To give you an idea of how the game is played, here's a brief summary of the Warhammer Fantasy game and its characters.

What Is It? Warhammer is a tabletop wargame of fantasy battles, played by two or more people. You can play small-scale skirmish games involving 20 or 30 models per side, on up to massive battles that pit armies of hundreds of models against each other. Rules that govern how the models move and fight are contained in the Warhammer rulebook. Players choose and collect armies of models that are described in separate Warhammer army books. A huge range of models is available in both metal and plastic.

To Get Started A Warhammer Fantasy starter kit costs about $75. It contains a 288-page rulebook, enough plastic models to represent the core of two armies, dice, rulers and templates to measure distances for firing and moving troops, plus scenery. You will also need glue and paint, which are not included in the kit, to piece together and decorate your armies.

The Armies The miniatures can cost anywhere from $5 to $25, depending on whether they're plastic or metal, and the number of troops contained in the package.

High Elves An ancient and proud race, the High Elves have refined their martial skills and magical prowess over the centuries. As the primitive tribes of man fought against themselves, the High Elves navigated the oceans and mapped the heavens. They have watched empires rise and fall, and ferociously repel all who seek to conquer their homeland.

Dark Elves The Dark Elves of Naggaroth are as cruel, malicious and spiteful as they are deadly in combat. Long ago, they broke away from the High Elves in a civil war that shattered their island home, and migrated west to the unknown continent of Naggaroth to plot, scheme and foment evil in the name of their bloodthirsty god Khaine. The Dark Elves are murderous slayers on and off the battlefield and they give their enemies no quarter or mercy! So don't mess with 'em.

Wood Elves When the High Elves abandoned their cities in the Old World to return to their island home of Ulthuan, some of them stayed, unwilling to leave their forest behind. These are the ancestors of the Wood Elves, who still live in the enchanted forest of Athel Loren. Having tamed the wild beasts and befriended the strange Treemen and Dryads, a Wood Elf army is unlike any other. Adapting well to their surroundings, the Wood Elves have developed many new troop types ideal for protecting their land.

The Empire The Empire is the oldest and strongest human realm of the Old World. In a dark land surrounded by enemies, the forces of the Empire are strong and resolute, keeping an eternal watch on their realm to keep it safe.

Orcs & Goblins All across the Old World, Orcs and Goblins are feared for their tireless raids against all opponents. If they were ever to be united under one banner, the cities of the world would surely fall.

Dwarfs The Dwarfen Kingdom of old was prosperous and full of splendor and glory. The majority of the Dwarfen strongholds have fallen, one by one, in the bitter wars with the Orcs, Goblins or Skaven; even now the remaining few Dwarf cities are under constant siege. These centuries of war have hardened the Dwarfs and molded them into some of the finest warriors of the Old World.

Skaven From beneath the cities of the Old World, the Skaven come pouring forth, spreading disease, plague, pestilence, and death! With their red eyes aglow, these squeaking and chittering mutated ratmen are poised to take over the world! Say cheese!

Lizardmen No, it's not a group of mutants from South Carolina. This fierce army comes from the steamy jungles of Lustria. Led by the most potent sorcerers in the Warhammer World, the Slann Mage-Priests, Lizardman armies consist of the brutal but slow-witted Saurus, the quick and agile Skinks, plodding but powerful Kroxigors, and other cold-blooded, uh, things.

Vampire Counts The Vampire Counts are the immortal rulers of the evil Undead. Powerful and cruel beyond the comprehension of the living, they command armies of decaying Zombies, Skeletons, Wights and Ghouls to destroy the Old World. When a Vampire Counts army goes to war, whole graveyards give up their dead as the spirits of the fallen take up arms once more to fight under their unliving masters -- and leaving more room in the graveyard for new corpses.

Bretonnia The human realm of Bretonnia is best known for the bravery of its valiant Knights. The very name of Bretonnia is synonymous in the Old World with Chivalry.

--Sam Boykin