Warhammer Fantasy – Through the Ages Part 1
As the article on Warhammer 40k through the ages was so popular, I decided to write something similar on Warhammer Fantasy. Actually this draft has been sitting on my desk for a while now, and I finally pulled through to finish it.
On November 15 of 2019 an article on Warhammer Community created a lot of buzz - Old World? New Warhammer! With a teaser the day before on social media, everything comes round again, even squares.
The post announced the return of the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy, a game system and lore that had been discontinued in 2015 with the End Times and replaced by the new brand of Age of Sigmar. But why was this the case? For that, we have to go back to where Warhammer Fantasy started. It is quite the journey, so I split it into two parts: part one covers Warhammer Fantasy Battles from 1983 to the End Times, part two covers Age of Sigmar and the return of The Old World.
1983 Warhammer - The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game (1st Edition Logo)
The first edition of Warhammer was released in 1983. The idea behind it was to create a rule set, which made it possible for role players to use their miniatures in skirmishes and mass combat. There are multiple books on the origins of Games Workshop and Citadel Miniatures, for example Dice Men or Talking Miniatures, but to put it briefly Games Workshop was a distributor of role playing games and Citadel Miniatures a company that produced Ral Partha miniatures under license in the UK until 1984 and their own unique ranges as well. To promote sales of these miniatures set of rules was needed and Rick Priestley and Richard Halliwell, who wrote the Reaper Fantasy Wargame Rules in the late 70s, would be the authors of the first edition of Warhammer, together with Bryan Ansell.
Warhammer Fantasy – Through the Ages Part 2
In part one we followed Warhammer Fantasy Battles from three little booklets in a white box in 1983 to the End Times, when Games Workshop did the unthinkable and destroyed its own world. But the story didn't end there. It split into two paths: Age of Sigmar, the new game that replaced Warhammer Fantasy in 2015, and The Old World, which brought regiments and square bases back in 2024. So let's pick up where we left off.
2015 Warhammer - Age of Sigmar
All of this was answered in July 2015 with the release of Warhammer - Age of Sigmar. The regiments were gone, square bases were gone, the lore was gone ... well, altered and "further" developed. In the beginning there weren't even points. Balance was left to scenarios and sudden death conditions for uneven armies, until the General's Handbook introduced matched play points in 2016. The game was more of a platoon sized skirmisher, than the mass combat experience of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. But that was the point, the world had changed. Games Workshop transferred a lot of the experience they made with 40k towards their new fantasy universe.
2015 Warhammer Age of Sigmar - 1st Edition Launch Box
The first starter set pitted the Stormcast Eternals against the Khorne Bloodbound. The core rules came on just four pages and were free to download, square bases became round, and army books were replaced by warscrolls – one profile per unit with everything you need. An idea that 40k adopted two years later with the datasheets of its 8th edition.
Age of Sigmar – Stormcast Eternals Vigilors
The Stormcast Eternals Vigilors are also part of the Stormbringer series, and are one of the last kits that we want to review individually on here.
The Stormcast Eternal Vigilors are ranged infantry who wield lightning-charged Boltstorm Longbows. They specialise in scouting and marking enemies, enabling the rest of the Stormcast army to hit them more accurately. On the battlefield, they act as mobile support archers — tougher than mortal bowmen, but not intended for frontline combat.
A full box containing 10 miniatures has an RRP of 55 EUR, meaning the contents of Stormbringer Issue 31 are worth 22.50 EUR. The box contains the same two sprues as the ones here, but twice as many, and each comes with options for a Vigilator Alpha, as well as five 40 mm round bases. If you purchase them through Stormbringer, be sure to check the full instructions, as you will find more information on the variants/options than in the magazine.
Warhammer Fantasy – Forge World Ruined Chaos Temple
I was able to pick up another Forge World terrain pieces, and this time it was the Ruined Chaos Temple. This one was initially released in 1999, as TR WFB S 017 (while the old online shop listed it with the Reference FWW019/MO and sold through the 2000s.
It started at 38 GBP but quickly was moved to another price bracket, at 42 GBP / 71 EUR / 84 USD for the eight resin pieces. The Chaos Temple was designed by Simon Harris, who did quite a few pieces for Forge World, among them some of the scenery pieces later collected under the Warhammer Forge brand.
The ruined chaos temple is made from a large base, which is roughly 18 x 23 cm in foot print, along with six pillars in different height and a ring for the pit.
Age of Sigmar – Krondys, Son of Dracothion and Karazai the Scarred
The Stormbringer subscription covered not only the weekly magazines, but also an optional premium upgrade. With the fourth shipment (issues 14 to 19), which included the first premium part of the subscription, you received the dual kit of Krondys, Son of Dracothion and Karazai the Scarred, two dragons from Age of Sigmar.
Dragons have always played a significant role in the World of Warhammer due to its high fantasy setting. This didn't change with the updated Warhammer Age of Sigmar brand. The boxed set features two variants of the Draconith dragons, an ancient dragon race in the Mortal Realms and the offspring of the cosmic dragon god Dracothion: the brothers Krondys, Son of Dracothion, and Karazai the Scarred. Krondys is renowned for his majestic presence, wisdom and mastery of celestial magic. He serves as one of the most powerful allies of the Stormcast Eternals and is a symbol of hope for the forces of Order. His brother, Karazai the Scarred, is marked by deep battle scars and is famous for his aggressive nature, martial prowess and unyielding courage on the battlefield. This makes him an inspirational and terrifying sight for both allies and enemies.
The RRP of the set is 135 EUR. If you pay an additional 2 EUR per issue (38 EUR until you get the first shipment) to access the premium upgrade within the subscription, you will receive this massive kit. It is spread across three large sprues and comes with a 160 mm round base.
Warhammer The Old World – Grand Cathay Battalion
We are pleased to welcome a brand new army to the Warhammer The Old World tabletop - the forces of Grand Cathay. Those of you who play the Total War: Warhammer Series know more about this than those who have stuck with the miniature game, which is why we are going to cover the battalion in a slightly different way.
Games Workshop sent us the Grand Cathay Battalion boxed set, which is available for pre-order from June 21st and will officially be released on July 5th, with an RRP of 145 EUR or 110 GBP.
But before we unbox the battalion and take a closer look at its contents, we want to introduce Cathay in a similar way to how we did it with the first two Old World factions:
Deth Wizards – Necromancy!
After setting the tone for Deth Wizards in the last article, I started collecting the pieces and fitting bases from the drawers and boxes, and went for all round bases, as I want to use them with my other fantasy miniatures, like the Beastmen. With the more heroic characters on 32mm round bases and the regular rank and files Johnny Undies on 25mm round bases.
As the spirit hosts don't have slots and were intended to be put upon 40mm squares with multiple miniatures, but we're going for single bases. As their pins provide a strong connection to the base, I simply drilled through the casting spot on the base.
Age of Sigmar Warcry – Ogor Mawtribes Tyrant
When you have subscribed to the Stormbringer magazine series, there are here and there optional bonus miniatures that you can pick up at a heavy discount. For example this Ogor Mawtribes Tyrant.
This came a bit as a surprise, for two reasons. For one you have to opt out if you don't want to receive this model, but as it was a third of the regular RRP, I could live with that and I wasn't aware that this was a plastic kit, as I thought this model was one of the finecast characters among the Ogor Mawtribe range.
Warhammer The Old World – Launch Day!
Today the product range of Warhammer The Old World is officially launched. While some might be lucky and received their items in the last days, others just received their shipping notification and a few unlucky ones that their orders have been postponed.
In my case, I just got the shipping notice tonight at 01:00 in the morning, that the map of the Old World, that I ordered even got shipped. Not my prefered way, I was looking for receiving it today or on monday and not just being shipped.
This is a part of the known map, that has been around since the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy, and received further information and details over the years.
Warhammer The Old World – Who are the Tomb Kings of Khemri?
We talked about, where the Bretonnians came from, and now it is time to talk about where the Tomb Kings of Khemri came from. In the early editions of Warhammer Fantasy, the undead were just generic evil, aligned with Chaos and Orcs.
You had the basic tropes, with Skeletons, Mummies, Ghouls and such. Just like you would find them in any roleplaying game bestiary. And in Warhammer Armies the undead became a play-able faction, build around a Necromantic force, that would command an army of the undead to raise and further creatures to rally around it.
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