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So I thought I might have a look at Underworlds since I'm tempted to get the Godsworn Hunt as part of my general "not building a slaves to darkness army right now" project (already well underway with a load of furies and Untamed Beasts from Warcry).



Though before I dip my toes in I've a few questions relating to the game

1) What does one miss out on if one doesn't get the core set - or rather what parts does one need to find on ebay from split sets to make the game work. I assume that would be easier than trying to buy the core set and then split off the parts I don't need (namely the model teams).

2) I'm aware that each universal card is often unique to specific sets, including faction sets. Which in theory means if you want to build decks with the whole card list you need "all" the model sets to get all the cards. In practice how empowering is this or is going for the core materials a viable option if one only wants a single warband (or one or two).

3) What extra items are worth getting for the set. I've already seen the Leaders and Powers Unbound card sets - is one of these based on the previous starter set cards? How much do they bring to enhancing the game itself?

4) I see that the board set from the first game (shadspire) is in the store, I assume that the cards which once went with that set are now split into the respective decks/sets for the two armies that were present in that boxed set? Ergo a case of cards being in the fighter packs not sold on their own?

5) I see that the dice are quite specific for the game. There is a set of generic magic dice (are these worth it for all warbands) and that factions typically get their own dice set but are often in limited supply at launch (ebay hunting or wait for a potential - one day - slaanesh party)

Glad your diving in to what I consider the best (i.e. tightest rules, most balanced GW game in my 21+years with them [arguments to be made for Blood Bowl & Space Hulk]). To answer your Q.’s:

1. The starter is a good deal for the price. One needs the boards, the dice and the rules. The core universal cards and some of the tokens are very useful. One could make do with other items for some of the other tokens.

2. The necessity of obtaining all of the universals depends on how you will be playing this. If you will be playing competitively or with those that are competitive, you will quickly feel the need to expand your deck building options. However, I do not think you need every card to be competitive. 4 warbands worth of universals (or 3 + Power Unbound) can work. On eBay one can sometimes find just the cards from a given expansion for US$15.

One could set this game up like a boardgame for casual play. It does this well, but one needs to invest a bit of time in creating balanced decks for 2-4 warbands (or get Dreadfane).

3. Those card sets (along with Echoes of Glory if you can find it and are not buying Steelhearts and/or Garreks warbands) are affordable ways of expanding deckbuilding, though Leaders has less good cards to offer.

4. Yes, the Shadespire starter contents were divided up into separate products. The faction-specific cards from that set are found in the individual warband’s pack. Most, but not all, of the universals from Shadespire starter are found in Nightvault starter.

As noted in 3, the universals from the individual warband packs for Steelheart and Garrek are all new cards from Nightvault. GW decided to provide an easy way for Shadespire players to get these new universals without having to re-buy those factions in the form of Echoes of Glory.

5. Yup, one needs the dice. The magic dice is likely needed by 6 current warbands: Cursebreakers, Thorns, Eyes, Gitz, Guardians & Godsworn.

Enjoy!