This is going to be a short blurb of an article. Maybe a quick hobby update and an “oh boy” moment more than anything else.

We have all played Games Workshop games. It’s pert near a rite of passage for tabletop gamers from the 1980s onward. While I don’t agree with the price of entry and rules churn I do appreciate their models and the immense universe they have created with Warhammer 40,000. It’s dark, satirical, and boy is it deep. Thousands of planets containing untold billions of people means there are near infinite stories that can be told and still fit within the lore. The pure artistic freedom is a very alluring aspect of the 40k universe for many people including myself.

I tried to do the whole Warhammer 40k experience in 2017 with the then current 8th Edition rules. I bought armies (yes plural) as the minis were so enthralling I wanted them all. Each force had a story and unique pull for me. But in the end I decided to get out of 40k as I didn’t enjoy the rules bloat and churn that I was seeing. I was pretty bummed as I was rather enjoying kit bashing a pretty decent size Badmoon Ork force.

From 2019 on I swore off GW and stayed clear of it like one would from a hot ex-girlfriend. I sold every force I had but the Orks. Still I couldn’t escape GW as my local group really enjoys 40k and its peripheral games. I would listen to them chat and read about their games in the group chat. The games didn’t interest me but dang did the models still call to me.

Fast forward to 2025 and against my better judgement I decided to jump into Necromunda, the narrative skirmish game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Necromunda offers a narrative driven experience based around running a gang of underhive denizens. There are strong elements of role playing along with the tabletop experience which really allows players to lean into the game. Additionally, no two games of Necromunda seem the same. For me these elements combined with the Games Workshop miniatures and the lore mixed into an intoxicating concoction.

Anthony, Drew, Drew’s son Dakota, and Josh all expressed interested in playing some Necromunda. Drew and Dakota have played before, Drew being a veteran of many years. The greenhorns (Josh, Anthony, and I) decided we wanted to start gearing up for an initial campaign set around the lower levels of a gargantuan hive city.

“The Sump” is located in the lowest levels of the hive city and contains huge reservoirs of toxic run off and refuse. Despite the environmental hazards many desperate people have made it home. It’s the perfect place for a gritty campaign where the environment is just as dangerous as your foes. The Sump is a very compelling setting and I believe it will feature prominently in our games.

With a setting picked we had to decide on the gangs we would be running. Josh chose Squat prospectors, Anthony chose an Orlock based force, and I went with Outcast Outlaws. Maybe Josh and Anthony will do articles to expand upon their gangs but I can elaborate on my choice a little bit.

Outcast Outlaws seemed like a great spot to start as I wanted to have a unique force that could be used from the Munitoriums to the Ash Wastes. I found some excellent STLs from Print Minis that I eventually bought. They are multi-part which makes kitbashing a breeze. Clad in makeshift armor they stirred my imagination as I could see them struggling to stay alive in The Sump.

I really look forward to the narrative aspect of the game. Constructing my gang, naming each member, and coming up with their backgrounds has been a blast. Artistically I am using Necromunda as an opportunity to kitbash some unique miniatures and paint some grungier sci-fi terrain. I’ve always wanted to push into the Grimdark (ish) painting style and this is a perfect way to do it. To be honest, the terrain aspect alone is tantalizing. A fleshed out table can be jaw-droppingly gorgeous and make you want to jump into the darkness right then and there.

In any case, much to no one’s surprise, I was drawn in. Both my FDM and resin printers have been humming away as Sump City Radio plays in the background. As I type my Zone Mortalis grows as does the collection of scatter terrain and minis.

I’ve picked up a few books, dice, and cards as well as a few GW kits. I bought a pair of Hive Scum boxes to start kitbashing. I also snatched up a box of Palanite Enforcers and a box of Escher gangers for my wife. She doesn’t know she’s playing yet. Oh and I got an Arvus Lighter for my gang to run around in. As Michael put it “… there is something glorious about going to war in the flying equivalent of a bus.”

Expect more Necromunda content to come in the near future. Until then here’s a teaser of my gang leader, Scarnox the Carrion Eyed, fresh of the printer.