Though the gameplay is mostly based on medieval warfare, it incorporates fantasy elements such as wizards, dragons, and magical spells.

Games may be played on any appropriate surface, although the standard is a 6 by 4 ft (1.8 by 1.2 m) tabletop decorated with model scenery in scale with the miniatures.

With the assistance of their Slann servants, they moved the planet's orbit closer to its sun, and arranged the continents to their liking.

Eventually, however, these gates collapsed, allowing raw magical energy and the daemonic forces of Chaos to pour forth into the Warhammer world.

Some of the colonists refused to leave their homes in a magical sapient forest and over time developed into the enigmatic and isolationist Wood Elves.

These include the southern realms of Estalia and Tilea, representing medieval Spain and Renaissance Italy respectively, as well as the far eastern Empire of Grand Cathay, analogous to a fantastic version of Imperial China.

The forces of disorder are often depicted as not a localised threat, but a general menace consisting of disparate factions, many of which are typically also at odds with each other.

The Skaven exist in an "Under Empire" (an extensive network of tunnels beneath the planet's surface), while the war-loving Orcs and Goblins are nomadic (although they are most common in the Badlands, Southlands, and Dark Lands) and regularly amass large numbers and stage raids without warning.

The most significant changes which ensure incompatibility between editions have been made to the magic, army composition systems, and specialist troop types.

[12] Published in November 1981 for its second edition (1978 for the very first one), and written by Richard Halliwell and Rick Priestley, Reaper is considered the ancestor of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.

[citation needed] The first edition, written by Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell and Rick Priestley was published in 1983 as Warhammer The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game and consists of a boxed set of 3 black and white books illustrated by Tony Ackland: Vol 1: Tabletop Battles, which contains the core rules, turn sequence, creature lists, potion recipes and features an introductory battle 'The Ziggurat of Doom'.

In the July 1983 edition of White Dwarf, (Issue 43), Joe Dever gave the system a positive review, saying, "If you regularly wargame with miniatures, or have been wondering what additional fun you could have from your rapidly growing collection of fantasy figures, then I recommend you check out Warhammer and let battle commence!

The first, a set of rules for tabletop battles with miniature figures, is very good; the second, pieces of a fantasy role-playing game, is embarrassingly bad.

"[15] In the same issue, Ken Rolston also reviewed Warhammer, and although he agreed that the rules were "hardly a model of English usage or proofreading," they were well-organised and readable.

The system is flexible enough to be used as a mass combat module in most RPGs, but you have to decide whether it's worth [the price] for a set of fantasy miniatures rules.

New rules included uses and effects of standards and musicians, flying, fortifications, fire, artillery, chariots, reserve units, specialist spellcasters, and poisons.

However, despite these issues, Alcock concluded that "Warhammer does remain the only viable set of fantasy mass battle rules", and gave the second edition an overall rating of 8 out of 10.

Other changes included a variety of new specialist troop types, rules for war machines and a more finely tuned system of representing heroes and wizards.

Brown commented, "I admire miniatures use in role-playing games, and I feel Warhammer Fantasy Battle, though not futuristic, is a terrific set of rules."

Rolston liked the "fast-paced" rules system and developed fantasy background, and his only reservations were about presentation: "The text is dense and wordy.

The abundance of photos, illustrations, and paintings is often visually stimulating, but many of these graphics are of marginal or negligible relevance to the accompanying text.

The fifth edition in particular became known pejoratively as "Herohammer" because of the imbalance between the very powerful heroes, monsters and wizards in the game and blocks of troops which existed effectively as cannon fodder.

The books also included background on the particular army, illustrations and photographs showing models and have remained with the game though updated with the rules.

[24] Chris McDonough reviewed Warhammer in White Wolf #34 (Jan./Feb., 1993), rating it a 3 out of 5 and stated that "Overall, flaws aside, the rules are fun and it's a nice set for those looking to join the fantasy battle hobby.

It was available in two forms: as a single hardback rulebook for established gamers and as a complete boxed set game complete with plastic miniatures (Dwarfs and Goblins), The Battle for Skull Pass supplement book and a soft-cover rulebook that has less artwork and background material than the hardback version.

The new starter set named Island of Blood contained armies of High Elves and Skaven, a condensed mini-rulebook, as well as 10 standard dice, one scatter and one artillery die, two 18 inch rulers, and three blast templates.

The High Elf and Skaven miniatures from Island of Blood were reused for the Age of Sigmar set Spire of Dawn.

The second expansion was release shortly after: Blood in the Badlands, which included some special scenarios and introduced rules for siege warfare.

In 2013, Triumph and Treachery (an expansion that allows multi-player games of between 3 and 5 players) and Sigmar's Blood (a 5 scenario short campaign between Empire and Vampire Counts following the crusade led by Volkmar to destroy Mannfred von Carstein) were released.

Nine factions from previous editions return as core factions split over two books, Forces of Fantasy (Empire of Man, Dwarfen Mountain Holds, Kingdom of Bretonnia, Wood Elf Realms, High Elf Realms), and Ravening Hordes (Orc & Goblin Tribes, Warriors of Chaos, Beastmen Brayherds, Tomb Kings of Khemri).