The last time we checked in with the development of Warhammer: The Old World, we showed you the first look at the map of Bretonnia from the time in which the game is set. This time around, we’re heading north of the Empire to frozen Kislev – but there’s more! We also managed to catch up with the project’s leader, Andy Hoare, who joined us to answer some of the most hotly debated questions about the game’s development.
Andy Hoare: Work is continuing apace on the Warhammer: The Old World project, and while much of it must remain cloaked in a veil of secrecy for now, we can share the latest on the ever-evolving map of the world in which the game is set.
This latest revelation concerns the icy nation of Kislev. A country of stoic human warriors and cunning elemental sorcerers, Kislev has ever stood as the bulwark against incursions from the wild lands further north, whether that be the incessant raids of the ravening Norscan tribes or the all-consuming incursions of the Hordes of Chaos. Those who have studied the previous map updates will no doubt have discerned that the Empire is riven by civil war, with no one Emperor or Empress uniting the elector states, and so the Kislevites’ role is even more vital to the defence of the entire* Old World.
Students of Warhammer lore will also note that the borders of Kislev are very different from what they may be familiar with. The eastern border is not here defined by the World’s Edge Mountains, but in fact extends through the Belyevobota Pass, through the Great Skull Lands – northernmost reaches of the Dark Lands – through the Mountains of Mourn, and out into the limitless expanses of the eastern steppes beyond. Clearly, at this time Kislev was a vast empire indeed, its territories encompassing lands said by some to be haunted by Hobgoblins, Centaurs and Half-Orcs, though who can say which of these, if any, are true?
We’ve put out a couple of updates on the progress of the development of the Warhammer: The Old World setting now, and we’ve kept a close eye on the responses on social media. All manner of theories have been presented about the setting and the game set within it, and while some are preternaturally insightful, some are as far off the mark as a drunken Snotling attempting to bullseye a Hobhound with a catapult-launched puffball!
So just to clear a few things up, here are some hints of things to come!
Definitely square! Warhammer: The Old World is a reinvention of the classic rank-and-file game of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Regiments move in ranked-up units, and strategic manoeuvring into position to launch or receive a critical charge will be as much a key part of the game as it ever was.
What? No! What madness is that?! The scale will remain the same as it ever was. We want people to be able to use their old armies if they wish, or to start new ones, or to add new miniatures to old armies – whatever they want.
Both! We’ve played every single edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles over the years and like every player, we have our favourite bits from each. Warhammer: The Old World will gather up all our favourite mechanics from the 3rd edition to the 8th edition** and add new elements where needed to create something deeply familiar yet fresh and new.
Da boyz woz called Orcs in da Old World, so datz what dey’z called!
Keen-eyed observers will have gleaned by now that Warhammer: The Old World is going to be set several hundred years before the End Times, so there’s plenty of space to explore the history of the setting. Especially knowledgeable students may also note this puts us just before another calamitous Chaos invasion, and one which, while central to the story of the Empire and the entire Old World, was barely touched on in previous iterations...
Yes, we’re positive!
It’s going to be quite some time yet as we work on making sure this is the best version of the game we all love. We’ll give you more updates at some point here on Warhammer Community when the time is right. Until then, employ the patience of Nagash and plot your return to the Old World – the wait will be well worth it!
Thanks, Andy. That’s certainly put a lot of wild theories to bed once and for all. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to be among the first to learn about any future developments with Warhammer: The Old World.
* And entirely ungrateful.
** The 1st and, to some extent, 2nd editions were more of a roleplaying game with miniatures than a tabletop war game, with Warhammer Fantasy Battle as we know it truly being born to the world with its 3rd edition.