Over the last couple of months Games Workshop have announced and shown their new version of the classic Necromunda Underhive game (which the Necromunda online community have been keeping alive for almost 20 years!):
Bell of Lost Souls Necromunda Underhive revealed

The miniatures look to be a larger scale than before and I wonder if many of the rest of the 40K range would be compatible. From this first look the game itself seems to be just a flat board game; completely ignoring the main reason people liked the Necromunda game in the first place: A fast competitive skirmish, with each side using under a dozen gangers a side and an vertical element to the gameplay and scenery.
What GW will bring out to support this remains to be seen; the pessismist in me says they will just ask you to buy the Adeptus Mechanicus scenery they brought out for Shadow War Armageddon. What I’d like to have seen is similar to the original set, with the new de-bossed cardboard for the flatter areas (as in the original game) with new plastic bulkheads, ladders and maybe some objectives and with a game-mat for the ground, all for under £150.

On that wishful note here are some more pages from my Necromunda Underhive sketchbook.
These are my first ideas for the symbols for the various house and gangs, with a Catoblepas riding beast conversion idea for a Rogue Trader’s entourage (Catoblepas entry on Wikipedia). There’s also a Scavvy Scaly with his scattergun.

Some ideas for a border for the Underhive website, some scenery and colour options to do for the Redemptionist portrait.

Nomad image plans and Ratskin portrait and weapons designs.

More underhive banner textures and my idea for an Enforcers symbol, with an Art Deco look based on the LAPD shield design.

On these pages I was doodling symbols for the human rebel force I was converting and painting. I wanted a design for humans rebelling against the fascist Imperium which was small enough and simple enough to paint on a 28mm miniature. More of this sketchbook tomorrow!

As always with these images, they’re fan art and not intended to breach Games Workshop’s intellectual property.

Related Images:

The following page are ideas I had for the non-Imperial powered armour for the Spyrers. It had to have recording devices, various ways it could upgrade itself according to the performance of the wearer and also look both high-tech but also as if it was very old. I imagined a baroque, almost 17th Century suit of armour look with servo motors, fibre bundles, cameras and also an engraved list of notable previous users. The larger, snooty-looking chap is my version of an Orrus Spyrer. (Necromunda Spyre hunters)

Back to my Necromunda sketchbook for the next few pages:
Here I’m planning a conversion of a Mike Perry Ratskin miniature followed by some character ideas for a Pit Slave gang.

I’ve settled on the design of my Scavvy, with some more sketches for a whole bunch of them. On the opposite page are some thumbnails of the other Outlander gang portraits, a Scaly, a Nomad and another Pit Slave.

Ratskin portrait and the Redemptionists are progressing on these pages.

Here are more crazy plans for scratch-building an entire Scavvy gang and the pose I chose for the Enforcer portrait.

Though I’ve scanned the entire Underhive-themed sketchbook I may post something a bit different next time!

Related Images: