Necromunday: CoriusCon 2025 Trip Report

Greetings, Scummers! I made the trip from Philadelphia here in the US of A to Berlin, Germany back in November of 2025 to roll some dice at CoriusCon3, the eponymous Necromunda gathering hosted by community pillar Constantin of @co.rius renown on Instagram. It was amazing! Let me tell you about it!

Who made all this wild stuff?

Let's get the obvious out of the way. If you have any interest in Necromunda, you're almost certain to have seen Constantin’s work already. He's as good as it gets in crafting terrain boards, an excellent painter, a professional photographer, a fantastic modeler, and an insightful instructor (check his Patreon for proof). He's also an extremely nice guy.

Credit: @co.rius

I've had the good fortune of rolling dice with Constantin in 2024 before attending CC3 this past November, and I can fully attest to everything looking even better in person. I've got plenty to say about it, but I want to be clear upfront that it is worth the trip.

For those of you unfamiliar with Corius, he has been a community standout since he first started posting in 2019. His Patreon is chock full of painting tutorials and terrain building guides, all benefiting from his background in photography. I feel confident in saying his container stack terrain board, the Adamas Aeternum, is what he is most widely known and recognized for seeing how often I stumble upon it while scrolling through any Necromunda image search results. More anecdotally, folks often refer to him just as the “container board guy”. Whatever the case, his work does plenty of speaking for itself.

What is a CoriusCon?

Constantin hosted the first Corius Con in April of 2024 in Berlin, with 12 folks playing Necromunda alongside a few guest ticket hangers-on digging through bits, painting, and enjoying some time with fellow hive-minded nerds. During April of 2025, he expanded the event to 36 players, which sold out within a week. Corius Con 3 took place in early November of 2025, selling out of 36 player tickets in under an hour. I was lucky enough to snag one of those tickets while also having the airline miles and credit card points to fully offset a trip across the Atlantic.

Credit: @co.rius

I landed in Berlin with a full day to chug countless Club Mates (Germany’s classic yerba mate soda which I am a shameless diehard for) and panic paint in my hotel room before any official event action. The event informally kicked off with a night of drinks, alcoholic or otherwise, in a warm and cozy bar space able to accommodate a sizable gathering of Necromundans. This was an expectedly surreal experience, getting to finally meet a solid number of folks I’ve been chatting hobby with for years over Instagram. All at once! In the same room! These sorts of moments are the motivators that push me to attend Necromunda events across the US, UK, and now the EU, as there is a great joy to finally connecting in person.

I admittedly spent several hours after the group disbanded panic painting again while scarfing down late-night delivery pizza. I wouldn’t say I enjoy making these last gasp painting pushes, but have come to recognize the ADHD ritual of it all and have made peace with the process at this point. I also added a spiffy travel painting lamp to legitimize the whole affair, which was nice.

This author brought gifts! Credit: @hivemarketminis

The event formally kicked off on Saturday morning at Ruth’s Berlin, a perfectly-sized repurposed event space additionally serving coffee and drinks. Now-familiar faces gathered outside as preparations were finalized indoors. I fully acknowledge having some level of social anxiety, but what I am always happy to share is that it becomes much easier to work through it when standing in a small crowd already talking about their ideal terrain “made to order” rereleases and hopes for the next Necromunda box set drop.

When we were let indoors, the crowd was quick to swarm the gorgeous gaming boards and sizable sprue pile. Again, Constantin’s work looks even better in person, and seeing so much of it in one place is a treat in itself. After the group had all signed in, Constantin gave a nice little intro to the whole event and kicked off the first game.

I often think about a conversation I had with two of Goonhammer’s own Kevins (Fowler and Primaris) at NOVA this past year, in how Necromunda events are this showcase for what the organizer sees as the “ideal” interpretation of the spirit (and rules) of the game. Constantin was clear that his emphasis was on good storytelling, good games, fun being had, and a distinct de-emphasis on sweaty competition. Something special about CC3 was the huge variety of beautiful game boards, each rocking their own distinct narrative scenarios feeding into a larger “Ashen Trials” framework.

The first game of the event paired off newer players with more experienced ones in an all-out four-player brawl. The major caveats here were that each player could only bring their three cheapest gangers, and that they came in without any gear or weapons. Uh oh! This was both a great refresher on the basic rules and a fun icebreaker event, though I was lucky in starting directly across from my buddy Sander @sumpseafoundry.

Cawdor gathering at the local Hive Guys. Credit: @sumpseafoundry

My luck withered up immediately when one of his bonepickers found a Yu’Vath Puzzle Box in a loot crate, but there’s no denying how fun it is seeing a rapid fire 3 scattershot weapon unload 10+ S2 hits on an unsuspecting ganger, even if it is your own. For my part, Klyx the Raven, an actual bird modeled as a proxy for a Venator Ratling, got to find and fire off a bolter repeatedly, passing multiple ammo checks and taking down a model or two before being unceremoniously pasted himself. That’s Necromunda, baby!

My second game of the day was with Marius @herr.poom and his gorgeous Escher gang. I’ve admired his work from across the web for some time, making for a visual treat having our wastes-based gangs square off on a wastes-themed table.

Rabentöchter Death Maiden. Credit: @herr.poom

The object of this scenario was to capture and escape with a relic, with the twist being six possible locations where it could spawn paired with a deck of six possible happenings dolled out at only one per turn. As fate would have it, the relic spawned with our first card flip atop an abandoned crane on the opposite side of the table from my deployment zone. My Squat Steejack-based champion was understandably sliced and diced by his Death Maiden after a failed attempt to set her on fire, and things got progressively dicier on my end as the game continued. I ultimately bottled once the Eschers had snagged the relic and put about half of my crew down to avoid limping into the final game of the day with only a fraction of my gang roster. I strongly prefer letting games fully play out, but at this point was feeling the weight of my recent travel day and jetlag. I remain grateful for both the opportunity to roll dice with Marius and also for the White Monster Zero that found its way into my hand before the last round.

That last round played out on a lovely Sump Sea board crafted by @techmarine_terry with a custom scenario he and Constantin tweaked from one found in the fan-made “Book of the Sump” supplement. I was paired with Tim @pile_of_grey for an uncharacteristically friendly Venator showdown. We were tasked with hunting Sump Spiders spawning across four derelict boats, which quickly got interesting when the first boat sank off the board at the end of the first turn.

Sump Spider Hunting. Credit: @co.rius

Things then got wild when the remaining three boats sank at the end of our second turn, nailing the 1-in-216 chance of that happening all at once. Tim and I spent the following turn swimming for dear life, and had a gripping few rounds tangling with the vicious spiders until my gang leader was able to lascut the largest of them to death from a nearby platform. A fun game with a great opponent and a memorable scenario on an inspiring board made for a perfect end to the day.

After disbanding for the evening, I immediately went to sleep back at my hotel. Just kidding! I downed another Club Mate or two and panic painted for a few more hours. I’d love to pretend a lesson was learned about planning and avoiding this at the next event, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Players gathered outside of the venue on Sunday morning in a now-familiar fashion, sharing quick recaps of the prior day’s battles. We rolled directly into our first games, where I was paired with René @war.lun and his Nurlge-corrupted Orlock gang. We deployed on the Adamas Aeternum board, Constantin’s famous container stack, to chase down loot crates and avoid falling if at all possible.

René is, without question, the nicest person I have ever played Necromunda with. Our game was focused on snagging loot while taking every possible potshot to pin fighters near the edge of platforms to take advantage of the rare opportunity of playing on this specific board. René was able to knock one of my gangers off nearly the top of the stack, resulting in falling damage plinko as the fighter failed successive initiative checks. I was able to return the favor almost immediately before engaging in some tight corridor melee with our beefiest models.

Credit: @co.rius

We talked through every action, saying “well of course this ganger would want to do x and avoid y” and allowing for a narrative-heavy game. I managed to capture his mutated Ogryn brute, which he insisted on paying me the full 255 credits for after I narrowly secured the win. I would not allow it, with the Rust Storm Raiders themselves being a band of escaped slaves refusing to participate in any further trading of flesh (aside from the occasional Enforcer or two). We compromised on a small bounty that would allow me to add my beloved Sump Beast, Nibbles, to the crew for my final game at the event.

That second and final round of the day, and ultimately the event, was fortunately with my friend Henri @artfordormice, who I’ve had the pleasure of chatting hobby with across Instagram for years. Henri brought his brutal Goliaths, and we had a bullet-heavy game with shots whipping across a 4’ x 3’ board as we chased down the opposing gang’s flag for defiling purposes. There was no fear of going all-out in this last matchup, and the ending body count reflected this.

The House of Gains. Credit: @artfordormice

Towards the end of the game, we had a leader-on-leader close combat face-off, with both fighters surviving the initial encounter. My plan had been to have this as the final game for my original Ogryn leader, Torrak the Anvil, before enjoying a lengthy second retirement. I wanted him to go out swinging. Instead, Henri fired his rivet cannon directly into the active melee engagement. It was a miss which turned into a stray shot, leading to his gang leader’s untimely demise. I could not capitalize on this, as the same champion put my own leader down at the top of the next turn. Extremely effective shooting, though not always at the intended target!

The event shifted to showcasing everyone’s gangs after this final round of gaming. Players arranged their models for display, and though there was a player vote for best painting and for best kitbashing, this was a celebration of effort, artistry, and community above anything else. It was amazing to see so many models and gangs I’d been admiring online in the leadup to the event all at once, and a treat seeing the fighters I squared off against under more ideal lighting. What stood out to me then and still resonates now is these were all gaming pieces that had seen action over the past day and a half, and not models assembled and painted exclusively for display. This gave it a special element compared to something like seeing the Golden Demon cases at Adepticon.

Credit: @co.rius

Before concluding the event, players were recognized with little Necromunda prizes for most wins, most kills, most applause points, best painting, and the like. I myself was honored to win for best kitbashing, snagging a coveted custom bash from THE @rokksville himself as a prize, and tied for nicest player with the actual nicest player René. There was a hearty cheer and round of applause when each winner was announced, and an overwhelming ovation at the end for Constantin in recognizing his gargantuan effort piecing together such an amazing and successful event.

The author’s Rust Storm Raiders. Credit: @hivemarketminis

After this, it’s the quick cleanup and slow disbandment of any gathering. Handshakes, hugs, wishes to see each other again. There’s a bit of a sting for me, knowing I’m a continent away and across the pond from seeing anyone here again, but there’s also a comfort knowing it’s a future effort well worth making.

But why?

Why did I do this? Primarily, it was a chance to meet a number of friends corralled from across Europe into one place. This is not so easy to do outside of a niche gathering with a strong draw, and getting to make that in-person connection has a lot of meaning for me. Outside of those mentioned in recapping games, getting to hang out with buddies @xrelentlessmattx (doing great work with the relaunched Sump City Radio!) and @flo_warpedpath (who gifted me a kickass kitbash!) was a real treat. Exchanging little hobby gifts (a special thank you to Matt for the Hobnobs biscuits) and sharing meals throughout the entire run of the event makes it all the more worthwhile.

Necromunda brings together a lovely crowd at every event I attend. The emphasis on crafting your own unique crew and sharing in the narrative and storytelling that encourages appeals to a specific kind of creatively generous and invested player. The de-emphasis on hard competitive play helps, too, as I spend equal time laughing and strategizing during most games. My memories of CC3 now that it’s been a few months are of trying fun and wild things in games, smiling a lot, laughing even more, and enjoying the warmth of a community I was able to feel at ease in.

@hivemarketminis and @co.rius at the end of a long day. Credit: @co.rius

With this, I want to encourage you to attend something outside of your own local group if you haven’t already. I want to thank Constantin for hosting a perfect time, made so through his abundant care and hard work. I want to thank everyone I shared a laugh with, and appreciate anyone I’ve done the same with across all the events and gatherings I’ve gone to over the past four years. For those of us dedicated to our hobbies, there’s an irreplaceable joy in getting to share that love with peers and pals who just get it. Make sure you’re sharing in it, too.

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Tags: necromunda | Necromunday