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BoW Interview: Beyond the Gates of Antares with Rick Priestley
January 19, 2013 by warzan
Some months ago I posed Rick Priestley a question. It was a bit cheeky, but I felt it was an important one... "have you any Sci-Fi left in you Rick?"
After inventing and then spending a quarter of a century presiding over the most successful tabletop game in history you could forgive this man if he decided to hang up his hat. With his epic creation being so vast, it's hard to see how one brain could contain any more!
His answer surprised me though, it was the most confident 'yes' I have ever heard. Not a cocky yes but a matter of fact yes that came from someone who looked like they had been released from shackles.
Now some months later we are starting to see the vision Rick has been harbouring come to life.
I encourage you to watch the video and of course check out the Kickstarter. It's a very daunting task the team are undertaking and put simply it needs all of our support.
Watch the video, enter the contest and feel free to discuss the implications of it all in the comments below!
We are looking forward to the discussion!
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Great, I will see it tomorrow , please make a interview with Adam from Kingdom Death!!
Sodding hell am already skint after plegding to this…i need a freaking cure to this plastic crak. FYI THE GAME LOOKS AND SOUNDS AWESOME!
Kickstarter contribution will be made tomorrow, great interview – really laid out the plan. HAving done a whole range of wargaming and MMOs could really see this developing into something amazing. Strikes me as EVE like with an easier access and cool models.
defiantly going to contribute on kickstarter. wow would love to have that piece of history in my hands rick priestly is a god of tabletop deseign
With out doubt one of the most talented if not most talented table top wargame designers – so good seeing him able to freely create and innovate again.
I pledged to this as soon as i saw it over a week ago and have put up two posts on forums i frequent. While no one replied it did get a few hits which i hope will have put some eyes on what looks like a fantastic game. I’m hoping the fluid story is as good as it says it is as i miss the good old days of the Eye of Terror campaign and such! was so much fun seeing how a game of that scale progressed and felt like you were actually progressing the story rather than “oh here i am again on Ivaxian VII fighting the enemies of the Imperium…..” I think you get the point. I’m deffos going for freebooters as i always loved the idea of Rogue traders in 40k and they feel similar to them. I’m hoping in Rick’s “family of games” we get to see ship battles similar to BFG which could then flow into the Tabletop game should you or should you not defeat the enemies defensive fleets and make planet fall!
http://bit.ly/SgzikR
http://bit.ly/VPQ7nM
Links to Forum posts 🙂
I’ve already posted about it on my blog:
http://www.adventuresinminiaturegaming.blogspot.com/2013/01/beyond-gates-of-antares-fan-fiction.html
Great Interview. I’m so excited for this game, as a fan of Bolt Action I think this is going to be great. I just wanna say thanks for Having the Kickstarter during tax return season. As soon as my return comes I will be In for the Feeder tier level.
I wish all the luck to Mr. Priestly and the team delivering Gates of Antares. Good luck in your endeavor.
One question though, how is this the first test for Kickstarter and our hobby but Relic Knights was not? Honestly I have Kickstarter fatigue and am continually surprised how many similar projects keep getting big dollars. Bones, Dreadball, Sedition Wars, Relic Knights, Kingdom Death and more. These are competing with 40k, WFB, infinity, FOW, Warmahordes, Maifaux and a bunch I can’t even remember. Either there is a much bigger fan base, and pool of money, then suggested by industry figures or there are a whole lot of people testing the limit of their credit cards to get these “great” starter deals. If the second is true then we will have a very short industry boom followed by a lot of companies closing their doors.
Very interesting concept with the fluid universe/players make the history. I’ll have to check out the kickstarter.
Very excited about this, I joined the kickstarter.
Posted about it on my blog and twitter (@chrisvalera)
The Gates of Antares kickstarter rolls on, with a new Beasts of War video. Read my (rather long-winded) opinion of it all at http://chrisvalera.livejournal.com/260324.html
I agree, what they are trying to sell is that Priestley has a great Curriculum Vitae, so it will create something great. Is more about faith than actual miniatures…
This all looks extremely exciting, could it be as big as 40K? Rick looks a bit like Walter White,
I think I’ll toss in a few coins to back this project
Interesting concept
I’ve been playing Rick Priestley games for three decades now and I signed up to the kickstarter on day one just because he was involved. The more I learn about the game, the more excited I am to get my hands on it and try it! 🙂
Also Hansa should keep the bald head and ‘tache, he looks totally badass 🙂
I really like the concept of an organic storyline being played out.
It seems like a megastrategic RPG for want of a better term.
Although I won’t have the resources to be involved I really want to see this succeed.
One thing that I see as a potential downfall is that you have to buy into one faction.
What happens if you want to have a second army? This could limit sales perhaps?
Can you switch allegiance with the army you have?
Good luck to all involved and those who pledge.
IMHO it reallly deserves success for the scale of vision.
ps I also love the hierarchic nest of gaming from RPG-Skirmish-wargame etc
Is something I have wanted to do myself.
want to ks this but very tapped out at mo- see if i can find some hidden readies
I did post a critical (!), even provocative (!) article about this.
http://pinsofwar.com/rick-priestleys-kickstarter-fail/
I did so hoping to offer some needed perspective to make this succeed. Looking forward to your opinions!
Coincidentally I read your article just before watching the video.
I would say it was an interesting analysis which was fair and well considered rather than provocative.
I hope by playing down potential controversy I haven’t dampened things down! lol
Wholly recommend people giving it a read.
I also hope your assessment is proved incorrect. But then I think you do too! 😉
A very well written and insightful article.
I think anyone who wants the GoA to succeed should consider your points.
I would not of said critical, more an informative view on the requirements of a successful kick starter. With constructive suggestion. First one i will have back but I have my concerns about achieving the goal, but every faith in the team delivering if they recieve the funding.
Well, thanks for being considerate of the points I tried to get across. I guess it did work somehow.
It’s never easy to write critical on the internet, where many people simply see things in black-and-white only, so I thought I’d hedge it a bit to avoid looking like a “hater”.
Guess the BoW crowd is a more thoughtful bunch 🙂
Agree with your totally! I’m backing the project but we really need to hear more about the mini’s and some good sketches etc.
You see the real passion Rick has for the universe but at the moment it feels like 95% of it is stuck in his head. Really hope the project meets its goal so they can start to get more of it out into the real world (or cyberspace I guess), but they’ve really set themselves a high target especially since this project is in £’s rather than $’s.
Fingers crossed!
As soon as I heard the word “shard” I thought of Dark Crystal lol
Would be good to see some more figures that are part of the pledge options, as one of the figures shown is a re-working of a old figure.
Very interesting in-depth interview. I already am backer and posted about it. I sincerely hope the KS will be successful.
http://wp.me/p1FpQ2-lW
http://wp.me/p1FpQ2-ml
I have been watching this Kickstarter from the beginning and I am very tempted to jump in. Oh what the heck – why not? I like the evolutionary nature, the campaigning, the potential diversity. I hope and believe DSC will be more of an interactive developer/manufacturer than some others. D10’s look like fun.
Somewhere in this house, I have 20 or more of the very early GW Space Marines. I must dig them out as they may be worth a few bob.
Me talking about the video on Heresy.
http://heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=120165#8
Hi we have opened forum on this project are looking into it here’s the page http://wargames.lt/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=1955&pid=27461#post_27461 It’s our Lithuanian community. If this project will pass i guess it will be revolution to war gaming. Thanks for good show.
This sounds awesome, well worth some kickstarter money.
Great stuff.
Being able to play from RPG all the way through to mass battles with the same characters, and the same actual models, is tabletop nirvana.
You must also play Battletech then?
Really like the look of this, can’t wait to get involved and help shape the game.
Started a discussion at my local gaming club forum.
http://www.chelmsfordbunker.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5238&p=65575#p65575
Ps I Really want that space marine 🙂
I am already a backer, really excited about this project.
I’m impressed at how well thought out this is, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how it progresses! (I’ve already backed).
That’s quite an amazing piece of history, more importantly it links to the old age when 40k was still shaping, was more adventurous in its background and more sensible also, Wi really wished 40k had kept its core from that era, I really miss the clean designs that you could “gothify” at your own way or taste and not the moving shrines we have today.
That leads us to the present project, Rick is an accomplished game designer and lore creator, while I am not entirely happy with how important community input has been presented, I am quite confident and eager to see what he can create.
Some nice ideas and good visions, but I think I’d need to see a bit more – like what do the aliens look like?
Rly looking forword to this trying to get my gaming club on the kickstarter.
http://warbunka.forumotion.net/t878-beyond-the-gates-of-antares#6112
Looking forward to this game.
Great interview, really enjoyed watching it. The project is very exciting. The guys communicated their vision for the game very nicely – sounds like it has loads of potential and the possibilities are … intoxicating 🙂
Warren did a great job with the interview also, enthusiasm and insightful questions mixed together well.
I’ve posted links to this interview on the two main forums I post on, dakkadakka and Tactical Command:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/501736.page
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=24528
look like a really good new game, and its always good to hair form rick!
I’ve already given a decent-sized pledge to this product. It’s always nice to see the models you’ll be getting, or be tantalized with Stretch Goals, but what does it here is the the talent involved – plain and simple.
Rick Priestley is writing it? BOOM. Take my wallet.
Great wargaming journalism and good on ’em!
Congrats, you have cracked it, If you can introduce a world for the older gamer, you will have a retirement income for all your grand children. Please, defend against C & D letters from Outer Mongolia.
Good luck,
I’m in.
I’m going to pledge right after this reply, as the game sounds incredible! Can’t wait to tell my friends to do the same. Great job!
Fingers crossed for winning that little piece of history too.
I hope this gets funded, it’s looking very promising. The 300k target is a big one though, so hopefully they can get enough greens and concepts up to get the momentum up to a sufficiant level! *Fingers crossed*
Sounds brilliant, will defiantly be checking out the kickstarter.
Seem interesting will have to look at it in greater detail.
Great interview, BoW turned me onto this kickstarter with the first Weekender Episode. I really need to get off my butt and sign up for the Dark Space Corp forums now that I am backing it.
Backed with the limited edition rulebook. This just looks great!
Im laughing at the thought of being in with a chance to win this….:)
That space space marine looks very intresting and it is an awesome one of a kind collecters item
It is gonna look even more interesting after I have won it and improved it with a Pug Butt style conversion!
Mwhahahahahahahaha!!!
Great stuff – good interview Warren. When the post when up on the DSC forums saying you had a video coming up, I was expecting something 5 or 10 minutes long, not this hour long epic.
I’ve had a thread up and running at Heresy Online since I’ve been tracking the project – I’ll be updating it tomorrow with the new details and the link to the video 🙂
http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=120165
GoA is a huge project! The way that they want us to participate and help to create the universe and the history behind it is amazing, I don’t know if I will manage to pledge the kickstarter in the level that I want but I have to be part of this game and I thing that anyone who likes games must be part of it too!
Totally wanting this Kickstarter to go through so I can be part of making a sci-fi war game not just getting books that tell me what the designers want me to do. The best part is becoming part of the design team by just pledging on the KS.
Seems like a game with alot of potential
I love hearing Rick Priestley talk… Consider me entered!
Backed this as soon as it appeared. Project has huge potential in my opinion. Commented on this at some length on the blog at http://dropshipstudio.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/building-new-worlds/
I’ve already pledged on Kickstarter. Am massively excited about this!
this looks great
Saw the link from the kick starter forum, very interesting video, loved hearing about the story and how it’s based on wormholes. Really looking forward to the skeleton rules preview to get a feel, and having to sort out a few D10’s :-). Looking forward to any more stuff from the team. Nice to find a gaming news website based in the UK. May make a home here.
If this goes right… well… it will be like Eve Online ( you will need a second parallel life to play it properly… ).
About the adding your input ( results of games and all that ) PLEASE I BEG YOU USE GOOGLE GLASSES :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLn0cSZfl6c
It’s a brave idea and I hope they get the backing for this new concept.
Really interesting concept. And Kevs work is amazing, as always.
I’m such a sucker for Kickstarters. I saw this, but I wasn’t going to pledge since I just got started with Warhammer 40K and I should be saving as much money as I can right now. Unfortunately for my wallet, this video got me interested and now I’m a backer! I’m looking forward to getting involved!
Sell 40k and go for this , i did that for Kingdom Death: Monster. I will back this one if it doesn’t were for KD:M but i’ll try it in the future.
Looking forward to this, and will be contributing as soon as possible. This team seems great, and the idea they have seems amazing.
Awesome prize guys! I’m in for this kickstarter since day two (just because I hadn’t heard of it on day one…) They got me at “Rick Priestly” but the more I hear about it the more I love the idea.
This is me (in Spanish) trying to sell it to a gaming forum I’m part of.
http://www.createphpbb.com/wmesp/viewtopic.php?t=12098&mforum=wmesp
Will be interested to see how this pans out. It seems interesting but I won’t believe the hype till I can see the mechanics and the execution of the game system.
The rules seem pretty good already, love the Bolt action rules and GoA seems to be an evolution to the next level. The reaction system letting you set up traps or simultaneously send a squad on a run while another provides covering fire, amazing.
Did notice in the weapons update – the Compo gun. If it hits you get a severe case or the Nora Batty’s! Gripplers is better, sounds more Roy Batty. 😉
Also, hope in month 2 we can see some more concept art for each faction, especially the Space Gorillas.
GW did a re-issue of the LE1 Space Marine during the Silver Skulls loyalty tokens promotion in the early 2000s. I have one.
This is a pretty cool looking game. A lot of great kickstarters in the last several months!
Very Unique
nice ill pledge to this as soon as i finish this post
Considering starting a blog just for the extra entries.
Will add to the kick starter as soon as i have some spare cash (eg pay day) cant wait it looks great and also please pick me for the model as it awesome as and i would love it !!!
Good luck and thanks.
Would be nice to win
this game looks awesome, I’m in 🙂
Thx guys, I wasnt sure I wanted to join in, but after seeing that really cool interview… well I got in. You have my pledge guys!
it somehow remind me of Hammilton kinda background… and I love all his books
I hope this kickstarter reaches its goal. 🙂
Interesting concept, and even more interesting prize….I wonder if the winner will keep it or will we see it on eBay?
Looks like a promising game’s I’ve already pledged, and so should any one interested in wargaming, at least @ the £1 level, so you’ll receive the alpha and beta rulebook 🙂
Oh, and here’s my post about the Kickstarter.
http://back2hobby.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/beyond-the-gates-of-antares/
Really thinking about this one. I’m fairly new at the whole ‘Wargaming’ thing, and this project seems to me a great jumping on point. Loved the mention of the tech being like magic .. I had flashbacks to Babylon 5’s technomages ..which I loved. I like how this game reminds me a bit of some mmo’s like Eve Online, the sandbox feel of Antaries and the interaction between developer and community. Anyway, I posted some thoughts on my blog.
http://pojoh.blogspot.ca/2013/01/wargaming-made-anew.html
I wrote a second blog post on a crazy idea, which I think might “kickstarter” this Kickstarter.
(no, I am not fishing for extra “tickets”). Give it a spin and let me know what you think!
http://pinsofwar.com/antares-dreamforge-kick-bash/
Have you shared any of your thoughts with the folks from Darkspace Corp?
This looks really good and that prize is really cool
Okay okay, you twisted my arm. Here it is:
http://www.smallcuts.net/blog/?id=1122
wow, sounds epic!
Awesome video.
Wonder if Rick has seen this (it’s not mine):
http://pinsofwar.com/antares-dreamforge-kick-bash/
An interesting idea, depending on the obstacles that could be in the way of it. These guys are producing new quality plastic kits, and appear to have amazing design talent. Between Antare’s (presumably) resin characters, and these guys producing say the wardrones, it could make for an amazing start, and a boost for the kickstarter funding.
This sounds simply amazing and I look forward to seeing what they can do with it!
I signed up to GoA last week as soon as I saw the team behind it. Signing up means you become part of the design team, I always wish I could have been there at the start of Rogue Trader. I can remember seeing Rogue Trader being mentioned in a very early White Dwarf (back when it was about 90p ) and how excited I was waiting for that, I cannot imagine the excitement I would of have if offered the chance to help design it. So now history repeats its self here I am and the excitement building. GoA for ever. 🙂 🙂 🙂 GO Dark Space Corp.
After watching this video, Beyond the Gates of Antares sounds a lot more interesting. I guess the thing that is holding me back is no miniatures besides Hansa to look at the style the game is going for.
I love The Excitement that is wrapped into the project.
Very Cool – want more and more. Was lucky enough to get the first feeder hansa. If I did not have to pay to get to UK from US, I’d want to go for one of those that got me to John’s gameroom! And what Warren, you had not already pledged? Go for one of the John’s room games and make a video of it!
Oh, yeah, was the first one to post about it one dakkadakka.com:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/495228.page (it was replaced by the official one later).
And I also started this one:
http://www.darkspacecorp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=126
wow that was a great interview can stop thinking about the potential this game could have
Really hoping this gets off the ground!
http://www.yasstronomican.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114:goa
Awesome background guys. Cant wait for this to reach full development!! really looking forward to the skirmish variant myself!! 😀
Lookin forward to this!
Looks awesome!!!
Nice this game should really make it to the store.
looks cool =)
Man, this game is sounding killer; incredibly immersive and conceptually solid.
Hit the Tumblrverse with this – http://ankhanu.tumblr.com/post/41414224870/beyond-the-gates-of-antares
Also started a discussion on my forum – http://s6.zetaboards.com/Hotaru_no_Hishou/topic/8854149/1/
Interesting enough.
Please enter me into the drawing guys, thank you.
I’am going to throw money at this kickstarter project for sure!
The marine looks really good!
that proto bolter is very cool looking. I will certainly look into the gates kickstarter.
Seriously looking forward to this game and I really hope it gets its funding (or gets published regardless of Kickstarter funding)!!
Doing my small part to spread the word – http://iwngu.com/wordpress/2013/01/25/beyond-the-gates-of-antares-coming-soon/
Ohhh I want to see this project come to fruition. Looking forward to see how this develops
That system they talked about (more of a universe) sounded interesting. Just listening there’s hints of lots of different sci-fi sources which is in no way a bad thing so I’m going to keep my eyes on this. I like when multiple games crossover in their background (like Runebound, Rune Wars and Descent)
Also winning a Space Marine would not be opposed for me.
I’d love to win the model! 😀
Brilliant! Now i have to put my money where the Priestly is. Lesse, how do you spell Kickstarter again? Ah yes, Kickstarter – from the Latin root – meaning financial leap of faith. Helmsman, set course for the Gates of Antares, full speed ahead.
I’m confident that I’m not going to win, as I don’t have a blog or anything.
But in any case I hope who ever DOES win knows just what a gem they’re getting out of this. Truly BOW greatest competition ever, words can’t express how cool this piece of history is.
Great concept, will support this for sure and Kevin White is one of my favourite sculptors
This looks amazing. I’m pledging, and I’m also getting the word about.
Here’s the brief I did for my forum: http://tinyurl.com/b6g5wgl
great interview about a very interesting project. will check it out for sure.
I’m really thinking on support this project. Seems great.
Cool video
The whole idea is exciting me!
Everyone should come check out the Forums and add their input. A lot of concept art and the early greens for the WarDrones and Boromites are rolling in…
So Shiny