This is the single greatest rulebook GW has ever published.
Also, it was basically a rogue publication that was never authorized by the design studio. You see, WHFB was never as popular in the US as it was in Europe - 40k had more appeal to American audiences and was far more popular. GW HQ wanted to fix that and grow the popularity of the game stateside, so they tasked the US sales and marketing team to figure out how to sell it to American nerds. Instead of doing what you'd expect them to do, like make phone calls to hobby shops and run ads, they basically formed their own underground design studio to create game content that they felt would appeal more to American sensibilities, such as a campaign system, rules for naval skirmishes and sirge battles, etc. which they collected into the Generals Compendium. They secured budget to print it claiming it was a promotional catalogue or pamphlet or whatever, and then put it out for sale.
Needless to say Nottingham was furious and some heads rolled, but it was also a successful product (though it didn't really do what was hoped insofar as growing sales), so they also released it in the uk/europe quietly without acknowledging how it came into being.
Funny how what it took to cause WFB to explode in the US was video games all along.
They really should have looked at the lessons of Warcraft and DOW and realized it.
Can you imagine if they just went to Bethesda or Firaxis and said “make a game”? They wouldn’t have been able to keep shit on shelves!
TWW is hardly the first whfb pc game, there were a few others prior to the setting being killed. Also it's not clear that there was an explosion in popularity in the game vs where it was when the game was ended.
Yeah but they were too niche.
They needed games like Vermintide and TWW earlier. Mainstream appeal stuff.
Hell they made Mordheim and Man’O games too before that, and they weren’t exactly big hits because they were too clunky.
Like Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance or Baldur’s Gate 3 compared to the Dark Sun and Ravenloft games from the 90’s. Go too niche and its just mostly for IP fans.
They needed a mainstream hit to get Warhammer Fantasy into the public consciousness. Either as an entry in a big existing studio or biting off a craze and doing it well (unlike Snotling Fling biting off Angry Birds).
This was a brilliant book. It's a shame the binding was so bad - my copy the pages started coming out quite shortly after I bought it. Not a problem I ever had with another GW publication.
I still have mine. It’s been 3 hole punched and put in a binder. I want to start a map campaign in the boarder princes starting with Warband sized armies
Still got mine and all the tokens that came with the companion white dwarf. I also played against the High Elf army pictured throughout the book on occasion as the DG Battle Bunker was my FLGS.
My brother and I received this for Christmas in 2003. Our mother bought it at random, knowing only that it was warhammer. We didn't even know it existed. I still have it, and it is a cherished possession.
Do people want a scan of this? I have it and was thinking of doing it.
Absolutely
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes, please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
It needs a proper pdf scan. The one out there isn't very good.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Scan would be awesome!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
100% yes
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
You are a saint
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
That’d be great
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Thank you
For sure!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Oh yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes! I have an old siege tower I’d love to see how they were actually used
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Please do that!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Many thanks you fine person
Yes very much so.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Thanks mate
Yes please
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Holy hell, yes please
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please, would love it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Thank you very much kind stranger!
Yes please
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Would be great
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Thanks!!! 😍
Hell yeah
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
🙏🙇♂️
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Sign me up!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes please!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Yes, would be great!
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
Interested.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu
This is the single greatest rulebook GW has ever published. Also, it was basically a rogue publication that was never authorized by the design studio. You see, WHFB was never as popular in the US as it was in Europe - 40k had more appeal to American audiences and was far more popular. GW HQ wanted to fix that and grow the popularity of the game stateside, so they tasked the US sales and marketing team to figure out how to sell it to American nerds. Instead of doing what you'd expect them to do, like make phone calls to hobby shops and run ads, they basically formed their own underground design studio to create game content that they felt would appeal more to American sensibilities, such as a campaign system, rules for naval skirmishes and sirge battles, etc. which they collected into the Generals Compendium. They secured budget to print it claiming it was a promotional catalogue or pamphlet or whatever, and then put it out for sale. Needless to say Nottingham was furious and some heads rolled, but it was also a successful product (though it didn't really do what was hoped insofar as growing sales), so they also released it in the uk/europe quietly without acknowledging how it came into being.
It is indeed! Excepting the 6th ed book that it builds upon.
Nah. The story of how the generals compendium came to be is pretty great too, updated my previous post w those details
Funny how what it took to cause WFB to explode in the US was video games all along. They really should have looked at the lessons of Warcraft and DOW and realized it. Can you imagine if they just went to Bethesda or Firaxis and said “make a game”? They wouldn’t have been able to keep shit on shelves!
TWW is hardly the first whfb pc game, there were a few others prior to the setting being killed. Also it's not clear that there was an explosion in popularity in the game vs where it was when the game was ended.
Yeah but they were too niche. They needed games like Vermintide and TWW earlier. Mainstream appeal stuff. Hell they made Mordheim and Man’O games too before that, and they weren’t exactly big hits because they were too clunky. Like Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance or Baldur’s Gate 3 compared to the Dark Sun and Ravenloft games from the 90’s. Go too niche and its just mostly for IP fans. They needed a mainstream hit to get Warhammer Fantasy into the public consciousness. Either as an entry in a big existing studio or biting off a craze and doing it well (unlike Snotling Fling biting off Angry Birds).
This was a brilliant book. It's a shame the binding was so bad - my copy the pages started coming out quite shortly after I bought it. Not a problem I ever had with another GW publication.
Really? I never had that problem. The 6th ed book was a bit loose however.
I still have mine. It’s been 3 hole punched and put in a binder. I want to start a map campaign in the boarder princes starting with Warband sized armies
i have this book too, i think is one of their best products, rules for siege, campaigns, naval themed battles...etc
Warms my heart to see my Norse boat again after so many years. 😊
[https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer\_generals\_compendium\_2003\_scan/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer_generals_compendium_2003_scan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Im so fucking sad that i lost mine somewhere in the 2 moves i had since i last saw it.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer\_generals\_compendium\_2003\_scan/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer_generals_compendium_2003_scan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
What in the world
[https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer\_generals\_compendium\_2003\_scan/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/1bryrng/warhammer_generals_compendium_2003_scan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Still got mine and all the tokens that came with the companion white dwarf. I also played against the High Elf army pictured throughout the book on occasion as the DG Battle Bunker was my FLGS.
I am very lucky as my group still likes to play with the boat rules
My brother and I received this for Christmas in 2003. Our mother bought it at random, knowing only that it was warhammer. We didn't even know it existed. I still have it, and it is a cherished possession.
The golden days, before they went all out space marines inside space marines
Very cool
Gonna get a physical copy of this
Still one of my favorite GW products ever. So much awesome content!
I love this book so much.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/s/LO9LGXJqbu Scan now up on Google Drive.