What material (comics, novels, etc.) should I read if I want to understand the Warhammer universes better?

I know that Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k are tabletop RPGs and video games but I've never really understood what they're about or knew the history behind them. I've only played Dawn of War RTS PC game but didn't know the reason behind many of the factions and such. I have a loose sense of who the factions are and what they're doing. With the Warhammer Fantasy MMO coming out in a few months, I want to know more about the background of it. If anyone could give me a list of novels and/or comic books and websites I could go to that can help me with either one, I'd really appreciate it, thanks!What material (comics, novels, etc.) should I read if I want to understand the Warhammer universes better?
If you want to really understand the full scope of the background behind Warhammer: Age of Reckoning you could do worse than to start with the Gotrek and Felix novels, written by William King (mostly) and published by the Black Library.



You can get them new from retailers, but you'll also find them second hand for a pittance on either eBay or Amazon Marketplace.



There are literally dozens of novels set in the Warhammer universe, but this series is the most wide-ranging and sums up the spirit of the Old World very nicely, as well as being great adventure stories.



That said, I've heard rumours that Black Library might actually be publishing an Age of Reckoning prequel novel to set the background for the world of WAR (as it's not geographically or geopolitically exactly the same as the Warhammer World and should be thought of more as an alternate version of the same world than as the world itself).
maybe this could help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_Fantasy_Battle

for the old non 40K warhammer



but for the 40k try this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_40%2C000



it may seem alot to read, but it answers your questions :DWhat material (comics, novels, etc.) should I read if I want to understand the Warhammer universes better?
There's a Warhammer magazine called White Dwarf that you can get. Also, going into shops like Games Workshop and just talking to the guys in there and getting involved with playing will help loads too.
check out what I found on amazonWhat material (comics, novels, etc.) should I read if I want to understand the Warhammer universes better?
What I would do if you want to understand the individual armies of the Warhammer/Warhammer 40k universe is to delve into the Games Workshop website (they are the ones that created Warhammer). There are links to each of the armies, and give you a rundown on the basic background. For each army, there is a book called a "codex" that explains the history in great detail, and has some great artwork to it. Keep in mind, there really is no "good guys" to Warhammer, as each army has a different point of view, and their individual histories will explain that point of view.



http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/



Have fun!