Warhammer 40K’s new $299 boxed set makes a statement of its commitment

Warhammer 40,000’s most exciting setting, the small unit skirmish game Necromunda, is getting a massive new boxed set. Independent retailers have confirmed to Polygon that Necromunda: Ash Wastes will retail for $299, and it goes up for pre-order online at the official Games Workshop website this weekend, where it’s expected to list at the same price. Yes, it’s a lot to pay for an unassembled box with plastic parts and a few cardboard pieces. It also represents a not-so-subtle change in the scale of the 40K hobby, and a show of force in the face of increased competition.

The original Necromunda system dates back to 1995, when it was introduced in the pages of White Dwarf magazine. In 2017, it was rebooted with a new ruleset and elaborate plastic miniatures. For example, a single 28-millimeter miniature could easily contain 12 or more tiny parts — including a wee little cigar the fraction of the size of a grain of rice that was a real pain to glue into place, thank you very much. This opened up a world of customization and modding that was unimaginable before.

Now out of print, 2017’s Necromunda: Underhive goes for about $175 on eBay. A later revision of the starter set, Necromunda: Hive War, sells for around the same price, while Necromunda: Dark Uprising is a bit more desirable and higher priced among collectors. All of these sets include a smattering of plastic scenery, rulers, markers, dice, and a manual.

Why does AshWastes almost double the price? A preview of the contents, published Monday , shows exactly what’s inside this box. It includes two gangs of 10 miniatures, two four-wheeled vehicles, and four soldiers riding mounts. This boxed set contains more fighters than the previous ones. Ash Was also contains a comprehensive rulebook, a brief narrative campaign and dice.

But the real cherry on top for fans of Necromunda are the bits of elaborate scenery on offer in the form of “habitation blocks.” In 40K fiction, they’re basically slum-like modular housing that can last for millennia with zero upkeep — but for hobbyists they may as well be catnip. These blocks allow you to modify the terrain in a way that is not possible with previous Necromunda sets. There’s very little reason that your terrain should look like anyone else’s, and that’s very exciting.

The modularity of the terrain clearly shows a desire for more scenery to be made available to Necromunda fans. It should be easy to make sub-$300 sets of compatible terrain for Ash Wastes available to fans in the near future. But the design of these habitation blocks also appears to present a very simple and straightforward way to connect bits you might already own (or bits that you might want to model from scratch) to the bits included in the box. A close examination of a playthrough on the Warhammer Plus subscription service clearly shows there isn’t an Apple Lightning connector needed here, just gravity.

Simply put, this Necromunda boxed collection seems to be a reflection of what makes the hobby so special: fan-created, unique designs that blur the lines between tabletop wargaming, and art.

It is also expanding the lore for the game, adding a whole-new faction and setting, both of which were previously unexplored territory. In short, it’s a statement piece — a statement piece that costs $300.

So why make a power move like this right now? Over the last several years of the pandemic, even with many consumers unable to play together in public, Games Workshop’s sales have been through the roof. That growth in sales and earnings also comes against the backdrop of increased consumer adoption of 3D-printing technology. But instead of just rehashing the same old Space Marine factions with different details and paint schemes, Games Workshop is doing the work to expand its other franchises — Necromunda among them. The company is also committing lots of time and effort to old favorites like Blood Bowl and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, and continuing to support new lines like Warhammer: Underworlds. The next step? A reboot of the Warhammer 30,000 line, better known as the Horus Heresy.

There’s a reason why Necromunda: Ash Wastes costs as much as a new video game console. Games Workshop assumes that consumers will spend the same amount of time building it, painting it and then playing with it than they would with their Nintendo Switch. It looks possible, judging by Monday’s unveiling. Games Workshop seems to have a plan for expanding and supporting these product lines. It appears to be plowing its record earnings into supporting that expansion with more research and development, more and deeper lore, and more elaborate new models that fans of the hobby are clamoring for.

The increasing depth and complexity in their product offering — positioned alongside the beloved lore that underpins it all — will be hard for even 3D printers to compete with.