Spikes:
I love the pyromancer story. It’s sad that the fluff isn’t a bit more “Chaos dwarf-focused” but I understand the underlying reasons: you don’t cut yourself from a potential market by identifying the miniatures simply as “dwarves”.
Also, those apprentices in the story make me want to field a unit of Acolytes of Hashut in my army. Baggronor, any plans for some acolyte minis?
Thommy H:
It's sad that the fluff isn't a bit more "Chaos dwarf-focused" but I understand the underlying reasons: you don't cut yourself from a potential market by identifying the miniatures simply as "dwarves".Baggronor had a lot of fantastic ideas for his setting already - while I would have always wanted to move away from writing about potentially IP-infringing stuff, the fact is that what he'd already come up with really fired up my imagination. From his brief description of the concepts he had in mind, we've already got a lot of detail for the setting worked out. There's still a lot more to explore, but the core ideas were in place before he asked me to get involved.
Baggronor:
Obviously, the range needs to be at least compatible with a wide variety of games and tastes, but I don’t think that will be hard to achieve. I essentially intend to go and make what I want to make; there’s only so much point pandering to other people’s systems. Look at PP for example, they forged ahead and made their own thing and created their own audience. That’s the way to do it, not constantly chasing residual sales off GW’s back or you will only ever be living in their shadow. I’m not even doing it for a living so I’m not that fussed about the popular appeal of the minis, just whether they satisfy me or not.
Baggronor, any plans for some acolyte minis?Quite possibly. After reading Thommy’s fluff, I’m thinking a Grand Pyromancer with 2-3 specialised aides could be really cool. The Chirurgeons are interesting, and no one else seems to do Dwarf healers, so that could be an idea for one.
It’s all pipe dreams for now thoughFor now. Its going to happen though, regardless of sales; its too much fun :cheers
Thommy H:
The Chirurgeons are interesting, and no one else seems to do Dwarf healers, so that could be an idea for one.I'd be interested in a Chirurgeon figure too, though I'm not sure what battlefield application he would have! They're quite an unusual idea, based on the very simple notion that in any society that treats its women as its most precious resource, you're going to need a whole class of people able to keep them alive and healthy and, frankly, breeding. In other words, this may be the first fantasy setting in history in which gynaecologists are an influential elite.
Fallen246:
Reading through, this “Terrametry” concept is interesting.
And of course, the writing is of a damn high standard, as expected 
Admiral:
Nice to see the spirits rising in you, Thommy H and Baggronor, that’s the way forward! I know this out of my own experience with creating a Fantasy setting together with a friend (still in the works). Flesh out as much as you possibly can, be a bit wild though ordered.
I’m really looking forward to a chirurgeon with apprentices release. In time, I’ll put in an order, but FW warmachines have higher priority - cut-up and sculpted BFSP Dwarfs will suffice for all the infantry, but I can’t make land train cars.
Thommy H:
Nice to see the spirits rising in you, Thommy H and Baggronor, that's the way forward! I know this out of my own experience with creating a Fantasy setting together with a friend (still in the works). Flesh out as much as you possibly can, be a bit wild though ordered.Yeah, I'm a bit of an old hand (as old as you can be when you're 26...) at fantasy settings. When I was a kid, I probably made a new one up every week, always convinced that this map would be the one that became the fantasy world I would write about and game in for the rest of my life. Some lasted longer than others, or went on to inspire later things. One in particular, that I spent the whole summer of 2007 developing (a boring summer job has its advantages) had an element that I've carried over to my Titan Wargames stuff, so perhaps that one wasn't wasted effort.
Admiral
Admiral:
Yeah, I'm a bit of an old hand (as old as you can be when you're 26...) at fantasy settings. When I was a kid, I probably made a new one up every week, always convinced that this map would be the one that became the fantasy world I would write about and game in for the rest of my life. Some lasted longer than others, or went on to inspire later things. One in particular, that I spent the whole summer of 2007 developing (a boring summer job has its advantages) had an element that I've carried over to my Titan Wargames stuff, so perhaps that one wasn't wasted effort.Then you'll certainly nail this Fantasy world! It's quite exciting, when the creativity is acting all-out high, eh? :yar
The only setting I helped develop that turned into something more was the one for the long-time collaborative/competitive fiction game I played for over five years, which was set in the modern world but which ended up being an elaborate apocalyptic urban fantasy saga populated by hundreds of characters, including demons, angels, vampires, werewolves and one very memorable intelligent beaver. And that one I put together with the input of dozens of other players, all working on their own stories at the same time, some of whom were actively hostile towards my plans. If I can make that hang together, I can certainly do this, since my one collaborator is on the same page!
Thommy H
Thommy H:
There was a passing mention of Tunnelmen in the Pyromancer piece, and they’re intended to be exactly what you describe - they clear out fungus and infestations of small creatures. Your ideas are very close to the mine in terms of their equipment and modus operendi.
Baggronor:
Yep, tunnelman would be a valued profession for them. Things like flooding would be major considerations as well. I have a miscast Pyromancer model who is missing his lower half, been meaning to use him in a ‘flooded chamber’ diorama 
Thommy H:
There’s actually loads of stupid logistical things to think about in a subterranean setting. For example, building new Underkeeps near the Core is easy, because you can just dump all the earth you dig out into the Molochfyre, but out on the edges of explored territory, there’s nowhere for the earth to go, so you have to rely on existing tunnels. This is why, in a setting with no mountains, no deserts and no coastlines, you can still have wilderness areas.
Admiral:
There was a passing mention of Tunnelmen in the Pyromancer piece, and they're intended to be exactly what you describe - they clear out fungus and infestations of small creatures. Your ideas are very close to the mine in terms of their equipment and modus operendi.True. I read that piece again now, and noticed that I must have drifted half asleep in late evening when I read it first time. Loads of stuff that appeared new. Ever the returning lesson: Enjoy litterature of any kind whilst sufficiently awake, or else miss bits.
Thommy H
Thommy H:
very fond of grotesquely long periods of sentient history, with lots of mysteries hidden at the back ends of the chrono-spectrum, and constant cycles of rise and fall, as well as ever-ongoing processes abandonment of settlement and recolonization.I'm really into stuff like that too. I'm not sure whether it will feature too heavily in what's coming for Titan, but certainly the Dwarves have a very shaky grasp of exactly where they come from and how they got to where they are now. It's a very medieval world, in terms of outlook anyway, and mostly they're interested in what's right in front of them instead of dwelling on philosophical questions of origins and history.
Admiral:
One thing that I hope is coming through with a few subtle hints in what's been posted so far is that the Dwarves are still tied to concepts like years and days, and they sleep at regular intervals that have nothing to do with the rhythms and cycles of the Underworld, so they may not be quite as at home down there as they believe they are...It has, and it'll be interesting to see what you do with it later on.
Thommy H
Admiral:
That was a delicious read, just my kind of taste. :hat off
Some more background for the setting in general has been posted here.
Thommy H
Thommy H:
Besides, over what territory do Overlord Baggronor preside?I'll address some of the other stuff in your post when I get home tonight, Admiral, but I can quickly answer this one: Argev's brief treatise was written about a century before the recent events depicted in the pieces for the models (apart from Grulka's, which happened about the same time). Both Bloodkeep and Black Keep are mentioned though, and that's where the action takes place.
vulcanologist:
Loving your Titan work Thommy…keep it coming!
Baggronor:
With this wealth of funky background in place, I think it'd be fun to see a painting gallery of warriors (some converted) from the different Underkeeps in the future.This is something I've been thinking about too, after what Thommy has written and suggested. Initially I was just going to do shield-blokes, gun-blokes and elite-blokes; now I'm not so sure. Might introduce more specific unit types. Highthrone elites in fancypants armour seem like the obvious choice. Dwarf Berserkers I'm less keen on, partly because I'm just not that keen on Slayers, and partly because AoW have made plastics of them which look eminently convertible (I would like to say they 'are' convertible, but they STILL haven't arrived so I can't say for sure :~). I would like to do some of the lighter-equipped troops described though, just not as mohawked nutters.
Thommy H:
Back to your comments, Admiral:
Perhaps also some little piece about underworld food, dye and cloth production could be of interest, at least woven into a unit short story.These are the sorts of things I’ll throw in as snippets but, as I’ve said to Baggronor, I don’t want to get bogged down in the minutia of the setting. Details like that are useful for world-building, but one thing I’ve learnt over the years is that everything serves a purpose. The Warhammer world, for example, has massive gaps in it (like hardly any women, for one thing…) but it works because the whole concept of the setting is to provide an excuse for over a dozen nations to constantly be at each other’s throats. It’s a game about war, so it has to be a world constantly torn apart by endless, apocalyptic conflicts. Everything written for Warhammer serves that end. With Titan Wargames, the objective is to sell figures and to give those figures reason to fight each other: so while it might be of passing interest to know how they make their clothes or whatever, if the solution to that problem isn’t something cool that makes someone want to get involved in the setting and buy the toys, it’s so many wasted words.
With this wealth of funky background in place, I think it’d be fun to see a painting gallery of warriors (some converted) from the different Underkeeps in the future. Don’t forget the stone weapons for Stonedeep! Perhaps I can be of some assistance in half a year or so, when my finances and priorities hopefully will allow some Titan goodness. Also (and this is directed at Baggronor), it might be worth considering doing four Stokekeep mercenaries - basically evil Slayers.One day, I’d love there to be loads of different Dwarf factions - like the factions in War Machine or something - with slightly different looks and, of course, rules in the eventual game that Baggronor is working on. Right now, the Heavy Infantry can represent Warriors of the Core (or a decently civilised Underkeep of the Fringes), and I’d love to see them supplemented by more vicious and barbaric mercenaries from the less savoury corners of the Empire some day. The guys in this picture are close to the image I have in mind.