Warhammer Fantasy is Returning to The Old World

In a surprise announcement, Games Workshop has revealed that they will be reviving Warhammer Fantasy Battles as Warhammer: The Old World.

The first tease came on Thursday, when GW posted cryptic messages with slogans like “Everything Comes Round Again. Even Squares.” on social media, in a direct reference to the square bases used by Warhammer Fantasy Battles to compliment its rank-and-file movement and combat mechanics.


Based on the announcement, it sounds like Warhammer: The Old World will be an entirely separate game system that coexists alongside Age of Sigmar, and will have its own dedicated development team in a manner similar to how Warhammer 40,000 and The Horus Heresy are currently handled.

But first, lets explain some things to the Warhammer newbies. Back in 2015, Games Workshop made what is quite possibly the most controversial decision in their entire history as a company.

They created a narrative campaign called The End Times that was spread across several huge (and expensive) hardcover rulebooks. This apocalyptic storyline ended with Archaon the Everchosen completely annihilating The Old World.

This marked the end of a game and accompanying lore that had been built up over the course of 35 years. This hard reset was also the prelude to Age of Sigmar, GW’s current fantasy skirmish game, which features less complicated mechanics and a shift towards a more grandiose heroic fantasy setting compared to the pseudo-Dark Ages Europe world of Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

Unfortunately, this announcement is ultimately a big teaser. Details are nearly nonexistent, and gamers shouldn’t expect to see Warhammer: The Old World on their tabletops for at least two or three more years.


About

Frank was a former Niche Gamer contributor.


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