Everything you need to know about Warhammer: The Old World, explained
Jan. 11, 2024The land of legend beckons
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1.What is it?2.Release date3.Factions4.Story5.US deals6.UK deals7.FAQ
The land of legend has returned in Warhammer: The Old World after 15 years away. But why is that a big deal? And what’s this revived wargame about?
To help clear all that up, we’ve put together this guide covering everything you need to know about Warhammer: The Old World. That includes an overview of its factions, rules, lore, availability, and more. You can hear our hands-on impressions of the game itself, too.
Just want to see where you can buy it? Not to worry – we’ve got updates on where you can currently pick up Warhammer: The Old World.
What is Warhammer: The Old World?
Rather than being an all-new game, Warhammer: The Old World is more of a revival. It resurrects Warhammer Fantasy Battles (which was publisher Games Workshop’s first wargame) with all-new rules after it was shuttered over a decade ago.
Basically, it’s a mass-battle system with crunchy rules and depth to spare. That means you’ll be commanding blocks of troops rather than the individual skirmishers you’d find in something like Warhammer 40,000.
Because its universe is the stuff of classic swords ‘n’ sorcery, you can choose from a variety of fantasy staples as well. We’re talking knights in shining armor, dwarves, elves, and orcs.
Warhammer: The Old World is an origin story for the apocalypse
So, why is this game called ‘The Old World?’ That title is a reference to its setting, which is commonly referred to as ‘The Old World’ in-universe.
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We don’t know yet how often the game will be updated with fresh rules and new models, but it’ll probably be a few months until we get reinforcements for other factions.
At the time of writing, there arenine Warhammer: The Old World factionsup for grabs. While that’s not every army from the setting, there’s a good reason why some are absent in the game (which we’ll go into later).
Here’s who you can play as:
Kingdom of Bretonnia:A feudal kingdom of gallant knights and destitute peasants. They rely on weak, expendable infantry and hard-as-nails cavalry. This is one of the only factions to receive new miniatures so far, and it’s featured in a Warhammer: The Old World Core Set. This is tricky to find at the moment, but we’ve seen stock atThird Eye Comicsin the US and cheaper backorders atFirestorm Gamesin the UK.
Tomb Kings of Khemri:An Ancient Egypt-inspired army of skeletons, led by undead sorcerers. This is the second faction to get a Core Set for Warhammer: The Old World, not to mention new models that go with it. Those are easier to find than Bretonnia, and we’ve seen them atGamers Guildin the US andGathering Gamesin the UK.
Empire of Man:This is the largest human nation in the Old World, and it’s full of madcap inventions - the least wacky of which are muskets. Although they don’t have new models yet, they’ll likely be amongst the first to receive reinforcements due to their prominence in Warhammer lore. If you don’t have models already, you’re better off witheBayas reprints haven’t happened yet.
Dwarfen Mountain Holds:Your classic fantasy staple with long-held grudges, magnificent beards, and underground strongholds. No new miniatures have been announced for this faction yet, but they already have enough to help them stand out - like medieval helicopters. Seeing as there hasn’t been a reprint, your best bet is to scoop up old minis ateBay.
High Elf Realms:Noble but arrogant magic-wielders that are some of the Old World’s oldest beings. While they have standard spearmen and archers like everyone else, they’re particularly keen on fantastical beasts and sorcery. They’ve not had a revamp/reprint yet, so check in witheBayfor models.
Wood Elf Realms:Tree-hugging archers who keep to themselves. They really don’t like it if you mess with their forests and often team up with dryads to protect it. They haven’t gotten reinforcements at the time of writing, but their kingdom’s proximity to Bretonnia means we may see some before long. Get some models fromeBayif you can’t wait until they appear!
Orc & Goblin Tribes:Iconic foes that almost literally live to fight. They’re an ever-present threat in the Old World, and tend to be defined by their disorganized but deadly mobs… that can devolve into squabbling fist-fights if you’re not careful. Until they’re reprinted, you can grab old kits fromeBay.
Warriors of Chaos:Humans who have thrown in their lot with the Chaos gods, earning boons (and really cool armor) in the process. Their infantry is legendarily tough. They haven’t had a reprint in time for the game’s launch, so grab some old minis fromeBay.
Beastmen Brayherds:Feral monsters warped by Chaos that excel at guerrilla warfare. They have a lot of heavy-hitting beasts on the payroll. However, none of them have had a reprint yet so you’ll need to make do with older kits oneBayfor now.
While it’s true that there aren’t new models for every army (just Bretonnians and Tomb Kings at the time of writing), you can still use any Warhammer Fantasy Battle force you have lying around. In addition, these factions will apparently receive reinforcements at some point down the line.
Half a dozen armies have been left out of The Old World, and fans of those forces are understandably upset. These are the missing factions:
- Skaven- Vampire Counts- Lizardmen- Daemons of Chaos- Chaos Dwarfs- Ogres- Dark ElvesAccording to Games Workshop, they were left out of the party because they weren’t active (or were minding their own business far away) during the time in which The Old World is set.
While thisisdisappointing, each of these factions will receive free PDF rules for use in The Old World.
Because The Old World is set hundreds of years before previous plots (which played out across countless novels and the now-defunct Warhammer Fantasy Battles game), things are more peaceful than fans will be used to. Of course, that means it’s about to hit the fan in the worst way possible.
The first core sets revolve around Tomb King Settra’s invasion of a region called the Border Princes, and the noble Bretonnian knights have ridden south to face his undead armies. We suspect this will start a domino effect that leads us to the infamous Siege of Praag, an event already being teased by the developers. This saw a resurgence of the resurgence of Chaos hordes that’s already being teased by the developers, and these warriors will eventually destroy the world.
Despite returning us to the universe of Warhammer Fantasy Battles (which was introduced in 1983), The Old World is set a couple of centuries before that story. More specifically, The Old World’s narrative takes place around 2276 on the timeline as opposed to ‘The End Times’ date of 2520-something. Although that era is every bit as grimdark as its future incarnation, things are more hopeful on the whole – the setting has enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace despite some political turmoil.
You won’t see the Siege of Praag any time soon, but the wheels have been set in motion…
Naturally, it won’t stay that way. The pivotal Siege of Praag (which saw a massive Chaos horde invade, marking the beginning of the end) is just a few decades away, andthere are rumblingsfrom developers on the official Warhammer Community site that we’ll see those events play out on tabletop some day. Indeed, it was noted that “you won’t see the Siege of Praag any time soon, but the wheels have been set in motion…”
Kingdoms of Bretonnia Core Set |$254.99 at Third Eye ComicsThis is one of the few places we’ve been able to find a Bretonnian Core Set so close to release.Price check:💲Games Workshop | OOS💲Little Shop of Magic | $255
Tomb Kings of Khemri Core Set |$290$246.50 at Gamer’s GuildSave $43 -The Tomb Kings Core Set is easier to find on the whole, but that discount is a real bonus!Price check:💲Games Workshop | $290💲Third Eye Comics | $254.99
Kingdoms of Bretonnia Core Set |£155£136.40 at Firestorm GamesSave £18 -Although this is a second wave printing, which means it may not arrive in time for the January 20th release, that’s better than nothing!Price check:💲Games Workshop | OOS💲Gathering Games | £155
Tomb Kings of Khemri Core Set |£175 at Gathering GamesWhile the Tomb Kings box is a lot easier to find in stores than the Bretonnian equivalent, that doesn’t mean it’seasy.This retailer still has stock, though.Price check:💲Games Workshop | OOS💲Travelling Man | £175
Warhammer: The Old World is a mass-battle tabletop game where you command miniature fantasy armies. While that could describe anything produced by Games Workshop, the scope is far bigger here.
More specifically, your forces include rank upon rank of soldiers who move as a single unit. Positioning is far more important as a result; there’s a real focus on charges and where an enemy hits your troops, allowing for devastating flanking maneuvers if you play it smart.
The Old World is still recognizably Warhammer, and still recognizable to players who play and remember [Fantasy Battles]
Finally, The Old World is more ‘classic’ fantasy than Games Workshop’s other swords ‘n’ sorcery setting, Age of Sigmar. This is a pick-n-mix of everything cool about fantasy fiction.
As per usual for Warhammer, all of The Old World’s models are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Notably, they also come with larger 25mm bases to help units line up easily.
It’s been confirmed that you can-and are encouraged to - use your pre-existing Warhammer Fantasy Battles collection for The Old World. However, there’s a caveat. Some factions aren’t featured in the game’s time-period, so won’t get any updates or support for the forseeable future.
In addition, competitive play requires you to use The Old World’s larger 25mm bases. Alternatively, you can put your models onto the new Movement Trays that provide them with an appropriate footprint on the battlefield.
Despite what you might think, the absence of some armies isn’t a comment on their quality or a cheeky sales tactic. Rather, it’s due to lore that was established quite a while ago – and long before this game came into being.
During this time period, many factions simply weren’t as active. Skaven ratmen found themselves in the midst of a civil war, for example (which is why they’ve become the stuff of legend by the era seen in Warhammer Fantasy Battles). Chaos was gathering strength, so Daemons sat it all out. The Vampire Counts had been wiped out in the recent past, and they wouldn’t return for alongtime. Meanwhile, Lizardmen, Chaos Dwarfs, Ogres, and Dark Elves were all insular civilizations at this point that lived far, far away from The Old World.
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