There's nothing quite so alluring to your average Warhammer player as something that used to be available and now isn't. Armies originally discontinued due to lack of interest build up a new mystique that eventually has the community begging for their return. Previously, that kind of revival has been rare, but the 2020s seem to be the era of Games Workshop diving back into the archives and giving those never-forgotten factions a second chance.
The Old World—Games Workshop's revival of Warhammer Fantasy—launched with two 'lost' armies, Bretonnians and Tomb Kings, for maximum nostalgia value. Over in Warhammer 40,000, the infamous "Squats" (space dwarves) returned as the Leagues of Votann. Now, Age of Sigmar has its own blast from the past, with the revival of the Chaos Dwarfs.
Revealed during , the are strikingly faithful to their 30+ year old original ranges, complete with their dark industrial feel, returning units such as bull centaurs and hobgoblin underlings, and of course their signature enormous hats.
If you don't have either a decades-long wargaming addiction, or a bunch of hours in Total War: Warhammer 3, the Chaos Dwarfs might bear a bit of explaining.
They're essentially just evil dwarfs, obsessed with dark magic and daemonically-fueled technology. Their patron god, Hashut, manifests as a flaming bull, which has pretty much led to every part of their culture either being on fire or part bovine. Listen, Warhammer has never been about subtlety.
They were originally introduced all the way back in the 80s, but never really found a place in the core Warhammer roster, and it wasn't long before they were slowly phased out. Since then, they've shown only occasional signs of life. For a while there was a selection of resin models available from the now-defunct Games Workshop spin-off Forge World. More recently, they got a new Blood Bowl team, as well as a selection of cameo appearances in skirmish game Warcry. But that's been about it.
This, however, is a full-on and complete revival. The range of models is all new, and surprisingly extensive for rummy golds this kind of army release—normally, Games Workshop starts small, but the Helsmiths are coming out of the gate with a wide selection of infantry, heroes, monsters, and centrepiece models.
I have to admit, I find them a bit too conservative myself—couldn't we get a bit more adventurous than recreating designs older than a lot of current players? In my mind, Age of Sigmar is the home of the company's most exciting and strange designs, so it's a little frustrating in recent years seeing it start to play things just as safe as modern Warhammer 40,000 does. Counterpoint: the rummy mars community rummy master seems very happy with the Helsmiths, so what do I know?
It does feel a little strange that these guys have popped up in Age of Sigmar, rather than returning to the original Warhammer Fantasy setting with The Old World—but it may be that that game simply has its hands full with other nostalgia-indulging armies such as Cathay and the likely upcoming Kislev. Still, I'm sure we'll see more than a few of these models on square bases one way or another. Just don't let Games Workshop catch you.
The Summer Preview also revealed a big new update to the aforementioned , a Kill Team box set pitting , and inevitably , among many other announcements. Oh, and you can now preorder to wear on your real-life head. You know, if you're so inclined.