From the mists they come... another version of the Fimir Warhammer Fantasy Battle army, this time from Mathias - the masterful WFB army book designer.
Hot on the hairy heals of the amazing Halfling Army book pdf comes the fantastic Fimir Fantasy Army (Mathias, weaves time spells so he can fit a whole week's army book development into a puny "normal human day" !)
The book is, as always, completely free to download or read online (with no catches whatsoever - although a bit of feedback in the forum would be appreciated) and before we go any further...
This army is completely unofficial not endorsed by Games Workshop!
If you can't be bothered with my review below, here are the links:-
Fimir Army Book PDF (75 meg, 110 pages)
Fimir Army Book discussion forum
Sigmar's Summary
I haven't studied the army list with a fine tooth-comb so these are just my initial observations.
The part daemon, one-eye, mace tailed, swamp and marsh dwellers (with attitude) are back - again ! Yes, this is the 2nd unofficial WFB Fimir Army (here's the other Fimir Army Book Review)
I believe that the Fimir were always designed to be a complete one-off by Games Workshop who wanted to add something apart from the normal fantasy races (that were already encased in their own mythology). GW wanted something of their own, as different and unique to the fantasy world as they could make it and they certainly achieved that. It's a shame they dropped the Fimir, I suppose people were still excited about the relative novelty of gaming with Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs and Goblins in those days - maybe the Fimir would be received with more excitement if they were brought back now ! (hint, hint)
From a gaming perspective, the most notable difference with the Fimir army is the relatively high strength and toughness (especially) and the lower number of core, special and rare unit choices. I would expect the army to appeal to someone looking for something completely different but not too difficult to master, an army for someone after a somewhat smaller force with an emphasis on close combat.
Despite the limited number of units the army stands out as one of the the most imaginative Warhammer forces because of the originality of the creatures themselves. The Fimir Army units are quite different, from the Demonfriend Dirach wizards right down to the lowly Shearl thralls. A rather more extreme example of the originality is The Eye Tyrant; a hovering, unbreakable, eye with tentacles capable of magical ranged attacks ! Or how about the Marsh Reavers (see pic on right)
The background is excellent, I have not read it all yet but what I've read has been superbly written and is very engaging. It's all a bit of a crazy mix, like a weird sub-culture from another planet, maybe something that the Doctor Who or Star Trek writers would come up with (read too long and you could lose your mind !)
The book is split into 4 sections after the introduction:-
From the Mists they Come
A fully realised background from subjects as diverse as The Fimir settlements, economy and technology through to their life-cycle, crime and punishment and their relationship to Daemons.
A mysterious title you might think until you read that...
"They believe their race was born when a Human witch-princess of the Waterland fell in love with and bore the sons of a Daemon she had summoned. For this crime the princess, named Maris, was eventually imprisoned whilst her Daemon lover, Fimúl the Mud God, was cruelly murdered and his body cast into the marshes by the men of the Waterland.
Driven from the Waterland for their foul appearance and their half-Daemonic souls, the sons of Maris and Fimúl fled in search of a new home for themselves and their mother. Fimir society, myths and goals resonate with the memories of that parentage, exile and the cruelty of men. Today, Fimir claim the damp, desolate places of the Old World, the closest they will ever come to the paradise of the Waterland."
This section provides a lot more detail about the Fimir themselves, their history, appearance, ageing, senses, language, favoured environments. It makes for compelling reading.
A lot more detail on the origins of the race, the myths and stories and their Gods; Maris the Mother "the Witch Princess" and Fimúl the Father or "Mud God". To their religious ceremonies...
"Blood sacrifice of living Humans is a major part of Fimir life"
(watch out peasants and especially marsh wandering halflings !)
But don't think they are prejudiced against us manthing weaklings because they even, on ocassion, tie up their own kind to be burnt at the stake ! (a terrible thing for a marsh dweller apparently)
Plus a timeline and some nice short stories.
The Bestiary !
9 Lord and Hero level characters and special characters, 4 core units, 6 special units and 4 rare units, a new magic lore (suitably full of mists, quagmires, daemons and unseen lurkers) and a full range of magic items with some cunning inclusions like...
Talisman: Talon of Mother Gorne 60 pts
An extremely potent talisman, its power only grows stronger the closer to death its bearer gets.
The bearer has a Ward save equal to his number of Wounds left.
Weapon: Fimúl’s Arms 45 pts
The Axe and the Mace known as Fimúl’s Arms are two of the most priced relics kept by the Fimir. They are the very same weapons Fimúl the Mud God used to protect his beloved Maris. When Fimúl was killed, the weapons where sold by the human merchants. One Fimir clann was lucky enough to raid a certain caravan transporting the weapons centuries later. They were probably on their way to a rich noble who bought them as collector items. Since that time, the axe and the mace are passed on from clan to clan each year.
Paired hand weapons. The Axe gives the wielder +1 Weapon Skill and Armour Piercing Attacks. The Mace reduces the Weapon Skill, Strength and Attack value of enemies hit by it by
Armour: Armour of Sacrifice 20 pts
This leather armour made from the skin of those sacrificed to Fimúl is filled with malign power, protecting the wearer while taking the life of someone nearby instead.
Light armour. The first wound suffered by the
wearer can be transferred to a friendly model within
Once again, I can't thank Mathias enough for all the hard work he has put into these unofficial armies. If you enjoy them as well, please join the forum and let him know, his member name is M4cR1II3n.
Be part of the creative community and get more from your hobby.
