It’s a great time to be a fan of the Death Korps of Krieg, with the recent release of Siege of Vraks, and two stone-cold classics returning in new Special Editions. Dead Men Walking was originally released in 2010 and won the Reader’s Choice award in 2021, and it will soon be making its way back across no-man’s land in an incredible new form. It will be joined by a Special Edition of Krieg, which was originally released in 2022.
We’ve scoured the trenches for the author of all three books, Steve Lyons, to ask a few probing questions about how it feels to write about the faceless legions of the Death Korps.
Warhammer Community: Can you explain the thought process behind choosing the Death Korps of Krieg to fight the similarly (though much more literally) robotic Necrons in Dead Men Walking?
Steve Lyons: I actually started with the Necrons. I wanted to write for them, so I had to find an Imperial Guard regiment to pit against them. I looked through a list of regiments for inspiration. I didn’t know much about the Death Korps of Krieg, but they jumped out at me, precisely because they seemed similar to Necrons in some respects. I thought that was loads to explore, like whether the Imperium is really any different to its enemies, and that’s where the themes of the book – and its name – took shape.
WarCom: The Death Korps of Krieg are often depicted as faceless and impersonal, so what makes them such compelling characters to write about?
Steve: In that first novel, we had no scenes from a Korpsman’s point of view, nor from a Necron’s, so I focused on how both might appear to others. I asked a lot of questions about what it must be like to be Krieg-born and conditioned, and I realised I wanted to explore those questions further. So, it’s the mystery itself, I think, that makes them so compelling, and that’s why I’ve returned to the Death Korps so many times since.
WarCom: How did you distinguish the Krieger approach to war from other famous regiments seen in Black Library books, like Cadians, Catachans, Valhallans, or Tanith?
Steve: I think the key to their tactics is that they see no value to their lives other than as resources to be expended as efficiently as possible, the same as they might view a lasgun or a frag grenade. They’re also siege specialists, so it helps to show them in their element, manning Earthshakers in the trenches before charging gung-ho across no-man’s land.
WarCom: What might readers who know Krieg only by reputation be surprised to learn about the Death Korps and its members?
Steve: One thing we discussed early on was that, despite their reputation, the Krieg aren’t actually suicidal. Yes, they’ll sacrifice a horrific number of their own lives when they need to, but they won’t expend those resources for nothing. With that in mind, I think the decision they take at the end of Dead Men Walking makes sense, but might have come as a surprise to some readers.
WarCom: You've also written about loyal Imperial characters nevertheless on the receiving end of a Death Korps attack, such as the short stories Down Amongst Dead Men and The Strong Among Us. In what ways, if any, does the portrayal of them differ when seen through the eyes of someone on the opposite side of the battlefield?
Steve: Well, that’s where we started really, leaning in to the Death Korps’ inhuman reputation and their amazing visuals, and just emphasising how horrific it must be to see them charging across No Man’s Land towards you. We get a lot deeper into the Kriegs’ own thoughts these days, and I worry that too much of this might undermine their image, so I think it’s always good to see them from the outside again and remind ourselves that they are still basically ruthless fanatics.
WarCom: Was there a moment in Krieg or Dead Men Walking that you particularly enjoyed writing or felt had a significant impact on how readers see the soldiers of Krieg?
Steve: I think the Krieg are at their most iconic when we see them through outsiders’ eyes. For me, the key moment of Dead Men Walking is when our civilian character encounters them for the first time and runs from them, believing them to be monsters exactly like the Necrons.
Thanks Steve! We’ll have more news about the upcoming Special Editions soon, and you can always swing by Warhammer Community for the latest Black Library releases and reveals.