Warhammer Underworlds: Mordheim

In spite of not having actually played Mordheim in 8-10 years (weird when I consider it), I think about it and watch it played quite a lot. Recently, as a result of a number of videos from Guerrilla Miniature Games (definitely worth checking out if you aren't familiar), I've been considering how to use models from Warhammer Underworlds as viable Mordheim warbands, as an accessible way for someone who's familiar with the former game to try out the latter without having to invest a lot of time and money.

Luckily, it almost feels like some of these warbands are purpose-built to cross over. All of the lists I've come up with use at least two Underworlds warbands as a base, and while a handful also require some extra pieces, they're easy enough to proxy (as you'll see from one of my pictures) if you have a handful of other miscellaneous miniatures lying around. I have, however, been almost as fixated on Underworlds as Mordheim lately, so I've amassed a collection big enough to put most of the warbands together without mixing in many odds and ends.

Since I restricted myself to working with what is actually depicted on the models, and tried to limit the scope of the warbands to just what comes in the Underworlds boxed sets, they aren't necessarily the most optimized rosters. That isn't the point though. The idea is to create a list of warbands that will be practical to put together, interesting for a new player, and (most of all) fun to play. I think it would be cool to bring these into a convention setting to give people curious about the game not only a taste of Mordheim, but a gateway they can use to get into it. 

Underworlds-Only Warbands

These are the warbands that just rely on Underworlds kits, and are therefore the most accessible of the bunch. While that might sound restrictive, I've found that the variety and quality of the Underworlds fighters means there's plenty of variation to be had within each one. It's worth noting that while these are arguably the least complicated to assemble, none of them are warbands from the base rule book. It doesn't bother me, but I thought it was worth a disclaimer.

Night Goblins - Zarbag's Gitz + Mollog's Mob

Appropriately, the Night Goblins are the most populated of the warbands. They have a nice mix of melee and ranged goblins, a handful of squigs, and even a troll! It's a little bit of everything, likely fairly forgiving, and gives a pretty authentic taste of what the Night Goblins are about. The henchman count is a bit lean, but if you want to demote a goon or two you could bump the numbers even further.

Heroes

Drizgit - Big Boss with club (represented by the squig brand) - 48 gold crowns

Zarbag - Shaman with staff - 33 gold crowns

Prog da Netter - Squig Herder with net and club - 43 gold crowns

Redkap - Goon with shortbow and club - 33 gold crowns

Dibbz - Goon with shortbow and club - 33 gold crowns

Stikkit - Goon with shortbow - 30 gold crowns

Henchmen

Snirk - Fanatic with ball and chain, and madcap mushrooms - 50 gold crowns

Bonekrakka - Cave Squig - 15 gold crowns

Gobbaluk - Cave Squig - 15 gold crowns

Mollog - Troll - 200 gold crowns

500 gold crowns, 10 models

Marauders of Chaos (Kurgan) - Godsworn Hunt + Garrek's Reavers

In spite of how expensive they are in comparison, the Marauders can give the Night Goblins a run for their money in warband size (though they don't have the Troll's muscle). This is another warband with a bit of everything, though more focused on melee with three double-handed weapons. On paper they're pretty solid-looking, but in person they feel even better thanks to the hefty size of all the miniatures.

Heroes

Garrek Gorebeard - Chieftain with axe - 100 gold crowns

Theddra Skull-Scryer - Seer with staff and Mark of Chaos Undivided - 48 gold crowns

Blooded Saek - Champion with double-handed axe and helmet - 70 gold crowns

Grundann Blood-Eye - Champion with double-handed axe and helmet - 70 gold crowns

Henchmen

Jagathra - Marauder with throwing axes (represented by her javelin) - 50 gold crowns

Ollo - Marauder with bow - 45 gold crowns

Shond Head-Claimer - Marauder with double-handed sword - 50 gold crowns

Arnulf - Marauder with axe and helmet - 50 gold crowns

Grawl - Warhound of Chaos - 15 gold crowns

498 gold crowns, 9 models

The Restless Dead - Thorns of the Briar Queen + Sepulchral Guard

The Restless Dead aren't exactly what I'd call a beginner warband, but I felt the list matched these models better than the base Undead would have. Liches and skeletons are familiar enough anyway that I doubt a new player wouldn't understand what they're playing. Unsurprisingly, there isn't any shooting, and the warband as a whole won't be moving very fast, but they have the numbers, durability, and magic to compensate.

Heroes

The Briar Queen - Liche - 125 gold crowns

Varclav the Cruel - Necromancer with sword - 55 gold crowns

The Sepulchral Warden - Grave Guard with spear and shield - 50 gold crowns

The Champion - Grave Guard with double-handed sword and shield - 55 gold crowns

The Harvester - Grave Guard with halberd (represented by the scythe) - 45 gold crowns

Henchmen

The Prince of Dust - Wight with mace and shield - 38 gold crowns

Petitioner - Wight with sword - 40 gold crowns

The Ever-Hanged - Wight with sword - 40 gold crowns

Chainrasp 1 - Skeleton with axe - 25 gold crowns
Chainrasp 2 - Skeleton with club - 23 gold crowns

496 gold crowns, 10 models

Mostly Underworlds Warbands

Now we get into the warbands that need a little extra something to make work, but nothing unmanageable. These are all base rule book warbands this time, and in that way might be more accessible to a new player, but if someone is playing for the first time they likely aren't too concerned where the rules come from, and for someone wanting to start at home, all the rules are online anyway. Regardless, if you want to stick to just one book and not seek out fan-made supplements, these might be more appropriate.

Skaven - Spiteclaw's Swarm + Rat Ogre

I'll say off the bat that this is a pretty atypical Skaven warband. The low numbers of Spiteclaw's Swarm, and my desire to stick closely to the original warband, didn't leave much room for expansion. I could have gone the route of adding on a pile of verminkin, and you could too, but to keep the expansion as simple as possible, I decided just to add one Rat Ogre. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, I think it's a viable strategy even for a starting campaign warband, and it would probably be more fun and accessible for a new player to smack around enemies with one big guy than to try and maneuver several smaller warriors into position.

Heroes

Skritch Spiteclaw - Assassin Adept with halberd - 70 gold crowns

Krrk the Almost-Trusted - Eshin Sorcerer with spear - 55 gold crowns

Lurking Skaven - Black Skaven with fighting claws - 75 gold crowns

Festering Skaven - Black Skaven with sword - 50 gold crowns

Hungering Skaven - Night Runner with morning star and shield - 40 gold crowns

Henchmen

Rat Ogre - 210 gold crowns

500 gold crowns, 6 models

Witch Hunters - Steelheart's Champions + Stormsire's Cursebreakers + Farstriders + Gryph-Hounds

Yes, they're Stormcast Eternals. Mordheim purists, avert your eyes. In all seriousness though, it seemed a shame not to feature the faction that makes up three (soon to be four) of the teams Underworlds has to offer. I considered Sisters of Sigmar, but Witch Hunters have access to crossbow pistols, so they won out. With the high cost of armour and specialized weapons, there aren't many models in the warband, and for a new player the capabilities of the Stormcast Witch Hunters on the table might feel underwhelming compared to their massive presence, but they're fairly complete and functional at least. I'm missing a couple of gryph-hounds, so I have a couple of giant rats standing in.

Heroes

Severin Steelheart - Witch Hunter Captain with heavy armour, helmet, and double-handed sword - 135 gold crowns

Angharad Brightshield - Witch Hunter with heavy armour, helmet, shield, and hammer - 83 gold crowns

Elias Swiftblade - Witch Hunter with heavy armour, helmet, sword, and crossbow pistol - 130 gold crowns

Averon Stormsire - Warrior-Priest with heavy armour, sword, and staff - 103 gold crowns

Henchmen

Gryph-Hounds - 3 Warhounds - 45 gold crowns

Cult of the Possessed - Eyes of the Nine + Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower (or 1-2 Pink Horrors and a Blue Horror)

Getting into less accessible territory now, considering Silver Tower is out of print, but it really isn't necessary if you can get your hands on a few daemons of Tzeentch. While it isn't a typical Cult of the Possessed warband considering the heavy Tzeentch focus, the models fit pretty well into their respective places. One thing Silver Tower would be nice for in the long run is warband expansion, since it gives a decent selection of Kairic Acolytes to serve as Brethren (or even Darksouls), and some Tzaangors to fill the Beastmen slots. This is also a warband I don't own (yet), so no photo here.

Vortemis the All-Seeing - Magister with staff - 73 gold crowns

Pink Horror - Possessed with great claw - 140 gold crowns

Blue Horror 1 - Mutant with sword and daemon soul - 55 gold crowns

Blue Horror 2 - Mutant with club and daemon soul - 48 gold crowns

Narvia - Brethren with sword, shield, and helmet - 50 gold crowns

Turosh - Brethren with sword, shield, and helmet - 50 gold crowns

K'Charik - Beastman with double-handed sword and light armour - 80 gold crowns

496 gold crowns, 7 models

Closing Thoughts

Well, there they are. Hopefully for those with a significant Underworlds collection, this serves as a bit of inspiration; equally, for those Mordheim players on the fence about delving into Underworlds, this might serve as inspiration to use the models for double duty. At the very least, I hope it was interesting.