Why do I Like Oldhammer and what even is Oldhammer?
I think for me with most oldhammery type stuff, it is
the buy in factor, which in turn is influenced by the look/style.
I want to believe the things I see, they should make sense and have a logical
purpose.
There needs to be internal consistency with any setting or the setting itself is not to be believed.
The Townscape buildings being a perfect example, I can very easily believe that people would build them:
The fortified manor is just a bit too toy like and too high fantasy for me.
Yet this Skull Hill; yes:
But why, they both have mad big skullz?!
I think I like a feel of WFRP 1st edition to my WFB.
WFRP really brought the world to life and I prefer that version to the WFB take
on it.
I find it to be more about context.
Quality over quantity.
The Skull Tower and The Skull Hill to me appear as two very different ideas,
executed in two different styles.
For me it comes down to buy in, if someone asked me to place the models in the
3rd edition (ish) era setting I could with the hill, not with the tower.
The Hill looks like the long dead carcass of some strange forgotten creature
that has been warped by the eons of chaos, it is to my mind likely in the chaos
wastes or possibly some other area of high chaotic presence (maybe Sylvania at
a push?).
The creature was odd looking to begin with (maybe even a demon) and over the
centuries the effects of chaos had twisted both the body and the very ground on
which it lies, forming into some sort of mingled confusing mess of skeleton and
living earth, yet still a mockery of both.
The tower looks like something that has been constructed by man.
You can see the brickwork, the rooftiles, the wooden planks, the ironwork, the
carvings and so on.
But then there is no real thought or logic to the construction. Bits of have
just been glued on in places that make no sense.
No architect would make anything like that, it is not plausible to my eye.
Then the giant skulls, just how?
The tower is clearly stones/brick, but then you have great skulls clearly
carved from a single piece of stone and hefted up and somehow attached to the
stonework, this makes no sense.
Maybe the whole thing is carved from a giant outcrop, but then the brickwork
and random towers and glued on bits make no sense.
I would not place this in the chaos wastes as it clearly looks Empire in terms
of architecture, to some degree, constructed by tradesmen and labourers.
I would not place it in the Empire as it looks just the imaginings of a teen
who thinks skulls, spikez and blood on everything is cool.
The Townscape buildings look like Empire dwellings to me.
Buy in.
The hill makes sense and I can place it in the setting.
The tower is a mess and I have no idea where or indeed what it is meant to be.
The Hill.
It has been made from scratch, I am a sucker for such things.
The rock/earth is not all the same colour, you can see greys with greens and
browns.
A lot of skill and thought has gone into and it shows.
The Tower.
It has no soul, it is all the same sort of grey with a hint of plastic sheen
that you can see on so many kits.
It looks mass produced, but without the same sort of character the metal models
of the day had.
I suspect some sort of CAD was used to copy paste detailing.
Texture, again it is very meh as is the colour, massive stone buildings are not
all plain grey, rocky outcrops are not all plain grey, neither are they smooth
as shiny plastic.
The same also applies to the infantry.
Rank and File cavalry on horses, yes.
Rank and File cavalry on magical beasts, no. 
That is my quick take on it.
I suspect I am in the minority and that is fine.
I am quite happy playing in the setting as I see it.
Others, the vast majority, no doubt think differently and that is also fine.
The point of any hobby is to get enjoyment from it.
Oldhammer means different things to different people, I can not define what
oldhammer is, as it is a concept at best?
But I think of myself as an oldhammer player and know what feels and looks
right for my own take on it.
What makes oldhammer oldhammer for you?
What makes oldhammer oldhammer for you? Partly that nostalgic aesthetic which so captured me as a kid in the '80s. This may feed into what you were saying. Rank & file guys who look like, well, just some guys who now have to face down some blasphemous monstrosity or other, but would rather be in the tavern. Wiry orcs, who still look mean but not in gym-bros. A subversive humour that runs through the lot. But, aesthetics to one side, I think it is the space in the setting for your own world building. It's a lived in world, but it's not solely populated by Named Characters and cookie cutter NPCs. My imagination has more free rein in the older setting, and the world feels richer for it.
ReplyDeleteAll of that.
DeleteI think it used to have an emphasis on the underdog as you alluded to.
Just some blokes fighting some terrible abomination which has given real their superstitions, who in the grand scheme of things would much sooner go back to worrying about the unseasonable frost affecting their turnip crop.
No roided up body builder models, wiry believable day to day shapes.
A definite element of pop culture reference and political satire.
The Dwarf miner Skargell, 40k models named after composers and musicians.
Nods to actual historical events like window tax and so on.
Epstein from The Riding supplement. Yep that one, liked to have parties and force himself onto people.
It was much more adult back then and relevant.
Yes these in jokes will go over the heads of some, but tough crap, that is life, not everything is aimed at you.
Not everyone is the main character.
I blame Disneyfication.
And yes, lots of unknown areas.
The Border Princes were intentionally left blank so people could world build entire areas within the published setting and it would be 'official'.
The day GW stopped giving figures names was the start of the end.
Gone are the days of it being a bit quirky and niche, it is so very mainstream that the capitalist greedy shareholders want it to appeal to as many people as possible, and we know from looking into people's homes that means grey beige live love laugh soulless mass produced tatt.
GW used to poke fun at The Man. Now it is The Man.
In the '80s the Design Studio looked like a grindcore band! I knew nothing about the management buyout in the early '90s. I understand GWs drive for mainstream appeal with a debt in the millions hanging over them, but as a punter the change in tone/style was unappealing, so I moved on. While middle aged me is somewhat sympathetic, teenage me just thought they were sellouts!
DeleteI absolutely agree with you. And I don't think you're a minority, there are many of us who see Oldhammer in the same way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
DeleteI do wonder though, why do none of you live near me? :P
That's what I'm wondering the same thing?
DeleteAhh could have long conversations with you over many a pint Mike.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean and don’t mind your take at all.
But I come to created like elves and dwarfs and that’s high fantasy for me. In fact I believe it maybe even ancient history, certainly if we reference any of Greek mythology it could be.
So if an elf can ride a unicorn then a knight of the griffin could ride a griffin for me.
However what I would say is in the realms of ma this has to be the rare exception and can’t be the norm. Some people have whole army’s of these things and I think that’s just lost understanding of realism for me.
So I guess I’m sat on the fence in one way….. š¤£
But if it comes*
DeleteFurther to your comments I also agree about shareholders, GW is a no go for me now. I only brought one thing in over a decade and that was oldhammer.
DeleteI also agree the ruggedness of the empires countryside has to be run of the mill norm to me. 90% of people should never have to many magical worries going on and seeing said griffins might only be something that happens when you visit the palace on business once in a life time sort of event.
I hope I’m making sense!