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Mordheim 20 years later

T
Tuomas Pirinen

This is the presentation I gave at Ropecon 2019 on the history of the game, its influence on Modern gaming, and its continuing support by the gaming community despite the fact that there has been no official support for it in 10 years. I explore the design decisions that led to the continued longevity of the game system and its support by a passionate fanbase.

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Mordheim 20 years later
A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. Frank Herbert, Dune
It was the Year 1998... The world was gripped by Y2K paranoia All over the world, people were convinced the apocalypse was NOW At GW, we decided to make it happen! Wed been looking for a fantasy Skirmish setting for a long time
The Rules How to innovate and pay homage at the same time Had tie into Warhammer 5th edition rules Important not to deter Necromunda players Blend dice and storytelling
Philosophy We went back to grimdark, low fantasy Mainly human warbands Magic is rare and dangerous Even supernatural elements are almost believable (ie. the Undead have Zombies, not Skeletons) Develop with the community
Mordheim 20 years later
Warbands Being thematically correct was everything Low magic, high grit Each faction had a reason to be in Mordheim Armour and blackpowder weapons are expensive!
Innovation Innovation within skirmish game space Risk/reward gameplay: Diving charges, jumps Knocked down/stunned rules tied to miniatures (think Little Wars!) Vertical gameplay Fast post-battle sequence
Easter Eggs The team had a mission to 鍖ll the game with surprises Spider-man, Highlander and many others Tons of inside jokes from the Studio Put 鍖sh everywhere
Playtesting First GW game where external playtesting was o鍖cial Playtesting group grew out of the newsgroup community International playtesting via miracle of Internet
MORDHEIM ART
The Mordheim factor The 鍖nal hurrah of the artisan illustrator Everything was hand-made Mordheim had a plan as a whole, rather than lots of individual illustrations Distinctive look that has stood the test of time Only project where John Blanche was given a free hand
The Final Art
Inspiration
The Production Production got gripped by Mordheim bug Human mercenaries sprue is one of the longest-serving plastic kits of all time Cheaper box price (40 pounds vs 50) Plan to make the game as high value for money as possible
Legacy and Influence Mordheim has lived on for 20 years and 鍖ourished Mordheim was always a community-鍖rst game (Town Cryer, Fanatic, Compendiums) The fanbase has kept the game alive and 鍖ourishing. Mordheim created a new game genre, the ruined city fantasy skirmish (Frostgrave is the best-known homage game)
Inspiring people
Inspiring people
Mordheim 20 years later
20 Years Later The game is going stronger than ever! PC game with well over 400 000 copies sold Mobile game with 500 000 downloads Thriving communities online with tens of thousands of enthusiasts Reddit, Facebook, forums, Youtube
Finally...
And the final secret is... There were TWO creatures who came with the comet Shadowlord, the Avatar of Chaos Child of Light, the Avatar of Sigmar So the Sisters were in the right, after all!
Mordheim 20 years later

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Mordheim 20 years later

  • 2. A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. Frank Herbert, Dune
  • 3. It was the Year 1998... The world was gripped by Y2K paranoia All over the world, people were convinced the apocalypse was NOW At GW, we decided to make it happen! Wed been looking for a fantasy Skirmish setting for a long time
  • 4. The Rules How to innovate and pay homage at the same time Had tie into Warhammer 5th edition rules Important not to deter Necromunda players Blend dice and storytelling
  • 5. Philosophy We went back to grimdark, low fantasy Mainly human warbands Magic is rare and dangerous Even supernatural elements are almost believable (ie. the Undead have Zombies, not Skeletons) Develop with the community
  • 7. Warbands Being thematically correct was everything Low magic, high grit Each faction had a reason to be in Mordheim Armour and blackpowder weapons are expensive!
  • 8. Innovation Innovation within skirmish game space Risk/reward gameplay: Diving charges, jumps Knocked down/stunned rules tied to miniatures (think Little Wars!) Vertical gameplay Fast post-battle sequence
  • 9. Easter Eggs The team had a mission to 鍖ll the game with surprises Spider-man, Highlander and many others Tons of inside jokes from the Studio Put 鍖sh everywhere
  • 10. Playtesting First GW game where external playtesting was o鍖cial Playtesting group grew out of the newsgroup community International playtesting via miracle of Internet
  • 12. The Mordheim factor The 鍖nal hurrah of the artisan illustrator Everything was hand-made Mordheim had a plan as a whole, rather than lots of individual illustrations Distinctive look that has stood the test of time Only project where John Blanche was given a free hand
  • 15. The Production Production got gripped by Mordheim bug Human mercenaries sprue is one of the longest-serving plastic kits of all time Cheaper box price (40 pounds vs 50) Plan to make the game as high value for money as possible
  • 16. Legacy and Influence Mordheim has lived on for 20 years and 鍖ourished Mordheim was always a community-鍖rst game (Town Cryer, Fanatic, Compendiums) The fanbase has kept the game alive and 鍖ourishing. Mordheim created a new game genre, the ruined city fantasy skirmish (Frostgrave is the best-known homage game)
  • 20. 20 Years Later The game is going stronger than ever! PC game with well over 400 000 copies sold Mobile game with 500 000 downloads Thriving communities online with tens of thousands of enthusiasts Reddit, Facebook, forums, Youtube
  • 22. And the final secret is... There were TWO creatures who came with the comet Shadowlord, the Avatar of Chaos Child of Light, the Avatar of Sigmar So the Sisters were in the right, after all!