Tony Ackland - English version

Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Anthony Ackland, a renowned illustrator and concept artist known for his work on games such as Advanced HeroQuest, Warhammer Fantasy, and Warhammer 40,000. His artwork has appeared in countless products released by Games Workshop

I would like to thank HispaZargon from Ye Olde Inn for his collaboration in formulating the questions for this interview.

Full interview with Tony Ackland

 Hello Tony,

First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. The Advanced HeroQuest fan community deeply appreciates your contribution to the game. In my opinion, the artwork featured in its rulebooks stands among the finest ever produced by Games Workshop (GW) for a title of this kind.

Before we delve into Advanced Heroquest, (AHQ) we understand that you were involved with Games Workshop (GW) and Citadel almost from the very beginning. Could you tell us a bit about your professional background? How did you come to work with Bryan Ansell at Asgard Miniatures and later at Citadel/Games Workshop?

Tony Ackland: I met Bryan at a wargames show where Asgard had a stand. A friend and myself asked if he was interested in freelance miniatures. That was the start of my association with Bryan. Besides sculpting miniatures for Asgard I produced artwork to promote my figurines. Bryan and I became friends during this time. I did some freelance work for Citadel when Bryan moved there. When he moved back there he offered me a full time job doing artwork for them.

Prior to joining GW, were you a gamer yourself? If so, what kinds of games did you play?

TA: I played a lot of historical wargames and a little science fiction.

After your time at GW, you moved to Flame Publications. Could you explain the reasons behind that transition, and what your relationship with GW was like from that point onward?

TA: Flame was actually a subsidiary of GW. GW kept it as a secret back then. It was created to continue publishing Warhammer Role Play Fantasy supplements and to try out the viability of Desk Top Publishing. The latter was Mike Brunton's idea. It was due to our success that the Studio switched to DTP.

Do you recall when you first heard Bryan Ansell mention a new game called Advanced Heroquest? Did you volunteer to be part of the project, or how did your involvement as one of the illustrators come about?

TA: I really don't recall that much about how Advanced Heroquest came about.

We know that you were involved in the creation of the Fimir, one of the most iconic creatures from HeroQuest (1989). What can you tell us about that process? Did you create just the illustrations, or did you also contribute to the sculpting of the miniature?

TA: Bryan approached Graeme Davis to create a new creature race. Graeme then approached me to work on the look. There was a cover for a story based on Irish myth by Alan Lee which Graeme liked. So Fomorians became Fimir and the look was based on the Alan Lee image. They were sculpted by Nick Bibby.

What inspired your designs for the heroes and monsters in AHQ? Were you given any specific guidelines, or did you have the creative freedom to develop the concept art? Were any of the designs based on your existing work?

TA: All of my artwork that appeared in AHQ was already in existence. It was pretty well created as side product to cash in on the MB Heroquest.

During the development of the game's artwork, were you in contact with any of the artists who worked on Milton Bradley's original HeroQuest, such as Les Edwards or Gary Chalk? We know that Gary Chalk also contributed to AHQ, but were there any others with whom you collaborated or exchanged ideas? 

Were you in any way involved in the collaboration between GB and MB for the release of the original HeroQuest?

TA: The MB game used existing GW artwork. They lost a mummy drawing for which I had to create a new replacement.

Regarding the unpublished material, there are several illustrations in the Empire in Flames supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay that clearly feature the heroes from Advanced Heroquest. Additionally, there is a particular image (shown below) where they appear again. Do you remember what the original purpose of that illustration was? Was it intended for a specific adventure, a cover, or something else entirely?

TA: I think it was originally intended for Warhammer Fantasy Role Play.

Beyond illustrating the rulebook, did you have any other role in the creation of AHQ?

TA: No

In the AHQ only expansion released - Terror in the Dark, we also see many of your  illustrations. Were these pre-existing pieces, or did you create new artwork specifically for the expansion?

TA: Definitely pre-existing. There was an expansion started at Flame which was dropped due to some rule inconsistencies.

What kind of relationship did you have with other legendary GW illustrators such as John Blanche, Bob Naismith, Adrian Smith, John Sibbick, Paul Bonner, etc…? Do you have any anecdotes you’d like to share?

TA: Adrian Smith, Paul Bonner, Wayne England, Pete Knifton, and myself spent quite a bit of time in various Nottingham pubs. Some game designers would join us, mainly Jervis Johnson, Graeme Davis, and Mike Brunton, John and Bob tended to spend time with their families. In the early days it was usually Rick Priestley and myself. There were no other full time artists and writers back then.

You’ve earned the nickname “Master of Chaos” thanks to your illustrations in books such as Realm of Chaos. Is Chaos your favourite army? What draws you to depicting Chaos and Undead creatures in particular? And why do you typically work in black and white? (We’ve seen some colour work published in White Dwarf, though those pieces appear to have been coloured afterwards.)

TA: I was a fan of H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith's horror stories. I had done the illustrations for the Call of Cthulhu bestiary and it seemed logical that I should work on Realm of Chaos. Chaos demons and mutations were some of my favourite illustrations. Black and white illustration was the mainstay of Citadel/Games Workshop, colour was too expensive to be used extensively back then.

Which universe did you feel more working with—heroic fantasy, such as Warhammer Fantasy, or futuristic sci-fi, like Warhammer 40,000? When you began your career as an illustrator, which artists inspired you most, and which did you learn the most from?

TA: I found Warhammer Fantasy Role Play and Runequest the favourite worlds I worlds I worked on.

My influences go back the 50s Science Fiction pulps and the SF and horror film posters. Artists and illustrators like Ed Emshwiller, Wally Wood, Frank Kelly Freas, Virgil Finlay, and Reynold Brown were particularly influential.

Finally, before we end this interview, are you still involved in the board game or tabletop RPG industry today? Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share with us?

TA: I've been retired for over 15 years. I still keep in touch with some of the guys from the old days.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and for your remarkable contributions to the worlds of Advanced Heroquest, Warhammer, and beyond. Your work has left an enduring legacy in what many fans consider the golden age of Games Workshop.