Tag Archives: Interview

Beyond the Gates of Antares – An Interview with Rick Priestly

Posted by Phil on

 

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The other day I posted about the new game by Dark Space Corp – Beyond the Gates of Antares – that’s currently on Kickstarter written by none other than wargaming legend Rick Priestly.

Well in an effort to find out more I got in touch with said legend and asked him a few questions. And this is what he had to say…

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TSC: Rick, thank you so much for agreeing to have a chat. It’s a real privilege. You’re responsible for some of the most well-known games in the wargaming world including Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Lord of the Ring SBG and Bolt Action (amongst others). What prompted you to set up DSC and launch Beyond Gates of Antares?

RP: Well I’ve been thinking about doing a new game for a while and I’d already got some ideas about the game system. I also had a fair idea about the overall style and feel – so getting away from the Gothic 40k universe – something different. Me and John – big chief of Warlord – knew we’d need more money than the Warlord business could afford to get the game going, let alone make the models, so we’d put it on the shelf whilst I got on with various historical projects – which is Warlord’s main business. We did look at kickstarter at one point – but as far as we could tell it was only used as a promotional tool by companies with existing ranges and games already for launch – and not as a way of generating cash for new ventures. So we dismissed the idea as out of our comfort zone. Then Rik – who I worked with way back when on a video games project – came up with the proposal to create DSC and pool our respective expertise – and it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss!

TSC: Well you must be doing something right as the campaign has been very well received thus far. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in getting the game and Dark Games Corp off the ground?

RP: Well raising the finance is the only issue we’re concerned with at the moment – and a good chunk of that will come from the kickstarter – so the biggest challenge right now is doing everything on a small budget. Fortunately lots of people have volunteered their efforts for free – come to think of it one of them is me! – so we’ve been able to do a huge amount all things considering.

TSC: From small acorns I guess… For those that haven’t come across the game what can you tell us about the background?

RP: Well it’s a far future setting – and humanity has spread throughout the stars by means of a series of wormholes that all thread through a nexus called the The Gates of Antares – in fact the star Antares which turns out to be a construct. Humans have evolved and changed as a result of transgenic implants to become a varied number of species, some created to fulfil specialist roles such as heat or radiation resistant asteroid miners.

The main force in this future civilisation is the Concord – which is a civilisation whose living inhabitants do nothing they do not wish to do – all work, decision-making, policy and innovation being developed through a process of gestalt intelligence that melds all living humans and all sentient machines by means of a nano-level cloud that permeates the air, food, water, living bodies and so on. This overwhelming utopia absorbs all independent worlds it comes into contact with, its nano-cloud technology simply integrates with other technology, so this happens without any intent – like a virus spreading wealth, happiness and utter passivity throughout space. Needless to say some independent and free-thinking worlds and planets don’t fancy being absorbed into this utopia, and form a loose association of free worlds called the Determinate – but these are in no way united and will happily fight amongst themselves when they get the chance. But they all fear absorption by the Concord.

TSC: The Concord sound like a right bunch of insidious bastards. One of the unique features of BtGaA is the Real Time Dynamic Gaming Universe. Or to put it another way, a living background that changes as gamers submit their results. How free will gamers be to influence the timeline? As they too free would they not have the potential to derail the background or take it in a direction you didn’t foresee?

RP: In principle, we’ll be running a number of campaigns which players can add their results to, and these will determine which of the rival factions captures zones within the campaign, and ultimately which achieves the overall objective. Depending upon the results, we will make available online upgrades – which may be temporary or context specific – some of which will represent tech captures, but others could be intelligence, resources, and so on. When we come to organising our model making schedules we will sculpt the various new technologies with the faction that captured or discovered it in the campaign, and then other factions will have to achieve success in subsequent campaigns to acquire the new tech. The campaigns will also drive the back story itself – so players have the chance to influence events and their forces will become part of the history of Antarean space. In some instances we will actually make models of player’s characters, and write them into the background, so there really is the chance to take part in the universe.

TSC: That sounds brilliant. And I love the idea of unique upgrade packs coming out as factions progress in what, I suppose, will be a community driven narrative. So, what can you tells us about how the game will play and the kind of features gamers can expect?

RP: The game play is based on an activation system where players take turns to activate one unit at a time according to an activation pool – the Combat Intensity Level (CIL). A unit can be activated any number of times, but it’s effectiveness drops if its Combat Status is affected, in which case actions then have to be expended just to keep the unit from becoming exhausted. When units take actions enemy units can make reactions, and in some cases reactions happen automatically – such as firefights and close quarter fighting. This means both players are active all the time, and play proceeds between the two sides quite rapidly. This was one of the things I wanted to get across in the game from the start – constant involvement by both sides.

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TSC: So rapid combat and maximum carnage. Works for me. There’s some pretty diverse factions in the game including some sentient robots and the rather gribbly Vorl. How do the factions differ in terms of background and playing style?

RP: Well – even within the factions there are different ways of honing the force depending on whether you want a high-tech base or a lower one, so exactly what kind of force you have can be adjusted depending upon the scenario. There are out-and-out battle scenarios, but there are also more role-play style skirmishers, raids, and exploratory missions where a heavily equipped military force wouldn’t always be the best option.

TSC: So gamers will essentially have the options of tailoring their faction to the style of game they want to play rather than just the type of scenario. Beyond the Gates of Antares is currently on Kickstarter and has had a very positive response. What would a fully funded campaign mean for the project?

RP: It means everything to the project. And it also means that the hard work will have only just begun.

TSC: So what do you have planned for the future the game? Can we expect more factions?

RP: Oh yes – the Determnate is set up to be infinitely expandable in that way – and you can always add more aliens too.

TSC: Being the game developer of legend that you are, was developing BtGoA any easier to create than Necromunda or the truly awesome Space Marine?

RP: I’ll let you know when it’s done!

TSC: Fair enough. One last thing; there are more than a few gamers out there wanting to put their own game out there. What advice could an oracle such as yourself give?

RP: Games are not about what you put in but what you leave out! Well I always say that – and it’s true – you have to decide what the game is about and focus on that. Otherwise – be open and appreciative of suggestions – listen – and when you’re playtesting just watch the players and don’t correct them – often they will arrive at the right response instinctively and when they do write it down!

TSC: Rick it’s been an absolute delight. Thanks so much for taking the time and good luck with the project.

If you want to support the Beyond of the Gates of Antares project then you can check out the Kickstarter page here.

 

Pins of War interviews makers of THON

Posted by Phil on

Seb, that cheeky bugger over at Pins of War has done an interview with the developers of THON, the game I posted about yesterday. Funnily enough I also had an interview with them yesterday so you’re going to have to wait for that now otherwise it’ll just be boring.

Thon1Thon – or THON – is a new sci-fi game. It will premier on Kickstarter later this year. The setting tells of the conflict between the name-giving Thonians and their Ordhren enemies. Thon will allow players to take on this conflict not only in one, but three distinct games. It is a bold project, bound to break the mould of current miniature wargames. The people behind Thon the Game were kind enough to answer me a few questions…

Read more here.

 

An Interview with Chris Wraight

Posted by Phil on

It’s been a wee while since I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with a Black Library author so who better to interview than the author of the awesome Battle of the Fang and the upcoming Brotherhood of the Storm. Of course I refer to none other than Oxfordshire chap, Chris Wraight.

TSC: Chris thanks for taking the time to speak to me, I know how busy you must be with the White Scars novel. Now, you had the great fortune and great challenge of writing the utterly awesome Battle of the Fang which came out shortly after Dan Abnett’s revolutionary Propsero Burns. What was it like working on a Space Wolves novel with the background so recently redefined?

CW: It was both fun and frightening, as you’d imagine. The Space Wolves were ripe for a reboot, and the work Dan did on Prospero Burns was incredible. I was already writing Fang while Dan’s book was going through production, and only saw a copy halfway through the first draft. Encouragingly, the direction I’d taken was similar in some respects, though nothing like as deep and imaginative as Dan’s treatment. A rewrite followed, in which I tried to keep some level of continuity going. I hope the results make some sense.

TSC: I think so. Although you wouldn’t want it to be identical as you’re broadening the lore further. You’ve also written novels about Kurt Helborg and Ludwig von Schwarzhelm, two of my favourite and most iconic characters in Warhammer and the Empire. What considerations did you have to make when writing about such an important part of the canon?

CW: I wanted them to be different in character but equal in interest. It’s a classic theme: brothers-in-arms at war with one another as much as the enemy. In terms of the canon, there was very little actually written down about either of them, so I felt quite free to come up with my own ideas (in contrast to, say, Bjorn or Magnus). I’m glad that people seem to have liked what I did with them. The omnibus edition of their exploits, Swords of the Emperor, has just come out, which is a first for me and something I’m very proud of.

TSC: I’ve got the separate books but I have to admit the anthology looks beautifully put together. Jumping back into the 41st Millennium, your second Space Wolves novel is out in March entitled Blood of Asaheim. What can you tell us about it?

CW: Blood of Asaheim is the first in what I hope will become a new Space Wolves series. In terms of its tone and theme, it’s more like my e-short Kraken than Battle of the Fang. The Imperium is a very different place in the 41st Millennium than the 32nd, and the Wolves are a darker, more compromised breed. The story follows a single pack of Grey Hunters of Ragnar Blackmane’s Great Company. Having written a big set-piece battle narrative with the Wolves in Fang, I wanted to delve into the detailed mechanics and characters of the warriors fighting the Long War. I’ve aimed to make it an immersive, sombre look at the Sons of Russ in the gathering darkness of the Imperium.

TSC: Sounds awesome. Your audio drama, The Sigillite is out in the new year and further fleshes out one of the most pivotal and enigmatic characters of the 40k universe. What was it like writing for such an important character?

CW: Just great. I love the character of Malcador, and think there’s a lot to be written about with him. He’s enigmatic – and that needs to be preserved – but there’s also scope to uncover so much about the Emperor’s plans for humanity by looking at his role. He’s the ‘human’ face of the Imperium; not a Primarch, not a Space Marine, not a living god. Set against all of them he’s so weak, and yet, in more subtle ways, so unbreakably strong.

TSC: Not to mention the fact that his humanity keeps the Emperor grounded and guides him in the matters of mortal men. And, you know, founded the Grey Knights. Sort of. So, 0n top of the Sons of Fenris and the Children of Sigmar you’ve also written about the Iron Hands, specifically in the exceptionally well received Wrath of Iron. What drew you to such a culturally complex chapter?

CW: The Iron Hands were a bit of a departure. I’d written the short story Flesh, and was asked whether I’d like to write a Space Marine Battles book with them in. I love the core idea of the Hands, though they’re not a very attractive Chapter in psychological terms. They’re about the darkest of the Loyalist Chapters, showing how in 40K the boundaries are blurred between ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. After all, who would you rather have a drink with: Ferrus Manus or Ahriman?

TSC: Fair comment. Beyond the work you’re doing for the new year, what can you tell us about any other projects you’re working on?

CW: Aside from more Space Wolves and White Scars at some point, I’m really looking forward to returning to the Old World with the Time of Legends title Master of Dragons. This will be Book II of the War of Vengeance series, which kicks off with Nick Kyme’s fantastic The Great Betrayal. I’m really stoked for this at the moment, and bursting with ideas for it. The central character will be Imladrik, one of the great heroes of the conflict. Plans are at an early stage on this one, but expect to see a truly epic tale of bloodshed, tragedy, forbidden love, vengeance – and, of course, armies of dragons turning the sky dark.

TSC: Sounds epic. I interviewed Nick a while back when he was still working on The Great Betrayal so it’s great to see the story progressing. Writing licensed fiction is a great way of indulging in all your favourite IPs in a very personal way. What IPs would you love to work on in the future?

CW: I don’t have any plans to work on non-GW IPs in the near future, mostly because my schedule is full of BL stuff I’m dying to get started on.

TSC: Understandable. Plus there’s no shortage of material to write about. Being an established Black Library author you’ve no doubt been invited to cool planning meetings with Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill et al. What was the moment when you suddenly realised that you were a part of the very exclusive and very awesome club that is the Black Library authors?

CW: I still see myself as one of the newbies, but I guess I’m going to have to stop that soon. Next to guys like Dan and Graham it’s easy to feel very green, but the list of books with my name on it gets a little longer every year. It was a great experience being invited to my first Heresy meeting, something I hope happens again at some point. In the meantime, it’s a privilege being involved with the franchise. All the guys, new and old, are just a very nice bunch of people.

TSC: I won’t ask who your favourite is. As a treat to the readers, what little tid bit can you give us about the next phase in the Horus Heresy series?

CW: They’d have my eyes if I spilled the beans. Let me tell you what I’m most looking forward to discovering: what Guilliman’s up to, what the Emperor has been doing since Magnus interrupted him, and (of course) the Khan’s role getting fleshed out.

TSC: You wicked tease. Next time I’m in Oxford I shall have to get you outrageously drunk and get it out of you. And finally, Chris, what advice could you give budding writers out there?

CW: 1. Take criticism on the chin. 2. Think hard about how the stories you like work. 3. It’s the characters, stupid.

TSC: Thanks again Chris, it’s been a pleasure. Good luck with the Brotherhood of the Storm and all the other projects. Keep up the outstanding work.

An Interview with Membraine Studios

Posted by Phil on

Earlier in the week I wrote about a band of Ozzies going by the name of Membraine Studios who are developing Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire, a tabletop wargame on your PC. On top of this they have flung open their project to the community in the form of a Indigogo campaign which I talked a little about here.

Aside from looking awesome, doing a straight port from table to PC was an interesting idea. So much so I decided to fire some questions their way…

TSC: Membraine Studios is currently developing, essentially, a virtual tabletop wargame. How did the project come about? Was it a eureka moment or something that’s evolved over time?

MARK SHEPPARD: Definitely something that evolved. I guess the idea for Fractured Empire started back in 2009, mainly from a desire to get to play more tabletop wargames, really. I have three young kids and not a lot of spare time, so I was finding it increasingly difficult to make time for my wargaming hobby—and that was just plain unacceptable.

The idea was to make a computer game that would capture, as much as possible, those things I loved most about miniature wargames: collecting minis, developing that “killer” army list, and playing a tactically challenging game. Most importantly, the game would need to capture the tactile nature of tabletop gaming, with minis to pick up and move around. This game would eschew the traditional computer-based strategy game conceits of the grid or the hex, and instead allow freedom of movement, like you experience on the tabletop. In short, it would be what I thought of as a “true tabletop game” on your computer.

Fast-forward a few months to the period in time where Josh, Glenn and I were coming together for the first time to talk about making games. My miniature wargame concept came up and we bounced it around, but it was ultimately decided that it was “too niche” and too complex for our first game, and we moved on. We released “Orbital Defence” for the iPhone a few months after that, so in retrospect that was probably a good call.

Following the release of “Orbital Defence”, which received great reviews from players and press alike, we all took a break for several months to regroup.  After that break, though, we returned to making games with a vengeance. We went through a process of rapid prototyping that saw us create more than 20 prototypes, each of which was scrutinised and brutally assessed for its suitability for our next project…before each was summarily relegated to the shelf as “not quite right”.

That process went on for more than a year. It was really only about six months ago that we finally hit gold and found what we were looking for—when, upon review of old ideas, we finally managed to rework my old miniature wargame design into something that worked.

Yes, it took three years and more than 20 prototypes to get there, but get there we did.

Being armed with a game design that we believed in energised us as a team, but we recognised the hard truth of it—that this was still a ridiculously niche design. So what could we do to broaden the game’s appeal?

Luckily, it didn’t take us too long to decide that that was a FAIL approach, and we decided to instead embrace the niche-ness and pitch the game directly to the wargaming community.

TSC: Trying to write a wargame is real challenge. Trying to write a wargame that’s also a video game must be doubly so. What were some of your considerations through early development?

JOSH ANDERSON: When we decided to make a representation of the tabletop, we realised that there were some key things we absolutely must have: army lists, deployment, customisation and flexible multi-player. As a theorycrafter, I love building lists. As an armchair general, Mark really loves getting an edge during deployment… and Glenn, well he’s an artist, so he has to have the prettiest models on the table.

And the icing on the cake is our multiplayer – start a game on your home PC, choose your list and deploy your forces. Head to the park with your kids and while they are playing, whip out your iPad and take your first couple of turns.

The next day, at work, log in via your browser and squeeze a couple more turns in over lunch, finishing the game off on your Macbook at home. How cool is that?!

TSC: Tell us about your wargaming backgrounds and from where your draw your inspirations from.

GLENN OSMOND-MCLEOD: I have been modelling and painting figs since I was about 14. I remember my first fig came out pink after I tried to add highlights to the red amour. Painting and terrain has always been a massive passion for me. Shortly after painting my first few models I turned my hand to creating tables and terrain and have made more terrain pieces than I can possibly remember. I have always preferred engaging with the spectacle of wargaming. I get the most satisfaction sitting back looking at a huge table of wargaming terrain and two armies deployed opposing each other ready to have it out.

JOSH: I have played 40k off and on since I was a kid, but I loved Necromunda and Mordheim. I played Warmachine competitively for a while but I’m really into Epic 40k, the Exodus Wars 6mm Ruleset (yet to be released) and Flames of War now.

I probably spend 80% of my time building and theorizing lists, 15% of my timing painting and modelling and 5% of my time actually playing. Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire will allow me to bring that play ratio up, WAY UP and that’s what excites me about it.

MARK: I’m the old man here. I started with the 1st Edition of Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader, I think, 1987. With ALIENS having been released pretty soon before that and having only recently read Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, the imagery of the Space Marines really gelled with me and drew me into the strange new world of miniature wargames.

Since then, I’ve played a lot of different games, and my tastes as a gamer matured, so these days I gravitate much more to 6mm wargames like Exodus Wars, of course, but also Blitzkrieg Commander and Epic.

I’ve always been more of a gamer than a hobbyist, though; I have great respect for the art works some guys can create with their minis, but I don’t have that talent…sadly.

TSC: For those that don’t know the Exodus Wars universe, can you fill us in on some of the details, and what made you choose it as a setting for the game?

GLENN: The Exodus Wars universe is amazing. When I first got into the background, I was astounded at the depth of the backstory. It’s not a black and white, good versus evil story that is war and destruction all the way; it’s more layered and intertwined. Humanity has split into two distinct factions and the tension between these factions is where our initial conflicts take place. Neither side is particularly evil, they just have significant differences of opinion on the future direction of humanity.

The Guild is a capitalist organisation formed by the people with the means and motivation to escape a society taxing itself into destruction. The Royal Empire of Man is made up of those who remained after the Exodus, presumably due to lacking means to escape their situation. This creates a contrast of the well equipped Guild with its well-trained and motivated troops—the best money can buy—while the Royal Empire of Man and its 12 remaining kingdoms vary in motivation and also struggle for power within the Empire.

Then there are the alien races—but bringing them into the fold at this stage is dependant on the success of the campaign. I can’t wait to bring the Khazari to life on the battlefield. Those guys are fast and crazy, but that’s probably for a later update at this stage.

TSC: The trailers for Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire look impressive but essentially a virtual tabletop wargame. What will you bring to the table to take advantage of the medium as players won’t be restricted by their purse string or their ability make terrain?

JOSH: The number one thing is the ability to play with friends that are interstate, overseas or just plain busy. Or test your skill against the top talent around the world. Our plan is to allow players to opt-in to social media integration, allowing them to challenge their mates and brag about their victories.

Our aim is to be as true to the tabletop as possible, but turning it into a PC game gives us some pretty cool options. How good would a game of Epic 40k be with Fog of War!? What about a ridiculous 10,000 point game over a 10’x10’ table? How about being able to play in multiple campaigns, one turn at a time over the course of a week? The sky is the limit here and it’s a bloody big sky!

These are things that are logistical nightmares in person, but the ease of use of a PC (and hopefully tablet) make this possible.

GLENN: We are creating a game that aims to bring the depth of tabletop wargaming to life. Tabletop wargaming brings with it a number of restrictions. Our hobby requires significant commitment of time, money and patience. I personally have a wife and kid that makes sure my time is full of family and all that comes with it.

Before resigning to go full-time on Membraine Studios, I had a full time job for The Man that took upwards of 60 hours a week plus travel away for me. Finding 3 hours or so for a wargame on the weekend is, sadly becoming more and more difficult for me. Most of my friends are in similar positions. Having a game like this that I can play without needing a good 3 hours of time is a big plus. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE table top wargaming, and have sunk many hours into armies and tabletops, but as time gets more scarce I still want to experience it in a way that I can fit into my life. It’s not the same, and it’s not better, it’s just an alternative way to play a game with mates.

Wargaming also requires a significant financial investment, especially if you want to own all units in an army or even multiple armies. Within Fractured Empire you get access to a huge variety of units right away that may have taken forever to collect and paint in reality. Maybe not as cool as the real thing, but certainly a good deal of fun for 10 bucks. (Plus they blow up and move with the click of a mouse.)

We are also not limited by table size. We can propose MASSIVE battles and we have every intention of doing so. We can go beyond the limits of a wargaming table both in battlefield size and also the landscape and terrain we feature. We will hopefully be showing off some of the larger battle field features planned for the game soon. I still want to capture that image you get when your forces are deployed and you look back at the table top and see two armies facing off against each other, but we can really go to town with the sheer size of battles available.

I can’t wait to breathe life into the miniatures we play with. With enough community interest we hope to be able to really bring the battles to life. I want to see the mechs march across the battlefield and actually see the effects of their barrage of fire.

I spent most of my time as a kid gaming against the same 5 or so guys, (you know who you are) and it was not until I started playing tournaments that I got good at wargaming. I started to think differently about how I approached each game. Playing a game like this online will open up doors to a variety of tactical possibilities. Facing a range of different situations on a regular basis is quite hard to achieve playing against the same mates or even regularly at torneys.

I have mates scattered across the globe. This wasn’t always the case, but sadly it is now. Being able to catch up with them, be it virtually, for a quick wargame is something I am really looking forward to. It’s not the same as sharing a beer and pushing around models, but it will capture the same tense moments and excitement of a war game (with explosions) and this is something I can’t wait to enjoy.

TSC: What can you tell us about Exodus Wars: FE’s army builder elements and will there be a campaign?

JOSH: The Exodus Wars 6mm rule set has army list building that most wargamers would be familiar with. Battles have a total points cost per side agreed up-front, units cost a set amount of points. There are some force restrictions to ensure people take balanced lists, but otherwise you build it to your heart’s content.

In terms of a single-player campaign, that depends on how well our crowdfunding campaign goes. I’ve done some work on infrastructure for a campaign mode, but it may be released in a cut-down form in order to get the game out in time (e.g. a few scenarios that form an in-depth tutorial).

And release will not be the end of development for Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire – if we don’t get the funds we need now, we’ll use money from post-release sales to fund the next stages of development – a single-player campaign would be pretty high on the priority list.

TSC: There are those in the community who feel that this is taking the wargaming hobby in the wrong direction as part of the appeal is building and painting an army. What’s your view on this feedback?

MARK SHEPPARD: I do get where those guys are coming from, but I think there’s no real conflict there. Our game aims to enhance tabletop wargaming by offering an additional experience, not a replacement.

The physical hobby offers so much that computer games will never be able to. From being able to hold your minis in your hands and place them in heroic poses, to the model conversion side of things and, of course, painting.

By way of example: as much as people might enjoy playing World of Warcraft and surrounding themselves with their online mates, it’ll never replace hanging out with your mates in the local pub. Playing Wow and hanging out in the pub are both a lot of fun, and—better yet—they’re not mutally exclusive. What’s to stop you from having a couple of pints with the guys after work, say, and then catching up with them again later in WoW?

JOSH: I agree with Mark. We don’t want you to quit wargaming on an actual tabletop—we just want to offer you an awesome way to get your fix in between your face-to-face gaming sessions.

TSC: So multiplayer will be the name of the game. How this work both in terms of game modes and friends being able to interact with each other effectively via online play?

JOSH: While we’re not ready to share the full list of multi-player game modes, we want to offer people as many ways to play this as possible. If your readers have a specific mode they’d like to see, they should contact us via Facebook, Twitter or our website and let us know!

TSC: To date, what’s been your favourite part of the project?

JOSH: The reveal to the community and the positive feedback we’re getting is incredible. The money is nice, but knowing that what we’re doing is making people happy—that feeling just inspires me. All I want to do right now is make Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire even better than people expect.

GLENN: The environments. We have shown two of our environments to date. These are fairly typical of what you might see on a nice wargaming table, but with the freedom afforded to us by working in a digital medium, we are not limited to the real world restrictions of making terrain. We can engage with the background of our universe and create environments that truly reflect the opulent scale of the Guild capitalist society or the Royal empire cities that are dilapidated and in disrepair. Given my background as an architect, my favourite part of the project is investigating what form the cities might take and why they have developed the way they have. Whole cities with a story to tell. I would love to bring some of these environments to life if we exceed our funding target for the basic game.

MARK SHEPPARD: For me, it was seeing the Behemoth animate and fire for the first time. So awesome.

That, and discovering all the background material the guys at Steel Crown Productions are developing for their Exodus Wars universe. It’s pretty cool stuff; it’s well thought out and reasoned, so it feels possible and real—in a way that some other sci-fi universes I’ve played in never have. <cough>

TSC: You currently have a Indiegogo page active to help fund the project. Here’s you soap box, explain to the community why it’s important and why it should get their help and, more to the point, money.

JOSH: I think the crowdfunding concept is perfect for us. We’re not asking people to fund the entire development of Fractured Empire—we are asking the crowd to put the cream on the top so we can add the awesome features we want to make—army customisation, deformable terrain, campaigns, and so on.

MARK SHEPPARD: I think the best thing about what we’re doing is that we’re trying to service a niche market, turn-based strategic tabletop wargamers, who haven’t received a whole lot of love from the games industry in recent years.

We’re trying to make the type of game that the industry largely ignores because it’s so niche. That makes Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire a bit special to my mind, and I think it’s something that deserves to be supported.

If someone else had thought of this and was making a tabletop TBS for PC, I’d be lining up to buy their game. That’s probably the best endorsement I can offer.

TSC: And finally, assuming all goes to plan, when can we expect Exodus Wars to be available?

MARK: <<Looks at Josh>>

GLENN: <<Looks at Josh>>

JOSH: Ha! I love how this one gets thrown to me! Yeah, okay.

I’d say “soon”, but that’s just annoying right?

We want to get our Alpha testers in as soon as possible. These guys are going to help shape the game and make it awesome.

Once we feel the game has enough features, a workable UI and we have our multiplayer infrastructure in place we will be releasing Alpha. We have a rough idea of the date, but until we see how the crowdfunding campaign finishes up, the date could move back 2-3 months.

Ideally we’d release Beta in early 2013, as our currently projected release window is Q1 2013.

We’re planning to be quite transparent, with updates posted to our website, Facebook and Twitter. If you’re keen to see what we’re up to, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. As soon as we have firmer dates, we’ll be sharing them on there.

TSC: Thanks very much for your time guys. I look forward to seeing further updates and the finished product next year.

Is you’re interested in supporting the guys at Membraine Studios with their Indiegogo campaign, go here. And if you want to know more about the guys at Membraine or Steel Crown click on the logos below.

An Interview with James Swallow

Posted by Phil on

They say never meet your heroes because you’ll only be disappointed. To those people I say poppycock and balderdash! I met the sci-fi legend that is James Swallow at Salute and was fortunate enough to have a good old natter with him about, amongst other things, Primarchs having Daddy issues and the Emperor never really being able to replace the adoptive fathers that raised them. It was, for me, an utterly awesome few minutes.

And if that weren’t enough, James being a thoroughly nice chap, kindly agreed to answer a few of my questions for The Shell Case. The mad fool.

TSC: James, thanks for taking the time. Now, you’re quite the sci-fi household name with huge success working across a variety of IPs including 2000AD, Stargate, Doctor Who, the latest instalment of the Deus Ex video game series and you’re the only British writer to have worked on Star Trek, specifically Voyager. So the question I have to ask is; did you get to meet Jeri Ryan?

JS: Nope, although Jeri was very complimentary about one of the stories I wrote for her character (a story called “One”)… I have met a fair few Star Trek actors in my time on the show and hung out on the sets of Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, which was fun. I guess I’ve been pretty lucky to work on IPs from fictional worlds that have given me a lot of enjoyment over the years.

TSC: The temptation to bellow Get off my bridge would be too much for me, I think. As I say, you’ve got a huge number of projects to your name including the all new Blake 7 stuff, the Blood Angels novels, the Horus Heresy, Stargate, Star Trek, what’s been your favourite to work on a why?

JS: I can’t really pick a favourite; I like each of them for different reasons. Each story presents a different set of challenges, each fictional world a different tone and texture to write.

TSC: Fair comment. So, what’s the one project you’ve not worked on yet that you’d love to take a crack at?

JS: If we’re talking about tie-ins, I’d love to do something for Star Wars, Halo or Marvel comics. I’m a big fan of all those universes. Beyond that, maybe write an action movie or a modern-day thriller novel.

TSC: I vote for Halo. Maybe a tie-in between Halo’s 3 & 4. Working with so many different IPs and Universes, do you ever get muddled up? Do you start off on Baal and end up on a Battlestar?

JS: No, the tones of each fictional world are very different. What works in a Star Trek story would not feel right in a Stargate tale, or vice-versa. It’s an important part of the tie-in writer’s job to maintain the correct texture and “feel” of a universe, otherwise what you’re writing doesn’t fit.

TSC: The Blood Angels series is now available in two anthologies. What drew you them to write about over the other Chapters?

JS: They’re cool! At the start, when Black Library asked me to write for the Warhammer 40,000 universe, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do, and I considered all the factions. The Blood Angels stood out to me because they were a first founding chapter that no-one had really written very much about at the time – and they have a great dramatic concept at their core. The thing about the Blood Angels is, their greatest gift – the noble bloodline of Sanguinius – is also their greatest curse. That’s a dynamic spur for character conflict and good drama, and when I saw that I knew that I wanted to write about them.

TSC: Deus Encarmine & Deus Sanguinius were awesome and incredibly bold considering you basically plunged the Blood Angels into a civil war. Aside from being hugely fun to write you must have felt a great deal of responsibility in writing what I think is a very brave story. Were the any anxieties from the Black Library?

JS: Exactly the opposite, actually. Right at the start I pitched two Blood Angel stories; one was a more conventional action story (kinda ‘Black Hawk Down’ with Space Marines) and the other was called ‘Sacred Blood’, the civil war story which eventually became the Deus duology. I honestly thought Black Library would pick the conventional idea, but they went straight for the more contentious one and suggested I make it two books instead of one. It was very rewarding to have that level of trust from the editors, and it seems to have been the right choice, as the Blood Angels books have sold very well and readers keep asking for more!

TSC: They are way cool. I even wrote a prototype army list around the loyalist faction. Flight of the Eisenstein is one of my favourite Horus Heresy novels and introduced us to Nathaniel Garro who is, without question, one of the coolest characters ever made. Possibly even more so than Ravenor (sorry Dan). You’ve had the awesome task of writing the Garro audio books which introduce us to the fledgling days of the Grey Knights. How did you go about tackling such an important story and were there any details you had to be especially careful of?

JS: Everyone assumes there is a connection between Garro and the Grey Knights, but I have to say it’s not as clear-cut as people think it is! Things are not exactly as they appear; but we’ll reveal more as the Horus Heresy saga goes on. Garro is a great character, and I really enjoy writing him. I’m pleased people have latched on to him; after I wrote Flight I didn’t intend to return to him for a while, but the reader response was so strong I couldn’t let him fade away! Obviously, ever story we tell in the Heresy era is important to a greater or lesser extent – even those that may not seem important right now may take on greater meaning as the series continues. Garro is cool because he is a viewpoint figure, someone who had his own story but who can also observe other major events in the Heresy era. We have a strong arc for him across the whole of the narrative that will play out as things progress. How that may or may not connect to the origins of the Grey Knights…I can’t say.

TSC: Ooh you tease! Am I right in saying there’s another Garro instalment out at the end of the year? What are you able to tell us about the plot?

JS: The next Garro story is an audio drama – a two-disc tale this time – called Sword of Truth. Originally, my idea for the story was to make it a prose tale for a future Horus Heresy anthology, but Black Library wanted to make it an audio instead. Sword of Truth takes place between the events of Oath of Moment and Legion of One and it shows the introduction of the character of Macer Varren to Garro’s band of brothers. And there are plans for more Garro stories beyond those.

TSC: Sounds awesome. I’ll be getting it, that’s for sure. Now, Nemesis made it into the New York Times bestseller list, which is an incredible achievement. It was a real change of pace compared to some of the other Horus Heresy novels. How did you go about constructing, what I think is, a very elegant and atypical 40k novel whilst still keeping it, well, 40k?

JS: The concept for Nemesis came from a couple of places. The core idea spun out of one of our regular Horus Heresy writer meetings, when Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill and I were discussing the Thousand Sons/Prospero Burns books. The subject of assassins came up and I immediately knew it would be a cool area of story to examine. Once I decided to write it, I realised that Nemesis could be a vehicle to show that the Heresy isn’t all about Space Marines – ordinary people and different factions are also affected by it. I really liked the idea of being able to show how a normal person  – someone like you or I – would be affected by living on a world under the shadow of Horus’s rebellion. I wanted Nemesis to be a Robert Ludlum-style thriller in the 30K era, and I feel like I hit that mark. It’s also an interesting story, because it shows how one small event could have totally changed the course of the Heresy, if things had gone a different way.

TSC: I think you did it very well. Like Legion, by Dan, it was a very clever story that forced you to look beyond the war, and, as you say, the Space Marines knocking seven bells out of each other. Fear to Tread, out in September, is a Horus Heresy novel, surprisingly, about the Blood Angels. What can you tell us about it without giving the game away?

JS: The short answer is: the Blood Angels go to the Signus Cluster, and all hell (quite literally) breaks loose. As part of his plan to rebel against the Emperor, Horus sends Sanguinius and his legion to a remote star system on a fake mission – but it’s actually a trap for the Blood Angels. A huge army of daemonic creatures is waiting to destroy them. Of course, Chaos being Chaos, there are plans within plans and internal conflicts on both sides. By the end of the story, the Blood Angels will be changed by their experiences and set on the road toward the Siege of Terra and that final reckoning between Sanguinius and Horus. Fear to Tread is the biggest book I’ve ever written for Black Library, and there’s a lot going on in there. It’s been very challenging, but I feel it’s all up there on the page.

TSC: The buzz on the interwebs surrounding the novel has been very positive and excited so far so I think you may have another hit on your hands. And, finally, because I ask this of all the writers I’ve interviewed; what advice would you give to those budding writers, be they novelists or script writers?

JS: The advice I always give is two words: Finish It. Lots of budding writers start and stop, dropping out of a project when things get tough or when a better idea comes along – but that never advances your craft and your skills. I’ve lost count of the number of wannabes who say “I have great ideas but I can never finish writing them”; those people will never be writers. You have to stick with it and finish the job. It’s important to be able to see a piece of work through to the end, because no matter what you think of it when you are done, you will have become a better writer for it and earned yourself some XP.

TSC: James it’s a been a real pleasure, thank you very much and I look forward to all the new releases.

The War More Shell Case Cast

Posted by Phil on

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Those lovely chaps over at War and More have done a Shell Case Cast starring, well, me. Although there’s a couple of honourable mentions. It’s not all about me y’know.

So, if you think you can stand to listen to me droning on for an hour then click here. Or alternatively, War More an be downloaded from iTunes. I’m about 23 minutes in.

An Interview with Ichiban Painting

Posted by Phil on

Not so long ago a chap popped up on my Twitter timeline with increasing regularity. A an eager hobby mentalist called Hugo, the man behind Ichiban Painting. Always one to promote all aspects of the wargaming community I thought I’d have a little chat with him…

TSC: For those that haven’t heard of Ichiban Painting tells us a bit about what you do and the motivation behind starting the business.

IP: I’m Hugo! I’m a miniature painter to keep it simple. I started modeling at a really young age and I was big into the military diorama scene. After many years I started to get bored with doing browns an OD greens  (That’s khaki to us Brits – TSC) and what not… But I wasn’t really interested in doing cars and aeroplanes, not really my cup of tea. One day a friend asked me if I could come with him to a hobby shop. A Games Workshop, as it turned out. It was the turning point in my hobby life. The models where really cool and along the lines of models I would like to do. Sure enough I returned to the shop the next day and bought loads of paints and some models. And that was the start. Since then I kept on painting and went to as many contests as I could. Doing so landed me my first commissions. Back then I was living in Canada so it was fairly easy to get commissions and paint. Life brought me to Japan, that’s where I did hit a wall. The Warhammer and 40k games are played here but it’s not as big as in the UK, Canada or the rest of the world. Finding work was harder, my reputation had to be rebuilt and I was struggling. For a couple of years I was just doing models for me and some old clients. Then I said why not go live on the web and see where it brings me! So in January 2012 I started what you guys know now as the Ichiban Painting Studio.

TSC: Having taken a stab at commission work myself I found painting other people’s models really killed my motivation to paint my own. What tips can you give fellow hobbyists to stay motivated on projects be it their own for painting for others?

IP: Man that’s a really hard question. It kills my motivation too. Normally when I’m deep in a project I need to take breaks. So that is when I go and paint a model for me. So I always plan my painting schedule so I have one or two days a week to do my stuff. That way I’m not hardcore on only one project. I think that’s a good way to change. But I still love doing it. Come on! I paint every single day.

TSC: Are you influenced by other people’s styles or techniques or do you develop and experiment with techniques on your own?

IP: Good question! (Thanks! – TSC) Actually I’ve learnt tonnes of techniques in modeling clubs when I was younger. Then starting in the GW world I tried to read all books I could find. I’m always looking for new technique and new ways to do things. I use other painters tricks and also experiment on my own. It’s really important to evolve as a painter and also modeller. I love going to Demonwinner, a site that has all the Golden Demon winner entries. That’s a good motivation to get better. I am currently learning and experimenting with molding and sculpting.

Best advice is if you think your skills are good don’t just stay there at that level; always try to evolve and get better.

TSC: Needless to say, you’re a big 40k fan; what attracted you to the universe and who is your army of choice, and why?

IP: I guess I ended up on the 40k side of things pretty quickly. My first GW model was a high elf model but I went to 40k right after. I was attracted by the coolness of the models and also the fact that it’s still along the lines of what I used to do in military dioramas. Over the years I fell in love with the whole universe with the books and art. I do want to try and do Warmachine but I guess I’m popular at painting 40k stuff so I get clients wanting those models painted. I’ve done my fair share of Warhammer Fantasy models but not since I went live on the web.

Army of choice…hmm…To paint I think all armies have good and bad points so I can’t say, I do a lot of Space Marines but I think my top 3 would be Space Marines, Grey knights and Eldar…or Tyranids. You see I can’t even decided that!

To play is another story. I only started to play about a year ago, I know the rules, universe, armies, weapons very very well but never had the chance to play before that. Now I play from time to time but I’m still busy with painting. My army is a Space Marine chapter. In French there’s an expression that goes like this ‘cordonnier mal chaussé’ it means that even if I’m a painter I don’t have painted minis.

TSC: What’s been your favourite project to date, either your own or someone else’s?

IP: I’ll say recently it would have been the Voltron themed dreadknight for @r3con on twitter. He won a contest of mine that I ran in February. Then he told me he wanted a themed dreadknight! So this project was nice because of the conversion, building/sculpting the base and the cool painting scheme.

TSC: What’s the one project you’d love to work on but haven’t yet had the chance?

IP: A Titan! (Word! – TSC) And guess what I ordered one last week? Ultimately I want to do the Eldar Phantom Titan but that bad boy with weapons is so expensive! So the next best thing was the Eldar Revenant. I would love to do an Imperial Titan too one day (I’ve done a couple. They’re awesome – TSC). Big models are such a challenge, building wise with the magnetization and also pining the model then you have a good base where you can do a crazy diorama. Painting them is also challenging since you can’t make mistake since its so big, if you do it will be so apparent.

TSC: For those that might like to hire you, on what basis to you accept commissions and how do they reach you?

IP: For commissions I always try to give good prices that people can afford but still offer a really high quality piece. I mostly take any type of projects. Of course I’m not the best at everything paint wise and I always let my customers know if I’m not comfortable with a project. As of now March 23rd 2012 I’m heavily booked but I could still do smaller side projects.

People can reach me via email at ichiban.painting@gmail.com. They can also come and talk to me on twitter @ichibanpainting, and lastly I post pictures of my work on Flickr and my website.

TSC: Hugo, it’s been a pleasure. Good luck with the Titan and I hope to see some pictures soon.

An Interview with Nick Kyme

Posted by Phil on

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That’s right ladies and germs, the Godfather of all things Salamander graces The Shell Case with his presences and waxes lyrical about the Green Marines, the Blue Ones and the Horus Heresy…

TSCNick, thanks for taking the time, I know you’re mad busy at the moment. First off, what was it like taking the leap from editing to writing a novel? Did you get any helpful tips along the way from fellow BL legends?

Nick Well, I was actually writing novels (and short stories) before I started editing. As well as a slew of shorts in Inferno! (TSC -Ahh those were the days…) I also wrote a Necromunda novel, Back from the Dead, before I started at BL. I would say that Christian Dunn was a tremendous support for me in those early days and I’ll always be very thankful to him for giving me an opportunity. Can’t say I knew many BL legends back then; at least none that I could talk to. I was certainly inspired by the likes of Dan Abnett and William King, however.

TSC Dan is a top chap. He’s certainly been very supportive/tolerant of this blog. Before I get down to talking about the Marines in Green; You wrote Fall of Damnos, part of the Space Marine Battles series, and the Assault on Black Reach novella. What was it like taking the helm on a chapter that had, up to that point, only been written about by Graham McNeill?

Nick A real nice change of pace to be honest. I actually did Assault on Black Reach before Salamander, so you could say I started with the Ultramarines. Graham was awesome as well, seeing it only as a good thing that another author was tackling the same Chapter, but a different character. His work on the Ultramarines is tremendous and served as a real inspiration for me, even though I was determined to put my own stamp on the Chapter.

TSC It’s Graham’s fault I have two companies of Ultramarines!

Nick Getting to write Fall of Damnos a little later was great as I’d had the experience of writing a full 40K novel by then and would be afforded the opportunity to explore the characters from Assault on Black Reach.

TSC I think it’s fair to say that you have a fondness for the Salamanders Chapter. What drew you to them in the first place?

Nick The fact that no other author had written about them was attractive. It allowed me to do a lot with them in terms of the Chapter itself, their homeworld, beliefs etc. I definitely found the dichotomy of their monstrous appearance and ostensible humanitarianism very interesting. The forging rites, Nocturne itself and their history during the Horus Heresy was also extremely compelling for me.

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TSC I never really gave them much thought until you came along. Now they competing with the Raven Guard for my second favourite Chapter. For those that haven’t read the Tome of Fire trilogy, tell us a little bit about the plot and how you went about the process of constructing the trilogy.

Nick The story centres on a sergeant called Dak’ir, who is unusual because he’s the only Salamander to have ever been recruited from the subterranean slums of Ignea, a region on Nocturne. His nemesis within the Chapter is Tsu’gan, a volatile but heroic sergeant who hails from Hesiod, one of the sanctuary cities, and is at the polar opposite of the class scale compared to Dak’ir. The two are thrust together in Third Company, a very uneasy pairing that gets tougher following the death of their captain, Kadai, for which Tsu’gan blames Dak’ir (though, secretly, he blames himself). Matters are complicated further when it becomes clear that Dak’ir could be the focus of a prophecy foretelling the doom of Nocturne and the Salamanders, a prophecy that goes back to when Primarch Vulkan still walked the earth.

Across the three volumes the Salamanders are pitted against the likes of orks, dark eldar and the Chaos Space Marine renegade Dragon Warriors, some of whom, including their leader, Nihilan, used to be Salamanders. The Dragon Warriors have sworn an oath to destroy the Salamanders and were the ones responsible for the death of Kadai. Slowly, as the story unfolds, Dak’ir evolves into a powerful psyker and starts to realise his potential as the saviour or destroyer of Nocturne and Tsu’gan, despite becoming one of the vaunted Firedrakes, descends further into a place of darkness from which there may be no return or redemption.

It’s an epic story and includes a vast supporting cast including Tu’Shan and Vulkan He’stan. The three books: Salamander, Firedrake and Nocturne are very much parts of one large whole and supported by a host of short stories that will be released together in the ‘fourth’ book in the trilogy, Tome of Fire in which there will be a brand new novella that goes back in time to when Kadai was still alive and how Nihilan strayed to the path of Chaos and created the Dragon Warriors.

TSC Sounds awesome!

Nick I always intended it to be a trilogy, the story line is fashioned in that way and although it has elements of self-containment was always intended to be read as three books. One of the biggest surprises for me was the evolution of Tsu’gan and his popular appeal. In the beginning he was only intended as an antagonist, someone to measure Dak’ir against but he became so much more, demanding more page time and story lines for himself. Dak’ir was always supposed to be the solo star and Tsu’gan went and pinched a load of the limelight, which I’m actually pretty happy about. I love telling both their stories. Their arc is an interesting one in that in Salamander you get to really see the needle between them, but in Firedrake they’re off chasing their separate destinies so there’s not the same back and forth. By the time Nocturne comes around they are thrust together again but on very different sides and actually quite changed as characters.

TSC As you say, it’s an epic trilogy and required 40K reading. As is Promethean Sun, the Horus Heresy novella. This was a game changer in terms of the relationship the Emperor had with his sons. Was this revelation planned or did the Black Library just green light your ideas as it was quite a bold move. And how much guidance did you get along the way?

Nick I was originally intending to write a 40K Salamanders novella (likely the Dragon Warriors origin tale I mentioned earlier) when my editor, Christian Dunn, asked if I would like to write something from the Horus Heresy era. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity and, of course, Salamanders was what I wanted to write about. Yes, BL did greenlight my ideas regards Vulkan and the Emperor but that process is the same for anyting any author writes. Although the story is ostensibly focused on the Great Crusade I wanted to do something that also had a little resonance for the greater Heresy to come, focusing on the relationship between Vulkan and his father seemed like the best way to do that. Fellow author Graham McNeill was a great source of support and guidance throughout the project as was my editor. It’s important as a writer to garner as much opnion from trusted and objective sources as you can. I was really pleased with the way Promethean Sun turned out and I look forward to next year when it will come out as a non limited edition novella so that more fans can read and enjoy it.

TSC Fans are going to be pleased a standard version is on the way for, it’s an outstanding book. I must admit I did get a limited copy. Number 12 in fact. But anyway, Primarchs, the Horus Heresy anthology is out later this year and I believe you have a story in there about Ferrus Manus, who I’ve always seen as quite a tortured souls despite outward appearances. What can you tell us the story and his development as a character?

Nick The story sort of dovetails with Promethean Sun in that it’s the same theatre of war, but totally stands by itself. Ferrus Manus and the Iron Hands are fighting eldar during a difficult compliance and during the course of the campaign Ferrus becomes separated from the Legion. From there he goes on a strange sort of odyssey where he’s forced to confront spectres of the future, his future and make a very difficult decision about his path. It’s a sort of a ‘what if’ story in some ways and throws some light on the importance attached to the choices that awesome beings like the primarchs make, and the resonance that can have afterwards. A little like with Promethean Sun I wanted to tell a story that had meaning and echoed forwards into what was to come in the series, dangling threads that are dragged on the current of the story line and aim towards the unwritten future.

TSC That sounds fantastic. Following on from that you have a novella in the pipeline called Scorched Earth that will have a follow on novel. What can you tell us about it so far, without giving too much away?

NickThe novella is set on Istvaan V, specifically in the aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre and focuses on a bunch of loyalist survivors that tried to escape the carnage but failed. They’re being hunted as remnants of the, now, Traitor Legions seek to wipe everything and everyone out who is still loyal to the Emperor. In particular, two Salamanders are trying to find Vulkan; his ship, his body anything, and have to cross some extremely dangerous territory to do so. I won’t tell you what they find but it will have the Horus Heresy boffins speculating until froth comes out of their mouths.

As for the novel, that’s strictly hush-hush I’m afraid.

TSC You tease! You’ve also got an Emperor’s Children audio drama coming out in October, how do you find writing an audio script compared to writing a novel?

With audio you need to think about the fact that it’s going to be listened to and not read (at least not until we print the script or a prose version of the story). It’s important not to have too many speaking characters as the audio dramas tend to be a small cast. There should also be plenty of action and dialogue, and light on the narration. When writing a script you need to consider scene changes and the atmosphere that should be evoked during that scene, any and all sound effects, the tone of voices and excising words like ‘said’ or anything that attributes a quality to speech – you don’t need it; the actor will provide, you just need to give them some guidance as to how you want something said/expressed.

I actually wrote the short story in prose first and then converted it into a script. I prefer to work this way as prose writing is something I’m more familiar with. I can gauge the pacing and tone a little easier. It takes about another day to work up the script from that, which is generally separating out the dialogue, excising unecessary narration and adding scene changes, atmosphere and sound effect instructions. It’s a very interesting intellectual exercise.

TSC The end results speak for themselves, I live the BL audio dramas. Finally, because I ask all the writers I interview, what advice would you give to budding writers eager to follow in your footsteps?

Nick The same advice I give to anyone who asks me that question: read widely and write a lot. Get feedback from as many objective readers as you can. Pick friends if you like, but only if you want an ego massage; the best advice comes from people who don’t have any stake in you at all – they’ll give you the hard truth and you’ll grow because of it. If you are/want to be a writer, do it everyday and try to enjoy it. Find your own voice, although there’s nothing wrong with emulating your favourite authors until you do. Finally, develop a thick skin. Unless you’re really lucky, you’ll get rejected. A lot. Don’t take it too harshly. Try and get feedback and anaylse what you can do differently/better next time. Don’t think you know it all. You don’t, and never will. As a writer you should be learning and developing all the time. If you think you’re not/can’t then it’s time to hang up your laptop and take up martial arts or something.

TSC Good advice. Nick it’s been a delight, thank you again and good luck with all the projects.

An interview with Gav Thorpe

Posted by Phil on

Yes, my extraordinary jamminess continues with yet another interview. This time with author and Games Workshop living legend Gav Thorpe.

TSC: Gav, thanks for taking the time to chat with The Shell Case. During your 14 years at the Games Workshop, am I right in saying you worked on 18 books across the 40k and Gothic? Which one are you most proud of and why?

Gav: Codex: Sisters of Battle. It was my first Codex and is still my favourite. It was a chance to delve into an area of the Imperium that had only been mentioned previously in passing – the Ecclesiarchy. These days the imagery and background of the Adeptus Ministorum is well-established and has seeped into other armies of the Imperium, but at the time the possibility to write mad Confessors and Missionaries and, of course, shape the Sisters of Battle was an incredible opportunity. Not only that, I was allowed to detail the rise and fall of one of the Imperium’s best megalomaniacs, Goge Vandire.

TSC: It was a cracking book. For me it was a big leap forward towards creating 40k as a Universe. You’ve also had the opportunity, and challenge, of writing Black Library novels for the Imperial Guard, Eldar, Space Marines and the Horus Heresy series. Which book was your biggest challenge and which was the biggest achievement?

Gav: Each has its own challenges and rewards. Deliverance Lost for the Horus Heresy came with the burden of expectation, given the success of the series as a whole, but I would say that Path of the Warrior was the greatest challenge. Eldar had not been that well-served from BL previously, and I had taken it upon myself to rectify that, so I put quite a lot of pressure on myself to deliver not only an interesting story, but a narrative that could only be based on an Eldar character, as well as wanting to delve into the roots and background of the Eldar as I went. The fact that I also then decided that three inter-woven novels was the best way to go, with each giving a unique viewpoint on the same sequence of events, pretty much moved the challenge level up to eleven in terms of writing the actual books.

TSC: Three books retelling the same story about an incomprehensible Alien race from three different totally different perspectives on existence does sound like quite the challenge. Deliverance Lost, the 18th Horus Heresy novel, came out not so long ago, written by your good self. For those that haven’t read it, give us an overview of what we can expect?

Gav: Deliverance Lost focuses on the Raven Guard Legion, who have fallen victim to the traitor ambush at Isstvan V. Suffering about 95% casualties, the Raven Guard seem to be out of the war, but thanks to divisions in Horus’s followers they are able to escape from Isstvan. Their Primarch, Corax, travels to Terra to seek advice from the Emperor and eventually takes possession of an important gene-resource that will help him rebuild his Legion for the war to come. This task is made all the more complicated by the fact that the Alpha Legion have infiltrated the Raven Guard and plan to steal the gene-data for themselves and destroy Corax’s Legion.

The book concentrates on the Raven Guard post-Isstvan, but readers also get to see flashbacks of Corax’s early days during the uprising that took him to power, as well as the continuing story of Alpharius and Omegon.

TSC: Sounds awesome. Everything I’ve read or heard about the Raven Guard makes me crave an army so Deliverance Lost hasn’t helped and it’s no surprise that reviews have been hugely positive. How did you go about tackling the task of writing about the Raven Guard and how much freedom were you given to develop the legion’s background compared to Dan Abnett with Prospero Burns?

It all started when I was thinking about the Raven’s Flight audio drama. The extant background of the Heresy doesn’t deal with the Raven Guard very much – the Collected Visions book barely mentions them and their old Index Astartes article doesn’t explain how they managed to survive the massacre (TSC: That’s easy – they’re space ninjas!) or what they got up to other than Corax’s misguided attempts to rebuild the Legion. So the first thing I did was to compile a list of questions and outstanding issues that could be examined in the HH novels and stories.

In regards to the freedom I was given, really the biggest controls came from myself – wanting to adhere to the letter of what had been written already as much as possible, even if there was an extra layer of complexity behind the ‘official’ history. The other factor to be borne in mind was how much of the Raven Guard of the 41st millennium already existed at the time of the Heresy, and how much of it has developed over the ten thousand years since.

For example, the Raven Guard as a Chapter of about 1,000 space marines have this behind-the-lines, hit-and-run approach to warfare. That works fine for a few models on the tabletop, but what does that mean for a Legion of 80,000+ Space Marines? They can’t all be jump packers, they need fire support & flexibility. On top of this, I looked for an area that meant that they were unique from those around them. They weren’t constantly mobile attackers like the White Scars, and their guerilla warfare had to be different from the subterfuge of the Alpha Legion and the terror tactics of the Night Lords. In the end, there is a self-sufficiency, make-do-and-mend, adapt and overcome attitude in the Legion. They are very pragmatic in their approach, adapting to the changing needs of the battlefield, but always with one central tenet: attack, withdraw and attack again.

This tenet was created by Corax during the rebellion of Lycaeus before the coming of the Emperor and it is not only a tactical doctrine for his Legion but a personal mantra; stay mobile; never get caught; always be ready to respond; do everything that must be done for victory; keep fighting until the last. These qualities have been adopted by his Legion and taken to heart.

TSC: The whole ‘bodge it and make do’ attitude is very British. I like it. What’s it been like to work on a project as huge and as awesome as the Horus Hersey series?

Gav: It’s great, but it comes with a lot of difficulties, such as the continuity issues. It’s easy enough to write a 40K story, separated from any wider narrative. With the Horus Heresy all of the authors are sharing a timeline, a narrative and a cast of characters. I might not be the next person to write about Corax, for instance, so my treatment of him has to be such that another author can take on his story and bring their own take on the matter. The logistics of it – who is where, and when, and at what events, and communicating with the other authors – is another thing that takes more time than on other series. On the flip side, I get to be part of this huge story, one that is the most successful range of Black Library books, and it is a beast that has far outgrown its original stature and taken on a life of its own. It is a third setting, and in terms of novels bigger than the 40K universe that spawned it. I’m glad I am able to find little pieces and areas where I can lay down my mark on what is going to be a sci-fi series that will live long in the memory.

TSC: It really is a great series. And more than a few people, I’m sure, would love to see alternative Warhammer 30,000 rules released. Moving away from GW, back in September 2010 Angry Robot published the first part in The Crown trilogy; your entirely original fantasy series. Can you tell us a bit about the trilogy?

Gav: The setting is quite different from Warhammer, with a, bronze age, Roman and Persian feel to it. The main character, Ullsaard, is a general of the Askhan Empire, and a very good one at that. He has a problem though – the expansion of the empire has stagnated of late and he is chafing to push back the boundaries even further. The empire is ruled over by the Blood, descendants of the First King, a man called Akhos. Despite the name, the Blood are not vampires, as some people have assumed. When the heir to the Crown of the Blood falls ill on military campaign, one of Ullsaard’s allies, Prince Aalun, drags him into a conflict for the succession, and soon the future of the empire is up for grabs.

It is a very ‘adult’ book, in that it has sex and swearing and a healthy dose of violence. It deals with the psychology of conquerors and men of power, and has a healthy dose of real politik as various factions and individuals vie for control of the Askhan empire.

TSC: Sex and swearing? I’m on board! How did you find it moving away from Games Workshop IP and creating your own? Were there any moments in editing the trilogy when you suddenly realised you’d taken a wrong turning and found yourself in downtown Middenheim?

Gav: I deliberately took The Crown of the Blood a good distance from Warhammer, in setting and tone, so there has never been any clash in my mind. The only thing they share, I suppose, is a military angle. It was good to have a clean slate and just get on with the storytelling, the world-changing to the needs of the narrative rather than trying to fix a particular story in a world already defined. The downside is that it’s nobody’s work but my own, so if there is something a reader does not like, it’s always going to be a decision I have made rather than, perhaps, something I have inherited from the existing background.

TSC: Again, the reviews thus far have been very positive so I’d say you’re on to a winner. With Deliverance Lost already out and part three of The Crown trilogy out in August, what are you working on next? And what are you allowed to tell us about it?

Gav: What I am working on and what comes out next aren’t the same thing… Part three of the Path of the Eldar will be out in September – that’s Path of the Outcast, and deals with the character Aradryan, who leaves Alaitoc to find purpose in his life and ends up getting involved in rather more than he can handle. I’m just about to start Ravenwing, the first in a new Dark Angels trilogy that follows on from Angels of Darkness. The trilogy is called Legacy of Caliban, but I’m not sure when it will be coming out. The title sort of tells you what that is about. At the moment, I have a Horus Heresy novella being serialised in the e-mag Hammer and Bolter, and that will also be published in an Anthology called The Primarchs. The novella is simply called The Lion and deals with what the Dark Angels have been up to since Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s short story Savage Weapons in Age of Darkness. Iron Hands and Death Guard get involved too. After that…well, things get a lot more vague. Hoping to do some more Warhammer for Black Library, maybe something involving a Dwarf and some beer. I’m also hoping to do more with Angry Robot, but whether that is Crown-related or something totally different we’ll have to see.

TSC: So it’s reasonable to say, you’re quite a busy chap, then. But, if you could work on any IP, be it a game, novel or script, what would it be?

It would be something new, that nobody has seen yet. If someone gave me a big bundle of money, some talented artists, sculptors and about a year, I would love to see what sort of game I would come up with. Failing that, a video games development studio and a few million pounds would be nice. Really I’m at a place now that being involved in the creation of something new from day one is where I really want to be. The Crown of the Blood is cool, but the universe I’ve invented for that is very much suited to the purpose of the story I wanted to tell, although there might be some room for expansion. Given the time to indulge myself, I would create something more suited to multimedia exploitation – RPGs, miniature games, novels, comics, and so on.

TSC: You can come work with me then, I’ve been trying to get my game finished for years!

Gav: In relation to existing IPs, then my favourites would have to be those of 2000AD when I was growing up – Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper. There is so much that could be done with them, in terms of stories, games and other applications.

TSC: You’ll have to get Dan to have a word. And finally, because I have to ask; what advice would you give all us budding writers?

Gav: It’s hard to give catch-all advice to would-be writers because each has a different path to follow, and each stumbles at different obstacles. With that in mind, I have two pieces of advice:

The first applies to many things, but ‘keep it simple’. Do not try to write your magnum opus straight out of the gate. I’m almost into double digits now for the number of novels I’ve written and I still think my best is yet to come. Find some good characters and an interesting story and don’t go overboard with trying to be revolutionary. Most readers just want a good story, well told. Work on your style and structure on something straightforward before trying to get too fancy.

Secondly, find your writing process. Lots of starting writers over-think while they are writing. They agonise over every word, comma and clause, thinking that through sheer persistence they will stumble upon their style. Don’t. Concentrate on story-telling, style can come later. To that end, I always tell people to Think-Write-Think. That is, think about a scene, chapter or the entire story before you start trying to write it. Make notes if you need to. Come up with cool lines of dialogue. Fix an image and a purpose in your mind – why this scene? Why this character and how does he or she act? What is the point of what I am writing? Then just write something. Write the scene or the chapter. DO NOT read what you have already written until you have finished the scene or chapter. DO NOT edit as you go along, just leave in the typos and the mistakes. Do this quickly, go with the flow. When you have words on the page you have a raw material to work with, and then you can think again. This is the edit stage – look at what you have written and think about what you were trying to achieve. This is where the style and the language can be finessed. Most of all, though, find what works best for you, and remember this: writer’s write, but authors finish!

TSC: Great advice that I know many of my readers will appreciate. And I do too actually. One more question for the road; fancy a game?

Gav: Yes, in theory, though I have not played Warhammer or 40K for about four years, and I am horribly out of the loop as far as the game system goes. So don’t expect anything competitive, or even competent. Always happy to try out new games though.

TSC: That’s fine, it’ll just make me look like a half competent gamer for a change. Gav, it’s been an absolute pleasure, thanks for taking the time.

Deliverance Lost is out now and available from Games Workshop hobby centres, the Black Library website and all good book stores. The Crown of the Blood & The Crown of the Conqueror are available through the Angry Robot website and all good book stores. The concluding part, The Crown of the Usurper is available later this year.