Click on the image for a full-size version.

You know, I have to give Mythic respect. I was one of the crankier beta testers and bloggers before WAR released and they always made themselves available for interviews and email discussions (e.g., Carrie Gouskos interview on ChaosCast). After release, I was probably the most vocal critic who actually stuck with Warhammer and they still remained extremely accessible, friendly and giving (e.g., Choppa announcement, comments from Paul Barnett, mentions in the Newsletter and Grab Bags, etc.).

Even after all that and my continued thrashings from time to time (do I ever really let up?) I come home today and find a strange little package in my mailbox from Mythic Entertainment. I can't help but shake my head and smile. These guys really are too kind (or they're trying to buy me off - but I doubt that :p)!

So anyway, I cautiously ripped open the package (after listening for muffled ticks) and found a 4GB Warhammer Online branded USB memory stick. I popped the key into my laptop and found the image you see above. My virus checker didn't pop up and my digits remain intact so I've ruled out the possibility of them trying to get back at me for all my past criticisms. Thanks Mythic! Here's a photo of da goods (the back side of the drive has the WAR logo):



As for screenshot speculation, it appears to be some sort of boss chamber in the new Lands of the Dead (Nehekhara) dungeon. I don't see the Casket of Souls in the room, so I doubt this is the "main" boss, but perhaps he simply drops it after you beat him. He appears to be wielding a great weapon similar to the Ushabti Crocodile but the snout and headdress are different. Then again, he has very similar feet and his skirt pattern sort of matches. The headdress does match the one seen in the Casket of Souls image but the weapon is a slightly different. I can't find any figures in the store that match him perfectly, so he might be a mashup of sorts.

Can anyone with real Warhammer Table Top experience weigh in on this? One thing is certain, it sure looks awesome! :)

In this post a European W:AR fan, who also works in PR and lobbying, gives some background on the problems with the European W:AR beta launch, what went wrong and what a lobbyist thinks about the whole affair.

The background of PR

When one hears the word PR (public relations) or lobbying one immediately thinks of sleazy politicians or corporate lawyers trying their very best to say as many words as possible without actually telling the truth or admitting they are wrong in any way. As a person who works in these very fields I can only say that this is as far from the truth as one can be. Of course we all know of several examples of lying politicians or corporations that have in any way misbehaved or acted in an immoral way. But the basic principle of lobbying and PR is actually quite simple: honesty. As long as everything you say or communicate is the truth you are very unlikely to get into trouble. The only thing people like less than a person saying something they do not agree with is a person who is not telling the truth.

As long as you, the politician, or you, the CEO, are telling the truth you will most likely never get to handle a PR crisis.

There are countless examples of bad PR in history. In 1996, Structural Dynamics Research Corporation fired a guy on Take Our Daughters to Work Day while his 8-year old daughter was with him in the building and in 2002, Southwest Airlines announced that they would begin charging overweight passengers for two seats instead of one.

Now, neither SDRC nor SA intended to hurt their brands. They just did not think through what the consequences of their actions would be. Therefore PR firms and lobbyists today focus more on setting up good routines to avoid mistakes rather than fixing already existing ones.

There are, of course, also examples of organisations fixing bad images. Dell struggled with an image of, for a while, having bad customer support but fixed this by starting to participate on blogs and networks and today Dell is considered having one of the better customer supports. IBM also struggled with an image of being an ancient corporation where its employees had to sing company songs and wear suspenders with their socks. Today IBM, while it may be an old company, isn't considered an ancient one.

Mythic, GOA and the European W:AR beta launch

GOA is, as far as I've understood, a French company mainly owned by France Telecom with servers in France and a support division based in Ireland. GOA handled the servers for another Mythic MMO, Dark Age of Camelot, and was already then surrounded by rumours of failing to support gamers adequately. Therefore some players were worried when it was announced that GOA would handle the European accounts and servers for W:AR.

It started when the site for the European launch (http://www.war-europe.com) was launched. Whereas the American counterpart (http://www.warhammeronline.com) was written in HTML the GOA site was based on Flash. This meant that the European site, though it looked nice with nifty animations, was very slow. Some players were also concerned with whether or not this meant that credit card information would pass through secure HTTPS code. Later on GOA assured the fan base that though the interface was in Flash, important information would be transmitted through secure code. This was how it started. But this is not where it ended.

When it got clear that the account validation and registration for the beta launch would not be on-line a good time in advance of the launch many players raised their worries (mainly on the fan site Warhammer Alliance [http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76947]) that perhaps this was not giving GOA time enough to fix any problems that might arise. GOA representatives assured the fan base that they knew what they were doing. All of this communication went through community managers of GOA at the Warhammer Alliance forums.

So, with almost 250 000 European beta keys out and a very large fan base, GOA let two community managers based in Ireland take care of all the information spreading and customer relations. There was no steady rate of press releases, no daily updates as to what they were doing. Only an assurance that they in fact knew what they were doing.

The launch of the beta

And so, on the 7th of September, the open beta was launched. In the US no big problems arose. The American registration site handled all traffic and the beta test simply started. Not so in Europe.

Immediately people started complaining about not being able to register accounts, not being able to validate beta keys, not being able to access their accounts and getting several error messages when accessing the EU site. No information came from the GOA headquarters. Aggravation rose as no information from GOA was delivered as to what the problems were. Again, the job of informing the fan base fell to the two representatives at the Warhammer Alliance forums.

Now, it must be said. Those who have the time to spend a lot of daytime on a forum and post their anger about how a computer game is being handled most likely aren't very old with regular daytime jobs. And when posting on the internet the veil of anonymity in some cases lead to people not only being blunt, but outright hostile. Several distasteful posts were made on the WHA forums alongside well reasoned, but also angry, posts.

It went so far as to having Mark Jacobs of Mythic feeling the need to involve himself in the debacle and post the following:

Folks,
I just got off the phone with senior management at GOA and I know you'll be getting lots of information shortly. I know it doesn't make today better but I can assure you that leadership is very aware of the situation and they are doing/going to do something about it. They are not at all happy about the situation either.

I won't say trust me on this because right now, our European fans have no reason to have any trust. I will say though to see what transpires before launch, during Open Beta and then, if we launch well, I hope we will regain your trust.


Mark

This lead to the CEO of GOA, Ghislaine Le Rhun writing a post herself:

Dear all,

I rarely address players directly, but I wanted to write you as too few of you have been able to access the open beta today.


As my team explained in the previous post, although we have opened the servers and corrected numerous issues during the last 24 hours but we have not yet solved the issue of saturated Open Beta key activations that we're currently experiencing. I am sincerely sorry for this, and I understand all the frustration the situation has spawned.


Today was a dark day. We expected a massive influx of players, but reality was even harsher.
I personally commit that we will communicate to you as clearly as possible on the resolution of these current issues. My goal is to give Warhammer Online the success it deserves. Be ensured that all GOA teams, with Mythic's support, are working hard to bring you the best possible game experience.


Best regards,


Ghislaine Le Rhun
GOA CEO

Do note, however, that her original post seems to have been in French and some of the meaning of her post may have gotten lost in translation. Do also note, however, that it was not until Mark Jacobs of Mythic called her up that the fan base actually got to know who the CEO of GOA was.

So, the EU beta launch was not working. A lot of people were angry. And some of these angry persons made immature and, some might think, laughable posts. This is when GOA made a huge mistake alongside not having kept their fan base up to date with information, not taking warnings seriously and not showing (if only false) humility. This is when one of the Community Managers of GOA posted on the WHA forums describing those who made angry posts in a not very flattering manner.

In the golden book of PR however, you always have to show understanding towards your customers (or your voters). You may think they are complete morons (they may actually be, especially in the case of voters) but this does not change anything. You always need to keep your customers with information, be honest, come off as compassionate and humble. In the worst case - act it! Whatever you do - never ever lash out at your customers - however much they may deserve it.

This is when GOA should have realized their mistake of not being prepared for the launch and their mistake of not showing enough humility. I have to tell you, this could easily have been fixed. If you have ever watched the masterpiece that is Bill Clinton's televised excuse of him being involved with Monica Lewinsky you know what I'm talking about. Before that speech the American public felt disgusted with their president. However, in his speech he was so honest (or at least appeared as it), so humble and so sorry that the viewers and the end of the speech felt sorry for the guy. This is a text book example of begging forgiveness.

Be honest (or appear as it and make sure no one can come up with the lies you've said), be humble, appear as regretful as possible and in no way try to excuse your behaviour. The only thing that can happen is that you appear so sad, so humble and so sorry for what you've done that people start feeling uncomfortable with staying angry with you. Needless to say, the few pieces of information that GOA actually let out can be summed up this way:

* Yeah we were wrong.
* We are fixing the problems now.
* Soon it will be ok!
* But don't forget that there are others who make mistakes!

Oh, I almost felt sorry when I read the information from GOA. If they had just stuck with expressing their sadness about not being able to handle the beta, that they were begging for forgiveness and that they would work hard to earn the fan base's trust again they might had solved their problems.

Instead they were back at square one with lots of players wondering why they had been waiting as long as 24 hours to get their keys validated, players asking why the website wasn't working and why the heck GOA wouldn't dare share any information they had.

With a game like W:AR word of mouth marketing is extremely important. Not only is it important for people to buy the game. But they also have to tell their friends what a good game it is. Instead, right now, a soon to be famous (or infamous) youtube video (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Drnz1i3IEuE&feature=related) of the EU launch debacle has gotten over 40 000 hits on youtube.

The end of the story?

It's not wise to restrain the flow of information towards your customers and keep this information being sent only once every 12th hour. It's not wise showing your frustration with your customers (even though they may deserve it). It's not wise launching an entertainment product without having an outward face that the customers can feel connection to - would you threaten violence and write despicable messages if you knew that the one who you are talking to is Paul Barnett or Mark Jacobs? I think not. In this case however all the players knew was that the ones responsible worked for an anonymous French corporation.

There have been a lot of European players talking about buying US copies of the game instead and I can understand them. Myself, I've been playing the US beta from Europe and it has worked flawlessly (with some minor in game bugs of course) and I am considering playing on US servers.
What we all can learn from this is that customer relations are a hard thing indeed (that's why people like me are very well-paid to handle it) and that you have to be really careful when you deal with people.

As I am finishing this post the European site still doesn't work properly, and instead of informing the fan base how it's going with fixing this problem GOA has released a news post about guild banks...

Honesty. Openness. Information. Humility. That's really all it takes. The people at GOA have probably learned this now (at least they should have). But it has been a costly experience, one which both they and the European fan base for W:AR would have liked to be without.

-John

The author of this post lives in Europe and has worked both in politics and in business with PR and lobbying. He is a great Warhammer-fan who still plays the table top game as a Dark Elf and Empire player. Due to his work he wants to remain anonymous.

This guide was written by Warhammer Alliance member, Romanus. He is an avid Warhammer/WH40K modeling fan who also does painting commissions, so please send him a message if  you're interested in giving him some business!

• Part 1 - Assembly


• Part 2 - Painting


• Part 3 - Basing

Hi all, and welcome to part two of the Grimgor Ironhide Modelling Guide. Last time, we left off with the model pinned, glued together, and assembled. This week we look at painting the model itself.

Since Grimgor is a Warlord, I’m going to go for a dark feel for him and his armour along with small details picked out. I also want to focus the attention to the top half of the miniature, so I’ll mainly add the brightest colours to this area, while keeping the lower half quite dark. Anyway, on with the show.

First we need to undercoat the model. For this I used Chaos Black, as I wanted the model to have a dark tone overall and to give a good base colour to work from.

I then painted the skin areas of the model with Catachan Green to give a dark almost natural tone to the skin. Brighter greens can be used such as Dark Angels Green. At this stage I then washed the model with Badab Black to add shading to the model.

The skin was then highlighted again with Catachan Green and then a final highlight of Camo Green. Highlighting is where you pick out the higher points on the model to give a shading affect. I also tried to blend each highlight in with the previous by thinning my paints down to about the consistency of milk.

The face was then concentrated on with the gums and tongue being painted first with a base colour of Red Gore followed by highlight layers of a 75:25 Red Gore/Tentacle Pink and then 50:50 Red Gore/Tentacle Pink. The eye was also painted with Red Gore followed by highlight layers of Blood Red and Fiery Orange. The teeth where painted with Graveyard Earth, then highlighted with Bleached Bone and then a mix of Bleached Bone/Skull White.

Next up I tackled the strapping for the armour and the armour itself. For the strapping a base of Scorched Brown was used, followed by a highlight of Bestial Brown. Boltgun Metal was then used to pick out the buckles on the strapping.

For the armour I wanted a very worn and chipped look, but I also wanted to maintain the blackness of it. Boltgun Metal was used by putting a small amount on the paint brush and then gently running along the edges of each armour plate. In places you can get a bit messy with it to look like it has been worn a bit more, but the trick here is to not overdo it. The chest plate face and the chainmail of the armour was also given a coat of Boltgun Metal and then washed with Badab Black. It was then highlighted with Chainmail paint to brighten it up and distinguish it from the rest of the armour. The Chains were also done in this way.

For the weapon itself I started with a base coat of Boltgun Metal for the metal pieces and Scorched Brown for the haft of the axe, which was then given a wash of Badab Black. The metal pieces where then highlighted with Boltgun Metal again and then with Chainmail. Bestial Brown was painted onto the haft of the axe in thin strips to try and emulate wood grain and then given a wash of Devlin Mud. For the blood and gore, a mix of both Red Ink and Black Ink was used and stippled on to the desired effect. Stippling is where small amounts of paint, or in this case ink, are dabbed on to get a mottled effect.

Lastly, we have the severed knight's head in his right hand. I wanted to make it look like an Empire Knight's Panther. To do this, the helm was painted again with Boltgun Metal and highlighted with Chainmail after a wash with Badab Black (beginning to see a pattern). The ribbons were painted with Regal Blue and highlighted with Enchanted Blue, while the white one was first painted with Ice Blue and then with Skull White. The gold crest was painted with Shining Gold and washed with Gryphonne Sepia. The reith was painted with Dark Angels Green and then highlighted with Snot Green and then Scorpion Green. Lastly the skin tone was done with Tanned Flesh and then highlighted with Dwarf Flesh and then Elf Flesh. For the neck, just use the same method as with the gore on the axe.

And now we are finished! Well, sort of. Small items were picked out like the teeth hanging from various places and the small dwarf trophy on his belt. His pants where also painted with Graveyard Earth and then washed with Devlan Mud. After that, he was all done.

Thanks for your time everyone! Next week, we will focus on how to effectively base the model.

Cheers, Romanus

For all paints, washes, and inks visit: http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=List_Models&code=300952&orignav=300810

<< Go back to Part 1 - Assembly | Continue to Part 3 - Basing >>

This guide was written by Warhammer Alliance member, Romanus. He is an avid Warhammer/WH40K modeling fan who also does painting commissions, so please send him a message if  you're interested in giving him some business!

• Part 1 - Assembly


• Part 2 - Painting


• Part 3 - Basing

Hello, and welcome to what I hope will become a series of guides to help those that are new to the hobby, and those who aren't, improve their modelling skills in time for the release of the limited edition figure included in the Collectors Edition of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Each guide will be a three-step process of preparation, painting and basing. Hopefully I will be able to do a guide for most of the character classes in WAR, with the first being Grimgor Ironhide, a nice dynamic model that I have been dying to do for a while now. For these guides I will also use Games Workshop modelling and painting gear, but this is generally available cheaper everywhere else you look, so don't feel you have to use what I use.

Right, what you will need are some clippers, knife, glue, pin vice, and the Grimgor Ironhide Model.

1. Remove the model from the blister and insure all parts are here. You should have a black square plastic base and three metal pieces, the main body, head and arm with an axe. If not you can take it back to the place of purchase and they should either give you the bit that are missing or more likely give you a new blister pack.

2. Look for any signs of flash or mould lines. These need to be clipped and filled off to make the model look presentable. Preparing your model is one of the most important steps in that if you neglect this part, when painted these areas will stand out like a sore thumb.

3. Once the model has been cleaned, you need to assemble the model. This stage is only required if the model is going to be handled a lot and requires extra strength at the joints. First these areas need to be drilled about three millimetres. This needs to be done in the centre of the neck/head joint and the shoulder/arm joint so that they match up. Once this is done a paperclip will suffice to act as the pin to join the two pieces together as can be seen below. A blob of Green Stuff and some glue can be placed in the joint and the pieces joined. It can be just glued though if you want.

4. Now that the arms and head are joined the model should look something like this. Next week in Part two we will explore priming the model and painting it. Good Luck.

Continue to Part 2 - Painting >>

Editor's note: I personally can't wait to see this bad boy painted! Thanks Rom! And thanks to Cicadymn for coming up with the idea of putting a Greenskin modelling guide together in the first place!

I had the fine privilege of being asked by Chip Mosher of BOOM! Studios to review Warhammer: Condemned by Fire #1 and provide my readers with a sneak-peak of the first 5 pages (below the review). If this book title doesn't ring a bell, it's the upcoming BOOM! release that contains a chance to win a beta spot in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning that I've mentioned several other times.

While I'm an avid comic book reader (X-Men, Spider-Man, Buffy, Angel, Y: The Last Man, Warhammer, the list goes on...), I've never written a review before, so please bear with me! My goal in this will be to give an overview of the plot (without spoiling it), review the art, and share my opinions on the storytelling. Let's get on with the show!

WARHAMMER: CONDEMNED BY FIRE #1

Story by: Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton



Illustrated by: Rahsan Ekedal

Coloured by: Fellipe Martins

Lettered by: Ed Dukeshire

Edited by: Joe Abrahams

25pgs, FC, (1 of 5), SRP: $3.99

Ship date: First week of May

* Approximately 20% of codes submitted will be invited to participate in the WARHAMMER: AGE OF RECKONING Beta Test.

The promotional code must be activated by May 31, 2008 to be eligible for the Beta Test.

See the full terms and conditions here.

Plot Summary

We first meet Magnus Gault, Templar of the Holy Order of Sigmar (a.k.a. Witch Hunter) as he's riding hard in pursuit of a yet unseen villain. The weather is foul and so is his mood. He soon comes to a crossroads where his prey's tracks have been washed away by the hammering rain. Making his decision, he travels uphill to a nearby fortification where he meets two stalwart defenders of the gate.

They exchange introductions and he determines that is quarry did not come this way, which means he must backtrack post-haste. Before jumping back on his horse, he is warned by one of the stewards not to go down into the valley for something dire and evil has claimed it. Our protagonist is unfazed by this counsel as his personal desire for justice-done outweighs some spooky tale.

What our hero doesn't know is that Chaos has its dark tendrils in this area, yearning to spread its pestilence into the souls of every living thing...

Artwork Impressions

We're immediately met by a full-page image that perfectly captures the sense of motion and urgency. As the pages unfold, I found a nice balance of detail and simplicity in the penciling. The silhouette leading-off page 2 is quite nice as well. I also liked the shadow-work.

Overall, I found the colour a bit drab, but it was necessary to give the impression of a miserable environment. There were some nice contrasts as Magnus was standing outside the gate, chatting with those in the gatehouse. It did well to illustrate the warmth and brightness indoors compared to the soggy gloom outside. When he entered the valley, you definitely got the sense that he was surrounded by fog as everything was washed out and pale. A later punch of colour did well to capture the moment.

The lettering was done pretty well too, pronouncing some interesting sound effects. My only issue was that they might be a bit too cartoon-ey /superhero-ey. Out of place in Spider-Man? No. Out of place in the Old World of Warhammer? Maybe... By that, I mean the style of the lettering, not the actual sounds.

Story Impressions

The story kept my interest, but it seemed very self-contained to the single issue because everything was resolved by the second-last page. There's a somewhat vague lead-in to the next issue introduced in the final few panels but it felt a bit tacked on to be honest. Then again, I don't know what's to come in future issues, so maybe they needed to use the first simply as a means of introducing us to the main character's personality rather than an over-arching plot line that will play out over the four remaining books. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, so I need to be just as vague! Oh, the irony!

As a single story though, it was pretty good. I always imagined Witch Hunters to be as vile, pious, and unforgiving as religious grand inquisitors but Magnus Gault was a bit more personable than that, which is probably good since most people feel revulsion towards crazy zealots. He's got the edge of "bad ass," in him like a combination of Indiana Jones and Wolverine. We don't get much of a back story on him or his original quarry, but it's tough to squeeze all that into 22 pages. I'm hoping for a bit more character development in the future.

Overall Rating

As a debut issue, I'll give Warhammer: Condemned by Fire a 7.5/10 because the art and colouring were cool and the story was pretty decent but left me wanting a bit more. If issue #2 starts going into more back story and introduces us to a really good story arc, then I'll be excited.

It's probably easier to rate an entire miniseries rather than a single component because they're all supposed to work together instead of standing on their own.

I still suggest going out and buying this book, especially if want to win a spot in beta. With the multiple covers, you could even buy several, increasing your chances at finding a winner. Just buy them one at a time! ;)

Lord Orcus of Orcusville was the only other person lucky enough to get his hands on an advanced copy of WCBF (the other being me) and he wrote down his own impressions of the comic! Have a peek!

Five-Page Sneak Peek

A crash course...

While I'm sure we'll run into the odd LegoLOL stink elf, Gimleh stunty, and Aragoreo scumpire humie when WAR officially releases, I truly hope the majority of people will display some semblance of originality and tact when naming their characters. I know it isn't the biggest issue in a game, but I hate running into characters with ridiculous names, which is probably why I gravitate to the RP servers. It cheapens my experience in some unexplainable way (maybe I'm just a snooty-patootie) and I rarely take these people seriously (though I doubt it was ever their intention to be taken as so). In an effort to help as many fellow greenskins come up with great, lore-realistic names as I can, I've decided to write this guide.

First and foremost, I highly recommend reading this introduction piece, titled What's in a Name, so we're on the same wavelength. While naming your character can be challenging, it really tells a lot about you and will ultimately affect your in-game relationships. If you're of the mind that you don't care, then this article probably isn't for you, but I hope you'll at least give it a try in the comments section.

Greenskin name generators

I came across this useful greenskin name generator on the Big Choppaz guild website: http://bigchoppaz.com/modules/orky/. If you want to get a general idea of some acceptable greenskin names, press the 'generate more' key a few times.

• Barfsmella Grimsnik


• Zogzod Grinkop


• Gutskrecha Skrotchadreg

The Soylent Greenskins have two name generators that will definitely get your mind working as well!

• Orc Name Generator (e.g., Tardug Bonegrinda, Kotag Facechompa, and Gardor Pansyeata)
  


• Goblin Name Generator (e.g., Divrug Mindsniffer, Timkin Groinprodder, and Bagzak Bellygouger)

Da Big Waaagh! also has a name generator that breaks down each of the name's components, giving their historical meanings. It's quite awesome to know what your name is all about in terms of Warhammer lore.

Making up your own greenskin names

While the names from these generator sound cool, they're simply the result of a concatenation process, merging orcy consonants and vowels. A truly great greenskin name tells a story about the individual it labels. Just think of some of the more prominent orcs and goblins throughout greenskin history: Grom the Paunch, Gorfang Rotgut, and Azhag the Slaughterer. They all have a simple, 1-3 syllable (at most) first name followed by a descriptive last name. Let's try making a few up on the spot.

• Zomb da Flayer


• Galrug Scalpstealer


• Razzl da Sneak


• Snot Garrote


• Drenga da Despised


• Snafzg da Smrt!

These may not be epitome of greatness, but they only took a minute to come up with following the proper naming conventions. You'll notice that the most commonly used letters in greenskin names are "G," "Z," "U," and "O." Feel free to get creative, while keeping things primitive, since primitive is the greenskin way.

Testing out your new name

A good name-testing technique, which may seem utterly insane to perform in front of peers and strangers especially, is to speak them out loud in an angry accent combination of Bob Hoskins and Mr. T. If the name sounds good when loudly growled in a deep, gangsta from Suffolk, UK, slangy kind of way, you're on the right track!

"Skyva Backshanka! Yah best git on ovuh 'ere and skin dis stunty 'fore da boss 'as yer 'ead on a spikey bit, yeah!?"

So there you have it: the basics of naming your greenskin! If you need a bit of reading to get yourself into the greenskin spirit, I suggest starting with the Basic Role-Player's Guide to Greenskins over at the Warhammer Vault and our very own Greenskin Lore section.

Feel free to post greenskin name experiments in the comments and let me know if you thought this guide was helpful or could be improved!

Welcome to TheGreenskin's first exclusive interview; a top 10 Q&A with Garthilk, the creator and super- administrator of WAR's most popular fansite, Warhammer Alliance. Let's get right to it!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself IRL?

I'm your typical MMO gamer with a day job. I work as an emergency room nurse in my local hospital and split the rest of my time between family and games. My schedule is usually pretty busy but I always manage to find time with my family and still squeeze in a few late night hours playing the latest game.

Do you tend to play healer/support classes in MMORPGs, or do you like to separate business from pleasure?

Yeah, I tend to gravitate towards careers that do help other players. I'm not sure if it's related to my professional career, but it's definately something I find myself playing often. In contrast however, I also tend to play less popular careers. Careers that are inherently less played due to either poor mechanics or lack of knowledge. I think everyone likes being a little more unique and I enjoy the extra adversity asociated with difficult to play careers.

More broadly, what is your MMORPG background (races, classes, likes, and dislikes)?

In terms of my MMORPG background, like a lot of gamers it started with text based MUDs like Gemstone. In the early 90's games like Air Warrior captured my attention. When the graphical MMO's like UO went beta I jumped in and really began to feel like these were more than just games. From UO it seems like a fast slide into EQ and subsequent MMOs.

As I said earlier I tend to gravitate towards less played races, careers. Coming from a background of text based MUDs, it was easy to differentiate yourself with flavor text. However in MMOs, with thousands of other players that becomes more difficult. I think that's why I have a preference for more challenging less popular careers.

What originally piqued your interest in WAR and why did you create Warhammer Alliance?

Ever since DAoC, I have been a fan of Mythic. I enjoyed myself tremendously in that game and made a lot of friends. Of course I was eventually tempted onto greener pastures but that didn't stop me from keeping their news in my peripheral. When Mythic announced their sci-fi MMO, Imperator, I launched a fansite for the game. Things seemed to be going well right up to the sudden end for the game. I was disappointed to say the least.

It was around this time that I had begun hanging around the Unofficial Warhammer Online forums. The game had been officially canceled more than a year before, but people on the forum had their hope renewed when at E3 Mythic announced they would be working with Games Workshop on a new Warhammer Online game. I was a fan of the game ever since the very early 90's when I had a Troll King army of my own. I hopped onto the Unofficial Warhammer Online forums and started posting.

Unfortunately, the folks running the forums had some difficulties with hosting and management of the site. Things were going south with that community so I offered to help out. Warhammer Alliance was born out of those difficulties. At the time I had a plan on how to help manage and grow the community, but it was only with the help of dedicated volunteers and passionate players that it has grown into the most successful Warhammer: Age of Reckoning fansite in existence.

How challenging is it, running such a popular MMORPG community site?

It's very challenging. Extremely. It's also some of the most fun I think you can have. There's something about interacting with players who are passionate about games. There's a shared bond that I think makes fansites so enjoyable. Interacting with players, having fun, sharing experiences.

The best part is the volunteers who help run Warhammer Alliance. We've got some extremely die hard fans helping to run the site. People that are honestly interested in bringing cool things to the community. They've got varied backgrounds, different interests, different experiences, but they're all the backbone of the site. Without them Warhammer Alliance wouldn't be the success that it is today.

Can you name three WAR features that excite you the most?

RvR, RvR, and RvR. Seriously, I'm looking forward to the Capital City sieges. The battlegrounds and even the instanced scenarios. There's something about RvR combat that gets the blow flowing, the heart pumping. Something that makes you say, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit", as you barely defeat an opponent in combat. Whatever it is, I love it

If you could add one feature to WAR, what would it be and why?

If I could add one feature to WAR it would definately be some type of mechanic that encouraged grouping. For myself, I think that solo games are fun, but I've always played MMOs in order to play with other people. I think mechanics that encourage grouping also encourage players to form bonds with other players. I'd argue that strong bonds to the game world and to other players in that game world also create strong player retention and subscription retention. But that's just me.

Given that we're still in beta, is there anything you dislike about WAR?

Definitely. I dislike the fact that it's not out yet. I'm so ready for this game I cannot wait.

Do you think WAR will appeal to female gamers any more or any less than, say, World of Warcraft?

Honestly, I have no clue. I'm not sure if it's a topic I've ever cared about really. Also, I'm one of the millions of other people whom have never played WoW. Not ever. If I had to answer, I would say yes though. I personally don't think that female gamers are really all that different from their male counterparts. At the base level, the experiences, the challenge and the time they invest is equal to their male counterparts. In that regard, I think WAR offers a more challenging and a more rewarding game experience than past MMOs. So I imagine that WAR will be more appealing to all gamers, male or female.

Why should people visit Warhammer Alliance?

Because we're the best. Seriously. We've got the best posters, the best volunteers and some of the best players in the community at Warhammer Alliance. There's a lot of fantastic WAR sites out there, but ours is the best.

Thanks to Garthilk for being such a good sport! :)