Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood board game will be easier to learn than before

Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood box promo shot
(Image credit: Games Workshop)

Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood is the next entry in the strategy board game series, but it'll be easier to get into than previous entries. 

According to the official Warhammer Community reveal, it is "the most accessible Warhammer Underworlds core set ever released". Ready to play out the box and featuring everything needed to get started right away, Gnarlwood also comes with a rulebook split into two with a streamlined section for newcomers and a more advanced chapter for returning players. In addition, continues a trend started with Warhammer Underworlds: Harrowdeep by featuring premade 'Rivals' card decks that allow beginners to avoid the game's usual deckbuilding system. That's very much the theme of Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood in general; although developer Games Workshop is careful to make it clear that veterans will find plenty to enjoy, it emphasizes being a good place to start fresh. 

As the start of a new season for the skirmish wargame, Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood features two unique warbands - the spirit-infused Gnarlspirit Pack and undead Sons of Velmorn - going head to head along with a previously unseen location that serves as a jumping-on point for beginners who haven't tried board games like this before.

Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood board and miniatures

(Image credit: Warhammer Community)

Set in the bowels of an enormous cavern made from roots, Gnarlwood is as 'dark fantasy' as you'd expect from Warhammer. The action takes place beneath an oversized, carnivorous jungle, while the two factions wouldn't look out of place on a metal album cover. Described on Warhammer Community as being "consumed by animalistic spirits", the Gnarlspirit Pack are berserkers that can enjoy a burst of strength due to such bestial magic. Meanwhile, the Sons of Velmorn are fallen knights who still work to defend their kingdom despite being very, very dead. 

We don't have an exact date for when Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood joins board games for adults on shelves, but more information has been promised "soon". 


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Benjamin Abbott
Tabletop & Merch Editor

As the site's Tabletop & Merch Editor, you'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news. I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and can normally be found cackling over some evil plan I've cooked up for my group's next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.