Creative Assembly says it wanted to 'authentically simulate' the Warhammer tabletop experience for Total War: Warhammer 40,000 by adding references, lore, and more

Date:
Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Description:
Creative Assembly worked closely with Games Workshop to ensure the Total War: Warhammer 40,000 player experience was as "authentic" as possible.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Creative Assembly has explained how it designed a faithful Warhammer player experience for Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Battle product owner Dave Petry says the team didn't
directly recreate the tabletop systems, but tried to "authentically simulate" them Creative Assembly continued its "trusting" relationship with Games Workshop, which shared its "infinite knowledge" Creative Assembly worked closely with Games Workshop to ensure the Total War: Warhammer 40,000 player experience was as "authentic" to the tabletop game as possible.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, lead designer Joy Dey and battle product owner Dave Petry discussed the upcoming strategy game's combat system and shared how it was able to faithfully translate the feeling of Warhammer 's tabletop systems. Rather than a complete one-to-one recreation, Petry explained that the goal was to "authentically simulate" the feel of the tabletop's combat. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

"We really, really care about trying to authentically simulate the feeling of the type of combat, whatever period or kind of warfare that it is, right?" Petry said. "So in a historical, obviously, war on Earth, and generally we have the sorts of weapons that you have on Earth. When it's fantasy, it's magic and mages and all that sort of stuff, and obviously, with the science fantasy and 40k , the biggest reference point you have to that is the tabletop.

"But it's not necessarily like the be-all and end-all of it," he continued. "We're not transposing the tabletop, right? We're trying to create an authentic sense of the lore and the kind of combat that's there, but the love for the tabletop absolutely is present." You may like 'We're all keen to keep evolving' Creative Assembly says Total War: Warhammer 40,000's controller support was developed alongside the game's battle system and doesn't believe the 'myth' that a gamepad can't work with RTS games Creative Assembly says Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is designed for both newcomers and hardcore fans and teaches mechanics on a 'step-by-step basis' 'I view the tutorial for an experienced player as kind of like an appetizer' Creative Assembly says its new Warcore engine has allowed it to take Total War: Warhammer 40,000 into space and build 'a bigger play area for all the planets, all the solar systems, the whole galaxy 'I think that's the biggest thing for campaign'

Petry said that, like so many fans, he's been playing and collecting
Warhammer 40k since he was young and confirmed that references and nods to
the universe, like names, abilities, and lore, are in the upcoming strategy game. However, he said some elements of the tabletop game "just don't fit" with the game's real-time simulation

Creative Assembly also focused on making the game feel "familiar" to the
Total War franchise; combat has also been scaled up, and he explained that macro positioning, where the player's forces are, flanking, and enemy morale are all things that come into play. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals,
and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Petry said positioning in particular is being treated as "an interpretation
of the lore and the universe, with the tabletop being one of the most important references."

The developer also added that Creative Assembly continued its long-standing collaboration with Games Workshop to ensure authenticity, saying their "special relationship" has helped the studio combat issues it was dealing with.

"[If] we can't find the thing that quite works for [the game], or this piece of lore sounds similar, but doesn't quite work," Prety added, "And for them
to be able to come back with their infinite knowledge of all of this stuff
and go, 'Well, you're right. This doesn't quite fit, but over here we have something that actually might be able to do the job.'

"And that close or trusting collaboration has, I think, enabled us to create something that captures that authentic feeling."

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 launches in 2027 for PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X , Series S , and PC. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles 1. Best overall: PlayStation 5 Slim 2. Best budget: Xbox Series S 3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2 4. Most powerful: PlayStation 5 Pro



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/creative-assembly-says-it-wanted-to-authentic ally-simulate-the-warhammer-tabletop-experience-for-total-war-warhammer-40-000 -by-adding-references-lore-and-more


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)