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No problem. Here's the text. Sorry about the poor formatting but i've jsut copied and pastred form the pdf.
Interview with Paul Sawyer
By Douglas Woodcock
After discovering that Paul Sawyer?s orks were under the ebay hammer I thought I would scoop those up and find out what he was up to.
I hadn?t seen his orks in action and wondered if he had a cunning plan up his sleeve to build something
new?? Anyway Paul was kind enough to read the few questions and send me a reply.
Hi Paul,
Thanks very much for taking the time to answer
these questions for me:
1. When you did you start collecting miniatures? How did you get into collecting
stuff from Games workshop?
Dear Lord, that?s a long time ago! I suppose strictly speaking my first miniatures were Airfix 1/32 scale Afrika Korps. Sat at the age of 5 covering
them in silver Humbrol paint was the start of something that has gripped me ever since.
As for GW stuff I got into that through roleplaying.
As I was the best painter in my roleplaying group (okay, more to the point I was the only one who painted?) I ended up collecting all the models
from Games workshop and Ral Partha. My first model was a Citadel Slime Beast with sword ? a model I still have sitting on my paintstation at home. As for the date that?s a tough one ? I was in fourth year at school at the time and I?m 39 now so that?s, erm, ?more years than I want to admit to? ago?
2. What?s the history behind your progress within Games workshop before
you became editor of White Dwarf? I.e. what did you do etc etc
As I grew up not far from GW HQ in its old location
in Eastwood I worked there off and on during school/college holidays mostly in Mail Order. I also held a job in Casting whilst also trying to get my Graphic Design business off the ground. In hindsight
two jobs at the same time wasn?t the brightest
thing I?ve ever done?
However, once all that had died down I joined GW in its German Studio which was situated over the GW Derby Store. Me, and apple mac and a German
translator. Oh, and the job to make Warhammer
and 40K (and WD) into a German edition.
From there I joined Mail Order again but this time as Supervisor of their promotional material. Out of the blue I was given the Citadel Journal to edit. This came as a shock given I?d never edited before. It was certainly a learning experience and I cringe at some of the things that were done in those early days.
I must have done something right though as it wasn?t long before I was summoned by the High Lords and given the White Dwarf editor job. The rest is history?
3. What was it like editing White Dwarf for such a long time?
An experience.
I got to travel the world and meet lots of enthusiastic
gamers. I got to work within my hobby at the cutting edge and had a great time doing so. Good job too as the deadlines were unending?
4. What is your favourite gaming system?
I?d have to say Warhammer. A gentleman?s game that I think needs a more strategic view than some of our other games. Oh, and it has Dwarfs!
I?m currently getting into the Warhammer Historical
systems ? collecting an Ancient Britons army as well as looking into an English Civil war royalist army.
5. Your Epic Ork collection is well known in the Epic community and has seen some great battles. Being painted in some of the original clan colours I wondered when did you decide to play Epic?
In the early 1990s ? I can?t pinpoint the exact time. It all started with Space Marine (my favourite incarnation
of the system). I picked up a few pieces when I was working as a caster and it got my roleplaying
group hooked. From there we played Epic more than roleplayed and eventually I snared them into Warhammer too.
6. What drew you to choosing the Orks as a force?
Two reasons ? firstly my opponents had baggsied
most of the other forces and as they were new to the game I let them go with what excited them. Secondly, the Orks were a lot of fun, with great gadgets, gimmicks and special rules. Very unpredictable and that?s something I love in an army. Fun factor far outweighs the ?effectiveness? in an army in myeyes. I don?t care if something is a killer army ? if its not fun to play with I?d rather not bother. My choice of the Orks was well-founded as they are an enormous amount of fun.
7. As everyone is asked this, I am afraid I have to ask you this too, what was your opinion on the various versions
of Epic to the current version. What do you think were the strengths and weaknesses.
Sadly I?m not in a position to comment. Not because
of any restraints but merely because I?ve not played the latest version. As I said earlier my favourite incarnation of the system was Space Marine.
All those cards and counters were great!
Epic 40,000 took the game in a totally different direction
and I enjoyed that as a system too but in a very different vein ? it seemed more strategic and you really needed to think about how your whole army worked in concert, supporting units and having
a sound plan.
Both systems work well on their own merits but they can?t really be compared as they are very different
systems.
8. Did you play a role on any development?
No, Space Marine was released before I joined GW.
9. Do you have other armies other than the Orks for Epic?
Sadly not. I painted armies for my mates so we could all play (they didn?t paint) so I guess you could say I painted huge Imperial Guard, Space Marine, Chaos, Squat and Eldar armies.
10. Whats your opinion on the quality of the models that had and have been available from the various epic versions?
Different sculptors have different takes on the intellectual property so there tends to be some diversity
even within the same army. This is another area where the Orks shine as they are supposed to be disparate and varied. As with anything in this hobby its all about personal taste and opinion ? like any other gamer there are some models I love and some I don?t.
11. What made you sell your prized Epic Ork Army?
The main reason was that I?d not used it for years. Games Workshop has so many games systems it?s hard to keep up sometimes. There are some systems I?ve not played at all yet. When I left White Dwarf I decided I wanted to try to concentrate more rather than spread myself across so many systems. Warhammer is where my main focus is.
So, the Orks had to go as I could n;t see myself playing with them all that much. My roleplaying group is no more and most of my regular opponents
play other systems. It was a wrench letting it go but I?d rather it got to see action than sit in its toolbox collecting dust?
12. Will you at some point consider starting up another Epic Ork force sometime in the future?
*sigh* Those Tau are looking very nice?
13. One question that came up among some people on the Epicomms
forum regarding collectors/players, hoarders and rare item seekers. So the question is what do you do, are you a collector/gamer and hoard things?
Not sure I quite understand the question.
What was meant there was do you collect
armies or special figures, like unreleased
stuff. Or as the impression I get is more a gamer who only buys what he needs.
** AH!
Yes I?m very much a person who just buys what I want/need. The rare stuff I?ll get if I?m likely to use it but otherwise I?m not bothered. If I wanted to be a collector I?d get into WW2 Militaria.
14. What do you get up to now in Gamesworkshop ?
Right now I?m marketing manager for our UK Trade Sales department. This is the team that services
all the independent retailers around Britain. A change of pace and new challenges ? I?m loving it!
15. Any tips for a newbie ork player?
Get used to Goblin Green?
16. Last but not least which may be hard to answer, do you think Epic has a future even though its been revamped
again after what was viewed as a dud product was released in the form of Epic40000. It seemed to split the epic camp and there were many for and against it. The models were to die for and are only getting better, it?s a shame though that the Feral Orks in the Swordwind supplement havent as yet seen the light of day.
GW is still supporting all the specialist games. The answer is really with the gaming community ? if they continue to play it then we?ll continue to give it more support. I have no reason to believe Epic is to be deleted or rundown ? we?re making new stuff at the moment for instance so it seems fairly obvious
we?re committed to its future?
Cheers,
Paul
_________________
Sofa General
Nobody expects the Inquisition!!!
http://theepiclounge.wordpress.com/
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I've always thought that hobby magazines are better when comics and humor are included.
