Where do I start to get into the fucking colossus that is the

Read horus heresy for wh 40k, the games don't really explain much, besides letting you know everybody hates each other and the emperor of all mankind is the tits.

I really don't know how to get into wh fantasy lore, but you probably should ask in /tg/ instead

The tabletop game is the only one that matters. Everything else is shit.

Please understand this now before you waste your time. The books? They are shit that sounds like fanfiction written by an edgy 15 year old. The videogames? They are bad RTS.

The ONLY thing in Warhammer that matters is the core product that all of it is based on, the wargame. If you don't want to play the tabletop wargame (which is a rather expensive and time consuming undertaking) then just don't bother. If you want to know if you'll enjoy the wargame I suggest going to your local game shop and watching others play some games.

>>389168336
>What are the main differences between warhammer and warhammer 40k?

Warhammer is Lord of the Rings style fantasy. Elves, dwarves, orcs, etc fighting with swords and crossbows.

Warhammer 40k takes place in the far future and is more about Starship Tropper style soldiers, Space Marines, The Cylon (except they're skeleton egyptians for some reason) and aliens. Oh, and space elves and space orks.

>>389168336
Just avoid Age of Sigmar. It's a mix of Norse Mythology and He-Man gone horribly wrong.

>>389169507
>Lord of the Rings style fantasy
That's a little oversimplification.

Warhammer Fantasy is a darker take on Lord of The Rings + it's our world turned fantasy and with the addition of many things that LoTR doesn't have.

Like Skaven and their crazy creations and inventions (Hellpit Abomination and Doom Wheel say hello).

>>389170207
Warhammer Fantasy is closer to just normal Lord of the Rings than just about any fantasy setting. The few things it didn't take from LotR are knockoffs from Dungeons and Dragons, which is itself a LotR knockoff (Skaven = Kobolds, Dark Elves, Dark Dwarves)

Obviously as a unique intellectual property it's going to have a few drops of originality so that it's legally distinct, but Warhammer Fantasy is about as vanilla as it gets for a fantasy setting.