Mordheim: City of the Damned video game emerges from the mists

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**Bottle**

I never played Mordheim (but Necromunda is my favorite GW game of all time). I would prefer a game loyal to the original tabletop rules. (I love the Warhammer Quest game, especially on Harcore.)

The most important thing for me is this being on iPad. I really hope it will be.

**Kirasu**

If you've never played Mordheim, why would you prefer a game loyal to the rules? I don't really get that.. The rules haven't been updated in so long I feel that people forget how quirky and rushed they were..

Please do not be totally faithful to the rules! Actually fix them a bit since GW never cared enough to do so

**jonolikespie**

Kirasu wrote:
Please do not be totally faithful to the rules! Actually fix them a bit since GW never cared enough to do so

That's what I'm hoping for, same rules but polish them up a little. Just enough to fix the balance and bring it in line with modern games.

**Saldiven**

Kirasu wrote:
If you've never played Mordheim, why would you prefer a game loyal to the rules? I don't really get that.. The rules haven't been updated in so long I feel that people forget how quirky and rushed they were..

Please do not be totally faithful to the rules! Actually fix them a bit since GW never cared enough to do so

There have been a couple of different re-vamps of the rules for Mordheim since the original GW publication, even before it moved to the totally independent Coreheim rule set.

**decker_cky**

Yeah...computers are a different medium, and even as a miniature game, Mordheim had it's warts. Keep the feel, and make the best game that works for that.

**AliceK**

Sweet, come on Necromunda game!.

**Earth Dragon**

notprop wrote:
I'd actually think it would be better if it was more like XCOM: Apocalypse than the new XCOM game (with modern graphics of course). I.e RPG levels of customisation for warbands, multi level locations, usable/enterable/destructible buildings etc. this is doubally true for Necromunda.

If you don't know what XCOM: Apocalypse is, spend a few quid on steam, ignore the old old graphics and kiss goodbye to the rest of the week.

Wen I say the modern day XCOM I more mean the simplistic yet effective and efficient controls during battle and the overall feel of the game. Building a warband should be more in line with the original game, yet there is no reason to not take the time seperate club, mace, hammer, short sword, long sword etc into their own weapon categories, steer away from everything happening at 17% probability intervals, and make Wearing armor and using shields mean something. This shouldn't be a direct port where it's Mordeim in an XCOM environment. That's not at all what I'm envisioning.

I envision a campaign with choices of where to attack and explore and then you run into what other warbands might be in the proximity versus "I challange you" sort of gameplay. This has the chance to be everything the table was and more so I hope it doesn't get wasted trying to be the exact same experience the tabletop was with digital visuals. That's what in game mini games are for.

Give the iPad guy his boardgame translation for mobile devices with ho-hum graphics on a small budget. Give me an actual Video game experience for console/PC.

**ah64pilot5**

My thought on the new style Xcom was mainly due to the engine and the overall turn based gameplay. I fully believe it would be possible to keep the weapon diversity and war band building ability of the original and stay within that engine. WIth the classes there you can already pick weapons with differing stats, as your characters level up abilities and skills are added. it would seem to be an easy thing to just change the skill advances to match the trees from Mordhiem. I think the overall game experience would be awesome. It has fog of war, bad guys, many different battlefield designs. The most difficult part would be creating the various battlefields, but this would also allow them to do the entire city in blocks so that over the course of play, you could play the whole city. It would open up massive opportunities for campaign style play, free style and also multiplayer both co-op and PvP.

**carlos13th**

The way GW has been shelling out the licences latley I dont have a while lot of confidence this will be much more than shovel ware. Happy to be proven wrong though.

**TheSilo**

ah64pilot5 wrote:
My thought on the new style Xcom was mainly due to the engine and the overall turn based gameplay. I fully believe it would be possible to keep the weapon diversity and war band building ability of the original and stay within that engine. WIth the classes there you can already pick weapons with differing stats, as your characters level up abilities and skills are added. it would seem to be an easy thing to just change the skill advances to match the trees from Mordhiem. I think the overall game experience would be awesome. It has fog of war, bad guys, many different battlefield designs. The most difficult part would be creating the various battlefields, but this would also allow them to do the entire city in blocks so that over the course of play, you could play the whole city. It would open up massive opportunities for campaign style play, free style and also multiplayer both co-op and PvP.

I was thinking the same thing. All they'd need is a mod of XCOM.

I'm worried this is going to end up looking like the Space Hulk game.

**Earth Dragon**

The worst part of Video game announcements is the HUGE waits between official updates compared to a lot of other gaming mediums. Just the nature of the business with how long the projects take, but it can make ya a bit antsy at times (in a good way).

**Kelly502**

Oh man that has potential! I too" loved me some Mordheim!"

**snurl**

I will play this. When does it get released?

**reds8n**

http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/27836/mordheim-city-of-the-damned-all-about-hardcore-warhammer-factions-revealed

Mordheim: City of the Damned "all about" hardcore Warhammer, factions revealed
Posted: 14.04.2014 14:47 by Simon Priest Comments: 0
In our interview with lead designer Bruno Parenteau for Mordheim: City of the Damned, we learn developer Rogue Factor is keeping the video game true to the 'hardcore' nature of the Warhammer tabletop game.

Unit initiative values decide the specific order units can move, unlike the board game which plays a Warband all at once. We'll also have to keep an eye on our characters' limbs.

If an arm gets lobbed off then their dual-wielding days are over. Bruno Parenteau tells us this is a "hardcore city and a hardcore game," with the Iron Man play style the norm.

In Mordheim: City of the Damned factions compete to harvest a precious resource that arrived by comet - wyrdstones, made of pure Chaos energy. These we aim to collect to trade for increased reputation which allows us to level up our forces. Rogue Factor are also staying true to Warhammer lore by having the Chaos react unpredictably.

"So on the tabletop game, players would play their entire warband at once, and then the enemy would do so. We decided to move away from that, so every unit has an initiative value, and based on how you build your unit and your equipment, you'll play your units in a specific order," lead designer Parenteau explained to us.

"So it will alternate between you and the enemies, and it will go on until the turn ends." They don't want to reveal any specifics about the campaign at this time, which has fixed maps so the team can completely control events, but they do reveal four factions are present: human mercs from the Empire, the Skaven, the Sisters of Sigmar, which are exclusive to Mordheim, and the Cult of the Possessed. Any others remain tightly under wraps for now.

Other maps in Mordheim are procedurally generated to keep things random and unpredictable. "In multiplayer, if you're the type who wants to know every inch of the map, you can use those campaign maps that are always identical, but if you want more of a challenge you can play with procedural map and you'll never know how the layout will turn out," he added.

"Mordheim is a pretty hardcore place, so if your character dies in battle, he's gone. How this works is in battle your character will become out of action and won't be able to fight, and after the battle you'll find out how bad the wound is. So he might not die, but he could end of with one arm chopped off. He can still fight, but he's not going to be able to dual-wielding, no more shields and so on. So injuries will have a big impact on the game. This is a hardcore city and a hardcore game. It will affect the development of your warband, and this is true for the campaign and multiplayer too."

Mordheim: City of the Damned releases on PC this year. Check out our interview with lead designer Bruno Parenteau.

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/mordheimcityofthedamned/500/interview.html

Mordheim: City of the Damned was revealed recently, an adaptation of the 1999 boardgame that featured various Warhammer Fantasy factions, made up of smaller scale warbands, kicking the crap out of each other in the ruins of the titular city. I recently had the chance to speak to first-time development studio Rogue Factor's lead designer, Bruno Parenteau, about the game.

Strategy Informer: For those who've never heard of the boardgame, could you tell us about the setting of Mordheim?

Bruno Parenteau: Basically the background of Mordheim is that it's a city in the Warhammer universe where a comet fell, and since then all hell's broken loose. The comet had some things called 'wyrdstones' in it, and whether it's the Empire or the Skaven or the Possessed, everyone wants this resource. So that's the reason for all the factions to get there and get their hands on the wyrdstone, which leads to bloody battles. It's a cursed city as well, so a lot happens there, a lot of unnatural stuff happens. So it won't be just the other warbands that are the issue, the city itself is an enemy.

Strategy Informer: So Mordheim will have both singleplayer and mulitplayer, could you tell us what we can expect from the campaign?

Bruno Parenteau: We do have a campaign, that's for sure. We're not ready to disclose any information on it yet, but that will come very soon. But there is a campaign.

Strategy Informer: Okay, so how about combat?

Bruno Parenteau: So on the tabletop game, players would play their entire warband at once, and then the enemy would do so. We decided to move away from that, so every unit has an initiative value, and based on how you build your unit and your equipment, you'll play your units in a specific order. So it will alternate between you and the enemies, and it will go on until the turn ends.

Strategy Informer: Presumably there will be the usual skill trees, special moves and so on?

Bruno Parenteau: Each warband will be made up of a specific number of units, and those units will have access to skills, but those skills will not necessarily be linked to the units. Players will be able to add statistic points to their units, their weapons and also decide which skills they want to purchase for their units.

Strategy Informer: And you can equip your warband with whatever weapons and equipment you like?

Bruno Parenteau: Indeed. Obviously every unit will be restricted to a specific group of weapons, because certain units don't use certain weapons. Sisters of Sigmar, say, don't use bows or ranged weapons, so you'll be restricted by that, but otherwise you'll be able to decide which type of weapon you want to equip your units with.

Strategy Informer: Speaking of factions, which ones will make an appearance in the game?

Bruno Parenteau: Right now we've got four factions that we've unveiled, which are the human mercenaries from the Empire, the Skaven, the Sisters of Sigmar, which are a special group that exist only in Mordheim, and then we have the Cult of the Possessed, which are basically mutants. All factions from the original boardgame.

Strategy Informer: Can you play as each of these factions in the singleplayer, or is that only the Empire?

Bruno Parenteau: We are still debating when we'll reveal everything about the campaign. So we don't want to commit, but we have plans, that's for sure. Every warband will be playable to some extent in both campaign and multiplayer.

Strategy Informer: So about those wyrdstones. Are they basically objectives to capture, or do they do other crazy things too?

Bruno Parenteau: Well they are resources, but as mentioned they're pretty much stuff made out of Chaos (primal energy that offers power, but quickly corrupts the weak-willed). So gathering them will not only 'go in, get them and get out', every time you pick them up there might be weird, unwanted effects that occur. Or maybe not! It's Chaos after all, so you never really know what happens. So they might change the course of battle, but they can also be sold, earning faction reputation and money to allow you to get your characters levelled up and equipped.

Strategy Informer: So, as always in Warhammer, you've got to be a little wary of Chaos!

Bruno Parenteau: Yeah exactly! Touching Chaos stuff is always tricky and can be an unpleasant surprise...

Strategy Informer: Presumably there are spellcasters you can recruit?

Bruno Parenteau: Yes, there are. Just like skills you'll be able to decide what spells you want your character to learn. And as this is the Warhammer universe, it's always dangerous to use magic, because that also comes from Chaos, so it might again bring unwanted outcomes in the battle.

Strategy Informer: Okay, so what about the maps and levels we'll be fighting on? Is there both an exploration mode and a combat mode?

Bruno Parenteau: Well we have two different map types. We have maps that are pre-set for the campaign, so in the story we have those where we control everything. And then we have the maps when you go wandering in the city, those are generated procedurally, so you never fight in the same map twice. So basically this will bring you different advantages and disadvantages, and different ways to explore the city. In multiplayer, if you're the type who wants to know every inch of the map, you can use those campaign maps that are always identical, but if you want more of a challenge you can play with procedural map and you''' never never how the layout will turn out.

Strategy Informer: Talking of challenge, will there be an XCOM-style 'Iron Man' mode?

Bruno Parenteau: Actually that's what the game is all about. Mordheim is a pretty hardcore place, so if your character dies in battle, he's gone. How this works is in battle your character will become out of action and won't be able to fight, and after the battle you'll find out how bad the wound is. So he might not die, but he could end of with one arm chopped off. He can still fight, but he's not going to be able to dual-wielding, no more shields and so on. So injuries will have a big impact on the game. This is a hardcore city and a hardcore game. It will affect the development of your warband, and this is true for the campaign and multiplayer too.

Strategy Informer: That's pretty cool. We'll be able to replace soldiers when they run out of limbs, though, right?

Bruno Parenteau: You can hire people, you can build up your team as you desire with the available units you have. Some of them are restricted in the amount you can use, but you can alternate between certain teammates for each battle. If you go inside a building and think your marksman won't be useful, you can use a warrior instead. It's pretty much like a sports team.

Strategy Informer: Will there be opportunities to customise your team cosmetically?

Bruno Parenteau: Yes, definitely. There will be options, we don't want to define everything because we're still working on what we are going to make available to the players, but there will definitely be ways to make your team look unique and different.

Strategy Informer: This is Rogue Factor's first game as a development studio, it must be quite a coup for you to be working on such a popular license as your first project.

Bruno Parenteau: It is pretty awesome. It is our first game from Rogue Factor, but it isn't for the team, because we've got a team of core veterans that have worked on many games in different studios, which brings a lot of of interesting views on the game. And we are all fans of Games Workshop and their different games, some people love the Fantasy wargames, some love 40K. So we've touched on everything that Games Workshop has done in terms of tabletop games, and that brings a different influx of information for the video game version we want to do.

Strategy Informer: How closely do you work with Games Workshop on the lore and the feel of the game?

Bruno Parenteau: We work very, very closely with them, and in fact they review with us everything we want to add. They also discuss things and give us a lot of feedback, to help us make the best licensed game that we can.

Strategy Informer: Did they work on the campaign story, or is that your creation?

Bruno Parenteau: It's a mixture of both really, we work with them on everything so obviously they help us, but we have a professional writer on the team. So we're still working with them on the story very closely.

Strategy Informer: Is there anything else you think players will be excited to see in Mordheim: City of the Damned?

Bruno Parenteau: This game will be as fun in the campaign as it will in the multiplayer, because that's what the tabletop game is about, playing with your friends. This is important: we're not just making a singleplayer campaign, we're making a cool campaign and a very cool multiplayer mode, and the setting is hardcore both in city itself and in what happens to your squad.

Strategy Informer: What do you think makes the city of Mordheim a good setting for a video game?

Bruno Parenteau: It's really the feel of the city and the hardcore setting. It's gritty... Warhammer has such an interesting lore behind it and Mordheim is such a unique location in the whole setting, you won't find anywhere else like it. Again, having Chaos stuff in a game can bring you so many surprises, it's really exciting for us to be able to have that in the game and work on it.

Strategy Informer: And I imagine you have fun designing all those Chaos-warped monsters.

Bruno Parenteau: The art director is in heaven, I can assure you!

Strategy Informer: Do you have any future plans for other games in this universe, or other ideas you'd like to add to Mordheim?

Bruno Parenteau: The possibilities are endless, right now we're really focused on Mordheim because that's what we're trying to bring to the player as best as we can, but yes, we're always keeping an eye on the thousands of possible projects in this universe. Because everything is doable! So we'll see what the future brings, but right now we're focusing on Mordheim.

Strategy Informer: I don't suppose you have a tentative release date yet?

Bruno Parenteau: We're still talking about that, so sadly I can't tell you when, but....soon!

Many thanks to Bruno for speaking to me. Try as I might, I couldn't prise any information on a possible release schedule out of the stoic developer. Despite my brutal interrogation, he remained resolute. Expect more information on Mordheim: City of the Damned to surface in the coming months.

**Vain**

Cheers for the update. Really looking forward to this!

**Alpharius**

Sounds suitably Next Gen - I look forward to hearing about how the Batmobile will function in game!

All kidding aside, this sounds pretty good!

**Gomez**

Alpharius wrote:
Sounds suitably ~~Next Gen~~ hardcore -

All kidding aside, this sounds pretty good!

FIFY (and I agree - sounds remarkably solid).

**Earth Dragon**

Good information. Doesn't get into the nitty gritty of the controls but it doesn't sound like direct board game to video port with animated pieces. It does sound like they are trying to take advantage of it being a video game with things like initiative taking into account weapons and armor. Stuff that is a pain to figure out depending on how complex the system is, but no sweat when a computer does the math (could be really simple though)

I'm a little confused on team build though. Looking forward to more info, but it almost sounds like you'll have a set amount of guys. Hopefully you'll have solid options on this front and you'll be allowed to weigh the pros and cons of large and small warbands (and they adjust things sufficiently so there truly are legitimate pros and cons)

**RogueRegault**

ah64pilot5 wrote:I would love to see this and Necromunda done on the same engine from the latest X-COM game. It would allow for different classes and a level up/ skill tree.

I would prefer not as Unreal 3 engine limitations was the main reason for the lack of map randomization in Enemy Unknown. Playing the same four maps over and over again was tiring.

Kirasu wrote:If you've never played Mordheim, why would you prefer a game loyal to the rules? I don't really get that.. The rules haven't been updated in so long I feel that people forget how quirky and rushed they were..

Please do not be totally faithful to the rules! Actually fix them a bit since GW never cared enough to do so

Even Specialist Games acknowledged that armor was massively overpriced and ruined the whole weapon meta. Was quite sad when the LRB was finally released after the forums closed and only minor typos were fixed. They didn't even correct the blatant contradiction in the hiding rules. The group that took over the LRB flatly refused to acknowledge any of the armor fixes that had been in playtesting (Wonder if they all played Skaven.)

**willb2064**

Sounds promising from those interviews. Hopefully the game is a success and GW will re-release the actual tabletop game to coincide with the video game. That may make too much sense though.

**Grimskul**

Hopefully they'll add on more factions later in the game, It'd be great to see Squigs chomping and Goblins with a Ball and Chain flailing about into buildings at Mordheim.

**Earth Dragon**

The 4 they mentioned aren't gonna be the only 4. I'd almost put money on there being a faction or two that wasn't in the initial release. Green skins and Dwarf Treasure Hunters seem likely options.

Oddly, I feel a better setting might be a Lustria one over all. Here's to hoping this is a success and we get that (and a Necromunda game to follow).

**Sageheart**

I want this now lol

**Josey4u**

nkelsch wrote:
Also gorkamorka!

This sir, was what I was waiting for. Please Lord in heaven, most high, gives us Gorkamorka, Necromunda, and Mordhiem to play again. Or at least the digital game version.

**Altruizine**

I'm excited!

Especially happy that it's seemingly not going to be an attempt to port the Mordheim ruleset into a videogame.

I'd rather they build their own game while taking advantage of the rich Mordheim setting/background, instead of just repackaging a gaming system I've gone over every inch of, countless times, to complete exhaustion.

It was an awesome game, but I've accepted that it's a dead one, and it no longer has any appeal to me outside of the nostalgic. But a brand new game in a setting I love is something I'd happily dump a ton of hours into (if it's good, or heck, even just passable).

**MajorStoffer**

I consider this one step closer to Battlefleet Gothic.

Do I have any facts to support this? Not a one.

But god damnit I want a decent studio to put BFG on the computer. With Specialist Games officially dead, it's plausible, and there's been a number of space-based Kickstarters which have done quite well, as has FTL and a few other such projects.

Problem is, GW seems willing to give the license to *anyone*. Eternal Crusade looks promising, whereas Space Hulk was alright, and that lane-combat game made by the developers of Ride to Hell, well, let's not speak of that.

What I want is BFG in Relic's hands, or wherever the Homeworld devs ended up, as I don't believe many are still with Relic. (that reminds me, I live in Vancouver, I should go scout out what studios are actually present), Necromunda with Firaxis, as I think they could build on their experience with XCOM to make something pretty solid, and Gorkamorka with someone with a proper sense of humour and appreciation of all things Ork.

I still want Dawn of War III however, and to see what Creative Assembly is up to with the Fantasy license. But that's another matter.

**Earth Dragon**

I'm dying for some more info on this one.

I'll be very disappointed if I have to maintain a computer to play this game. I'm going to exclusively handheld as far as personal computer use goes.

Prefer games to be on the systems which I don't have to pay to upgrade except once every 5 or so years.

**Farseer Faenyin**

This just made my day...

**Palindrome**

Earth Dragon wrote:

Prefer games to be on the systems which I don't have to pay to upgrade except once every 5 or so years.

So that's either none or all of them then.

**TheSilo**

MajorStoffer wrote:

What I want is BFG in Relic's hands, or wherever the Homeworld devs ended up, as I don't believe many are still with Relic. (that reminds me, I live in Vancouver, I should go scout out what studios are actually present), Necromunda with Firaxis, as I think they could build on their experience with XCOM to make something pretty solid

This is all the things that I want.

Relic to make a Battlefleet Gothic game (turn or real-time)

Firaxis to make a Mordheim/Necromunda game on the XCOM engine.