So when Mordheim was announced/posted on Steam, I mentioned how I’ve been mulling over the idea of a Necromunda game. Much like the PvE sandbox posts (though far shorter), here goes.

All of the game rules, setting, and characters would come directly from Necromunda itself. None of this ‘inspired by’ stuff, just straight up copy/paste like Bloodbowl. The beauty of this is you are taking something that is not only already established, but well balanced and proven to be fun, and just bringing it out of the basement and into the modern age by taking advantage of things like computers and the internet.

The gameplay would feel like a slightly more tactical version of something like XCOM, with games ;asting about an hour. Turn-based, visual indicators for things like cover or hit percentage, and then let the game handle all of the dice rolls and rules.

Outside of playing a scenario, the game would be an online lobby where you could make changes to your gang, review the current status of your base, territories, and equipment, and do other lobby stuff like chat and see if your friends are online.

Game options would include free form mode (no permanence or carryover, just pick what you want and go at it), practice (use your current gang, but not have the result count or XP carry over), and campaign mode, where you would face off against others in your ‘city’, gain XP, and basically play the long-term game that is Necromunda. These campaigns could be public or private, just like Bloodbowl handles them.

The business model would be the LoL F2P model, as that continues to be the absolute best version of F2P by a mile. The core game (say 5 gangs) would be free. Additional gangs could be purchased for either real money or currency you earn by playing (note that this isn’t the currency you would use to buy gear and new gang members). New gangs would be released every two months or so. Additionally, real money only options would include skins for weapons, characters, and base fluff. You could also sell new fluff animation and sound packs.

I would not expect this to be a AAA mega-seller given that it’s both turn-based and rather deep/difficult, but given the business model I think it could be a steady revenue generator thanks to a dedicated, loyal core. If it was pulled off and supported well, it has solid growth potential. Plus given the current game engines that exist, the development cost wouldn’t be anything crazy either. You wouldn’t need cutting-edge graphics, just something similar to XCOM or even Bloodbowl; so long as what is on screen does a good job of representing what is happening, that’s all that matters.

Fairly simple, using an old IP I don’t think GamesWorkshop even remembers anymore, that could provide some fun niche gaming. Someone please make this, thanks.

Edit: Just did a quick search and I’ve posted something very similar here before, in 2011.