The Word of Hashut, A Timeless Legacy - Part IV

 

Parts I, II and III detail in full each step of the way of the journey that was the Word of Hashut.

Perhaps now that I'm older I can appreciate the accomplishment that the Word of Hashut represented. Through Parts I through III I hopefully shed some light onto just what went on behind the scenes and everything that made it what it was. There is much more to it than that but I wanted to preserve a bit of history regarding it.

More so then an ezine, the Word of Hashut captured the essence of Chaos Dwarfs Online at the time: We didn't need Games Workshop, they needed us. We didn't need official rules, we could and would make our own. The talented painters, sculptors, amazing writers and the community as a whole was lightning in a bottle. I'm honored and humbled even now to have been part of it.

Time however for us mortals has cruel pace to it: sometimes a blur, sometime interminably long. The years march on and in come respects when I joined Chaos Dwarfs Online in 2007? Seems like it was only yesterday. A blink and now Ms Willmark is grown and graduated from college, Willmark Jr approaching 21.

Likewise, some of the graybeards like me have stepped back and the joints are a bit stiffer (a sorcerer turning to stone already?) and others have taken the mantle forward with the new site on  Discourse (Chaos Dwarfs Online)

This is entirely proper and how it should be.

The new replaces the old. And the old? They line the main avenue - chaos sorcerers turned to stone on the way to the Grand Ziggaraut in Zharr Naggrund. 

Speaking of which I want to thank everyone who worked on it. To list everyone would take some time and I don't want to miss or slight anyone. Best bet is to download copies and see just who did what each issue.

Until the next time we cross paths, just remember we Chaos Dwarfs never forget a grudge, nor do we forgive! For ours is a grudge eternal and maybe just maybe one of the most powerful forces that the Warhammer Community has ever seen!

To close, I know its a cliched saying, but for me it rings true when looking back on the ezine: "Don't cry that its over, smile that it happened."

Truer words have never been spoken.

One last part, I have to share again what is perhaps my favorite example of chaos dwarf miniatures and the corresponding paint job by Harvestmouse!

The Word of Hashut - Part III, In the Trenches

The word I used in Part II covering the Word of Hashut production period was insane. As I look at the word now it is no less true: insane. Looking back, it is hard to believe it has been 15 years since I worked on this. In a way it seems like it was just yesterday.

I think the biggest thing that made it insane? The release schedule. For two and a half years we released an issue every quarter and to not sugar-coat it? It was brutal. No sooner than one issue was out the door and I would have maybe a month to do other things related to the hobby of Chaos Dwarfs Online or for Dogs of War Online. All the while with young kids, two jobs and a dog.

Now with say a quarterly magazine this would not be too bad in the “real world” but this was a gaggle of volunteers delivering a free ezine every quarter. That pace is not sustainable. Do I miss the pace? No, not really. Do I miss the frenetic nature of creating the ezine? Somewhat. Am I proud of what the team and I accomplished? You bet because there is no way I could have done it without all of them. This was me sure, but I had help to get there.

But what also stands out? Around 2011 when Issue #12 was out and a bit before Games Workshop had finally released stuff for “Infernal Dwarfs.” Can we say that we caused it? It is not likely but at the same time GW had to have been watching what was going on and said “Damn, these guys are not giving up.”

If I had to pick a single issue as my favorite, it is Issue #5. It was not that it was a high water mark per se, but it showed everything the fan community could be if we focused. Even the later issues were still quality in my opinion, but #5 was near pitch perfect. The cover was great. The interior art perfect and a great balance of articles: Thommy’s Campaign Pack, a great Battle Report, several ridiculous hobby articles by Tjub and Grimstonefire and Baggranor’s excellent "Shadow and Flame" graphic novel just to name a few.

Likewise Issue #8 was another stand out for me. Swissdictator and I ran the “Arena of Death” and low and behold Astragoth wins? People wondered if we rigged it at the time. We did not. Each round that went by he was plowing through opponents!

In terms of covers and the interior art we were blessed with a ton of talented artists who selflessly contributed to it no questions asked. In fact looking back? I do not think either Maul (our Submissions Coordinator) or I ever had to badger an artist. It was as simple as “we need x by y date.” And time and again the artists delivered.

On the subject of covers? My personal favorites are #6, #7 and #8. But I can not say we ever had a bad one. Each time it was an awesome feeling when it was delivered to me. In a way it felt like the issue was “complete” even if I still had more work to do.

Another thing I am proud of is we hit our stride early and the quality was excellent from the beginning. That is not to say there were not any missteps; there were. But on the balance of it, our successes far out-shined our missteps. The goal from the beginning was to compete with Skavenblight Gazette and I think we did. And if I can be biased (hey I also did Gold and Glory so I think I get a say!) I think we surpassed it. The page count, the variety and the sheer audacity of the project. Add to this we had a handicap that no other army faction had: they were current? Chaos Dwarfs were wandering the Plains of Zharr looking for a morsel from Games Workshop.

It was a wonderful time and a great time to be in the hobby. But like all things it would not last. In the final installment I will talk about some of the overall lessons, and the long view of history. Stay tuned

As a bonus, here are the unreleased covers of what Issues #12 and #13 would have looked like had I continued with the project. Issues were plotted out all the way to #15 with cover artists assigned and themes somewhat developed.

What was your impressions of the Word of Hashut? I'm open to hearing them! 

The Word of Hashut, A Look Back - Part I

 

(With apologies to Conan the Barbarian, 1982)

Between the time before social media and the rise of the sons of Hashut, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this came Willmark, destined to bear the burden of the Word of Hashut upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Allow me to speak of the days of the ezine era!

I had more hair back then...

In the early 2000s, Games Workshop was a slumbering behemoth, and a few armies were abandoned in the wilderness. Chaos Dwarfs were cast into darkness; Dogs of War wandered the fringes of the Borderlands with no marching orders; Warhammer players scoured the world for scraps of lore like exiles clutching broken tablets.

From this desolation came a spark.
That spark became the Word of Hashut: a fanzine forged in the deep furnace of the Dawi Zharr’s will. A magazine not written by a corporation but by a community that refused to die.

From there the era grew.
Skavenblight Gazette rallied the ratmen and became an undisputed leader. And from Tilea came Gold & Glory, the last great banner of the mercenaries, stitched together with pride and desperation in equal measure.

These were not simple PDFs.
They were acts of rebellion.
Declarations that no army would be forgotten so long as one fan still drew breath and had a half-functional copy of Adobe Acrobat.

It was a wild age. A mad age.
An age driven by passion instead of polish, by camaraderie instead of clout. It burned fast and bright and left its scars, some of them literal. The Word of Hashut was not the first ezine, yet its impact may have been the mightiest.

And now, years later, the time has come to tell its story.

Now that I have your attention. As many of you know, my name is Willmark, Editor-in-Chief of Word of Hashut. And after a time, I also served as Editor-in-Chief of the ezine Gold & Glory for the Dogs of War, two of the armies abandoned by Games Workshop from seventh edition onward.

Here is the inside story of the Warhammer ezine era you never knew existed.

We are coming up on fifteen years since the last issue of the Word of Hashut. In many ways it seems like yesterday; in others it feels like a lifetime. My life has changed, my children have grown, and now there is an old man staring back at me in the mirror each morning.

Before all that, a frazzled, time-starved Chaos Dwarf enthusiast worked many nights into the small hours to produce the Word of Hashut. Looking back, it is a blur but also a heady time, when nothing constrained us. Games Workshop had forsaken the Chaos Dwarfs, but the fans had not.

Before we take even the first step, it is important to point out the landscape as it existed. The Word of Hashut was not the first ezine or webzine to exist, far from it. Several came before. In fact, the Word of Hashut would arrive later in the overall scene.

Faction	Ezine	Years	Issues
Chaos Dwarfs	Word of Hashut	2008–2012	12
Skaven	Skavenblight Gazette	2007–2011	11
Vampire Counts	The Invocation	2008–2012	12
Ogre Kingdoms	Bellower	2008–2011	8
Dogs of War	Gold & Glory	2009–2010	3
Dark Elves	Druchii Herald	2005–2007	3
High Elves	Citizen’s Levy	2008–2009	3
Dwarfs	Doomseeker	2008–2010	3
Orcs & Goblins	Waaagh! Magazine	~2006–2008	~4
Wood Elves	Asrai Lookout	2009–2010	2
Chaos Dwarfs (proto)	Word of Hashut Holiday Specials	2008–2011	2
Dogs of War (minor)	Tilean Dispatch / 6th Column	2009–2011	2–4

There they are. When viewed now, the list seems shorter than it felt at the time. Perhaps memory plays tricks. There always seemed to be a great deal of activity across the various forums, and always a new ezine being launched or announced. I know; I was on the primary site for each faction daily back then. Likely there were more ideas than finished projects, and the effort required proved greater than most expected.

I think I can speak to that. I handled the layouts and the Editor-in-Chief roles for two ezines. More on that soon, but it seemed wise to first set the stage before we dive in. It was a wild and wonderful age in which fans banded together to create something Games Workshop had forgotten: a hobby magazine rather than a glorified sales catalog.

The ezines had something White Dwarf did not — a soul, and it showed.

Next up: The Dawn of the Ezines, Part II.

For reference, the current Chaos Dwarfs Online site: https://discourse.chaos-dwarfs.com/

Word of Hashut #11 Released – Update and Future Plans

Well, it was another overly long production cycle on the ezine, but Issue #11 of the Word of Hashut is finally out.

As I note in my editorial inside the issue, the Word of Hashut will be undergoing a "diet" in the future in order to manage to get it out on time. In short it’s about time or more precisely the lack thereof.

I will point out however that issue #12 is slated for release in late March, but with going on vacation I don’t think that is going to be likely. So it’s probably up to the Summer issue in June to get back on track but with moving (hopefully) you know the drill...

(EDIT - 7/7/26- Issue #11 was the last issue I created for the ezine. The crew at Chaos Dwarfs Online at the time soldiered on with Issue #12 which ended up being the last.

Word of Hashut #8

Word of Hashut #8 Finally done! 

This is not a review of my own work, but more of a post to say yep it is out and I am glad it is done because now it is onto Gold and Glory #4 for Dogs of War Online.

Word of Hashut #8 was a milestone in many ways. For one it is now equal in terms of issues to the Citizen Levy for the High Elves and puts us on par with the Skavenblight Gazette.

It is important to note that for me this is not just about the length of the content or how many issues. Truly and simply it is about giving something back to the Warhammer community and to keep the dream of Chaos Dwarfs alive.

It is also important that now we are closing in on Issue #9 and 2 years of doing the ezine as well as our 10th issue right after. All fine achievements, but we are not resting on our laurels. We are looking for new ways to make it even better.

Many across the web think we (I) are dreaming about the return of Chaos Dwarfs to Warhammer. To which I say: "What is wrong with dreaming?" To paraphrase from the movie Miracle "I find the term Dream Teams ironic, because now that we have dream teams, we seldom get to dream".

I do not know about you but a little dreaming coupled with some hard work is not a bad thing.

Word of Hashut... and Orcs and Goblins???

Word of Hashut Update

Well I am not sure if I am going to make it with the deadline being the 28th of March, but what else is new huh?

One really good factor is almost anything in terms of content is in and I am working on getting it organized.

So stay tuned for the next few weeks and we will see what transpires.

Next up... Orcs and Goblins? By now everyone knows it looks like Orcs and Goblins are next up on the release schedule: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9000010a

To me this is a bit unusual as it was not the next army I was expecting to see come out after Beastmen. This will prove interesting and I wonder what might be coming next after this bit of a curve ball.

Of course does this mean a new book and army fully?

Word of Hashut Deadline

As always with a few days left to go to deadline the scramble is on. After the deadline passes it is what I call a one month sprint to the finish. Meaning almost all of March will consist of me working on nothing Warhammer related except Issue #8.

In terms of exclusive scoops (just to see who is actually reading this ;) how about this teaser: we will be revisiting an old article from White Dwarf that is sure to have broad appeal to not only Chaos Dwarf fans.

But that is all I will say for now