Warpforged Games: Who is Gav Thorpe? Meet the Author of The Lore: Mark of War‏

Warpforged Games: We thought that it would be great if you learnt a little bit more about the people striving to bring you Mark of War. This is the first of several interviews from the team, starting with the legendary writer Gav Thorpe.

Who is Gav Thorpe? 

I'm a freelance games designer and writer, and I am helping to create the new fantasy world for Mark of War. I have been working in the gaming industry for more than 20 years, including 14 years at Games Workshop. In that time my roles included heading up the Warhammer team as Loremaster, and a period as Lead Background Designer overseeing the development of the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 worlds and histories.

What games have you worked on before?

In one way or another, pretty much every game Games Workshop release over that period, whether play-testing, providing additional material in the pages of White Dwarf magazine or as designer and developer. As well as Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 rule books and supplements I worked on Necromunda, Gorkamorka, the various Epic systems and Mordheim. 

I was also the creator of Inquisitor. In more recent years I designed Cutlass!, a pirate skirmish wargame for Black Scorpion miniatures. I have also consulted for and worked on several video game titles, including the Mark of Chaos Warhammer licensed game, and an as-yet unannounced AAA title. 

What else have you written?

A lot! I've had more than twenty novels published by Black Library, the imprint responsible for the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and a whole heap of short stories, audio books and novellas. My most well-known works are Raven's Flight and Deliverance Lost for the Horus Heresy series, The Sundering for Warhammer, and Angels of Darkness and The Path of the Eldar for Warhammer 40,000. I'm currently writing a series called the Legacy of Caliban concerning the Dark Angels space marines, and my next release is Doom of Dragonback, a Time of Legends novel featuring the dwarfs.

How did you get involved with Mark of War?

Mike McTyre, big cheese at Warpforged games, first contacted me through Facebook! He gave me a short pitch on what Mark of War was going to be and asked if I'd be interested in working on some background material for the game. I love the idea of a tabletop wargame played as a video game and said I'd be very happy to get involved. As we exchanged more emails and talked on Skype it became clear that this was a unique opportunity to create a fantasy world for a video game from the ground up. It's been fun and very rewarding, seeing this world grow from a few early notes to the history and mythos we have now.

What is you favourite part of Mark of War so far?

There're lots of ideas and images I've really enjoyed, and I could say the whole concept of the virtual tabletop wargame. As a long-time fan of all things dwarvish I'm very tempted to pick dwarves on bears, but the truth is I'm really happy with the idea of the Harmony. This is the telepathic link between all of the elves, a subconscious connection that binds them together. Elves in many worlds are disciplined, swift and well co-ordinated. Ours are the same, but even more so, literally able to know what the elf beside them is going to do next, fighting together almost as a single entity. I'm looking forward to seeing how that awesome capability is represented in the game.

But there's still lots more we can explore, I really hope gamers rally behind the Kickstarter so that we get the chance to keep going. Warpforged Games are the perfect match of video game experience and gamer geekdom, the ideal combination needed to deliver this ambitious and amazing project.

Thanks Gav, great to hear from you. We'll be talking to other members of the Mark of War team in the future. And a big thanks to everyone that has backed Mark of War so far. Let's get the word out to as many people as possible and make this game a reality.

Warpforged Games: Mark Of War Officially Launches Kickstarter, Release New Video‏

Warpforged Games: Warpforged Games is an independent game studio made up of veterans from the video game industry. For our team there is no other game we would rather be making or playing than a PC turn-based tabletop wargame. We are huge tabletop wargame fanatics with garages full of miniatures, paint stations, shelves packed with rulebooks, gaming tables, and mountains of dice. Some of our team members have been playing games such as Warhammer for nearly twenty years with no end in sight. From collecting models to building armies, customizing units and playing turn-based tactical games there is nothing else we would rather be doing. Check the ongoing Kickstarter here.

Warpforged Games is excited to announce the Kickstarter for Mark of War, a virtual tabletop battle game that allows you to collect and command an army to battle for control of a war-ravaged world. Combining all of the hobby appeal of tabletop miniatures gaming with the versatility and interaction of video gaming, Mark of War puts you in control of every aspect of your army, from the overall strategy to the look of your fighters to the dice rolls that determine their fate!

A team with decades of video game development experience and a lifelong passion for miniatures, Warpforged Games are proud to finally bring the tabletop gaming experience to your PC or Mac. Inspired by hugely successful tabletop games such as Warhammer, Warpforged have joined forces with best-selling writer and former Games Workshop designer Gav Thorpe to create the world of Mark of War, bringing to life a land ripe for conquest and battle – your conquest, your battles.

Live now the Mark of War Kickstarter will allow fans of tabletop games and turn-based strategy games not only to make this project a reality, but to get in from the start to help develop and steer this groundbreaking game. Check out the amazing rewards and add-ons, including fantastic limited edition miniatures and the opportunity to be involved in the game development process. Just as victory is in your hands, so is the future of Mark of War. Spread the word and be part of something unique in gaming history.

“War is simple. They all die, or we do.” - Arch-Prophet Ajzak-Votan

A world engulfed by war and broken asunder by its creator. Armies of brave warriors, titanic beasts, arcane spellweavers and devastating war engines clash for dominance of a fantastical land. Success or failure, victory or death lies in the hands of the commander – that commander is you!

At first Fulke thought the noise was thunder, but the clouds overhead, while dark, were no storm. The reverberating crash made the wall of the Hinterkeep shudder again and Fulke looked to Captain Jacquette for reassurance. Her face was set grim, staring north-east towards the edge of the forest, far from comforting. Craning to see what drew his commander’s attention, Fulke leaned on his spear to stand on tiptoe.

From the treeline came a line of darkness, of black haired, ruddy-skinned brutes, each stride accompanied by the crash of a weapon on shields. Behind them towered a giant, skin like ancient leather, enormous hands dragging a treetrunk for a club. Something even more bestial, an unnamed monster from the Rift, bellowed and howled and tugged at the heavy chains of its captors.

The Queen Bez’s Ire sounded thunder of its own, belching smoke and fire from the east tower. A ragged cheer rose from the company, Fulke’s voice amongst them, as the iron shot ploughed a break through the enemy ranks. The cheer faltered quickly as the gaps closed and the advance continued without pause.

Fulke grasped his spear a little tighter and praised the builders of the Hinterkeeps for the solid stone beneath his feet. It would take more than a few pounds of iron to decide this battle. Captain Jacquette raised her sword and called them to attention with the three Pillars of Civilization, strengthening Fulke’s resolve. “Discipline, obedience, loyalty!”