Although Warhammer and Warhammer 40k follow the same principals, they are not related to one another.
Tabletop games are games that are normally played on a table or another flat surface, such as board games, card games, dice games, miniature wargames, and tile-based games.
In Miniature wargaming, military units are represented by miniature models on a model battlefield.
Many players have wondered whether Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40 000 are related to one another, since the games follow the same principle.
Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k
Warhammer, formerly known as Warhammer Fantasy Battle, is a tabletop miniature wargame with a medieval fantasy theme. The game was created by the Games Workshop Company.
Similarly to other miniature wargames, you have to use miniature models to represent warriors. The playing field is a model battlefield comprising models of buildings, trees, hills, and other terrain features.
Warhammer 40 000 is also a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. However, it is regarded as the most popular miniature wargame in the world.
In this game, you have to enact battles using miniature models of warriors and fighting vehicles.
Are Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k related?
Although Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40 000 share the same concept, they are not related. There is no definite crossover between Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40 000.
However, there are occasional hints that you can discover while playing the games. This is because the games have the same developers, and therefore, they share the same tone of gameplay.
Even though the gameplay in both games are dark and gloomy, Games Workshop introduced similar elements in both games. Players can find the same Chaos Gods, fungal Greenskins, and Aesthetics off the Dark Eldar and Drukhari in Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40 000.
Moreover, the Necromancers in Warhammer 40 000 are equivalent to the undead in Warhammer, but they are nowhere near alike.
In Warhammer, you can find Lizardmen, Dwarves, Beast men, and movie monsters as species that cannot be found in Warhammer 40 000. The game also has different gods and rules in its physical world and in the warp.
Keep in mind that even if Skaven is in Warhammer 40 000, it does not serve as a normal faction, instead, it is a minor feature in the game.
While the Elves in Warhammer Fantasy function as a normal faction, they cannot reproduce to replenish their numbers in Warhammer 40 000.
In Warhammer 40 000, exterminatus is something only humans can do. This action destroys entire worlds. There is no equivalent to this in Warhammer Fantasy, mostly because there is no rebuilding possibility.
Although Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40 000 share the same gameplay, they are 2 unique games and should be treated as such.
How to attack in Warhammer 40k
Since Warhammer 40 000 is a wargame, you have to attack other players and enemies. At the beginning of the game, each player places their models in starting zones at opposite ends of the field.
At the start of your turn, you can move each model in your army by moving your hand across the field, though a model cannot be moved farther than its listed Move Characteristic.
After moving, each unit can attack any enemy unit within range and line-of-fire of the weapons and psychic powers that the models have.
The damage you deal is measured in points, and if a model suffers more points of damage than its Wound Characteristic permits, it dies.
Regrettably, the enemy can also attack your models and units.
Armies in Warhammer Fantasy
There are a number of playable armies in Warhammer Fantasy. Every army is representative of one or other of the factions or races that are present in the Warhammer world setting.
In the eighth edition of the game, the following armies had individual army books:
- Beastmen
- Daemons of Chaos
- Dwarfs
- High Elves
- Lizardmen
- Orcs and Goblins
- Skaven
- Vampire Counts
- Warriors of Chaos
- Wood Elves
Many players used the kitbashing technique on their armies. Kitbashing is taking parts of other model kits and using them to make aesthetic or cosmetic changes to another model. However, these changes have no effect on rules or gameplay.
Which game is better?
It is worth noting that Warhammer follows a fantasy theme, while Warhammer 40 000 follows a science fiction setting. There is no way to determine which game is better, since they follow the same principle.
However, if you prefer fantasy games, you should consider playing Warhammer, but if you are more interested in science fiction, then Warhammer 40 000 is the perfect fit for you.
