'Templar' Discussion [Open Spoilers] - All hail Balthamal

[High Marshal Marcus]

Quickly posting at the end of this as I don't want to read the spoilers. Will Templar ever have a printed release? does anyone know?

[Scribe]

Likely, as the other audio's came out eventually, years later...

[High Marshal Marcus]

Likely, as the other audio's came out eventually, years later...

Thanks... oh man... looks like audio it is then... I can't wait that long

[Inquisitor Kravin]

I asked Laurie Goulding about this and about event only material like Imperial Truth. His answer was, "Everything will be available in every format...eventually." 

 

One of the things that was clear from the Weekender is that Heresy just keeps on outstripping the creators' hopes. When they wrote the original novels (Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy In Flames) it was just intended to be a trilogy to flesh out a bit of the old background material but that was it, the genie was out of the bottle and the whole thing just grew and grew. Audio dramas were a pet project of Christian Dunn and it took awhile for him to get the green light. Dark King/Lightning Tower was a bit of an experiment but again the demand just exploded.

 

What is great and I hope does not change is that where GW has a tendency for sales schedules to drive quick cash grabs and some releases of dubious quality, BL and FW are dedicated to doing it right. One chap asked, "I'm pushing fifty. Will I live to see the end of the Heresy?" to which Alan Bligh just answered, "No."

[b1soul]

Glad that Jubal gets some face time. Was surprised at his absence from Scars 

 

Is Jubal First Captain? I wonder how he stacks up to Qin Xa

[Balthamal]

Glad that Jubal gets some face time. Was surprised at his absence from Scars 

 

Is Jubal First Captain? I wonder how he stacks up to Qin Xa

 

He's probably up a notch from him given that he was the chosen champion of the Legion.

 

But then again Alejos was also a chosen champion and he admitted to himself that Corswain and Astellan both outstripped him with a blade

[Greyall]

It seems one of Sigismund's advantages is basically inhaling sulfur and exhaling icebergs, then. The man's as cold as Fenris in July - in combat, I still think we're being treated to a hotter-than-the-usual-Dornishman personality. Does he experience a lot of stress and 'Oh s**t' moments during those duels?

[Perrin]

I asked Laurie Goulding about this and about event only material like Imperial Truth. His answer was, "Everything will be available in every format...eventually." 

 

One of the things that was clear from the Weekender is that Heresy just keeps on outstripping the creators' hopes. When they wrote the original novels (Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy In Flames) it was just intended to be a trilogy to flesh out a bit of the old background material but that was it, the genie was out of the bottle and the whole thing just grew and grew. Audio dramas were a pet project of Christian Dunn and it took awhile for him to get the green light. Dark King/Lightning Tower was a bit of an experiment but again the demand just exploded.

 

What is great and I hope does not change is that where GW has a tendency for sales schedules to drive quick cash grabs and some releases of dubious quality, BL and FW are dedicated to doing it right. One chap asked, "I'm pushing fifty. Will I live to see the end of the Heresy?" to which Alan Bligh just answered, "No."

 

I think we've already started to see some releases of dubious quality, although they are very rare. Was Alan Bligh's answer a joke? If not that is mighty depressing. I really hope they aren't going to turn the Heresy into a setting, unless they finish the main storyline first.

[Greyall]

I kind of like the idea of the Heresy becoming a setting for a good deal of time. The possibilities are immense. Sure, I agree the main storyline should be wrapped up eventually but I find it an awesome 'whole less cracked mirror' reflection of the 40K times. If Black Library chooses to close it, at least let FW keep playing with it, from the well-known battles to reports of less highlighted instances like Paramar, Sarum and those to be featured in Conquest.

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

Sounds like an awesome listen. Alajos sounds boss, too.

 

On the Bligh note, I hope it is a joke, I'd hope BL finished the Heresy line...sooner rather than later...but as for FW, I am happy to see them continuing to flesh out more battles and the like.

[Cerbero666]

I kind of like the idea of the Heresy becoming a setting for a good deal of time. The possibilities are immense. Sure, I agree the main storyline should be wrapped up eventually but I find it an awesome 'whole less cracked mirror' reflection of the 40K times. If Black Library chooses to close it, at least let FW keep playing with it, from the well-known battles to reports of less highlighted instances like Paramar, Sarum and those to be featured in Conquest.

 

The problem of the Heresy becoming a setting is that it will eat time for everything else. FW already pushed forward some of their other projects due to this, if the Heresy keeps being that popular and profitable there's less options for them to risk on another stories (Unification Wars, 40k, The Scouring, Fantasy, etc..). It something like that with GW, 40k and Fantasy. They get so concentrated on the big one that they kind of forget about Fantasy, the same way they forget about Mordheim, Necromunda, Blood Bowl, etc... because they weren't as popular as 40k and Fantasy. Besides, it would hurt the own Heresy. If they want to extend the story they could invent whatever story just for the sake of keep selling, and the quality could go down. They will release one book with invent battles already to gain some time, wich right now I find a good choice, but I wouldn't make it an habit. Same with BL and some filler novels out there. 

[Balthamal]

I spoke with Alan Bligh about that point and he said that it's something they do envision having a definitive ending point, much like the BL novels but they're going to arrive at it from the narrative aspect. One thing that was stressed over and over throughout the weekend was the misconception people have of the timeline of the HH. It's 9 years long. There wasn't Istvaan III/Prospero ---> Istvaan V/Signus ---> Calth ---> Terra. Loads of people still see it as Istvaan V happened then everyone upped sticks and made a dash for Terra. That's what Horus planned (more on that below) but fate/circumstance conspired against that so he had to make plans for a full war. Conquest aims to represent that, it's to represent how Horus began building up (and replenishing don't forget) his resources for the Siege - between the SoH and DG, they cut a huge swathe through the Northern Imperium, timeline wise it fits, and that's what FW is basing it all on. Yes I know Prospero should have been earlier but everyone admitted that the amount of time and resources devoted to doing it justice meant that it's 2 years or so away so there was the choice of getting nothing for that time or doing other projects that will eventually lead to it, like the Solar Auxilla will be the building blocks upon which the Prospero Spire Guard are built on etc.

 

Now about Horus original plan, got to sit down with John French and Guy Haley on the Saturday night and it was talked about at length. Horus set up Istvaan III to purge his Legions believing that it would be quick, bloodless and then he could follow his favourite plan of bolting straight for Terra. He would have had the 4 Legions at Istvaan, plus the Word Bearers, Iron Warriors and Alpha Legion and he also believed he would have had the Iron Hands and White Scars ultimately join him. At the same time he had dispatched the Blood Angels and Ultramarines to the far side of the galaxy and set the Wolves and Thousand Sons to annihilate each other leaving only the Fists on Terra to face down the 9 Legions he'd have taken with him - in short he'd have won. But between 3 people that got messed up: Tarvitz for warning the loyalists what was about to happen, Angron for deciding to kill the survivors with his bare hands and Fulgrim for making a mess out of persuading Ferrus.

 

Sorry for the segway, back on topic

[Greyall]

It seems one of Sigismund's advantages is basically inhaling sulfur and exhaling icebergs, then. The man's as cold as Fenris in July - in combat, I still think we're being treated to a hotter-than-the-usual-Dornishman personality. Does he experience a lot of stress and 'Oh s**t' moments during those duels?

 

I re-pose my question and add a new one:

 

I remember Siggy being a bit abrasive and 'cocky' in one of the earliest novels, have his PR improved?

[HeritorA]

Stop - isn't Jubal Khan was the one who chopped Aximand face at 'Little Horus' short?

[Balthamal]

Stop - isn't Jubal Khan was the one who chopped Aximand face at 'Little Horus' short?

 

It's been a long time since I've read it but I thought it was Hibou Khan. I'll re-read it and confirm

[Red Angel]

 

Stop - isn't Jubal Khan was the one who chopped Aximand face at 'Little Horus' short?

 

It's been a long time since I've read it but I thought it was Hibou Khan. I'll re-read it and confirm

It was Hibou Khan.

[b1soul]

He's probably up a notch from him given that he was the chosen champion of the Legion.

 

But then again Alejos was also a chosen champion and he admitted to himself that Corswain and Astellan both outstripped him with a blade

 

 

Yeah probably...but it sorta sounded like Qin Xa was the best in Scars. Probably a case of different authours. It was also odd that Jubal was never even mentioned in Scars

 

In the appendix-like section of Brotherhood of the Storm, he's supposed to be the White Scars equivalent of First Captain

[Inquisitor Kravin]

As Balthamal's post indicates Alan Bligh was only half joking. It was delivered as a dead pan joke but there is some truth. It has taken best part of a decade to get this far and we're not even half way through the heresy timeline yet so don't expect to see the Siege of Terra any time before the 2020s.

 

On the original topic of Templar. I was listening to it again and thinking that the comet battle sounded like a superb Zone Mortalis scenario - Sigismund, Rahn (Praetor?) and nine Templars and nine Breachers attacking half a company of Word Bearers.

[Marshal Rohr]

Oh my gawd, 2020 is so far away! What if robots achieve sentience by then!!!

[Conn Eremon]

Oh my gawd, 2020 is so far away! What if robots achieve sentience by then!!!

Then we'll be too busy fighting our mechanical overlords to even notice, and all will be well. You can't miss what you don't recall.

[Reyner]

I haven't read any of the spoilers so I'll ask is it worth a buy when it comes out? And anyone know when it will be released?

[Balthamal]

They said 6 months so expect pre-release copies to be at Games Day UK before going on general sale in October/November

[Reyner]

Thanks.