Like many people in the community, I was super hyped when Games Workshop revealed the newest instalment in their Warhammer Quest series of games. Cursed City would bring the gaming system of Blackstone Fortress back to the fantasy setting of the Mortal Realms, via the medium of gothic undead horror. The games art style, setting, and of course miniatures looked amazing, and players the world over began to get ready to slay some undead horrors in the city of Ulfenkarn for years to come.
But then… it all went wrong.
Games Workshop pulled Cursed City from the store, implied there would be no second run for the product, and even took down posts relating to the game. To this date, we still don’t know why as Games Workshop have yet to release a statement on the issue. That means that as it stands, if you didn’t manage to get a copy, you are unlikely to be able to (unless you are lucky enough to have some hiding at your local game store).
This is a huge shame, as it ruined what was going to be a great start to a new boxed game, and left a bad taste in many players mouths. Hopefully we will get some word from GW on the subject in the near future, or even a reversal of policy and a second run. Because as someone who was lucky enough to get a copy on release weekend (massive thank you to Jack and the rest of the staff at Patriot Games Sheffield. You guys are the best) I can say it’s a really good game and I’ve been having a blast playing through it with my family.
However, if you aren’t one of the lucky few and couldn’t secure a copy of the game, there is still a chance you can experience the joys of hunting vampires and undead ghouls on the streets of Ulfenkarn. And no, we don’t mean by paying a stupid amount of money to a second hand seller who just bought the game for a quick turnover. No, I’m saying you can buy Cursed City right now, for around £20 + postage.
You see, there are those members of our community who didn’t want to play Cursed City, but did want the models for conversions, painting projects, or just to collect. These people will often buy a box game for the miniatures, and then resell the actual games itself (minus the minis) for around 20-25% of the total cost of the game. That means all the board tiles, tokens, dice and rules are available right now on sites like eBay for a fraction of the total cost of the game. All you need is some minis, and you are ready to jump right in and play the game.
But what minis to use? The answer, any you want. The fact is that despite the amazing sculpts of the various heroes and villains from Cursed City, they are easily replaceable with current and past miniatures from GW own product line. Jelsen Darrock could be represented by a Mordhiem Witch Hunter. You could use any Kharadron to stand in for Dagnai Holdenstock, or even just a regular Duardin if you so wish. You could even replace the character with one of your own, simply keeping the rules as is, but saying they represent another individual. Such as a Stormcast standing in for your Ogor as a heavy hitter.
For the villains you can use any number of the undead miniatures Games Workshop has made over the years. A Necromancer would make for a great Torgillius the Chamberlain, while a Wight would be a perfect replacement for Watch Captain Halgrim. Use a Crypt Infernal Courtier as a Vargskar, or even a Giant Rat or two for the Corpse Rats. If you have an Undead army (or if you know someone that does) then chances are you already have everything you need to field the many villains of Ulfenkarn.
But you don’t even have to use miniature if you don’t want to. If you are lacking in the undead minis department, why not print off a few tokens to represent the Skeletons and Zombies of the game. Sure, they don’t look as good as a painted mini, but if you can’t get the originals then its not a bad way to go about it. Just remember that Cursed City isn’t a box of miniatures. It’s a game first and foremost, and a damn good one at that.
My hope is that this article will out of date very soon, and GW announces a second run of this great game. But if that is not going to happen, I don’t think that should prevent you from playing this fantastic dungeon crawler.
We hope this Hobby Hack has been somewhat useful to you. If it has and you want to share our adventures in Ulfenkarn, you can tell us about it in the comments below or find me on twitter @TenguPlaysGames.
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