Games that are delayed again and again rarely make it on the market. Think of Duke Nukem 3D. After all the damn time that the game has spent in various stages of production, even the most die-hard fans are likely not to bother to pick it up when it gets into stores; if it ever gets into stores.

So, the news that MMO Warhammer Online is again delayed is by no means good. Sure, it might give the developers, Mythic, a few more months to polish up the game and fix anything that seems broken. But, given the salvo of delays that have hit Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, it seems to me that the game has hit some serious problems.

Meanwhile, publishers Electronic Arts have resorted to a bit of misdirection and are trying to make gamers take their minds off the delay by brandishing the Collector's Edition for the game and making it very, very appealing. Some might dismiss a Collector's Edition for a game that's been delayed as just an exercise in marketing that's aimed at bringing some more money to the publisher, even if the game isn't yet out. But Electronic Arts really have a sweet little package ready.

First up, there's the Prelude to War graphic novel, which aims to flesh out the game world for those that are somewhat unfamiliar with the setting. Graham McNeill, of Games Workshop fame, is writing the novel and each of the six chapters deals with one of the armies that will be featured in the MMO. There's also an art book that details some of the most important characters to be making an appearance and also a Games Workshop sanctioned miniature of Greenskin warboss, Grumlock, and his shaman, Gazbag. All of this stuff is pretty standard for a collector's edition.

But the hard sell is yet to come. Electronic Arts aims to make the game somewhat different for Collector's Edition players. Gamers will get the The Librams of Insight, which grants an XP-related modifier for 60 minutes and has 3 uses, with a 90-minute reuse timer. Also, 12 exclusive quests are planned and 2 unique in-game objects will be offered to the buyers. There's also an option for the public beta, which is probably a few months away itself.

Apparently, there are only 60,000 Collector's Editions that are going on sale, so if you're a Warhammer fantasy fan and fancy trying out Warhammer Online, you should go looking for one.