Necromunda is Games Workshop’s game of gang warfare in the crumbling hive cities of the 41st millennium. It is a skirmish game at heart, but wrapped in a rich campaign where gangers gain experience, suffer lasting injuries, and earn credits between battles. Rules have shifted across editions, so read the specifics here as the enduring core rather than exact current wording.
What dice Necromunda uses
The workhorse is the six-sided die, used for most tests as a target number — “4+” meaning roll 4 or higher to succeed. Alongside the ordinary d6, Necromunda is known for its special dice, each with symbols instead of (or as well as) numbers:
- Firepower dice — rolled with certain shots to see whether the weapon keeps firing or needs an ammo check, and to help resolve rapid-fire weapons that can score extra hits.
- Injury dice — rolled when a fighter is taken down, giving one of a few outcomes rather than a plain number (see below).
- Scatter dice — an arrow-marked die used for weapons and effects that land somewhere near, rather than exactly on, the target.
A d3 (a d6 halved) and occasionally other dice appear for variable values. The mix of numbered and symbol dice gives Necromunda its gritty, unpredictable texture.
The hit, wound and injury sequence
An attack passes through a chain much like other d6 wargames, but ends in Necromunda’s signature injury step:
| Step | What you roll |
|---|---|
| 1. Hit roll | Roll a d6 against the fighter’s Ballistic Skill (shooting) or Weapon Skill (melee), modified by range, cover and other factors. Rapid-fire weapons roll Firepower dice for extra hits. |
| 2. Wound roll | Compare the weapon’s Strength to the target’s Toughness on a d6 to see whether the hit wounds. |
| 3. Save | The target may roll an armour or other save, worsened by the weapon’s armour penetration, to shrug off the wound. |
| 4. Injury dice | An unsaved wound that exhausts a fighter’s Wounds triggers an Injury dice roll, giving a result along the lines of Flesh Wound (weakened but fighting), Serious Injury (down and prone) or Out of Action (removed from the battle). |
That injury table is what gives Necromunda its stakes: fighters rarely just “die” mid-game — they get chipped down, pinned, and knocked out, and the lasting consequences carry into the campaign afterwards.
Ammo checks, cover and modifiers
The ammo check is a defining Necromunda mechanic: powerful weapons risk running dry, and a failed check can leave a prized fighter reduced to a knife for the rest of the fight. Cover is the other great equaliser — the underhive boards are dense with walls, gantries and bulkheads, and a fighter behind them is far harder to hit and to wound. Range matters too, with penalties for shooting at long range and bonuses up close, so positioning quietly sets many of your target numbers before a die is thrown.
How a game plays out
Necromunda typically uses an activation system where fighters act in turn, and staying in the open is punished by pinning and enemy fire. A single battle is only half the point: it feeds a campaign in which fighters earn experience and advancements, suffer lasting injuries, and your gang spends credits to recruit, re-arm and recover. Scenarios set the victory conditions — territory, loot, assassinations — and bottling out (a failed nerve test that sends your gang running) can end a fight before either side is wiped out.
Winning and effective strategy
- Think in campaign terms. A dead specialist costs you future games. Sometimes retreating with your gang intact beats pressing a risky attack.
- Use cover on every move. Fighters caught in the open get pinned and picked off. End activations behind terrain.
- Respect ammo checks. Your best gun is only reliable until it jams. Don’t build a whole plan around a weapon that may run dry at the worst moment.
- Layer your fighters. Combine long-range shooters that pin the enemy with close-combat specialists that finish pinned targets — the two support each other.
- Manage nerve and bottling. Losing fighters chips at your gang’s resolve. Sometimes it is worth quitting a battle to preserve your roster for the campaign.
Beginner tips and common mistakes
- Learn the special dice symbols first. Firepower, Injury and Scatter dice all read differently from a plain d6 — know what each face means before you fire.
- “Out of Action” isn’t always death. In campaign play, a downed fighter rolls afterwards to see what lasting injury they carry — results range from a full recovery to a permanent scar.
- Don’t leave fighters exposed. Pinning is punishing; a model caught standing in the open is often a model lost.
- Track modifiers carefully. Range, cover and target status all stack onto the hit roll. Miss one and your odds are wrong.
- Editions and supplements differ. Necromunda has many expansions; always confirm the current rules and any house rules with your arbitrator before a campaign.
Juggling ordinary d6s, injury results and ammo checks is a lot of dice to track by hand. A physics roller keeps totals for you — you can throw a whole handful at once and read the result cleanly.
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🎲 Roll dice freePrefer a cleaner, tournament-style skirmish in the same setting? Read our Kill Team dice & strategy guide.