In 1984 Games Workshop released a red boxed 2nd edition, entitled Warhammer Fantasy Battle. If I’m drawing parallels with D&D’s evolution, this is the game’s Red Box.

This is where the Oldhammer dream of a united wargame and roleplaying game dies, since it was focused purely on wargaming. You’ll have to forgive me that this review is somewhat brief and surface level, since as a roleplayer my interest is somewhat limited.

What Warhammer 2nd Edition is.

A massively cleaned up and revised version of the first edition, with lots of the rules changes that were brought in from Forces of Fantasy. It is a true second edition, rather than a just a slightly tidied up version

Presentation wise, it’s a massive improvement. Fantastic colour covers by John Blanche and more consistent black and white art internally by Games Workshop’s Studio Artists of the time. Layout is clearer, while charmingly early days of desktop publishing.

With a handful of reference sheets, the box came with three A4 softcover booklets ranging from 30 to 50 pages.

• Combat. Fighting battles, with masses of d6. All the familiar battle rules, turn sequences, formations etc. A very light treatment of running linked battles in Fighting Campaigns, and character heroes.
• Magic. As well as the familiar rules for Battle Magic and Necromancy from first edition, Demonology, Elementalists, and Illusionists join the fray. The treatment of Magic Items is also greatly expanded with sections for Magical Weapons, Runes and Magical Artefacts.
• Battle Bestiary. All the Warhammer family favourites (Orcs, Dwarfs, Elves, Slann etc) are covered after a proper introduction to the Warhammer Known

A scenario? The box set doesn’t have a well defined introductory scenario, but it explains one in the Combat book, the Lost Valley, as part of the brief discussion on Fighting a Campaign.

What it isn’t

All the references to roleplaying stripped out. You could I suppose, do roleplaying using unit champions, and wing much of the rules (for example using ability tests via the profile stats), which wouldn’t be far off the minimal advice given in first editon.

This is because there were plans to create a separate roleplaying game, whose cover was the second half of the battle game’s cover. Its out there on the internet, but I can’t find it present.

This wouldn’t happen until 1986, when Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (or WFRP) 1st Edition emerged in response to Games Workshop reaching the end of its license to print Dungeons & Dragons in the UK/Europe.

But before then, there were a series of campaign box sets with stories and memorable characters that, as a roleplayer, I found much more interesting than the base game.

Next: Carry on up the Warhammer, the Warhammer 2nd Edition supplements.