What to buy / Where we at?

[ipoo2]

I really like the idea of a small skirmish game. Reading up Shadespire/Night vault seems like a great game.

 

What I am unsure of is the release of Nightvault. Is this just a new version? A bit like aos2, as in the rules have changed, Shadespire is mostly still useable, but I should pick up Nightvault as my first purchase?

What other must buys are there after the initial purchase. If it helps I am interested in a skaven warband.

[Cordova]

As far as I'm aware, Nightvault is Shadespire 2.0, and the Shadespire boxed game has been discontinued.  The original warbands and cards, and board tiles, are/have been released separately.

 

TL;DR get Nightvault.

[Dirtnaps]

16 minutes ago, Cordova said:

As far as I'm aware, Nightvault is Shadespire 2.0

This. The Nightvault box has everything the original Shadespire box has rules wise just explained more clearly and with the new mechanics introduced with Nightvault added. The other difference is that you don't get Steelhearts Champions of Garrek's Reavers and instead get the Thorns of the Briar Queen and Stormsire's Cursebreakers along with a scatter template and magic dice, GW have also made Steelheart's and Garrek's warbands available as standalone expansions now as well with added generic cards (so cards you can use with any of the other Shadespire expansions as well) that help bring them in line with the Nightvault warbands.

Honestly if you want to get in to Warhammer Underworlds there's no reason not to get Nightvault over Shadespire. If you're interested in the Skaven warband I say get that, Nightvault and the Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault - Echos of Glory cards (which are all of the generic cards they added to Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers) and go from there.

[Daveman]

One small point, I wouldn't call Warhammer: Underworlds a "skirmish" game.  It is a game that features small groups of miniatures from the same setting as Age of Sigmar so at a glance it might look like a small scale version of AoS but it's not.

It's more of a card-driven strategy board game with deckbuilding added in.  Depending on your team and deck, fighting the other player's figures might not even be your best strategy. 

[Tutenkharnage]

Here's what's what:

• The proper name of the game line is Warhammer Underworlds. One core set—Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire—was released last October when the product line launched, and the second—Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault—was released just last month.
• The Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire core set includes two double-sided boards and two starting warbands: Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers. It also includes all the tokens and dice you need to play the game, as well as a large set of cards, broken down broadly into faction-specific cards for Steelheart's Champions, faction-specific cards for Garrek's Reavers, and universal cards that can be used by any Warhammer Underworlds warband.
• The Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault core set includes two new double-sided boards and two starting warbands: Stormsire's Cursebreakers and the Thorns of the Briar Queen.  It also includes an updated rulebook that covers multiple new elements, such as magic and the Scatter template, as well as several clarifications. In addition, the core set includes three new dice for casting spells. Like the Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire core set, this box includes a large set of cards: faction-specific cards for Stormsire's Cursebreakers, faction-specific cards for the Thorns of the Briar Queen, and universal cards that can be used by any Warhammer Underworlds warband. (The only exception is that some of these cards require a wizard, and no Shadespire warbands have wizards at the moment.) Some of the universal cards in the Nightvault core set are reprints of cards that were included in the Shadespire core set.
• Everything in the Warhammer Underworlds line is compatible with everything else. This means that Spiteclaw's Swarm, a skaven warband that was released during the Shadespire cycle, can be used in a game between two players using the Nightvault core set and boards. If you're playing Spiteclaw's Swarm, you can use any universal cards from the Nightvault core set, provided that you meet the requirements. (As mentioned above, some of these cards require you to have a wizard, and none of the eight Shadespire warbands have wizards.)
• The Shadespire core set is being discontinued. The two warbands from this core set—Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers—will be sold in boxes labeled "Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault." Each warband's expansion box will include all of that faction's faction-specific cards from the Shadespire core set, as well as new cards never seen before. In addition, the two double-sided boards from the Shadespire core set will be sold separately as the Mirrored City Boards Pack.  
• In order to accommodate players who already own the Shadespire core set and therefore already own Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers, GW is making the new Nightvault cards from the repackaged warbands available separately. This card-only product is known as Echoes of Glory.

Right! So that's where the game's at. But where does this leave you as a new player considering what to buy? Well, that depends on how committed you are to getting into the game. So here's my advice:

• If you've seen enough of Warhammer Underworlds to dive right in and expect that you'll eventually buy everything, you should start by buying the Shadespire core set while you still can. The Shadespire core set has an MSRP of $60, and you'll eventually need to pick up the Echoes of Glory card expansion for another $15 MSRP. That's a total of $75. If you pass on the Shadespire core set now and can't find it later, you'll end up paying $30 MSRP for Steelheart's Champions, $30 MSRP for Garrek's Reavers, and $35 MSRP for the Mirrored City boards. That's a total of $95, which means that delaying could cost you another $20. If you're ordering online and getting 15% off, this is effectively a $17 overhead instead, but that's around 75% of the cost of a new warband.
• If you're on the fence about Warhammer Underworlds, or if money is tight, you should start by buying whichever core set appeals more to you. If magic doesn't interest you, buy the Shadespire core set and whichever warband suits your fancy. If you're really interested in the Thorns and the Cursebreakers, buy the Nightvault core set instead.
• If you really can't make up your mind on which core set to buy, start with the Shadespire core set. The Champions and Reavers are excellent warbands to learn the game with, and they're both quite good in their own right. (I love the Reavers.) In my opinion, the four Nightvault warbands we've seen so far are more complicated than at least seven of the eight Shadespire warbands and thus aren't the best choice for beginners. Also, if you eventually end up buying everything—or even if you decide you'll be happy with the contents of both core sets—you'll end up saving $20 MSRP.

Whatever you do, don't buy Echoes of Glory unless you buy the Shadespire core set. If you buy Echoes of Glory and the Nightvault core set now and can't find a copy of the Shadespire core set later, you'll just end up with a lot of duplicate Echoes of Glory cards when you eventually purchase the Nightvault boxes for Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers.

Cheers!

[ipoo2]

Some great advice (especially Tutenkharnage) I am going to pick up Shadespire and go from there. Thanks all.

[riddlesworth]

On 10/6/2018 at 4:28 PM, Tutenkharnage said:

Whatever you do, don't buy Echoes of Glory unless you buy the Shadespire core set. If you buy Echoes of Glory and the Nightvault core set now and can't find a copy of the Shadespire core set later, you'll just end up with a lot of duplicate Echoes of Glory cards when you eventually purchase the Nightvault boxes for Steelheart's Champions and Garrek's Reavers.

Cheers!

Just for clarity:

The Echoes of Glory card set is the universal cards from the Steelhearts and Reaver expansions. These are new cards for Nightvault.

If you buy the Shadespire Core Set, you should buy Echoes of Glory.

If you buy the Nightvault core set, you should buy the Reaver and Steelheart expansions.

 

In all honesty, buying the Nightvault Core Set, the Mirrored City Boards and then buying warband expansions is probably the best way to go.