Warhammer 40k Chess Makes Everyone A Pawn

[IanDavis]

Warhammer 40k Chess Makes Everyone A Pawn

In the grim darkness of the far future, there are only checkered game boards.

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Ever since the collapse of the Dawn of War publisher THQ, Games Workshop seems to be only funding smaller budget Warhammer titles. So far, we've had good games like [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121021-Space-Hulk-Returns]Space Hulk[/a], and atrocities like [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/11229-Warhammer-40-000-Storm-of-Vengeance-Review-Borehammer]Storm of Vengeance[/a]. And now, Hammerfall Publishing is bringing the obvious, with Warhammer 40k: Chess. Subtitled Regicide, it'll combine the classic strategy of chess with the grim darkness of 40k, and also add a campaign mode to boot.

Chess, much like the Carrion Lord himself, hasn't changed much in the millennia-plus it's been around. Sure, sometimes you get oddballs like [a href=https://www.ouya.tv/game/Chess-2-The-Sequel/]Chess 2: The Sequel[/a], but nothing ever supplants the symmetrical perfection of Chess. Theme aside, how is Regicide different? While we don't have game play details yet, we do know that it will feature a campaign mode, with a Blood Angels story written by 40K author Ross Watson. Not enough? Well, there's also a multiplayer mode. Look, it's chess with Space Marines, what else do you want?

While no platforms have been announced yet, Hammerfall Publishing describes themselves as working with "PC, tablet, and mobile platforms", so it'd be safe to expect iOS and Android versions along with the requisite Steam release. More details should arrive before it launches later this year.

While adding chainswords and bolters might be a lively addition to the calcified game, it's still pretty tame compared to the real-life sport of [a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK5TQSKmS3o]Chess Boxing[/a].

Source: [a href=http://www.warhammer40kchess.com/]Warhammer 40K: Chess - Regicide[/a]

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[Rellik San]

I'm pretty sure no one in the 41st Millenium has an American accent... so the who the hells is narrating? :O

Also those marines, who the hell are they fighting? Out of cover, slow advance, man those guys are toast.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Actually, according to the website, the story seems to regard the Blood Angels, not the Blood Ravens. Easy to mix up, but there is a difference.

Blood Angels..... chess. Also, that Marine was a lefty.

 

[IanDavis]

Actually, according to the website, the story seems to regard the Blood Angels, not the Blood Ravens. Easy to mix up, but there is a difference.

Gah, thanks for the correction. That makes the whole "angels of death" pun in the teaser make more sense.

 

[WMDogma]

My favorite part about this teaser is that it's clearly an homage to the opening of Terminator 2.

 

[Tiamat666]

Hey, Games Workshop, you had some guys in THQ create a fantastic WH40K game called "Space Marine". Most of the hard work has already been done. How about a sequel (as was originally intended)?

I think I haven't had such a good time with a mindless shooter since the original Doom came out. Space Marine was ridiculously fun and I'm sure I'm not the only fan who thinks so.

 

[rcs619]

There better at least be other factions besides the Blood Angels (and every space marine chapter, since allowing different skins for the same pieces isn't hard) and, presumably, some band of chaos marines. It'd take a little extra work, a couple extra animations, but it would be nice for most of the major factions to have a chess set in this. Depends how much actual work is going to go into this, or if it's just another cash-grab 40k game by a small developer.

 

[Rastrelly]

WHY?!! WHY?!!! I do love chess. Not that I'm a serious player, but I played a lot about 7 years ago. And what you don't do to Warhammer - is make a chess reskin Jus do a goddamn Chaos Gate-ish tactical game with level editor and easy to import model format, that's all players actually want. But nooooo. Well, all I can hope for is after this project fails GW will finally understand what games should actually come out under WH40k franchise.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

I'm pretty sure no one in the 41st Millenium has an American accent... so the who the hells is narrating? :O

Also those marines, who the hell are they fighting? Out of cover, slow advance, man those guys are toast.

Well, the Catachans do, I'm pretty sure the Elysians do, and as of Dawn of War II most everyone in the Blood Ravens do. So it could be one of them.

Necrons, my best guess. They're similarly slow and the guass blasters can rip apart cover. Or the IG, since they don't need cover and the slow advance presents an aforementioned Terminator 2 feel.

OT: Hopefully the gameplay will involve the regicide rules I've seen in the Ciaphas Cain books. Some pieces being invisible to the opponent presents a pretty big game-changer.

 

[Peregrin130]

When I read "Warhammer 40K Chess", I immediately thought: "Rulebook 60 ?", "Figures sold separately and unpainted" and "Starter Pawns Boxed Set with Four Paints".

But it's video game, so we just might get enough material to play with for basic price (for once).

 

[Lenny Magic]

When I saw the title earlier today I was really hoping this would actually be "Regicide" as mentioned in countless 40k books, but I guess that would've been weird. Since ya know it, as I have understood, the books make it sound like it is just Chess with maybe a few unmentioned additional rules.

Ah well, so this looks, well... like Chess with a 40k skin. Not much that can really be said about it, except perhaps I'm personally not sold on this needing to exist.

I'm pretty sure no one in the 41st Millenium has an American accent...

The only possible example I can think of off the top of my head is the Brindelweld Imperial Guard regiment, but they are only in one Black Library short story (Witness by Joe Parrino) as far as I know and are just based on American Civil War Soldiers. So I guess it is maybe a stretch to call them the exception that proves the rule.

Edit: Oh and yeah some of the Blood Ravens have vaguely fancified versions of American accents.

 

[Skeleon]

That's an odd way of going about it. I'm no Warhammer 40K tabletop player and I got most of my "knowledge" from the games like Chaos Gate, Dawn of War, Space Marine and more importantly some audiobooks, but isn't a core feature of Warhammer 40K the asymmetry in the factions? Space Marines as big hulking dudes, smaller numbers, better stats. Imperial Guard, huge numbers, less strength individually, heavy armoured support. Tau, mostly ranged focused. And so on. Turning that into Chess is very, very counter-intuitive to me. I have to assume - unless it has some crazy non-Chess rules available in, say, the campaign mode - this is basically nothing but a "skin/model mod" for playing Chess then. Could be cool to have as a physical Chess board (and should be fairly easy to do for people who actually have a Warhammer 40K miniature collection), but I don't really see the appeal for it here.

 

[WindKnight]

Also those marines, who the hell are they fighting? Out of cover, slow advance, man those guys are toast.

Well, they say those who lack honour and faith will be destroyed. Of course, those with honour and faith will be destroyed as well. As in accordance with prophesy. Blood for the Blood God.

Also, why can't game teasers show actual gameplay anymore? I have the feeling that this is just going to be another 40k reskin, like Storm of Vengeance. And I already own Sargon II chess for the Vic-20.

The game of 'Regicide' comes up from time to time in the novels in a manner that all but says its chess, so yeah, probably just a reskin/ 'an official representation of chess as its played in the imperium'.

Reminds me of my school days when I'd discuss with friends what we'd use from each army if we wanted them to be chess pieces (guardians/pawns, dark reapers/rooks, swooping hawks/knights, howling banshees/bishops, exarch/queen, farseer/king, that sort of thing)

 

[SerBrittanicus]

Nice trailer, but I can't see the actual game holding my attention for long its just a 40k version of chess.

Hey, Games Workshop, you had some guys in THQ create a fantastic WH40K game called "Space Marine". Most of the hard work has already been done. How about a sequel (as was originally intended)?

I think I haven't had such a good time with a mindless shooter since the original Doom came out. Space Marine was ridiculously fun and I'm sure I'm not the only fan who thinks so.

I thought Space marine was fantastic, but didn't someone else pick up the rights for it after the THQ collapse? All I can find on google are rumours that Bioware are the new owners.

Personally I am more looking forward to seeing what SEGA does both with Relic and the Creative Assembly in the Warhammer world.

 

[thiosk]

I am extraordinarily disapointed with the state of warhammer gaming. I feel the suits at the company have completely missed the mark. Space marine was an excellent cross platform title that was marred by bad marketing and was never able to cast off its shadow as a clone of the single-platform gears of war. I've never played gears, but when I swung that chainsword, I felt like a space marine. None of the RTS games come close to the feel of space marine.

There is so much potential for that engine, or conversion to a more open world style, to enable exploration of the war 40k environment. So much missed potential. Could you imagine being a guardsman fighting off a tyranid invasion? Here you are, manning guns and plinking tyranids, when a pack of purestrains bounds over the fortifications and begins crushing your lines from behind? The chaotic combat, of which you were the center in space marine, would make for such a great game.

Modest sales, no expansions. Even the story was decent, if a little overwrought.

What a dissapointment.

 

[RandoUser]

Fun fact: old European name for chess translates literally as "The Shah(king) is Dead"

 

[vallorn]

Well, now we know what The Emperor, The Deciever, Tzeentch (Praise be his name) and Cegorach get up to together when they get together between their weekly game of 'JUST AS PLANNED!' in The Emperor's omnissiah shed.

I'll reserve judgment on this, but for now GW, you have my attention. Let's just hope this isn't another Storm Of Vengeance or I might stop giving you even the money that goes into Horus Heresy novels.

 

[Ieyke]

I'm pretty sure no one in the 41st Millenium has an American accent... so the who the hells is narrating? :O

Of course they do. It's a whole damn galaxy of humans.

On the other hand, none of them speak English, so it's a moot point.

 

[lionsprey]

those marines do not look right they move to stiff and theres no weight to it.
also the bolters do not sound right. otherwise this might be interesting