We took a closer look inside Arcane Journal: Empire of Man just before Christmas, with a little help from the guys who wrote it. Today we return to our chat, just to try and work out what’s going on as Elector Counts squabble and the major regions rattle sabres, brandish handguns, and menacingly pick their teeth with billhooks.
The lore
JTY: From a lore perspective, the new book explains quite a lot more about the political situation of the Empire and the period we’re in. To clarify, this is not the Age of Three Emperors, in which the Empire had broken into three big power blocs, each with an Emperor. That came to an end in IC1979, when the Electors got together and tried to make Magritta of Marienberg (after whom several later rulers of Westerland were named) the Empress. The Cult of Sigmar hated that idea, and the Empire shattered – so we’re now in a period known as the Anarchy.
It’s not outright civil war, but this period of no rule lasts until the rise of Magnus. There are four major blocs now, alongside numerous free states in the south; the map shows all the detail, including the major claimants to the throne.
Danny: Alliances are shifting so regularly, and borders moving so often, that it’s sometimes hard for common folk to know who their rulers are and where they live.
JTY: For those on the outside, it looks completely disordered. But on the inside, life goes on. And if you kick it hard enough, the Empire will pull together and fight against larger threats.
Rob: And none of these states want to be in this position! They do all refer to it as ‘the Empire’; it’s just that they all feel they should be in charge.
Danny: The scenario included within this Arcane Journal focuses on Nuln, and how it’s in a position to ignore all that nonsense. It has a threat to handle, and will deal with the politics later. Arms shipments are going missing in Talabecland, and after some investigation, the culprits are discovered to be Beastmen, culminating in a big battle in the woods.
JTY: It’s best described as a tale from the Old World. Some of these stories in the Arcane Journals will absolutely lead to bigger things, tying into the wider story we are trying to tell. Others are naturally more self-contained, and this is one of those. If we decide to come back to look at Nuln, we can use this as a jumping off point, and it’s something for players to get their teeth into and take further themselves.
The miniatures
Rob: Once again, we’ve used this release as an opportunity to return to the miniatures archives. The Imperial Ogres were first shown in White Dwarf issue 122, way back in February of 1990. They’re classic Aly models, which beautifully showcase the cosmopolitan nature of the Empire’s cities.
JTY: You can see these miniatures as the origin of so many ideas that came afterwards.
Dan: These Ogres live in human cities. They’re very much a part of the Empire – they’ve adopted the uniforms and the heraldry – and while they can’t get any clothes off the shelf, they’re still very much a part of the military.
JTY: Wherever they go in the world, Ogres are inherently adventurous, picking up parts of the culture wherever they settle down.
Rob: We wanted to bring back the old Grand Masters for the same reason – but we have been careful not to bring back named miniatures from the Era of Karl Franz. Because those Grand Master miniatures were never named, we can use them as any Chapter Master from this period.
Danny: The old Empire characters are pretty iconic, and people would immediately recognise some of them if we brought their miniatures back. Warhammer: The Old World is an opportunity for some new special characters to take the limelight.
JTY: We have done a fair bit of work to ensure the Empire miniatures are recognisable to everyone, but period appropriate. We’ve removed Karl Franz symbols from plastic kits like the War Altar, the State Troops and the General on Griffon (though Karl’s body is still on the frame). But a model like Kurt Helborg will always be Kurt Helborg, so we’ve not brought him back.
The wizards
JTY: We needed some Wizards! The Empire has been defined by the Colleges of Magic for a long time – at least since the early 1990s. In Warhammer: the Old World Magic exists, of course, but the regimented system of education set up by a particular High Elf has yet to be set up. These wizards show what magic was like before that structured system of learning.
This gave us the Battle Wizard, the Elementalist, and the Necromancer. These are just examples of how wizards might have looked before the colleges – and there are clues to the origins of the Colleges of Magic. You can see certain traits, motifs and habits that are eventually picked up and carried on, but they’re distinctly different.
The Battle Wizard epitomises traditional Warhammer. There’s a bit of the Imperial Noble from the original Warhammer Quest about him, and echoes of the original art on the old Warhammer Battle Magic supplement.
Danny: The Elementalist has a big chunk of amber in his staff, and he’s carrying a sickle, both details that will one day become emblematic of certain Colleges of Magic. There are elements of Shadow and Death in the Necromancer, and a combination of Bright and Celestial magic in the Battle Wizard.
Rob: And perhaps it’s a bit of a cliché, but a Wizard has to have a familiar! It's an extra bit of personality that tells the story of the miniature.
Danny: In places like Talabec, Wizards in tune with the natural world are thought of as healers and wise people, those who bless the crops. But if you go to the Reikland – where the Cult of Sigmar reigns supreme – and utter a strange-sounding phrase, you might find yourself on top of a bonfire… Battle Wizards are accepted in Middenland, as they embody the spirit of Ulric – so acceptance of magic depends on where you are in the Empire, and what kind of magic you’re using.
JTY: Necromancers aren’t automatically thought of as bad. Their spell lore includes clairvoyance and communing with the dead. Asking the spirits for advice on behalf of a lord is seen as perfectly reasonable. It’s when a Necromancer starts hanging around in graveyards and stitching body parts together that you have to worry – but remember, we’re in a period where the von Carsteins aren’t a threat, and naughty Necromancers aren’t so active. They’re as dead as can be (for vampires, at least…)
Danny: That said, you never know which spirits you’re talking to…
JTY: There’s always a danger of raising a large amorphous monster of Chaos, but generally, you’re reaching the spirits of the household and of folklore. You might just be talking to Wood Elf Spites, for instance. Remember, those of us on the outside know what these things really are, but these characters don’t. They think they’re safe.
The transfers
Rob: We’re very proud of the new transfer sheets. All the states are covered on the transfer sheet (except for the Mootland), so you can build an army for any of them. There’s a whole series of military icons for your standards, with full-colour images for banners and names of towns for your regiments. There’s scripture for many of the different gods – not just for Sigmar – and if you put a magnifying glass over them, you can actually read them!
Likewise, if you want to say your State Troops are from Aarnau, one of the small towns in Westerland, you can. They probably won’t last very long in the background… Frydaal is currently squatting there in a Norscan outpost with a shiny new Chaos monument.
We’ve made elaborate transfers for Bretonnians, Dwarfs, and soon the High Elves. The Dwarf one, for instance, has most of the runes, so you can put the Rune of Accuracy on your cannon!
JTY: The provinces that you remember, such as Ostland and Hochland, are still there, even if they’re not drawn on the map. They’re currently part of a larger whole, but their state colours still exist, their Elector is still present – they’re just not politically independent. But that shouldn’t prevent you from making an army in Hochland colours, or Nordland’s, for example, or even one that features the colours of several states all fighting under the banner of a larger region. The more you delve into the map, the more you will see what the current situation really is - and how it may come to be in the era of Karl Franz.
Thanks guys! Remember, the first wave of the Empire of Man arrives for pre-order this Saturday. The Old World Almanack will return in due course to discuss the impending arrival of the High Elves, so break out your finest rags and least broken plates…
