You’ve probably heard of Warhammer and Warhammer 40k, and if you haven’t, you’ve probably seen the excellent Dawn of War computer game.
Games Workshop are the masterminds behind these epic franchises. As the world’s largest tabletop battle game company, Games Workshop is also responsible for the most recent games based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
A little story
Warhammer Fantasy Battle was the first game set in Warhammer’s alternate realm of Middle-earth. Since its release in 1983, Warhammer has inspired generations of tabletop gamers, introducing them to painting and collecting miniature models that represent units on the battlefield.
Warhammer 40k is the futuristic take on the original Games Workshop game, set in the distant future. Post-apocalyptic societies fight for control of the galaxy, finding strange alien races and evil around every corner. This franchise gained media attention with the release of Dawn of War for PC in 2004.
The Warhammer Fantasy Franchise
The Warhammer fantasy franchise encompasses board games, role-playing games, card games, computer games, books, magazines, and comics. Games Workshop is famous for the hard line it takes against copycats and those who try to sell counterfeit versions of their products, specifically the miniatures needed to play board games.
25 years of game development has produced an incredibly rich and detailed world. The official website lists over 200 written resources for Warhammer Fantasy. Also, many older products are no longer in print or available. The depth of information is amazing. Historical, religious, and political stories are available for each of the 15 main armies used in the game.
Warhammer Fantasy inspires incredible works of art. The books produced as part of the world background feature stunning illustrations. Fans of the franchise also produce their own spectacular artwork, often rivaling official artists.
an expensive hobby
Warhammer has come a long way since those early days. Games Workshop’s commercial attitude towards the franchise has turned many unsuspecting people into serious fans who are almost addicted to the system.
The miniatures are supplied unpainted and unassembled, as an airfix model. Collecting, building and painting armies made up of hundreds of miniatures is not for the faint-hearted! Add to this the need to create sets and building models and you begin to appreciate the time, effort and money that fans put into Warhammer.
Warhammer and the future
The Warhammer franchise seems to be eternal. Games Workshop is clearly keen to adapt to the times, as evidenced by the release of several computer games in the last decade.
The imminent release of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, based on the fantasy world of Warhammer, adds to the reputation of this gaming giant. Nearly 600,000 people have signed up in hopes of getting a sneak peek at the game, providing strong evidence that Warhammer is now firmly in the mainstream.