Idoneth and gentle-grots, Stormcasts and duardin, we are very excited to announce that the first Hammer and Bolter animation set in Warhammer Age of Sigmar comes to Warhammer+ this week – the appropriately titled Double or Nothing.
Deep in the heart of Ghur, a city devoted to Sigmar faces the threat of total annihilation. An orruk horde lies encamped outside its gates, and only a scant few Stormcast Eternals remain to protect the civilian populace. Such a dire situation calls for a hero without peer… enter Sigmar’s (self-proclaimed) greatest champion, Hamilcar Bear-Eater!*
Brace yourself for 18 minutes of action-packed fun – Double or Nothing doesn’t shy away from violence, but it’s got more laughs than your average episode of Hammer and Bolter. A lot goes into making any new animation, but even more so when it’s the very first set in the Mortal Realms – we reached out to Sarah from the Warhammer animations team for a little insight.
“The Realm of Beasts is a dangerous place to found a city,” explains Sarah. “We wanted to make sure the character of Ghur was coming through in every scene – for example, you can see the bones of great beasts jutting out of the ground, and rock formations resembling vast rows of teeth in the background.
“The orruk camp itself is unsurprisingly ramshackle – it’s built out of whatever was lying around, tied and bolted to the loot and scrap they carried back from their recent battles. It’s not meant to be a permanent settlement at all, just a place for the boys to fight amongst themselves while they gather their numbers for the big fight ahead.”
This is also one of the first times we’ve heard what Stormcast Eternals sound like. We’ve seen them in the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar cinematic trailer, and they’ve popped up in some cracking Warhammer video games, but in this episode we’ll hear these mighty heroes speak amongst each other as they come up with a plan – and then confront their foes.
“Writing Hamilcar with the Storyforge team was an absolute joy,” says Graeme. “On the surface, he's the apex of what a Stormcast Eternal can be, a true hero and mighty warrior with self-confidence dialled up as far as it will go – to the point that it seems like bluster and arrogance. He's actually keenly intelligent and calculating.”
“Stormcast Eternals are immortal warriors, forged from arcane celestial energy and infused with the power of the storm,” says Sarah, “and they need voices to match. Repeated reforging can cause certain side effects on an individual level – we wanted to convey a sense of that, and so you can hear the rumble of thunder and the echo of lightning fused into some of their voices.”
If you want to hear (and see) the mighty Hamilcar Bear-Eater for yourself, Double or Nothing arrives on Warhammer TV today. It doesn’t come alone; this week you’ll also find the full low-down on the Sons of Horus Legion in Loremasters, while the February 2022 edition of White Dwarf joins part two of Imperial Armour: The Siege of Vraks in the Warhammer Vault.
If you’re not already a subscriber, get on board now – there’s loads of great content to enjoy, and more being added all the time. Missing out doesn’t bear thinking about…
* What?! You haven’t heard the tale of this incredible hero’s many independently verified exploits? Not even the time he cast back an entire siege all on his own?**
** How about the day he personally beat seven shades of blood out of the Mortarch of Night?***
*** Then surely you’ve heard how he wrestled the Great Horned Rat for his very soul!?