※October 2024
It has been announced that Underworlds will be undergoing a revision (sunset).
Please note that the information written here is from before October 2024.
The revision does not mean that everything you've bought so far will become unusable. Instead, it's an update where "miniatures can still be used, but the data (cards) will be new," similar to 40K. So, those who own multiple miniatures can rest assured.
It seems the data will be publicly available for free, and those who want physical copies can buy them.
Hello, this is Makio G, selling Warhammer in Nagano Prefecture.
Today, I'll be introducing the new product released on January 13, 2024:
【Daggok's Stab-Lads】
Looking quickly at the fighter and power cards, I felt that this warband is as technical as the "Clever Kruleboyz" from Wyrdhollow.
※I haven't used this product yet, so this content is speculative.
I will add to it as I actually use it, so please bear with me.
Introduction: Plot Cards
This warband has plot cards, and their effects are applied when playing a ploy card.
The power cards for this warband include "ploy" cards.
These ploy cards work as follows:
1. During your power phase, you can place a card face down (like in Yu-Gi-Oh!).
2. At the start of your next turn, you must reveal it and apply the content written on that ploy card.
3. Ploy cards have a termination condition, and once met, they are placed under the plot card.
These are the common effects. I'll explain more about ploy cards later, but I think it's quite important that ploy cards placed face down are not in your hand.
In Underworlds, you draw up to 5 cards at the end of a round, but ploy cards don't count towards that. This means that if you place 5 ploy cards face down and carry them over to the next round, you'll have 5 ploy cards activated from the start of your turn, plus 5 cards in your hand.
This sounds fun, so I'd like to try it out when I have time.
Leader: Daggok's Finxtealer
This warband's leader has a reaction called Cunning and Cruel.
The success rate for Cunning and Cruel is 'sword 1', but since the reaction condition is a friendly fighter adjacent to an enemy, 'support 1' is also added (1/2 chance with '!', 'sword', and 'support 1'). Since it's two attacks and a 1/2 chance seems good for success, let's just hope the opponent fails their defense.
Also, there were enhancement cards that added 'Catch' and 'Breakthrough', so it would be good to use those effectively to land attacks, but there was only one card that added 'Armor Breaker'. So, when fighting against Stormcasts with 'Shield' defense, we'll have to pray even more, lol.
※This attack action also has a restriction that it cannot be modified.
Modifications probably refer to effects that increase the number of dice or damage, etc.
When inspired:
Movement: 3→4
HP: 4→5
Attack method slightly buffed
HP increases, but defense remains 'Shield 1', so my pre-use impression is that it might be a bit soft.
I'll add to this once I've actually used it.
Hulruk the Bawler
A fighter who gains a Roar counter when they don't perform a composite action. Composite actions include actions like charge and sweep, but instead of performing these, they gain a Roar counter.
When they have a Roar counter, other friendly fighters within 2 hexes of Hulruk are considered to be supported.
Therefore,
1. First, Daggok, the leader, charges.
2. In the next turn, Hulruk moves and gains a Roar counter (if possible, adjacent to an enemy fighter, using Daggok's Cunning and Cruel).
Would that be the ideal movement?
The weakness of this movement is the same as Daggok's: the fighter's own defense is soft. Both Daggok and Hulruk are fighters that would be on the front lines, but their HP is 4 and they don't have many defense dice for that role.
Jags the Bleeder
Jags, who seems to be the most unremarkable in this warband.
While he may seem unremarkable, he has 'Critical Wound', and when inspired, he becomes the only fighter in this warband with 3 damage attacks. When inspired, he somehow loses Critical Wound, so instead of being a quiet achiever disguised as unremarkable!, isn't he actually the most unremarkable fighter?
His inspired condition is lenient: when an enemy fighter takes damage that would incapacitate them. Since it's not "when incapacitated," I believe he can still be inspired even if the damage is mitigated by tactical cards or the like.
Grak the Hooked
Has a reaction called Hook, and gets inspired when he performs it.
It's a bit tricky, but a critical wound check occurs every time a fighter takes damage (red box in the diagram below). This means I think it's the same as Grak getting inspired when he deals damage to an opponent.
Objective Cards
Now, I will explain the cards that I personally consider strong.
First, let's look at the immediate objectives.
・Plan Executed!
Placed 2 or more ploy cards under the plot in the same phase
・Ruthless Tactics: Choose
1: 2 or more friendly fighters supported an attack
2: Made 3 or more supported attacks in the same phase
・This One's the Most Brutal: Choose
1: Your leader's attack incapacitated an enemy
2: A friendly fighter's critical attack incapacitated an enemy
・Unexpected Cunning
Achieved if you perform your third or more reaction in the same phase
・Defy Fate: Choose
1: An enemy fighter's attack targeted your leader
2: That attack used 3 or more dice and failed
・Unexpected Atrocity
Your warband performed 4 or more attack actions in the same phase
Although immediate objectives only grant 1 point each, I find their achievement conditions very easy. Next are cards achieved at the end of a turn.
・Legendary Brutality
At the end phase, all enemies have damage on them or are incapacitated.
・Legendary Cunning
At the end phase, 3 or more ploy cards are under the plot.
・A Stab for the Ages: Both
1: Fewer friendly fighters are incapacitated than the current round
2: More enemy fighters are incapacitated than or equal to the current round
・Cunning Collector
At the end phase, one or more enemy leaders are incapacitated
・Finxtealer's Grand Triumph!
1 point if one or more ploy cards are under the plot at the end phase
(2 points if there are 4 or more)
・Kraboss Aspirant: Both
1: Your leader is alive
2: That leader is inspired
Combined with the immediate objectives, I ended up listing all 12 cards, lol. That's how many cards there are with easy achievement conditions = easy to score objectives = strong, in my opinion.
Tactical Cards: Ploys
Now, let's introduce the ploy cards unique to this warband.
・Outmaneuver
In the turn this card is revealed, when your opponent plays a power card, you draw 2 power cards.
Termination Condition: You have drawn 2 or more cards since this card was revealed.
・Gouge 'Em
In the turn this card is revealed, friendly attacks with a range of 1-2 gain 'Critical Wound 1' on a '!' result.
Termination Condition: A friendly attack with a range of 1-2 incapacitated an enemy fighter.
・Do 'Em In
When this card is revealed, friendly fighters' movement receives a +1 modifier.
Termination Condition: A friendly move action ends at a location 5 or more hexes away from its starting position and adjacent to an enemy.
・Take That Head
When this card is revealed, select one enemy; attacks targeting that enemy in this turn receive a +1 dice modifier.
Termination Condition: The selected enemy is incapacitated.
・Scare 'Em Off
In the turn this card is revealed, when you push back an enemy fighter, you can push them back an additional 1 hex.
Termination Condition: Your warband pushes an enemy back 2 or more hexes.
・Rupture Eardrums: Hulruk only
In the turn this card is revealed, fighters supported by Hulruk are considered to be supported by an additional fighter.
Termination Condition: A friendly fighter makes a supported attack with Hulruk.
All the ploy cards seem strong, but they cannot be played from hand; they must be set like in Yu-Gi-Oh! Then, they are revealed at the start of your next turn, and their effects apply during that turn.
If the termination condition is not met, they can be retrieved repeatedly, making them reusable. However, ploy cards can only be set before they are retrieved, so a retrieved card cannot be set in the same turn.
Be careful.
※Regarding the termination conditions of ploy cards:
The bottom left card only states that the termination condition is 5 or more hexes away from the starting position and adjacent to an enemy. Since ploy cards can span multiple turns, when I saw this card, I wondered, "Do I need to keep counting the moved hexes even after the turn it was activated? (e.g., 3 hexes moved in the activated turn, then 2 in the next turn to terminate)." However, the bottom right card, also a ploy card, clearly states, "if you drew 2 or more cards since this card was revealed."
Since there's no such notation on the top left card, the termination condition is likely a friendly fighter's single move action of 5 or more hexes. Japanese is tricky, lol.
Tactical Cards: Gambits
Gambits didn't seem particularly powerful to me.
Tactical Cards: Upgrade Cards
These upgrade cards seem strong, don't they?
+1 Health and +1 Defense are simple but effective for any warband.
Summary
This time, I briefly touched upon 【Daggok's Stab-Lads】. I've heard rumors that it's difficult and mind-boggling, so I'll try my best to use it, lol.
Finally, a word of promotion. I sell Warhammer in Nagano Prefecture, but I also list products on Shopify and Mercari Shops. If you found this article helpful, I'd be happy if you used our store.
That's all for this time. Have a good gaming life, peace out!
