Introducing Warhammer Fantasy
Warhammer is notable for its "dark and gritty" background world, which features a culture similar in appearance to Renaissance Germany crossed with Tolkien's Middle-earth. The Chaos theory is central to the setting, as the forces of Chaos are attempting unceasingly to tear the mortal world asunder. The world itself is populated with a variety of races such as humans, dark elves, high elves, dwarfs, undead, orcs, lizardmen, ogres, and other creatures familiar to many settings.
The first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WFB) was released by Games Workshop in early 1983. Prior to this release, the company dealt primarily with the importing of American Role Playing Games, as well as support and review of gaming products through their periodical, White Dwarf magazine. The game was a mix of a simple rule system with a background that was drawn from standard fantasy themes. The dedication was, in part, "to Michael Moorcock....whose fault it all is". The game thrived and subsequent supplements added the particular background to the game. Each "Army List" included a partial history of the some related aspects such as notable figures or short illustrative stories. With the publication of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay in 1987 the setting had moved from background to the game to a full-fledged fantasy setting.
Besides Warhammer Fantasy Battle, now in its seventh edition, and WFRP, there have been novels set in the same background. Material published in White Dwarf (some of it subsequently republished in the game itself), the Citadel Journal and a number of other games using the same setting have all added to the background.
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Background
Warhammer has developed a very recognizable stylistic image set which has allegedly influenced other works, like Warcraft. Skulls feature prominently, as well as gothic architecture, absurdly large weapons and shoulder-armor, and bizarre imagery reminiscent of director Terry Gilliam's work, as well as a strong dose of black comedy. From its inspiration from Michael Moorcock's novels, the Warhammer World is centred around the classic Man vs. Himself literary theme. The Chaos Gods are the flaws of humankind personified; the inner literal daemons of living things come back through a magic medium to torment and kill. The ultimate victory of these forces is often hinted at, highlighting a strong assumption that sentient beings are fundamentally flawed and will eventually bring about their own destruction via the forces of Chaos. This is especially tragic in light of the outside, non-Chaotic forces that threaten civilized beings; rampaging Orcs, political strife, and general warfare.
Chaos was introduced into the Warhammer World by the "Old Ones"; star-travelling gods responsible for the creation of most of the setting's sentient races. These Old Ones were brought low by the daemonic forces inadvertently unleashed by the collapse of their Warp Gates (one at either pole), leaving their creations to fend for themselves. This backstory also provides an easy explanation for the variety of familiar fantasy races, and provides a logical framework for them to fit in. Ogres and Halflings, for example, are closely related. Both are resistant to the mutating effects of Chaos energies (fuelled by hearty appetites and efficient metabolisms), but have opposite physical templates.
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Background continued........
Of the races that inhabit the world, Rick Priestly identified their origins as being based on British themes, the dwarfs like blunt-spoken Yorkshire men, Elves having a touch of Southern England and received pronunciation about them, the Orcs speaking with a working class London accent.
Races and Nations in the Warhammer World.
In the jungles of Lustria are the Lizardmen who were created by the Old Ones to aid in their great genetic works, the Slann now lead the Lizardmen blindly via prophesies containing incomprehensible and ancient instructions from their fallen gods, who may or may not some day return, depending on science and the technological advancements of the lizardmen. Lizardmen are also heavily based on the Aztec and Mayan cultures and are in the New World of gold (Lustria) corresponding to South America.
Orcs and Goblins and their kin are relatively primitive and disorganized but threaten the various nations. They are found in the forests and mountains of the Old World, in the jungles to the south and in service to the Chaos Dwarfs and stretched across the steppes to the East.
Those who have been corrupted by and fallen under the influence of the Chaos gods are found in the Warhammer world. Their hordes are found far to the north where the Northen Warp Gate lets daemonic powers into this world. Beastmen, the half-men half-beast products of chaos are found in the dark forests of the old Worlds of Chaos. Also a product of Chaos are the Skaven; inventive and insane ratmen creatures who live in a vast network of tunnels beneath all the Warhammer world called the Under-empire and have their own great city "Skavenblight".
Besides these there are the Undead who are a result of the black sorceries devised by the first necromancer, Nagash in the long distant past. His legacy has left the Tomb Kings in the hot desert lands of Nehekhara to the south of the old World, the Vampire Counts in the Old world itself and Nagash in his own city of undead.
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Renquist
Jun 21, 2011 @ 1:11 am | delete
- I have been a fan of warhammer and warhammer 40k for more than 20 years now. I have a lens on the Ordo Malleus, demonhunters of the Inquisition, at http://www.squidoo.com/the-ordo-malleus
Check it out :)
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Mar 25, 2011 @ 9:17 pm | delete
- Wherever you when to begin,Important is not stop after beginning, Regardless of whenever you are over, Do not regret. The best is that we are do it. I am a True Religion Jeans On Sale lover.
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JamesPittman
Oct 25, 2010 @ 6:13 pm | delete
- I used to play Dungeons and Dragons, but switched to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and have stuck with that from then on. The world is so gritty and dark and the classes were much cooler than D&D.
I also find that the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k video games are top notch and do great justice to the Games Workshops visions of the Warhammer.universe.
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MaddGamerX
Aug 21, 2007 @ 12:17 pm | delete
- You really got an awesome lens on WarHammer! Lot of great info on one of my favorite MMORPG. 5 stars! I have a lens on World of Warcraft at Warcraft Mania Check it out and rate it for me! Madd Gamer ;)
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