To innumerable aficionados of tabletop war games around the world, Warhammer is a very familiar name. Indeed, it's likely that many observers would rate Games Workshop's property the dominant one within the category. It
takes place in a dark, violent fantasy universe where stalwart warriors, powerful mages and ferocious beasts find themselves almost constantly fighting to survive. Within the Old World, the foremost realm and probably the most affluent is the Empire, a confederation of independent provinces and city states. Ruled by an Emperor and various Elector Counts, it is also a potent military force; its armies play a critical role in holding at bay the ever-threatening legions of darkness such as marauding Orcs, the vile rat-men called Skaven, and the barbaric followers of Chaos. The battles among these and more are played out by gamers using legions of figurines.

Not surprisingly, there was substantial interest when Warhammer Online was announced. Fans were naturally eager to experience the persistent state world version, where they would be able to see and explore a substantial segment of the Empire including its three great cities, Marienburg in the northwest, Nuln in the southeast and the Imperial Capital of Altdorf at the center. The initial playable races, all typical of this region, would be Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings and Ogres, with Warrior, Academic, Rogue and Adventurer starting archetypes plus opportunities to specialize later on. As further information became known, the level of anticipation rose steadily. Consequently, the news in June that development had been discontinued evoked considerable disappointment. Happily, developer Climax chose to carry on. Recently, we received the chance to explore this decision and the related circumstances with Climax Online President David Nicholson.