Tie-in Tuesday: Inferno! is back!

In the June of 1997, issue #210 of White Dwarf magazine was published and contained within was a strange pull-out called Inferno! "Issue Zero". It was a teaser for a forthcoming bi-monthly short story magazine, being put out by a new branch of Games Workshop, the Black Library. One of the stories contained within the taster copy of Inferno! was The Hounds of Winter, by Your Truly.

Skip forward 21 years and Inferno! is coming back this week, in the form of a short story anthology, and to celebrate Black Library are making the early issues of the original Inferno! available again through their Print on Demand service. Which means that you can get your hands on hard-to-get-hold-of short stories of mine, including the ever-popular Salvation - a story of Ultramarines, Tyranids and humanity that appeared in Inferno! #1 - and the first ever Nathan Creed Necromunda story Bad Spirits, which appeared in issue #3, not to mention the Kislevite mercenaries versus vampires slug-fest that is Dark Heart, in issue #5.

To find out more, simply follow this link. But don't hang around - this offer is only available for one month!

And in case you're wondering, I wrote a total of 13 short stories for the original incarnation of Inferno! - five Torben Badenov stories, five Nathan Creed stories, two Space Marines stories, and one Warhammer fire wizard story - along with various comic strips and other pieces.

Happy St Dragon's Day!

Since today it St David's Day, I thought I would draw your attention to works of mine with a Welsh focus... or at least ones featuring dragons!

Actually, my very first published book Spellbreaker features a lot of Welsh names.

When I was starting out as a writer, I consciously tried to steer clear of fantasy cliches in my writing (although a magic sword does appear in Spellbreaker), but one of my earlier gigs was writing an article about Dragons in Warhammer, for White Dwarf magazine, entitled Enter the Dragon.

Dragon-like creatures appear in Knights of Doom and Stormslayer, but there are not technically dragons.

There was a dragon in Warlock’s Bounty: Revenge of the Sorcerer, and there was a Zombie Dragon in Shadows over Sylvania.

I do have ideas for various stories featuring dragons, including a Pax Britannia one, but I just haven't got round to writing them yet.

I gave the old explorer's adage 'Here be Dragons' a twist with my Doctor Who novel Terrible Lizards, and I intend to revisit that concept later this year, in Neverland.

Warhammer Wednesday: Genestealer Cults

I was in the central London Warhammer store at the weekend and I have to say, I love the look of the new Genestealer Cults codex. I love the look of the miniatures, and the variation between them. I many way, they remind me of the good old days of Necromunda, and the huge range of figures that came with that game, birthed from its fertile background. Which is appropriate, seeing as how my first novel for Black Library was originally going to be a Nathan Creed novel, the climax of which had the bounty hunter uncovering a Genestealer cult.

I've always had a soft spot for Genestealers. The first short story I wrote for Inferno! magazine (and my first published 40K short story), Salvation, featured Genestealers (and a Carnifex).

Six years later I wrote another Space Marines vs Genestealers story, Sanctuary, which was reprinted in The Amargeddon Omnibus in 2011. It would be nice if Black Library republished that one as part of a collection of Genestealer stories. (In the illustration, Chaplain Wolfram of the Black Templars Solemnus Crusade takes on the Genestealers, as drawn by Dave Allsop.)

And if the opportunity ever arose, I would love to write a gamebook featuring a Genestealer cult.

Meanwhile, the new/old White Dwarf continues to go from strength to strength, and this month comes with a free comic written by George Mann.

Warhammer Wednesday: The New/Old White Dwarf

They say, what's old is new and what's new is old. Well they couldn't have said a truer word about the new White Dwarf Magazine.

I subscribed to White Dwarf for many years, even when I was no longer writing for the Black Library, but when the old monthly split to become Warhammer Visions and the weekly I called it a day. I am not a hobbyist and so Visions did not appeal. I didn't dislike the weekly White Dwarf, it was just that as it was only available in stores, it was too tricky to get hold of on a regular basis.

But now the old monthly mag is back - as the new monthly mag. And as far as I can see, it's a return to form. One of the things I used to like the most about the old incarnation of White Dwarf were the articles about the lore of the Warhammer World and the ones that added depth to the Warhammer 40,000 universe of the 41st millennium. The good news is that elements of those background articles have returned, notably in 'Illuminations' (this month focusing on the Deathwatch) and 'The Ultimate Guide To...' (the Kightly Houses, in this particular issue).

The old familiar favourites are all there, including battle reports and painting guides, but there is also a new section called 'Temporal Distort' which looks back to an old issues of the mag. On this occasion the issue is question is WD202, published in October 1996.

This is the issue that featured the two new armies in the 5th edition of Warhammer - the Lizardmen and the Bretonnians - but it also a memorable one for me for another reason.

In August 1996 I had moved from Nottingham (where I had been doing freelance work for Games Workshop, amongst other things) to live and work in West London. October 1996 found me writing my first short story for Inferno! magazine - fan-favourite 'Salvation'. That first story led to more and more, and then to novels, and, in a big way, to where I am now writing-wise.

So, to sum up, as it says on the cover, the new White Dwarf is bigger and better, and I may just have to renew my subscription.

Tie-in Tuesday: My new claim to fame

The first comic strip I ever had commissioned was Kill Confirmed, which appeared in a special free issue of the Warhammer Monthly comic given away with Games Workshop’s White Dwarf magazine. It was a short tale of life and death in the Necromundan Underhive with a nasty twist in the tail.

The artist assigned to the strip was Paul Staples whose name was already familiar to me from his work on seminal British anthology comic 2000AD. His work on ‘Finn’ for the ‘Interventions’ had impressed me in particular. However, after illustrating Kill Confirmed he mysteriously became Paul Jeacock and worked for a time as part of Games Workshop’s art department. While there, he was particularly involved in developing the most recent editions of the Warhammer Wood Elves army and the new Ogre Kingdoms range.

So what's my claim to fame? Well, Paul Jeacock just also happens to be the man who designed the masks that feature in the new Max Max movie Fury Road. Like the one worn by the charming Immortan Joe.

And in case you're wondering what my old claim to fame was, it was that I once directed Colin Firth. Yes, the Colin Firth.

Seriously.

Warhammer Wednesday: Skaven - Warpstone!

The End Times are* all about the Skaven at the moment. A couple of weeks ago I posted links to my Skaven-themed stories, including Herald of Oblivion.

Those stories are not the only occasions on which I've written about the ratmen of the Under-Empire. A few years ago** I wrote an article for White Dwarf Magazine called Civil War! which was accompanied by a scenario called Warpstone!

Well some enterprising individual has posted that very scenario online, and you can find it here.

* Or should that be 'The End Times is'?

** It's probably nearer 15 years ago!

Gamebook Friday: Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - Featuring the Fighting Fantasy Auction

There are now just 6 days left in which to buy your tickets for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014...

Amongst the events taking place on the day is an auction of rare items from the vaults of the Warlocks of Firetop Mountain, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone - the first of its kind.

Included among the auction lots are the following:

• Two swords created to promote Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon video game
• A rare copy of White Dwarf issue #1 in excellent condition
• Issues #1-9 of the Japanese version of Warlock magazine
• A rare promotional poster for The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, signed by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone
• A first edition of the original Dungeoneer Advanced Fighting Fantasy title, complete with letter of authentication
• A copy of the Nintendo DS The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, which was never released in Europe
• A limited edition copy of the Deathtrap Dungeon video game, complete with a copy of the gamebook and card game of the same name.

To be in with a chance of adding some truly unique and rare items to your Fighting Fantasy collection, you know what you need to do. Buy your ticket today!

Warhammer Wednesday: Mission Games Workshop - Uxbridge

I was in Uxbridge at the weekend and so stopped by the (relatively) new Games Workshop store there. I'd not been to a GW store since White Dwarf stopped being a monthly and became a weekly, so I made the most of the opportunity to pick up a couple of the most recent copies, featuring the awesome 'new' Imperial Knights and Chaos Helbrutes. And what's not to love about both of those?

Now just imagine a story featuring those too brute forces going up against each other...

Warhammer Wednesday: How would you like to help edit White Dwarf magazine?

Editor of White Dwarf, Jes Bickham, is looking for an Assistant Editor to ensure that Games Workshop’s hobby magazine always hits the highest standards of editorial style, tone and direction, and that it remains permanently free of typos and grammatical mistakes.

Jes is the man who originally commissioned this article, which I am currently in the process of turning into a full-blown book!

If you think you'd fancy a crack at helping edit White Dwarf, you can find out more about the job and what's required here. But you'll have to hurry - applications must be received by midnight, UK time on Sunday 1st September 2013.

Warhammer Wednesday: The Ten-Tailed Cat T-shirt

Back in the day* I wrote a number of comic strips for the Black Library that were published under the 'Tales From The Ten-Tailed Cat' banner. They were...

The Executioner’s Tale

Inferno! #28 (2002) – re-printed in the graphic novels Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat Volume 2 (2003) and The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)

The Miner’s Tale
Inferno! #32 (2002) – re-printed in the graphic novels Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat Volume 2 (2003) and The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)

The Tale of the Hound
Warhammer Monthly #79 (2004) – re-printed in the graphic novel The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)

The Farmer’s Tale
Warhammer Monthly #80 (2004) – re-printed in the graphic novel The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)

Well fans of The Ten-Tailed Cat (the tavern in Talabheim where these tales were ostensibly told) can, for a limited time, purchase this limited edition T-shirt.

So don't delay, get your order in today!

* 'The day' being the time when Warhammer Monthly and Inferno! magazine were still being published.

Games Day 2012

Yesterday I spent the day at the NEC outside Birmingham at UK Games Day 2012 - which I realised was actually my 18th Games Day in a row!

I had a great day, which began with me chatting to John Blanche - Warhammer (40K) visionary and Sorcery! artist.

 John Blanche - the master.

And it didn't end there... I also got to meet Jes Bickham - new editor of the brand new White Dwarf - and whilst chatting to him, the original editor of White Dwarf, Ian Livingstone, turned up with a folder full of archive material (including old Games Day programmes and a copy of Owl and Weasel).

Jes Bickham - new editor of White Dwarf, and the man who commissioned this...

The old and the new - no offence, Ian.

I spent quite some time in the Design Studio area chatting to the likes of Dave Andrews (former Fighting Fantasy cartographer), Jervis Johnson (living legend of games design), Robin Cruddace (author of the awesome Tomb Kings army book).

Dave Andrews - drew the maps in Out of the Pit, donchaknow?

Then it was on to the retail zone where I caught up with George Mann (BL head honcho) and Eddie Eccles (who used the word 'dozens' when describing how many copies of Herald of Oblivion he had sold), before heading over to the Black Library area for a good chat with the likes of editors Christian Dunn, Laurie Goulding, Lindsey Priestley, and fellow authors Graham McNeill and Jim Swallow.

Path to Victory gamebooks - sold quite well, or so I hear.

With time flying by, like a journey through the Warp, I headed to the Forge World area to say hello to Alan Bligh and Talima Fox, before ending the day (briefly) catching up with Dan Abnett and Nik Vincent, and saying an all too brief hello to rising star Josh Reynolds.

I came away feeling thoroughly inspired and can't wait to get started on some of the projects that were discussed today.

So here's to UK Games Day 2013!

Tie-in Tuesday: The Yellow Peril

Today's blog post should really be titled Tenuous Tie-in Tuesday, since it's actually a post about Warhammer 40K (but the work I do for Black Library is still a form of franchise fiction).

I received my subscription issue of White Dwarf on Saturday (#391 for those keeping count) which is all about* the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. And what did I find on the Black Library page?

That's right - Herald of Oblivion is so close I can almost smell the yellow paint of the Imperial Fists' armour. Keep checking the Direct Exclusives page of the Black Library website so you know when my first Path to Victory gamebook is unleashed upon the world.


* And I mean ALL!

Warhammer: Civil War

One for the Warhammer fans today.

I was intrigued to open the latest issue of White Dwarf magazine (#385) and find Part One of a new Warhammer expansion contained within - an expansion called Civil War, and written by Jervis Johnson.

The reason I was so surprised was because back in the year 2000 an article appeared in White Dwarf #244 entitled 'Civil War!' by Yours Truly.

Along with the main article there was published an example Civil War scenario involving the Skaven, called 'Warpstone'. And that original scenario still exists online here.

(Hm... Wonder if I'll be getting a writer's credit on the new expansion.)

Mission: Games Workshop - Basingstoke

Another day, another Games Workshop store ticked off my list. This time the store was in question was Basingstoke and the day was actually Monday.

Having hunted high and low I eventually found the shop hiding down a dark alley (well, it was cloudy on Monday) and was welcomed by the latest issue of White Dwarf magazine, with the resplendent image of one of the new Necrons on the cover.

The new Necron Codex (and associated miniatures) are released from this Saturday and that timing really couldn't be better. That's because [REDACTED BY ORDER OF THE INQUISITION]. So, the new Codex should spur me on with that one.

Whilst in the store I chatted briefly with key-timer Ian Wesby and perused the miniatures cabinets (as is my wont). In amongst the fabulously painted figures there was a rather fine [CENSORED] which just so happens to be making an appearance in [THE ADEPTUS ARBITES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED - STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COGITATOR CONSOLE OR RISK FURTHER CENSURE].

So until next time...

Blog update

So I finished the first draft of another chapter of my latest project today and thought it was time to update the old blog again.

First up, readers of this blog who are also readers of SFX magazine #212 or White Dwarf (Games Workshop's hobby magazine) #380, may have noticed a couple of connections with yours truly in the new issues - or maybe not...

The new White Dwarf is full to bursting with some brilliant new Undead additions to the Warhammer Fantasy milieu*. And the big Vampire Counts update goes under the title of 'The Dead and the Damned'. Well, when a title's that good, why not use it again and again...

There's also a fabulous new piece of terrain in the form of Morr's Garden, and just such a cemetery was the focus of the climax of my novel Necromancer.

And now we come to SFX. The links here are a little more subtle. At the start of the mag, each of the SFX team list their current raves and rants. Rob Power, Editorial Assistant, raves about going to the 2000AD offices in Oxford and then spending a day at the pub. Well, that was with me (SFX's Editor-in-Chief Dave Bradley and Michael Molcher, 2000AD and Abaddon's PR guy) that was. And then right at the back of the mag, the Total Recall article is all about Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. Even though I don't get a mention, my book Curse of the Mummy does, as does Alan Langford, who illustrated my first published book Spellbreaker.

* Expect to see these at some point in the future in Hammer & Bolter, if I can convince the editors with my scintillating new proposal.

W is for Warhammer Monthly

Warhammer Monthly was an anthology comic published by the Black Library, from March 1998 to December 2004, running to 86 issues in total. The final two issues were published bi-monthly as the Warhammer Comic, and it remains the only comic book ever to win an Eagle Award and get canceled in the same week. It featured stories set within Games Workshop's fictional universes of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.

The first ever comic strip I had commissioned was a Necromunda tale called Kill Confirmed (1999). It was the story of a Spyre Hunter's hunt and was illustrated by Paul Jeacock. My second comic strip was also set in the Necromunda underhive. This one, Slavebreak! (2002), was one of P J Holden's early pieces of paid comic strip work, for which he created a number of character studies.

In December 2002 Warhammer Monthly became Warhammer Warped Visions, just for that month. It featured one-shot variations of Black Library's most popular comics, but with their settings reversed between the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes. For example, the Dark Elf Malus Darkblade was portrayed as a Dark Eldar, while the Titan Imperius Dictatio was shown as an Empire Steam Tank. I contributed the lead story which turned Battle Sister Ephrael Stern, of the hugely successful Daemonifuge strip, into Ephrael von Stern: Sister of Sigmar, transplanting the character to the damned Warhammer city of Mordheim. The strip also featured on the cover and the editor told me that if he'd had the budget for some colour pages that month (as he had the year before) it would have been my strip that received the colouring treatment.

My other strips were all Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat and were collected, along with the ones I'd written that appeared in Inferno! magazine, in The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005).

My total contribution to Warhammer Monthly is as follows:

Kill Confirmed – Warhammer 40,000 science fiction comic strip – Warhammer Monthly free issue given away with White Dwarf Magazine #232 (1999)

Slavebreak! – Warhammer 40,000 science fiction comic strip – Warhammer Monthly #57 (2002)

Ephrael von Stern: Sister of Sigmar – Warhammer fantasy comic strip – Warhammer Monthly #63 (2002)

The Tale of the Hound – Warhammer fantasy comic strip – Warhammer Monthly #79 (2004) – re-printed in the graphic novel The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)

The Farmer’s Tale – Warhammer fantasy comic strip – Warhammer Monthly #80 (2004) – re-printed in the graphic novel The Complete Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2005)