‘Warhammer: The Old World’ Has Exceeded My Expectations
Lets take a look at the state of Warhammer: The Old World and have far it’s come, in it’s very short life so far.
Warhammer: The Old World is a year and half old, and sits on the eve of releasing the first new Warhammer Fantasy/Old World faction in 20 years – Grand Cathay. Despite being a relatively new game, it is one that has, like Chaos, exploded across the world. This game has, in nearly every way, exceeded the expectations I had when it came out. It’s been an amazing ride these last 18 months. As the game is about it move beyond simply recreating Warhammer Fantasy, and into expanding on it, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the state of it and what the game has done.
Warhammer: The Old World: The Lead Up
Warhammer: The Old World was first announced all the way back in November of 2019. Yeah, it’s been a minute. Back then we really had no idea what to expect from the game. They had a LOGO and a blank map and that was… pretty much it. But it was exciting, in some form or another Warhammer Fantasy was coming back. And then years passed. Years into the project we had very little information and a ton of rumors. There were rumors it was going to be on round bases. That it might be in a smaller, say 8mm scale. Rumors that it might be a skirmish game or just a boxed set game (such as Dreadfleet). We just didn’t know. Was it going to be a limited release, or all resin or what?
Slowly we did some minor info. It would be 28mm round bases with a big release. By May of 2023 we knew this, and some info on starting factions, but still not really what the game was. In fact by fall of 2023 I was starting to wonder if the game was even real! Nearly 4 years and we still knew next to nothing. And then, suddenly, like vanguarding Pegasus Knights, it was here and out and in our hands. And it was really good. But now that we had it the questions was how was it going to be supported and received.
The Support Has Been Out Of This World
I know there are likely some people out there who think the game needs more support, or isn’t getting what it should. But for me the level of support it has really has exceeded my expectations. The game launched with nine core factions. In my more hopeful moments, believed that we might get all nine faction released within two years of launch. Roughly one every 3 months after the first two seemed reasonable and a good level of support. We’ve gotten them all not within two years, but in the first year and a half! On top of that we are also getting a 10th brand new faction in that time. This is pretty crazy!
Warhammer: The Old World: So Many Models
It’s also not just the army books or “army” releases we’ve gotten that’s pretty stunning. It’s the sheer amount of models. The GW has released around 250 kits that they are selling normally. Grand Cathay is about to add more to this. This also doesn’t count a huge number of made-to-order sets. All told I’m guessing the number of Old World sets released has been close to 400. Four Hundred SKUs in eighteen months! That’s a massive endeavor and level of support.
Now sure, the bulk of those kits are old ones that are getting re-released. Doing this takes less time and effort then making all new kits. But it’s also not as simple as “just spin up the molds!” Many of these kits had to be re-cut or remastered. Some were re-done with major edits. Others had to be dug out of the deep archives, many of these have been out of production for decades. A few did get pretty directly ported over from AoS with just new bases added, but that’s the vast minority. And there have been new kits.
Most armies have gotten at least one new model, with a few getting brand new full plastic kits. Grand Cathay of course is all new kits, and a major release. Anyway you cut it this game has gotten major support from GW. I’m honestly not sure if they have ever put out this number of kits for a game in this period before.
The Old World Community Has Blown Me Away
Of course a game without players isn’t really anything to talk about. One of the biggest questions when Old World game out was how players would respond to it and what the community would be like. And that response really has exceeded my expectation. The player community has blow up worldwide and is huge. I’m in multiple groups with tens of thousands of others players and fans. While there is no doubt overlap between these groups, they also represent just the tip of the iceberg. Even GW has stated that player support blew them away. More importantly is that a lot of these players are new players. While the game has drawn heavily from old Warhammer Fantasy Players, many of whom didn’t even play later editions of that game, it is also managing to bring in new blood. Something a new game really needs.
The event scene has also blown up. There are hundreds of Old World events that have taken place and even more that have been announced. Pretty much every major Warhammer event has added Old World to the lineup, and there are many dedicated ones. There is massive supports both casually and competitively for the game and people are excited. This has been really great to see, and the speed with which these events have popped up is a little staggering at time. 
I also think it’s one of the better Warhammer communities out there. I don’t know if its the fact that the player base tends to be a bit older, or that ToW is a little more chill and slower paced, but overall its a super friendly and supportive community. That’s been really amazing to experience and be a part of as it grows.
This Game Is Going Places
The Old World is an amazing game and it feels like it’s really going somewhere. At pretty much every turn it’s exceeded my expectations. It’s release schedule has been far faster then I thought. While we might want more FAQs, the support it’s gotten from GW has been really good, certainly better than I have memories of WFB being at times. The community, both the player base and the events, are far bigger and more lively then I would have thought. While the game has a few hiccups here and there, overall, 18 months in it seems to be doing very well. From everything GW has said they have plans to keep pushing it and expanding and I’m very excited to see what the next 18 months bring!
Let us know what you think about the game, 18 months in, down in the comments!
