Overview of the Old World

[thequester]

Great points cornixt! A couple years ago I bought the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook, to get to know more about the world of Warhammer, as it looked at the time when Hero Quest was conceived. In it there are colour images of some of the art that we have in greyscale in the Hero Quest rulebook. I've been meaning to scan it and post it here, which I still intend to. The book is currently at my parents' house, but with covid I don't yet know when I'll go there again.

[Pancho]

A really good reference on Warhammer Fantasy lore is:
https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Warhammer_Wiki

I use it whenever I wanna know some details about the Olde World of Warhammer. I like the idea of HQ happening in an earlier era than WHFB, where gunpowder might not yet have been invented, and the idea that our Prince Magnus might have been the "young noble" who later became emperor Magnus the Pious.

Thanks for this. I also really like your idea of the earlier setting and Prince Magnus.

[Davane]

The information on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was created just prior to HQ, and a lot of that can be used to colour your games of HQ. That includes Fimir, by the way.

It's worth noting that the Warhammer World pre Age of Sigmar (or Age of Shitmar as it is referred to by a friend of mine), AKA the Oldhammer World, has become one of the most popular fantasy settings in the world SINCE GW torched it. This has been driven by the phenomenal success of the Total War: Warhammer franchise, to the point that even GW considered bringing back the Warhammer World and WFB a few years back, with new models. Ultimately, they decided against it, fearing that it would compete with, and eclipse, AoS sales and render everything they have done over the past five or so years redundant.

Personally, I would say anything up to AoS is fair game, using an additive design approach - that is, nothing really goes from the Warhammer World, and there's always room to add more things as desired. It's also worth noting that the Empire and the Old World is a sort of nexus for the Warhammer World, in that whilst things may exist in the larger Warhammer World, it's not uncommon to find enclaves of even the farthest flung new lands hidden in the heart of the Old World. Thus, you can get Lizardmen clans hiding in the heart of the Reikwald, even as they mostly exist in the distant jungles of Lustria.

[Kurgan]

Anybody have the dates for these particular releases we're talking about? I think if you're trying to match up the Warhammer fantasy materials that might "fit" with these Hero Quest releases, that would be helpful. If you know who worked on them, that's good too.

Decide for yourself how strictly you're going to take this material. I'm satisfied looking at it as another dimension. If this were the comics world, it surely would be a bunch of "alternate earths" or something. It can surely be annoying when a company decides to "change the canon" but that is only as impactful as you let it.

Looks like thequester's book goes for about $50 + shipping on ebay.

[thequester]

It's also worth noting that the Empire and the Old World is a sort of nexus for the Warhammer World, in that whilst things may exist in the larger Warhammer World, it's not uncommon to find enclaves of even the farthest flung new lands hidden in the heart of the Old World. Thus, you can get Lizardmen clans hiding in the heart of the Reikwald, even as they mostly exist in the distant jungles of Lustria.

I love this, thanks for the insight Davane!

[j_dean80]

So the 3rd edition only had a few books/manuals:

Warhammer Fantasy Battle

Warhammer Armies https://www.scribd.com/doc/100191674/Warhammer-Armies

Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness https://www.scribd.com/doc/298022753/Realm-of-Chaos-Slaves-to-Darkness-Khorne-Slaanesh

Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned https://www.scribd.com/document/351604456/Warhammer-Realm-of-Chaos-The-Lost-and-the-Damned

Warhammer Siege https://www.scribd.com/document/45501172/Warhammer-3E-Siege

Mighty Empires https://www.scribd.com/doc/73505743/Mighty-Empires-Unlock

Advanced HeroQuest https://www.scribd.com/document/395093889/Advanced-Heroquest-1989

Advanced HeroQuest: Terror in the Dark https://www.scribd.com/doc/306238209/AHQ-Terror-in-the-Dark

Mighty Warriors https://www.scribd.com/document/367865172/Mighty-Warriors-Rules

Battle Masters https://www.scribd.com/document/68535403/Battle-Masters

[thequester]

If I remember correctly, the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook also has clues hinting at why the spell system of Hero Quest was made the way it was - being separated into spells of the four elements.

[j_dean80]

If I remember correctly, the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook also has clues hinting at why the spell system of Hero Quest was made the way it was - being separated into spells of the four elements.

The book was released prior to HQ though?

[thequester]

If I remember correctly, the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook also has clues hinting at why the spell system of Hero Quest was made the way it was - being separated into spells of the four elements.

The book was released prior to HQ though?

I believe so... So if my memory serves me, it would seem like the elemental-magic-something I saw in the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook might have inspired the Hero Quest magic system. But it's been years since I looked in that rulebook, so don't take my word for it, better check it for yourselves.

[j_dean80]

If I remember correctly, the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook also has clues hinting at why the spell system of Hero Quest was made the way it was - being separated into spells of the four elements.

The book was released prior to HQ though?

I believe so... So if my memory serves me, it would seem like the elemental-magic-something I saw in the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook might have inspired the Hero Quest magic system. But it's been years since I looked in that rulebook, so don't take my word for it, better check it for yourselves.

Well I ended up ordering the book (wife keeps telling me to read more anyways, so why not make it fun).