First off Bill I would like to thank you for joining us here at Datasphere. It is a pleasure to be able to do this interview with you and we look forward to many more as your line grows.
It's my pleasure, happy to do it!
I am sure many of our members would like to know about you before we get started with talking about your fantastic terrain.
How long have you been into gaming?
Infinity is actually my first wargame. I've played video games as long as I can remember. Before wargames I was pretty into card games like Magic and VS. I really enjoyed the deckbuilding aspect which has translated quite nicely into list building in Infinity. I have a weakness for themed lists and for using units that aren't supposed to be good. (All Imperial Agent list Gencon '14!) I do remember going to card tournaments and seeing the wargamers with their giant cases, tape measures and templates and thinking "those guys are hardcore". My backpack of deck boxes paled in comparison.
Are there any games of note that you have played or currently play that you would like to share?
Our local playgroup has been playing Infinity pretty exclusively for awhile now. I flirted with Dropzone Commander for a bit and enjoyed that. We're also probably going to start playing an Infinity RPG based on Eclipse Phase real soon.
Do you have one game in particular that stands out as your favorite?
That one should be apparent
I do wish VS was still around though. I loved that game.We know you love Infinity but what many may not know is which sphere is your favorite and why?
I'm primarily a Combined Army player so you can keep your "Human Sphere" until I take it from you. I like and own all the factions for the most part. Neoterran and Military Orders can suck it though.
I have seen your models and they are painted wonderfully! Even your case to carry them to Gen Con was inventive and pretty darn shnazzy if I do say so myself. Would you like to share any pictures of your painted models?
Well I'm sure the models you're referring to aren't painted by me. All of my Nomads were painted by an extremely talented gentleman in Poland. He's got a thread going on the Infinity forums here:
http://infinitythegame.com/forum/index. ... ity-minis/
Most of the stuff in this thread is mine
I bought that Aswuang off of ebay from him and liked it so much I commissioned him to do a Nomad army for me. My partner Jay has painted a few combined models for me as well. I really like painting but I'm definitely still learning the craft. I'd say I'm an average painter with lofty aspirations. For me holding well painted models from various painters is a better tutorial than anything else out there, so I enjoy buying painted models or having people paint stuff for me whenever I can.
The case is from TableWar (http://www.tablewar.com/)
Look for Magno to have a way better one by Feast of Blades.
Do you run Warsenal alone?
In the beginning yes, fortunately not anymore. I have a fantastic partner, Jay (Mulciber).
How long has Warsenal been a company?
I started it last July I believe.
It’s great getting a bit better look at a persons background and their shared love for our hobby. Now lets get into the nitty gritty and talk about your terrain.
What was the motivation to start your own line of terrain?
Mainly cost. When I started playing Infinity it was primarily on 40K tables. As everyone knows that can lead to some pretty poor Infinity games. I started looking for terrain and wound up buying a bunch of Sarissa stuff. I wanted to grow the scene locally so I needed a couple of tables worth of terrain. It started to get pretty expensive shipping everything from the UK so I kept wondering why there were no MDF terrain manufacturers in the US. It seemed like a valid business opportunity so I bought an entry level laser. I figured worst case I'd have a cool new toy to play with.
Luckily people liked the stuff and as long as they do we'll keep making it.
Has this been something you have wanted to do for years or was it a relatively new idea?
I wish I could say I have that sort of foresight but it was definitely a recent idea.
When designing your terrain what were certain key factors you took into consideration?
We simply try to make terrain that is beautiful and functional.
Were you designing it with the express intent for it to be used for Infinity or did you have additional gaming systems in mind?
Definitely with Infinity in mind as we design terrain that we want to play on and that's what we play mostly. We do have other lines planned that won't have Infinity specifically in mind though.
What influences or inspiration did you use in the look of your terrain?
There are a ton of places we get scifi inspiration. We have a folder full of images from various games, art books, concept art from scifi movies, etc. Basically anytime we see something that looks cool we grab it for future reference.
You have some really unique design concepts with your Alpha and Beta buildings. The shape of them would not be considered the norm in wargames terrain. This adds a very unique character to your buildings and sets them apart from the rest. What we would like to know is beyond being ascetically pleasing, what was your motivation for this design?
We were planning on doing a follow up building the Command Bunker and we knew we wanted it to be a more general purpose building. Driving to work one morning I had the idea for a donut shaped structure made up of many wedge shaped buildings. I called Jay into my office, explained the idea, scribbled some nonsense onto a piece of paper and away we went.
Your command bunker is also very unique in its design. Was there a reason for this as well? Did you have a specific game in mind when designing it or was it just a fantastic result of a very creative imagination?
This one was all Jay so you'll have to ask him that one
It was definitely designed with the Paradiso campaign in mind though.You also have a wonderful range of accessories or smaller pieces of terrain. They fit the theme of your buildings very well and add another element of depth to the table. They seem to be very much geared towards Infinity but I could see them working well in any sci fi setting. Were there specific reasons you chose to design the accessories you have thus far?
The Communications Array and Tech Consoles were designed to fit the aesthetic of the Comman Bunker specifically.
Are there any new projects you have in the works you could possibly share or give us a sneak peak of?
No pics to share at the moment but we have a bunch of facades done for the buildings they just need to be finalized for packaging, photographed and added to the store. Also we may have something else "dropping" onto the tables very soon.
Bill I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to do this interview. I know I speak for everyone when I say we wish you the best in this venture and look forward to all the updates and additions to your line.
Thanks for asking me. It was a lot of fun!
