Gav Thorpe's Blog, page 9

Warbeast Longlisted For A David Gemmell Award!

Today the ‘longlist’ for the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy have been announced, and I’m chuffed to bits that Black Library have put forward my Age of Sigmar novel Warbeast for nomination.

For those who don’t know how the Gemmells work, publishers and the public can put forward books for the nominations longlist. These are then opened up to the public for voting, and a shortlist created which is again opened up to the public for voting. The actual awards ceremony is held at a different event each year – this year it will take place at Edge-Lit in Derby on 15th July.

I’m in great Black Library company as Graham McNeill won the award for Best Novel in 2010, with Empire, and David Guymer was shortlisted last year for his book Gotrek & Felix: Slayer. This is actually the second time I’ve been longlisted for a Gemmell award, as Shadow King was put forward in 2011 for Best Novel.

I empathise with that hasty scribble these days.

“I met David Gemmell when I first started writing for Black Library. He held a signing at Waterstone’s in Nottingham and my first couple of stories had been published in Inferno magazine. Joining the queue, my mind was full of the great things I would say – I was a writer, he was a writer, what could be simpler? When I got to the front a fright took me, I thrust my book towards David and blurted something like ‘I really like your work!’ before fleeing.”

If you’re a fan of David Gemmell you might be interested in the Legends II anthology, for which I wrote a short story The Blessed And The Cursed. With an introduction by Stan Nicholls, it also includes stories from Stella Gemmell, Andy Remic, Edward Cox, John Gwynne, Gavin G. Smith, and many more.

“Determined warriors, hideous creatures, wicked sorceries, tricksy villains and cunning lovers abound as fantasy’s finest imaginations do their best and their worst…”

If you would like to vote in the Gemmell Awards, you can find all the details here (voting on the longlist ends Friday 31st March). I won’t ask you to vote for me (although you will have my thanks if you do), but I would *really* like to go head to head with Graham and his axe!

The winner receives a half-sized replica of the weapon wielded by Druss the Deathwalker in the works of David Gemmell

Vote!

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A Day Out With ROBIN

This is a bit of a tricky blog post. Normally my event coverage consists of either talking about the fun stuff I got up to as an attendee (Nine Worlds, Derby Worlds and Daffcon, for instance) or the things I did as a professional guest (such as Black Library Live and Sledge-Lit). This past Sunday I went to the inaugural ROBIN wargames event in Nottingham, just a fifteen minute drive away, and I would love to tell you about the cool games on display, the great traders that were there, and the other stuff… But I can’t, because I was there in another capacity.

If you haven’t seen my Big Stompy Robots updates yet, or signed up to the newsletter, here’s the quickish version: I was invited to ROBIN to hold a short seminar on games design, and for some reason best left unexplored I decided to volunteer to run a participation game too. For reasons even more obscure, I decided I would run a game that didn’t yet exist, and so had to create the games system, paint the models and model the terrain.

In about six weeks.

Planning and Preparation

Going into the project I had a niggling suspicion that the board and terrain would prove to be the biggest obstacle. That sort of heavy duty hobbying requires space and time, you can’t just get on with it in the front room while watching the latest episode of The Flash, unlike painting miniatures or putting little stickers on dice.

They say that a picture paints a thousand words, so here’s one of me taken ten minutes before the doors opened to the public.

Nothing like being prepared to make you relaxed for a day of demo games

Getting the Robots Going

It was a slow start, but as a veteran of many similar events I knew the routine. People wander around, browse the stands, see what is happening before they commit to a game or purchases. I had some interested folks tell me they were just looking around and would come back later, and they were true to their word. About half an hour in I had my first victims, er, volunteers and my first ever opportunity to explain the game to someone that had no idea what to expect.

It went very well. They picked up the rules within a couple of turns and got busy blasting each other with machine guns and phased plasma cannons. All-in-all, the first hurdle was crossed: the game wasn’t a shambolic mess that people wouldn’t understand. I didn’t think it would be, but first night jitters and all that…

Across the day I think I ran five games, and I am happy with the overall results and certainly the players’ involvement and interaction. There’s some stuff that became immediately evident about damage control, the movement system and such, but I’ll be going into that in more detail on my next developer diary entry.

The Mechanics of Narrative

One feature of the event which is more common in the US than UK wargames shows was a programme of seminars. I say programme, but due to the unfortunate withdrawal of a couple of other local gaming dignitaries (namely Alessio Cavatore and the irrepressible Perry Twins) it ended up as a Q&A session with games designer Rick Priestley and head of Warlord Games John Stallard (which I hear was both entertaining and illuminating), and a games design seminar from yours truly.

Now, I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, what with the whole 3-year old son thing, Christmas breaks, and did I mention I was inventing a whole game in six weeks? The last, however, provided some inspiration, and I at last settled on a subject for the seminar a couple of weeks before the show which gave me some noodling time.

In my head it was entitled ‘The Mechanics of Narrative, and the Narrative of Mechanics’, because if you’re going to have a seminar it should sound grandiose.

Anyway.

The gist of it was two-fold. Firstly, that we as gamers respond more to the storytelling aspect of gaming than we do the mechanics – that in the longer term we remember the famous charge that swept away the flank of the enemy, not the specific ‘to hit’ rolls required to achieve it. Secondly, that certain game mechanics, and in particular the physical mechanics used in tabletop games, can in themselves provide a narrative and hence create a better gameplay experience.

LISTER: What I want to know, is how the smeg can you remember what dice you threw at a game you played when you were seventeen?

RIMMER: I jotted it down in my Risk campaign book. I always used to do that so I could replay my moments of glory over a glass of brandy in the sleeping quarters. I ask you, what better way is there to spend a Saturday night?

Red Dwarf: Season 4, Episode 6, ‘Meltdown’

There was reference to the neuropsychology of storytelling thrown in, some examples from games systems past and present, and me referring to my hasty notes and probably waffling a bit. Judging by the discussion at the end, it seems my central idea was on point, and afterwards several members of the audience told me they had found it stimulating and informative. One of those was Neil Shuck of the Meeples and Miniatures podcast, who extended an invitation to discuss the subject (and the progress of Big Stompy Robots) on the show in a couple of months’ time. An invitation I was very happy to accept. so hopefully you’ll be able to get some of the detail then.

A Fine Location

Heating issues and canteen difficulties aside (see other coverage for more on that), Nottingham Tennis Centre is a good venue for such a show, and not just because it’s a quarter of an hour drive for me. There was plenty of space, which I suspect will become less so in future years as the show continues to grow, and it is easily accessible for visitors with plenty of free parking.

I mentioned in a previous post the ongoing project on Mixed Realities Storytelling. Dimitrios from the Mixed Realities Lab was on hand to 3D scan attendees models if they wished (you can see one of my stompy robots below), something unique to the show being in Nottingham. As Nottingham is also capital of the ‘Lead Belt’ in many regards, home to very prominent miniatures business such as Warlord, Games Workshop, Perry Miniatures and Wargames Foundry, and others, I would expect to see more and more involvement form the local gaming clubs, designers and companies now that ROBIN had proven itself viable after its first outing.

The Rest of ROBIN

I only glimpsed the rest of the show, so you’ll need to refer to the more informed opinions of others on that account. The aforementioned Mr Shuck has a nice write-up, and a montage video of some of the display games, while GMorts Chaotica also has put up a thorough review (including some thoughts on my humble efforts).

Judging by the online buzz, the general consensus has been very positive and there is already talk of a return ROBIN next year. I certainly will be going back, hopefully with more Big Stompy Robots, and certainly as a punter if not.

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Mixed Reality Storytelling

Last Saturday we took a family trip to the National Videogame Arcade (NVA) in Nottingham. It has been on our to-do list for some time, but we were give the impetus to go following a contact on my Facebook page about the Mixed Reality Storytelling project, which would be located at the NVA during February.

“Mixed Reality Storytelling is a research project from the Mixed Reality Lab of the University of Nottingham. Its overall aim is to explore the ways by which contemporary technology has influenced our relationship with the material objects that surround us in our daily life.

In particular it focuses on the hobby of Miniature Wargaming. The wargaming community routinely records and shares information about the practices of the hobby, such as the details of their craft, the background stories of their models and armies and battle reports of their games and campaigns. This information is commonly formed into stories and narratives that are prized by the community.”

The exhibit at the NVA includes the “The Last Stand of the Argo” diorama, connected to an Augmented Reality application that lets you scan the battlefield and learn more about the story and characters. My brain has been buzzing with ideas about how I could use a digital footprint within the narrative structure of a game – something that was on my mind as “game mechanics as narrative” was the subject of my seminar at ROBIN on the Sunday (I’ll blog more about ROBIN soon). I’m very excited to have been invited to the lab at the University to find out more about the project.

Must. Not. Get. Distracted. From. Big. Stompy. Robots…

You can also take along your miniatures to be scanned in the 3D scanning photobooth. It took about five minutes for my Pig Iron Productions Wardroid to be scanned (one of the models for my Big Stompy Robots game). Here it is in all its glory:

As Dimitrios, who scanned the model, was quick to point out, he could have taken a little more time and some lower angle shots to fill in the rest of the model, but for something that literally took a few minutes I think it’s cool (and a white model on a white background also didn’t help!). Also, I don’t suggest people look at their own models at greater than 100% zoom if they want to retain any dignity about their painting skills!

I’ve also got my Heavy Gear Razorback scanned – I’ll share that in a later blog post.

The exhibit is at the National Videogame Arcade every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-6pm until the end of February (and for the remainder of this half-term week too). You can find out more about the project, including some great 3D scans, over on the official website – and this video goes into more detail about the 3D scanning element of the project:

If you have a character from one of my books scanned, send me a link if you’re happy for me to use it on my website!

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PLR 2015-16

Last year I published my PLR (Public Lending Rights) statistics, and having recently received the latest statement, I thought I’d update with this year’s figures. The number in the brackets is last year’s placement.

For those who don’t know, PLR – Public Lending Right, is the mechanism by which authors are recompensed for the free loan of their books through public libraries in the UK.

1 (1) Ravenwing

2 (-) Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan

3 (-) The Unforgiven

4 (4) Deliverance Lost

5 (2) Master of Sanctity

6 (-) The Emperor Expects

7 (-) The Curse of Khaine

8 (3) The Primarchs

9 (-) The Doom of Dragonback

10 (-) Angels of Darkness

I’m really pleased to see The Doom of Dragonback on the list. Many of you will know that Dwarfs are my first ‘love’ when it comes to gaming and writing, and it would be great to write more set in the Old World, so it’s good to see there is still a demand for them out there.

The number of loans has gone down significantly in recent years, possibly due to the library closures that have been happening all over the country. If you’d like to support your local library, Voices for the Library is a great resource.

If you’re an author make sure you register with both PLR and ALCS (the international equivalent) to make sure you’re not missing out on any money owed.

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Robots! Robots Everywhere!

Back in November, I asked the Facebook hivemind for “suggestions for models that would make good mechs, about 40-50mm tall”. This was the start of me trying to gets the bits together for my new Big Stompy Robots game (and at the time I knew Santa would soon be after some suggestions).

As there were so many great suggestions, and because who doesn’t like stompy robots, I thought I’d bring together the responses. I’ve only included one photo to whet your appetite, but each model range has several mech units to chose from. You can click on the title to go through to the associated web page.

In my Big Stompy Robot universe, the mechs are created by many different companies, many of them modified or custom-builds, hence a wide range of aesthetics. This allows me (and whoever else I play with) to add in whatever models they like. Other than the size and sci-fi look, (what I call ‘Galactic colonial chic’!) there’s no other visual criteria.

Apologies in advance to any damage done to bank balances.

Dust Tactics from Fantasy Flight

Most gamers will be aware of Dust and Dust Tactics – one of the premier ‘dieselpunk’ settings and games. Ranging from a ‘tween world wars to 1945 aesthetic, they are a little too industrial for the setting I have been creating, but the power distribution system for Big Stompy Robots could represent something more diesel and electric than atomic if you squint a little…

Reaper Mini’s CAV: Strike Operations

These are described as N-scale, which puts them at the equivalent to 10mm wargaming scale. Reaper use a ‘Bones’ plastic for many of their miniatures, including these mechs. This material isn’t the sharpest for detail but is cheap, light and can, in theory, be painted without priming, which is great if getting your mech on the table with the least time and fuss is your priority.

Zealot Miniatures – M2 Assault Droid Variants

This, like quite a few of the suggestions, was too big for the sort of scale and table I have in mind. However, being ‘miniatures agnostic’ (fancy term for rules that don’t have a specific attached range) the truth is that the Big Stompy Robots rules can work at other scales without too much fudging and interpretation. So, if you fancy battling with 120mm-tall droids, this is a good place to start.

Hawk Wargames’ Dropzone Commander

I like a lot of the Hawk Wargames stuff. At the time of my asking the question, these mechanised walkers were smaller than what I had in mind. Having played a couple of games and developed the rules a little more, I have a system of chassis sizes – scout, standard and heavy. In my first draft mechs of this size would have been classified as scout but having acquired more models – particularly the Heavy Gear ones – I am going to adjust my specifications as most of the appropriate models are about this size, which should be the ‘standard’. To incorporate my Infinity Cutter I will eventually stretch the rules to a super-heavy chassis!

AFTERLIFE Anvil Industry

Like the Hawk Wargames miniatures, I had passed over this one at first look because it is ‘only’ 38mm tall. Now that I have tweaked my scale expectations a little bit, this ‘Autonomous Mech’ fits the bill nicely – it has a great police action / security enforcement vibe (partly due to the colour scheme, I admit). It certainly offers something a bit different to a lot of the other mechs on the market.

Mecha Front

Mecha Front is heavily influenced by the style of the original Battletech mechs of my youth, and so has a certain appeal. I find, as with the original Battletech miniatures, the appeal varies wildly from model to model, with some that are great and others that are frankly gawky and horrible. The joy of Big Stompy Robots is that you only ever pilot one mech at a time, allowing me to cherry pick the best from all of these ranges, rather than having to field larger forces that might incorporate less well-liked design for the sake of army composition and effectiveness.

In terms of scale, the 6mm range works the best, slap-bang in my standard range, but the smaller 15mm scale models might sneak in as heavy or super-heavy chassis mechs. I’d have to see the detailing on the physical models to see what works.

Heavy Gear Blitz from Dreampod 9

A lot of my love for big robots comes from anime, unsurprisingly, so I have a penchant for robots actually holding guns rather than those mounted directly onto hardpoints. For that reason alone, I like a lot of these models. I have added three mechs from the Heavy Gear series since I adjusted my scale parameters, because my Epiran Hunters (from Maelstrom’s Edge) were just so much bigger and heavier-looking than a lot of the other models on the market. I really like this range, and having put some together they are a decent quality and come with a nice variety of weapons. The bases are too small though, too many overhanging feet for my liking, so I have invested in some resin custom bases (of which there are many fine manufacturers out there).

Puppetswar

These are really nice, but huge! At 150mm tall they are a scale unto themselves. Again, piloting just a single mech means investing about forty Euros in a model isn’t such a terrible proposition. All things considered, that’s a reasonable price. If you could buy an entire force for most of the games for that kind of money you’d jump at the chance, I’m sure.

Andy Chambers tried to bankrupt me, by pointing me in the direction of the Hobby Link Japan website. There are too many models to mention, so I’ll just leave this picture here…

Thank you to everyone who helped with suggestions – you can find out which models I initially chose for my game in this blog post.

If you want to follow the progress of my new game, including additional videos and development details, you can sign up to my specific Big Stompy Robot newsletter. This is a different subscriber list from my main monthly newsletter.

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Interview With Masters Of The Forge – Jan 2017

Listen to an interview with Adam and Jason of the Masters of the Forge podcast, where we discuss in detail the The Beast Must Die. But we also chat about Lorgar (my contribution to the Horus Heresy Primarchs series), Jain Zar (my second book in the Phoenix Lords Series), and my new Big Stompy Robots miniatures game.

Listen To The Interview

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Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus

The Kickstarter for Sharkpunk 2 – an anthology of ‘stories with bite’ – began on Saturday, so here’s a taster of my short story Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus.

The paperback copy of Sharkpunk 2 contains 19 stories, from authors including fellow Black Library writers Guy Haley, Josh Reynolds, David Guymer, and C L Werner, and is available for just £13.

Sharkpunk 2 – Extract from Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus

They found the body on the beach with bite marks – a young female tourist – so it stood to reason that the tabloids called the killer ‘the Shark’. Doug Brody already hated that he worked a U.S East Coast seaside town and shared a surname with the main character of Jaws. ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat!’ had gotten stale within two hours of his arrival to take over the police department. He was competent and realistic enough to understand that the timing of the killings, the location on the beach and his own presence might all be indications of some whacko taking inspiration from the movie.

Maybe it was Jaws and the timing four days before Independence Day, or just the sort of distraction a beleaguered Selectmen election campaign needed to distract the lazier journalists from picking up the next scandal waiting to be uncovered.

To say everyone on the local news rags went nuts is no exaggeration.

THE SHARK WILL ATTACK AGAIN one headline claimed, citing an unnamed police source. Probably Margaret.

KILLING FRENZY was perhaps the least subtle example of the sub-editor’s craft the following day.

BEACH DEATH tried to avoid being too sensationalist, but failed.

“Was she killed in the water?” Doug asked Huw Dudley, the medical examiner. “Do you think this sick bastard really thinks he’s a shark?”

“Well,” Huw washed his hands as he answered, “I can tell you that she was definitely killed by drowning, but the bite marks came after. In fact, as bad as they seem, the bites are pretty superficial. Mostly bruising, just a few minor lacerations. Decoration, I guess. No cannibalism. Looking at the marks, someone needs a good dentist.”

“Symbolic then.” Doug absorbed this as he watched Huw fill in a few details of the autopsy report.

“Can’t answer the second question,” the M.E. continued. “Not for me to guess the state of a man’s mind.”

“A man? That’s for sure?”

“Uh, no, just a figure of speech. In fact, wasn’t the shark in Jaws a female?”

“I’ve no idea.” Doug looked closer at the red marks lining the victim’s legs and stomach. “So, happy to pretend to be a shark, maybe, but a bit too queasy to do it properly. Not a full-on psycho, just disturbed.”

“I examine bodies, not motives. You need to get yourself a Hooper.”

“A what? “

He saw Huw’s smile reflected in one of the polished freezer cabinets.

“A Hooper. Richard Dreyfuss. You know, the shark expert.”

“Why do I need a shark expert? This wasn’t a real shark.”

“Not a shark expert,” sighed Huw, turning around. “Jeez, you’re literal. A motives expert. Clinical psychologist, one of those behavioural analysts, maybe?”

Doug considered this too. Was there anything to be gained by bringing in an outside authority at this point? Everything was conjecture, even the Jaws angle.

“And something else you might want to consider,” said Huw. “Boothbay isn’t like New York. This is a small town, not a lot happens here. The newspapers are whipping this up a treat. Folks are going to be nervous. Panicked, even.”

“Crap,” groaned Doug, heading for the door. “I better call a press conference before this gets out of hand.”

****

Things got out of hand.

You can find out more about the Sharkpunk 2 Kickstarter here.

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Sharkpunk 2!

I’ve often recommended that those wanting to write for Black Library broaden their field and write stories in different genres and with different subject matter. Not only does this help you hone your skill as a writer, but you can also submit your work to many publishers for consideration, instead of having a single publisher to crack. And once a published author, many more doors are opened to you (including at Black Library who are often willing to accept submissions from published authors outside of their normal submissions window).

Jonathan Green, Black Library author and all round lovely chap, appears to not require sleep. As well as writing his own successful Steampunk series Pax Britannia, Jonathan is well known in the world of small-press publishing, with a string of anthologies to his ‘editing’ name (including Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu, Game Over, and the original Sharkpunk). When Jonathan approached me in the bar at a convention last year, with details of his next Sharkpunk anthology, I knew it would be a great opportunity to flex my genre muscles. And yes, convention bars really are where opportunities are made.

A few months on, and today sees the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for Sharkpunk 2 – an anthology of stories with bite!

These rip-roaring page-turners, slow-build chillers, and darkly humorous comedies – which celebrate all things savage, pulp and selachian – cover the whole range of speculative fiction genres, from contempory horror and science fiction, through to gritty crime and action-adventure.

As well as my short story Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus, it contains works by fellow Black Library writers Guy Haley, Josh Reynolds, David Guymer, C L Werner, and David Annandale (among many other fine authors).

There are stories set during the Viking era, the Golden Age of Piracy, and the present day, as well as in the far future, and on far-flung alien worlds. SHARKPUNK 2 also features an offical Sky Sharks short story, set within the same universe as the forthcoming movie by Marc Fehse.

Click the button below to find out more about Sharkpunk 2, including the early-bird rewards.

Sharkpunk 2 Kickstarter

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January 2017 – Q&A

This is a compilation of questions that have been emailed and messaged to me recently.

If you want to ask anything, you can post a comment here or get in touch through the contact page (and newsletter subscribers can just reply to any of my emails).

I’ve been posting Q&As for a few months now, so if you’ve found this one interesting, you can look back at previous Q&As here.

Luke posted a comment to ask: Is it still the intention that Corax and his raptors survive the heresy and he kills them just after and disappears? Will there be any more books on Corax?

Well, if you read Corax (and more specifically the novella Weregeld) that first question is answered. As to the second one, I have no plans to write more Corax at the moment.

Also in the comments, from Andrew: I really enjoyed Mission: Purge (hopefully you’ll do a sequel one day). Captain Artemis is a rather cool character and has become a favourite of mine. Does ‘Kill Team – A Last Chancers novel’ feature Captain Artemis at all?

Have you seen Mission: Annihilate? I would love to do more Mission: X stories and it’s a definite possibility for audio in the coming years.

Artemis does not appear in Kill Team, there is an appearance by another brother of the Deathwatch (who is basically smuggled into Tau space in a crate!).

Andrew also asked: Lastly I was wondering if maybe you could help me with a modelling question (as in miniatures not Vogue)? I’m building a Deathwatch force at the moment and was wondering what do Lavestus and Haryk look like (without their helmets on)? I’d like to model them as close to how you imagine them as possible. Also, and last question I promise, what weapons would they have bolter, frag cannon, infernous heavy bolter?

Lavestus I imagine as being ultra-orthodox, so archtypical space marine – short cropped hair, square jawed hero, service studs. He’s a regular Deathwatch brother so would be armed accordingly (probably bolter).

Haryk is an ex-Long Fang (so, beard, braids, fangs) and a heavy weapons specialist, so any big gun will do.

Via facebook, Daniel asked: Hey Gav, I’m really sorry to bother you but I just came across something that’s really puzzling, Azrael’s Lion Helm. I’m being told it was said to of been the Lion’s but may not have been, this is due to concept work seen at FW open day and apparently the description in the codex. Please can you confirm that the helm worn by Azrael did indeed belong to the Lion el Jonson whether he used it or not.

I’ve always thought it a little odd that the Lion Helm was believed to be the actual wargear of the Lion. The greater size of the Primarchs would mean their equipment and armour would be substantially too big for a regular space marine – unless perhaps the Lion was a pinhead, or maybe the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Masters pad it out with lots of foam!

Anyway, like most artefacts and relics in 40K, I think the provenance of any particular item after 10,000 years of constant war is likely to be dubious.

Rob commented on this site: Do you think we’ll ever find out what happened to the Blade of Caliban ship and Sen Naziel? [From Angels of Darkness]

I think it is unlikely we’ll return to that, but never say never, I might see if I can slip in a short story.

On my Facebook Page, Erik asked me: So Mr. The Great Gav, throughout the years working with GW, do you own any of the many army’s that GW releases?

Before joining GW I had a sizeable Epic Orks army, and a pretty good army from the Empire for WFB. I had mostly Eldar for 40K, though bits of everything really – Tyranids, Space Marines (Celestial Lions – the name I came up with when I was fourteen and later appeared in the background!), whatever was being released and took my fancy. I also had an Empire Man o’ War fleet, Eldar and Imperial ships for Space Fleet, as well as the forces for Advanced Space Crusade, Advanced Heroquest, Space Hulk, etc etc.

While working there I collected (aside from specific armies I built and painted that we needed for playtesting):

Undead and Skaven Blood Bowl Teams.
Delaques and Ratskins for Necromunda.
Morks, Diggas and Muties for Gorkamorka.
40K Eldar.
Warhammer Dwarfs.
The warband of Inquisitor Kessel, for Inquisitor.
Dwarfs for the original Mordheim campaign.
A Battlefleet Gothic Chaos fleet.
Orcs and Easterlings for LOTR SBG.

And these days I still have the old Dwarfs and Eldar, the LOTR evil guys and am about to collect a Dwarfs team for new Blood Bowl. However, apart from the BB I haven’t played any GW games except for an introductory game of AoS for about seven years…

Bryan emailed to ask: Just finished Azrael on my lunch break, it was an awesome book. Please can you answer me a few questions?

What manner of man is Azrael? (Arrhhh cliffhanger!! – In a way) Did he stay his blade in the end or did he kill the girl? I can only assume he stayed his hand as he did with the Space Wolves (Curse of the Wulfen/War on Fenris) in the end.

Was the Farseer’s prophecy to Azrael regarding the War on Fenris and the Dark Angels involvement during the Curse of the Wulfen?

And finally, it mentions that Azrael is given the Sword of Secrets and the Lion’s Wrath but what of the Lion Helm? Is this given to him by the Watchers in the Dark like the Sword of Secrets?

1. That is entirely for the reader to decide.

2. Yes, it was an allusion to those events (bearing in mind that at the time of writing I did not know how they would finish!).

3. As I answered to someone else recently, I’m not convinced the Lion Helm is really an artefact of the Primach – common sense would dictate that in reality it would be too big to be wargear for a regular space marine. As an artifice with a shield generator that is a metaphorical helmet of the Lion, embodying his continued protection… Well that seems more likely, but either way I didn’t want to get dragged into that in Azrael so I conveniently ignored it

Big Stompy Robot Update – First Playtest

As I mentioned in my introduction to the project, I’ve kicked around the basic mechanics for Big Stompy Robot for a couple of months, but other than sitting at a table moving dice around on some cards, I had not actually played them. Last week I was able to get in a first game. My friend Carl Brown, of Second Thunder / Open Combat infamy, popped over to push a plastic robot around some old Epic terrain and roll funny-coloured dice.

Playtesting is just a fancy name for playing a game, although it can have different implications at differing stages of a project. Later on, specific parts of the rules, particular weapons, army builds and such might be targeted, but in the opening stages of a project it’s more important just to get table time with the rules to see what gets thrown up as sticking points or areas for exploitation.

At this point, in what would be the video games equivalent of a pre-alpha build, I wanted to know two things:

1. Does the game work?

2. Is it fun?

Carl brought essential playtesting equipment – chocolate eclairs

Does the Game Work?

As I’ll be explaining in a bit more detail in my next Big Stompy Robot newsletter, the core mechanic of the game involves moving dice around on a set of cards that represent the mech and its systems, and then rolling the dice to resolve actions. In my head I understood that this worked, but did it feel right on the tabletop?

Thankfully the answer was yes. Although a couple of turns in I made a big change to the initiative / activation system, after that it all felt intuitive and streamlined. The benefit of playing with the actual dice showed up the ways that mechanic can be used – putting dice on top of each other to indicate special damage and damage control, for instance.

Similarly, it only took a couple of shots fired to highlight issues with the initial cover system, and from the resulting discussion we came up with something not only slicker to play but far more characterful.

The same was true of a couple of other areas, but all-in-all, the engine runs. Draft two is already far more streamlined and coherent than draft one.

Is it Fun?

A game may work mechanically and yet lack that vital thing that actually makes it good to play. It needs to have decision-making (and tactics) and offer up opportunities from the theme to create stories. Not only that, is the gameplay rewarding and fun in the mechanics it uses?

This is something I will be talking about in my seminar at the same ROBIN event where I will be debuting Big Stompy Robot – how mechanics can create narrative and what that means for the gameplay experience. So rather than go into too much detail here, let’s keep it simple.

The game was fun.

After streamlining the system, the decision-making side of things was a nice challenge and the movement and fighting across the battlefield engaging. Nothing jumped out as unnecessarily complex and, most importantly, at the end of the session we both had long lists of cool stuff we would want to add, and the game has the mechanics in place to accommodate them without breaking the main engine.

It was also clear that my total made-up numbers for ranges and power for some of the weapons were totally out of whack! But that didn’t matter. I re-ran the battle the next day, pretty much as we had played it, with some tweaked profiles and it all seemed rather more balanced.

I had to raid Sammy’s Lego box for damage markers

Going Forward

All good so far. In terms of being ready for the participation game, I’m feeling confident with the rules. I’m building the mechs myself so I can focus on just a handful of weapons to begin, and similarly I can keep the terrain straightforward so I don’t need to come up with the rules for lava flows and low grav fields just yet…

Our next game should hopefully be more a case of making those numbers work and delving into the tactical side of the game. I really don’t want to end up with something where two mechs stand still and just blast each other until one loses; manoeuvre needs to be an intrinsic part but that will only come from more games. I want the experience to feel more like a first person shooter than an RTS in some ways – scoot and shoot, use cover and go for the kill shot.

I’ll let you now how we get on.

If you want to follow the progress of my new game, including additional videos and development details, you can sign up to my specific Big Stompy Robot newsletter. This is a different subscriber list from my main monthly newsletter.

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