I noticed lack of one general thread regarding Warhammer Fantasy, so I decided to create a one. :)
Not only Warhammer Fantasy Battle discussions welcomed, but also all things related to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (regardless of edition).
If anyone has questions regarding Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's second edition, feel free to ask since I own most of its sourcebooks.
Warhammer 40,000 has its own thread here
Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 22nd 2024 at 5:35:40 PM
That all you got?
Ah, so the new Warhammer timeline will be taking place around the time of the Great War against Chaos where Magnus saved the day, huh?
Also that map of Kislev. Looks like we're seeing what most of the Kislev map in Warhammer 3 will be like.
Edited by theLibrarian on Jul 21st 2021 at 5:05:26 AM
That is the face of a man who just ate a kitten. Raw.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
This was kind of a busy period of history too. The Great War Against Chaos aside, this is around the same time that:
- Settra was rampaging across the Northlands chasing Norscan looters.
- Wood Elves were dealing with Morghul-related issues in Bretonnia.
- Yet another of Malekith's schemes and invasions on Ulthuan.
People have pointed out that Kislev definitely looks bigger territory-wise, but that just means its territory that it will LOSE to the Chaos hordes.
That puts them in an odd situation lorewise: Magnus founded the Colleges of Magic with the help of Teclis in the year or so leading up to the great invasion. Which means the Empire should be deprived of wizards entirely, unless they are setting it during the invasion itself or rewriting a major part of the lore.
Also, the aforementioned issues with the latest models in many armies that were explicitly the result of recent developments; helblasters, helstorms, irondrakes...not to mention all the special characters that have not been born yet. Historical characters are given a pass in-game under the concept of historical refights, but it is kind of difficult to say 'well, all these awesome characters are from the future, deal with it.'
Amateur Veteran
Hmm. So far it looks like focus will definitely be on the three human nations, but I think it's safe to say that the orcs and Warriors of Chaos will also feature and the beastmen probably will as well. Since this seems to be a pretty comprehensive Old World reunion tour so far, I wouldn't be surprised to see the dwarfs turn up as well.
Huh. Half-orcs. Now there's a name that's not been heard in a long, long time...
Apparently, the Wood Elves were specifically in the middle of a campaign in the Forest of Arden to kill Morghur... again. The map shows a Wood Elf icon in the forest in question, so I assume that that's what's going on there.
The period also had a Bretonnian campaign against the orcs (see the orc icons all over northern Bretonnia) and the tail end of the Vampire Wars.
The Great War Against Chaos will definitely feature and is the most obvious explanation for why Kislev lost all that land — even in the old canon Kislev was well-established as only barely having survived Chaos razing it to the ground, and it certainly fits the setting's themes of civilization losing more and more of itself each time Chaos rises.
If Magnus the Pious and Asavar Kul don't get starring spots at some point I'll eat my hat. Teclis will probably also turn up at some point, I imagine.
Also, on that note... I'm pretty sure Morghur is around in Age of Sigmar but doesn't have a model, right? I wonder if GW mightn't try to coordinate things so that he ends up with models for TOW and AoS releasing at around the same time.
Edited by Theriocephalus on Jul 21st 2021 at 12:47:32 PM
International Man of Mystery
I have a recollection of reading somewhere that The Old World is an in-universe recreation of the World-That-Was, like a copy of the past existing in some sort of separate pocket dimension. If that is the case, then GW could use the justification that it is an inexact copy of the Warhammer world, so that there is a Broad Strokes depiction of the time period, together with stuff that should appear later according to lore.
Yeah, in AoS the Gavespawn Greatfray worship Morghur as a demi-god and a being of the Realm of Chaos itself. I could see an Avatar of Morghur appearing at some point.
That sounds like a fan theory to me, I don't remember reading it in any of the official sources (although I could have missed something). While it is possible, I feel that the fact that the game is being billed as the Fantasy version of The Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness makes is less likely.
International Man of Mystery
I don't remember where I read it and in what context, but I remember at some point reading something about some cosmic entities (maybe Seraphon?) finding a small bit of the Old World's essence floating in space, then putting it inside a pocket-dimension to allow it to keep existing. It very well could be some fan-content, but it just came to mind.
That seems to be mixing some things up. I am still a little behind with the AoS lore but the godbeast Dracothion did find the core of the Warhammer World (Sigmar was clinging onto it) and placed it into the skies of Azyr as a celestial body called Mallus. It's mined to make the weapons and armour of the Stormcast Eternals.
International Man of Mystery
That is probably the bit I'm confusing it with. This is admittedly because I have had zero interest in actually getting invested in the lore of AOS, since I was always an Oldhammer-guy and I resented that Warhammer was unceremoniously chucked aside. Either way, I would not be surprised if there are plenty of lore-inconsistencies in The Old World, whether GW justifies them in-universe or not.
Official Tesladyne Employee TM
Not least because every GW project has lore inconsistencies. Just look at the time Graham McNeill Continuity Snarled himself in the Heresy novels.
You are dazzled by my array of very legal documents.
Amateur Veteran
I think there are mentions of the Seraphon creating reconstructions of the Lustrian jungles within their temple-spaceship things.
They may well feature in old folk tales, Aqshian cave paintings, and the odd stanza of Azyrian poetry, but what were they actually like?
Well, wonder no longer.
That’s right. The dragons – or Draconith, as they’re known in these parts – are back, and as you can see, they’re huge. A mainstay of the World-That-Was, and instrumental in the formation of the Mortal Realms and to Sigmar’s place within them, the Draconith disappeared from the realms after a certain End of Empires stamped on all their eggs. And for a long, long while, that seemed to be the end.
But now, with Sigmar’s resurgence, two lost princes of that once magnificent civilisation see a chance to return their order to greatness. The Princes’ affinity with Sigmar and the cause of the Stormcast Eternals makes their arrival a great boost for the forces of Order, who are still reeling from the effects of Be’lakor’s shroud of dark magic and the emergence of Kragnos. The Draconith are about to put the Grand Alliances of Death, Destruction, and Chaos on notice. Let’s meet them.
An integral member of Sigmar’s inner circle, Krondys is majestic, wise, and immensely powerful. Already among the most magically potent beings in the Mortal Realms, Krondys also bears the Regalia Fulmentaris around his neck – a piece of armour that magnifies his substantial magical abilities.
On his chest, below his armour, Krondys is marked with the twin-tailed comet – a sigil which represents the alliance between Sigmar and Draconith. Filled with sadness and shame at the fall of the ancient Draconith Empires to which he is heir, it is Krondys’ great hope that, in alliance with the Stormcast Eternals, his kin might once more rise to greatness.
Finding himself without an invite to Sigmar’s party, Karazai has been scouring Ghur, seeking vengeance for his scrambled kin and wreaking havoc on the forces of Destruction. When a dragon spends too long in the Realm of Beasts, though, a little of that realm may also find its way into the dragon, and thus it is that Karazai has become a bitter and violent creature – all but consumed with wrath and revenge. But doesn’t he strike a pose?
On the tabletop, the Draconith tower over the battlefield. Given their size and the huge amount of detail to work with, Krondys and Karazai will serve as extraordinary centrepieces for an army, and as fantastic painting projects in their own right. And have no doubt the return of such powerful figures will have massive, far-reaching effects in the Mortal Realms, especially for the Stormcast Eternals, who benefit from Sigmar’s pact with Dracothian.
We can’t wait to share more about these awesome new characters, and to see what they can do when they join the Stormcast Eternals in battle! Check back with Warhammer Community in future as we take a closer look at the Draconith princes and their place in the upcoming Stormcast Eternals battletome. Be sure to sign up to our mailing list to get massive dragon-sized news like this delivered straight to your inbox.
The somewhat awkward pose aside, they are nice models.
Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well
International Man of Mystery
They look closer to D&D-dragons than previous Oldhammer-dragons. I don't really have a problem with this, because while I really liked the serpentine look for some of the species, I didn't care for it as a standard template for all dragons in the game. Krondys' head would look good even on a more static dragon, seated while looking curiously at the mortals scurrying about.
Absolutely no relation to NLK
I really like most of the models, but the faces look... off? Like they're way more anthropomorphic than they should be. Something about the facial proportions and expressions. It's more noticeable with the nice one.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Amateur Veteran
^May have something to with what Mara said about Krondys' head also looking good on a more static pose — the head seems peaceful and contemplative while the body is active and dynamic. Karazai's poses are better-integrated in that sense.
Anyway. This looks interesting. I find that fantasy is overreliant on humanoids as the main source of important and civilized species, so it should be interesting to see what's planned with these dragons in the future.
That all you got?
Order getting dragons is going to be a major new force in their corner, though.
Seriously, Chaos doesn't have that much that can stand up to dragons.
That is the face of a man who just ate a kitten. Raw.
Well, Chaos Dragons. And most of the Monstrous Arcanum. And Dragon Ogres. The Dragons may have won their initial war before the coming of Chaos, but the fact that it was a war at all speaks volumes.
Absolutely no relation to NLK
Also the whole point of these dudes is that they got brought back because the lizardbois needed something to help deal with "Apocalypse on four hooves" Kragnos.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
International Man of Mystery
I am a bit surprised that there isn't also a third option for a generic dragon, because I'm used to GW's kits often featuring a special character as one of two or three alternatives to make a miniature. Or are there actually bits for a generic dragon, but they have simply not brought attention to it?
Another thing I want to discuss is the armour and jewelry on Krondys. Normally I prefer my dragons without any extra apparel, so I would prefer to build this kit with Karazai's bits. But I do think that Krondys' Regalia Fulmentaris is good for trying to make a miniature of the dragons in WOW.
Edited by Mara999 on Jul 27th 2021 at 6:25:32 PM
I don't know but it seems that they are closer to the Slaaneshi Synessa/Dexcessa kit than the Shalaxi Helbane/Generic Keeper of Secrets kit. We may get a smaller kit in the same style somewhere down the line, however.
International Man of Mystery
Correct me if I'm wrong, but GW has stopped making expansion-kits for larger boxes, right? They used to make things like a "hairy heads" sprue, to customize Empire figures into Middenheimers. If there is no third dragon option, then they could always make a separately sold sprue to customize your AOW-dragon. Maybe through Forgeworld?
Off the top of my head there are some alternate heads and shields for Stormcast, Chapter specific upgrades for Primaris Marines, and weapon/head kits for Necromunda (that used to be Forgeworld but are slowly being rereleased in plastic) so it is a possibility. They are normally for rank-and-file models though, not centrepiece models like these.
They’re big fellers, but two dragons against the combined might of Chaos, Death, and Destruction hardly feels fair. It’s lucky, then, that they’re not alone. We go now to our dragon correspondent, James Workshop, for more.
Thank you, James, you make a fair point – horses really aren’t all that and a bag of potato chips.
There’s so much we want to say about the Stormdrake Guard (and we will) but here’s the single coolest thing about them – if you take a Knight-Draconis as your general, your Stormdrake Guard units become Battleline. And you know what that means? An all-dragon army.
Just let that sink in.
Get a load of this guy
◊. With his flaming sword and fancy helmet with built-in moustachios, the Knight-Draconis is exactly as much of a beast on the battlefield as you’d expect from such a mighty champion of Sigmar.
It’s hard to decide which is the best detail
◊. The Dragonith’s special hat is a strong contender – this is a kit with much more than its fair share of fancy headgear – but the tilting plate on his breast is very cool too, not least because it implies the Stormdrake Guard enjoy a spot of dragon jousting…
And we repeat, if you take him as your general, you can run an entire army of dragons.
Stormdrake Guard are Stormcast Eternals who have forged a symbiotic relationship with their Draconith mounts. Clad in thunderstrike armour and adorned with a rare Draconith beastmark, these warriors can be armed either with a drakerider’s lance or drakerider’s warblade
◊.
Much like the larger Stardrakes or the flightless Dracoths, both of whom already fight with the armies of Azyr, Draconith are children of Dracothion – whom you’ll remember as the Celestial Drake who rescued Sigmar from the remains of the World-that-Was. He’s still knocking around, but it’s the Seraphon who’ve been hard at work incubating eggs and returning Draconith to the Realms long after Kragnos brought them to their knees.
We can’t wait to tell you more about the Stormdrake Guard – or about the many other surprises contained within the rapidly approaching Battletome: Stormcast Eternals. Keep checking in with Warhammer Community as we continue to unravel the mysteries of the Draconith, and sign up to our mailing list to get all the draconic news that matters straight to your inbox.
I do like dragons, so all these new ones my see the Stormcast go up my priority list a bit.
Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well
Amateur Veteran
Hmm. I like the new dragon models. They're... well, they're kind of generic, but they're well-made generic dragons, and in any case they still look better than the old ones used to.
It is kind of disheartening to see that they're reserved for the Stormcast and are only mounts at that. I had hoped for dragons to be something like an Order version of the gargants — technically their own faction, and allowable to other Order forces. It would have been nice to have a fully nonhumaoid race.
Well it looks like
Chaos Rising is probably in trouble
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