The Battle Reports are one of the most legendary and long-running features of White Dwarf, and these tense, strategic, and often hilarious showdowns are some of the most well-remembered parts of classic issues. But with so many played out over the years, which ones stand out the most in the minds of Warhammer staff?
It turns out we have some excellent memories, and we’ve picked out some of the best from over the years.
Andy S, WarCom editor: Orks vs Orks vs Orks in Issue 237! This was the battle report that sparked my interest in both Orks and narrative gaming, which has continued for 25 years. The three-player format was a cool novelty, and there were special rules that meant units had to pass a leadership check to activate – never a sure thing back in the day of Ld 7 Orks and Ld 5 grots!).
The armies looked spectacular too. Long before the fancy new Ork vehicles we have today, there was kitbashing galore with stretched Gorkamorka trukks and a brilliant looted Basilisk (that I still plan on looting the idea for all these years later). A knife-edge victory for White Dwarf's Grand Warlord Adrian Wood too. Waaagh!
Dave, project manager: Issue 157, The Battle of Osterwald – a Battle Report for the 4th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle between Orcs & Goblins and The Empire. It was my first experience of Warhammer Fantasy, as up until then I was mainly interested in Warhammer 40,000, and it captured my imagination so much that I read it over and over!
I loved the way the armies looked, from the banners and monsters to the large units and weird war machines, and how the game seemed to play. It had such a huge impact on me that those two factions became my go-to collections in that game setting for more than 20 years, and now that Warhammer: The Old World has been released, I get to continue that journey with both!
Andy H, Warhammer Studio manager: Storm the Trenches from Issue 230 is a firm favourite for me. I'd finished university and moved to a new town – Brighton, to be exact – and was looking at getting back into Warhammer after a few years of concentrating on my degree, so I picked up what was, at that time, the latest issue of White Dwarf to see what was what with the hobby.
I was struck by the purpose-made terrain and how the mission that Graham and Paul played worked so well with it to tell a very focused story – it was a case of miniatures, rules and terrain all working in perfect harmony to great effect, which is how I like to play games myself. In fact, it made such an impact that within 18 months I was working in the Design Studio alongside both of the participants!
Charlie, copy editor: White Dwarf 307! The first rules for Kill Team – and I mean the very first, which were squirrelled away in the back of the fourth edition Warhammer 40,000 rulebook – got a wonderful Battle Report in this issue, alongside gruesomely inspiring rules for Tyranid Kill Teams.
Marco Schulze’s gorgeously converted Tyranids, the Crimson Stalkers of Tenebra Prime, were piloted by Phil against Adam's assorted Ork brute squads across a custom-built overgrown outpost. The result was a Battle Report absolutely packed with atmosphere, movie moments, and fun, and even featured a mid-game break where both players agreed to improvise some new rules. The very stuff of Warhammer! It was a perfect showcase for Kill Team, and still comes to mind when thinking about the game – even 20 years and many editions later.
Rob, WarCom writer: Having started playing Warhammer 40,000 in the closing days of its 3rd edition, the dawn of 4th edition was my first taste of that ‘new rulebook, new Codex’ feeling. Codex: Space Marines had just come out in November 2004, and the massive celebratory issue of White Dwarf 300 contained a classic Ultramarines vs Orks matchup titled Dead by Dawn that showed off one of the new missions and loads of new units in action – including one of my favourite miniatures of all time, the Techmarine in Servo Harness.
Pete also extolled the virtues of a classic green tide Ork army, rather than all of that fancy Deff Dread and Trukk nonsense, which ended up swamping poor Chief Librarian Tigurius under a pile of ornery Choppa Boyz!
Nick, Battle Report presenter: The huge Empire vs Orcs and Goblins Battle Report from Issue 340 in 2008 is a personal favourite for me as it was the first one I was ever involved in! I couldn't believe my luck, getting to play in this incredible game with hundreds and hundreds of miniatures, many of which I had painted. What an honour it was.
But I also have very fond memories of the Empire vs Undead Battle Report in White 174, my first issue. I must have read it a dozen times over when I was 11, staring at those glorious pictures and imagining the epic conflicts playing out! I went on to collect an Empire army as my first Warhammer Fantasy army soon after and still have them to this day.
Jon, WarCom lead designer: The massive battle of Warzone Tempestora took place over two parts in Issues 248 and 249,* and it was spectacular. It wasn’t just one game, but four – a colossal multi-table epic depicting the battle for Hive Tempestora during the Third War for Armageddon, where each battle affected the others in all sorts of ways.
Three smaller peripheral battles fed into the outcome of a massive central confrontation as the combined forces of the Blood Angels, Salamanders, and Armageddon Steel Legion defended a vital tank factory from the Orks. There’d been nothing like it in White Dwarf before, so it remains a fond memory of the magazine.
Lyle, White Dwarf editor: My favourite is the Battle Report in White Dwarf 500. Just wait till you see it. It has a really unique look, some interesting lore elements to give it context and scope, and it's a very epic event that spanned three game systems!
What was your favourite Battle Report from White Dwarf’s long history of exceptional wargaming? Have you ever run an exciting narrative battle of your own, and made your mark on the worlds of Warhammer? And can you guess the approximate age of everyone who contributed to this article? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X, and join the White Dwarf Issue 500 revelry with us later this month when the bumper celebration issue hits the shelves.
* Matt from the White Dwarf team also fondly recalled this Battle Report – and not just because his Black Templars were in it!