A new Specialist Game?

I don't usually react to rumours. But I will now. Faeit 212 has reported the possibility there'll be a new GW Specialist Game released. That's big news for a lot of us I'd bet.

Apparently it's not a rerelease of Blood Bowl, Man O'War or Warhammer Quest, or even a supplement for Space Hulk. Then again why would it be a rerelease, not wholly new?

Perhaps wishful thinking, given some of our happiest gaming experiences might have been with the past games. I'd guess most players who've tried one or more of these, or Necromunda, Gorkamorka, Mordheim or Inquisitor say, have fond memories, and the 6mm Epic system was for a time near equal of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.

Epic itself seems an unlikely choice. After all, we have Apocalypse nowadays, which has a similar scope with a higher price per model in real world currency. Warmaster seems unlikely for the same reason, if that's what the coming Storm of Magic means.

Surely the right answer is Killzone? A Necro-Gorka-Mordheim approach blended with wider 40K. It would offer a path into what many see as an increasingly costly hobby, quieting critics on price and simplicity and opening the door to new players, the future.

But then I thought, well, why do we need GW to release that particular game? We already have it. In fact, why do we need a company to release any game if we can just make it ourselves? A public limited company has shareholders to please as well as us.

I really can't answer that. Higher production values maybe, but personally I'd still prefer multiple smaller designers sourcing art or card elements than one large.

A wider player base? Well, we've been there - one guy picking up a less expensive game system can more cost-effectively run demos and get a group interested.

Future support? I don't see much for the Specialist Games. Pure passion seems a better guide to that. Look at the D&D OSR. That's what player love can do. They still have a whole community of new ideas, and revisions and releases, decades later.

Maybe love is all you need?

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40K OSR? (5)

Warhammer 40,000 we know, but an OSR?

It can be an Old School Renaissance, an Other School Renaissance, even an Optional School Renaissance, or something else entirely. How about a Review, a Revolution, or another 'R'?

There's this 40K OSR logo now too thanks to Colonel Kane at Tales from the Maelstrom. Feel free to use it if you identify with the concept, especially if you're putting out new ideas.

If you do use it, I'd ask only you credit Colonel Kane and give some thought to adding Tales from the Maelstrom to your blogroll, for reasons that will be clear if you visit. Check out the rogue trader conversion up now.

This week we're a day late of course, but all good things...

• Almost no new mechanics this week, with just Big Jim at Galaxy in Flames and his house rules for large games...

• ... and arguably Mik at Mik's Minis with rules for the Sons of Minos for Deathwatch. Have a look at the converted team, with an early techmarine.

• Lantz has been as busy as usual, showing us at The Magnet Pro a titan tech priest conversion and a batch of ad mech miniatures painted by Mr. Lemon, including two gants, a unit of praetorians and some characters. Re the comments to the first, C'nor is on the case with the non-Chaos daemons.

• Commissar Carrie will be providing material for Lantz's AdMech FanDex, which is good news, as the latest instalment of Radical shows.

• At Craftworld Iybraesil HurricaneGirl has a story of her own, one featuring a radical tactic and illustrated with a pic of the original land speeder.

• On old pics, Unite All Action looks at the origins of Ghazghkull in White Dwarf 134 and wonders what can be learnt from older armies. I get a buzz out of that final photo I just don't get today; I think it's numbers and space. There's also a painboy using more original battlewagon kit parts.

• Re the past, Hungry Ghosts at his Chaos Squat blog has a look at a pre-Rogue Trader sci-fi ruleset from GW, Spacefarers.

• Back to writing briefly, Auberon at Digital Waaagh! yesterday published an interview with Dan Abnett, one of several big names in the series so far.

• And modelling again, to Rictus at Recalcitrant Daze, who's now working through a massive Orkified stormhammer, maybe my favourite old Epic superheavy, and some renegade rough riders on steeds of Slaanesh.

• On the subject of big Ork vehicles, John Lambshead at John's Toy Soldiers has scratchbuilt chinork transport, otherwise available from Forge World.

• For a big vehicle full stop, take a look at Gotthammer's stunning phantom titan at Collegia Titanica, inspired by Tron. He's also just posted two names using Tolkien's Quenya, as well as some 40K haikus.

• Back to Chaos, at Warpstone Flux jabberjabber is putting together a lord on horseback for each of the four powers - Khorne and Nurgle so far.

Linked with this is a wild card for this week, the Miracle Workers rules for Mordheim at Liber Malefic. Possible inspiration given the links between game worlds and systems. Also a wild card is CounterFett's suggestion at All Things Fett for alternative marines.

So what have I missed?

Maybe you've seen more new rules out there, or another variation of some kind? Maybe you posted something? If you have OSRy material to share, don't be shy - just leave a link. Put the logo up too if you want to, or just do things your way.

Update: Rictus at Recalcitrant Daze has now put up the first on a converted Trojan.

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Mapmaking merry (2)

The flight paths of Porky's Expanse! may be growing slowly into bustling space lanes, but the mission remains the same. In just the same way, tenuous links may become major thoroughfares and well-worn dirt tracks be paved over, with purpose unchanged. Imagined landscapes are made real.

The first post in the series offered ideas found treading the paths of cyberspace, a range of approaches to mapmaking for wargaming and roleplaying, from 2D to 3D. This second post will too, but with an emphasis on giving an idea for a landscape a fixed final form. Stunning vistas await. Click and lose yourself somewhere out of this world.

Mainly fantasy 2D

• In Places Deep reminds us of a useful resource, a geomorph mapper.
• A host of links to make mapping easier at Old School Heretic.
• Thoughts on a fortress at A Wizard in a bottle.
• No maps, but time is brought into the equation at A Paladin in Citadel.

Fantasy and sci-fi 2D / 3D

• Ogre Miniatures shows us how to make a 2D hex-board a 3D crater field.
• Over at Plastic Legions is a skirmish battle board of cellars and caverns.
• Building vertiginous virtual caverns at Some King's Kent. Don't look down!
• The Sin of Alacrity emerges from the Warp at A Gentleman's Ones...
• A while back Blue Table Painting put up a vid of a pulp docking bay. There's one of it in action too.

Fantasy, modern and sci-fi 3D

• The Angry Lurker has a funky diner. Food in games too... Yum.
• Will this breathtaking landscape for Mordheim ever be outdone? Why not?
• This might just help you do it - some research at Marvelous Miniatures.
• Some tiered Eldar terrain at Bell of Lost Souls, with links to more pics in the comments - yet another reason to learn Italian.
• Apocalypse is no small-scale affair.