In this special adaptation of Mordheim, we took the action underground, away from the ruined city streets and into the dark, twisting tunnels and ancient halls beneath the World’s Edge Mountains. This mini-campaign between Adam’s Dwarf Warband and Zack’s Orc Warband served as an exciting prelude to the larger campaign that the Dice Dojo Mordheim League will run in the spring of 2025. Zack, eager to test out the brute strength of Black Orcs, faced off against Adam’s treasure-hunting dwarves in a series of three skirmishes – all played in one evening over two-three hours. The close-quarters nature of the underground setting brought new challenges to the warbands as they battled for dominance. This is Part 1 of a two-part series introducing the setting and covering the matches fought!

Setting the Scene – Unterheim

Deep within the winding tunnels and abandoned dwarf halls of the World’s Edge Mountains lies the forgotten hold of Unterheim. Once a stronghold of dwarfkind, this gem of the ancients has long been buried under the sands of time. Yet, with the comet’s fall on Mordheim, forgotten passageways have opened, tombs have shifted, and long-sealed vaults now beckon to those greedy – or foolish – enough to seek their treasures. The whispers of unearthed relics have spread far and wide, drawing all manner of creatures to these dark caverns. Dwarves, men, greenskins, and beasts alike converge on Unterheim, each seeking fortune, glory, and power.

This is the story of two such warbands. Gather your gear, grit your teeth, and join us as we dive into the treacherous depths of Mordheim’s underground.

Meet the Warbands

Nogaz’s Black Orcs

Nogaz had heard the call to war. The underground rumblings of forgotten treasure were too good to pass up, and so, the Black Orc Boss gathered the meanest, nastiest brutes he could find. Leading his tough-as-nails band into Unterheim’s depths, Nogaz wasn’t just after loot – he was after a good scrap. The cherry on top? They’d even roped in a troll named Big Lenny, bribed with a couple of goblins. Nogaz and his boys might have been few in number, but they were built for bashing heads and breaking bones, even in the cramped confines of the tunnels.

“Oi we’se here to get into a good fight wit the stunties- or rats… or whatever it is down ‘ere! We’re being real sneaky like- don’t mind da clanking of our  armor. Plus we found ourselves a real big help down here- Big Lenny! Es’ a troll ands all I needed to give em was a couple of goblins. Tho we’se gonna need some more meat soon- I think I heard his belly rumbling!“

Veigar’s Dwarf Treasure Hunters

On the other side of the cave system, Veigar the Noble led his group of hardened treasure hunters. The stalwart dwarves had caught wind of a recent stretch of cave that Skaven had abandoned following the fall of the comet. Upon arrival, the band began to realize this long-lost hold had once belonged to their ancestors. To reclaim lost relics and plunder the depths, Veigar and his band descended into the dark, prepared for whatever waited in the shadows. With them came two troll slayers, eager for a glorious death in battle -especially once they caught wind of a troll skulking around these parts. Then they heard it off in the distance- their most hated enemy the Orcs- clanging around, shushing each other- and yelling at one another to stay quiet!

Incensed at the trespassers the dwarves prepared to fight! The first skirmish for Unterheim was about to begin!

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Game 1 – Battle in the Depths (Skrimish)

For our first battle, we rolled and ended up with a classic skirmish – simple enough: make the other side rout. Adam and I rolled for table corners, and Adam won, choosing a prime spot near a tomb and some high rocks. I took the opposite corner, surrounded by a few winding tunnels. With that in mind, we both started planning our strategy!

My Black Orc Boys set up with the idea of being all cunning and sneaky-like. Nogaz, the Black Orc Boss, Mits, and Big Lenny, our Troll, would take the flank, while the two Yung Un’s stayed back, trying not to make a mess of things or get killed. Spoiler: Brok didn’t do too well and got demolished.

Adam’s plan was more straightforward – he clumped his Dwarves together in the best spot in the corner and prepared to advance as a single unit, aiming to engage the Orcs in the tunnels.

The battle kicked off with me moving my Black Orcs to outflank the Dwarves in the stronghold and putting the Yung Un’s on hidden keeping them from being targeted by the Dwarves’ deadly crossbows. Once my turn ended, Adam and his Dwarves made their move to try and get better views for some shots on my Orcs. My plan to lure the Dwarves out of their well-positioned corner and into the main, large tunnel that ran the length of the board had worked – and gave my Orcs a good chance for closing the gap.

Veigar, Adam’s noble, led the march into the main tunnel, with two Troll Slayers and a crossbowman on the low ground, while the other crossbows scrambled for higher ground to cover them. Then came Dag, the Engineer. Armed with a crossbow, he heard something – a Yung Un – failing miserably at hiding. Dag turned a corner, and there was Brok, wide-eyed and exposed. Seeing the Yung Un’ took him out of hidden stance and though the Engineer couldn’t shoot with his unwieldy crossbow on the move Veigar’s pistols definitely could! Before Brok knew it, he had a golfball-sized hole missing in his arm and he was taken “Out of Action”.

With the Dwarf crossbows unable to move and shoot in the same turn, and with the gap between our warbands closing, my Orcs on the flank decided to make their move!

Mits took a risky path, charging ahead to get up onto a boardwalk directly across from two Dwarven crossbowmen. He had to brave a hail of bolts and cross some rickety planks to engage them in close combat. One lucky hit and he’d be falling to his death but if he could do it, he’d have the upper hand. Incredibly, Mits shrugged off two crossbow shots and charged across the next turn, slamming into one dwarf. The impact sent the dwarf stumbling off the ledge – though he didn’t fall far enough to take any serious damage. The tide was starting to turn.

Meanwhile, in the intersection of the tunnels, the two Troll Slayers were finally ready to face off against Big Lenny, the Troll. Adam looked for the charge, but his dwarves short, stubby legs left them stuck in the open and unable to close the distance quickly. Veigar and Dag took shots at the Troll as he lumbered forward, but their efforts were in vain. On my turn, Big Lenny, along with my Orc Boss, got the charge off and crashed into the stalwart Dwarves.

Lenny the Troll and Nordhri the Troll Slayer were then locked in an epic battle. The fight was brutal, with Nordhri holding his ground, and never once breaking but in the end, Lenny’s sheer strength won out. I rolled a critical hit- a powerful body blow knocked Nordhri to the floor, but the dwarf was tough, and rather than taking him out of action he was only stunned. But with all his dwarf allies tied up, Lenny delivered the finishing strike next round.

At the same time, Nogaz, was locked in combat with Stenn, the other Troll Slayer. Nogaz’s massive two-handed axe swung with deadly precision, but the tough Dwarf was proving hard to crack. Blow after blow rained down, but Stenn’s resilience held out. Then, in the second round of combat, Nogaz finally found his mark, landing a crushing blow to Stenn’s leg. The Troll Slayer was swept out of the fight.

Mits was still tied up with a crossbowman’s buddy, who despite being armed only with a dagger was in a fierce struggle that kept him from finishing off his dwarf friend who had been stunned earlier. Despite the dwarves strong start and their heroics- they were now rolling for a rout test and the Orcs had gained the upper hand.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Adam decided to call off the attack. The noble ordered the retreat, his remaining warriors making a fighting withdrawal back into the tunnels to fight another day.

The Aftermath – Post-Skirmish

With Veigar’s warband retreating into the darkness, Nogaz and his boys took a moment to revel in their victory. They had struck hard, claiming not only their first triumph in Unterheim but also adding new spoils to their stash. Meanwhile, Veigar’s forces, though bloodied, would not be so easily discouraged. They would return, and when they did, they’d be more than ready for a rematch.

It was time for our post-game rolls!

Black Orcs’ Loot and Wounds

For Nogaz’s Black Orcs, the rewards of victory were sweet pocketing two shards of treasure (wyrdstone). The roll yielded nothing on the exploration table. With the treasure, the orcs had the good sense to buy (or maybe loot?) a sturdy helmet, adding it to their arsenal. But perhaps the most crucial part of the post-battle routine involved keeping Big Lenny in line. With his belly starting to rumble, the Black Orcs had to feed him something to stave off his appetite. Two more unfortunate gobbos were tossed to the troll, who happily devoured them, keeping him loyal – at least for the time being.

As for the wounded: Brok, the Young Un, suffered a brutal arm wound from Veigar’s pistol shot, but he’d live to fight another day. Unfortunately for Brok, that day wouldn’t be anytime soon – he’d miss the next battle to recover from his injury.

As Nogaz counted up the spoils and took stock of his warband, he knew that this victory was only the beginning. There were far more treasures hidden in Unterheim, and no amount of dwarf stubbornness would keep him from claiming them.

Dwarves’ Losses and Gains

Veigar and his dwarves, on the other hand, were drowning their bitter defeat with ale after the skirmish. They may have lost the battle, but for one dwarf in particular, it was a victory of a different kind. Nordhri the Troll Slayer had met his glorious end in battle against Big Lenny, being killed post game achieving the fate he so desperately sought. To die at the hands of a troll was an honorable way to go for a slayer, but for the dwarves as a whole it was a tough to lose a hero so early.

Stenn, the other troll slayer, did not share Nordhri’s fate. Instead of falling in battle, Stenn suffered a grievous leg wound at the hands of the Orc boss. This wound would take time to heal, and much like Brok of the Black Orcs, Stenn would be sitting out the next battle.

In the meantime, Dag the Engineer had something to celebrate. After surviving the skirmish, Dag found himself with enough XP to level up. With his new found talent he was nimbler than before, earning a boost to his dexterity that allowed him to move and shoot his crossbow more effectively.

The warband recovered two shards of wyrdstone (treasure) from their expedition, though much of their resources had to be funneled into recruiting a new Troll Slayer. While the replacement wouldn’t be as well-equipped as Nordhri or Stenn, they needed someone to face the threat of Big Lenny in the next battle. No dwarf warband could let a troll rampage unchecked in their ancestral halls.

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Looking Ahead – Revenge and Rivalry

The first battle for Unterheim was over, but the war was far from finished. Zack’s Black Orcs had claimed the first victory, but Adam’s Dwarf Treasure Hunters were regrouping, and the rivalry between the two warbands was only beginning to heat up.

Veigar and his dwarves would return, no longer content with simply scouting out the forgotten hold – they’d be coming back with vengeance in their hearts and a new tactics to crush the orcs. Meanwhile, Nogaz was itching for the next fight. There was more treasure to be found, and if that meant bashing a few more dwarf heads along the way, so much the better.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in The Saga of Unterheim, where the clash of steel, the roar of battle, and the thirst for treasure continues to drive warbands deeper into the darkness.