TRECHERY, DECIET AND BLOODY WAR
In the world of Warhammer, more than 4,500 years before the present time two mighty races, the Dwarfs and the High Elves entered into a bitter conflict with one another.
WHAT IS THE WAR OF THE BEARD?
So fierce and bloody were the battles that it left an indelible mark
on both sides, pushing their respective societies to the point of collapse.
Indeed, neither the Dwarfs nor the High Elves ever fully recovered from these
wars and today their kingdoms stand as shadows of their former selves.
The War of the Beard - Part 1 [PDF
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The War of the Beard - Part 2 [PDF
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The War of the Beard - Part 3 [PDF
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REVISITING THESE HISTORICAL BATTLES
The War of the Beard is a major event
for Warhammer players, and it figures throughout the Dwarf and High Elf army
books. In fact, all new army lists and stories have been laid out in White
Dwarf
magazine (issues #264-#266) for players to recreate these battles.
In this section of the website we’ve included a number of scenarios for Warhammer and Warmaster so Dwarf players and High Elf players can once again decide which side will be victorious in the War of the Beard.
Also included with the scenarios is a Mega-battle. Mega-battles are large-scale tabletop battles where as many as ten games a side join in with their models. Obviously this can take up a lot of room, but even scaled down to a handful of players a side can make for a truly awesome event!
JUST DWARFS AND HIGH ELVES?
Most Games Workshop events that take place do not focus on one race,
so recreating a historical battle that takes place between just two armies can
seem a bit limiting. There are a few ways to accommodate other armies:
- The Dark Elves had a small role to play throughout the war, as they originally started it by ambushing the Dwarf forces posing as High Elves. In most of the scenarios, players can substitute the High Elf forces for Dark Elf forces.
- For the players who don’t play Dwarfs, High Elves, or Dark Elves, you could have painting nights in preparation for the mega battles where players paint up units of High Elves and Dwarfs. In this way nobody has to bring a whole army, as everybody pitches in to paint a few units. You can later turn these units into communal armies that anybody in your gaming group can use.
Next: Scenarios And Mega-battle
