The purpose of the inner circle was largely to develop the Dark Angels chapter and legion further, create opportunities for the gamers and hobbyists to be involved through the auspices of the B+C board and generally be at the forefront of anything that was related to Dark Angels. Having four of the more comprehensive Dark Angels websites under our purview and four amongst us being moderators at the Dark Angels forum gave us the opportunity of seriously working on the Dark Angels back ground.
We came up with the idea of creating a background for the involvement of the unforgiven forces in the EOT campaign. That gradually underwent metamorphosis in to the Gathering of Angels EOT campaign, which consisted of a series of missions that would be released to the gaming public, who could register with our own web site and send us the results. The results of each segment would affect the missions in the next. This was designed in a linear fashion simply because we would only be using input from Dark Angels players, on the results of their battles. The participants could choose which of the five missions they wanted to be involved in and send in their results. Missions for EPIC and BFG were also included.
It was the web mastering genius of Owen Rees which allowed the successful creation of the GoA web site. Every member of the inner circle contributed their precious time and much effort. The campaign missions were matched to the events occurring in the EOT campaign and modified as the war see sawed from victory to defeat. We launched the GoA campaign three weeks ahead of the EOT to get the preliminary missions under way, and a each segment was completed I would have the narrative story for that segment ready to be released. Such was the beginning of the GoA narrative story.
Sadly real life involvement and the burn out caused by the EOT campaign meant that the final segment of the story, including the outcomes and the end of the plot lines were not completed until late January 2004. My humble apologies to the patient masses of the Unforgiven.
This piece of fiction is written in a fashion to try and depict the massive width and scale of the conflict. Most characters make appearances in single chapters and often end falling to the enemy. Such was the carnage in the EOT that I wanted to capture the feel that no hero or villain was beyond te clutches of death. A few supremely gifted characters are seen to direct the fate of their followers in these desperate times.
This is seriously the first full length piece of fiction I have written. (previously they have been either short stories or backgrounds for armies and strike forces) I am but a simple amateur trying to put in words my imagination and my creative thoughts. I have lived the campaign in my mind, trying to capture the feeling of impending doom that most characters faced in this awesome event. I have tried my best to weave a web of intrigue in this storyline, while keeping true to everything in GW history. I hope that the end result keeps up with the expectation I had for it.
I am most grateful to the members of the Inner Circle, for the support and creative help they provided and mostly for the feedback and direction on the chapters I had written. Much thanks also to the members of Games Workshop Development Team, especially Andy Hoare, who never ceases to encourage the hobbyists. Lastly, but most importantly, I wish to thanks the gaming public, the fanatic Dark Angel players, whose enthusiasm and support was instrumental not only in the successful culmination of the Gathering Angels campaign and story but also the continued growth of the Fortress of the Unforgiven.
Thanks You
The Shadow Guard |