WAAGH! is what Orks like to scream while they’re fighting. It also means an army of Orks (A WAAGH!, lead by a WAAGH leader), or the spiritual energy of a WAAGH!
Games Workshop releases a Codex for each faction in the game, which has the lore for that faction and the rules needed to play them. There’s a different set of codices for each edition of the game, and we’re currently on 10th edition, so there are 10 Orks codices. The more recent ones have the more up to date lore, but are more annoying to pirate. And not all the lore is in the codices. The codices are more an introduction to that faction’s lore. The deep stuff is in the novels. Drag doesn’t know which novels have Orks in them, most of the novels are about the Imperium (humans).
No, Warhammer is something older than RPGs: a wargame. Instead of controlling one little warrior, you control an army of little warriors. You have troops and cavalry and war machines and generals, and you roll buckets full of dice for every action. You fight against a friend’s army.
Warhammer doesn’t have any diplomacy or unit creation mechanics. You start with an army of a certain size, and you can hold part of your army in reserve, but that’s it. When they die, they’re dead. Each of your little guys was also hand assembled and painted by you, and you might have invented backstory for your army and generals. For example, your WAAGH! could be the Rippin’ Roughboyz, who prefer to get up close and personal with lots of melee units and giant mechs. Your WAAGHboss is the legendary Ironskin Thunka, an ork who has had so much of his body replaced with scrap metal prosthetics that some doubt there’s even flesh beneath all that steel and slag.
I don’t actually play, but I talk to the WH40K guys at my local hobby shop. I think the most expensive army I’ve encountered ran in the neighborhood of $1500. Apparently some single models can get upwards of $800+
Just to warn you there is a lot of lore and it’s changed and been retconned over the last 40 years. That leads to some odd stuff like Leman Russ having a tank named after him.
It’s also had some major tone shifts from silly (Inquisitor Obiwan Sherlock Cluseau ) to so Grim Dark it becomes Grim Derp. It’s in a sort of midpoint now.
So look into what you find interesting and if you don’t like it switch sources or topic. Expect things to be contradictory depending on when it was written.
Here is a good but silly video background to the origin of the orks. It’s still mostly accurate. In 30k the Emperor got hurt and was put on a life support chair. He’s been there for 10k years unable to communicate.
Premise of this series is they install a text to speech device and now big E can communicate. So they update him on the state of the Imperium and he fills in all the missing history. It’s a fan video and noncannon but lore accurate for when it was made.
If you want a more serious tone for your lore dump try luetin09 or oculus imperialis. They are to dry for me but pretty good content.
Also WAAGH is the ork war cry and WAAGH energy is the reality bending field that makes the orks group think real. So red things go faster because red is the fastest color.
Yooo, I love everything about that! Where do I sign away my free time?
Edit: also what’s waagh?
“WAAAAAAAAAGGH!” is what the 10-foot monster yells while charging at you.
WAAGH! is what Orks like to scream while they’re fighting. It also means an army of Orks (A WAAGH!, lead by a WAAGH leader), or the spiritual energy of a WAAGH!
https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/gaming_and_diversion/Warhammer_40K_Collection/Warhammer 40k - Codex - Orks.pdf
https://github.com/Overcharged-Plasma/warhammer-pdfs/blob/main/tenth-edition/formatted-pdfs/orks.pdf
Games Workshop releases a Codex for each faction in the game, which has the lore for that faction and the rules needed to play them. There’s a different set of codices for each edition of the game, and we’re currently on 10th edition, so there are 10 Orks codices. The more recent ones have the more up to date lore, but are more annoying to pirate. And not all the lore is in the codices. The codices are more an introduction to that faction’s lore. The deep stuff is in the novels. Drag doesn’t know which novels have Orks in them, most of the novels are about the Imperium (humans).
If you want to learn about the other factions in the game, like the humans, you could do worse than watching Astartes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7hgjuFfn3A
Is this a ttrpg like D&D?
No, Warhammer is something older than RPGs: a wargame. Instead of controlling one little warrior, you control an army of little warriors. You have troops and cavalry and war machines and generals, and you roll buckets full of dice for every action. You fight against a friend’s army.
Like Risk? I can’t even get anyone to ever play that with me.
Warhammer doesn’t have any diplomacy or unit creation mechanics. You start with an army of a certain size, and you can hold part of your army in reserve, but that’s it. When they die, they’re dead. Each of your little guys was also hand assembled and painted by you, and you might have invented backstory for your army and generals. For example, your WAAGH! could be the Rippin’ Roughboyz, who prefer to get up close and personal with lots of melee units and giant mechs. Your WAAGHboss is the legendary Ironskin Thunka, an ork who has had so much of his body replaced with scrap metal prosthetics that some doubt there’s even flesh beneath all that steel and slag.
Here’s the most legendary and well-known game of Warhammer in wargaming history: https://imgur.com/a/cant-cheese-cheeser-warhammer-V0gND
Eyyy, I’ve read this before!
This does seem pretty super cool.
It’s also a great way to sign away all your money too!
Fortunately I’m getting a promotion that’ll let me pay my monthly rent the times every week and still have a hundo for avocado toast left over!
Might not be enough…
Oof.
How much should it cost to hit the ground running?
No idea. I steer clear of the game out of self-preservation. I did read dozens of novels though, a lot of them twice, so the time investment is there.
Sounds like how most of the fun I have with Eve is in my head while not playing it.
o7 Fly Safe!
I’m flying basically not at all because my steam deck will crash.
A quick search looks like between $100-$200 for most starter sets. Custodes are kinda expensive, as are most of the named heroes.
Oh that’s not bad.
I don’t actually play, but I talk to the WH40K guys at my local hobby shop. I think the most expensive army I’ve encountered ran in the neighborhood of $1500. Apparently some single models can get upwards of $800+
While I can afford that, I can probably save some money by buying a 3d printer and finding a pretty girl who likes to paint for favors.
War with a footballer hooligan Cockney accent
Just to warn you there is a lot of lore and it’s changed and been retconned over the last 40 years. That leads to some odd stuff like Leman Russ having a tank named after him.
It’s also had some major tone shifts from silly (Inquisitor Obiwan Sherlock Cluseau ) to so Grim Dark it becomes Grim Derp. It’s in a sort of midpoint now.
So look into what you find interesting and if you don’t like it switch sources or topic. Expect things to be contradictory depending on when it was written.
Here is a good but silly video background to the origin of the orks. It’s still mostly accurate. In 30k the Emperor got hurt and was put on a life support chair. He’s been there for 10k years unable to communicate.
Premise of this series is they install a text to speech device and now big E can communicate. So they update him on the state of the Imperium and he fills in all the missing history. It’s a fan video and noncannon but lore accurate for when it was made.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FyeoBm5QFnA
If you want a more serious tone for your lore dump try luetin09 or oculus imperialis. They are to dry for me but pretty good content.
Also WAAGH is the ork war cry and WAAGH energy is the reality bending field that makes the orks group think real. So red things go faster because red is the fastest color.
I got started by reading all the books by Dan Abnett. Eisenhorn is amazing (though there are no Orks, sadly).