The Literary Khan: fiction, wisdom, and writings of The Khan

      'They cost how much?', 'but there are cheaper options out there', 'why has the price gone up again', and 'that's it I am out'. All of my favourite reoccurring comments I see regularly across multiple gaming spheres. Value is the single most hotly debated abstract concept in so many communities in gaming. None probably more so than Games Workshop, or to use its trendy new name. Warhammer. I want to try and explore this idea of value, and try to contrast in some small way value across different gaming options currently available.  From battles to Billions     There is no denying that Warhammer is the apex predator of the wargaming miniatures landscape. By which I mean it is the top of the food chain and is arguably of late generally pretty predatory in its business practices. From its humble beginnings nearly fifty years ago as a purveyor of roleplaying miniatures for games such as Dungeons and Dragons it would spin off with the creation of its o...

  Oh here we go then          In the early 2000's my mate Lopez asked me to hang out for the weekend. He had a new console with this game called Halo: Combat Evolved. Simply called Halo to us. Within minutes I was hooked. I lined up to grab every sequel since, with Halo Infinite in my sights. Hell when I was a teacher I used Halo novels to encourage a student to improve his reading. An effort so successful that when I met him years later he had the entire library of books, and I was proud to have given him his first two books. I even broke into my short stint reviewing videogames with a review of Halo 4. So please understand I might just have a bias when it comes to this franchise. Ooooooh that's some quality byline there Dr Seuss  So when I was told that Paramount was creating a Halo series for their streaming platform I was in a state that could be called 'hyped'. Remember we have had a raft of live action adaptations and screen offerings over the ye...

  "You must find Balance Daniel San"- Mr Miyagi     When it comes to life the greatest struggle is the battle for balance. When it comes to our hobby it is no different. What I have seen online, and experienced myself, is the pull of different desires. On one hand there is the desire to paint miniatures to examples set by commission painters, the 'eavy metal team, and content creators we see online. The other might be the simple desire to get our miniatures table ready. Or even to master a technique we have seen elsewhere. The thing that I think gets lost is that this should first and foremost be a hobby that helps us relax. To find in some small way our 'zen' through painting. At least that is what it is to me. That is at least when I don't find myself falling into the trap of comparison. Remember "comparison is the thief of joy" I painted this in 30 minute lunchbreaks. Each step just enjoyed for its own practice     For the purpose of this article ...

  That Time Again     Well for those that have followed me for a while now will know that I have a few traditions. One of which being hurling my annual pitch at the Great Library open window. I will be clear. This is about the only thing I will submit to each year. It is less about getting published, and more about giving myself a challenge. I wont pretend it is not a bucket list level item for me.      This year the limitation placed on submissions was that it had to be about the new edition of Age of Sigmar. Specifically the Dawnbringer Crusades. With a hint about focusing on the rank and file. Ok well I sketched out a joke image for my twitter followers, and then more seriously sat down and fleshed out my story idea. I had the idea that I wanted to write about a mercenary company who were hired to escourt a crusade scouting force. They would find themselves arrayed against both Krule Boys and Beastclaw Raiders. I wanted that classic order versus destruct...

         Welcome back members of the Khanate. Today we have a special guest for our readers. If you have been reading this blog for some time now you will be well aware of the my love for fiction. One of my favourite authors being Graham McNeill you can understand my excitement to host him here. As he shares some of his wisdom on writing, 40K, and the nature of writing. Before we begin I want to thank Graham for taking the time to answer some questions from your humble Khan.       KHAN: It is fair to say that you are a pillar, if not some of the base and roof, of the monolith that is Games workshop. With almost one hundred written works of fiction under Black Library, and a number of game design credits spanning a career that reaches back almost two decades. What was it like in those early days?        GM:  That’s kind of you to say so, though I continue to stand upon the mighty shoulders of those who came before ...