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Each day I shall endeavor to post some Warhammer Old World lore.
There is no particular order or reason for any of it, just thought I would share some Old World Lore.
Please note that the lore is taken from numerous online sources and it is not my own wording.
(most are from the Warhammer wiki)Window Tax
A tax legislated for by Emperor Karl-Franz in 2495 (Imperial Calendar). It imposed levies upon property based on the number of windows the building possessed. It was regarded as an unfair and diabolical piece of legislation targetting the poor by many students and academics in the Empire, and was adopted as cause celebre by insurrectionists and revolutionaries. Protests against this led to the Window Tax Riots in Altdorf.
Geheimnisnacht
The Night of Mystery: when the dark moon Morrslieb is full. On this night, which falls between the months Vorgeheim and Nachgeheim, sensible folk bar their doors and stay within their houses. Daemons and altereds are said to roam freely and and conduct ceremonies of worship to the Ruinous Powers on this night. In 2495 Felix Jaeger and Gotrek Gurnisson, whilst travelling through the Reikwald Forest, fleeing the aftermath of the Window Tax riots, become embroiled in just such an incident. The village they sought shelter in had been attacked by cultists and several citizens carried off. Felix & Gotrek track the cultists to their lair and dispatch them.
Great stuff Michael:)
Cheers, I don’t suspect it will convert anyone to playing WFB, but you never know.
Well when lockdown ends and all is well (ish) you are welcome to come here and have a bash with my 10mm stuff.
Window Tax Riots
An incident that took place in Altdorf in 2495. Students, radicals and the poverty-stricken of the Empire protested against Karl-Franz’ new Window Tax. Involved in this was a young Felix Jaeger, who almost found his academic career and his life at an end when the Reiksguard broke up the rioters. He was snatched from beneath their hooves by Gotrek Gurnisson and found a quite different career path opening up before him.
Days of the day week.
Wellentag — “Workday”
Aubentag — “Levyday”
Marktag — “Marketday”
Backertag — “Bakeday”
Bezahltag — “Taxday”
Konistag — “Kingday”
Angestag — “Startweek”
Festag — “Holiday”
Months of the year.Nachexen — “After-Witching”
Jahrdrung — “Year-Turn”
Pflugzeit — “Ploughtide”
Sigmarzeit — “Sigmartide”
Sommerzeit — “Summertide”
Vorgeheim — “Fore-Mystery”
Nachgeheim — “After-Mystery”
Erntezeit — “Harvest-Tide”
Brauzeit — “Brewmonth”
Kaldezeit — “Chillmonth”
Ulriczeit — “Ulric-Tide”
Vorhexen — “Fore-Witching”Pie Week
Celebrated between the 1st-8th days of Erntezeit, this Halfling celebration is rapidly becoming a secular holiday throughout the entire Empire, as everyone gets swept up in the idea of eating delicious pies. The Halflings themselves do not ascribe any particular reverence to the occasion, something that has not been overlooked by those Humans who believe Halflings to be nothing but worthless, gluttonous layabouts. Human towns have begun including pie eating contests, awards for the best or most unusual pies, and other festivities. Business, other than that dedicated to the making of pies or the selling of alcohol to wash it down, often grinds to a halt during Pie Week.
They use 8 day weeks and 11 month years? Did not know that.
I may have been incorrect, just looked at another site and found this:
Nachexen — “After-Witching”
Jahrdrung — “Year-Turn”
Pflugzeit — “Ploughtide”
Sigmarzeit — “Sigmartide”
Sommerzeit — “Summertide”
Vorgeheim — “Fore-Mystery”
Nachgeheim — “After-Mystery”
Erntezeit — “Harvest-Tide”
Brauzeit — “Brewmonth”
Kaldezeit — “Chillmonth”
Ulriczeit — “Ulric-Tide”
Vorhexen — “Fore-Witching”Oh, I can see myself book marking this thread!
They use 8 day weeks and 11 month years? Did not know that.
[Full Nerd mode – on] they don’t, its 12 months, of either 32 or 33 days plus there are 6 Holy days that fall between some of the months1(sorry when it comes to WFRP I am a massive geek, I have pretty much everything ever made for both V1 & V2 inc Warpstones which I even contributed too – albeit very slightly).
Anyone here ever post on the sadly now defunct STS forums?
My attempt at a Blog: http://ablogofwar.blogspot.co.uk/
Indeed, I have posted the correction.
Only just gotten back into Warhammer since the 80’s, so not aware of of STS forums.
Detlef Sierck is arguably the greatest actor, producer and playwright of The Empire.
Detlef was born in 2476 IC, the son of a vegetable merchant in Nuln.Giving proof of his extraordinary talent, Detlef gained fame and fortune in Middenheim. He was later hired by the Count of Middenland to write, perform and direct a theatre play called The History of Sigmar. Determined to create a masterpiece, Detlef saw no reason to spare in the expenses. Unfortunately an outbreak of plague cancelled the megalomaniac project.
Forced to assume all expenses and responsibilities, Detlef was ruined. Unable to pay, he was incarcerated in the Mundsen Keep, a debtor’s prison, for the princely sum of “119,255 gold crowns, 17 shillings and 9 pence”
Oswald von Konigswald made Detlef an offer which he couldn’t refuse: all his debts would be paid, and he would be handsomely rewarded for the creation and direction of a new theatre play based upon Oswald’s heroic feat: the slaying of Constant Drachenfels (which feat occurred when Detlef was only 4 years old).
Detlef accepted and wrote a play named Drachenfels which was performed at Castle Drachenfels before Emperor Karl Franz, Prince Luitpold, the Electors and other high-ranking officials.
He is currently the owner of the very successful Vargr Breughel Memorial Theatre, patronized by Prince Luitpold.
Oh, I can see myself book marking this thread!
They use 8 day weeks and 11 month years? Did not know that.
[Full Nerd mode – on] they don’t, its 12 months, of either 32 or 33 days plus there are 6 Holy days that fall between some of the months1(sorry when it comes to WFRP I am a massive geek, I have pretty much everything ever made for both V1 & V2 inc Warpstones which I even contributed too – albeit very slightly). Anyone here ever post on the sadly now defunct STS forums?
I miss Warpstone. I got a couple of scenarios in it, one co-written with an old buddy, and the second (in the very last edition) written by just me. It was great to be published, but sad to be published on something that was dying!
My Tilean Campaign can be found at https://bigsmallworlds.com/ and my YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/@bigsmallworlds
Schaffenfest
Each spring, people from across the Reikland flock to Bögenhafen for the Schaffenfest, a three-day fair, great attraction and a highlight of the town’s calendar. Not just a huge livestock market, the town becomes home to dozens of stalls and sideshows.
Schaffenfest
I promise this time I’m not joking… I was truly wondering for a few minutes, with my very feeble knowledge of the German language, why a Schlafenfest would include a Great joust.
http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/So this is taken from a wiki that takes from the various WFB and WFRP books and White Dwarf magazines and novels and video games.
There is a shed load of lore.
Maybe a tradition created by Gregg the Halfling
?Do like.
Dwarf ale is so nourishing that it is possible to survive on it alone for weeks on end. Every stronghold has a store of barrels and takes pride in the unique flavour of its brews. Wars between clans have been started by the mere suggestion that a hold’s ale tastes remotely similar to mannish brews (considered watery). After the length of his beard, the mark of any Dwarf is the amount he can guzzle, a feat warriors feel improves their battle prowess.
Dwarf Ale is much stronger than that produced in the Empire of Man, for Dwarf constitutions are much more robust. Indeed, so potent is some Dwarf Ale that it is believed it alone could sustain a Dwarf over long periods, without the need for water or food of any description. Undoubtedly, such a potent draught would as likely blind or kill a Human. According to accounts of alcohol-combustion engines from the Engineers’ Guild at Zhufbar, some beers can even be used to power the great machines.
Interesting, I would say that WFRP was almost all lore.
The obvious 100 pages of descriptions about the world and who lives in it, religions and so on.
But also the career system, each career helps build the world and creates a feel.Something as simple as the coachman career for example.
It tells us the Empire has highways, toll keepers, in places they are lawless, they are raided and so on, it helps set a tone.
The career also mentions the guilds and teamsters and that not many stay in the job long enough to benefit from the pension.Each career for me helps build up the world and adds lore/fluff/whatever you will.
Likewise many of the skills help build a feel for the world.
There is a heck of a lot in WFRP that helps make the world I think.
Especially the artwork, for me this is key in creating a cohesive feel for the setting.WFB does the same but to a much lesser degree, the world section is much smaller, but it does help set a tone.
The army lists go further and detail what units there are, a bit about them, colour schemes and so on.Now, of all the information about the Warhammer world, the core rule books make up a teeny tiny part of it all.
But I would say that WFRP (at least my edition) does a great job of setting out a world that is easy to jump into and packs a very distinctive punch in terms of feel.
Interesting, I would say that WFRP was almost all lore. The obvious 100 pages of descriptions about the world and who lives in it, religions and so on. But also the career system, each career helps build the world and creates a feel. Something as simple as the coachman career for example. It tells us the Empire has highways, toll keepers, in places they are lawless, they are raided and so on, it helps set a tone. The career also mentions the guilds and teamsters and that not many stay in the job long enough to benefit from the pension. Each career for me helps build up the world and adds lore/fluff/whatever you will. Likewise many of the skills help build a feel for the world. There is a heck of a lot in WFRP that helps make the world I think….
Fair points Mike, particularly the mention of the career descriptions, in my defence I was thinking of the World Guide chapter alone rather than the bits and pieces scattered throughout the book, I still stand by my point that it took TEW to flesh out the Empire (which lets face it is the prime gaming location)and to turn it from a simple fantasy Holy Roman Empire to how many of us now view it, as a corrupt, cult & chaos ridden, failing state with deep religious, political and even racial issues.
I’m also inclined to think that gleaning (or even re-gleaning)the lore from the book now, having had 30+ years of WFB army books etc and all the imagery, makes for a different experience than reading it back in the day when there was little other information about the Old World, certainly 14 year old me, whilst loving the system(especially the careers) and the world, basically played AD&D/MERP in the Old World until I got my hands on the first 3 parts of TEW which changed the tone of the game entirely, by expanding and creating a deeper background to the world(Empire), from then on we played Call of Cthulhu in the Old World
My attempt at a Blog: http://ablogofwar.blogspot.co.uk/
gleaning (or even re-gleaning)the lore from the book now, having had 30+ years of WFB army books etc and all the imagery, makes for a different experience than reading it back in the day when there was little other information about the Old World, certainly 14 year old me, whilst loving the system(especially the careers) and the world, basically played AD&D/MERP in the Old World until I got my hands on the first 3 parts of TEW which changed the tone of the game entirely, by expanding and creating a deeper background to the world(Empire), from then on we played Call of Cthulhu in the Old World
That’s a fascinating debate… I have never been in Warhammer, and I have never fully understood why slightly (but not much) younger people than me had been telling me that historicals books were boring but at the same time they were learning all these commercial full Codex(es) by heart…
(Um, not trying to troll the thread in any way, ignore or delete this post if needed, I like everything game related and I’ve always been very happy to welcome WH and whatever else players on neighbouring gaming tables near mine and if needed to ask the event organisers to provide spare tables for them).
http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/, certainly 14 year old me, whilst loving the system(especially the careers) and the world, basically played AD&D/MERP in the Old World until I got my hands on the first 3 parts of TEW which changed the tone of the game entirely, by
Bit tired so forgive me if wrong.
Until The Enemy Within came out, there was not enough detailed lore to allow you to play warhammer as warhammer, but more of a generic fantasy game?I am now thinking about the games we played and how or if they differed from our DnD.
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