Hashut! Bless you: Rick Priestley and Alan Perry on Chaos Dwarfs

Being a Chaos Dwarf collector, I was thrilled when I had the chance to speak with both Rick Priestley and Alan Perry on the 4th edition Big Hats! Both cover the origins of the project, and Alan's section also includes some of his original concept sketches that I don't believe have been seen before! Lastly then, just a nod to the community with a few armies that inspired me.
My instagram: @Filmdegminiatures
This video also features images from (in order of appearance):
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Bluebeardsforgenew: bluebeardsf...
Anvil of Doom: • Painting a 4th Edition...
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Praise Hashut: praise_hash...
Loidrial_: loidrial_?...
Chaos Dwarfs Online: discourse.chaos-dwarfs.com/
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[@flammablehero6529]

The hilarity that the most iconic feature of the Chaos Dwarfs can be attributed to the spiteful compliance of an employee towards their boss’s persistent demands cannot be understated.

[@antoriamemphis]

Yes they were spiteful and got fired for that kind of behaviour a few years later

[@XandersArcaneStudy]

Awesome video! I'm the guy who founded Chaos Dwarfs Online! Very cool to see it pop up in the video. :)

[@Filmdegminiatures]

Wicked! I’m more of a lurker on there these days, but it’s such a cool community!

[@XandersArcaneStudy]

@@Filmdegminiatures Hah, same here. But with The Old World launching, that might change!

[@markmcdowell2733]

​@@PRAISE_HASHUTbless you!

[@cameronrich2160]

You’re a god. Love cdo

[@XandersArcaneStudy]

@@cameronrich2160 Apotheosis! 🙌

[@onionhat745]

I love Chaos Dwarfs so much, they were one of GW's most wildly original concepts. Turning Norse mythology into Assyrian demonologists is such a fascinating direction.

[@EdeasKnight]

I love the big hats. The entire conversation Rick had was very flavourful. I could certainly imagine a Chaos Dwarf being so chaotically stubborn that they'd never be satisfied and always want a bigger, better hat.

[@MadSpaceWolfDiary]

How very Terry Pratchett of them eh? Gotta climb that ladder...

[@fredrik241]

I love Rick's retelling of the story about the Hats! >D I work in a creative industry and absolutely recognize the 'ridiculous client requests' and artists trying to make a point to show that they are right that it is too ridiculous but then having to go along with it nevertheless.

[@barbarusbloodshed6347]

yeah...................... god, those awful memories....

[@antoriamemphis]

Wasn’t a ‘client request’ at all. Rick took the piss because he knew he wouldn’t be fired for it. He got fired a few years later because he tried it with someone less generous than Bryan.

[@j.e1334]

TALL HAT = POWER

[@DrangusKahn]

You've heard of S tier, but there is hat tier! and chaos dwarves are the kings of it .

[@rajpreetdhillon8084]

I was always a little jealous of chaos dwarfs as they were just like my regular dwarves but with riddem monsters, cheap throwaway units, magic, and cavalry. I started building a chaos dwarf army this year using 3d prints from lost kingdom miniatures.

[@GustavSvard]

Always was a High Elf collector, but the Chaos Dwarfs had a vibe & look that was so, so good. Doing a splinter group from an established fantasy trope that goes for a style/lore that draws from a completely different ancient culture? such a good idea.

[@PRAISE_HASHUT]

Brilliant stuff Tom, amazing to hear Perry and Priestly speaking about these tiny guys that we’ve all spent hundreds of hours painting and collecting. I’m struck by the sheer creative happenstance of all the strange themes and elements coming together to make something so odd and unique as this model range. I bet it was fun to see all those crazy elements come together. Seeing those concept sketches for the models is also a real real treat. I always wondered if the Hobgoblins sock like hats were inspired by the ‘Phrygian Liberty cap’ worn by the ancient Persians, seems like a suitably Perry move! Thanks for the shout out as well mate!! PRAISE HASHUT!! 🔥🎩

[@evenlate]

Amazing view in the life behind these. My earliest memories of Warhammer were Chaos Dwarfs.

[@matthayward7889]

Another brilliant video! I’ve never collected or played chaos dwarves, but loved the models (and WD articles) about them. Always a pleasure to listen to Rick and Alan! (WD109)

[@Filmdegminiatures]

Cheers mate! Glad you enjoyed!

[@dylan9025]

As always, LOVE the interviews. I will say Mr. Perry was a little hard to hear with the echo, a mic would have really helped.

[@marantzdantz9685]

Brilliant interview! I laughed all the way through it. "I know those Perrys...." lol.

[@mjul84]

The first game of WFB I ever saw was Undead vs Chaos Dwarfs. Great tidbits and trivia about the glory days.

[@TriskelArts]

As a fellow Chaos Dwarf collector this was gold, thanks so much for sharing

[@kallemort]

I wonder how these guys would like the Creative Assembly interpretation of the Chaos Dwarfs, mixing the old style and the Forge World units into a cohesive whole and with nice big hats (if they care about video games at all).

[@artvandelay8830]

The Chaos Dwarfs are the only power capable of stopping the might of Hobgobla-Khan from conquering the whole old world!

[@JJMarmite]

Hat anecdote is tops. Only years later now that I'm grown up can I look back on the Perry's Dogs of War miniatures (and others) and realise "Yeah, these guys want to be making historical figures". Also, aside: I want a Mordheim t-shirt, too.

[@SuperFunkmachine]

And they do make historical figures now.

[@steveharrison76]

Malicious compliance can be so funny. I remember the first Nagash miniature was also borne of the same thing, by all accounts. I love these humanising design choices, they’re iconic 😂

[@StillRimmo]

Very nice. I think something underrated is the work Creative Assembly recently did with their latest Chaos Dwarf Expansion to Total War 3 - they created a perfect blend of 90s Chorfs and the modern Legion of Azgorh that's the best of both worlds - classic Big Hat aesthetic, but with all the modern FW units included too. It is excellent, and my favorite iteration of the Chaos Dwarfs because it really takes the best parts of every previous iteration. It feels like a labour of love by the team who created it.

[@WozWozEre]

Could listen to Rick Priestley talk for hours. I hope he reads these comments!

[@DylanGeick]

Such an awesome pair of interviews! I also have a large chaos dwarf army, but mostly the newer forge world stuff with a smattering of old characters. That showcase at the end is making me suddenly love the big hat older models...

[@slthlrdz]

lol Ricks story is hilarious. Thank you for sharing these. As silly as they are; still makes up one of my favorite armies from WHFB.

[@douggherkin]

Rick Priestley's writing and invention didn't half get me through a difficult childhood and long depressive bouts as a youth. I never ever thought he would leave Games Workshop. 😥

[@antoriamemphis]

Is that the same Rick Priestley who changes between accusing Bryan Ansell of plagiarism or claiming to have invented it all himself?

[@gustav3634]

I could listen to this man for hours

[@saintjust5925]

And I do know you, Tom! This is really fantastic, thanks so much for putting it together. You bloody legend.

[@brockvenator2299]

Thank you very much for these interviews, they're great.

[@DungusDingus]

Would like to hear about Tamurkhan from Rick Priestley

[@EwbanksAuctions]

These interviews are fantastic Tom, thank you for them.

[@Spam387]

Thank you for doing these and posting, very cool to hear the history

[@jbgaillet806]

So precious, thanks heaps for those interviews (those Perry's sketches, what a treat !)

[@auretioustaak6579]

"Hashut! Hashut! Bless You!" I haven't laughed so hard over Warhammer fluff in a very long time. Makes me appreciate my beloved Chaos Dwarfs even more. :)

[@grimdarkroast]

I'm so excited to dive into this!

[@Ethnarches]

Such great interviews, some of the best I’ve ever seen in any context. I'm not a big Chaos Dwarf guy, although I certainly wouldn't mind an army of 3rd or 4th edition Chaos Dwarfs, but it’s just fascinating to hear these stories about how these models, the setting and the rules developed for this game I adore.

[@zjivagoh8190]

Thats a great video! Really cool to hear the tales from the GW legends.

[@JP-dv7rf]

Absolutely loving these videos!

[@TroyTempest777]

Absolutely awesome stuff! Always wanted some Chaos Dwarves

[@ironknight132]

I love this so much, thank you!!!

[@Swindondruid2]

Thank you for the interviews, they were very interesting. My Chaos Dwarfs were my third Warhammer army, and I was very disapointed when they didn't get a 7th Edition book. A lot of my army are now Abyssal Dwarfs in my Kings of War army. The miniatures are very similar!

[@StygianBeach]

Awesome watch, great hearing about the history of Chaos Dwarfs.

[@TalooFoH]

Another great look into the past. Appreciate the time and effort.

[@Naglareffe]

the video quality and content are so impressive. keep going !!!

[@cultofpaint]

Amazing. Thanks for making this.

[@zaf4155]

Oh Thank you so much !!! Those are brilliant nuggets of Chaos dwarf trivia thank you all !!

[@JetsG2020]

Thanks for the video. Love the Chaos Dwarfs, secretly the perfect army.

[@jordansorcery]

Wonderful stuff, great work mate

[@vkutya]

wow my favorite Warhammer range ever since! Thank you this is brilliant

[@timothytrichtinger4732]

Great video! I’m excited to see the chaos dwarf pdf on Saturday, see what I can use from my collection

[@kingwiku9735]

So happy you asked them both about this. I am a HUGE Chaos dwarf fan also.

[@Fenristhegreat]

Great video, thank you!

[@apresmidi153]

Fascinating interviews...I've always wondered how these came about!

[@joenugent9508]

What a fantastic telling of Warhammer history. The origin of the ridiculously big hats was very funny.

[@DS_painting]

Great interview! Loved the story about the back and forth regarding the size of their giant hats

[@hneugiii1245]

Great video. The first interview was top notch 👌.

[@alun7006]

Great interview, thank you! I never actually played WFB at all, but the Chaos Dwarves always stood out to me as one of the most interesting factions. I still want a Lammasu one day, though they're horribly expensive now.

[@rhystucker3369]

Really enjoyed this

[@tomrichardson7792]

Yeah been waiting patiently 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@jonathanlevine4661]

I wish they still made them. I love the hats . I can just imagine them in plastic , with bigger hats

[@melekhthechanger88]

Amazing video and great so see this. Choas Dwarfs are still my favourite army just in terms of looks. Also RIP to Brian Ansell who without his vision for mini's many of us would not be in the hobby today.

[@NeonPinkApokalypse-nw6gv]

thanks to my mum finding the army book in a charity shop, this was my first army :) a wierd mix of two five pound boxes chaos dwarves with several bad conversions for command/characters and a bunch of greenskins from warhammer quest + a death rocket. fun times. hoping to have a nostalgia trip via some 3d printed minis soon.

[@juan_5315]

I'm planing to build a Chaos Dwarf army for OW. Perfect timing!

[@nicocarrion1441]

My heroes!!!!!!!! Greetings from Buenos Aires

[@pauljohnson6309]

I really like these interviews

[@martinjrgensen8234]

It was such a cool army. Loved the mini range and the lore. Was also a fun army to play with. But lets be honest, it is very much a work of its time. When Rick left, GW lost something. Same as when Andy Chambers left. Would have loved to see what this reset of the the Old World would have looked like

[@lemsdarkapprentice2535]

what an awesome video!

[@anvilofdoomminiatures]

Production quality 10/10 Interviewees 10/10 Subject matter 10/10 Praise Hashut! You’ve nailed this one mate 🤝🍻

[@nathanbuxton3271]

Thanks for the work Tom

[@MisterErts]

It's great to hear these stories from those on the ground at the time. I wish we could have had Bryan's account to complete the hat story circle.

[@marcellocimatti2322]

Such a lovely background fun story 😅

[@warhammerresurrection.1995]

Their silly hats is why I collected more than 50 armies for Warhammer Fantasy from 2001 that featured every race except Chaos Dwarfs. I just couldn't. Thanks to 3d printing and some designers who were not answerable to Mr Ansell, I now have one (last bits awaiting paint) Great story all the same.

[@legaliseme]

Omg I've never seen rick priestly talk he was just a legendary name from the annals of the white dwarf when I was a youngster

[@cdev2117]

God bless Bryan Ansell for his persistence! R.I.P

[@KossolaxtheForesworn]

I really like the chaos dwarf aesthetic. I hope GW will keep it when/if chaos dwarves do make their return.

[@chrispramas2288]

I sold most of my big hat chaos dwarves about 20 years ago when I needed the money and I wish I hadn't. I should have gotten Tamurkhan when it came out, but now it's ridiculously expensive. I do have all my chaos dwarves from the 80s and they have their own charm. The thing I didn't care for in the CD army book was the change in hobgoblins. In WFB3 Hobgobla Khan and his boys were Mongol-esque badasses, but in the big hat era they became sniveling cowards. I ended up designing my own list in the 90s based on the WFB3 version.

[@mikehine8575]

Thanks for this. When I started collecting chaos dwarfs in around 2000 they had been taken off shelves and were mail order only. I always thought of them as a mysterious and obscure army, forgotten by time. For a long time it seemed games workshop had abandoned them, and even their reappearance in 8th edition was very much a niche, non-core thing. I am pleasantly surprised to see them getting PDF rules for the Old World. I hope the list is more reflective of the classic 4th edition units but I suspect it will follow Legion of Azgorh. Let’s hope it’s more competitive than the threadbare Ravening Hordes list of 6th edition!

[@Svengar]

Very cool interviews. I have a bunch of the original chaos dwarves, the marauder versions and some of the tall hat ones. Not really enough for an army but something that could be built on using 3d prints to add to it

[@WeirdGuy4928]

This was great.

[@kwest9747]

Bit of a lost opportunity not putting a bug hat on Rick for the video! Really interesting as always. Thanks for posting!

[@erikthered7876]

The artwork, we need scans of it, or better yet, a artbook of Chaos Dwarf, all Chaos Dwarfs, so pre-Big Hats, Big Hats, and Forge World's Slayer Cult. I would gladly pay for such a treasure trove! Anyway God Bless you Rick Priestley and Alan Perry, as well as all who worked on the beloved Dawi Zharr! Now, for fun, what are your favorite models within the Chaos Dwarf line, it can be from any age. Mine are the Lammasu, Earthshaker Cannon, and Astragoth Ironhand. Hashut I wish i owned a Earthshaker, its my favorite GW model of all time, no joke I love it that much.

[@tsuruchibranwen8579]

Make 'em hats bigger, dang you!

[@g1stylempdesign929]

Excellent Video.

[@ja37d-34]

Thanks for this. :)

[@petermalich3171]

Epic video!

[@00Kuja00]

Still have the Chaos Dwarf Book more or less unused.^^*

[@greywanderer5935]

Truly miss the Chaos Dwarfs.

[@VainEldritch]

Bemused, confused but eternally handsome... I give you Rick Priestly.

[@thierryturnover3443]

Amazing to have such videos, Great stuff. Question, where can I get one for these beautiful mordheim t shirt ?

[@TheMaltesefalcon204]

Tall hat is love, tall hat is life

[@morganmorgan-morgan2582]

Wonderful. Thank you. I had the good fortune to pick up a small army from my local gw store as they were somewhat desperately clearing them from the shelves around 95/6 I think. I sadly sold them in 2007 (at a tidy profit!) but nonetheless regret it. I’d love to know where they ended up!!

[@morganmorgan-morgan2582]

If you happened to buy any on eBay in 2007 they could have been mine!

[@hanshans387]

Hashut, Hashut, Bless You! Could've come straight from a Discworld novel, it's perfect 😂

[@markweevil3985]

Still got my signed copy of Tamurkhan, lovely

[@xyonblade]

Its.. surprising how many decisions are made without even looking at the miniatures

[@kamenriderace1501]

Since when are Chaos Dwarf players so ATTRACTIVE 😍 There's some joke here about big hats that I'll stay away from... 😊

[@mharohon]

Delightful.

[@drfishynooooo881]

The pinnacle of a 'unicorn' army for me. Would love to have a legion of azgorgh army in my collection. Definitely a missed oppurtunity. I do live in hope that they'll be properly revived one day😊

[@chiddy786]

There are a lot of credible rumors that they are coming to Age of Sigmar with their 4th ed. I'd guess that if they do. Then they might re release the old 8th ed minis along with a number of new ones. Perfectly workable with The Old World

[@drfishynooooo881]

@@chiddy786 fingers crossed

[@FGustoh]

These interviews are great. I wonder if High Elf pointed helms have a similar origin story.

[@boboayame2065]

H A T S A T S

[@mireadur]

Mister Priestley, a true genious.

[@Disc147]

One of my favorite armies, my warmaster army is a proxy mishmash for chaos dwarves that need a coat of paint 😂

[@MalakianM2S]

Funny enough, making the hats bigger and bigger is the perfect metaphore for the Sons of Hashtut's greed.