Empire Warmachines during the GWAC

[Durpp]

Hello,
I need help I am sorry to admit. I need to know what Empire warmachines were around during the Great War Against Chaos and shortly there after (about 30 years or so).

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!

[m1acca1551]

Good question, i've read plenty of background on the invasion and there was always very little info on warmachines as the focus is heavily on state soldiers and knights. The colleges of magic were started after the war and i believe the engineers guild was too.

Blackpowder arms werent in common use so cannons mortars etc are out, hbvg and rocket batteries are fairly new.
i'd say that ballista, trebuechet would have been the norm.

[Durpp]

Very interesting, so no black powder, When was black powder put into use? (Cannons specifically)
/crosses fingers in hope of around 30 years after the war.

[Athelassan]

With the possible exception of some of the wacky engineering weapons, the Empire had access to pretty much all the technology it now does. It's likely that gunpowder weapons and so on were less common than in a current Empire army, but that would be because of the political situation pre-GWAC rather than any technical limitation. In fact it's possible that, given the mutual hostility between a lot of the provinces, the united Imperial army during the GWAC would have had more black powder (and more professional troops) than a modern one.

We only have very vague dates for the introduction of most gunpowder weaponry. It wasn't in use by 1360 (The Empire at War) and doesn't seem to have been available for use by Solland infantry in 1707 (Empire army book, 8th ed), but by 2000 gunpowder small arms were relatively common (Mordheim). Cannon were in use by 2010 at the absolute latest and probably a lot earlier (Undead army book). The Steam Tanks were built around the 2050s, if I remember rightly.

[CommanderCax]

In IC 1979 the Wizards War broke out in Middenheim and spread throughout the Empire. The Dwarfs decided to share their oldest and simplest blackpowder tech with the Empire (ie. cannons).
In IC 1999 during 'the Mordheim event' most blackpowder weapons were bought from the dwarfs at great expense, though some forges in Nuln and Altdorf had started to experiment with making handguns.

During the Great War against Chaos in IC 2302 one could assume that besides cannons and mortars even the first Helblaster Volley Guns and Steam Tanks (which were designed in the 21st century) were in use already. Helstorm Rocket Batteries, Repeater Handguns and all the other more funky stuff seem a rather recent innovation though.

[Craze_b0i]

The only thing I can add is the Empire War Alter didn't exist until after the campaign. It was built when Magnus became Emperor.

[Durpp]

Sweet! This information has been more than useful.
Thanks guys!

[stormblade]

I think that there was a quote from Magnus the Pious on the old gw website that went something like: "Three things make The Empire great: Courage, faith and gunpowder.".

[kramplarv]

Also, big guns are easier to create when it comes to blackpoweder weapons. So cannons etc most likely came before the small arms. Which were in use 1999 IC.

[BTJ]

Mark of Chaos (the novel) is set after the War, and there's an engineer with a Helblaster and Hochland longrifle(I think)