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Steam Tank

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"From great range, a Steam Tank launches powerful shots of armour-piercing cannon fire with tremendous stopping power."

—Description of Steam Tanks in Total War: Warhammer.[6]
Steam Tank

A monstrous Imperial Steam Tank rolls into battle against the foe.

A Steam Tank is a monstrous, smoke-belching, steam-driven Imperial war machine that rumbles towards the enemy like a mobile fortress and fires deadly cannonballs from its steam-powered cannons to crush all those that stand against the Empire.[1a]

Steam Tanks were first designed by the famed Tilean inventor Leonardo da Miragliano, who adapted the use of Dwarf steam technology to power the pistons and gears that drive the wheels of the steam tank forward.[1a][20]

In times of war, the Imperial Engineers School in Altdorf may sanction the use of these rare and valuable machines should the fate of the Empire of Man hang in the balance.[1a]

History[]

Emperor's Wrath Banner

Although not always flown, Steam Tanks each have associated banners and coats of arms, such as this one flown by the Steam Tank Emperor's Wrath.

The Steam Tank is powered by a pressurised boiler that siphons steam through a complicated network of pipes and pistons. All of the existing tanks in the service of the Empire were designed by the famed genius Tilean inventor Leonardo da Miragliano in the early 21st century IC.[1a] The Steam Tanks are the most confounding puzzle known to the Imperial Engineers School, for after the inventor's death, the secrets of their construction were lost with him and the Empire's engineers have so far been unable to successfully construct any new steam tanks.[1a][9a] Only eight steam tanks remain in the early 26th century IC, all the others having been destroyed during testing or in battle. The war engines are somewhat unreliable, and only rarely can all eight be persuaded to run for a single battle.[1a]

Michal-gutowski-portfolio-wh-steamtank

Concept art for an Imperial Steam Tank created for Total War: Warhammer.[20]

Reverse Engineering Attempts[]

Sadly, the secret of the Steam Tank's construction died with its inventor, although several less-than-successful attempts have been made to copy or reverse-engineer Leonardo da Miragliano's creation after his death by various Imperial engineers.[21a]

Tilean engineers have also produced a prototype for a new Steam Tank based on the work of the eccentric Imperial genius Aleksander von Helsing, named the Ricardo Barolo after the Prince of Miragliano Ricardo Barolo who funded its creation. It was built in Miragliano and used to defeat the rival city-state of Trantio, proving to be an unstoppable weapon. Unfortunately, it was damaged by its own experimental propellant, which proved to be an imprisoned Beastmen Bray-Shaman who summoned a horde of Khornate Daemons during the siege of Trantio in his thirst for vengeance.[16a]

SteamTankVolleyGunTWWIII

A Steam Tank as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III that has been modified to carry a Volley Gun as its primary armament.[20]

Currently, the College of Engineering of Nuln is developing a new steam tank, after the recent collapse of the college's original building destroyed some highly unstable prototypes. The new prototypes aim to require less fuel to operate, allowing them to be more useful for protracted conflicts on the battlefield.[12a][13a] However these efforts were thwarted in 2499 IC, when the school and their Steam Tank prototype were razed to the ground under suspicious circumstances. Nonetheless, the engineers of Nuln are working on a new version known as Old Red, which has yet to be field-tested.[14a]

Role[]

Empire Steam Tanks - Arts (1)

An Imperial Steam Tank entering combat.

As the Steam Tank is brought to bear, the advance of these ironclad behemoths is terrifying to behold, as arrows ricochet from the armoured hull and enemy warriors are crushed beneath its immense bulk. During battle, the tank is commanded and driven by a senior engineer who manages and directs the steam from the boiler to the tank's mechanisms. Should too much pressure be allowed to build in the boiler, it may rupture with catastrophic effects.[1a]

The most common steam tank variant is armed with a steam-powered cannon in its hull and a steam gun mounted in its turret. Though the steam cannon is smaller than the Great Cannons used by the Imperial armies' artillery batteries, the manoeuvrability and protection of the Steam Tank more than compensate for the main cannon's comparatively shorter range and diminished firepower.[1a]

Variants[]

Warhammer Steam Tank Design

Several variant Steam Tank designs

  • Alter Kamerad ("Old Fellow" in Reikspiel) - This is a Steam Tank configuration armed with a hull-mounted, steam operated Helblaster Volley Gun and a turret-mounted steam gun.
  • Sigmar's Hammer - This Steam Tank configuration lacks armaments and is used only as a ram.
  • Unfehlbar ("Unerring" in Reikspiel) - This is an open topped configuration, armed with a mortar and two swivel guns.

Notable Steam Tanks[]

Warhammer War Altar of Sigmar Steam Tank

A Steam Tank variant which was converted into a War Altar of Sigmar.

During his lifetime, Leonardo da Miragliano constructed only twelve Steam Tanks.[19a] Four of these are lost or irreparably wrecked, and all attempts by Imperial engineers to replicate Leonardo's genius have met with failure.[14a]

Two of these Steam Tanks exploded while being tested, one was destroyed fighting the Chaos hordes in the Northern Wastes, and a fourth sank without trace while attempting to traverse a marsh during the battle of La Tour in Bretonnia. The remaining eight machines are polished and maintained by the Imperial Engineers School and occasionally receive a fresh coat of paint or new, decorative iron work. However, they are not terribly reliable and it is a rare day when all eight can be persuaded to run.[21a]

Tracing the 500-year histories of the remaining eight Steam Tanks is no easy prospect. Each has been repaired, refitted, and rebuilt so many times they scarcely resemble Leonardo's originals, and many have been renamed to commemorate battlefield victories or improvements made by gifted engineers. The record below is the Imperial Engineers School's best recollection of these mechanical marvels remaining under their stewardship.[14a]

Conqueror Steam Tank

The Steam Tank named The Conqueror.

  • Conqueror - One of the first Steam Tanks built (in 2025 IC)[8a][14a], its hull-striking ceremony was held in the year 2050 IC. Other steam tanks with the same armament -- the main cannon and steam gun -- are often referred to as Conqueror-class.[8a] The Reiksmarshal Helborg has commanded all Steam Tanks to adopt the "steam cannon and steam turret" weapon configuration within the next five years. The Conqueror is currently patrolling the villages of the Reikland, under the command of Feinkopf the Tormented.[14a]
Deliverance Steam Tank

The Steam Tank named The Deliverance.

WFRP 4e The Emperor's Wrath Steam Tank

The Steam Tank Emperor's Wrath, trapped in the Furdienst after making an unscheduled detour towards the village of Schattenlas during its journey to the Drakwald Forest.[14]

  • Emperor's Wrath - The Emperor's Wrath earned the everlasting right to conduct repairs within Nuln at the city's expense after escorting refugees from the city following its razing by Waaagh! Grom in 2420 IC. The tank had once been commanded by Ludwig von Uberdorf, who aided the Grudgebringers mercenary company in liberating the Blighted Towers of Stirland from Orc occupation, though he was forced to forfeit his command after suffering injuries battling Orc boarders during the battle.[14a] The Emperor's Wrath was recently sent to the Engineer's College in Altdorf for an overhaul where it was refitted back to the Conqueror-class configuration. Now returned to active duty, the Emperor's Wrath has been instrumental in aiding Graf Boris Todbringer's ongoing battles in the Drakwald Forest.[8a] The new commander of the Emperor's Wrath is Lena von Zeppel -- a descendant of the inventor of the von Zeppel configuration of the Steam Tank.[14a]
  • Imperius Dictatio - The Imperius Dictatio is one of the largest and most powerful of Leonardo da Miragliano's legendary steam tanks. Designed by its creator to withstand the heaviest cannon shells and artillery fire, the Dictatio was a marvel of engineering. But even the great Leonardo could not have anticipated the overwhelming strength of a Daemonic Verminlord. During a fierce battle against the Skaven, the Dictatio was charged in combat by such a creature. Instead of surrendering the machine to the Skaven, Rittermeister Ervin Von Hekate, commander of the Imperial Artillery School, ordered Chief Engineer Dorn to sabotage the steam tank's boiler. The explosion was so immense that it banished the Verminlord back to the Realm of Chaos, leaving the rest of the Skaven army at the mercy of the Imperial troops, who prevailed that day -- albeit at the heavy cost of an invaluable war machine. However, Dorn reassured his commander that after just a few months in the workshop, their steam tank would be ready to put the fear of Sigmar back into the enemies of the Empire.[22a]
  • Implacable - Regarded as a vengeful deity by the Orcs of the Black Mountains, Implacable ended the rampages of the Night Goblin Warboss Spinny Backstab across Middenland in 2510 IC, by crushing the Goblin commander under its wheels at the instruction of Middenmarshal Kurt Heinwald. The Implacable is currently in an open-topped configuration armed with a mortar cannon, and is undergoing weapons testing at the Imperial Gunnery School in Nuln, with Gunther Maybach as its current commander.[14a]
  • Old Red - The Old Red is a new prototype still under testing in Nuln.[14a]
  • Ol' Reliable - Ol'Reliable has been commanded for the last decade by Kurt von Meinkop, recipient of the Medal of Outstanding Martial Service, who was the most experienced Steam Tank commander in the Empire. Von Meinkop was recently awarded a minor title and deed to an estate outside Altdorf, for his tank's decisive action against Chaos raiders at the Battle of Kriegfeld Castle. It is currently awaiting an engineering escort to deliver it from Ostland to Altdorf for repairs. Ol' Reliable was an Alter Kamerad-class Steam Tank, sporting a steam-powered Volley Gun.[14a]
  • Ricardo Barolo - The Ricardo Barolo, originally called Von Helsing's Marvellous Machine of Miracles!, is a prototype Steam Tank produced in Tilea by the engineers of the former Prince of Miragliano and Border Prince, Ricardo Barolo. The project was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Imperial rogue engineer Aleksander von Helsing and blueprints stolen from him. This Steam Tank was not powered by steam at all, but by magical energy siphoned from the Realm of Chaos itself, or at least this is what is told in the tavern rumours of the Empire. Considering the outcome of the siege of Trantio where the Ricardo Barolo was unleashed by its namesake, who was himself later attacked by a legion of Khornate Daemons the Steam Tank's imprisoned Bray-Shaman "power source" summoned, it is a design that is unlikely to see further use.[16a]
  • Von Zeppel - This Steam Tank was named for the inventor of the horse-drawn Empire War Wagon, a mobile fighting platform that the engineer later adapted to be mounted upon this Steam Tank. It is renowned as the personal mount of the late sharpshooter General Helmut the Black. It is currently returning to Altdorf, ostensibly to be refitted in the Conqueror configuration. It is commanded by Geralta Buring.[14a]
  • Unknown Steam Tanks - The many Steam Tanks originally created by Leonardo da Miragliano were lost over the centuries or now lie in an irreparable state without his genius to make them whole.[14a]

Miniatures[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

Leonardo da Miragliano's Steam Tank is a reference to Leonardo da Vinci's fighting vehicle, also known as "Da Vinci's Tank", one of the conceptions of the revered Italian polymath and artist Leonardo da Vinci.

The Steam Tank Imperius Dictatio is a reference to a Warlord-class Titan in the Warhammer 40,000 universe with the same name.[23a]

Canon Conflict[]

In a Designer Round Table for the specialist wargame Warhammer: The Old World published on the Warhammer Community website, the possibility was discussed that there were more than the original twelve Steam Tanks constructed by Leonardo da Miragliano that are now lost, and that the number twelve had just been a legend.[18] In the finished product, however, the lore that only twelve Steam Tanks were ever built by the great inventor remains unchanged.[19a]

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 50
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (7th Edition)
    • 2a: pp. 50-51
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (4th Edition)
    • 3a: pp. 33-36
  • 4: Warmaster: Core Rulebook (2000)
    • 4a: pg. 129
  • 5: Warhammer: Dark Omen (PC Game)
  • 6: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
  • 7: White Dwarf 263
    • 7a: pp. 32-35
  • 8: Warhammer Uniforms & Heraldries of the Empire (Background Book)
    • 8a: pg. 67
  • 9: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Career Compendium (RPG)
    • 9a: pg. 66
  • 10: White Dwarf 262
  • 11: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Forges of Nuln (RPG)
  • 12: Gotrek and Felix: Skavenslayer (Novel) by William King
    • 12a: Ch. 3: "Night Raid"
  • 13: The End Times Vol II: Glottkin (8th Edition)
  • 14: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: The Emperor's Wrath (RPG)
  • 15: Warhammer Fantasy Battles Rulebook (8th Edition)
  • 16: Inferno 42
  • 17: White Dwarf 314
  • 18: Warhammer Community - Old World Almanack: Designer Round Table on How the New Old Lore Was Written
  • 19: Warhammer: The Old World - Forces of Fantasy (Specialist Game)
  • 20: Total War Blog - Thrones of Decay: Introducing Elspeth von Draken
  • 21: White Dwarf 146
  • 22: Warhammer Monthly 63
    • 22a: "Titan" by Gordon Rennie
  • 23: Warhammer Monthly 69
    • 23a: "Titan Omnissiah - Part One" by Dan Abnett

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