

This led to the development of Warhammer Ancient Battles as a spare-time project. Several of Games Workshop's staff had begun experimenting with using Warhammer rules to play historical games before Warhammer Ancient Battles was written, and Wargames Illustrated magazine included some articles that had been written on the subject. Large numbers of dice are needed to resolve combat and shooting. The game is played on a table laid out with model scenery to look like a battlefield, on which the units of miniatures are maneuvered.

Battles are fought between armies of miniatures. Games of Warhammer Ancient Battles model hypothetical battles between historical armies.
