When John Blanche died earlier this month, the hobby lost the artist who, more than anyone, gave Warhammer its grimy, gothic soul. His final project will not die with him: the studio behind it, Harrowhound Miniatures, has confirmed that John Blanche's En Garde will be completed.
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See how it worksEn Garde is a duelling miniatures game set in Therae, a baroque, sea-faring city where sword-and-pistol masters, living and undead, fight to be crowned the finest duellist around. It leans into the swashbuckling romance of old films like The Duellists, all backstabs and leaping across tabletops, rendered in chunky 54mm figures sculpted by Paul Hicks and Patrick Masson from Blanche's own concept art. The opening Kickstarter, for the first wave of miniatures, funded in 12 minutes back in May and closed on $158,602 from 994 backers, a clear sign of how much affection there is for Blanche's work.
Blanche spent decades as a Games Workshop artist, shaping the look of Warhammer 40,000 and effectively inventing the "grimdark" aesthetic the whole hobby borrows from. He retired from the company in recent years and, far from slowing down, painted more than ever. En Garde reunited him with Tuomas Pirinen, his old collaborator on the cult skirmish game Mordheim, who has been turning Blanche's art and ideas into the game's rules and lore.
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Find events near youIn a statement on 6 June, Harrowhound said the full game will be finished to honour the commitment they made to him, support his family, show off his final artwork, and bring on new talent in the way he would have wanted. It is a rare bit of warmth in an industry that does not always pause for these things. For backers and admirers, it means the last world John Blanche dreamed up will actually make it to the table.
Sources: Kickstarter | Tabletop Sentinel | The Gamer
