Goats, Cows, and other things that lurk in the old world forests

It was winter 2009.  Snow everywhere. I couldn’t get to work in my car, so had to walk into the city centre to get a bus out to where i worked. Got into the city only to find that all of the busses were cancelled. Consoling myself with the thought of not being able to get to work I set out to walk back home, via a Games Workshop.  I left the store with a bit of a random purchase, a Warhammer Fantasy Battalion box of Beastmen.

A bit of history……

I first collected Beastmen during the 1997 release of Realm of Chaos, having some chariots, big block of gor and ungor, chariots, and special characters. I ran this into 6th edition by which time I had amassed a massive Chaos Warrior army as well, but I switched back to my Dwarfs for the Dark Shadows/Albion campaign who’d been tucked away since 5th got released.

After a few years hiatus from the hobby (university) I returned to it in 2007 when i picked up some Dark Angels, again going back to an older love as it was Dark Angels I collected in 40K 2nd-3rd editions, but my Fantasy armies stayed many miles away at my parents, i watched Warhammer from afar in the pages of White Dwarf and on Portent website, but rank & flank was not on the cards.

I can’t recall what exactly led me to pick up that Beastmen box that snowy day, but I do remember the snow melted and I had to go back to work. The box went in the closset for a future snowy day.

Skip forward a few years and Warhammer 8th Edition is in full swing, a new GW store opened up near to where I was living at the time, I dug out my Chaos Warriors and, brandishing a mark of Khorne, charged headfirst into it with my Chaos Warriors, having lots of fun smashing up openents at the store and taking part in the various store campaigns.   Then the End Times came, and my Chaos Warrior horde grew and grew, taking part in a massive escalating campaign which ran for a few months, but then….

I preordered the Age of Sigmar box.

I played a demo game in the store.

The box never got opened.

The game never got played.

I soon after moved house, leaving GW, my gaming buddies, and Warhammer behind.

The Big Blue Book is here. My YouTube and socials feeds are full of square-based glory in the Old World, and I have a hankering to get involved.

With my Dwarfs and Chaos Warriors still in their cases, I’ve decided I want to go back to the goat men and cow warriors. With very little armour and no war machines i really like what I’ve read about their army options and play style. So i have dug out my Beastmen Battalion box and bit the bullet…. I’ve bought a ticket to a local tournament ?

I have some miniatures on sprue, a new ruleset to learn, no games under my belt, and a tournament booked for 4 weeks away.

And this is where my journey begins!