Warhammer 40k MMO by Vigil/THQ

[gryeyes]

Im curious what is the 13th book? Are they going to not include the Siege of Terra in the novels? That seems a pretty huge event to contain in a single book. And is Black Library going to publish other pre-heresy era novels?

[IainC]

Im curious what is the 13th book? Are they going to not include the Siege of Terra in the novels? That seems a pretty huge event to contain in a single book. And is Black Library going to publish other pre-heresy era novels?

No idea, I suspect that Alan Merrett is orchestrating it somewhere.

[AutomaticZen]

Mike Lee is pretty good as is Gav Thorpe. I think the HH series comes under a lot more editorial scrutiny than the other series because even some of the not so great authors manage to produce decent books in that series. Ben Counter comes to mind here, his stuff in the series is head and shoulders above things like the Soul Drinkers trilogy. Even Graham McNeill who I think is the single worst writer on the team doesn't always suck when writing HH books.

My problem with Mike Lee is the only stuff of his I've read is the Malus Darkblade books.  I don't know where he ends and Abnett begins on those.

The only Thorpe I've read is The Last Chancers Omnibus.  It was a decent read, but I've yet to move onto his other works.  Decent stuff I admit.

[IainC]

My problem with Mike Lee is the only stuff of his I've read is the Malus Darkblade books.  I don't know where he ends and Abnett begins on those.

The only Thorpe I've read is The Last Chancers Omnibus.  It was a decent read, but I've yet to move onto his other works.  Decent stuff I admit.

Nagash the Sorceror is Mike Lee's best solo foray to date. It's one of the Time of Legends books which will become a series of trilogies each dealing with a central character in the Warhammer canon (the other two released so far are Heldenhammer and Malekith). It's very good and has a distinctly different ambience to most Warhammer novels.

Let Gav write about Dwarfs and it will probably be very readable indeed. Even in Malekith which is notionally about the origins of the Dark Elves, the best parts are the bits where Gav can eulogise about the Dwarfs. Grudgebearer and Angels of Darkness are likewise well worth your time.

[Johny Cee]

While Iain is here answering questions....

What happened between William King and the Black Library?  The Gotrek & Felix books were good entertainment reads that came out in a reasonable time period, but the continuation by a new author just looks bad.

[UnSub]

For the record: none of this lore will have any impact on gameplay.

That is all. 

[AutomaticZen]

For the record: none of this lore will have any impact on gameplay.

That is all. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
  *gnashing of teeth   

[gryeyes]

Well, it is 10,000 year old lore. Ive never actually played the TT game. I am just a dork and it is an awesome setting. Pretty much same deal with shadowrun.

[AutomaticZen]

Well, it is 10,000 year old lore. Ive never actually played the TT game. I am just a dork and it is an awesome setting. Pretty much same deal with shadowrun.

I've never played the tabletop game myself.  Read a lot of the books though.  Went in one day to see how the tabletop game was played.  Sounded interesting.  Asked how much the started set was.  "$50".  Walked out and never looked back. 

Already have enough expensive hobbies.

[Draegan]

I don't think this was posted.

WOW has peaked.  40k is waiting!

"Blizzard based a lot of their, let's say, RPG characteristics on 40k, which was the original," he continued. "There's a lot of commonality there that just comes right out of what Games Workshop has developed - the fiction, and the rest of it is incredibly deep. I think if we're true to that and do it at a high quality, then people will come. And they can certainly co-exist."

[IainC]

While Iain is here answering questions....

What happened between William King and the Black Library?  The Gotrek & Felix books were good entertainment reads that came out in a reasonable time period, but the continuation by a new author just looks bad.

Bill King is still nominally a BL author, he just hasn't written anything for a while. I remember bumping into him in Bugmans a couple of years back so there was no falling out with GW or anything. IIRC, Andy Jones (who was BL head at the time) really wanted more Gotrek and Felix books to go with the big relaunch of BL and the general new pace of publication. Bill King was busy with some other projects but said he didn't mind if other authors took his ball and ran with it - hence the later sequels.

[Morfiend]

While Iain is here answering questions....

What happened between William King and the Black Library?  The Gotrek & Felix books were good entertainment reads that came out in a reasonable time period, but the continuation by a new author just looks bad.

Bill King is still nominally a BL author, he just hasn't written anything for a while. I remember bumping into him in Bugmans a couple of years back so there was no falling out with GW or anything. IIRC, Andy Jones (who was BL head at the time) really wanted more Gotrek and Felix books to go with the big relaunch of BL and the general new pace of publication. Bill King was busy with some other projects but said he didn't mind if other authors took his ball and ran with it - hence the later sequels.

Iain, if you ever see those guys. Can you punch them in the throat for me for that horrible 40k RPG launch then cancel shit they pulled. Thanks.

[Johny Cee]

While Iain is here answering questions....

What happened between William King and the Black Library?  The Gotrek & Felix books were good entertainment reads that came out in a reasonable time period, but the continuation by a new author just looks bad.

Bill King is still nominally a BL author, he just hasn't written anything for a while. I remember bumping into him in Bugmans a couple of years back so there was no falling out with GW or anything. IIRC, Andy Jones (who was BL head at the time) really wanted more Gotrek and Felix books to go with the big relaunch of BL and the general new pace of publication. Bill King was busy with some other projects but said he didn't mind if other authors took his ball and ran with it - hence the later sequels.

Interesting. He seemed to go from churning out a couple books a year for GW to writing nothing at all, so I had assumed there was some kind of disagreement with management.

Thanks for the response.

[UnSub]

I don't think this was posted.

WOW has peaked.  40k is waiting!

"Blizzard based a lot of their, let's say, RPG characteristics on 40k, which was the original," he continued. "There's a lot of commonality there that just comes right out of what Games Workshop has developed - the fiction, and the rest of it is incredibly deep. I think if we're true to that and do it at a high quality, then people will come. And they can certainly co-exist."

Big talk for a title with no release date. Or screenshots. Or website.

Also, we might start playing for the IP, but we stay for the game mechanics.

[gryeyes]

I wonder if they are going for a Mature rating. Be difficult to do WH:40k justice otherwise.

[Teleku]

I don't think this was posted.

WOW has peaked.  40k is waiting!

"Blizzard based a lot of their, let's say, RPG characteristics on 40k, which was the original," he continued. "There's a lot of commonality there that just comes right out of what Games Workshop has developed - the fiction, and the rest of it is incredibly deep. I think if we're true to that and do it at a high quality, then people will come. And they can certainly co-exist."

Amazing, this was almost the exact same ideology WAR had.  It's worked wonders for them!

[ashrik]

I wonder if they are going for a Mature rating. Be difficult to do WH:40k justice otherwise.

Almost definitely not. I think there's quite a lot they'd be able to get in, thematically, without an M on the box. Keep Khorne's fountains of blood and Slaanesh's hermaphroditic dicktits out of it and you're in the clear.

[Yegolev]

I don't think this was posted.

WOW has peaked.  40k is waiting!

"Blizzard based a lot of their, let's say, RPG characteristics on 40k, which was the original," he continued. "There's a lot of commonality there that just comes right out of what Games Workshop has developed - the fiction, and the rest of it is incredibly deep. I think if we're true to that and do it at a high quality, then people will come. And they can certainly co-exist."

Amazing, this was almost the exact same ideology WAR had.  It's worked wonders for them!

Let's be blunt and note that Mark Jacobs is probably not going to sign onto this project, thereby allowing for some reasonable interest in the end product.

[NowhereMan]

Somewhat off topic but seeing as we're discussing 40K lore, I would fucking love to see an Inquisitor RPG. Especially with some of the writing talent from KoTOR II (not game talent so much). I would love to see a good, mature, dark RPG that leaves you wondering if you really are the good guy at some points and I think the Inquisitor setting really has a lot of room for that. I also want to shoot heretics in the face.

[JWIV]

Dark  Heresy is probably what you want.  Inqusitors retinue.   

[gryeyes]

Somewhat off topic but seeing as we're discussing 40K lore, I would fucking love to see an Inquisitor RPG. Especially with some of the writing talent from KoTOR II (not game talent so much). I would love to see a good, mature, dark RPG that leaves you wondering if you really are the good guy at some points and I think the Inquisitor setting really has a lot of room for that. I also want to shoot heretics in the face.

Ya, the aborted PnP wh40k game is pretty much exactly that. The books offer a pretty awesome look into wh40k. Give me a Vampires:bloodlines game set in the wh40k universe and i will die a happy man.

[Simond]

Um, Dark Heresy (the aforementioned 40K PNP game) is still being published and developed for, just by a different publisher now.

[Modern Angel]

Um, Dark Heresy (the aforementioned 40K PNP game) is still being published and developed for, just by a different publisher now.

This. And not only a big "This" but they have a lot of leeway as far as publishing dollars which they didn't realistically have before. It was a dick move but it's been more than salvaged.

Also Gotrek and Felix made their first appearances in the late 80s. They've been doing the different author thing for a while now.

[gryeyes]

So Dark Heresy is being developed and published by an entirely new group of people? Or did some of them transfer with the IP?

[Ingmar]

Its FFG/Black Industries, the same people who publish the Warhammer Fantasy RPG.

[gryeyes]

I see for some reason i always had the impression they sold of that part of their company.

[Ingmar]

I didn't explain it clearly. The former Black Industries stuff is now published by FFG (Fantasy Flight Games) under license from GW, along with other new stuff. I don't know if they use the same writers but it would be sort of surprising if they didn't, most RPG authors are freelancers.

[Teleku]

Just because Poor Soln's post was locked instead of merged to the bottom of this:

via  KTR today

Warhammer 40,000 Online

Warhammer 40,000 is one of the most eagerly anticipated MMOs on the horizon. As long time fans of Warhammer 40,000, we're pulling out all the stops to deliver a game that will plunge players deep into this incredibly rich universe.

We’ll be announcing more about the game in the months to come, so stay tuned.

wonder if this is Lum's gig?

I guess this is the official official announcement 

[Morfiend]

Seeing as I enjoy the "please dont link to a blog linking to a story" here is the direct link.

Vigil Games

Full text. The HUGE WALL OF IT.

Warhammer 40,000 Online
Warhammer 40,000 is one of the most eagerly anticipated MMOs on the horizon. As long time fans of Warhammer 40,000, we're pulling out all the stops to deliver a game that will plunge players deep into this incredibly rich universe.
We’ll be announcing more about the game in the months to come, so stay tuned.

[HaemishM]

How is this related to Lum's new job that he can't talk about? Or did I fall into the sarchasm?

[rattran]

How is this new considering that's the same stub page that was there the last time this topic came up a few weeks ago?

[schild]

heh

[Morfiend]

How is this new considering that's the same stub page that was there the last time this topic came up a few weeks ago?

Random MMO blogger posted about it today, and someone got excited?

[Yegolev]

Probably just a few more stops have been pulled.  You can't pull out all the stops at once or you'd wreck it.  You have to pull out the stops a few at a time.  The fact that Blizzard left so many stops in place when they developed WoW is what will be their downfall.

[Arthur_Parker]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24146

Darksiders developer Vigil Games is getting a big new home in Austin, as publisher THQ signs a lease for a 33,000 square-foot space in the Four Points Centre.

A THQ spokesperson confirmed the news to Gamasutra after a report from consumer weblog Kotaku first uncovered the plans.

In addition to the action combat title Darksiders, which launches on Xbox 360 and PlayStation in January 2010, the Vigil team is working on an MMO based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe -- separate from Relic Entertainment's action RPG Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

When the Warhammer 40K MMO launches, in THQ's 2012 fiscal year, it will likely create the unique situation of two simultaneous Warhammer-related MMOs from two separate publishers, since Electronic Arts and Mythic currently operate the Warhammer Online MMO.

"We are very excited about the strong development talent at Vigil Games and we view Austin as a great location to attract employees engaged in video game development," says THQ.

Wonder if WAR will survive until 2012 (though 2013 is probably a safer bet for 40k's release).