Scripts • Dialogue • Development
Working on Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
I was the lead writer on Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, where the Tech-Priests of Mars faced legions of Necrons. I am also the writer on Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II, which also gives the player to fight through a campaign from the Necron side. Both are turn-based strategy games which let me work with the very peculiar personalities of the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as working in some pitch-black humour.
PRAISE FOR WARHAMMER 40,000: MECHANICUS
PC Gamer: “Mechanicus is written by Ben Counter… This experience shows, and not just because the game casually drops the word “noosphere” in the opening sentence.
“The story is framed by a group of high-ranking tech priests who are constantly debating each mission. They’re all wonderfully quirky characters: Scaevola has removed so much of their humanity they newspeak entirely in equations, and they’re excited to recover alien technology, while the devout Videx believes ignorance is strength and anything outside the Imperial dogma must be destroyed. Meanwhile their leader, Faustinius, has quarantined their emotions and only allows themselves to feel when appropriate. They’re Mechanicus’ great strength, and I came to truly treasure their bickering between missions.”
PC Invasion: “The characterization is superb! Each Magos even delivers their lines differently thanks to Ben Counter’s writing. The explanations of various features and quirks in the game are even lore-friendly to a certain degree such as telling you what happens when servitors are damaged, how to permanently remove Necrons from play, and why the tactical feed looks like the way it does. It truly captures the essence of this often underrepresented faction of the Imperium.”
Twinfinite: “Strong writing and thorough characterization of the player’s lieutenants were immediately apparent when starting a campaign. As a cohort of Tech-Priests moved through a Necron tomb, lieutenants would chime in on the current mission’s priorities.
“Whether it was my Tech Acquisitor Scaevola advising Xenos data collection, or Lector Dogmatus Videx extolling a Cult Mechanicus virtue, each character felt vibrant with a unique point of view. Ideological spats also occurred due to clashing viewpoints, and endeared each lieutenant all the more.”
Softpedia: “One of the game’s strong points is the story, which is written by Ben Counter, the author of multiple Black Library novels, but if you’re not a Warhammer afficionado, let’s just say that he’s a prolific writer who greatly contributed to the Warhammer universe with his work.”
