When I first started on this project to convert Chainsaw Warrior from board game to this online version I sat and read the whole rule book from cover to cover. I found in the middle the following design notes written by Chainsaw Warriors creator Stephen Hand way back in 1987! It's strange but I can't remember ever coming across them before, whats even stranger is how much they reflect my life at the time of doing the online version. I too am in my final year at University, suffering from many sleepless nights and just unable to stop working on this game. As a sign of respect to Steve I've included his oringinal notes here for you to read. One day I might add some of my own here and even better I'd like to get an updated version from Steve to see what he thinks of his games latest incarnation! Enjoy. Peter Duncanson - Online Designer November 1999
"It was back in May 1986 when I first came up with the notion for a new game. My University degree course was drawing rapidly to an end and everything was passing in the usual flurry of sleepless nights and barely met dissertation deadlines. Yet in those gaps where I paused to preserve sanity, I began to toy with the idea of designing something a bit different."
"I wanted to do something exciting for the solitary player..."	"I wanted to do something exciting for the solitary player, something which would be so much fun it would compensate for the lack of player interaction. Indeed I hoped to create a system which would provide the illusion of an intelligent opponent inherent in the design itself. And I wanted the game to be fast and undemanding - a kind of up-market Patience. After playing Avalon Hill's classic 'Up Front' my eyes were opened to the freedom and, so far, unexploded potential of a simple pack of cards. I decided to make my game a card game, bearing in mind the natural relationship between cards and solitaire play."
"My choice of subject came about as a result of two factors. I often thought that there were not enough good horror games on the market and I wanted to try to rectify that situation (indeed, I hope this game sees the start of a new trend). The more futuristic aspects were derived from watching too much telly (and some films of dubious nature) while revising. The portrayal of Carpenter-esque, ultra-violent horror breaks new ground in the gaming industry, steering away from the more traditional - though highly enjoyable - gothic approach. The hero himself had to be some form of walking tank, though I see him more as a character of comic fiction that a Stallone clone. The game itself had to be fast, varied and difficult to keep the player interested; and it had to be a challenge. By June I had my story line sorted out and had started to list all the creatures, weapons, traps, etc. as well as some rudimentary rules. With time the more specific mechanics came to suggest themselves too."
"A major influence on the game was the nature of the house explored by our hero. I had considered boards, tiles and geomorphic layouts but none of these gave the proper impression of the labyrinthine building. The answer came from a consideration of solo game books. My rules, story and required degree of involvement were on roughly the same level as those to be found in the books. Yet as we all know, the books are exhaustible - they only have a limited number of uses before everything becomes boringly predictable. I wanted to build a house that could be explored in game book fashion, yet could never be exhausted. I hope that you are pleased with the solution as I am."	"I hope you are as pleased with the out come as I am."
"However, my final exam was due and so the project had to be shelved.. or so I thought. I kid you not when I say that I had only one day left in which to revise for the last exam, so fall I had fallen behind schedule. A pile of books beckoned but I had to get that damned game out of my system! So I went to the shops, bought the necessary raw materials for a finished prototype and returned - to find that I had thrown away my notes by accident! Which is why I ended up, one rainy afternoon, delving into the vast smelly rubbish skip in the campus car park until at last I regained my sheets of green felt-tipped manuscript! That night the game was on the receiving end of some heavy testing. Luckily it worked out first time: the closest thing to video game without electricity! Around 10pm that night, I started revising for that dreaded exam."
"After informal play testting by my usual cronies the game underwent a few minor alterations. It was noticeable from the very start that my players were becoming addicted - good! Indeed, as far as I know, the game has only been beaten three times out of a multitude of sessions (the gauntlet is thrown!)"
"...as far as I know, the game has only been beaten three times out of a multitude of sessions (the gauntlet was thrown!)"
"Since 1985 I had been very loosely involved with Games Workshop and various potential projects resulted. One such project was accepted for publication only to be subsequently rejected because of copyright difficulties, and others followed a similar path. Nice games Steve, shame about the subjects. Imagine my surprise, then, when 'Zero Hour' (the game's original title) was virtually contracted on the spot! Months of labour had paid off."
"To Wrap up, no flattery or mutual back-slapping intended, but I really must thank all those at Workshop from whom I have received encouragement in one form or another. Oh, whats that you say. 'How'd the exam go?' Well, all modesty aside, the right questions came up and I got an 'A', which goes to show that Chainsaw Warrior is good for your education, if not for the health of some verminous, rotting zombies!"
Stephan Hand - Original Game Design February 1987 Top Of Page