THE STORY SO FAR

I intend to continue ‘The WFRP Story‘, my ongoing series of posts telling the history of WFRP1, in 2023. Ahead of that resumption I have returned to the earlier posts in the series and over a period of months revised them substantially. The changes to the content range from minor additions and emendations to extensive rewrites and even a pair of additional posts (which I have highlighted before). The alterations reflect new information and my improved understanding of the history. There are also many improvements in the presentation, such as the addition of downloadable PDFs of important documents.

I have put together an index of all the posts to date, which might prove useful now that there are so many, and a chronological chart of the story so far. Both are below.

SECTION ONE

THE EMERGENCE OF WFB1

(To 1983)

INTRODUCTION

I: ORIGINS
Warhammer‘s earliest beginnings.

II: FEAR THE REAPER
Richard Halliwell and Rick Priestley’s fantasy wargame Reaper.

III: SET LASERS TO KILL
Richard Halliwell, Rick Priestley and Bryan Ansell’s Combat 3000 and Laserburn skirmish rules.

IV: LET BATTLE COMMENCE
Work starts on WFB1.

V: SMASHING SKULLS
WFB1 is published.

VI: TABLETOP HEROES
WFB1‘s role-playing rules.

VII: WORLD BUILDING
The earliest incarnation of the Warhammer world.

VIII: “A CURIOSITY AND NOTHING MORE”
The reception and impact of WFB1.

SECTION TWO

DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN WFB1 AND WFB2

(1983-1984)

RE-INTRODUCTION

IX: BOX BY BOX
The expansion of Warhammer via Citadel box inserts.

X: PAGE BY PAGE
Coverage of WFB1 in White Dwarf and the first Citadel Compendium.

XI: FORCES OF FANTASY
WFB1‘s Forces of Fantasy supplement.

XII: REGIMENTS OF RENOWN
The early Regiments of Renown miniatures sets.

XIII: THE END OF THE BEGINNING
The Book of Battalions and second Citadel Compendium.

XIV: LORDS OF CHAOS
Analysis of Chaos gods in WFB1.

XV: CHAMPIONS OF CHAOS
Chaos warriors in WFB1.

XVI: CREATURES OF CHAOS
Mutation and Chaotic beasts in WFB1.

XVII: REALM OF CHAOS
The earliest plans for the Realm of Chaos supplement.

XVIII: BALANCING ACT
The conception of Law in WFB1.

XIX: THE ELEVEN CONTINENTS
The next stage of the Warhammer world’s development.

XX: THIEVES’ WORLD
‘Watch Out, There’s a Thief About’ and the emergence of WFRP‘s careers system.

SECTION THREE

PUBLICATION OF WFB2

(1984)

RE-INTRODUCTION

XXI: HERE WE GO AGAIN
The publication of WFB2.

XXII: IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC
The evolution of magic in WFB2.

XXIII: THE KNOWN WORLD
The Warhammer world starts to take shape.

XXIV: HERE BE DRAGONS
Warhammer‘s evolving bestiary.

XXV: “A BUCKET FULL OF DICE”
The reception and impact of WFB2.

SECTION FOUR

DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN WFB2 AND WFRP1

(1984-1986)

RE-INTRODUCTION

XXVI: TAKEOVER
Bryan Ansell’s acquisition of Games Workshop and Citadel.

XXVII: RIPPLES
The relationship between TSR and GW and its impact on WFRP.

XXVIII: REINFORCEMENTS OF RENOWN
Further Regiments of Renown boxed sets.

XXIX: JOURNALISM
Coverage of Warhammer in the Citadel Journal, third Citadel Compendium and White Dwarf.

XXX: ORC’S DRIFT
The first battle pack for WFB2: Blood Bath at Orc’s Drift.

XXXI: BLOOD ON THE STREETS
Another WFB2 supplement: Blood on the Streets

XXXII: LICHEMASTER
Terror of the Lichemaster, a further WFB2 campaign set.

XXXIII: MCDEATH
WFB2‘s final battle pack: The Tragedy of McDeath.

XXXIV: THE RAT PACK
The origins of the skaven.

XXXV: WACKY RACES
Fimir, zoats and Chaos snakemen.

XXXVI: KALEB DAARK
John Wagner and Alan Grant’s Warhammer comic strip.

XXXVII: GOOD GAME
WFRP‘s first draft and ‘The Web of Eldaw’.

XXXVIII: PASSING THE BATON
New recruits take over the task of preparing WFRP for release.

XXXIX: WARPS
The final stretch of the WFRP1 rulebook’s development.

Further sections will follow and take the story up to the point at which GW stopped developing WFRP1 in 1992.

CHRONOLOGY

Title image by Ian Miller. Used without permission. No challenge intended to the rights holders.

Advertisement