At the recent Northern Kings Grand Tournament, I had the pleasure of facing Rob Burman (the Goblin King) and his Salamanders across the table. We had discussed an interview about his upcoming book over Messenger and this was the perfect opportunity. At the time our main focus was a bitter rivalry for the wooden spoon so I promised to paraphrase and misrepresent his words from memory. If you can’t wait long enough to read the article then Rob’s book ‘Rise of the Goblin King’ is due for release by Winged Hussar Publishing in the near future/is available from the Mantic webstore (delete as appropriate based on when you read this).
The Man
Rob presented in the wargamers uniform of black t-shirt and jeans with well-kept hair and exemplary personal hygiene. I wouldn’t normally mention this but Rob is known as the ‘Goblin King’ so I feel it fair to explain he tends more toward the Jared end of the spectrum than the Great Goblin end. The guy is also incredibly good-natured and a pleasure to talk to. If that isn’t enough (to illustrate what an all-round excellent human being Rob is) he was awarded ‘Most Sporting’ with nine votes over 5 games. I don’t know quite how that works mathematically but it checks out given I voted for the guy. My votes probably count double.
Once the community manager for Mantic he now… I think he’s studying? In his spare time, Rob probably enjoys painting miniatures and playing wargames. One time he punched a goose that was threatening legal action. Legend suggests that when the time is right Rob will rise from the ashes of the ancient world and herald a new dawn of peace and progress for the dinosaurs. I’ll be honest, there isn’t much to say other than he’s a great human being and wrote a book about a Goblin King.
The Gamer
When it comes to playing Kings of War our Rob is kinda mediocre. In all the tournaments we’ve both played he placed above myself but not by much. At the Northern Kings, we were both contending for the wooden spoon until a combination of his victory over my Northern Alliance and my victory over Alan’s Ogres ruined that for both of us. When all is said and done you won’t find a better opponent for sheer enjoyment of the game and generally sporting behaviour.
As the Goblin King his Goblin army is legendary for being an expression of love for the little green dudes. Why he has been playing Salamanders? It turns out there is room in our hearts for more than one love and that love is Scorchwings. Furthermore, Goblins and Salamanders play very differently and it’s great fun to try new armies and play styles. Especially when you get to paint entirely different models in entirely different colours. Who amoungst us can honestly place their hand up and say they don’t adore the Mantic Phoenix model?
The Author
My burning question for Rob was about the experience of writing his novel. The answer was… he couldn’t really remember. It was a lockdown project from the dark days of the Covid Pandemic and so much has happened since then. A refreshingly honest answer compared to some authors I’ve interviewed previously. If you really want to know the answer to this question just assume it was a fulfilling creative endeavour with ups and downs. Throw in a voyage of self-discovery and that’ll tick the boxes.
As we got chatting I managed to peel back the layers of the enigmatic Mr. Burman. The novel offered him a chance to add a fresh viewpoint to the world of Pannithor. There has been some excellent fiction that has centered Basileans (understandable given they are a uniquely Mantic culture) and their position as ‘good’. Rob opinioned that in terms of a religious society that concept was highly subjective. In bringing the Goblin King to the page he offered something to contrast the existing narrative.
Diving deeper into that contrast we stepped outside the Mantic universe to discuss the Goblins themselves. I asked Rob about the language of the Goblins and how they don’t use an over-the-top mockney accent like other model companies. He outlined the position that this made sense in terms of Goblins talking to Goblins. Communication in our own language is always clear. It would be other cultures and languages to the viewpoint character’s own that sound heavily accented or unfamiliar. Often goblin accents are overdone to sound deliberately silly and Rob was keen to point out that Goblins are not silly but have an excellent concept of mechanics and bodging.
I asked Rob if the Goblin’s knack for mechanical devices meant they had a vast vocabulary for mechanical concepts and advanced mathematical knowledge. He gave me a look that said ‘bit of a reach there Jess’ and pointed out they were more trial and error than success by design. Apparently, my attempts to discuss Goblin mincers and the rudiments of steam propulsion were for another time. Rob is more interested in Goblins being Goblins than concepts below the abstraction layer. A good sign when it comes to someone writing an action-packed book about a leader’s rise to power.
Will we be seeing more novels from Rob? Not for now, there are other priorities at present from both the author and publisher. In other words, we all need to buy a copy and demand more so he has no choice but to carry on the misadventures of everyone’s favourite King. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming release.
