When Did Warhammer Come Out?

Dec 19

Written By Chapter Master Mercius

The Timeline of Origin

1983

Warhammer Fantasy Battle is released by Games Workshop.
This is the beginning of Warhammer as a franchise.

It was a fantasy battle game inspired by:

Medieval warfare
Tolkien
Heavy metal album covers
Dice, chaos, and imagination

1987

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is released.

This is when Warhammer goes:

Science-fiction
Grimdark
Apocalyptic

And the famous line is born:

“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”

What Came After

From those beginnings came:

Warhammer 40,000 (the flagship)
The Horus Heresy
Warhammer Fantasy novels
Age of Sigmar
Video games, books, and entire fandom cultures

All branching from two rulebooks printed in the 1980s.

Chapter Master’s Perspective

Warhammer did not begin as a grand plan.
It began as a strange, brutal idea made by hobbyists.

It survived because it embraced:

Excess
Tragedy
Absurd scale
Eternal conflict

Forty years later, the war still rages.

Chapter Master Mercius

Chapter Master Mercius is the unyielding architect and moral fulcrum of the Wardens of the Damned, a commander shaped not by triumph, but by catastrophe. Once a loyal son of a now-sundered chapter, Mercius rose through the ranks during an era of unquestioned obedience—until the internal conflict disaster that would later be known as the Sundering tore truth from dogma and exposed rot within his previous chapter command. Where others clung to denial or ambition, Mercius chose responsibility.

A strategist renowned for patience and restraint, Mercius is defined by his refusal to sacrifice truth for comfort. He is not a charismatic conqueror nor a zealous tyrant; he is a watchman. His leadership style favors deliberation, layered contingencies, and the preservation of brotherhood even when faith is strained. Those who serve under him know that he demands obedience, but never blind loyalty. Every order carries weight, and every life lost is remembered.

Mercius is deeply scarred by the choices he has made. He carries the burden of abandoning his previous chapter, of defying inquisitorial decrees when they conflict with conscience, and of condemning brothers who could not be saved. Yet he does not waver. To him, damnation is not a curse, it is a cost paid so that others may endure.

As Chapter Master, Mercius leads a fleet-based force that stands vigil where corruption festers and hope is already failing. Under his command, the Wardens of the Damned fight wars no one records, hold lines no one notices, and accept a future where redemption is uncertain. He does not promise victory. He promises that no brother will be left behind.

https://www.wardensofthedamned.com