History FantasyCounterpartCulture / TabletopGames

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
** The Empire is the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, except [[CrystalDragonJesus their version of Jesus]] is more like Charlemagne meets Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian. Bretonnia is medieval France, with a dash of King Arthur's England. [[LightIsNotGood But... wrong.]] Then you have Estalia and Tilea (Spain and Italy respectively), Grand Cathay as ImperialChina, and the [[SarcasmMode imaginatively-named]] Nippon as Japan respectively. Albion is Iron age Britain, down to the naked warriors and ornery druids.
** The Dwarfs are what you get from combining the Anglo-Saxon and ancient Scandinavians with industrious, salt-of-the-earth Yorkshiremen, [[OopNorth even down to the accents]]. The Chaos Dwarfs are stand-ins for Babylon, Assyria and other ancient Bronze-age city-states that cruelly enslaved the peoples they conquered.
** The High Elves are like the Ancient Greeks, down to the fondness for phalanxes, chariots and [[CoolHelmet fancy helmets with big feather and horsehair plumes]]; [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation but there is also the argument that]] as a thalassocratic island nation with something resembling a constitutional monarchy, a greatly diminished intercontinental empire with only a few far-flung colonial outposts, and a powerful navy and air force that allows them to still be major players in global affairs, the High Elves are actually stand-ins for post-colonial Britain. Continuing the first comparison, the Dark Elves are very much the Spartans to the High Elves' Athenians -- cruel and warlike, while their counterparts are refined and civilized, while from the second perspective, the warlike breakaway Dark Elves and their use of what are effectively floating castles, fondness for repeater crossbows, and slavery would make them an English-perspective caricature of Americans, just substitute "Supercarriers" and "automatic rifles" for Black Arks and repeater crossbows.
** The Lizardmen are the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas, particularly the Aztecs and the Mayas.
** The Tomb Kings are UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt, if Egypt was full of undead.
** The Warriors of Chaos are Vikings. Badass heavy metal daemon-worshipping Vikings.
** The Ogre Kingdoms are like the Mongols and the Huns, but some elements of Ice age Neanderthals are present too.

** The Imperium itself generally is a lot like the [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Roman Empire]] and [[ChurchMilitant medieval Catholicism]], but [[CommieNazis also Nazis and Soviets]]. And we're ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality still]]'' supposed to be rooting for them. It's no wonder the standard joke is that the Imperium of Man consists of Catholic Nazbols fighting Cthulhu.

*** A map published in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}} Annual'' #1, showing Oerth's ''other'' continent, included the Celestial Imperium (China, complete with wall), Erypt (Egypt), Fireland (a northern country of volcanoes, probably based on Iceland), and a society of poets, warriors and pearl fishers that was actually called Nippon (although with a suggestion this wasn't the ''proper'' name, just the one the Flae used.)

*** A map published in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}} Annul'' #1, showing Oerth's ''other'' continent, included the Celestial Imperium (China, complete with wall), Erypt (Egypt), Fireland (a northern country of volcanoes, probably based on Iceland), and a society of poets, warriors and pearl fishers that was actually called Nippon (although with a suggestion this wasn't the ''proper'' name, just the one the Flae used.)

** A map published in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}} Annul'' #1, showing Oerth's ''other'' continent, included the Celestial Imperium (China, complete with wall), Erypt (Egypt), Fireland (a northern country of volcanoes, probably based on Iceland), and a society of poets, warriors and pearl fishers that was actually called Nippon (although with a suggestion this wasn't the ''proper'' name, just the one the Flae used.)

** The Imperium itself generally is a lot like the [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Roman Empire]] and [[ChurchMilitant medieval Catholicism]], but [[CommieNazis also Nazis and Sovites]]. And we're ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality still]]'' supposed to be rooting for them. It's no wonder the standard joke is that the Imperium of Man consists of Catholic Nazbols fighting Cthulhu.

** The Imperium itself generally is a lot like the Roman Empire and the Soviet Union, but [[CommieNazis also Nazis]]. [[ChurchMilitant And Catholics]]. And we're ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality still]]'' supposed to be rooting for them. It's no wonder the standard joke is that the Imperium of Man consists of Catholic Nazbols fighting Cthulhu.

** Cadian Shock Troops come from a planet posted right outside the Eye of Terror, a swirling vortex that ensures the world is constantly assaulted by daemons and insane {{Super Soldier}}s. Every Cadian can strip a lasgun down and reassemble it before they can walk, wear greenish-brownish uniforms, and their leader is a [[UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill cigar-chomping, larger-than-life figure]]. They are a combination of World War II-era Britain and (visually) every SpaceMarine stereotype established in Film/{{Aliens}} and Film/StarshipTroopers.

** The High Elves are like the Ancient Greeks, down to the fondness for phalanxes, chariots and [[CoolHelmet fancy helmets with big feather and horsehair plumes]]; [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation but there is also the argument that]] as a thalassocratic island nation with something resembling a constitutional monarchy, a greatly diminished intercontinental empire with only a few far-flung colonial outposts, and a powerful navy and air force that allows them to still be major players in global affairs, the High Elves are actually stand-ins for post-colonial Britain. Continuing the first comparison, the Dark Elves are very much the Spartans to the High Elves' Athenians -- cruel and warlike, while their counterparts are refined and civilized.

** Eldraine is explicitly High Medeival British in flavor, featuring [[{{Expy}} Expies]] of King Arthur, Robin Hood, and the Loch Ness Monster.