy, battle mat, all the characters already named ... feels more like a minis skirmish game than a pure RPG, only with a GM. That's GW for you.

Of course, D&D started as a minis skirmish game, so in the end my only real criticism is that they shouldn't pre-name the characters in an RPG.

It seems that it's one character per player, which does slide it more into RPG territory more than Savage Worlds which can put a player in charge of their PCs and several NPC minis.

 

[Skywalker]

So probably rebuilding Games Workshop's own game engine during their foray as Black Industries into Dark Heresy role playing in 2014, eh?

doubtful. BI and GW did NOT write WFRP 2E in house; Chris Pramas of Green Ronin was hired to do the writing (hence the GR logo on the cover). DH was derived from it.

As aramis says, WFRP2e and Dark Heresy were designed by Green Ronin. However, they were both developed from GW's WFRP1e. Regardless, my hope is that this RPG will be closer to those earlier iterations of the system than where FFG and C7 have taken it since.

 

[aramis erak]

As aramis says, WFRP2e and Dark Heresy were designed by Green Ronin. However, they were both developed from GW's WFRP1e. Regardless, my hope is that this RPG will be closer to those earlier iterations of the system than where FFG and C7 have taken it since.

The images show single digit stats like standard WFB/Skirmish stats. So I strongly doubt it.

 

[Skywalker]

The images show single digit stats like standard WFB/Skirmish stats. So I strongly doubt it.

WS and BS are percentile in this RPG. There was a mix of single digit and percentile stats in WFRP1e as well, and even 2e used the tens digit for a few single digit stats like SB and TB.