If I knew nothing about the Warhammer universe...

[M2TWRocks]

...what would you tell me to convince me to buy this game? (I have never played any version of Warhammer on pc, tabletop, etc. Nor have I read a single word about it.)

[Messiah360]

I have the same issue but without doubt I pre-order this game. I'm pretty sure that we will get enough information from campaigns but if you want to know more about the universe, that is BIG, you should read on the internet. Also ... someone post the most important facts in official forums

[omry8880]

I have the same issue but without doubt I pre-order this game. I'm pretty sure that we will get enough information from campaigns but if you want to know more about the universe, that is BIG, you should read on the internet. Also ... someone post the most important facts in official forums

+1
I know nothing about the Warhammer universe and I preordered the game because of the amazing previews and battles we have saw so far..

[Habelo]

Well it seems that the lore is really "meh" yet the style and aesthetics is really good, which makes for cool units, cool environments etc. However it seems to be all lacking in the immersive background lore like logistics, power-ratio; "the simple villagers" life" is not explained at all.

[Beregond]

However it seems to be all lacking in the immersive background lore like logistics, power-ratio; "the simple villagers" life" is not explained at all.

it's not surprising considering the lore in question is made for a tabletop wargame, to justify how pretty much anybody could fight each other (and fight between themselves too).
Yet in the several Warhammer novels "the simple villagers" life" is explained a bit

[PeonKing]

It's a total war game. That's really all you gotta say. Even the bad one's provide tens of hours of entertainment. I played warhammer when I was a kid for about 2 years. I got bored of it because like Habelo said, it isn't a very thorough with the 'common peoples' life. It's just like, 'THE CHAOS MURDERED 100,000 PEOPLE! BUT THE EMPIRE FOUGHT BACK... ANYWAY.' Honestly I sit there and I'm like 'how is the Empire even still around?' not why don't they give up, just logistically it sounds like that place shouldn't exist. Their country seems to get totally decimated every 5 years, they must breed like rabbits.

[Matt117]

Here is the Wiki about Warhammer
a good Overview for beginner

http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Categories

[Habelo]

However i do think that fan-made lore could easily become awesome in the warhammer universe. All fantasy has its roots in mythology, and mythology was psychology. The kind of psychology that came about from the minds that once were apes evolving to humans, so the stories and the depth is way beyond anything produced by the likes of hollywood today.

So elves, dwarfs, orchs. All you need lol

[Col. Tartleton]

I guess I'll give an overview.

The Warhammer Fantasy universe focuses on a world called Mallus in what is the equivalent of our 16th century (the 26th century by their reckoning). The Empire is the dominant cultural and military force in the Old World and generally resembles a high fantasy version of the Holy Roman Empire in its aesthetics and institutions. It was founded by Sigmar Heldenhammer a dark age warlord who was venerated by his people as a hero and later a god. It is a land of ancient forests ringed with soaring mountains that feed numerous major rivers. Most of the Empire's population are located on the fertile shores of these rivers as the rugged highlands and impenetrable forests of the interior are largely inhospitable for humans. The largest city in the old world is the sovereign merchant city of Marienburg which dominates the estuary of the miles wide Rijk (Reik) river on dozens of islands. Upstream is Altdorf, formerly Reikdorf is a city state associated with the province of Reikland and serves as the current capital and as a center of intrigue and politics. Yet further upstream is Nuln, the former capital and the arsenal of the Empire, dominated by its College of Engineers. Other noteworthy cities include the impregnable City of the White Wolf: Middenheim on the Faustschlag plateau of Middenland; in Talabecland the Eye of the Forest is Talabheim, built into the basin of an impact crater; and in Ostermark is Mordheim: The City of the Damned which was struck by a comet in 1999 and is now a fantasy Chernobyl. Nestled in the southeast of the Empire is the peculiar halfling province of Mootland as well as the rogue province of Sylvania which is rumored to once again be in the grip of its vampire counts.

Beyond the Empire to the East is Kislev, a fantasy version of the Polish Lithuanian Republic. It's three major cities are the capital Kislev, the cursed city of Praag, and the major port of Erengrad. Kislev is perpetually at war with demon worshipping barbarians namely the Norscans (Scandinavians) and Kurgans (Turks) whose constant raiding and periodic invasions have basically reduced the country to a buffer for the Empire whose coffers and knightly orders prop up the fiercely independent but poor easterners. Kislev is famous for its ruthless winged lancers and its hawk eyed marksmen.

To the West is Bretonnia, a fantasy version of the Angevin Empire. It is an insular and reactionary country where feudalism has only strengthened with time and the majority of the population are essentially slaves on the manorial estates of the nobility. The knights are a race apart from the downtrodden commoners, indoctrinated in their own superiority and blessed by supernatural means. While the country's few port cities boast impressive ships and naval artillery this is a product of the hated merchant class. In the interior the rule of the nobles is absolute and their fairy tale chateaus keep an oppressive watch on their lands. One of the major port cities was Mousillon but it has fallen into ruin and become a lair of vampires. King Louen struggles to improve the lot of the common people and still hold the country together but rumors speak of a black knight called Mallobaude who has established himself as Duke in the ruins of Mousillon... More worrying he may be of the royal blood.

Then to round out the human civilizations of the Old World there is Estalia which is conquistador Spain and Tilea which is Condotierri Italy. There is also dark age Albion home to Celtic barbarians and the fantasy Balkans known as the Border Princes. But basically the powers that matter are the Empire and Bretonnia and to a lesser extent Kislev and Tilea. Estalia is mostly focused on its colonial expansion in the New World which is a bit harder than it was in our world.

We also can't forget the Wood Elves who were a major power in the Old World before the War of Vengeance between the Elves and Dwarves thousands of years ago. The Dwarfs won the war and drove most of the Elven colonists out of the Old World, those remaining Elves held out in the forests of Athel Loren. The Dwarf Empire collapsed soon after from external forces and neither side managed to completely defeat the other although they still hate one another. To give context Warhammer's elves are not just pointy eared humans, they're tall and gaunt characterized by their black alien eyes, murderous hate, and megalomania. They're pretty much only "good guys" because of their savior complex and need to prove their superiority over everyone else. They're basically from a strangely familiar ring shaped island in the middle of the ocean called Ulthuan (not Atlantis) and like I said they're complete bastards. They've been locked in a civil war for several thousand years because the "Good Elves" usurped the "Bad Elves" and forced the Bad Elves to settle in the New World. Of course the Dark Elves nearly destroyed the entire continent of Ulthuan as a parting gift because like I said they're bastards. Middle fingers all round. In their defense the current Phoenix King Finubar is not a total sociopath and has made some attempts to normalize relations with the Dwarfs and Humans.

The Dark Elves carved out a number of city states which are basically brutal sugar island plantations but in the sub arctic. So more like Gulags but in Canada. Their population is almost completely militarized, male and female, with almost all other tasks falling to chattel slaves. They're Spartans but worse because they're Elves and thus inherently evil. Their snowy kingdom of Naggaroth is almost constantly under attack from Norscan (Scandinavian) pirates, Hung (Mongol) nomads, Beastmen (mutants), and Greenskins (Orcs). It's a horrible place to live but they'll never run out of people to kill and enslave. Plus they have plenty of timber for their ships.

I could write essays on this but that's a lot for now. Uh if you want information about anything specific I can go into that more.

[Tomon Ris]

read some Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Material. The Empire Armybook also has some stuff.

[Tomon Ris]

I guess I'll give an overview.

The Warhammer Fantasy universe focuses on a world called Mallus in what is the equivalent of our 16th century (the 26th century by their reckoning). The Empire is the dominant cultural and military force in the Old World and generally resembles a high fantasy version of the Holy Roman Empire in its aesthetics and institutions. It was founded by Sigmar Heldenhammer a dark age warlord who was venerated by his people as a hero and later a god. It is a land of ancient forests ringed with soaring mountains that feed numerous major rivers. Most of the Empire's population are located on the fertile shores of these rivers as the rugged highlands and impenetrable forests of the interior are largely inhospitable for humans. The largest city in the old world is the sovereign merchant city of Marienburg which dominates the estuary of the miles wide Rijk (Reik) river on dozens of islands. Upstream is Altdorf, formerly Reikdorf is a city state associated with the province of Reikland and serves as the current capital and as a center of intrigue and politics. Yet further upstream is Nuln, the former capital and the arsenal of the Empire, dominated by its College of Engineers. Other noteworthy cities include the impregnable City of the White Wolf: Middenheim on the Faustschlag plateau of Middenland; in Talabecland the Eye of the Forest is Talabheim, built into the basin of an impact crater; and in Ostermark is Mordheim: The City of the Damned which was struck by a comet in 1999 and is now a fantasy Chernobyl. Nestled in the southeast of the Empire is the peculiar halfling province of Mootland as well as the rogue province of Sylvania which is rumored to once again be in the grip of its vampire counts.

Beyond the Empire to the East is Kislev, a fantasy version of the Polish Lithuanian Republic. It's three major cities are the capital Kislev, the cursed city of Praag, and the major port of Erengrad. Kislev is perpetually at war with demon worshipping barbarians namely the Norscans (Scandinavians) and Kurgans (Turks) whose constant raiding and periodic invasions have basically reduced the country to a buffer for the Empire whose coffers and knightly orders prop up the fiercely independent but poor easterners. Kislev is famous for its ruthless winged lancers and its hawk eyed marksmen.

To the West is Bretonnia, a fantasy version of the Angevin Empire. It is an insular and reactionary country where feudalism has only strengthened with time and the majority of the population are essentially slaves on the manorial estates of the nobility. The knights are a race apart from the downtrodden commoners, indoctrinated in their own superiority and blessed by supernatural means. While the country's few port cities boast impressive ships and naval artillery this is a product of the hated merchant class. In the interior the rule of the nobles is absolute and their fairy tale chateaus keep an oppressive watch on their lands. One of the major port cities was Mousillon but it has fallen into ruin and become a lair of vampires. King Louen struggles to improve the lot of the common people and still hold the country together but rumors speak of a black knight called Mallobaude who has established himself as Duke in the ruins of Mousillon... More worrying he may be of the royal blood.

Then to round out the human civilizations of the Old World there is Estalia which is conquistador Spain and Tilea which is Condotierri Italy. There is also dark age Albion home to Celtic barbarians and the fantasy Balkans known as the Border Princes. But basically the powers that matter are the Empire and Bretonnia and to a lesser extent Kislev and Tilea. Estalia is mostly focused on its colonial expansion in the New World which is a bit harder than it was in our world.

We also can't forget the Wood Elves who were a major power in the Old World before the War of Vengeance between the Elves and Dwarves thousands of years ago. The Dwarfs won the war and drove most of the Elven colonists out of the Old World, those remaining Elves held out in the forests of Athel Loren. The Dwarf Empire collapsed soon after from external forces and neither side managed to completely defeat the other although they still hate one another. To give context Warhammer's elves are not just pointy eared humans, they're tall and gaunt characterized by their black alien eyes, murderous hate, and megalomania. They're pretty much only "good guys" because of their savior complex and need to prove their superiority over everyone else. They're basically from a strangely familiar ring shaped island in the middle of the ocean called Ulthuan (not Atlantis) and like I said they're complete bastards. They've been locked in a civil war for several thousand years because the "Good Elves" usurped the "Bad Elves" and forced the Bad Elves to settle in the New World. Of course the Dark Elves nearly destroyed the entire continent of Ulthuan as a parting gift because like I said they're bastards. Middle fingers all round. In their defense the current Phoenix King Finubar is not a total sociopath and has made some attempts to normalize relations with the Dwarfs and Humans.

The Dark Elves carved out a number of city states which are basically brutal sugar island plantations but in the sub arctic. So more like Gulags but in Canada. Their population is almost completely militarized, male and female, with almost all other tasks falling to chattel slaves. They're Spartans but worse because they're Elves and thus inherently evil. Their snowy kingdom of Naggaroth is almost constantly under attack from Norscan (Scandinavian) pirates, Hung (Mongol) nomads, Beastmen (mutants), and Greenskins (Orcs). It's a horrible place to live but they'll never run out of people to kill and enslave. Plus they have plenty of timber for their ships.

I could write essays on this but that's a lot for now. Uh if you want information about anything specific I can go into that more.

There are also the Tomb Kings, the cursed remnants of a once great empire that at its height ruled most of the Old World. Now reduced to undead parodies of themselves powered by the corrupted magic of their gods. They are generally isolationist but will go after people who steal from them and have various members such as SETTRA, Arkhan, and Khalida who have interests outside their lands (SETTRA wants to reconquer his empire, Arkhan wants to resurrect Nagash, Khalida wants to kill vampires and mess with Neferata)

There is also Araby, a desert land in the south that has fought several wars with Tilea, Estalia, and Brettonia and boasts the only other real organized magical college besides the Empires own.

To round out the old world we have the Ogre Kingdoms in the east who are giant mongols that worship a giant mouth and have an insatiable hunger. They have a sort of symbiotic relationship with the Gnoblars who are a very small and grey form of greenskin. Beyond them lies the lands of Ind, Cathay, and Nippon who we lack much information on besides Ind having some sort of white beastmen that are considered holy, Cathay being full of vampires(thanks Neferata), an Nippon worshiping Tzeentch.

In the New World we Have the Lizardmen who are the servants of the Old Ones, the god-like beings that shaped the world, and live to carry out their plan interpreted by the Slaan(giant toads who are crazy strong wizards that move around mountains and such). The Lizardmen are a genderless society who are born fully formed from sacred spawning pools according to some unknown schedule. they come in several varities: Skinks; the lowliest and most human-like(in terms of society not appearance) of the Lizardmen who serve as craftsmen, skirmishers, and beastmasters(did I mention that the Lizardmen are dinosaurs that ride other dinosaurs?). Saurus; the warrior breed, incredibly strong and with scales as tough as plate armor, while at first glance they may appear nonthreatening due to their relatively primitive equipment they are some of the most deadly warriors in the Warhammer world. As they are biologically immortal, exceptionally long lived Saurus like scar veterans and oldbloods are rivaled only by the most elite warriors of the world. Kroxigors; the "sisters" of the skinks, Kroxgors are Ogre sized Lizardmen with an intelligence to match, they serve as heavy laborers but sometimes fight alongside their skink brethren. Lizardmen aren't really the conquering type but like the Tomb Kings they will attack whoever has stolen from them and the writings of the Old Ones lead them an expeditions to far off places.

Skaven are, complicated... Imagine a society where everybody betrays everyone, now imagine that they have super science and breed like rats(because that's what they are) and you get the Skaven. Utterly sociopathic and with zero care for the lives or wellbeing of other Skaven the only thing that has kept their society from collapsing is the rule of the divinely appointed council of thirteen and their constant quest for warpstone.

[Col. Tartleton]

I'm Grey Seer Thanquol, the Rock and Roll Seer! I do cocaine!

[Col.KanKrusha]

It's orcs, elves, dwarves, undead and humans all fighting each other with magic and . And everyone is bad. Even the good guys.

In terms of balance, the heroes and monsters are super super powerful compared to anyone "normal". It's a world of undefeatable heroes fighting invincible enemies with weapons of unimaginable power.

[craziii]

op, you like total war games right? this is just a different setting with magic and flying units.

[Baron of Hyrule]

Haha, well, I was going to prattle on about the lore and how the role-playing supplements added so much more but everyone above me already hit it out of the ballpark. Good job fellow warhammer fanatics!

All I can think of is some visual aids with these old game trailer clips to help get a sense of atmosphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZ47fvEG9c

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JglnSrfJtyQ

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zKOhzfkCdbY

This last one was from a canceled mmo. Too bad as it looked awesome for it's time.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EkQvPQJ1_Dk

Hope that helps you!

[Tomon Ris]

Haha, well, I was going to prattle on about the lore and how the role-playing supplements added so much more but everyone above me already hit it out of the ballpark. Good job fellow warhammer fanatics!

All I can think of is some visual aids with these old game trailer clips to help get a sense of atmosphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZ47fvEG9c

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JglnSrfJtyQ

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zKOhzfkCdbY

This last one was from a canceled mmo. Too bad as it looked awesome for it's time.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EkQvPQJ1_Dk

Hope that helps you!

Oh god the orc catapults. So orcy.

also:

You will not defile the sacred sites ratmen.

[Habelo]

It would be cool if there were an all faction college or something somewhere. Like give all factions a diplomatic side so you can either go warmonger path or pacifist(ish) path.

[Cloud Of Judgement]

This has probably been mentioned before although I'd be far more interested if it were WH40K instead. No idea how that would work, but I'd love to see it.

[captainkrunch]

The simple peasants life is explained quite a bit if you read up on anything beyond the wiki page. (Army books, Novels, etc)

[Habelo]

The simple peasants life is explained quite a bit if you read up on anything beyond the wiki page. (Army books, Novels, etc)

Mkay i just have some quick questions that interest me the most.

What do the greenskins/dwarves eat?
Who makes all the ornaments for the empire? Is it magic or do they have like millions of artisans? Does the art make you blessed by some gods therefore worth to invest into when going into war?
Chaos artists?

I guess since it is a high fantasy, "a wizard did it" could be plausible.