Warhammer Online - GamesDay Convention Freebie and odd happenings.

[Disclaimer - The pictures in this update are a mix of ones taken with my iPhone 5 just recently, and a few taken back on the day of the show with my old cell phone and a slightly more respectable digital camera. I normally try to provide the best quality images I can for my blog updates because it drives me crazy to see terrible photography, but at least with some color correction and enhancement in Photoshop, some of the decade old images came out with new life. - Mario]

(Left) The ticket to get in was your show pass. Which for me was pretty kick ass because the artist who had done the artwork on it was in attendance at the show. For the life of me, I cannot remember his name, and his signature is a bit hard for me to read now. (Right) The artist whose name I've forgotten. If any of you have White Dwarf issue #274 overseas edition, this art is on the cover... pass his name on to me would you?

Back in 2003, I had a chance to go with some friends to a convention in Chicago. It was my first time going to a genre specific convention, and I was really just getting into the whole hobby of tabletop miniature wargaming. I was going through some personal problems in my life during that year, so this was a nice bit of relief to go with a few friends of mine on a nice long road trip. I don't make it a habit to run from my problems, but I do engage in my hobbies when "real life" can be tumultuous.

This was one of the largest conventions I had attended, and because I had never been to Chicago and had an opportunity to get a bit of spending done to build up my dark elf army, I was really excited to go.

It was a great time, especially since this was during the time that the Lord of the Rings movies and tabletop miniatures were really being heavily promoted, so if it wasn't about Orks and Space Marines, it was about Hobbits and Rings. That was great and all, but I noticed a booth set up near the miniature speed painting area, that was showcasing a new computer game for an upcoming game called Warhammer Online.

I spent about fifteen minutes or so speaking to some of the developers from Climax and I was so stoked about the footage they were showing at the show, the concept art, all of that. I didn't know it at the time, but Sega was the company handling the publishing of the game.

So after speaking to them for a while, one fellow handed me the pin you see below which is still pinned in the exact place it that I put it back in 2003. I didn't want to lose my little pin, so I made sure I put it on my ticket lanyard (which I comically didn't take off until I was back in Warrensburg a day later).

The logo features the twin tailed comet of Sigmar on it. I remembered at that point how dark and realistic the demo looked that was being shown. There was no playable version from what I remember, but I do remember how lofty the goals for the game seemed.

The show was actually really pretty cool, seeing all the work put into the models and displays made me want to both delve into the hobby further, and also get a heck of a lot better at painting my miniatures.

(Left) My friend Nathan's entry into the painting competition. (Right upper) People taking in the huge amount of painted models on display. (Right lower) Some of the work was really nice.

These were some I managed to get pretty close to without much of  glare on them. The Anubis styled miniature was just killer, but I really dug the wings and overall aesthetic of the winged Space Marines.

(Left) I know that some people might think that watching other people play games is boring, but it's no different than watching chess or baseball to me. I actually learned some tactical stuff while watching the game unfold. (Right) I loved the vibrant colors on this Eldar ship.

BASK in the mighty tech of a ONE megapixel cell phone camera... A variety of images of the show, including (Lower Right Corner) a really heavy downpour of rain that hit right before we got to the convention hall.

Man, I almost forgot how terrible the camera on my old T-Mobile TM-150 actually was. I liked it because it had a removable SD Card slot on it, but LOOK at the "quality" of the pictures in that grouping above... it's one step shy of grainy Loch Ness monster footage.

Overall, at least during that time, Games Workshop put on a great one day show. The panels they held for people to attend were fun, informative and talked about upcoming releases and revisions to the rules.

After a good long day, we all got back on the road to head back to Missouri. As I've gotten older, I have made some long treks to many places for art shows, reenactments, all kinds of things, and I rather enjoy the long drives. In 2003, I was like a dog that had been penned up for months. I got restless, tired, cranky, and sore from sitting so long on the way there and back. And I didn't even drive from what I remember!

So after spending a day hanging around a lot of people that were nuts about miniature wargaming, I thought to myself, that was a great and odd weekend. Not much more could top that...

(Left Top) Nathan and Michelle at the speed painting area. (Left Bottom and Right) PLANE! IT'S A DAMN PLANE!!!! On the HIGHWAY! What kind of Micheal Bay-hem action is this?!

To this day, I have no idea what happened aside from the fact that if I had not taken those photos, I don't think anyone would have believed us that a plane crash landed on the outskirts of Warrensburg.

So there you have it, a short trip down my memory lane. Now I told you all that story to say that some years later, another company would pick up the Warhammer license and create an MMORPG that would be the first game that I played online like a religion. WAR: Age of Reckoning by Mythic was the eventual successor to the never released Climax/Sega version. I was not the best online player, but it did re-ignite my love of the Warhammer Fantasy world. But that's a story for another update.

Here's a clip that was uploaded of what I believe was the footage I saw at the show of the far darker and dread heavy version of Warhammer Online.

Until next time, cherish the good things in life, keep your hobbies and interests alive, and be kind to your fellow beings. - Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist.
 

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	Warhammer Online Convention Pin
Made by	Climax
Rarity	Very Rare
Classification	Retro - Released in 2003
Condition	Mint
Procured	Chicago, Illinois
Worth	$40 (based on one offer I got for it, I've never seen another for sale)
Investment	Free
Further Research	N/A
Trivia & Fun Facts	Sega was the publisher announced in 2003 for the first version of Warhammer Online by Climax. Later after the second effort was let go by Mythic/EA, Sega once again stepped in literally ten years later to scoop up the rights to make games based on the Warhammer Fantasy world once again... Is it possible that the third time might be the charm that takes down World of Warcraft (As both previous versions of Warhammer Online had been touted as)?

WAR: Age of Reckoning Belt Buckle

As I'd mentioned yesterday,there was one more oddity in my collection that I wanted to showcase before I move onto some other collections (I've still got more WAR:Age of Reckoning items, but I will post those at a later date).

100% pewter casting for the buckle. No signs of it ever having been used.

This is one that I've been trying to find out the origins of, since I managed to pick this up from someone that had at one point worked for Mythic/EA. According to the story I was told about this, it was part of a group of objects that had been found a year or so ago, that had been left behind in a box near an empty desk when one of the people had left the company over the downsizing of the servers for the online game.

I personally had my doubts on the veracity of the story to a huge degree, but I have heard of rapid turnovers and sometimes bad blood causing abrupt dismissals/leavings in some video game studios.

It came to me in a simple white unmarked box with a bit of padding inside.

Steel belt D-ring and belt hook are the only non pewter parts on the buckle.

I know that because of the history of some other items that I have in my collections, that this could have been a gift to the development team early on, as this has a stamp on the back that states GW (Games Workshop) 2007, and if for some reason this is some wild fan creation buckle, it's extremely well made.

Now, the game itself was not released until September 18, 2008. By what we see here above and on the left below, this was made in 2007. That leads me to believe, including some weeks of trying to reach out to former Mythic employees, and asking around on a few forums, that this was not an item that was for anything but internal awarding. 

(Left) Close up of the copyright details and possibly where it was manufactured. (Right) Scale comparison of the Epic RavenHost Stein, the WAR Launch Party Stein, and the WAR Belt Buckle.

Hopefully, someone will step forward and fill in the holes in the history of this nifty little item. Warhammer Online is one of those games that in years to come, people will look back upon with a mix of fondness and frustration, and will be one not soon forgotten. For me, it's already achieving that level of legend that perhaps ranks with Sega's Shenmue.

But then again, I have been following the history of this game since it's first inception way back when the developers at Climax Studios and SEGA had the IP. History has a way of repeating itself as SEGA once again has access to publish Warhammer Fantasy games.

But that will be something I will delve into at a later date...

Thanks for reading! Take care of the loves in your life, support your local artists, promote the well being of history, never forget the Library of Alexandria, and I'll see you next time!

-Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist  

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	WAR: Age of Reckoning Belt Buckle
Made by	Games Workshop
Rarity	Rare/Unique? (I have only ever seen this one.)
Classification	Modern
Condition	Mint Condition - Never used.
Procured	Kansas City
Worth	No idea.
Investment	$50
Further Research	-n/a-
Trivia & Fun Facts	"And now, hopefully, because this may be the last thing I ever write about Warhammer, I’ll be allowed to acknowledge the existence of Chaos Dwarves. Or maybe not. - Carrie Gouskos, Director of Studio Operations at Mythic"

WAR: Age of Reckoning Ravenhost Stein

These steins are handcrafted in the Old-World style with fine-grain stoneware by the world-renowned stein artisans of Ceramarte, our limited-production steins feature panoramic, bas-relief sculpting of exclusive artwork by top Warhammer visionary, Eric Polak. Each exquisite stein stands over 10" tall (25.4cm), weighs a hefty 3 lbs. (1.36kg.), and is topped with a sculpted pewter lid, or for those that want a rarer treasure, a limited signed version topped with an 18K gold lid. 

Two initial designs, one for the Empire and one for the RavenHost debuted what could have led to a very awesome line of stoneware covering many of the other factions that were in the game (and some like Chaos Dwarves which only recently have been hinted to had Age of Reckoning gone on longer...)

This stein is a monster of a collectible. And its grotesque beauty is something to really behold. I had been in search of any version of this for quite some time, and was lucky enough to come across one in an odd set of circumstances.

Colors are rich, details profound and striking. The pewter lid is not as nice of a casting as the 18K ones I have seen in person, but does have a good quality of detail to it.

The first time I held one of these, I was astounded by the even weight and the sturdiness. Filled with liquid (yes, I drank from it after participating in a City Siege) it is very heavy, but easy to drink out of. And of course, NOT dishwasher friendly.

Details, details, details... I only noticed recently that the "unarmoured" areas on the body of the stein appear to represent being made up of stitched and flayed flesh.

The lid has some nice decorative skulls and a Chaos emblem on the thumb lever, while the center of the cap has a nice embossed WAR symbol on it.

The bottom of the standard edition shows the legal and creative information on it, but lacks the signature of Eric Polak that is on the gold lidded versions.

I played Dark Elves almost exclusively when I was in game, and I do have to say that both versions, the Empire and the RavenHost ones were nicely done. But it would have been really nice to see what kind of design would have eventually ever been made for the Dark Elves. 

As luck would have it, a little digging unearthed these images of the initial prototypes and only known public photos of the Dwarven Oathbearers Stein and the Orc Stein.

(Left) Side detail of the Oathbearers Stein. Really love the look of this one, particularly the handle. (Right) Orc Stein featuring familiar greenskin motifs and some brutal themed graphics. These two were both cancelled some month after being announced, and from all I can find out, just these two prototypes exist.

 

The 18K Gold version is quite frankly, amazing looking and just that extra touch of precious metal gives the designs something that is just so much more intense.

Overall, any of these beauties from TavernCraft are amazing additions to the collections of fans of Warhammer Fantasy, and especially those who played Warhammer Online.

Up next in this trilogy of rare items from Warhammer Online, is one that at first I thought was a fan made creation, but the person whom I managed to get it from said it was one of the rarer and more low key items that belonged (probably not unlike the Launch Party Stein) to a few of the members of Mythic, developers of Age of Reckoning.

Thanks for reading! Take care of the loves in your life, promote the well being of history, never forget the Library of Alexandria, and I'll see you next time!

-Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist  

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	WAR: Age of Reckoning Ravenhost Stein
Made by	Taverncraft
Rarity	Rare (Ultra Rare "Legendary" version has gold lid, and only 500 made of each)
Classification	Modern - Release in limited numbers in 2010
Condition	Mint Condition - Never used.
Procured	Kansas City
Worth	$120 to $500 (depending on version)
Investment	$25
Further Research	-n/a-
Trivia & Fun Facts	While playing the MMORPG WAR, a player code enter the provided code with this tankard and get a coveted gift from the great hall of the Warlord Tchar'zanek. Drinking from this stein will grant a +15% bonus to Experience, Renown, and Influence for 120 minutes.

WAR: Age of Reckoning Launch Party Stein - Black Variant

Warhammer Online shut down this past year, and with it, left a bunch of memories for what was often a debated, fan loved and hated, amazing and at times disappointing MMORPG. I was a fan from the beginning, but didn't start playing until well into the middle of it's time online.

I will have a review in the future covering the Collector's Edition release and more on WAR: Age of Reckoning, but for now, I have a few rarities that I've managed over the years to locate. This particular item is one that has started showing up in some collector circles.

Detail of the Emblem

There were evidently two variants of this mug that were available at the WAR launch party. This one is of course the black variant, and there was also a dark red one. 

The Emblem is identical on both sides of the stein.

The stein or I guess it's closer to a giant mug, is very well made, heavy, and simple in it's overall design and look, but I'm a fan of that. The glaze is almost a weird oily leather look to it, very rich in color.

No manufacturer is labeled on the bottom, only a stamp that states it was made here in the United States.

I've only started researching into these steins as from all I can gather, not too much is readily known amongst those that I have contacted so far, and many times they think I am referring to the incredible ones that were made by Taverncraft (of which I will be reviewing the Ravenhost variant in my next blog post).

So if any of you have information you'd like to add, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me at mario (at) mariomora (dot) net. Thanks for reading! Take care of the things in your life, promote the well being of history, never forget the Library of Alexandria, and I'll see you next time!

-Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist  

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	WAR: Age of Reckoning Launch Party Stein
Made by	Unknown
Rarity	Uncommon - Unknown numbers made of two variant colors.
Classification	Modern
Condition	Excellent
Procured	Delaware
Worth	Unknown
Investment	$20
Further Research	-n/a-
Trivia & Fun Facts	Coming Soon.