Hey guys,

I'm struggling to share with a new friend who is a little bit of a novice to fantasy why the Warhammer setting is so cool, specifically the Empire and all the hidden evils against it and all those deeper layers of meaning to it all. Anyway, i know there are loads of books and short stories out there and i'd love if anyone has a suggestion on what is the most impactful bit of text that a new person could read to 'get it'.

I don't really want to know what your favorite novel is, i want specifically to know what covers the bases the best and in the shortest amount of time.

Thanks so much in advance!

Gitzman

It actually isn't a Warhammer novel/short story, but i think that the Witcher - Last Wish has some REALLY warhammerish short stories.

Track down some old Inferno! magazines if you can. Lots of short stories directly tied to Warhammer in there. It's been dead for what...seven years now sheesh...so it may be hard to come by but that is where I would go if you are short on patience and looking for a "official" short story.

For novels that are directly published by the Black Library? The Witch Hunter omnibus is a hoot and CL Werner has a nack for the setting. The first Gotrek and Felix omnibus is okay and captures some of the essence of the Empire even if it is a bit clunky.

THAT being said...

I personally think the best way to appreciate the setting is to go after some fiction that isn't directly tied to Warhammer, but fictional tidbits that inspired some iconic WFRP things. The Solomon Kane stories tend to be short and he is the obvious progenitor of the Witch Hunters in WF. Do a wikipedia search (or library if anyone out there still believes in them...) on Charles Martel and the Merovingians to get a clearer picture of what a hammer wielding warrior priest of Sigmar feels like. Have him read some Grimm's fairy tales to get a feel for the kind of terror that lurks on the doorsteps of the common people of the Empire. He could do another wikipedia search on the Knights Templar (especially their eventual burning as heretics...lol...) to get a feel for coming up in the world only to get axed by the powers that be.

If you like easily devoured modern fiction that has the "feel" of warhammer I'd point you towards Joe Abercrombie's work on the First Law Trilogy and The Heroes (not so much Best Served Cold as it's just too...Tilean . They are character driven stories and really have a lot of grit and grime that makes for good WFRP story telling. Tell me Inquisitor Glokta, Jezal Dan Luthar and Logen Ninefingers aren't just about perfect for plopping into WFRP...

Of course you could also just tell him to start liking the setting as hard as he can "OR ELSE" I find threats and property damage goes a long way towards winning people over to WFRP.

In my mind, the first short story in "Trollslayer" from the Gotrek and Felix series is a great snapshot of what makes Warhammer distinct. A mysterious disappearance, a secret cult, world-weary protagonists and a less-than-Hollywood ending. I don't recall the exact page count but it was a very quick read.

I have only read a few Warhammer Novels...But the one I read that was both short, and gives a lot of ideas of what living in the Empire can be like is "The Enemy Within" by Richard Lee Byers.

Also, I believe a good movie that might give one an idea of how it might be in this kind of world is the 13th Warrior. It makes me think of living in the Northern part of the empire, fighting unknown forces events. Great ideas on how to think about Seers, Shamans, Fortune etc.

Bloody Sun Boy said:

If you're talking about "Geheimnisnacht" (I don't have my copy of "Trollslayer" to hand), then I agree wholeheartedly. It's nice and short, and manages to hit most of the high (low) points of the setting.

You guys are great, wonderful suggestions. I have not ready any of those, though i am familiar with them. I'll try to track them down and force feed them to my new gamer =).

I dont want this to be a movie thread, but i think Black Death is the best and most modern movie that hits the essence of Warhammer. Check it out if you have not seen it.

Gitzman

if we are talking about recent movies, i think the movie 'I Sell the Dead' captures the humourous side of warhammer.

jakeboone said:

That's the one!

For those to lazy to read or time on their way to work this here is great warhammer feeling:

http://whchronicles.wordpress.com/

A good BL book that's full of nice short stories is Realm of Chaos, a bout 10 years old but you might find it in on Ebay or a 3rd party marketplace on the net. It's first story called `Birth of a Legend' tells how Sigmar saved the dwarf King Kurgan from the greenskins, at 20 pages its about 30 min read and it's fun too

doc_cthulhu said:

Sadly, this is the case, when the game is a few times better than the book. The book has first disappointed me with loads of copy-book maxims, pretending to be some big discovery. Second, I fervently disliked Geralt's relationship with his girlfriend Jennifer, *and* the violent (yet cheesy) manner he reacted in, when she got insulted by someone.

That was totally out of style, imho. However, I must admit I didn't get past Blood of the Elves due to being extremely bored. Please tell me, if the rest of the series is as boring or not.

P.S. I also think that Witcher more tends to Eastern/Central European folklore, rather than to Occidental, i.e. The Empire. But hey, it's fantasy, anyway!

zwobot said:

Ooooh im excited to try this out.

Gitzman

Gitzman said:

Its really solid. Great production value. Good voice actors. Enjoy!

Italo Calvino anthologized several nineteenth century fantastic tales that are very warhammerish in Fantastic Tales. But this depends on which aspects of Warhammer you want to focus on. Tales from the Old World as far as I can remember organizes its short stories by tone and subject matter, and I think it anthologizes the story about Sigmar rescuing the dwarves as well. Some are absurdly funny and others are pretty grim. I think the first adventure from the core set really nailed the setting in a very limited space. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but it is a great mix of combat, investigation, and things can go horribly wrong really quickly, and the world is kind of built for letting horrible things happen.

And as far as movies go I think "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" deserves a mention.

My suggestion is always "Tales of the Old World" as well, Bindlespin.

Read through all of those (Some aren't great, but they're all fun), and you'll have a pretty good idea.

Darrett said:

So I have this book and am on the 3rd or 4th story in it. Do you have a suggestion on the best one of the book that i can suggest?

I'd love to know 'that story' that sums up as much of Warhammer awesomeness as possible so i know what to share when i meet folks who wan tto understand what makes it special. I cant really justify saying, "here read this whole book" but i can say "here read this short story".

Gitzman