To give you an idea of how the game is played, here's
a brief summary of the Warhammer Fantasy game
and its characters.
What Is It? Warhammer is a tabletop
wargame of fantasy battles, played by two or more
people. You can play small-scale skirmish games
involving 20 or 30 models per side, on up to massive
battles that pit armies of hundreds of models against
each other. Rules that govern how the models move
and fight are contained in the Warhammer rulebook.
Players choose and collect armies of models that are
described in separate Warhammer army books. A
huge range of models is available in both metal and
plastic.
To Get Started A Warhammer Fantasy starter
kit costs about $75. It contains a 288-page rulebook,
enough plastic models to represent the core of two
armies, dice, rulers and templates to measure
distances for firing and moving troops, plus scenery.
You will also need glue and paint, which are not
included in the kit, to piece together and decorate your
armies.
The Armies The miniatures can cost
anywhere from $5 to $25, depending on whether
they're plastic or metal, and the number of troops
contained in the package.
High Elves An ancient and proud race, the
High Elves have refined their martial skills and magical
prowess over the centuries. As the primitive tribes of
man fought against themselves, the High Elves
navigated the oceans and mapped the heavens. They
have watched empires rise and fall, and ferociously
repel all who seek to conquer their homeland.
Dark Elves The Dark Elves of Naggaroth
are as cruel, malicious and spiteful as they are deadly
in combat. Long ago, they broke away from the High
Elves in a civil war that shattered their island home,
and migrated west to the unknown continent of
Naggaroth to plot, scheme and foment evil in the name
of their bloodthirsty god Khaine. The Dark Elves are
murderous slayers on and off the battlefield and they
give their enemies no quarter or mercy! So don't mess
with 'em.
Wood Elves When the High Elves abandoned
their cities in the Old World to return to their island
home of Ulthuan, some of them stayed, unwilling to
leave their forest behind. These are the ancestors of
the Wood Elves, who still live in the enchanted forest
of Athel Loren. Having tamed the wild beasts and
befriended the strange Treemen and Dryads, a Wood
Elf army is unlike any other. Adapting well to their
surroundings, the Wood Elves have developed many
new troop types ideal for protecting their land.
The Empire The Empire is the oldest and
strongest human realm of the Old World. In a dark
land surrounded by enemies, the forces of the Empire
are strong and resolute, keeping an eternal watch on
their realm to keep it safe.
Orcs & Goblins All across the Old World,
Orcs and Goblins are feared for their tireless raids
against all opponents. If they were ever to be united
under one banner, the cities of the world would surely
fall.
Dwarfs The Dwarfen Kingdom of old was
prosperous and full of splendor and glory. The majority
of the Dwarfen strongholds have fallen, one by one, in
the bitter wars with the Orcs, Goblins or Skaven; even
now the remaining few Dwarf cities are under constant
siege. These centuries of war have hardened the
Dwarfs and molded them into some of the finest
warriors of the Old World.
Skaven From beneath the cities of the Old
World, the Skaven come pouring forth, spreading
disease, plague, pestilence, and death! With their red
eyes aglow, these squeaking and chittering mutated
ratmen are poised to take over the world! Say cheese!
Lizardmen No, it's not a group of mutants
from South Carolina. This fierce army comes from the
steamy jungles of Lustria. Led by the most potent
sorcerers in the Warhammer World, the Slann
Mage-Priests, Lizardman armies consist of the brutal
but slow-witted Saurus, the quick and agile Skinks,
plodding but powerful Kroxigors, and other
cold-blooded, uh, things.
Vampire Counts The Vampire Counts are the
immortal rulers of the evil Undead. Powerful and cruel
beyond the comprehension of the living, they
command armies of decaying Zombies, Skeletons,
Wights and Ghouls to destroy the Old World. When a
Vampire Counts army goes to war, whole graveyards
give up their dead as the spirits of the fallen take up
arms once more to fight under their unliving masters --
and leaving more room in the graveyard for new
corpses.
Bretonnia The human realm of Bretonnia is
best known for the bravery of its valiant Knights. The
very name of Bretonnia is synonymous in the Old
World with Chivalry.