Re: BBC 40K

Posted by MortiS-the-Lost on Mar 20, 2012; 1:07pm
URL: http://the-lost-and-the-damned.71.s1.nabble.com/BBC-40K-tp7367822p7389065.html

Gary Chalk – Fantasy Illustrator and Games designer (including formerly Warhammer and Warhammer 40K) @garychalkpics

I used to put on demonstration games.Found it boring. Played the 1st version – 3 little books in a box with a cover. Designed by John Blanches. I Was a Games Development manager at GW about 30 yrs ago. Designed boardgames  and wrote White Dwarf articles:

I designed Talisman – all original art work, and wrote Space Hulk.

Also Battle Cars and Bikes – fighting eachother in the near future (we’ve always wanted a machine gun to kill the git in front of you. It’s based on that.)

Left Games Workshop (GW)  to go Lone Wolf Game books, then went as a freelance to Nott GW.

Warhammer was relatively unlimited – you could add more figures, scenery, boards to play on, as a wargame it is about resolving combat. You can give them character. It is a mix of historical wargame and fantasy role playing.

The business was eaten by Citadel miniatures which took over Warhammer. Original GW made and sold games by other manufacturers and sold many different worlds. It was all reflected and covered in White Dwarf. Eg Rune Quest, Traveller (SF) as well as own products.

It became all in house about its own products. Even ditched role play and narrowed the audience.  It’s much more restricted in England – no where to buy cards. Lots of little shops that sold historical magic miniatures went out out of business.

Eyewatering prices – for what is often a small lump of plastic or lead. Not always assembled. How is that Games Workshop can charge as much as they do?

They are not selling a hobby. They are selling a craze.  An addiction and craze – craft paints cost less. They have huge markups. You’re not a gamer you’re a fan. You need huge books of rules. Can’t play with someone else’s figures. The rules about their costumes are so detailed – less and less imagination being used.

The original rules were about fantasy combat, magic spells and creating character. Now the rules only work within their imaginary world, with their figures and   it cuts out all other influences.

People used to invent things – Eg. Dwarf hanggliders and hot air balloons and invent rules to use them in the game. I came up with naval ships – we called the game “All the Nice Dwarves Love a Sailor”: — they were fun add ons. I wrote the rules in White Dwarf.

I wrote a scenario called the Bloodbath at Orc’s Drift. Dwarvan militia with scythes and pitchforks based on the Zulu film. The principle characters were turned into a slightly deaf elf and a dwarf.  Had an alcoholic druid – none of it is possible any more.

A Dungeons and Dragons explosion happened just before Warhammer came out. It was 17-18 year old students really.

Historical games are getting older – fantasy games are getting younger. No subtlety at all. One lot of armoured guys w spikes rush at another lot of armoured guys with spikes. It’s all pain.

We're all behind you here Gary!