Warhammer Fest That Was
Warhammer Fest 2016 is over, I'm more or less recovered (a post-event incident involving a Duplo chicken and a darkened hallway notwithstanding), and my brain feels about ready to put words to page once more.
After missing out on any Black Library events over the past couple of years, and having to pull out of the fan-organised Convention Secundus last year, I was eager to get involved this year. So eager in fact that *I* asked *them* if I could go. Luckily I had Echoes of the Long War out that weekend and my Knights of Vengeance audio series for Age of Sigmar in the process of hitting stands, so the powers of events management (that's an actual thing) overlooked their better judgement and let me tag along with wiser, more seasoned pros like Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, Jim Swallow, John French and Neil Roberts.
As well as being so so ridiculously keen that I didn't sleep at all on the Friday, thus managing a two hour drive from East Yorkshire and a full day of programming on caffeine and enthusiasm alone, this was the first event of this kind I'd ever been to.
It was a lot bigger than solo Black Library events, and on first passage through the doors was quite overwhelming. After an hour or two though, I soon figured my way around.
Crowds aside, the first thing I noticed was the number of children present. There are hardly any at the Black Library events so it was great to see, especially the whole family in cosplay complete with young girl in awesome Cadian fatigues. Brilliant. Speaking of cosplay, the Necron lord that must have stood 11-12 feet high was simply breathtaking.
I was kept too busy to take a proper look at all the painting pods and displays, but I did manage to steal a look at the new Warhammer Quest (I 'oooh'd), the campaign map for Total War: Warhammer (I 'aahhhh'd) and got my hands on about ten minutes of playtime on the Mordheim PC game. I also sold one more tiny sliver of my soul to the Games Workshop merchandising machine with a Beast Arises mug and a Flesh is Weak t-shirt.
The Black Library authors' stand was right next the Golden Daemon display so I did at least get the opportunity to peruse some of the figures, which put my own efforts with a bit of vermin brown here and there to shame. And I still don't know how people manage to keep their Imperial Fists yellow rather than the weird green that afflicts my efforts with yellow.
I still don't know!
My favourite part of the event though (even better than Warhammer: Total War!) was chatting with a whole new crowd to the regular attendees of Black Library Live and the Weekender. Regular followers of Black Library authors might remember the minor kerfuffle a few months ago about Black Library releasing novels for in-house distribution without the author's name on the front. Most were of the view that this was a 'bad thing' so it was interesting to hear this kid tell me how he liked that because all his friends would only read Dan Abnett before and now they read stuff by everybody. Given the preference, I'd still want my name on the front, but it felt good to break out of the bubble and hear what people thought. Yes, even criticism of City of the Damned was welcome (so long as it was preceded by gushing praise for Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer and Gotrek & Felix: Slayer!).
On the subject of Black Library events, the plan *IS* to hold them again, and if not this year then next year. Apparently it's something to do with getting the venue for the time they want and that isn't too close to events like the Heresy Weekender.
So that's that. My fingers are warmed up and ready to get back onto my current project, Iron Hands: The Eye of Medusa. This was also announced at Warhammer Fest so I no longer have to be so cagey about talking about it. It's going to be the first of a trilogy looking at the rise of the Iron Hands Chapter Master, Kardan Stronos. Hopefully a stupidly popular series of novels (fingers crossed) will lead to him getting a miniature one day, but in the meantime, whet your appetite with a little more info here
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Karda...
After missing out on any Black Library events over the past couple of years, and having to pull out of the fan-organised Convention Secundus last year, I was eager to get involved this year. So eager in fact that *I* asked *them* if I could go. Luckily I had Echoes of the Long War out that weekend and my Knights of Vengeance audio series for Age of Sigmar in the process of hitting stands, so the powers of events management (that's an actual thing) overlooked their better judgement and let me tag along with wiser, more seasoned pros like Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, Jim Swallow, John French and Neil Roberts.
As well as being so so ridiculously keen that I didn't sleep at all on the Friday, thus managing a two hour drive from East Yorkshire and a full day of programming on caffeine and enthusiasm alone, this was the first event of this kind I'd ever been to.
It was a lot bigger than solo Black Library events, and on first passage through the doors was quite overwhelming. After an hour or two though, I soon figured my way around.
Crowds aside, the first thing I noticed was the number of children present. There are hardly any at the Black Library events so it was great to see, especially the whole family in cosplay complete with young girl in awesome Cadian fatigues. Brilliant. Speaking of cosplay, the Necron lord that must have stood 11-12 feet high was simply breathtaking.
I was kept too busy to take a proper look at all the painting pods and displays, but I did manage to steal a look at the new Warhammer Quest (I 'oooh'd), the campaign map for Total War: Warhammer (I 'aahhhh'd) and got my hands on about ten minutes of playtime on the Mordheim PC game. I also sold one more tiny sliver of my soul to the Games Workshop merchandising machine with a Beast Arises mug and a Flesh is Weak t-shirt.
The Black Library authors' stand was right next the Golden Daemon display so I did at least get the opportunity to peruse some of the figures, which put my own efforts with a bit of vermin brown here and there to shame. And I still don't know how people manage to keep their Imperial Fists yellow rather than the weird green that afflicts my efforts with yellow.
I still don't know!
My favourite part of the event though (even better than Warhammer: Total War!) was chatting with a whole new crowd to the regular attendees of Black Library Live and the Weekender. Regular followers of Black Library authors might remember the minor kerfuffle a few months ago about Black Library releasing novels for in-house distribution without the author's name on the front. Most were of the view that this was a 'bad thing' so it was interesting to hear this kid tell me how he liked that because all his friends would only read Dan Abnett before and now they read stuff by everybody. Given the preference, I'd still want my name on the front, but it felt good to break out of the bubble and hear what people thought. Yes, even criticism of City of the Damned was welcome (so long as it was preceded by gushing praise for Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer and Gotrek & Felix: Slayer!).
On the subject of Black Library events, the plan *IS* to hold them again, and if not this year then next year. Apparently it's something to do with getting the venue for the time they want and that isn't too close to events like the Heresy Weekender.
So that's that. My fingers are warmed up and ready to get back onto my current project, Iron Hands: The Eye of Medusa. This was also announced at Warhammer Fest so I no longer have to be so cagey about talking about it. It's going to be the first of a trilogy looking at the rise of the Iron Hands Chapter Master, Kardan Stronos. Hopefully a stupidly popular series of novels (fingers crossed) will lead to him getting a miniature one day, but in the meantime, whet your appetite with a little more info here
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Karda...
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message 1:
by
Gav
(new)
May 18, 2016 08:44AM
I reckon you'll be getting a few inquiries from Iron Hands fans over the coming months. Good luck with that :)
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Gav wrote: "I reckon you'll be getting a few inquiries from Iron Hands fans over the coming months. Good luck with that :)"You make that sound so ominous...
Here is an Iron hands fan, and this is the first I've heard of a trilogy. Can we have any more news about it and how Kardan Stronos fits in it? This could also be a way for us to get a named character for once, since the Iron Hands are the only founding chapter in Codex: Space Marine that doesn't have a named character.
Shawn wrote: "Here is an Iron hands fan, and this is the first I've heard of a trilogy. Can we have any more news about it and how Kardan Stronos fits in it? This could also be a way for us to get a named charac..."The trilogy takes place a few hundred years before 'contemporary' 40K, following the rise of Kardan Stronos from sergeant of Clan Garrsak to Warleader of the Iron Hands. The Black Library website itself probably describes the first book as well as I can:
"Ever since the dark days of the Great Heresy, the Iron Hands have a long and tortured history. Their years of suffering and war has left them hardened and believing in a brutal tenet – the flesh is weak. Heavily cybernetic, their flesh extensively altered, these warriors of the Imperium are more machine than man, cold in aspect as well as demeanour. Their methods of recruitment are harsh, their rituals arcane, their pride unshakable. So when a world under the protection of the Chapter falls foul of insurrection, the Iron Hands answer with fire and cold retribution. It matters not that Thennos is considered sovereign territory of the Adeptus Mechanicus, for the Iron Hands' campaign is one of extermination. But there is something dark lurking within Thennos, a horror that defies the purity of cold logic and the machine, and offers something more, something ruinous..."
http://www.blacklibrary.com/whats-com...
It'd be great to see Stronos in game. While I was planning the novel series I was told that the Studio almost included him in the new Codex but changed their mind at the last. Maybe these books will help make that happen.
I actually made myself a handwritten Iron Hands mini-Codex so that I never trip myself up on something I invented two and a half books ago. Maybe I'll auction it off one day
