Andy Chambers Explained

Birth Date:20 October 1966
Birth Place:Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Occupation:Wargame designer, writer
Nationality:English
Spouse:Jessica Chambers

Andy Chambers (born 20 October 1966)[1] is an English author and game designer best known for his work on over 30 Games Workshop rulebooks and sourcebooks.

Personal life

In 2003, he married Jessica Chambers after they met at KublaCon 2002.

Career

Chambers is best known for his work for Games Workshop, where he worked from March 1990 to March 2004. He worked extensively on various Warhammer 40,000 rulebooks and sourcebooks, and also authored multiple fiction novels set in the same universe.[2] [3] Chambers was the lead designer on a number of Warhammer 40,000 spin-off games, such as Necromunda (1995) and Battlefleet Gothic (1999), produced by Specialist Games.[4] [5] These games were released at a time of major growth for Games Workshop and "were designed with expansions and more miniatures sales in mind".[6]

In 2003, Chambers joined Mongoose Publishing as the lead designer of the company's development team for the Starship Troopers tabletop miniatures game.[7] Starship Troopers won "Best New Game" in the 2005 Origins Awards.[8]

Chambers was the Lead Story Writer for Blizzard Entertainment, for .[9] According to Megan Farokhmanesh, "much of the groundwork on Wings of Liberty was done, but it was Andy Chambers who finished the title".[10]

Between 2005 and 2018, Chambers wrote several books and novellas set in Warhammer 40,000 and the majority were about the Dark Eldar. Antony Jones, for SFBook in his review of Path of the Renegade (Dark Eldar Book 1), wrote "I loved how the author manages to elevate the Dark Eldar above that of humanity by describing games played with human captives as they watch them around a human size maze, the humans think they are really escaping but in reality being directed at every turn and watched over by their Eldar masters - very much like mice overlooked by people in white coats. [...] There aren't many novels that focus purely on the evil and even fewer that manage to pull it of effectively but Chambers does an excellent job here, it's one of the best examples I've read".[11]

On 14 May 2012 Dust Warfare, written by Andy Chambers, was released by Fantasy Flight Games.[12] [13] In June 2013, Fantasy Flight Games announced that New Zealand-based Battlefront Miniatures would take over distribution of both Dust Warfare and Dust Tactics.[14] [15]

In 2015, Chambers became a Creative Director at Reforged Studios.[16] [17] Chambers, Tuomas Pirinen, and Ryan Miller created the skirmish board game Warforged: First Contact for Reforged Studios and Ninja Division Publishing who planned to bring it to market through a Kickstarter campaign.[18] [19] While the campaign beat its goal of $60,000, the campaign was cancelled before the Kickstarter ended. There has been no update on the game since April 2017.[20]

Chambers and David Lewis received a nomination together in the 2017 Origins Awards "Miniatures" category for Dropfleet Commander by Hawk Wargames.[21] In 2017, he created Blood Red Skies, an air combat miniature game, which was released by Warlord Games. He also created multiple expansions for the game between 2017 and 2019.[22] Matt Jarvis, in a review of Blood Red Skies: Battle of Britain for Tabletop Gaming, wrote "abstracting altitude, position, damage levels and more into a single visual cue is a brilliant touch, making the slick ruleset effortless to execute and every battle look cinematic – closing in on a plane with its nose already pointed at the floor is an exciting moment, especially when combined with the simple but effective rules for tailing. [...] With a bit of tightening up, Blood Red Skies could be a strong contender for an involving tournament and spectator game – at the moment, it's just a little too loose for anything but casual play. [...] But you know what? None of that really mattered a smidge while I was actually playing Blood Red Skies, because I was just having such a fun time watching my squadrons zip through clouds, around anti-air defences and unleash bursts of machine-gun fire on enemy pilots who would similarly dance around, whizzing between the tips of wings to try and zero in".[23] Chambers also designed Strontium Dogs, a skirmish game, which was released by Warlord Games in 2018.[24]

In 2019, Chambers was a contributor to Frostgrave: The Wizard's Conclave. In his chapter “The Abandoned Workshop”, "warbands vie for control of powerful magical construct that is guarding a workshop full of potions. The conflict with the construct takes place in a confined space, with warbands trying to avoid attacks while gathering treasure".[25]

Works

Board Games, Card Games and Miniature Games

TitleGameCreditsDate
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles (4th Edition)Warhammer (4th Edition)Designer1992
Warhammer: Battle MagicWarhammer (4th Edition)Designer1992
Renegades: Eldar and Chaos Armies for Space MarineSpace MarineDesigner1992
Ork and Squat WarlordsSpace MarineDesigner1992
Warhammer Armies: SkavenWarhammer (4th Edition)Designer1993
Warhammer Armies: High ElvesWarhammer (4th Edition)Designer1993
Space Marine BattlesSpace Marine (2nd edition)Designer1993
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000 (Second edition)Designer1993
Titan LegionsAdeptus TitanicusDesigner1994
Warhammer 40,000 CodexWarhammer 40,000 (Second edition)Designer1994
Dark MillenniumWarhammer 40,000 (Second edition)Designer1994
Warhammer 40,000 BattlesWarhammer 40,000 (Second edition)Designer1995
NecromundaNecromunda (First edition)Designer1995
Hive WarSpace Marine (2nd edition)Designer1995
Space HulkSpace Hulk (2nd edition)Designer1996
Necromunda: OutlawsNecromunda (1st edition)Designer1996
Warhammer Epic 40,000Warhammer Epic 40k (3rd edition)Designer1997
Warhammer Armies: High ElvesWarhammer (5th Edition)Designer1997
Warhammer 40,000: Storm of VengeanceWarhammer 40,000 (2nd edition)Designer1997
Necromunda: Battles in the UnderhiveNecromunda (1st edition)Designer1997
GorkamorkaGorkamorka (1st edition)Designer1997
Spaceship BattlesWarhammer Specialist GameDesigner1998
Bommerz over da Sulphur RiverWarhammer Specialist GameDesigner1998
Battlefleet GothicWarhammer Battlefleet GothicDesigner1999
Warp StormWarhammer Battlefleet GothicDesigner2000
Warhammer 40,000: Chapter ApprovedWarhammer 40,000 (3rd edition)Designer2001
Warhammer: SkavenWarhammer (6th Edition)Designer2002
Warhammer 40,000: Battle for MacraggeWarhammer 40,000 (4th edition)Designer2004
Warhammer 40,000 (Fourth Edition)Warhammer 40,000 (4th edition)Designer2004
Starship Troopers Miniatures GameDesigner2005
Battlefleet Gothic ArmadaWarhammer Battlefleet GothicDesigner2005
Dust Warfare Core BookDust WarfareDesigner2012
Flame WarFlame War (card game)Designer2012
FanticideFanticide Designer2012
Bolt Action: Armies of the Soviet UnionBolt ActionDesigner2013
Bolt Action: Ostfront – Barbarossa to BerlinBolt ActionDesigner2015
Bolt Action: Empires In FlamesBolt ActionDesigner2015
Dropfleet CommanderDropzone CommanderDesigner2016
Dark DeedsDark Deeds (card game)Designer2016
Darker DeedsDark Deeds (card game)Designer2017
Blood Red SkiesBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Yakovlev Yak-1 SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: US Ace Pilot – George PreddyBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Supermarine Spitfire MK.II SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Soviet Ace Pilot – Lydia LitvyakBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: P-51 Mustang SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Mitsubishi A6-M5 Zero SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Messerschmitt BF109 E SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Japanese Ace Pilot – Saburo SakaiBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: German Ace Pilot – Adolf GallandBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: British Ace Pilot – 'Sailor' MalanBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Blood Red Skies: Boulton Paul Defiant Mk IBlood Red SkiesDesigner2017
Warforged: First ContactWarforged: First Contact (board game)Designer2018
Strontium Dog: The Good, the Bad, & the Mutie Starter SetStrontium DogDesigner2018
Strontium Dog: RulebookStrontium DogDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: British Ace Pilot – Douglas BaderBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: British – Bristol Blenheim Mk IV BomberBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: de Havilland Mosquito SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: German – Junkers Ju 52Blood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: German – Junkers Ju 88 A BomberBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: Hawker Hurricane SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: Soviet – Liszunov Li-2Blood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: Soviet – Tupolev ANT-40 (SB-2) BomberBlood Red SkiesDesigner2018
Blood Red Skies: Allied Ace Pilot – Witold UrbanowiczBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: British – RAF Expansion PackBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German Ace Pilot – "Bombo" SchenckBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German Ace Pilot – "Pips" PrillerBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German Ace Pilot – Eduard TrattBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German – Bf 110 SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German – Fw 190 SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German – Junkers Ju 87D Stuka SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German – Luftwaffe Expansion PackBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019
Blood Red Skies: German – Messerschmitt Me 410 SquadronBlood Red SkiesDesigner2019

Novels and Short Stories

TitleSeries/SettingDateISBN
Survival Instinct (Necromunda)Necromunda24 May 2005978-1844161881
Midnight on the Street of Knives (Dark Eldar Novella)Path of the Dark EldarJune 2011
Path of the Renegade (Dark Eldar Book 1)Path of the Dark Eldar28 February 2012978-1849701372
The Treasures of Biel-Tanigh (Dark Eldar Novella)Path of the Dark Eldar4 February 2013
Bellathonis and the Shadow King (Dark Eldar Novella)Path of the Dark Eldar11 February 2013
The Masque of Vyle (Harlequins Novella)Path of the Dark Eldar22 February 2013
Path of the Incubus (Dark Eldar Book 2)Path of the Dark Eldar26 February 2013978-1849703000
The Alien Hunters (Deathwatch Novella)Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters17 March 2014
Path of the Archon (Dark Eldar Book 3)Path of the Dark Eldar25 March 2014978-1849705912
Path of the Dark Eldar (Dark Eldar Omnibus)Path of the Dark Eldar17 March 2015978-1849708357
The Arkunasha War (Tau Empire Novella)Tau Empire4 September 2015
Deus Ex Mechanicus (Adeptus Mechanicus Novella)Adeptus Mechanicus23 April 2018 (first printed Sep 2000 in Inferno! #20)

Role Playing Games

TitleGameCreditsDateISBN
Rites of BattleDeathwatchDesigner2011978-1589947818
Mark of the XenosDeathwatchDesigner2011978-1589947825
Black Crusade Core RulebookBlack CrusadeDesigner2011978-1616611439
Battlefleet KoronusRogue TraderDesigner2011978-1589947993
The Lathe WorldsDark Heresy (1st Edition)Designer2012978-1589947689
AccursedSavage WorldsDesigner2013978-0991343607
Accursed Player's GuideSavage WorldsDesigner2013

Magazines

TitlePublicationCreditsDate
White Dwarf (Issue 124)White Dwarf MagazineAuthorApril 1990
White Dwarf (Issue 127)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorJuly 1990
White Dwarf (Issue 134)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorFebruary 1991
White Dwarf (Issue 136)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorApril 1991
White Dwarf (Issue 137)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorMay 1991
White Dwarf (Issue 145)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorJanuary 1992
White Dwarf (Issue 151)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorJuly 1992
White Dwarf (Issue 186)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorJune 1995
White Dwarf (Issue 189)White Dwarf Magazine AuthorSeptember 1995
Game Trade Magazine (Issue 194)Game Trade MagazineAuthorApril 2016

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Red Star Games - Pravda. www.redstargames.net. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190106151944/http://redstargames.net/pravda.html. 2019-01-06. live.
  2. Williams, Ian Warhammer: This is the Way the World Ends Paste Magazine. July 25, 2015
  3. Contreras, Paulmichael Orks and Humans Clash in the Latest Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Trailer PlayStation Lifestyle. July 25, 2015
  4. Book: Tringham, Neal. Science Fiction Video Games. CRC Press. 2014. 9781482203899. 377–378.
  5. Web site: Andy Chambers Board Game Designer BoardGameGeek. boardgamegeek.com. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624160019/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/900/andy-chambers. 2019-06-24. live.
  6. Book: Zones of Control: Perspectives on Wargaming. Sturrock. Ian. Wallis. James. MIT Press. 2016. 9780262334952. 606.
  7. Web site: Andy Chambers Joins Starship Troopers! . Mongoose Publishing - News . Mongoose Publishing . 2003 . 2007-02-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070322034128/http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/news/news_item.php?pkid_news=35 . 22 March 2007 . dead .
  8. Web site: About Us. www.mongoosepublishing.com. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190629141027/https://www.mongoosepublishing.com/about.htm. 2019-06-29. live.
  9. Web site: Blizzard Outlines Starcraft II Gameplay . Gamespot . CNet Networks Entertainment . 2007-05-19 . 2007-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091632/http://au.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starcraft2/news.html?sid=6171178&mode=all . 2007-09-29 . dead .
  10. Web site: StarCraft: The past, present and future. Farokhmanesh. Megan. 2015-11-06. Polygon. en. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190630144530/https://www.polygon.com/2015/11/6/9670176/starcraft-2-future-history-dlc-blizzard. 2019-06-30. live.
  11. Web site: Path of the Renegade by Andy Chambers. Jones. Antony. April 10, 2012. SFBooks. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725022118/https://sfbook.com/path-of-the-renegade.htm. July 25, 2019. live. July 24, 2019.
  12. Web site: Fantasy Flight Games announces Dust Warfare. Fantasy Flight Games. Fantasy Flight Games. 2011-07-28. 2012-07-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20121102042029/http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2512. 2012-11-02. live.
  13. Web site: DUST Warfare: Core Rulebook Review (Video). Vela. Larry. 2012-06-13. Bell of Lost Souls. en-US. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194730/https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2012/06/dust-warfare-core-rulebook-review-video.html. 2019-07-25. live.
  14. Web site: EDITORIAL: Battlefront's DUST Purchase a Win for DUST. Travis. Mike. 2013-05-14. Bell of Lost Souls. en-US. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194732/https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/05/editorial-battlefronts-dust-purchase-a-win-for-dust.html. 2019-07-25. live.
  15. Web site: Dust Moves to Battlefront. May 8, 2013. The Esoteric Order of Gamers. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194721/https://www.orderofgamers.com/dust-moves-to-battlefront/. July 25, 2019. live. 2019-07-25.
  16. Web site: Reforged Studios' $2.5M from NetEase is second Asian investment in Finland this week (update). 2015-10-27. VentureBeat. en-US. 2019-06-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624195701/https://venturebeat.com/2015/10/27/reforged-studioss-2-5m-funding-from-netease-is-second-asian-investment-in-finland-this-week/. 2019-06-24. live.
  17. Web site: Interview with Andy Chambers. Dados. Juegos y. 2018-09-17. Juegos y Dados. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624195650/https://juegosydados.com/2018/09/17/interview-with-andy-chambers/. 2019-06-24. live. 2019-06-24.
  18. Web site: GLOOMHAVEN?! (Tabletop Weekly - Boardgaming, Wargaming & RPG News). dead. Hulmes. Mark "Sherlock". April 8, 2017. YouTube. 7:05–9:25. July 25, 2019. 20 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201220071944/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV5QYJoK44Y.
  19. Web site: Warforged is Funded Get In While You Can. Zambrano. J. R.. 2017-04-23. Bell of Lost Souls. en-US. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20181219131243/http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2017/04/warforged-funded-get-can.html. 2018-12-19. live.
  20. Web site: Update 3: We'll be back! Campaign update. · Warforged: First Contact by Andy Chambers and Tuomas Pirinen (Canceled). Kickstarter. en. 2019-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194720/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/275686604/warforged-first-contact-by-andy-chambers-and-tuoma/posts/1867631. 2019-07-25. live.
  21. Web site: The Complete List Of The 2017 Origins Awards Nominees. Sheehan. Gavin. May 12, 2017. Bleeding Cool. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724233110/https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05/12/complete-list-2017-origins-awards-nominees/. July 24, 2019. live. 2019-07-24.
  22. Web site: What's new in tabletop gaming (June edition). Branwyn. Gareth. June 20, 2018. Boing Boing. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624224857/https://boingboing.net/2018/06/20/whats-new-in-tabletop-gaming-2.html. June 24, 2019. live. 2019-06-24.
  23. Web site: Blood Red Skies: Battle of Britain review. Jarvis. Matt. November 9, 2018. Tabletop Gaming. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724234423/https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/board-games/reviews/blood-red-skies-battle-of-britain-review. July 24, 2019. live. 2019-07-24.
  24. Web site: What's new in tabletop gaming (November edition). Branwyn. Gareth. November 16, 2018. Boing Boing. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624224914/https://boingboing.net/2018/11/16/whats-new-in-tabletop-gaming-3.html. June 24, 2019. live. 2019-06-24.
  25. Web site: Review: Fantasy Game Dream Team Brings Magic to 'The Wizards' Conclave. Kade. Leigh. February 20, 2019. Bleeding Cool. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724233114/https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/02/20/review-fantasy-game-dream-team-brings-magic-to-the-wizards-conclave/. July 24, 2019. live. 2019-07-24.