Récapitulatif des annonces GW avant la sortie du jeu

[Nekhro]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/04/bretonnian-knights-of-the-realm-on-foot-painted-by-warhammer-community/?utm_source=Social+Media&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-old-world&utm_content=towwarcompaints04/01/2024&fbclid=IwAR3_ktL6Bgo7go7AXLRyasKm3QxaxHYVa4YtmKF5buJ9vkztAJwC_OaHzPs

 

 

Bretonnian Knights of the Realm on Foot Painted by Warhammer Community

 

 

We’ve been keeping it quiet, but Warhammer: The Old World is available to pre-order this weekend! Alongside books, boxes, and classic miniatures, there are plenty of debutants to look forward to – including the stunning Knights of the Realm on Foot for the Kingdom of Bretonnia. They’ll be following shortly after the initial release, as they struggle to keep up with their horse-riding compatriots.

But here at Warhammer Community, we were in love from the moment we saw them – so we took the Questing Vow and pledged to paint our very own regiment. A whole band of staff members would each paint their own knight, complete with personal heraldry. These are the results!

Ed: I went for the heraldry of Couronne, with its vivid reds and blues, as I love the way it evokes the colours of royalty. It’s a triadic scheme of red, blue, and yellow, so to balance these I went with bright colours like Mephiston Red for the red cloths, Caledor Sky for my blues, and glazes of Flash Gitz Yellow to bring more saturation into the metallic and non-metallic golds. 

With a lot of different metallic textures on the model, I spent time using a lot of the paint range to break up each area, like all the different locks, to try and prevent everything from getting lost in repeated colour placement on the model.

Emma: I wanted a different feel for my knight, so I chose Naggaroth Night, Corvus Black and Averland Sunset for the surcoat and shield, keeping to the quartering style found on most knights – perhaps he was in exile, or on crusade, hence a bit different? I didn’t want to use gold on the ornate trim and details, so I used Screaming Bell to give the metals a coppery feel. 

I blended and highlighted all these colours up, but tried to keep it simple, so I could easily copy it if I were painting a whole unit. For the heraldry, skulls fit the colour selection, marking this knight as one not to be messed with!2

Lydia: Bretonnians were my first army when I joined Games Workshop… some years ago. I remember the pain of painting bright colours with old paints, so I was very excited to have a go at painting them with newer Contrast colours. Yellow has always been my favourite colour, so Imperial Fist was an easy pick. All I needed next was a good contrasting colour – plenty to choose from, but I went with Dark Angels Green thinned with a little Contrast Medium.

I go for a halfway house between speed and style when painting. I use Contrast for the base, then paint a couple of highlights on top to really make the colours pop. I love freehanding, and Contrast paints are great for this thanks to how easily they flow off the brush. As my knight had a big ol’ fleur-de-lys on their tabard, it made it an easy pick for the heraldic design. 

Michael: I’ve been looking for little ways to push myself while painting, and the shield was a great opportunity. After a zenithal highlight* I airbrushed Talassar Blue, then used masking tape to preserve a blue stripe while applying Dawnstone. Freehanding the padlock was daunting, but I carefully sketched the outline with a light pencil before using Black Legion. I carried the stripe over to the crest on the helmet with Teclis Blue and a thinned layer of Caledor Sky on the lower half. 

To make the armour and leather distinct next to the Dawnstone robes, I used Iron Warriors and Rhinox Hide for a dark finish, washing with thinned Basilicanum Grey before highlighting. Now I’m considering the same scheme for

an Imperial Knight…

Six more dashing knights complete our regiment – Jon has painted his in the colour of his very first Bretonnian army from the time of legend (the year 2000), while Joel has opted for the pink and yellow of Battenberg – a little-known fiefdom he claims is somewhere in Bretonnia. Luke used a bright, clean scheme of blue and white, while Tom preferred red and yellow complemented by a bold star. Darcy and Rik rounded things out with sombre black and white colouring, and complementary yellow and green, respectively.

The Knights of the Realm on Foot will be available to pre-order in the very near future – each box contains 20 multi-part Knights with plenty of options to create a regiment of individualised chivalric warriors. You can paint them in the more uniform heraldry of their Duke or Baron’s household, or each in their own livery on an Errant Crusade. 

 

* Applying a thin coat of a pale colour over a darker one, usually with a spray can or an airbrush, to create a gradient to glaze or thinly layer over.

[Nekhro]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/04/old-world-almanack-designer-round-table-on-painting-the-miniatures/

 

 

Designer Round Table on Painting the Miniatures

With Warhammer: The Old World so close to release, we’ve gone behind the scenes to talk to many of the people who worked on different aspects of the game over the last few years. Our first discussion concerned the finer details of lore, before the designers pitched in with the notes they took when creating the miniatures and heraldry. Today, the ’Eavy Metal team talk about what it was like to balance old and new when painting miniatures for the new project.

 

 

What changed in the years between Warhammer Fantasy ending and the Old World project starting, and how did this affect your approach to painting?

Jonathan: The approaches, techniques, and tools for painting have changed massively, but so has the photography. The way we took photos back in the 90s was different, and new digital photography is much brighter and crisper, which demands things painted to a different standard. Miniatures have to be rendered sharper, and there is a heavier focus on detail. The main goal before was for things to be bright enough to catch your eye in a big photo.

 

 

Rowan: It’s interesting when looking back at painting from across the last 10 to 15 years – and particularly the things that we’ve been interested in rendering across the years. The old Necrosphinx was a big centrepiece at the time, and compared to the rest of the Tomb Kings of Khemri range it has a lot of texture work, but the style of the time was to really dial that up to the max. In a modern miniature like the Bone Dragon, you need to look a bit closer because that detail is still there, but it’s not as exaggerated – it’s a little more subtle and realistic.

Dan H: As a result of these changing priorities, the way that we approach miniatures has changed. Bretonnians are an example of a faction that has changed quite drastically in terms of how we paint them. A lot of our focus has been on characters, exemplars in the range that let us reinforce and refine the faction aesthetics.

 

 

For us, being the new custodians of this specific era of Warhammer is a massive deal. Being the people who take on something as iconic as a Liche King or a Damsel on a Unicorn like Élisse Duchaard, heroes and character archetypes that people have known and loved for upwards of 20 years is a huge responsibility.

Holly: There’s an element of future-proofing too, but we always have to consider the fact that this world is hugely important to a lot of people, both those who have worked on it in the past and the fans.

Are you trying to match old styles, or are you pushing ahead as far as you can? 

Dan H: We don’t necessarily want to limit ourselves. We can treat something like the Damsel as a statement of intent, a little bit like the designers did with the packed layout of the Knights of the Realm on foot. If we then revisit Bretonnia in the future, we’ve laid this much stronger foundation for future work. 

Rob: Leading with your best idea is always the goal. When designing the Damsel on Unicorn, we wanted to make the best one we could possibly make, and when the ’Eavy Metal team painted it, they wanted to paint the best one they possibly could. We like to think we’ve done that. Does that mean we won’t ever do anything better? No, because we’re always pushing ourselves

The Kingdom of Bretonnia now all sport a uniform paint scheme. Can you break down your approach to painting this faction?

Kieran: The foot knights were a good place to start. We spent a lot of time thinking about how we take something that exists – the idea of Bretonnian Knights – and modernise the painting in a way that doesn’t make them sit outside the existing range. Nearly the whole army has been repainted in the colours of Duke Gastille, the Red Hand of Brionne, by a combination of the ’Eavy Metal and army painting teams, so it really was a brand-new direction.

Rowan: We set the precedent for many of the textures, colours, and ideas when we painted the Lord on Royal Pegasus. It was a handy template to work from, but we still had to figure out new ways to approach the heraldry on other miniatures because there is an expectation for Bretonnians that you will have a lot of mixed designs and colours.

 

 

Kieran: These knights now fit into the army as a uniform force due to the red and the black heraldry of Duke Gastille, but they’re not all the same. Some have quartered or checkerboard patterns on their shields, others might have surcoats painted with patterns or colours split differently. They also have favours and heraldic elements that are painted to match and represent their own personal heraldry.

Rowan: You can convey a lot through these elements too. Some knights have “mismatching” heraldry across their favours, trinkets, weapons, and helmets. The idea here is that they may have been given certain things as gifts or rewards, or perhaps a weapon has been passed down from one family member to another. I think doing that, alongside giving each knight their own take on a Baron or Duke’s heraldry, is instrumental to bringing your own narrative in.

Keiran: I think as well that the new scheme makes the Questing and Grail Knights seem perhaps even more important. Now that the Knights of the Realm are anchored in the background as the knights of the Barony or Dukedom, it lets the bright and personalised heraldry shine through – the Grail Knights are even more elevated to their saintly position.

 

 

Rowan: Looking at those old knights is quite a nostalgia trip. A lot of the miniatures that we’re working alongside are as old as fifth or sixth edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle. For many of us, they are forever linked with the time we first got into Warhammer and are a little magical, but as professional painters, we can also see the strategies and decisions that were made.

Élisse Duchaard is a stand-out character with a paint job to match. How did you tackle her?

Kieran: We had to work hard on making sure each of these different elements was rendered differently despite being the same colour; the unicorn has to look different to the white dress because a horse’s skin doesn’t look like white cloth! It’s still part of the same army as the Men-at-Arms, so we had to ground this magical creature a little, which we achieved with dirt on the forelocks and lower limbs, and also with speckling and glazing a skin tone onto the muzzle – it brings a little bit of realism.

 

 

Elsewhere we focused on soft and smooth rendering, which with white is a real challenge. We started with exaggerated shadows and glazed those with whites – which takes a very, very long time – which helps make the skin look almost translucent, pushing colours below the layers of the skin. The Damsel herself is all smooth rendering, whether it’s on cloth or on the skin, it’s all to make her look magical.

 

 

The staff is meant to be a gift from the Wood Elves, so it’s not painted to match the rest of the Bretonnian equipment. Instead, we looked at Wood Elf miniatures that had been painted by ’Eavy Metal in previous years and tried to make it feel meaningfully different and magical. 

How did you tackle the Tomb Kings of Khemri and the Necrolith Bone Dragon?

Rowan: The primary material of the Necrolith Bone Dragon is, perhaps unsurprisingly, bone, so there’s only a narrow span you can work within. It’s a challenge to keep that interesting.

Kieran: We did a lot of research into bones. We didn’t want to just figure out one recipe and stick to it for everything. We spent a lot of time looking at carcasses and bones situated in different environments and observed how bones weathered through the ages. How might the bones of a recent death look versus sand-polished bone?

 

 

Rowan: We also extended our thinking to how the model is based – it’s not on the old-style standard sandy base, so some of the bone is painted to reflect this. There’s dirt and weathering that conveys the environment it’s in.

Kieran: Modernising is a really important part of the Old World painting process. One of the larger changes in how ’Eavy Metal renders things is conveying believability and a sense of realism. Eventually, you have to find a line of belief – are we drawing that at accepting this gigantic undead dragon can exist, or are we pushing a bit further and considering how its constituent elements might be affected by reality?

Rowan: A lot of the flavour in the Old World comes from being a little more grounded, and having more of a worn aesthetic. The weathering across the miniature is really important, especially with the metals, and a lot of research was done into how they weather in different environments. Part of pursuing believability is to make sure elements like metal are rendered correctly – no rust on gold, no oxidation on steel and so on. Enamels are a nice focal point across the Tomb Kings army, adding a little splash of colour, so when it came to painting the Bone Dragon, we took care to make it duller and weathered closer to the ground, and polished and gleaming up on the howdah.

 

 

Kieran: There is a lot of detail work inside the howdah. It was a total dream to paint and a lot of fun, but also a really difficult thing to balance, making sure it’s a focal point but that it also has that subtle weathering – such as a sun-bleached cloth – which gives a time-worn quality to it. Conceptually, Tomb Kings are a little more static than other ranges in that their traditions and philosophies are fixed in place, but time has marched on, and that has to be represented in the painting.

The dragon itself was painted to feel like it was something that was alive during the Tomb Kings’ reign – a status symbol for a King or a creature in the thrall of a Mortuary Cult priest. When they died, perhaps the dragon was buried with them, and then they were reanimated after. I think It says a lot about the history of Nehekhara, and it shows a different side to the way that society works – it’s an opportunity to open things up. 

Rowan: Another element that we’ve dug into is the way that flesh is painted on the Tomb Kings. Though the primary image of the faction is of sunbleached skeletons, there’s actually a lot of desiccated flesh on display in old art on the Tomb Kings and Liche Priests. 

 

 

Kieran: There’s also precedent in the range already, as the old Casket of Souls has quite a realistic-looking fleshy tone on it

Rowan: It’s another case of thinking about where in the world these characters are situated. What’s happened to them since they died? Skin gets leathery as it ages, and paler skin gets quite translucent – these elements then need to be transferred into the afterlife…

Keiran: There are some striking green elements in there, which adds that supernatural vibe into things, which we’ve tried to work into all of the other considerations.

Rowan: Also, we wanted to get some contrast in there because the whole faction can’t just be gold, brown, and red – for example, there’s the blue on the enamel. 

Kieran: It looks supernatural and fantastical, but that is just part and parcel of how the Tomb Kings operate as a faction. It’s what makes them feel like part of Warhammer.

Rowan: Ultimately, a lot of our work was making things link back to the older miniatures that have been worked on while also working out how to move things forward. It’s a fine line to walk.

Kieran: There are opportunities for us to pay homage to the long history of Warhammer Fantasy. The World of Legend setting lets us do something really different from what came before, too – it lets us subtly change army identities through the context of the setting. Being part of this process is really exciting.

It’s going to take us a while to digest all of that painting knowledge! Thanks to everyone involved for such a comprehensive retelling of the decisions that went into writing the lore, designing the miniatures, and painting the factions for Warhammer: The Old World. There were all sorts of interesting tangents that didn’t fit neatly into those three subjects, so tomorrow, we’ll be presenting a feast of informative morsels to tide you over until Saturday, when you can pre-order Warhammer: The Old World.

[Nekhro]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/05/old-world-almanack-what-exactly-is-an-arcane-journal/

 

 

Old World Almanack – What Exactly Is an Arcane Journal?

Warhammer: The Old World will be available to pre-order on Saturday, and nestled amid the mountains of new and returning miniatures are two intriguing softback books – the Arcane Journals

 

Arcane Journals are softback supplements that are designed to work alongside the army lists in Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes, containing supplementary background and imagery, and additional rules that complement these details through extra equipment, special characters, and army lists.

Arcane Journals are not required to play your chosen faction in Warhammer: The Old World . The two main army lists contain a complete set of rules for each army, including unique spells that supplement the eight lores in the core rulebook (for instance, the Lore of Nehekara or the Lore of the Lady), unique abilities (like Knightly Vows and Resurrecting the Fallen), and faction specific special rules (Arrows of Asaph,  Blessings of the Lady, etc) and magic items. 

 

 

However, Arcane Journals do provide different ways to play and new ways to build your force via themed army lists with their own mustering rules. These Armies of Infamy differ from the main list in meaningful ways: due to their geographical location, the unique tactics employed by certain generals, or the formation of historical retinues for notable characters.

For example, the Bretonnian Exiles are forces under the command of a Banished Lord – a knight who has committed some transgression against Code Chivalric and been booted out. Shorn of their honour, these Lords are now free to hire bloodthirsty mercenaries and employ Border Prince Bombards as they attempt to claim glory (or just a new land to rule) – taking up the Vow of the Exile instead of their regular Chivalric Vow.

 

 

The Tomb Kings can use rules found in their own Arcane Journal to field Nehekharan Royal Hosts, the elite retinue of an influential Tomb King or Prince. The monarchs who lead these armies are often tutored in the secret language of the Priests of the Mortuary Cult, while their legions of Skeleton and Tomb Guard Chariots pulverise their ruler’s enemies under hoof and wheel.

These variant army lists are a great way to add a narrative element to your collection, and stretch your skills by undertaking projects such as creating an Errantry Crusade that features a rainbow of unique heraldry. 

 

 

Each Arcane Journal also features one historical recreation scenario. For the Kingdom of Bretonnia, that’s The Battle of Matorea. Set during a seismic war in the Border Princes, this scenario pits a modest force led by Sir Cecil Gastonne the Wyrm Slayer, fighting tooth and nail against a colossal Khemrian host led by Settra the Imperishable – as the Duke of Brionne and Lady Élisse Duchaard ride out to save him.

It features mustering rules for each force, as well as a battlefield map and special rules that represent the conditions of the battle – providing unique challenges that differ from the missions in the Core Book. 

Each Arcane Journal will feature one of these historical recreations, and you can have the first one on us – just click the download button below. It even provides instructions for playing the scenario with armies of your choosing!

Each Arcane Journal contains rules for notable special characters, such as the Green Knight, Élisse Duchaard, Nekaph the Emissary of Settra, and Settra the Imperishable himself. There are also additional magic weapons, armour, standards, and other enchanted items for the featured faction.

You’ll be able to pre-order the Arcane Journals for the Kingdom of Bretonnia and the Tomb Kings of Khemri on Saturday, alongside the game itself and oodles of beautiful miniatures and accessories. Further Arcane Journals following the other seven core factions will be released in due course. 

For your first look at Warhammer: The Old World, you can now watch its Warhammer+ debut Battle Report for FREE on YouTube. There’s also Loremasters and Citadel Colour Masterclass content coming up in the next few weeks. Praise the Lady/Hail Settra (delete as applicable)! And if you want to see the Battle Of Matorea scenario in action, check out the MiniWarGaming YouTube channel.

[Nekhro]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/05/old-world-almanack-how-to-bulk-out-your-regiments-with-unit-fillers/

 

 

Old World Almanack – How to Bulk out your Regiments with Unit Fillers

Warhammer: The Old World is on the horizon, and with it comes the opportunity to build vast armies from the World of Legend. But what if you wanted to make them even vaster? A unit filler is a creative way to bolster your troop count and spice up your squares – a modelling project set on a larger base that fits into the middle of your unit, representing multiple individual models. Once you’ve taken enough casualties, simply remove the filler. Popular YouTuber Pete the Wargamer had a go at converting some fillers of his own, and here he explains more about his project.

Pete: Unit fillers offer a great opportunity to personalise your army without having to modify every single model in each of your units, especially if you are someone who enjoys kitbashing and converting. They are essentially mini-dioramas, giving you the space to get a bit more creative than you could on a single 25mm base.

My plan was to create two unit fillers: one for the Tomb Kings and one for the Bretonnians. I began with the forces of Khemri, with an idea that revolved around a ruined obelisk that has been re-empowered and is now unleashing its energy to reanimate the corpses buried by the sands.

 

 

The basis for this obelisk is the Ossiarch Bonereapers Bone-tithe Nexus. The Bonereapers have an aesthetic that is not totally dissimilar from the Tomb Kings, so some of their parts can work well together. I cut the pillar into separate pieces, and a few carefully-placed rocks were used to create the floating effect. Having them loosely hover one above the other would give the impression of the fallen monument being reformed by a powerful Necrotect.

From here, the next step was to create the streams of energy swirling around the obelisk. These are sourced from the Spirit Hosts kit, and just needed a little adjustment here and there to fit flush against the obelisk.

My idea for the Bretonnian unit filler was very different. After all, with most of the Bretonnian infantry blocks being peasants, something as arcane as a floating obelisk wouldn’t fit with their aesthetic. So I kept things simple and built… a cart. This was constructed using leftover parts from another conversion and consists of two wheels, an axle, a platform, and a couple of wooden struts, all sourced from a Skaven Plague Furnace.

 

 

Next, the cart was laden with resources and equipment, with the first of these being a chest taken from the same Bone-tithe Nexus we saw before. This was followed up with some Peasant Bowmen Stakes, a couple of Men-At-Arms shields, and various other accessories found within the Bretonnian infantry kits.

Both mini-dioramas were mounted on 75x50mm bases, making them perfectly sized to replace the central six miniatures in a unit of 20. With everything built, they were given a paint scheme to match their respective armies.

Whether you’re the kind of person who already enjoys kitbashing or you’re someone who is a little apprehensive about converting your minis, I’d highly recommend adding a few unit fillers to your Old World army. With just a few leftover bits and a little imagination, you can make your army truly your own.

Thanks Pete – very smart stuff. Hopefully this will get people’s creative juices flowing – let us know on Facebook and Twitter what your plans are for unit fillers. You can catch Pete on his YouTube channel and Instagram page.

[Nekhro]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/05/old-world-almanack-designer-round-table-on-the-past-and-future-of-a-stone-cold-classic/

 

 

Old World Almanack – Designer Round Table on The Past and Future of a Stone-cold Classic

So far in our series of round table chats with the team behind Warhammer: The Old World, we’ve discussed the lore, the design, and the painting decisions behind the World of Legend. Today we’re talking about… everything else.

 

 

How long has Warhammer: The Old World been under development?

Jonathan: Ideas get tossed around all the time, but it was probably five years ago when we felt able to sit down and really start talking about this game – perhaps a little earlier. That’s when the ball really began to roll. 

This is billed as a new game, rather than a continuation of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. What does this mean?

Jonathan: Essentially, we broke off from Warhammer Fantasy Battle and chose to go in a different direction. Warhammer: The Old World is still recognisably Warhammer, and still recognisable to players who play and remember that game – it’s got that nostalgia – but it’s something new, insofar as we’re able to do new things with rules and miniatures.

Rob: I’d go as far as to say it’s less about the game and more about the framing. Warhammer Fantasy Battle was a window into a certain time period in that setting, and the Old World shifts the frame to a different era. 

It uses a lot of the same motifs – imagery, artwork, older painted miniatures, and so on – and there has been a lot of work done to ensure those things resonate with people who loved Warhammer Fantasy Battle. But there’s new framing – in areas like heraldry, you’ll see new takes on Bretonnian imagery and symbolism, leaning more heavily into areas we couldn’t before. The game itself is very familiar because it is supposed to be nostalgic, but there are a lot of new developments here too.

 

 

Dan: In the studio there’s a likening between Warhammer: The Old World and Warhammer: The Horus Heresy. Those who have played older versions of Warhammer 40,000 will be familiar with what’s on offer in the latter game, and that will be the same for players of Warhammer Fantasy Battle of old. Some things will be very familiar to people who played older versions of the game, but many things will feel fresh. 

Jonathan: One of the exciting things about this project is that there are a lot of things we can bring back – moulds and tools willing. 

Rob: There’s a lot of invisible work in the Old World project, finding old miniatures in the archive, rebasing everything, and then trying to consider what elements we wanted to bring back – what’s going to excite people, what’s too much. 

What’s more, plenty of the original ‘Eavy Metal miniatures had been lost or damaged through the wear and tear of 40 years of Warhammer. Painting new versions of these was a massive part of the project for a handful of people who worked very hard on it. Some of them stuck to the original schemes, but more often than not we looked to present things in a more modern way.

You spent a long time hunting through the Warhammer archives, warehouses, and the hidden corners of the factory. Which treasures are returning?

Rob: Loads of great stuff is coming back.

Part of this process involved looking at old kits and how to remake them. Large metal kits are ultimately quite difficult to make. So we went through and remastered the old masters, the ones you’d use to make an army – giants and war machines – and began a process of resculpting them with an eye for preserving details and making the construction process easier, before retooling and recasting them as kits in Forge World resin.

Jonathan: We spent ages in the archives searching for classic ‘Eavy Metal models, and the production guys worked hard getting old moulds and tools out of mothballs. Lots of cutting new moulds and polishing old tools, but it’s not old stock – none of the models we’re releasing were found on a pallet.

 

 

Other Dan: Everybody is from a slightly different generation. Rob and I spent a lot of time in the archives, and the things that were getting Rob excited were completely before my time.

Rob: There’s one Bretonnian model coming out that had been designed decades ago and never released. It was incredible to be able to find things like this buried at the back of a cupboard.

How will these rarities be made available? 

Rob: Some collectible metal models and oddities from the history of Warhammer Fantasy Battle will be available on a Made to Order basis, whereas everything else you’d expect to see for representing unit profiles will be available normally. For most units, the most recent version will act as your standard miniature for Warhammer: The Old World, but we could bring back older versions for collectors, or people who want an alternative.

 

 

How have you blended the new with the old?

Jonathan: Old armies were quite flat – with lots of troops at the same height – and the monsters were kept smaller on purpose to maintain that low fantasy aesthetic. In part however, that was down to the constraints of techniques and materials of the time. 

Giorgio: We can achieve so much more with technology. You can now decide to have a massive monster and then choose to create it without any issues. We’re far away from the time when something like the old Elven Dragon was a huge physical challenge, and that’s broadened our horizons.

 

 

Rob: As models are being designed now, we’re looking at silhouettes – we can think about how models fit into units – battle standard bearers and champions can be embedded in units, and we can see how that changes the unit, the army, and also the range. Miniatures not only have to look brilliant, but they have to find a place in someone’s collection, too. It’s all done with much more intentionality. 

Jonathan: People’s expectations have also changed quite a lot in the time we’ve been doing this, but we also have to balance that with an aesthetic and visual identity that makes sense for Warhammer: The Old World. 

What about the legacy factions?

Rob:  A few of the factions from the previous Warhammer Fantasy Battle game will not feature in Warhammer: The Old World – this is in terms of game rules, model ranges, and the ongoing background narrative. These ‘Legacy’ factions will however get free, downloadable army lists so people can try out the new system using their older model collections. More about this in the coming weeks, though please note that they won’t be considered legal for tournaments, and won’t receive ongoing support. 

If you want to come on this long-term journey with us, the factions in the Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes books are the ones to collect and play – and we want to be pretty clear about that

 

 

How important was mapping out these lands to the design process?

Jonathan: The map, the one that was posted all that time ago, was where defining the heraldry started in some ways. It’s now on the Old World website, and it’s a living document which will continue to have new things added to it over time, with areas that can be zoomed in on and a crazy level of detail

 

 

Holly: Technically, there are multiple maps for each area of the Old World, and all of them are designed to be contiguous eventually. It wasn’t a simple process of just drawing a map, though. We had to work out how to find the middle ground between accuracy and details. But also, over the years, different maps have rendered different areas with slight changes, so we had to reach a consensus on where cities need to be placed for accuracy, comparing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and older maps with the work that we’ve done in creating the world map for the Total War: Warhammer series.

 

 

Jonathan: Much of the iconography we’ve worked on has been designed so that at a glance you can define territory on these maps. You see the Wyvern in Bretonnia, you know that it’s the King, you immediately define them. Each one works to create a personality for each faction, via their icons and other subtle details.

Holly: If someone is interested in interrogating those maps, they’ll find interesting details and Easter eggs – some calling as far back as the third edition of Warhammer. 

Any final thoughts?

Jonathan: It’s weird to think that we’ve been working on this in some capacity for so long. As a game designer, it’s rare to get this amount of time to dive deep into rules and previous iterations of the game, in order to dig out ideas – we’ve all got very strong opinions about which editions we prefer, which elements we like, whether we’re fans of the magic card system or not…

 

 

It’s very strange, bringing back an old game and old ranges that people know and love – and it wasn’t simple. We had to dive in the archive, retrieve old models, rework things, get new painting done, work out new basing sizes, and rebase everything. And that was a deliberate choice: because we were redesigning the system from the ground up, and because miniatures had scaled up and become more dynamic and three-dimensional as the technology had changed, I took the opportunity to ensure base sizes would actually let you rank up comfortably. 

All of this was carefully considered. Early on in development, I painted up two full units on bases cut from plasticard. One used the old size and the other involved the sizes we were trialling, to get people to decide which they thought looked better, and to see how they worked in our games. There had been a lot of debate, but the new sizes won out because everything just ranked up so much better. The armies do just look so much more grand on the battlefield.

Thanks very much guys! We could have talked for hours more on this fascinating project, and there’ll be much more to come in the future. In the meantime, the first wave of Bretonnians and Tomb Kings will be available to pre-order from tomorrow. Log on early so you don’t miss out!

 

[Nekhro]

[JB]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/15/old-world-almanack-this-new-bretonnian-lord-was-sculpted-in-2008/

 

 

Old World Almanack – This New Bretonnian Lord Was Sculpted in 2008

The first wave of Warhammer: The Old World out for real this Saturday – a glittering Bretonnian host arrayed against the remorseless undead legions of Khemri. But these aren’t the only soldiers, knights, constructs, or nobles coming to the two sides; there are many more classics returning, some in their original forms, others as remasters, and a select few coming on a Made to Order basis.*

There are even a few new models coming – but one of these has a longer history than you might expect. In fact, this Bretonnian Lord on Foot (and his little helper) were actually sculpted back in 2008, but never released. Until now.**

 

 

“This awesome model was made in 2008,” explains Old World Lead Rob. “It was shown at a Games Day around then, in a cabinet of greens.***

“As we were writing the new game, someone remembered the miniature and inquired if it was still around. The mould room still had it, but it had never been pressed in rubber as far as we could tell, and they kindly made new master and production moulds so we could release him in metal.” 

 

 

Martin, who originally sculpted the Lord, was very surprised to learn that his Lord would be released after all this time. 

“I was proud to make it, and I have a soft spot for it. Having previously worked on the trebuchet and crew (And a Golden Demon entry featuring said trebuchet…) I do like the Bretonnian range and background,” he said.

 

 

Martin’s gorgeous Golden Demon entry which won Bronze in 2006.

“He was made in modelling putty with sculpting tools (dental tools). I had wanted to do a Lord on foot as all of our knight models were mounted. He was intended to be a Games Day exclusive miniature, but in the end, another of my models replaced him, the Exalted Hero of Chaos at Games Day 2009.”

So now, after more than 15 years in the back of the Citadel closet and on collectors’ lists of mythical ‘lost’ miniatures, this Lord and his loyal retainer are finally hitting the action.

“He’s a great miniature for those collectors out there who know all about him,” says Rob. “His squire does not have any in-game rules as such, but we invite people to be creative with how they use him!”

 

 

The Exalted Hero of Chaos from Games Day 2009. (note that no release is currently planned for this guy!)

And while there might not be other unreleased models coming to Warhammer: The Old World, he’s far from the only rarity to return. Many factions will receive a few surprises in this vein – and this isn’t the only noble knight on foot mustering for the Kingdom of Bretonnia.

“It’s rare to release a new model in metal,” Rob adds. “The last was the ‘Warg Attack’ Gamling on Horse for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. He’s a unique release, but we have definitely had to make new master moulds from other greens throughout the development of The Old World to replace some that had been lost or worn out over the years.”

 

 

We’ve also got some further exciting reveals this week. Those lucky enough to attend the Warhammer: The Old World launch event at Warhammer World in Nottingham this weekend will get the first look at the next army due for release! And for those who can’t make it to Nottingham, we’ll have the details here on Warhammer Community.

Modifié le 17 janvier par Nekhro

[JB]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/01/17/old-world-almanack-the-art-of-remastering-classic-miniatures/

 

 

Old World Almanack – The Art of Remastering Classic Miniatures

The Old World project is bringing back hundreds of classic models from the rich history of Warhammer. The Warhammer Studio have been lovingly recovering and rediscovering old moulds and machine tools, and returning them to production so they may once again do valiant battle on the most oblong of bases.

 

But while we remember each and every one of these wonderful miniatures from yesteryear with all-consuming fondness, we can’t claim in good conscience that they were all smooth experiences to build. Fortunately, the team bringing Warhammer: The Old World to your tabletop had this in mind when they were pillaging the archives, and more than a few of the larger returning models have been remastered to update their details and ensure they fit together as painlessly as possible. Here’s Rob, the guy in charge of the whole Old World project, to explain:

“In some cases, the original greens* are long missing. The factory keeps the cast masters,** however, which are sometimes in metal and sometimes resin. There is a slight loss of detail when transferring to the master cast from the original green, so we had Lewis painstakingly hand-sculpt those details back into the models.

 

 

 

“This also meant cutting them up slightly differently, as the manufacturing process for resin is different to metal. He resculpted every rivet on the Bretonnian Trebuchet, the eye socket on every skull, sharpened all manner of other details, and even added some additional work. For example, there is now an inside to the Casket of Souls! He has had a lot of fun looking at these kits and working out what best to do.

 

“He also addressed the joints on the Tomb Scorpion to make it easier to assemble and more posable – it’s now all ball joints. He created a new third variant of the Carrion based on Trish’s*** original two. This allowed us to put them in a pack of three, which we think better serves how people will want to use them in the game.

 

“We also obviously took the opportunity to add an unreleased head to the Bone Giant kit, as we all thought it was very cool.”

 

The bone dome – the Bone Giant has a nice new hat

So while Warhammer: The Old World is mostly supported by this vast range of classic models, the entire team has poured enormous care and attention into getting their best ever versions out onto the tabletop. There will be a smattering of remastered models coming to the other core armies once each range gets its release, and there are loads of surprises returning on a Made to Order basis. Don’t forget to check back on Saturday for… something.

* The original hand-sculpted model, which traditionally used a green putty.

** A more solid reproduction of the green, used to create casts for production.

*** A legendary sculptor who created many iconic Warhammer monsters.

Modifié le 17 janvier par Nekhro