Warhammer

From Wikinfo

Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play is a role-playing game created by Games Workshop, based in the world described in their tabletop strategy game (see below). It is notable for its "dark and gritty" aspect, its complex system of "careers" through which player characters may advance and gain skills and improve their game statistics, and its background world, which features a culture very like Renaissance Germany crossed with Tolkien's Middle-Earth---with very Lovecraftian Chaos forces just offstage or out of sight.

Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play is more widely played outside the United States than in the US. Games Workshop has alternated between supporting WFRP, licensing it out to other companies, and ignoring it to concentrate on their miniatures-based games.

Warhammer is also a tabletop strategy game created by Games Workshop.

The game is played with several fantasy miniatures made of plastic or lead. It uses stock fantasy races such as humans, elves, dwarves, Undead, Orcs, Lizardmen, etc. Each race has its own unique strengths and flaws. Elves for example have the most powerful archers and magicians in the game but are in real trouble when they have to fight in a melee.

There also is a Science Fiction Warhammer game called Warhammer 40K

The miniatures

They come unpainted and unassembled. The players spend a great deal of time painting and modifying the miniatures so that they represent the army's background. To build an average army one has to buy at least 50-100 miniatures (depending on the army he chooses to play) which makes Warhammer an expensive hobby.