Sadly, this past week saw the strange, disappointingly short-lived saga of the Necromunda RPG come to an apparent end. In a mothership article entitled New for Necromunda in 2027, WarCom offered a peek at what the future held for Necromunda- and what it didn’t.
There’s an exciting year ahead for fans of Necromunda, with a lineup more stuffed than the questionably-sourced contents of a back-alley Scabber’s overcoat. There will be new miniatures, new terrain, new vehicles and new expansions.
However, there won’t be a Roleplay expansion.
After careful consideration we’ve decided to focus our efforts on providing even more great minis for the core game.
Let’s dive into that, shall we?
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The news- which came right on the heels of last week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly, go figure- falls squarely in “disappointed, but not surprised” territory. After all, following the exciting announcement during the Big Autumn Preview Show on 18 September the claw-back of information around the product was very swift as Games Workshop sought to revise history in real time and remove any trace of Necromunda Roleplay from official communications.
Oh, there were hopes aplenty that this represented some temporary measure. Perhaps there was a warehouse mishap or some other unforeseeable calamity that necessitated some delay, but I think for the most part… we knew. There’s lots of ways to respond to those sorts of situations that don’t involve sending in the Alpha Legion to quietly make things disappear, and now the Officio Assassinorum has officially sanctioned the line altogether.
So what gives? Why go through all that trouble just to scrap it at the last minute with a last-minute proclamation that essentially reads, “on second thought, we’ve decided to stay in our lane.”
While we’re not privy to James Workshop’s business meetings, from the outside looking in we can try to make a few educated guesses. Let’s open with the question of taking the statement at face value.
A Change of Heart?
It’s certainly possible that Games Workshop got all the way to the end of product development and decided, “nah, let’s not.” But I don’t think it’s overly cynical to find that highly unlikely. After all, this was a product that was so far along in the pipeline that it appeared to have already had its production run. The preview video for it showed physical copies of the game, and they even showed off the first planned expansion book.
Not only that, but it had cleared every hurdle needed to be unveiled in the Big Autumn Preview, essentially one big infomercial for Games Workshop products expecting an imminent release. With last weekend’s Sunday Preview being heavily Necromunda-themed, it’s not at all unlikely that were it not scrapped, Necromunda Roleplay would be going up for preorder tomorrow (10/31).
Given that, I’m highly skeptical this was a last-minute change of heart. Which means that if it wasn’t voluntary, it would have to be involuntary, right?
The Incubation Tank
With a week’s sober reflection, the most widely-accepted theory in the community appears to be that the product was internally killed at the executive/board level. To understand how this could happen, it helps to pull back for a moment and look at what we understand about how Games Workshop operates.
When it comes to GW’s core products, there are two main segments that oversee their design and development. The Main Games Studio (MGS) handles the larger product lines like Warhammer 40,000 (including Kill Team) and Age of Sigmar (including Warcry and Underworlds). These are the bread-and-butter properties of the company, and typically operate in three-year design cycles.
The more peripheral/niche properties like Blood Bowl, The Old World, and- importantly- Necromunda are nestled within the Specialist Design Studio (SDS). It’s generally understood that the MGS has a might higher level of visibility and scrutiny given the centrality of those product lines to the property overall, while the SDS gets to enjoy a little more experimental freedom.
It was just this freedom that led to the development of Necromunda Roleplay, and with the benefit of hindsight it’s assumed that the recent rebrand of the Necromunda game as “Necromunda Skirmish” with the latest edition launch (this past August) was intended to make it distinct from the upcoming Necromunda Roleplay.
This was a significant expansion of the Necromunda property, turning it into an umbrella property that would support two different game lines (Skirmish and Roleplay).
SDS has in the past enjoyed a certain freedom when it comes to designing narrative play expansions for its properties, such as Hive Secundus (2024) and Ash Wastes (2022). It seems credible that this liberty is what gave rise to Necromunda Roleplay. The Necromunda game system has always hewn fairly close to role-playing games as it is, and this was in many ways a logical next step,
It cleared all the internal regulatory hurdles within SDS, then entered the product release pipeline along with everything else being unveiled at the Big Autumn Preview Show.
And that’s when the problem started.
The Corporate Spike
Necromunda Ropleplay was now free of the SDS nest which had enabled it to get as far as it did. And here it’s believed to have risen to the level of scrutiny by the Games Workshop board, leading to the decision to kill the game entirely. This theory comes in two flavors:
#1: It was seen as too far outside the “core product” roster.
In the most recent company annual report, GW notes its operational mission thusly:
“The first element is that we make high quality miniatures... we are absolutely focused on making our models the best in the world.”
While it’s true that he Necromunda Roleplay starter came packed with eighteen new miniatures, RPG’s aren’t ideal vectors for generating a high level of miniature support. It’s a book business that has some overlap with minis, of course, but it’s a feature and not a bug for players that they can game for years off of a handful of books and (optionally) a small number of figures. There’s a reason that the RPG equivalent of the “pile of shame1” is a hoard of dice.
Under this theory, an RPG product was seen as straying too far outside of core principles and operational boundaries once subjected to the board-level scrutiny that arose after its unveiling in the Preview Show.
#2: It was seen as devaluing the role-playing game license.
This one’s interesting, and a shout out to Adventurous Dad & Daughters for a terrific breakdown. In short, when the community’s response to the announcement of Necrominda Roleplay was, “wait a minute, what about Cubicle 7?”, it forced GW to consider that this product might be perceived as competing with one of their licenseholders. After all, Cubicle 7 has their own d100 Warhammer game, Imperium Maledictum.
While the line between Warhammer 40,000 and Necromunda is a bit murky, from a licensing standpoint it seems to be a separate entity altogether, as this exchange illuminates:
But from a business perspective, that may be a distinction without a difference. As Adventurous Dad & Daughters suggests:
Necromunda Roleplay wasn’t killed for Cubicle 7, or due to an AI-use concern, or because it was “hidden” from the board (other pieces of speculation out there).
It was killed to preserve Games Workshop’s image as a good licensing partner.
And that would be worth eating the sunk costs they’d already put into the game, at least some of which they can recoup through selling the minis separately.
This isn’t just a matter of corporate reputation, either. Businesses by necessity avoid risk, and risk is typically priced into everything a business does. A licensor who is perceived as a risky partner- as in, one willing to compete with their own licensees- will likely see that risk priced into the revenue they can expect from any licensing agreements.
In other words, they’d make less money.
While we’ll almost certainly never know the “real” reason- and likely, it was a confluence of factors- sadly it seems Necromunda Roleplay is no more, an entry in the Museum of Might-Have-Beens alongside Warhammer Quest: Cursed City and Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumus.
Proof in the Pudding
Last week I talked about Cubicle 7’s impressive mea culpa they posted on their blog, as well as the encouraging appointment of ex-Wargamer Editor Alex Evans as the Head of Marketing.
While of course the proof is always in the pudding, I think this represents a real statement of intent from Cubicle 7 and should be seen as an encouraging sign of what’s ahead.
We didn’t have long to wait, did we.
Two weeks after the initial promise to improve, a follow-up flag was raised up the mast. “The old saying that mistakes are inevitable,” noted CEO Dom McDowall in his lead-in to the update, “and it’s dealing with them that counts, has been pointed out by a few people, and I guarantee that the team and I are absolutely committed to fixing them.”
This was followed by several updates, first on the upcoming print releases followed by their games in development. Notably, the Horus Heresy RPG was amongst them, and even if it was essentially a “no-update update” it’s important to keep the game front and center.
In addition, Cubicle 7’s new communication schedule was unveiled, which encompasses a monthly website briefing on the state of their products as well as a quarterly production update video.
It’s well worth a full read, and it’s doing exactly what it’s intended to do- helping shore up consumer confidence in Cubicle 7’s ability to deliver.
Meanwhile, it’s also worth pointing out that the site is having a Halloween Sale that includes a number of Warhammer RPG products. Trick or treat!
Important Site Update
This week’s column is already running long, so I’ll keep this one brief. As I discussed at length this past Monday, I will be looking to turn on site monetization as early as next week. That’s entirely because Substack offers us writers more features to sites that have it enabled- all articles will continue to be free. Nothing is changing!
Look at it like a “tip jar.” Always appreciated, never expected, and hopefully tucked away in some inobtrusive corner of the virtual countertop.
Also, as a head’s up if you’re on Facebook we have a page there now too. Come say hello!
RPG Bestsellers
Bookwriters get their New York Times bestseller lists, so why shouldn’t we enjoy the same thing? While we don’t have any aggregated sales lists, we can use DriveThruRPG’s top-seller list as a reasonable barometer- and here’s this week’s snapshot!
Starting this week, I’ll also be including the metallic tier for each product. These are awarded based on the total volume of sales:
Copper: 51 units sold
Silver: 101
Electrum: 251
Gold: 501
Platinum: 1,001
Mithral: 2,501
Adamantine: 5,001
Warhammer RPG Titles in the Top 200:
#3 (-1, Platinum) Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Fifth Edition Core Rulebook
#4 (-1, Silver): Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Wrecker’s Point
#6 (+1, Electrum) Imperium Maledictum: Macharian Adversary Guide
#93 (+1, Gold). Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Sylvania: The Cursed County
#155 (-5, Mithral). Imperium Maledictum: Core Rulebook
Total Books in Top 200: 5 (-1)
This is the week we finally see Cubicle 7’s dominance of the Top 10 start to slip, as both the Fifth Edition Core Rulebook as well as Wrecker’s Point drop down a notch. That said, Macharian Adversary Guide moving back up one was a pleasant surprise.
Sadly, we bid adieu to the Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, which fell just outside the Top 200 this week (landing at 201). Still, in the grand scheme of things a positional change in the single-digits isn’t reflective of much beyond the fact that sales data is always in flux.
If I sell 50 copies this week and 50 copies next week, but next week someone else sells 51 and I drop down a rank… is that truly indicative of my position weakening? Probably not. So all of this should always be looked at through a broad, fish-eye lens with an eye on the bigger picture.
ICYMI
Careless Conjuration had a review of WFRP’s 4E adventure A Day at the Trials, as well as some insights on how to integrate it into a Rough Nights mini-campaign.
It Always Rains in Nuln shared a wonderful story about an unexpected encounter with a Warhammer artist- and the incredible gift that resulted.
Ill Met by Morrslieb jumped in the time machine to bring us a terrific look at Death’s Dark Shadow, a WFRP adventure from the game’s first edition published in 1991!
Finally, if you’re disappointed by the Necromunda Roleplay news, Chaosbunker’s piece on the subject also has a helpful look at suitable alternatives.
Coming Attractions
Here’s a list of the known upcoming physical releases based on the available preorder information we have. Note that Cubicle 7’s own delivery estimates appear to be just that- estimates- which is why many products have an upcoming delivery listed for Q1 while we’re already past that.
This section will be updated weekly in this column, with new or updated info presented in boldface.
Cubicle 7 Games
Shipping Q4
Limited Edition Warhammer Fantasy Map Bundle 1 (Nov)
Limited Edition Warhammer Fantasy Map Bundle 2 (Nov)
Shipping January 2027
Temple of Spite
Shipping Spring 2027
Fifth Edition: Core Rulebook (standard hardcover)
Fifth Edition: Core Rulebook (collector’s edition)
Fifth Edition: Character Sheets
Fifth Edition: Reikland Dice Set
Fifth Edition: Monsters & Adversaries Deck
Fifth Edition: Conditions & Injuries Deck
Shipping 2027
Sylvania: The Cursed County
Wrecker’s Point
Fifth Edition: Reikland Map
Shipping November
Starter Set
Gamemaster’s Screen
Shipping 2027
Talagaad Adventures
Shipping November
Limited Edition Age of Sigmar Map Bundle
Shipping Q1 2027
Champions of Chaos: Carngrad Adventures
Champions of Chaos: Dark Gifts Card Pack
Champions of Chaos: Spells Lore Card Pack
Champions of Chaos: Artefacts & Wargear Card Pack
Champions of Chaos: Core Rulebook (Standard and Collector’s Edition)
Champions of Chaos: Bloodwind Spoil Map
Undated
(Nothing at this time)
Shipping Q3
Macharian Sector Map (September 2026)
Shipping Spring 2027
Macharian Adversary Guide
Adeptus Mechanicus Collector’s Edition
Adeptus Mechanicus Player’s Guide
Adeptus Mechanicus Gamemaster’s Guide
Adeptus Mechanicus Character Sheet Pad (Q4)
Undated
(Nothing at this time)
Thanks for reading this week, and happy gaming!
In wargamer parlance, the term refers to unassembled, unpainted miniatures.
Sad news, but a great breakdown. Thanks!
I think not disrespecting your licensing partners and pulling the plug on a potentially competing product was the right call, but it should never have gotten this far. This was a product almost ready to ship - imagine all the people who worked on it, only for the whole thing to be scrapped at the last minute. Now all their hard work will never see the light of day. I would be quite pissed, even if I was paid for my time and effort.
Either SDS management took too much liberty without checking in with head office, or head office dropped the ball and didn't kill it early enough, but somebody messed up.