SEATTLE -- We all remember Mark Jacob's infamous quote: "All stealthers are griefers." His words are a dagger that twists in the heart of any rogue who has roleplayed one since they were old enough to pick up a Dungeons and Dragons manual.

Jacobs, the GM/VP of EA Mythic, headed up Dark Age of Camelot, a three-realm, player-verses-player game which included archer and assassin stealth classes. Now that EA Mythic has moved on to its next project, rogues at The Safehouse wonder, will there be a place for us in the Empire?

For the uninitiated, Warhammer Online centers upon two warring factions: Order and Chaos. The game is built upon the backs of Games Workshop, which created the tabletop game in 1983, and Mythic, which was recently bought by Electronic Arts. EA Mythic now handles all development of the game in conjunction with Games Workshop.

At the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle Washington, EA Mythic Product Manager Eric Correll said, "We want this game to feel -- from the armor, to the world, to the weapons, to the story -- very Warhammer. Not just very Warhammer. Warhammer."

Those who played Dark Age will see a similarity in character design, only with Warhammer it's as if you are now wearing glasses. The lines are sharper, the armor is crisper and the faces are more defined.

While other games focus on the player-verses-environment, EA Mythic plans to weave pvp combat throughout the game, from the
first time a player enters it.

"The bottom line with Warhammer is, we like to say War is everywhere, so you're not on the peripheral in the beginning," Correll said. "You are a green recruit and you are expected to pull your weight right off the bat."

Many pvp lovers hope Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is the answer to their pvp prayers: fair fights against equal numbers and a lower time requirement to reach maximum level and to get equipment. World pvp and instanced pvp against an equal number of opponents will be part of the game, said Ryan Barnard, realm-verses-realm designer.

"One of the things that we're striving to do is make sure that there is a reason to RVR," Barnard said. "It's not just, you're out killing people for killing people's sake. It actually affects the game, it affects the world that you're in."

(Dark Age of Camelot veterans will remember that after the New Frontiers expansion, if a realm had a large number of captured keeps, the realm would get bonuses, from damage, to faster crafting times to mana and health regeneration. Barnard did not elaborate on his comment.)

But for the hard-core pvpers, will there be a free-for-all server?

Carrie Gouskos, who updates the tome of knowledge, conferred with her colleagues before answering.

"I know at launch I don't believe we intend to have that," she said. "That's the best official answer I can grudge up."

Another detail that seemed hazy is whether there will be an assassin-type class in the game. So far there is nothing to satisfy a die-hard rogue.

Correll said he thinks there will be "something for everyone" in Warhammer. But when asked if there will be an assassin class in game, Barnard said, "I know but I don't know if I should say." Correll said the questions about class will be answered soon enough, when the game gets closer to launch in early 2008.

Listen to the 3 minute podcast recorded at PAX.