Warhammer Underworlds: Online is bringing the tabletop game to PC

It's been at least five minutes since a new Warhammer game was announced, but thankfully Warhammer Underworlds: Online is here to plug the gap with its spin on the fantasy tabletop game. Take a look at the teaser above.

Like its tabletop namesake, Warhammer Underworlds: Online gives you a warband of stranded fighters to control, determining their fate with dice rolls and cards as you fling them at opposing warbands in the eerie city of Shadespire, as well as beneath it.

It's turn-based, but expect it to be be quicker than Age of Sigmar, where you've got a whole army to command. Developer Steel Sky Productions says the focus on deckbuilding means that there's plenty of high-level strategy even though the matches are brisk. Before you begin a match, you'll be tweaking your deck, planning contingencies and figuring out how you want to support your squad.

As well as your power deck, which lets you cast spells, perform special actions and get upgrades, there's a 12-card objective deck. Objective cards determine your goals for the mission and give you another way to win beyond just murdering everyone. Like your other cards, you'll select the objectives you want and put them in your deck, drawing them in the match.

I'm always ready for more card-based tactics games, and I confess I'm probably never going to get sick of the Warhammer cavalcade. The teaser doesn't do much to ignite my interest, but it still seems promising, and it's at least build on the strong foundations of its excellent tabletop inspiration.

Warhammer Underworlds: Online is launching on Steam Early Access this year with two warbands, and two more will be released later during development. You can see Underworlds' core warband, Steelheart's Champions, sauntering across the bottom of the screen in the trailer, which suggests the other core warband might be the other starter set faction, good old Chaos marauders. Steel Sky thinks Early Access will last for a few months, but there's no strict timeline.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.