Warhammer+ launched all of two days ago, and there’s been lots of talk about the animations, exclusive models, and new shows. With all this excitement over new things, there are also a fair few folks who are most excited to take a look at what’s come before – which is where the Warhammer Vault comes in.
This digital archive pulls together the lore and background from loads of older Warhammer books and previous issues of White Dwarf. You can easily spend many hours happily reading through the thrilling stories from years gone by.
We recently had a chat with Phil Kelly to find out what he’s excited to see first. After all, with over 20 years of background writing for both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy under his belt, he’s been involved in quite a lot of the content you’ll find in the Vault.
Recent titles paved the way for the state of play in Warhammer’s narratives, so Phil recommends catching up on Gathering Storm to learn about the events that preceded the Great Rift in Warhammer 40,000.
“I really enjoyed working on the Gathering Storm series of books, which fanned the flames of the 41st Millennium to a raging inferno. I also look back fondly on the Realmgate Wars series as the mythic foundation upon which the modern version of Warhammer Age of Sigmar was built. It's so wonderfully over the top, and it set the stage for hundreds of stories to come.”
“I can't wait for people who missed out the first time around to really delve into these forbidden tomes, seeing just how expansive and inspiring these universes can be,” says Phil.
Not only will the Vault deepen your appreciation for the later incarnations of the worlds of Warhammer, the stories just might inspire you to collect or paint your models in a new way – or make you want to recreate some of the epic battles you read about on the tabletop.
When we asked him whether things have changed over the years, he rewarded us with the most Phil Kelly response you can imagine: “The sprawling kraken that is our lore has evolved over the decades, growing new teeth, suckers, and claws with each edition, but each tentacle leads back to the same body in the end.”
Which is to say of course it has, but the background is in a constant state of evolution.
“That's part of what makes it so compelling,” he explains. “Every year we shine a new light on legendary tales and introduce new characters, monsters and narrative arcs, but the spirit of the thing remains the same.”
While there’s a lot of fiction in the archives, you should never feel intimidated by it. It’s there to expand your understanding, not as a roadblock to enjoying Warhammer.
“These stories range from tales of desperate heroism to those of tragedy and despair – they take place in dystopian settings, after all. But we always make them as involving as possible,” Phil continues.
Though they’re almost always anti-heroes at best, and straight-up villains at worst, many of the most memorable Warhammer characters are relatable on some level. You’re not meant to want to be like them, but understanding them is a worthy endeavour. He reckons that the best fiction gives the sometimes black-and-white settings “a good twist!”
“We make sure that every story we write about them is strange and even a little unsettling so they really stick in the mind.”
As a final thought, he drops us this gold nugget of knowledge: “The Vault is an explorer's dream, chock full of beautiful art, cool stories, and jaw-dropping miniatures that have to be seen to be believed. It really is the best rabbit hole you could ever hope to venture into. I'd recommend treating each set of books as a separate journey in itself – and make sure you have someone to call you back to the real world afterwards…”
With that said, go forth and sign up for Warhammer+ if you haven’t already done so. And if you’ve been enjoying all the awesome shows already, now might be a good time to kick back with a nice bit of light reading and take a stroll down memory lane. The Warhammer Vault awaits.
