Every battle in Necromunda follows the same ritual.
Necromunda is a skirmish game: two gangs of miniatures, a table dense with terrain, dice and brutal decisions. This guide walks through the complete flow of a game — from the pre-battle handshake to the report to the Arbitrator — in checklists you can tick right at the table.
BASED ON THE NECROMUNDA CORE RULEBOOK (2023) · PAGES CITED AT EVERY STEP
Practical steps you tick off as you go — progress is saved while the page stays open.
Each step points to the Core Rulebook (2023) page where the full rule lives: (pg. XX).
What you need to play
Your first battle in the Underhive is close.
Around 10 fighters from one of the Clan Houses (Escher, Goliath, Orlock, Van Saar, Delaque or Cawdor). A gang box from your House is the classic starting point.
The central rulebook. Every page reference in this guide points to it. Your gang's book (House of Blades, Chains, Iron…) adds the rules, fighters and equipment specific to the House you chose.
Several regular D6, plus the special dice: Firepower dice (ammo), Injury dice (injuries) and a pair of differently coloured D6 for rolling D66 on the tables.
Distances are in inches. The Blast (3"/5") and Flame templates resolve area weapons — and Necromunda uses true model line of sight, so crouch down and take aim.
Each fighter has a card with profile, weapons and skills. On NecroForja your gang's roster is digital: credits, XP, stash and advancements are tracked between battles.
The Underhive is vertical and claustrophobic. Walkways, towers, containers and ruins: the denser the table, the better the game. Zone Mortalis (corridors), Sector Mechanicus (platforms) — or, in the Ash Wastes, highways and open ruins.
The 3 big phases
Every game of Necromunda happens in this order. Click a phase to jump straight to its checklist.
Before the battlefield is set up and the battle begins — 8 admin steps, done with both players present (Core Rulebook 2023, pg. 97). Tick each step as you complete it.
The battle itself. Each round has 3 sub-phases in this order: Priority → Action → End (Core Rulebook 2023, pg. 99). The loop repeats until someone wins, everyone bottles out, or the scenario ends.
The two ways to bring an enemy down — shooting and close combat — and what happens when a hit connects. Walk through each sequence step by step and use the To Wound calculator.
The weapon's Strength against the target's Toughness — the die shows what you need to roll to wound.
After the final round is over — 7 steps, in this order, with both players present (Core Rulebook 2023, pg. 142). In a skirmish, skip the campaign-specific steps.
The pocket summaries to consult mid-game: statuses and conditions, characteristic tests, automatic XP, end of battle and falling damage.
A natural 1 on a Hit or Save = automatic failure. Roll-off: highest wins; a tie is re-rolled.
A gang declared flight at the start of an Action Phase. All Standing models flee (Initiative test for Engaged); the battle ends when only that gang's Prone & SI models remain.
Each scenario has its own end condition: maximum rounds, objective destroyed, all attackers defeated, etc.
Defined by the scenario (and by campaign-specific rules).
The higher the Underhive, the longer the fall. Mind the walkways.