I find it disappointing that we no longer hear the in-depth designer talk on the products, which to me is as fascinating as anything else. It certainly is eye opening to see how Alan was so passionate and how he created his work, and where he poured his energies into. I think what made him so talented was his approach to expanding the undefined areas of lore, rather than changing the universe to suit his personal tastes, and a lot can be learned from his example.
Totally agree. GW at present favours a vertical filling approach wherein the timeline is advanced vs the older, horizontal approach wherein details of existing times and places were filled in.
@@PaintPlastic I will say I personally am enjoying the way they are pushing things forward but that being said I won't say you are wrong. Having 10k years worth of history for the Imperium and a whole galaxy lends a great deal of material to build with.
@@PaintPlastic This is exactly what I keep telling people when they brag about how good a move primaris are and that the story needs to progress.. Whatever that means. They could have used the age of aphosticy to deliver cool new Black Templars, sisters. The Macharius crusade for guard. War in heaven for Eldar and Necrons. GW & Co are now a scattered company with many professional people trying their best in their own fields, but fact is. Its just a running franchise, corporate construction, without anyone who really understands what to supply hobbyist. YEs, 8th was a great succes, but I would argue it was because (to a huge) part to their communications team and sales teams who really know how to convince people to buy any project. It is good for them, but will it entice "hobbyists" to stay like the Warhammer vision did back in 2nd, 3rd and some extent 5th? I think not, but who knows. Might just be a succesful game, with some succesful books explaining lore and turn out a wonderful model to paint. No cohesion or real drive to get a hobbyist imagination into a bunch of plastic mini's and onto a wonderful board
I can't really disagree with your point but in one tiny defense of hearing about the design process, they are still struggling with the thing.... going on now.
This is arguably the best video you've made considering how little Forge World's decline is discussed in detail other than the complaints of prices and model quality. The problem runs much deeper.
Back in the day the designers would be accredited in every model entry. Units like the Elysians and Tallaran upgrades were largely a passion project and not driven by marketing data. We will never seem random releases like the Necron caterpillar unit that was just designed out of one of the designers ambition. We lost something special that I doubt forgeworld will get back. I think the higher ups are building for forgeworld to just be a specialist games additional unit vendor.
I am all for designers and artists and all forms of employees getting mentioned in the credits for their work. Many corporations I've worked for in the UK don't do that of course, they don't want any individuals to have recognition outside of their company because they do not want that power of the individual, they just want comformist, anonymous, office drones that have no visibility outside (for reasons of not being poached by other companies by getting recognition for their achievements). I've even signed work contracts where I cannot publically talk abot what I do ( can't talk to the press, nda's etc - all standard practice I expect these days).
@@Commodore22345 prntscr.com/v1yggt This cost me maybe 3 bucks in printer resin to print. A bloke helped me out while working on the 3D model, we're friends now. When I put the finished pieces together, my mind was blown that I've made the idea that had been only in my head into a real object everyone can see. Everyone I show it to thinks it's awesome, cooler than the GW model. It fits into my army better than any ultramarine looking basic kit ever could. Every step of making this model has been an absolute joy, and I love it more than any model I've just bought for money :) I'm not going back to snipping identical mass products out of sprues.
@@abelbabel8484 That's the shit! You made that? I have to say, though, that very few of us (me absolutely included) could never design something like that. Or do you mean you made it as in you 3-D printed it? I definitely agree that 3-D printers are the future of gaming. It would really surprise me if GW gets their heads out of their ass before it renders them irrelevant.
@@konradcurzethereturnedandv2845 Yeah, I made that 3D model with the kind help of a friend, then printed it in my garage, assembled and painted it as usual. I think it came out really good and I love it to bits. Definitely agree on your take on printers and GW. There's a paradigm shift coming, and GW will most likely miss it.
For a trip down depression lane, go read a 3rd ed codex. GW seems like they were having just as much fun with the universe as we are. They were so excited to show you their fun game and how the rules represented the lore Now it's... So soulless? I feel like im just being sold stuff when I read rules. The dark comedy and satire is all but gone. It seems to fully support people who prioritize cheesing a game rather than telling a story with dice
Think you nailed it there. The old stuff was "less proffesional", but in that you really felt like you are/were part of a hobby and this space within so much creativity could exist. Now, being creative is just a slogan on a product that is being sold.
All hail 3rd edition! My kids found my 3rd. Ed. Rulebook and freaked out and... now shortly after we have red boys for the oldest, smurfs for my middle boy and my littlest is all about rogal and his Templars and fists. So in all reality 3rd edition is still selling for GW. Also for any GW employees read this they are 10, 8, and 6.... stop changing your shit!
Excellent video. This really does demonstrate how FW, specifically the heresy, has declined in recent years. It has gone too corporate and has really suffered from the loss of Alan. You can feel the passion and dedication he had for the project. I do feel it’s very much a ‘job’ now not a passion for a lot of the designers/writers. It’s good to see proper critique, rather than banal agreement and acceptance of a declining quality of the heresy.
There are occasional tidbits from designers from Forgeworld on Twitter, like when they put Zone Mortalis in plastic and bundled it in with Necromunda. They were really excited. But Twitter was really pissed off at the price of the necromunda kit. So they yelled at him. I think videos like these could avoid the horror of Twitter and showcase the talent of the designers better.
Alan Bligh should be a saint. the badab war books are some of the best books in general from FW or GW, you can feel the passion for the projects in every page.
"the way Alan's brain works is just great" you said it. You can tell just by listening to him that he has such a depth, understanding and passion about the setting that just isn't there now. RIP
Alan was a huge asset for us as narrative lore driven fans. I guess GW maybe saw him as a obstacle due to wanting to go in a different direction and Alan slowed them or was busy on passion projects. Forgeworld as a whole is a husk and with so much going out off production, it's a scandal
Cheers Macca! Quality video. It is an amazing thing to see Alan speak with such passion and investment with the fw projects. It really highlights where we were and where we are now
The books Alan contributed to have more spirit and fascination than anything else I've seen. I can only imagine just how immersed and fluent in the lore this fiercely intelligent man was.
this is a great video, and those interviews are really interesting. I agree, i really apreciate the idea of taking whats there as a basis and going DEEPER or extrapolating whats next instead of just disregarding stuff. a great appreciation for making things fulfilling rather than just surface level. but just in general, understanding the interconnectedness between fluff, the game,customer experience, all of it.
R.I.P Mr Bligh, I loved the scene you created for the Horus Heresy. From the models, to the big black rule books, the theme the feel just the presentation of the HH just screamed we love this and we want to present it to you in a way so you will love this as much as we do. You could feel the passion coming from FW around this time. After his passing it was like GW middle managers couldn't get in there fast enough to dismantle his "pocket empire" in FW so no one could ever do that again. Sku's discontinued with no rhyme or reason just so MM can say they are doing something. I miss this era FW and sadly it will never come around again. Great video macca... And no im not crying...must be those damn onion ninjas.... Your crying..
This answers so many questions I've had in recent years. The entire hobby is in decline. Its because people like this chap are absent from its design & now its being driven by marketing & sales interns.
@MrTsiolkovsky Popular =/= good. The more GW marketing appeals to the mythical "wider audience" the more 40k will decline as a setting. Its no longer a high gothic hopeless empire of decline. Its a space opera of hope, technological progress & innovation. Its quickly becoming a DBZ episode with the reintroduction of primarchs where actual details like logistics, supply lines & troop allocation are discarded for how the primarchs are feeling on any particular day.
Don’t know much about wh40k and, after seeing comments, I didn’t know the chap sadly passed away. Sadly a talented creator such as this would be lost and forgotten 15 years ago ... I suppose it’s great he realised his dream and was fondly revered by his fellow enthusiasts thanks to YT ... suppose his legacy is to show any hardcore enthusiast can achieve great things .. and so over to you to pick up his flame 🔥
As someone whose only recently gotten into the Heresy and not completed a full HH novel I've only ever heard how badly Bligh dying destroyed the future of HH but not until I heard him mention the Age of Apostasy did I realize just how bad it really is. The Heresy has some great characters and events I want to know more about but the Apostasy is almost a dead zone and has so much potential for unadulterated awesome that might never be explored is nuts. I really didn't know how much Bligh was involved in everything he was, most people only talk about his work in the Heresy and I had no idea he was also responsible for the Badab War books. My chaos forces are Red Corsairs and I feel like I should have really known that and now I'm even more bummed out.
Bring back the Forge World terrain kits. But if they did, if you thought they were quite pricey back in the day, so I'm guessing they would be a kings ransom now.
Great video. I miss the old Forge World as well. May I ask where you found all these old videos? I'd love to see a commentary from the sculptors of some of the Forge World tanks. I wish gw would design their new vehicles more like those. All the new vehicles look like they were designed by Hasbro.
They used to sell all of this amazing terrain, some of it I'd even say was the best in the industry. Specifically what comes to mind was their trench system that you were supposed to insert in polystyrene as part of your DIY projects. To date there is no trench system that even comes close to the realism and visual depth that they provided with that one. Then there was that MASSIVE Imperial Fortress... I know most people didn't have the time or money for it, but it just made it even cooler when and if you finally saw one. Same with the Anphelion Base, even if that one had some casting and assembly issues.
@@NotQuiteAllHere When this type of artistic creativity is monetised the business should serve the art, not the other way around. GW was built on that concept, but at some point along the line the art began to be made to serve the business. I, like so many others, feel like this has slowly eroded the creativity and, hence, my interest. Every now and then there seems to be a fresh stroke of creative genius but it's mostly washed out in a glut of profit motives that are too powerful for creative integrity to compete with. It leads to this negative feedback loop - business slowly destroying the passion that created the business in the first place.
@@seanocd Your interest may have waned but GW is doing gangbusters. Like, I get it, I even agree at how the loss off passion is clear, but a business that isn’t making money is a dead business, and GW, of which FW is a part, is publicly traded. It can’t be a boutique firm, by its very nature. It isn’t a matter of art serving the business or the other way around. Its the matter of reality requiring you to make something folks will exchange their resources for, in the form of currency.
@@zhukov2116 Reality does not conform to our sensibilities. The creation of art itself doesn’t entitle one to resources, particularly when they have to be provided by someone else. Art for its own sake is art no one is asking for, and thats fine, but if no one is asking for it, you can’t complain when no one will pay you for it. And if no one is paying you for it, it can’t be a business.
I fully agree with you. While I do still enjoy the releases Forge World do put out and I am still invested in the hobby it is defiantly a point to make when a company switches gears into this sort of direction. I doubt HH will die off but I do believe that it'll take longer and longer to finish and any schedule they might have will only extend.
Fw has basically said the next bbb for hh will be battle for terra the end, now go and be a good fw and keep pumping out releases for specialist games.
One only has to look at the quality of the badab war and vraks to see how far forgeworld have fallen. All of those beautiful models thrown in the bin. I will still press on with my minotaurs army though, no primaris shit either.
Having recently read about the Nova Terra Interregnum, its a shame Alan isn't around anymore. so many moments throughout the Lore could be explored to becoming a format for stories and chapters upon chapters of them to tell. let alone then making ways to play in such moments of 40k. a common request is the War in Heaven or the Unification Wars, but inbetween those and later is also alot of great background that isn't being used at all. if hardly referenced.
I think there was an interview some time ago with the head of Forge World regarding Wahammer The Old World so there is hope. I think that Forge World will be more under the spot light for sure when that product is launched.
I remember I used to check Forge World’s releases every Friday without fail, but these days I rarely check it each month. It’s really quite depressing to see how much it has changed.
What the hell happened to Forgeworld releases and announcements? They froze in the beginning of the pandemic, then showed signs of life in early August with both new announcements and releases. Then silence.. So frustrating.
im not a 40k guy but a fantasy, so i can relate as Tamurkhan is the great book made by gamesworkshop, Alan Bligh was the driving force, after his death things slowed down.
The Forgeworld were great to read. I had my own copies of the Badab Books as I was fascinated with the Astral Claws and the colour scheme pulled me to them. And reading on about the Badab War was so enjoyable to read over and over again But over time I seeing the stuff coming from forgeworld and the products we lost for no real reason at all became disheartening to me.
Wanna do a fun experiment? Make a criticism on the Facebook post of a newly announced GW product and see how quickly they delete your comment, even if the comment is constructive, or even cheeky humor. They love the 'I can't wait to buy this [insert product]' comments though.
I have never really invested much time in the Horus Heresy (last years were mostly AoS related for me), but I have the feeling Horus Heresy does most likely does the Space Marine Army theme better. I mean a legion was multiple 10000 to multiple 100000 in size, right? How large was an army. The size of a company today or larger? 40k Space Marines have a large problem in my oppinion. The are stil marketing the Chapters that were the legions to the people (mainly Ultramarines) looking at the Chapters each chapter has at best 4 Battle Companies. You can't really create your own company of a existing chapter because of this so you can't really have your own lore inside that chapter. If the Chapers had 100 Battlecompanies and not everyone known this would be a different story and I think, without knowing Horus Heresy that much, that it would be possible their. I have the feeling this is the only army where we have this problem, because in nearly every other army we don't know the size of that Subfaction.
I agree with a lot of what you are saying, however forge world haven’t had the staff like they use to because a lot of them got taken over to specialist games development. And losing the big guy has had a bigger effect on things then most people understand. He was the driving force for it all. Also forge hasn’t had the office space. Hq have expanded there office space so forge world now have more room to work and produce things. They have been employing more people as of lately and a good friend of mine has just become one of the rules and background writes which is amazing. A lot of hate towards fw lately which I get but just remember they are GWs bitch right now and when gw says jump they say how high. I.e specialist games. They have been producing models and rules for 4 new and different game systems over the last 3-4 years. Not including heresy. Things are coming. All I’m saying. Before people kick off at me, I’m from the U.K, I live 20mins away from Warhammer world and use to work for gw a few years back. And know a lot of the on goings in and out. And very close with a lot of people who work at HQ Also keep up the videos love your work
I'm sorry to trouble you... but is Warhammer Fantasy returning? I've heard repeatedly that it is and I've heard repeatedly that it isn't. Also I hope that your friend is a good, dedicated background writer, if he/she is then please give him/her my thanks. I was about to say "unfortunately the background material has been of dismal quality for some time" but now that I think about it, I haven't read "new" background material (perhaps excluding novels) for about a year. Maybe the newest material is currently better than the rubbish that came out around "The Great Rift," "Belisarius Cawl and Guilliman" and the simplification of 40k earlier... (If Warhammer Fantasy returns, I must pray/beg that the idiots who wrote the 8th edition army books and/or The End Times stay away from the franchise...) If the codex writers can write anything of quality, perhaps they would be proud enough to put their names on their material.... unlike their predecessors. (Sorry for sounding so bitter and bitchy, I'll try to fix that.) Anyway... I wish your friend luck, I wonder whether your friend arrived before or after "Blackstone Fortress" (or even "Dreadfleet"). Honestly, there are so many old specialist games that could be repainted and resold such as "Battlefleet Gothic" and "Warhammer Skirmish" (which is separate from Mordheim). I'm tempted to say Mordheim but I heard that a Mordheim computer game came out... When GW computer games come out, appeal for the GW board games tends to evaporate. There are even old campaigns that can be remoulded into games, I can think of the archived, forgotten GW campaign/game "The Affair of the False Grail." Last question (I promise), does "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition" count as a "specialist game?" I've been trying to buy a few undamaged books but I've been unsuccessful.
@@blindlobster haha so many question. Warhammer is coming back but right at the start way before the empire etc. Check UA-cam for that shit out. He would never tell me anything but he’s a very well known member off the heresy Committee so hopefully he does a good job. I don’t know if the role play counts or is even supported anymore. Maybe look at fanstyfight games. They were doing a lot of the role playing games for gw at the time.
Nail on head Macca. I returned in 8th and it all seems lazy and corporate driven as if the bare minimum was "enough", old Forgeworld was sacrificed for corporate gain and as ever profit over passion. You will be missed Alan.
This vid is pretty spot-on for the most part. Forge World was driven by passion projects. But there is a bit of rose tinted glasses here, as well. Forge World resin was always expensive for what it was. And while the Imperial Armour books for 40k were cool, the books focusing on non-Astartes factors, with the possible exception of the Orphean War, turned into Space Marine wank fests no different than what was coming out of the main GW studios and Black Library. However, Forge World offered a lot of options unavailable from GW/Citadel in terms of models and conversion kits. Especially with the Imperial Guard. Now, it's a collection of incomplete lines (DKoK), smaller catalogs, and more fucking Space Marines. It's all so tiresome.
I wasn't in heresy (or wider 40k) enough to really feel the passion that's now clearly missing. Like many I'm looking to the community to provide that excitement and support for the true spirit of the game. The dream situation is a harmonised community of fan designers creating rules and 3D printed miniatures to continue the trajectory of 'old' heresy. Realistic it is not, but every incentive to steer FW back to passion and their universise from the real world and management thinking.
No, no you did not. FW has problems yes that is mostly due to incompetency at the top from people like Tony Cottrell a known racist(instagram.com/tv/CA8ONecn4b3/?) and misogynist(www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer/comments/7v0mcy/escher_are_exotic_and_vindictive_because_theyre/). 40k is doing great, it is having it's largest year ever, even in the middle of a global pandemic. It is better rules wise now that at anytime in its history imho. I have played since Rouge Trader and had a huge army since 2nd edition (old school Space Wolves). This hobby is great and can only get better, as long as we keep being open to new ideas and new ways to play.
@@RotneybotOfficial I am not sure what you are talking about. It's tough out (in terms of wages and so on) there yeah but GW is competing with video games in terms of entertainment. Yet while you might spend $60 on a video game and eventually be done with it every $60 you put into a 40k product stays with you as an investment of your time, energy and talent. Which is far more value for money. As to direction in lore I have no clue what you mean. The lore has always advanced. Slowly but surly it advances.
Used to play Warhammer around 3rd and 4th edition 40k, and 6th edition Fantasy. Gonna be honest the community division, laughable price gouging, corporate atmosphere and soullessness is precisely why I didn't get back in a few years back when I wanted to. Just can't support GW anymore. Wouldn't blame you for backing out pal.
@@Thornbeard Gonna question your use of monetary value there. There are plenty of video games that cost little and yet have hundreds of hours of entertainment. They're more concentrated pieces of entertainment, and the experiences you can have can last for a lifetime. Wouldn't say they're less or more value orientated, just different. Take Devil May Cry, a game with a crazy high skill ceiling. You get out what you put in. Look at the UA-cam Combo Mad community. Your premise that Warhammer is more of a worthy investment fails to see that both industries have their pros and cons, and aren't as easily compared. Be careful with your bias pal.
It is hard to maintain passion over a prolonged period of time, especially if you do get paid for it. I suppose that's the balancing act that people at GW and Forge World play, hobby vs job. At the end of the day, it is a job and there are limits and constraints etc which can limit someone's passion. I have it with my writing, I start something but rarely finish because I can't keep passionate about the story etc. More and more these days, the monetary aspect is becoming dominant and the corporate side is taking over. Though I have never gotten anything from forge wold bar a rule book for my scratch built warhound titan, I consider a shame that the creativity and passion is dying but everything has its time and everything dies eventually. For stuff like this, it's generally always a slow, painful and quiet death.
I find it disappointing that we no longer hear the in-depth designer talk on the products, which to me is as fascinating as anything else. It certainly is eye opening to see how Alan was so passionate and how he created his work, and where he poured his energies into. I think what made him so talented was his approach to expanding the undefined areas of lore, rather than changing the universe to suit his personal tastes, and a lot can be learned from his example.
In my opinion all passion from GW to Black Library and finally forgeworld has been sapped away
Totally agree. GW at present favours a vertical filling approach wherein the timeline is advanced vs the older, horizontal approach wherein details of existing times and places were filled in.
@@PaintPlastic I will say I personally am enjoying the way they are pushing things forward but that being said I won't say you are wrong. Having 10k years worth of history for the Imperium and a whole galaxy lends a great deal of material to build with.
@@PaintPlastic This is exactly what I keep telling people when they brag about how good a move primaris are and that the story needs to progress.. Whatever that means. They could have used the age of aphosticy to deliver cool new Black Templars, sisters. The Macharius crusade for guard. War in heaven for Eldar and Necrons. GW & Co are now a scattered company with many professional people trying their best in their own fields, but fact is. Its just a running franchise, corporate construction, without anyone who really understands what to supply hobbyist. YEs, 8th was a great succes, but I would argue it was because (to a huge) part to their communications team and sales teams who really know how to convince people to buy any project. It is good for them, but will it entice "hobbyists" to stay like the Warhammer vision did back in 2nd, 3rd and some extent 5th? I think not, but who knows. Might just be a succesful game, with some succesful books explaining lore and turn out a wonderful model to paint. No cohesion or real drive to get a hobbyist imagination into a bunch of plastic mini's and onto a wonderful board
I can't really disagree with your point but in one tiny defense of hearing about the design process, they are still struggling with the thing.... going on now.
This is arguably the best video you've made considering how little Forge World's decline is discussed in detail other than the complaints of prices and model quality. The problem runs much deeper.
Back in the day the designers would be accredited in every model entry.
Units like the Elysians and Tallaran upgrades were largely a passion project and not driven by marketing data.
We will never seem random releases like the Necron caterpillar unit that was just designed out of one of the designers ambition.
We lost something special that I doubt forgeworld will get back. I think the higher ups are building for forgeworld to just be a specialist games additional unit vendor.
I am all for designers and artists and all forms of employees getting mentioned in the credits for their work. Many corporations I've worked for in the UK don't do that of course, they don't want any individuals to have recognition outside of their company because they do not want that power of the individual, they just want comformist, anonymous, office drones that have no visibility outside (for reasons of not being poached by other companies by getting recognition for their achievements). I've even signed work contracts where I cannot publically talk abot what I do ( can't talk to the press, nda's etc - all standard practice I expect these days).
It's time for us to do it ourselves. The tools are there, it's never been easier to make your vision real.
@@Commodore22345 prntscr.com/v1yggt This cost me maybe 3 bucks in printer resin to print. A bloke helped me out while working on the 3D model, we're friends now.
When I put the finished pieces together, my mind was blown that I've made the idea that had been only in my head into a real object everyone can see. Everyone I show it to thinks it's awesome, cooler than the GW model. It fits into my army better than any ultramarine looking basic kit ever could.
Every step of making this model has been an absolute joy, and I love it more than any model I've just bought for money :)
I'm not going back to snipping identical mass products out of sprues.
@@abelbabel8484 That's the shit! You made that? I have to say, though, that very few of us (me absolutely included) could never design something like that. Or do you mean you made it as in you 3-D printed it? I definitely agree that 3-D printers are the future of gaming. It would really surprise me if GW gets their heads out of their ass before it renders them irrelevant.
@@konradcurzethereturnedandv2845 Yeah, I made that 3D model with the kind help of a friend, then printed it in my garage, assembled and painted it as usual. I think it came out really good and I love it to bits.
Definitely agree on your take on printers and GW. There's a paradigm shift coming, and GW will most likely miss it.
The Horus Heresy died with Mr Bligh. Now it's just a cash cow
The whole of FW did, not just the HH
For a trip down depression lane, go read a 3rd ed codex. GW seems like they were having just as much fun with the universe as we are. They were so excited to show you their fun game and how the rules represented the lore
Now it's... So soulless? I feel like im just being sold stuff when I read rules. The dark comedy and satire is all but gone. It seems to fully support people who prioritize cheesing a game rather than telling a story with dice
Think you nailed it there. The old stuff was "less proffesional", but in that you really felt like you are/were part of a hobby and this space within so much creativity could exist. Now, being creative is just a slogan on a product that is being sold.
All hail 3rd edition! My kids found my 3rd. Ed. Rulebook and freaked out and... now shortly after we have red boys for the oldest, smurfs for my middle boy and my littlest is all about rogal and his Templars and fists. So in all reality 3rd edition is still selling for GW. Also for any GW employees read this they are 10, 8, and 6.... stop changing your shit!
Now Its aimed at tournaments and completive play
Me and a friend actually read 3rd ed stuff and decided to switch to 3rd instead of dealing with the 9th Ed dumpster fire
This makes me so sad. Someone loved this like we do.
Excellent video. This really does demonstrate how FW, specifically the heresy, has declined in recent years. It has gone too corporate and has really suffered from the loss of Alan. You can feel the passion and dedication he had for the project. I do feel it’s very much a ‘job’ now not a passion for a lot of the designers/writers. It’s good to see proper critique, rather than banal agreement and acceptance of a declining quality of the heresy.
i mean the heresy still had support remember imperial armour the badab war for example i think that the loss of 40k releases is far worse
There are occasional tidbits from designers from Forgeworld on Twitter, like when they put Zone Mortalis in plastic and bundled it in with Necromunda. They were really excited. But Twitter was really pissed off at the price of the necromunda kit. So they yelled at him. I think videos like these could avoid the horror of Twitter and showcase the talent of the designers better.
Alan Bligh should be a saint. the badab war books are some of the best books in general from FW or GW, you can feel the passion for the projects in every page.
"the way Alan's brain works is just great" you said it. You can tell just by listening to him that he has such a depth, understanding and passion about the setting that just isn't there now. RIP
Passion. It’s a powerful thing
Alan was a huge asset for us as narrative lore driven fans. I guess GW maybe saw him as a obstacle due to wanting to go in a different direction and Alan slowed them or was busy on passion projects.
Forgeworld as a whole is a husk and with so much going out off production, it's a scandal
Unfortunately he died of cancer :(
Well, they’ve done a great job beating his baby to death... RIP Alan..
You won't see many other 40k channels covering subject matter like this.
They just shovel out videos about each new model reveal and for circle jerks.
Don't think. Just get hyped for the new big thing, buy it, consume, and then get hyped for the next big thing!
Kirioth a little bit,.he is backing Macca on this
Cheers Macca! Quality video. It is an amazing thing to see Alan speak with such passion and investment with the fw projects. It really highlights where we were and where we are now
Thank you for sharing this video.
Watched the Badab War Q and A so many times. Love the passion that got into the books.
R.I.P. Alan... you are missed.
The books Alan contributed to have more spirit and fascination than anything else I've seen. I can only imagine just how immersed and fluent in the lore this fiercely intelligent man was.
this is a great video, and those interviews are really interesting. I agree, i really apreciate the idea of taking whats there as a basis and going DEEPER or extrapolating whats next instead of just disregarding stuff. a great appreciation for making things fulfilling rather than just surface level.
but just in general, understanding the interconnectedness between fluff, the game,customer experience, all of it.
R.I.P Mr Bligh, I loved the scene you created for the Horus Heresy. From the models, to the big black rule books, the theme the feel just the presentation of the HH just screamed we love this and we want to present it to you in a way so you will love this as much as we do. You could feel the passion coming from FW around this time.
After his passing it was like GW middle managers couldn't get in there fast enough to dismantle his "pocket empire" in FW so no one could ever do that again. Sku's discontinued with no rhyme or reason just so MM can say they are doing something.
I miss this era FW and sadly it will never come around again.
Great video macca... And no im not crying...must be those damn onion ninjas.... Your crying..
This answers so many questions I've had in recent years. The entire hobby is in decline. Its because people like this chap are absent from its design & now its being driven by marketing & sales interns.
@MrTsiolkovsky Popular =/= good. The more GW marketing appeals to the mythical "wider audience" the more 40k will decline as a setting. Its no longer a high gothic hopeless empire of decline. Its a space opera of hope, technological progress & innovation. Its quickly becoming a DBZ episode with the reintroduction of primarchs where actual details like logistics, supply lines & troop allocation are discarded for how the primarchs are feeling on any particular day.
Really well made video, I wondered myself when the flame died and this summised it well.
Don’t know much about wh40k and, after seeing comments, I didn’t know the chap sadly passed away. Sadly a talented creator such as this would be lost and forgotten 15 years ago ... I suppose it’s great he realised his dream and was fondly revered by his fellow enthusiasts thanks to YT ... suppose his legacy is to show any hardcore enthusiast can achieve great things .. and so over to you to pick up his flame 🔥
Sorry but I have to post the lions saying. "Duty is its own reward" love the videos brother. Keep up the good work!
As someone whose only recently gotten into the Heresy and not completed a full HH novel I've only ever heard how badly Bligh dying destroyed the future of HH but not until I heard him mention the Age of Apostasy did I realize just how bad it really is. The Heresy has some great characters and events I want to know more about but the Apostasy is almost a dead zone and has so much potential for unadulterated awesome that might never be explored is nuts. I really didn't know how much Bligh was involved in everything he was, most people only talk about his work in the Heresy and I had no idea he was also responsible for the Badab War books. My chaos forces are Red Corsairs and I feel like I should have really known that and now I'm even more bummed out.
Bring back the Forge World terrain kits. But if they did, if you thought they were quite pricey back in the day, so I'm guessing they would be a kings ransom now.
Great video. I miss the old Forge World as well. May I ask where you found all these old videos? I'd love to see a commentary from the sculptors of some of the Forge World tanks. I wish gw would design their new vehicles more like those. All the new vehicles look like they were designed by Hasbro.
Alan had more creativity in his pinky finger than the GW studio does
They used to sell all of this amazing terrain, some of it I'd even say was the best in the industry. Specifically what comes to mind was their trench system that you were supposed to insert in polystyrene as part of your DIY projects. To date there is no trench system that even comes close to the realism and visual depth that they provided with that one. Then there was that MASSIVE Imperial Fortress... I know most people didn't have the time or money for it, but it just made it even cooler when and if you finally saw one. Same with the Anphelion Base, even if that one had some casting and assembly issues.
I miss the days when GW told you how to make a scratch built Baneblade using plasticard and a toilet roll.
Fuck me, I miss Bligh. He was really the driving force behind much of the depth of 40k. FW is truly lost without him.
What inevitably happens when art is made for profit, rather than for art sake. It's only a matter of time for any company in any industry.
I mean, yes, but art for its own sake is simply not sustainable; it is, at best, a diversion for someone who has made something for a profit.
@@NotQuiteAllHere What a horrible way to organise the world.
@@NotQuiteAllHere
When this type of artistic creativity is monetised the business should serve the art, not the other way around.
GW was built on that concept, but at some point along the line the art began to be made to serve the business. I, like so many others, feel like this has slowly eroded the creativity and, hence, my interest.
Every now and then there seems to be a fresh stroke of creative genius but it's mostly washed out in a glut of profit motives that are too powerful for creative integrity to compete with.
It leads to this negative feedback loop - business slowly destroying the passion that created the business in the first place.
@@seanocd Your interest may have waned but GW is doing gangbusters. Like, I get it, I even agree at how the loss off passion is clear, but a business that isn’t making money is a dead business, and GW, of which FW is a part, is publicly traded. It can’t be a boutique firm, by its very nature.
It isn’t a matter of art serving the business or the other way around. Its the matter of reality requiring you to make something folks will exchange their resources for, in the form of currency.
@@zhukov2116 Reality does not conform to our sensibilities. The creation of art itself doesn’t entitle one to resources, particularly when they have to be provided by someone else. Art for its own sake is art no one is asking for, and thats fine, but if no one is asking for it, you can’t complain when no one will pay you for it. And if no one is paying you for it, it can’t be a business.
the red scorpions are needing a few more named characters
Alan will be forever sorely missed, his understanding of what made warhammer great was irreplaceable.
I fully agree with you. While I do still enjoy the releases Forge World do put out and I am still invested in the hobby it is defiantly a point to make when a company switches gears into this sort of direction.
I doubt HH will die off but I do believe that it'll take longer and longer to finish and any schedule they might have will only extend.
Fw has basically said the next bbb for hh will be battle for terra the end, now go and be a good fw and keep pumping out releases for specialist games.
@@michaelhoule2134 When did they say this? Where did they say this? That sounds crap the specialist games couldn't be making as much money as HH.
One only has to look at the quality of the badab war and vraks to see how far forgeworld have fallen. All of those beautiful models thrown in the bin. I will still press on with my minotaurs army though, no primaris shit either.
Why does this man only have less than 14.000 subscribers?
Because he tells the truth... And most people dont want the truth they want their echo chamber with yes men and fantasy land ideals.
Having recently read about the Nova Terra Interregnum, its a shame Alan isn't around anymore. so many moments throughout the Lore could be explored to becoming a format for stories and chapters upon chapters of them to tell. let alone then making ways to play in such moments of 40k. a common request is the War in Heaven or the Unification Wars, but inbetween those and later is also alot of great background that isn't being used at all. if hardly referenced.
Well done! Great content.
I like your "Brideshead Revisited" reference.
Great job mate I really enjoy your content
I feel like he was games workshop for the years he worked. Without him they have no replacement and the crack is showing
It's a chasm now
i've done the making a negative shape to work out the outer shape over before with costuming.
I think there was an interview some time ago with the head of Forge World regarding Wahammer The Old World so there is hope. I think that Forge World will be more under the spot light for sure when that product is launched.
I remember I used to check Forge World’s releases every Friday without fail, but these days I rarely check it each month.
It’s really quite depressing to see how much it has changed.
Babab war was the best to come out of Gamesworkshop/Forgeworld fite me
What the hell happened to Forgeworld releases and announcements? They froze in the beginning of the pandemic, then showed signs of life in early August with both new announcements and releases. Then silence.. So frustrating.
The Carcaradon’s send their respects.
im not a 40k guy but a fantasy, so i can relate as Tamurkhan is the great book made by gamesworkshop, Alan Bligh was the driving force, after his death things slowed down.
Tamurkhan? What was that book about (subjects)? (I'm not familiar with the title) Are you talking about the big book of Chaos?
Damn this is actually quite sad there where such passionate people there and then corporate cake in and crushed them. And of course rip Alan Bligh
End of an era ....
God I miss the old days
The Forgeworld were great to read. I had my own copies of the Badab Books as I was fascinated with the Astral Claws and the colour scheme pulled me to them. And reading on about the Badab War was so enjoyable to read over and over again But over time I seeing the stuff coming from forgeworld and the products we lost for no real reason at all became disheartening to me.
Absolutely loved ForgeWorld but it hasn’t given AoS any love for 5 years. What a shame! Good video mate
When will we see a HH model for the Khan? 2048 at the earliest.
The *Culture War* has diminished everyone's passion. Our Nerdy hobbies have been under siege.
We need Forge World 2.0 with Alan Bligh 2.0
Wanna do a fun experiment? Make a criticism on the Facebook post of a newly announced GW product and see how quickly they delete your comment, even if the comment is constructive, or even cheeky humor.
They love the 'I can't wait to buy this [insert product]' comments though.
I have never really invested much time in the Horus Heresy (last years were mostly AoS related for me), but I have the feeling Horus Heresy does most likely does the Space Marine Army theme better. I mean a legion was multiple 10000 to multiple 100000 in size, right? How large was an army. The size of a company today or larger?
40k Space Marines have a large problem in my oppinion. The are stil marketing the Chapters that were the legions to the people (mainly Ultramarines) looking at the Chapters each chapter has at best 4 Battle Companies. You can't really create your own company of a existing chapter because of this so you can't really have your own lore inside that chapter. If the Chapers had 100 Battlecompanies and not everyone known this would be a different story and I think, without knowing Horus Heresy that much, that it would be possible their.
I have the feeling this is the only army where we have this problem, because in nearly every other army we don't know the size of that Subfaction.
I agree with a lot of what you are saying, however forge world haven’t had the staff like they use to because a lot of them got taken over to specialist games development. And losing the big guy has had a bigger effect on things then most people understand. He was the driving force for it all.
Also forge hasn’t had the office space. Hq have expanded there office space so forge world now have more room to work and produce things. They have been employing more people as of lately and a good friend of mine has just become one of the rules and background writes which is amazing.
A lot of hate towards fw lately which I get but just remember they are GWs bitch right now and when gw says jump they say how high. I.e specialist games. They have been producing models and rules for 4 new and different game systems over the last 3-4 years. Not including heresy. Things are coming. All I’m saying.
Before people kick off at me, I’m from the U.K, I live 20mins away from Warhammer world and use to work for gw a few years back. And know a lot of the on goings in and out. And very close with a lot of people who work at HQ
Also keep up the videos love your work
I'm sorry to trouble you... but is Warhammer Fantasy returning? I've heard repeatedly that it is and I've heard repeatedly that it isn't. Also I hope that your friend is a good, dedicated background writer, if he/she is then please give him/her my thanks. I was about to say "unfortunately the background material has been of dismal quality for some time" but now that I think about it, I haven't read "new" background material (perhaps excluding novels) for about a year. Maybe the newest material is currently better than the rubbish that came out around "The Great Rift," "Belisarius Cawl and Guilliman" and the simplification of 40k earlier...
(If Warhammer Fantasy returns, I must pray/beg that the idiots who wrote the 8th edition army books and/or The End Times stay away from the franchise...)
If the codex writers can write anything of quality, perhaps they would be proud enough to put their names on their material.... unlike their predecessors. (Sorry for sounding so bitter and bitchy, I'll try to fix that.)
Anyway... I wish your friend luck, I wonder whether your friend arrived before or after "Blackstone Fortress" (or even "Dreadfleet"). Honestly, there are so many old specialist games that could be repainted and resold such as "Battlefleet Gothic" and "Warhammer Skirmish" (which is separate from Mordheim). I'm tempted to say Mordheim but I heard that a Mordheim computer game came out... When GW computer games come out, appeal for the GW board games tends to evaporate. There are even old campaigns that can be remoulded into games, I can think of the archived, forgotten GW campaign/game "The Affair of the False Grail."
Last question (I promise), does "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition" count as a "specialist game?" I've been trying to buy a few undamaged books but I've been unsuccessful.
@@blindlobster haha so many question. Warhammer is coming back but right at the start way before the empire etc. Check UA-cam for that shit out.
He would never tell me anything but he’s a very well known member off the heresy Committee so hopefully he does a good job.
I don’t know if the role play counts or is even supported anymore. Maybe look at fanstyfight games. They were doing a lot of the role playing games for gw at the time.
rip big guy
WADDBOODABANDAYYYYYY
Yeeeeeeap.
Hey is that Warhammer Mark of Chaos music they play in the interviews?
Nail on head Macca. I returned in 8th and it all seems lazy and corporate driven as if the bare minimum was "enough", old Forgeworld was sacrificed for corporate gain and as ever profit over passion.
You will be missed Alan.
Do you think its possible for all this to change?
🤘😎💚
This vid is pretty spot-on for the most part. Forge World was driven by passion projects. But there is a bit of rose tinted glasses here, as well. Forge World resin was always expensive for what it was. And while the Imperial Armour books for 40k were cool, the books focusing on non-Astartes factors, with the possible exception of the Orphean War, turned into Space Marine wank fests no different than what was coming out of the main GW studios and Black Library. However, Forge World offered a lot of options unavailable from GW/Citadel in terms of models and conversion kits. Especially with the Imperial Guard. Now, it's a collection of incomplete lines (DKoK), smaller catalogs, and more fucking Space Marines. It's all so tiresome.
Could Aussies ever buy FW really?
FW died with Blight sounds harsh but its true.
What broke the fans? THE BIG PEEPEE
I wasn't in heresy (or wider 40k) enough to really feel the passion that's now clearly missing. Like many I'm looking to the community to provide that excitement and support for the true spirit of the game. The dream situation is a harmonised community of fan designers creating rules and 3D printed miniatures to continue the trajectory of 'old' heresy. Realistic it is not, but every incentive to steer FW back to passion and their universise from the real world and management thinking.
Looks like I joined 40k at a wrong time....
No, no you did not. FW has problems yes that is mostly due to incompetency at the top from people like Tony Cottrell a known racist(instagram.com/tv/CA8ONecn4b3/?) and misogynist(www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer/comments/7v0mcy/escher_are_exotic_and_vindictive_because_theyre/). 40k is doing great, it is having it's largest year ever, even in the middle of a global pandemic. It is better rules wise now that at anytime in its history imho. I have played since Rouge Trader and had a huge army since 2nd edition (old school Space Wolves). This hobby is great and can only get better, as long as we keep being open to new ideas and new ways to play.
@@Thornbeard What is there if newcomers can't really afford the game let alone models, along with the direction of the lore 'n development?
@@RotneybotOfficial I am not sure what you are talking about. It's tough out (in terms of wages and so on) there yeah but GW is competing with video games in terms of entertainment. Yet while you might spend $60 on a video game and eventually be done with it every $60 you put into a 40k product stays with you as an investment of your time, energy and talent. Which is far more value for money. As to direction in lore I have no clue what you mean. The lore has always advanced. Slowly but surly it advances.
Used to play Warhammer around 3rd and 4th edition 40k, and 6th edition Fantasy.
Gonna be honest the community division, laughable price gouging, corporate atmosphere and soullessness is precisely why I didn't get back in a few years back when I wanted to. Just can't support GW anymore. Wouldn't blame you for backing out pal.
@@Thornbeard Gonna question your use of monetary value there. There are plenty of video games that cost little and yet have hundreds of hours of entertainment. They're more concentrated pieces of entertainment, and the experiences you can have can last for a lifetime.
Wouldn't say they're less or more value orientated, just different. Take Devil May Cry, a game with a crazy high skill ceiling. You get out what you put in. Look at the UA-cam Combo Mad community.
Your premise that Warhammer is more of a worthy investment fails to see that both industries have their pros and cons, and aren't as easily compared. Be careful with your bias pal.
christ... this actually made me sad to watch
It is hard to maintain passion over a prolonged period of time, especially if you do get paid for it. I suppose that's the balancing act that people at GW and Forge World play, hobby vs job. At the end of the day, it is a job and there are limits and constraints etc which can limit someone's passion. I have it with my writing, I start something but rarely finish because I can't keep passionate about the story etc. More and more these days, the monetary aspect is becoming dominant and the corporate side is taking over. Though I have never gotten anything from forge wold bar a rule book for my scratch built warhound titan, I consider a shame that the creativity and passion is dying but everything has its time and everything dies eventually. For stuff like this, it's generally always a slow, painful and quiet death.