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What happened to that guy? Did he die or is he still an author?

I think he just made Palin his future vice president...

 SilverMK2 wrote:
I think he just made Palin his future vice president...

I can't believe that wasn't funny.

I did always wonder what happened to C.S. Multilaser.


I believe that last 40k written by him was back in 2008.

I believe there were some plagiarism accusations floating around for a short story he wrote some years ago. I don't know if BL let him go because of it or not.

 themonk wrote:
I believe there were some plagiarism accusations floating around for a short story he wrote some years ago. I don't know if BL let him go because of it or not.

I think BL just let him go in general

 Tactical_Spam wrote:

 themonk wrote:
I believe there were some plagiarism accusations floating around for a short story he wrote some years ago. I don't know if BL let him go because of it or not.

I think BL just let him go in general

I think you're right. He had a a pretty negative reputation. Ironically, he's a BL author that actually had military experience.

Military, but not writing experience. His stories' lack of internal consistence was legendary, including the infamous shapeshifting transport that couldn't decide if it was a Rhino, a Razorback or a Land Raider.

Of course, the real truth is that while the rest of the company is stuck in the 50s, Black Library eventually wised up to the fact that any use of the GoTo function is a bad idea, no matter what you're writing.

Thought it was a diff writer that got done for talking about back flipping terminators

Nope, the back flipping terminators was Goto as well.

A bigger problem was he just wasn't familiar with the setting. Hence terminators getting dragged to their death by spore mines or space marines carrying multi lasers.

He stated in an interview once that he was very familiar with the setting, he just thought that his way of doing things was cooler.

Such as the Craftworld Eldar led by a non-psychic, secretly-Slaaneshi "farseer" who inherited the post from his father.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
He stated in an interview once that he was very familiar with the setting, he just thought that his way of doing things was cooler.

Such as the Craftworld Eldar led by a non-psychic, secretly-Slaaneshi "farseer" who inherited the post from his father.

I know the whole WH40K scene is supposed to be inconsistent, but that's ridiculous

He finally completely his scientific research into turning himself into a living multilaser, but realised multilasers can't move unless a terminator is backflipping with them too late.

Now he's locked in the GW dungeons, he's used to execute people who try to challenge the C&Ds.

Was that even his real name, it always sounded fake to me.

So he may be around under a new alias.

Lots of writers use a nom de plume.

Jack Yeovill.
Richard Bachmann
etc.

That alone is no indicator. Some do it to maintain separation between the genres. Some do it because it's the only way to get published.

I've got friends who write boring technical manuals for a living, but get paid a crapload for "bodice rippers" (traditionally here, those tend to only be published if written by FEMALE writers. Several of the better selling writers were men, writing under an assumed name).

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?C._S._Goto

Suggests that it was his real name... Not sure if we should trust that site

 Tactical_Spam wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
He stated in an interview once that he was very familiar with the setting, he just thought that his way of doing things was cooler.

Such as the Craftworld Eldar led by a non-psychic, secretly-Slaaneshi "farseer" who inherited the post from his father.

I know the whole WH40K scene is supposed to be inconsistent, but that's ridiculous

When you write in a shared setting, one should at least do research and respect the setting instead of running roughshod over everything. Generally exceptions should be rare, not outrageously unbelievable, and necessary for the story, not merely for the sake of being different. Otherwise it just comes off as the writer being lazy, not creative, and/or blatantly not caring about the setting.

I think it's entirely reasonable to "disrespect" the setting of 40K. The whole idea of the background is that it's a sprawling mess of history, mistakes, propaganda, legends, spammed across a million worlds, that lets nearly anything happen.

If an adventure novel written by a 40K writer can have backflipping SMs with multilazors being attacked by spore mines, why can't an adventure novel about 40K?

I agree. C.S. Goto is a pioneer and revolutionary.

Seriously though Why wouldn't there be a chapter out there that arms a squad of Terminators with multi lasers? It's not like they are uneffecient weapons and, judging by the models size, terminators should easily be able to carry one. I wouldn't say no to a ten man squad of 30 S6 range 36 shots.

The main reason I bring this up is because I've yet to get over the fact that I havn't been able to give my guard veteran sergeants storm bolters since 4ed.

Seriously though Why wouldn't there be a chapter out there that arms a squad of Terminators with multi lasers? It's not like they are uneffecient weapons and, judging by the models size, terminators should easily be able to carry one. I wouldn't say no to a ten man squad of 30 S6 range 36 shots.

Because Termies use Assault Cannons which are
- more highly regarded in the Astartes than simple multilasers (firepower, technology, prestige or whatever)
- more adapted to be used in close quarters, where Termies are supposed to fight in the first place. They would not need range but stopping power / rending capability in such situation.
- Plus : I guess the power cells needed to effectively make a multilaser work is too heavier, even for a TDA wearer. It is only carried by vehicles among the IG, maybe because of some reason.

My two cents

 RazgrizOne wrote:

Seriously though Why wouldn't there be a chapter out there that arms a squad of Terminators with multi lasers? It's not like they are uneffecient weapons and, judging by the models size, terminators should easily be able to carry one. I wouldn't say no to a ten man squad of 30 S6 range 36 shots.

Because Termies use Assault Cannons which are
- more highly regarded in the Astartes than simple multilasers (firepower, technology, prestige or whatever)
- more adapted to be used in close quarters, where Termies are supposed to fight in the first place. They would not need range but stopping power / rending capability in such situation.
- Plus : I guess the power cells needed to effectively make a multilaser work is too heavier, even for a TDA wearer. It is only carried by vehicles among the IG, maybe because of some reason.

My two cents

1. Multilasers are no less impractical than the Ass-Can. Lexicanum says the Assault Cannon fires 100's of rounds per second. The assault cannon has a comically small ammo hopper. This means that Terminators are punching the gak out of their enemies after 1-2 bursts. At least the multi-lazor lets you have a ranged weapon for the duration of the battle. They say its too heavy for use by infantry, but then they say the same things

2. Multilasers are also used vs light vehicles. Not sure about the delta in performance.

3. Lexicanum indicates that multilasers are also platform mounted. Its use on Sentinels suggests that tactical dreadnought armor might be able to handle it, since it doesn't need to compensate for the Ass-Can's huge recoil.

His biggest flaw with me is that even within his own vision of 40k.

The worst of this is the landraider/rhino that changes back and forth within the same page or so. That's just sloppy writing.

He also seems to have a strong hate for eldar, both craft world and dark. He frequently makes them look dumb, their tech inferior to mans, and has them worshiping chaos when ever he can even though that would kill their soul instantly.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
He stated in an interview once that he was very familiar with the setting, he just thought that his way of doing things was cooler.

Such as the Craftworld Eldar led by a non-psychic, secretly-Slaaneshi "farseer" who inherited the post from his father.

Don't forget the copious amounts of Eldar snuff pr0n, massive Craftworld love for the Leman Russ, and Astartes jump packs as air to ground missiles.

The Eldar put their multilasers on bikes, so why can't marines put theirs on their bikes?

For one because there has been no record of space marines ever using a multi laser in any other 40k work. He makes it seem likes it's a standard issue weapon which violates pretty much every other source including every marine codex ever. He's arrogance is staggering and him playing so lose with so many fairly established norms that several other authors and BL staff have dis availed him. Again this is on top of his generally crap writing.

Iracundus wrote:
When you write in a shared setting, one should at least do research and respect the setting instead of running roughshod over everything. Generally exceptions should be rare, not outrageously unbelievable, and necessary for the story, not merely for the sake of being different. Otherwise it just comes off as the writer being lazy, not creative, and/or blatantly not caring about the setting.

When you're writing in a shared setting, ultimately the fault for that sort of thing slipping into print lies with the Editor, not the writer.

In this case, Goto's work was allowed to stand because Black Library has always allowed a lot of latitude within the setting, as they view their stories as a sort of melange of experiences and what-ifs, things that did happen and things that could have happened, with no clear line between them.

That doesn't sit well with fans who like a clear and consistent canon, but people who like a clear and consistent canon are going to have plenty of bigger greivances than the work of CS Goto, where 40K is concerned...

@keezus

1. Multilasers are no less impractical than the Ass-Can. Lexicanum says the Assault Cannon fires 100's of rounds per second. The assault cannon has a comically small ammo hopper. This means that Terminators are punching the gak out of their enemies after 1-2 bursts. At least the multi-lazor lets you have a ranged weapon for the duration of the battle. They say its too heavy for use by infantry, but then they say the same things

2. Multilasers are also used vs light vehicles. Not sure about the delta in performance.

3. Lexicanum indicates that multilasers are also platform mounted. Its use on Sentinels suggests that tactical dreadnought armor might be able to handle it, since it doesn't need to compensate for the Ass-Can's huge recoil.

I'd say virtually anything is possible in the fluff. It's just that AC is for SM and ML is for IG because of ancient decrees and weird tradition (even though IG Sentinels did have AC back in the old days, a thing that has been retcon since).
I'll argue anyway :

1. Multilasers are much bigger than AC modelwise. Just look at the actual size of the weapons and their magazines on Termies and Sentinels. Speaking about magazines, new SW Terminators have much clever feeding belts implying the ridiculously small traditional magazine can be replaced.
--> Even with the "new" said belt, I give you a point regarding RoF and ammo use. But fluff stuff you know.

2. AC have same S, Rending and +1 shot. Not a terrible increase in damage but still.

3. I won't say a TDA is the same "platform" has a Sentinel. The latter can be equipped with a big power claw to lift big stuff, has S5 and is a vehicule. Here there is a delta I guess.

I actually don't have a problem with the multilasers thing and think that of all the sins he propagated, that was the least serious.

Lone Assault Marines with chainswords winning aerial duels with Harridan bio-titans, on the other hand, I have issues with.

Iracundus wrote:When you write in a shared setting, one should at least do research and respect the setting instead of running roughshod over everything. Generally exceptions should be rare, not outrageously unbelievable, and necessary for the story, not merely for the sake of being different. Otherwise it just comes off as the writer being lazy, not creative, and/or blatantly not caring about the setting.

The thing is, for Eldar Prophesy, he created so much cultural and linguistic material that the appendix he included to explain it all was almost fifty pages long (which went a long way to rendering the rest of the book unreadable due to having to flip back and forth, incidentally). That's not laziness talking. It's atrocious judgement.

As for the editorial team... their chief of editing staff is also one of their worst current writers. I think Goto was sleeping with someone.

I never really had a problem with his marines using multi-lasers when it was marines on a penitent crusade (such as the Mantis Warriors) where supplies might be critically low.

It was the other things like backflipping terminators and assault marines that hovered over a conflict to drop grenades on enemies (and that was all that they did) that made me go WTF.

I will state that he did put out one decent story, but it had very little combat in it (it was the one with the trial of the Mantis Warrior chapter master.