WarhammerFest 2021 is almost upon us and while I intend to give my thoughts on everything that has been shown (coming up in just a few short minutes) there has already been a number of interesting things coming down the line on the Warhammer Community website.

I don’t want to get into predictions for WarhammerFest, though at the end of this article I will give a few of my wish list items. (I’m not making predictions–mostly–because I honestly don’t feel like I have my finger on the pulse of the community as much as I would like to. There are a few things that we’re sure to see: Soulblight Gravelords are surefire hits; we’ve seen plenty of Sisters of Battle teases. But other than that I’m not going to predict, just wish.)

So for what has already been released pre-WarhammerFest (in the Sunday Preview) we have:

Necromunda Hive War

This looks awesome, as all Necromuda stuff looks awesome. I’m not entirely sold on the terrain that comes with the box as this has a very Kill Team feel to it (and I mean that in a bad way). It looks too much like a board game with very two-dimensional scenery, kind of an arena-style game. The whole point of Necromunda, in my mind, is to put your awesome minis (they’re all awesome) in awesome three-dimensional terrain that has multiple levels and stairs and ladders and pipes and sewers. The kind of stuff that is made on Eric’s Hobby Workshop is exactly what I’m talking about: he makes amazing Necromunda terrain (and all out of junk materials).

But this stuff doesn’t look exciting, terrain-wise. Now, from a model standpoint, I’m all in. House Escher is great, with their perfect 1980s punk rock feel. And I’m even more pleased to see House Delaque, the creepy vampiric house.

Now, to the really good stuff. Necromunda is famous for being one of the greatest sources of bits for conversions, and Games Workshop is leaning heavily into that with these sprues of nothing but conversion options: equipment and weapons and hairdos and heads. It all looks amazing, and I’m sure it will sell out in minutes. (Granted, everything with GW seems to sell out in minutes, because they are either using an antiquated forecasting model or they’re just terrible at logistics.) (Or they have the most maddening strategy of creating false scarcity.)

(Side note: I pre-ordered the Warhammer Underworlds Direchasm Crimson Courts because I was on a Cursed City rush and wanted more vampires, but when I got the models and assembled them I was… underwhelmed. So I painted one, then decided to put them up on eBay. I priced them at $10 + $4 shipping, and didn’t expect them to go for more than that. I’d paid $40 for the new box, and I’d thrown away the cards, so this was a used, incomplete set. Well: due to Games Workshop’s weird scarcity strategy, the game is temporarily out of stock, and the prices on YouTube have already gone through the roof. I’ve already made back my $40 and more–a full New-In-Box Crimson Court is currently being bid at $86. So, I’m not at all regretting my decision to sell.)

Anyway, on to the next awesome reveal, and the one I’m most excited about (and which will probably be getting my money from this eBay sale): the terrain decals. There is so much goodness on this sheet that can be used for all sorts of games, not just Necromunda, and not just Games Workshop. Yes, the propaganda posters are specific to Necromunda, but the “danger” signs and the hazard stripes and the numbering and lettering could go on everything from sci-fi to WW2, and the propaganda posters could really go on anything sci-fi. I don’t know how much these decal sheets are (the only decal sheet I bought from Games Workshop alone was a Horus Heresy Blood Angels sheet for about $20) but I intend to get at least two of these, maybe more.

In Direchasm, Hedkrakka’s Madmob looks great, but all Warhammer Underworlds models look awesome (except Crimson Court, as mentioned). Everything from the Ork with the Wolverine claws to the shaman’s mask to the archer, they all look terrific. Whoever is in charge of designing Underworlds needs a raise. (And to be fair, I don’t hate Crimson Court. I think I’m just burned out on vampires.) (Which is too bad, because we’re going to see Soulblight Gravelords.)

Which brings me to my WarhammerFest 2021 wish list:

Monday: Age of Sigmar:

I’ve heard rumors that there’s going to be a new edition of Age of Sigmmar, but I don’t really care about that. (I don’t play the game. I just love the models.) I definitely want to see the Soulblight Gravelords. I’d love to see more Seraphon since they’re expanding that line with Kroak and the Celestial Stampede (which I preordered like three weeks ago and it hasn’t arrived yet.) If we’re talking about absolutely pie-in-the-sky wishes, I’d love to see some kind of return to Tomb Kings, but I know that doesn’t fit into their copyrightable strategy. I’d also love to see a return to Brettonia, though that has the same issue. What I DON’T want are more stupid Stormcast Eternals or some other version of elves (Sylvaneth, Idoneth, Lumineth).

Tuesday: Warhammer 40k:

I think Sisters of Battle are a lock for Warhammer (whether on Tuesday or Friday). We also know the new Orks are coming, so we can expect to see them. I wouldn’t mind AT ALL to see any revamp of the Xenos races–Eldar, Tau, Tyranids. If we’re wishing on a star, I’d love to see the Astra Militarum get new models (they’re really aging). And if that star is a lucky star covered in fairy dust and kissed by an angel, I’d love to see Squats make a surprise return. (I had written them off entirely until Games Workshop brought back that one single character for a game and it made me think they haven’t been abandoned all the way yet.

Wednesday: Black Library:

I admit to have never read a Black Library book, so I’m not too excited about this. I’ve been meaning to read the Eisenhorn books, but just haven’t gotten to them yet. (That’s a lie. I read one book about Nagash in Age of Sigmar, can’t remember it, and don’t want to look it up.)

Thursday: Boxed Games:

Obviously, we’d all like to see more Cursed City talk, but I’m not holding my breath. If anything, they might announce an Indomitus-style print-on-demand. As for other boxed games, I hope to see more Blood Bowl (I keep meaning to take the plunge but keep waiting for the right team). Battlefleet Gothic would be incredible: I would buy so much of that stuff.

Friday: More Warhammmer 40k

See above

Saturday: Something Mysterious and New.

If anything, I think that this will be where they launch Age of Sigmar’s new edition.

Anyway, it’s 11am Mountain Time, which means 6pm BST, which means the WarhammerFest is starting to stream. I’ll report in again at the end of the day with my thoughts about Monday’s Age of Sigmar reveals.

See you soon!