INQ28

Pure of Heart... Lacking a Name, Though.

2012-02-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

I've not had that much time to do modelling recently, but I've been working on the Monodominant/Puritan retinue for this Inquisitor. A deathmachine-type, wearing partially powered armour (but not power armour) and wielding a wickedly sharp chainsword.

This Inquisitor is very Darth Vader-esque, actually. He seems to have quite a degree of bionic enhancement, which perhaps suggests in the past he suffered horrifically in the Emperor's service. Perhaps a lapse in judgement led to his injuries - thus providing some rationale for his more hardline stance nowadays.

I often allow the model to tell me more about the figure's character as it develops, as I think including those little touches is a good thing.

But what's in a name?

I've found it difficult to come up with a name for this character - and therefore, it's difficult to have him fully take shape in my head. Names I've kicked around include:

Hastor Whitlock
Atticus Black
Gillam Harrow
Maccabeus Wroth

Not 100% sold on any of them. What do you think?

Please leave me a comment with a name for this Monodominant Inquisitor! Whether you like one of the names I've suggested or you've got a suggestion of your own, I'd be glad to hear from you!

Remembrance's Day

2012-02-04T02:31:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

This past week has been really busy for me, with work and other obligations.

Here's some good news - here's a character for Inquisitor Hoth's warband. Steve's managed to find some time to get another INQ28 figure painted. This here is Remembrance - an Escher with Plasma Cannon, reworked so that she has a flamer. I used the body of an Escher Heavy Stubber and the nozzle from a Cadian flamer.

I imagined Remembrance was raised in an orphanage, somewhat like Patience Kys from Abnett's Ravenor series. I liked the idea of a "classic" name set aside her more rough exterior. I'm still firming up her character and backstory, but I imagined she served in an Imperial Guard unit that was decimated, perhaps in an underhive, or in a subterranean tunnel network against an alien like the Hrud.
She serves as a sort of "muscle" figure for Inquisitor Hoth's warband. I don't think the flamer is necessarily the most effective weapon in Inquisitor, but it's something characterful. You might ordinarily expect to see flamers in a Hereticus Warband (and you will with my puritans!) but it's cool to see it in an Ordo Xenos retinue.

So, here's Mem in her glory - and interestingly, in a scheme very similar to that I've planned for my Necromunda Eschers, the Bloodflowers. I'll have to get Steve's recipe!

EDIT:

Hey guys, Steve sent me an email with his recipes and asked that I put them up on the blog in case anyone else is interested:

Howdy Mate,

The black clothing was basecoated with a 50/50 mix of Chaos Black (GW) and Coal Black (Privateer Press P3 range), then washed with Badab Black (GW). Once dry the clothing was highlighted first with the original basecoat mix, then again with a spot of Fortress Grey (GW) added.

The red cloth was basecoated with Red Gore (GW) and shaded with Thrakka Green wash (GW) painted directly into the deepest folds. It was highlighted first with a 50/50 mix of Red Gore and Blood Red (both GW), then with Blood Red on it’s own before a glaze of Baal Red wash (GW).

The skin was basecoated with Elf Flesh (GW) then washed with Ogryn Flesh (GW). It was highlighted first with Elf Flesh, with subsequent highlights made by adding Basic Skintone (Vallejo Model Colour) to Elf Flesh for as many highlight stages as needed.

If you've got any questions about something in this post, shoot me a comment and I'll be glad to answer. I look forward to hearing from you!

Herding Cats

2012-01-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic. Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.

With the INQvitational just a little over four months away, I'm starting to stress out a little.

Work has been hectic, and I've had little spare time to do much. I'm sure the same is true for all the event participators. I've had little opportunity to really spend modelling, painting, building or terrain-making.

Hobbyists are fickle creatures. By definition, it is a hobby - something we do for fun, when time allows. It's not a nine-to-five job, and the results are not always quantifiable or truly predictable. But with four months to go, I've set myself the job of trying to direct a random and disparate group of gamers towards a target goal - that of attending the INQvitational and making it a great day.

One thing I've found teaching is that your passion can help pull others through. I would think that even now, whilst I'm busy and have a great many demands upon my time, I'm still incredibly passionate about INQ28. I think that it's a great form of a great game. It's given me many amazing memories, and I would like to transmit that passion to other people.

I've unfortunately had one person drop out of the INQvitational, I've also had others who haven't made any progress on their warbands - which is obviously concerning! Then there's the terrain issue. I often quote Dan Abnett, who said that Inquisitor is 'the war away from the mud and blood and behemoth engines' - the shadow conflicts that separate it from the Warhammer 40,000 game, even if it's set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Obviously, we can't just use a six-by-four board of green static grass with two hills and some Christmas trees - it just won't do! As a result, I've been trying to think how to create interesting terrain that'll provide distinct and memorable settings for the INQvitational.

My circle of friends has begun to plot creating a couple of boards for the game, including a graveyard/mausoleum and a marketplace aboard a Space Station... hopefully I can bring you some more news on that soon!

A Trio of Triumphs

2012-01-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a little post to show that some of the INQ28 progress across the web is just spellbinding!

Here's three of my favourite modellers of recent times, showing you what they're up to.

AS ALWAYS, CLICK FOR BIGGER PICTURES!

PDH
PDH is a long-time friend of this blog. Here's three of the models for his INQvitational retinue. He's ahead of many of the other INQvitational participants because he's actually painted most of his figures!

First up, Mister Coop Eustis, hunter of mutants, and his cyber-rat. Very cool model, this.

His Crusader, Galvin Virarchy:

And his Deposed Planetary Governor and Deathmasked Henchman:

JRN
Jakob Rune Nielsen is an amazing painter and modeller. What I love about this particular conversion is that I had the same idea! I posted a while back about a man with an eerie of servo-skulls; Jakob's conversion is a little different, with a man seeming to collect broken servo-skulls, but it's a wonderfully clever conversion from the Necromancer model:

RISEOFTHEMAGI
In a break from all the TLAs, here are the three figures Rise has been working on. I particularly like the bound psyker, made from the Dark Eldar Medusae figure:

Really cool stuff going on!

PARIAH

2012-01-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

It's coming!

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/pariah.html

Inquisitor Ravenor hunts a dangerous fugitive, a former inquisitor driven by obsession to consort with heretics and daemons: his old mentor, Gregor Eisenhorn.

November 2012

I'm so excited to be stepping back into the world of Eisenhorn (and Ravenor, of course, but my allegiances lie with the old man...)

Surely the battle between Eisenhorn and Ravenor is going to prove immensely damaging for them both. And if Bequin should awake - will she even recognise the man she (may have) once loved?

Ode to Anphelion

2012-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite things about Forgeworld is that it is able to delve into the very "stuff" of the 40k universe, unearthing some amazing things.

One of the best was the Anphelion Base.

I finally get to a stage of my life when I could concievably (maybe) afford the Anphelion Base, and Forgeworld take it down from sale! Gah!

Still, it would've made an awesome table...

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-31T04:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

So today I wanted to try to crystallise the thoughts that've been flowing through the air for me this holiday period. I want to set out where I am, and where I want to be this time next year.

2011 has been a pretty good year, all told. I completed my teacher training course and started teaching at a busy school. It's taken a great deal of my time, but it is rewarding. I spent a month in America on a brilliant holiday! I got engaged - and I'm about to embark upon a lot of great things in 2012 and beyond.

So, what do I want to do over the next twelve months?

1. Continue to Raise the Profile of INQ28
If there's one thing that I think has gone well with the blog and the "phenomenon" of INQ28, it's that it's managed to spread. This year I've managed to meet a great many interesting people, and seen many people cite me and the INQ28 project as an influence when embarking upon their own project. That's really cool.

Be an active forum participant. This I think is important. I want to keep providing useful feedback to threads and posters that interest me. It's very easy to get swallowed up on a forum and for it to seem like nobody cares about your project. I want to take some time to be a positive participant. At the very least, I'll contribute on Ammobunker, but at times I'll venture to other parts of the internet.
Use the Blog to its Best. As I've said elsewhere, this blog is a powerful tool. In 2012 I would like to feature more modellers. I have a couple in the wings, and I hope to keep up the "Friday Feature" that I debuted yesterday. I'd also like to conduct some interviews. Long-time readers will know I've been trying to capture Dan Abnett for a while, but I'd like to talk to Gav Thorpe about the creation of Inquisitor, and perhaps JB will talk a little about the wild designs of the Inquisition!
Get the Website working. It's up at the moment, but it's not being used to its best. If there's anyone out there who can help me with creating an awesome website, please get in touch!
Dark Magenta. I don't need to say much more! I've wanted to put together an article (or series of articles) on INQ28 for the fan publication 'Dark Magenta' for a while.
Provide an INQ28 presence at the Ammobunker Bash.
Ensure the INQvitational is a success. More on that later!

2. Make a Space in my Life for my Hobby

In a comment to one of my posts earlier this week, Deadestdai said I shouldn't force INQ28. He's right in a sense. After all, this is not a job - it is my hobby! With my fiancee and the demands of my job, this resolution is twofold. One, I need to make time for my hobby, so that it can continue. But equally, it shouldn't dominate, as I have a lot of other stuff to do in 2012. So, I need to consider the impact of the hobby both timewise and financially.

Play Games of Inquisitor! This goes without saying. I was a little disappointed once I worked out that I'd only played one game of Inquisitor in the whole of 2011. This year should more than make up for it, though!

3. Ensure the INQvitational is a Success
The INQvitational is a big challenge. I suppose that whilst I have the tendency to procrastinate (as do all gamers and hobbyists, I think!), by putting myself out there and creating a project upon which ten or twelve other people are relying puts the pressure on a bit. If they turn up on June 9th and there's nothing there, it's going to be a huge let-down for them. I want the INQvitational day to go well so that it serves as a huge advert for INQ28. Its success or failure will depend on whether I organise future days.

Organisation. Well, I need to ensure that a lot is done in time for the big day:
Scenery. Scenery is the biggest part of the INQvitational, in many ways. It's not particularly evocative to have the players gaming in a wide open green field. We need to organise a number of 2x2 boards for the INQvitational. Expect to see some scenery-building in this blog!
Models and Statlines. Part of this is on me, and part of it isn't. Obviously the other players have to create their miniatures, and I can help by providing useful commentary, but I need to help the players tighten up their statlines to ensure everybody is playing on a relatively even footing.
Cool Prizes. I'm currently working with various people to try to bring some unique and cool prizes to the INQvitational. Keep your eyes peeled for more!

4. Keep Track of my GW Purchases
Last year's "sell more than I buy" was a little too nebulous. I'm not resolving to stop buying GW or the like, but just to keep track of how much money I actually spend on the hobby. I think it's important in making sure my purchases are reasoned and measurable.

Friday Feature #1 - 30/12/11

2011-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

I hope to make this as regular as possible.

Here's some items that've interested me in the last few days:

The Lost and the Damned and the Stunted - A blog by "Deadestdai" seeming to focus around "Inquisimunda". There's some really interesting conversions there. I hope to see more from this blog in 2012, and I'll be adding it to my blogroll.

=I=28, Espandor Contingent - A new blog on DakkaDakka featuring true-scaled Space Marines. Still, the modeller has a great deal of skill, and I look forward to seeing him tackle elements of the Inquisition. Hopefully it'll be ripe for some inspiration!

DexterKong's Inq28 Blog - Pretty much what it says on the tin; the blog of DexterKong, who has produced some really interesting Ecclesiarchal conversions. His conversion of the Nurgle Lord really can stand on its own as unique and interesting. Definitely worth checking out.

"Oh, Ambassador..."

2011-12-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

John left me a comment that described me as a 'catalyst and ambassador' for INQ28. I'd like to think that's true. The Ammobunker has received a slow trickle of people starting INQ28 blogs, and I would like to think that if nothing else, I'm encouraging people to be creative and to enjoy their hobby in whatever form interests them. The number one rule of GW's games has always been to "have fun" - and that's something that I think is worth remembering, especially in a day and age that seems to glorify tournament gaming.

But just as tournament players are striving to reach that zen of "the perfect list" and "the perfect game", I suppose my circle of friends and I search for the perfect memory. What you take away from the game after it's all said and done. Inquisitor is about those memorable moments, and that's something I hope to instil in the INQvitational.

Resolutions are useful as an aspirational target - as a way of saying "I want to do this." A new year is just a convenient milestone for us to try to identify where we are, and where we want to be.

One thing I want to do with this blog is to identify other modellers who are interesting me, in the hopes that their work will inspire others. Trying to knit together the very disparate 40k blogosphere. Equally, if you see models and modellers that you think I'd enjoy seeing, please feel free to link me to them!

Bloody, Bold and Resolute (Part 2)

2011-12-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys.

As last year drew to a close, I posted up a series of resolutions. I wanted to crystallise my ambitions for the hobby in 2011, and on the whole I thought it worked well.

I ended 2010 with 59 Followers on this blog, and approximately 15,500 hits. Twelve months later, I have 137 Followers, and 54,148 hits. I'm pleased that the INQ28 seems to be moving in the right direction.

2011 has seen me achieve a great deal. I've gotten engaged, and started my teaching career. I brought INQ28 to the Ammobunker Bash, and began the groundwork for the INQvitational, which'll be borne out in 2012.

So, how did I do with my resolutions?

1A. Play at least five games of INQ28 during 2011.
I set myself the target of playing five games of INQ28 throughout 2011. In actuality, I only managed one game - that was against Tychnonaut at the Ammobunker bash! I've received Inquisitors Adorno and Hoth from Steve now, so I want to get a game of Inquisitor done as soon as possible. The biggest stumbling block for us has been scenery, really. Still, this is something I have to work on!

Status: FAILED

1B. Make at least thirty-five posts on the INQ28 blog during 2011.I've managed 59 posts on this blog, with this being the 60th. That's not too bad, considering how busy I've been at times. I think keeping the blog active is important in providing people with interesting examples of INQ28 - even if they're not mine.

Status: SUCCESS

2A: Include posts by other hobbyists on this blog.
2011 saw PDH's work featured on this blog, along with plugs for JRN and Migsula, and examples of INQ28 by RiseoftheMagi, among others. This is something I want to continue into 2012.

Status: SUCCESS

2B: Write at least one article in 2010 for Dark Magenta.
I wanted to produce an article for Dark Magenta exploring the INQ28 concept, but I didn't manage to do so this year. This is something I'd like to do in 2012. Unfortunately, this counts as a failure! However, it's something I want to rectify.

Status: FAILED

2C: Get INQ28.com online.

This is technically a failure. INQ28.com is online, but at the moment it simply serves as a redirect page to the blog. My friend (and tech-priest) Darren is going to work on the site, and hopefully it'll be up soon!

Status: FAILED

3A. Sell what I can of my unwanted models on eBay.
On the whole, I think this went pretty well. I've got rid of most of my miniature mountain, though I still have lots of stuff to remove. A work-in-progress.

Status: SUCCESS

3B. Aim to buy less than I sell.
Ah, now this one I think was a failure! Still, blame GW for producing really cool miniatures, and investing in the Finecast revolution (more on that in a future post...)

Status: FAILED

So, with the Resolutions laid out like this, I think I've had a mixture of success and failure. Still, I'll want to refocus and reorganise before pushing forward with the bulk of 2012. Stay tuned!

Taking Stock

2011-12-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

A quick post from me today.

With the end of the term, I've finally got a bit more time to get some modelling done. I've recently been struck by a loss of mojo, and just not being sure what to do or make. Blog friend (and contributor) PDH sent me a "care package" of bits the other day, and I've put some of the components to use in finishing off a couple of conversions that've sat untouched for a while.

I'm going to be putting up a couple of blog posts over the Christmas holidays. I want to return to my 2011 Resolutions, and see how I've done - and to take stock and decide just what it is I want to do in 2012. The forthcoming year should hold some portentous events for INQ28, including the Ammobunker's Annual Bash and the INQvitational itself.

If you have any ideas for models you'd like to see, drop me a comment! I'm keen to hear back from you guys. In the meantime, enjoy your holidays and have a great Christmas! I'll be back soon.

Jakob Rune Nielsen's miniaTEXTures

2011-11-13T01:37:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,

Just a quick one. There have been some exciting developments in the INQ28 community recently, and I want to bring you some amazing pictures of models I've seen around the internet. That will hopefully come soon!

I just wanted to draw your attention to the new blog of multiple Slayer Sword-winner Jakob Rune Nielsen. It's very new, but his work is excellent and certainly worth watching. I know that Steve rates him as his favourite painter, so you should definitely check it out: http://miniatextures.blogspot.com/

INQvitational: RiseoftheMagi

2011-10-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I said that I would provide you with some glimpses of what's going on for the INQvitational, and I meant it! Even though we've got about eight months until the event, there's still a lot to be done. For the players who're participating, it does take time to conceptualise and create a retinue.

I've asked that the participants bring six models to the event - an Inquisitor and five retinue members. I've tried not to stamp down too hard on what they can or cannot bring - there aren't really many rules, and they tend to be more of a "Gentleman's Agreement" than a commandment.

Obviously bolt weapons and the like are restricted, but I'm leaving that to the discretion of the individual players.

RiseoftheMagi is a great hobbyist with a really interesting Genestealer Cult force. You can see that here. Knowing that the INQ28 bug had infected him, I was keen to see what he was planning on bringing to the event.

There's some really interesting concepts going on in there at the moment. One of my favourite models is his chained Penitent Psyker, made from a Dark Eldar Medusae:

With the head from an Empire Flagellant, I think there's a lot of mileage in this figure, who looks really awesome. I have to say that I'm slowly being won over by Finecast, which has a lot of potential!

As RotM does more, I'll be sure to bring you further details.

Making it Fit.

2011-10-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to see that the INQvitational has been so warmly received.

One thing I noticed when I started my new job was that there is a lot of "office politics". Without realising it, I'd ventured out into a minefield, and I had to very quickly chose sides. In fact, sometimes the sides are chosen for you without you even realising.

It's an apt analogy for the internet. Gather any group of three people together, and two of them are bound to bitch about the third. As the Warhammer 40,000 web community has grown, we find ourselves having to choose sides. You can't possibly make a meaningful contribution to all of the forums out there. And in a way it's a question of ripples.

The harder you throw your stone, the greater the ripples. I noticed this when I used to spend a great deal of time on the Bolter and Chainsword. The more I posted, the more people knew me. Now that I barely post on the B+C, I doubt many would remember me.

My metaphors are becoming confused, so I'll try to restate. The Warhammer 40,000 web community has a lot of politics. I found that a few blog posts ago! Now, with INQ28 I've directly come out against some of those who say that Inquisitor shouldn't be played with 40k figures.

With the INQvitational, I wanted to showcase INQ28 as a viable form. The INQ28 community is, by and large, a little different to the 54mm Inquisitor community. The Conclave, an excellent forum, plays host to a number of individuals who have been active players of Inquisitor since the beginning. As a result, when they run their Conclave events, a lot of a time all the players take their turn to GM. I knew that I couldn't adopt such an approach - many people are just becoming familiar with the rules-set, and so I need to trust in experienced GMs to help run the event.

This has placed a limit on the number of players I can conceivably have at the event. My logic is thus: For each experienced GM, I can have two players. At the moment I have five GMs (including myself) and nine players. I'm near capacity. A couple of my players (for example, PDH) would be willing to GM, but would prefer to play directly. That's fair enough. And so it becomes a question of how to run the event at full capacity.

The "INQvitational" was always such because it would be an invitational event - that I could exercise some element of control over the quality of the event. This was deliberate - I want to show INQ28 to its greatest extent; I want to feel proud of what I've achieved at the end of the day. Of course, I don't want it to seem elitist, like I'm part of some reclusive and out-of-touch clique.

I want the INQvitational to "fit". I want it to fit the needs of my hobby. I want it to fit the expectations of the people participating in it. I want it to fit the background of the 40k universe and my little corner of it, the Dalthus Sector. I want it to be a fitting platform for INQ28 and the Inquisitor game as a whole.

More on this soon - I'm rambling. But what else are Sunday mornings for?

INQvitational Unveiled

2011-10-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

"THE HELIOS SUCCESSION"

INQvitational Event 2012

Saturday, 9th June 2012

Warhammer World.

Hey guys,

As I promised last update, I have news on the INQvitational.

I've tried to be a standard bearer for the INQ28 hobby, and the INQvitational event is the logical follow-on from that. As I've gotten a bit older, started a career, and found a fiancee who isn't too fond of little plastic men, I've had to adapt my hobby so that it fits into my life. I'm never going to be the guy with the 20,000 point Imperial Guard army, or a force from every 40k race. The Specialist Games have always held my attention, and they meet my requirements. For me, 40k games can often lack "significance" - you push your tactical squad forward, they get killed by grots, you shrug. Nevermind that each Space Marine is a legendary hero in his own right, a veteran of a thousand campaigns beneath a hundred different skies. In a 40k tournament, your decisions have very little in the way of long-term ramifications, because your Space Marines come back the next game, hardly the worse for wear.

I knew that I wanted to gather the burgeoning INQ28 community into an event - and that any such event would have to have a sense of "resonance"; the realisation that your actions would have consequence.

To me, this is underpinned by PrecinctOmega's statement on Inquisitor:

Inquisitor is a wargame with the brakes off: a bare-back, white-knuckle ride that takes all the bits you like best about tabletop wargames (the rich context, the dark themes, the shock of conflict) and roleplay games (colourful individuals, the fate of the galaxy hanging by a thread, sudden changes of personal fortune in the time it takes to pull a trigger) and throws them into a single package. It's like a cooperative novel and a competitive action movie rolled up into one thing. It's wargaming for poets. It's falling to your knees in a sea of corpses, an empty stubber in one hand and a bloody chainsword in the other, screaming "If this is heresy, it feels SO GOOD!"

My goals for the INQvitational are twofold:

To serve as a testbed for future events, by showing that it can work, and that it can be enjoyable, on a large scale.
To showcase the nascent INQ28 community. I mean that in several senses - one, to show that the GW range plays host to many different and exciting models that are the perfect fodder for conversions. But also to champion INQ28 as a form. It's long endured skepticism and criticism from 54mm players, who consider we might as well play Necromunda, or 40k. It's also been set alongside the "Inquisimunda" phenomenon by those who feel that the Inquisitor rules-set is unworkable.

With this in mind, I've laid the foundations for the INQvitational event. Set in the Dalthus Sector, the Helios Succession centres around the election of an Inquisitor to lead the Helios Cabal. The Cabal, a long-standing yet anachronistic organisation within the Dalthan Conclave, has been widely criticised, yet it has always endured - until now. With the suspicious death of Lord Mandread, the Cabal's Master, its future has been cast into doubt. Lord Mandread died without nominating a successor, and there are many factions within the Conclave who would gladly use the Cabal's resources to further their ends - or to deny their opponents the chance to further theirs. Will a clear leader step to the fore to unite the disparate members, or will the Cabal crumble, its assets divided as former comrades turn on one another?

The players will set about the task of championing the cause of their chosen candidate. Some may be bold enough to put themselves forward to lead the Cabal, whilst others will campaign upon behalf of another. A tense "cold war" will ignite as Inquisitors seek to drum up as much support as possible from their peers, whilst doing what they can to destabilise the campaigns of their rivals.

It is very much my intention that the event will crackle with energy, both on and off the table, as players throw themselves into the political aspects of the day, working to ensure their chosen candidate ascends to become leader of the day.

The players will set about the task of furthering the aims of their chosen candidate. Some may choose to put themselves forward, whilst others will campaign on behalf of another. A tense "cold war" will be unleashed as Inquisitors seek to drum up as much support as possible from their peers, whilst doing what they can to destabilise the campaigns of their rivals. I want the event to crackle with energy, both on and off the table, as players throw themselves into the political aspect of the day and work to ensure their chosen candidate ascends to become leader of the Cabal.

Over the coming months, I'm going to bring you plenty of INQvitational news, including the modelling work being undertaken by the participants. I hope you find it interesting - I'm keen to make sure this day is something special for everyone involved!

Meeting John Blanche (and the concept of a "Shared Language")

2011-10-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to go to Warhammer World and visit John Blanche. John's really the heart and soul of 40k for a great many people. His vision has helped to define a rich tapestry against which we set our games and our characters.

John and I actually first started communicating after I mentioned my plans for the INQvitational on Migsula's blog, Legion of Plastic. After that, we started exchanging emails, and it culminated in John inviting me down to Warhammer World for a chat. It was rather surreal, sitting in Bugman's with John, but also incredibly inspirational. Here is a man who lives and breathes the dystopian juxtapositions of the 40k universe. It certainly inspired me to plough on with the INQvitational, details of which will appear in my next blog post.

An interesting anecdote John told me was of his visit to Seville Cathedral in Spain. "It looks like an Imperial cruiser!", he said. He's not far wrong. Yesterday was a day when I brainstormed a bunch of different settings for conflict across the Dalthus Sector. Tank graveyards, marketplaces on space stations, ancient graveyards being reclaimed by nature.... There are a great many concepts that are still to come to the fore!

I also had the opportunity to meet up with Andy Hoare (of GW and FFG fame), who spent quite a while discussing various ideas around rules systems, the place of Inquisitor within GW's range of games, and more ideas for the INQvitational.

We were talking about the Inquisitor rules-system: I mentioned that in many ways it's ungainly, an "ugly duckling" of sorts. It's not quite a wargame, and it's not quite a roleplay. Andy made a point that really struck a chord with me. He said that rules systems serve as a "shared language" that allow complete strangers to play a game with one another.

Now, obviously I spend most of my time teaching language to students. So I found Andy's metaphor really interesting. It's one that stands up to quite a bit of scrutiny, too. When you play in a close community of friends, it's likely that your own personal interpretation of the rules will hold sway. House rules will be agreed upon, and your own personal "dialect" of the game will evolve. Is your dialect lesser than the "received pronunciation" of the official game? Well, arguably no, if it allows you and your friends to have fun.

INQ28 is, in a way, a sort of "dialect" of the main Inquisitor community. Is it a "lesser" version of Inquisitor? Well, no. It's simply a different way of playing the game. It's interesting that Inquisitor has evolved into new and original forms over the course of its existence.

I'm looking forward to the INQvitational event, and I think it promises to be a really interesting and unique day. As I said previously, I'll bring you more information on the event in my next post.

I hope you're well,

- Mol.

Catching Up.

2011-10-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.

Things have been really busy for me; busy enough that I've not updated this blog in over a month! Rest assured that things are progressing behind the scenes.

I've not really had much of a chance to do any modelling, but I've been working on arrangements for the INQvitational, which is happening next year. I've approached a number of players and GMs, and I will hopefully be able to tell you more about it soon.

In the meantime, another INQ28 model to feast your eyes on! This one isn't one of mine; he belongs to PDH, but he falls under the category of "models I wish I'd thought of first." A model that just oozes grimdark!

An ode to JRN

2011-09-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I've not really been around too much this past week, because it's been my first week as a fully-fledged teacher! The fourteen/fifteen-hour days have definitely been a shock to my system, especially after the summer holidays.

As a result, I've not really had much opportunity to do anything in the way of modelling. My desk is the tidiest it's ever been - but that may well be because I've had to clear space for two laptops!

Anyway, the aim of this thread is to express my appreciation for an exquisite model that has recently surfaced on the web. As mentioned in previous blog posts, PDH (a long-time friend of the blog) started a competition on web-forum Dakka Dakka entitled "Pimp My Wizard!"

The competition tasked participants with taking one of the new plastic wizards released for the "Storm of Magic" and converting them. Many of the participants chose to explore the weird and wacky world of the Inquisition, which obviously pleases me!

One of the best figures was created by Jakob Rune Nielsen. JRN is a fanastically skilled painter, and Steve (the other half of my INQ28 duo) credits him as by far his favourite painter. Jakob took the Dark Elf Sorceress and created this fantastic figure:

(Click for a larger view)

I love this figure for the way in which it has taken the Dark Elf and created a truly "grimdark" figure, worthy of John Blanche's imagery. The contrast between the technological and the gothic is masterfully done, and the motion in the figure is fantastic, also.

You can check out more of JRN's amazing work at his website, http://www.jrn-works.dk/.

Update - 30/8/11

2011-08-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

My posting rate will decrease somewhat over the next few weeks, which herald the start of a new term and the beginning of my job. Once I get a better handle on the demands of the job, I'll be able to adjust, which should mean I'll be able to continue with hobby work.

In the meantime, here's a few updates:

Games Day 2011
Sunday the 24th of September will see many of the Ammobunker's userbase descending upon Birmingham for Games Day 2011. The Ammobunker has been working on a project - "A Spider's Web", which tasks various Kill Teams with descending into the bowels of a crashed Necron Tomb-Ship. The project itself is an excellent example of the Ammobunker's collaborative spirit, and has proven to be an excellent showcase for the board's talented members to express themselves. The Ammobunker thread for "A Spider's Web" can be found here. If you're heading to GDUK, please check the completed table out!

The INQvitational
Once GDUK is out of the way, the Ammobunker will be turning its attentions towards the INQvitational tournament. As a result, you may not hear much from me about the event until the beginning of October. However, we have managed to book Maelstrom Games' gaming hall for Saturday 9th June 2012.

Dan Abnett's "INQterview"
Further to my previous post, I've now sent off a series of questions to Dan via email. Hopefully he'll find the time to get around to them soon. Please keep an eye out here, and I'll announce it when I get some answers back from him.

Some Modelling Progress
Amazingly, I have actually managed to get some modelling done. Perhaps this rut isn't as deep or wide as I thought. Sometimes modelling mojo (such as it is) works in funny ways. This model was never supposed to turn out this way, but it looks as though I'm in the progress of creating another radical Inquisitor. This model was orginally supposed to be for one of Adorno's henchmen, a "daemonsword bearer". Now he's becoming an Inquisitor on his own! These pictures show me making a start on this model, cutting away the shield, resculpting the hem of the sleeve and pinning a plastic IG hand in place.

The plan is to have the model holding a daemonsword and pushing the enemy away by brandishing the skull of a dead saint. The daemonsword the model currently has is a little chunky and cartoonish, so I want to replace it with something else, certainly something a little more sinister. I like the dichotomy of pure and impure - or the idea than an impure man can believe himself to be pure..

As you can see, I've attached it to his hand now:

I've also started to resculpt his robe to repair the damage left by removing the shield. At the moment that's as far as I've gotten with him, but I'll be giving some thought as to what I can use.

I've also begun work on an Inquisitor who I've provisionally named D'Accord; this is because he looks like a rather similar 54mm model... ;)

That's all for now; I'll try to keep abreast of your replies, and I look forward to giving you more information soon.

Hoping you're well,
Molotov

Legion of Plastic

2011-08-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.

Thank you to those of you who felt compelled to respond to my last blog post. It certainly was nice to hear your kind words. I haven't gotten everything done this summer that I wanted to, but I've achieved quite a bit, and that's something to be proud of. The INQvitational is moving apace, and I've managed to get quite a few people onboard. The Ammobunker's Specialist Games forum is heaving with some really interesting Inquisitorial conversions, and I think that trend is only going to continue in the wake of GDUK.

Talking of interesting Inquisitorial conversions, I want to direct you over to Legion of Plastic, a blog set up by Mikael "Migsula" Silvanto. Migsula is a fearsome modeller, and it's fortunate for the world that he turns his attention towards the richly diverse tapestry that is the Inquisition.

Migsula is responsible, in part, for the interest in "Inquisimunda" on Dakka Dakka. Having now created a centralised blog for his work, I urge you to follow it, as there'll be no end of interesting models coming!

I've managed to commence work on a number of models, including two Inquisitors (for me) and a Tech-Priest (not for me) - these figures will get posted in a blog update soon.

Expect INQvitational news soon!

Wasted Opportunities

2011-08-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

As I write this it's a little past midnight. I have just over two weeks before I won't be able to stay up this late. The reason? The autumn term starts soon, and that marks the beginning of my first real teaching job. I'm excited and nervous, but today it feels like the summer is coming to an end, and when it comes to the hobby, I have little to show for it.

No doubt we all have peaks and troughs, moments when the hobby consumes us, and moments when it seems very little can come to fruition. For the past two months or so, I've felt like I've been in a very real slump, unable to come up with anything.

I haven't been able to make any progress on the terrain needed for our campaign. I haven't played any games of Inquisitor, and there haven't been any battle reports. I haven't made (m)any cool figures. I haven't been able to write anything for my promised Dark Magenta article. I haven't made significant progress with the INQvitational. I haven't managed to email Dan Abnett any questions for the interview!

There are mitigating factors. Preparing for school has taken some of my time; my fiancée has also wanted to spend time with me (quite rightly!) and I've had to work on reorganising my bedroom so that I had a space for all my paperwork, marking and the like. Also, in the last few weeks my dad's gotten quite ill, and I've had to take some time to look after him. To say nothing of the fact that in the space of a week I managed to break my laptop and smash my BlackBerry; both of which took large chunks of data with them!

Still, I feel as though this summer has been a wasted opportunity, and I'm disappointed.

Hopefully my hobby "mojo" will return soon. I'm going to put together a "to-do list", and I will try to get on top of things before they spiral out away from me. Expect there to be some more posts in the coming day explaining where I am with the INQvitational, and other things.

One of my priorities will be emailing Dan Abnett; so hopefully you'll see something on that soon!

I hope you're well. I apologise that this update isn't rainbows and butterflies, but I've been quiet for a while and I wanted you guys to know that I'm still here - just a little quieter than usual.

I hope you're well,

Molotov

Serendipity

2011-08-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, went to my desk late tonight intent on pinning some Van Saars for my friend Darren. I actually managed to do a couple - here's my favourite:

I also came up with a few other models, which I think you'll all be interested in...

This is a model that's been sitting around on my desk for something like two years - I've finally given him a head that I think suits him. Some minor green-stuffing, and then I'll happily consider him finished (finally!)

A very sinister psyker concept that came together very organically!

Obviously the staff will be replaced with brass wire, but the model's close to where I want it to be already, which is great. It has an awesome creepy vibe, which I like.

This Pit Slave is going to get converted into a Gladiator of some kind. I want to give him a shield and... some sort of close combat weapon, perhaps bionic, though. I'll have to give it some thought.

Convergence

2011-08-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

There is such a thing as a 40k 'scene' on the internet. Games Workshop used to have its own forums, but eventually closed them down. We can't just have one singular forum, and so the greater GW scene has splintered. There are so many places now to discuss the hobby, and that can only be a good thing. But I suppose it does make reaching people hard.

When I first started using the 40k forum scene, many were hosted on software known as 'EZboard'. I bumbled around a number of sites, including one known as The Command Tower. The first main forum I started to post on, however, was the Bolter and Chainsword. Still one of the premier forums on the internet today, the B+C allowed me to contact other forum users and to discuss things with them in a way that really made it easy.

I devoted much of my time on the B+C to their 'Liber Astartes' sub-forum, as I liked the opportunity to create something unique within the bounds of the greater whole of the 40k universe. That desire to create something of significance is important, I think. Perhaps my crowning achievement were the Castigators, a DIY Chapter. I loved them, but I just couldn't paint well enough to do them justice! (My biggest hobby regret, really.)

Over the time, I diversified as my tastes changed. I've visited a number of forums, from Warseer to Dakka Dakka and the Ammobunker. Each has a distinctively different 'style' and 'feel', and it's always just a matter of finding one that's right for you.

But it was perhaps most interesting to see the 40k blogging community, which is awash with a great deal of talent, and the opportunity to get a close understanding of somebody else's vision of the hobby.

One of the blogs that I first hit upon when starting INQ28 was 'Jeriko Reach', a campaign blog run by a bunch of girls that ignited that tell-tale spark of jealousy within me! Jeriko Reach has since been shut down and replaced by Tales from the Maelstrom, a really unique and interesting blog which has a strong emphasis upon the older editions of 40k. I've taken a lot of inspiration from their work.

And so, onward to Twitter, the microblogging site. I never gave Twitter much credence, but it's actually proven rather useful to me. I've had the chance to chat to GW luminaries such as Gav Thorpe and Dan Abnett. When I got back from my American holiday, I discovered that whilst I'd been out of the country (and whilst my BlackBerry wasn't giving me email updates...) Andy Hoare had added me.

For those unfamiliar with Andy, he's a games developer who previously worked for GW. His writing credits include Codex: Eye of Terror and Codex: Witch Hunters (both among my favourite books - Eye of Terror certainly brings back memories of playing games of 40k in my friend Nick's attic...) He's written novels for the Black Library and has worked for FFG, who are responsible for the Dark Heresy line.

Andy's expressed an interest in participating in the INQvitational, which obviously excited me. What was funniest, though, is that I already knew Andy, without knowing it. He posts on Tales from the Maelstrom - I knew him as "Colonel Kane" (I'm told that he's changing his online nom de plume to the simpler - and much more revealing - "Colonel Andy.")

And so here the title of the blog post starts to make sense. It's funny how in a community as fragmentary and diverse as the 40k one, it can be a small world after all! This was further enhanced by managing to get my fellow INQ28 collaborator PDH to migrate (even if only slightly) to the Ammobunker.

INQ28 would most likely not have garnered the positive response it has without Steve's exceptional paintjobs. Working alongside Steve resulted in a final product far better than we could've achieved alone. The INQvitational, if it comes through - and I dearly hope it will - will represent the convergence of many, many peoples' talents. On the Ammobunker we have painters and scenery guys responding to the call for help and beginning to brainstorm ideas for the event. I can feel the electricity beginning to crackle in the air!

INQvitational News

2011-07-31T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

Since returning from my holiday to Flordia, I've sort of been in a hobby stupor; I haven't really got around to doing too much, and when I tried I found that my superglue had dried up! It looks as though I'll have to put in a supply run at some stage. Which leads to that eternal question - do I do it through the online store, or do I brave the 'hard sell' tactics of the GW staff members?

Leaving such difficult decisions aside for the moment, I've used the week or so that I've been back to start discussing the INQvitational tournament on Ammobunker. Ammobunker was the site that Steve and I chose to post our INQ28 projects on to begin with. A warm and welcoming community, AB has recently become a firm partner of the INQ28 project with the creation of a new sub-forum on the board devoted entirely to Inquisitor in its various forms. You can see that sub-forum here. Several board members have started to conceptualise and post models of Inquisitors and their retinues, which has me really excited. The sheer versatility and originality that the Inquisition engenders is perfect fodder for modellers or those burnt out with the unrelenting demands of 40k.

And within that sub-forum, you'll likely notice a thread entitled "the Helios Succession", which is laying the groundwork for the INQvitational tournament. It is, after all, a group project, and anyone interested in participating is welcome to sign up to Ammobunker and leap into the discussion! (PDH, a good friend of this blog, has recently done so.)

Talking of PDH, he recently helped to set up a thread on DakkaDakka entitled 'Pimp my Wizard' - you can see it here - where participants take one of the four new plastic WHFB wizards and convert them to any purpose. It's a really interesting thread - to the extent that it's been imitated even on the same forum! I really like some of the results that are coming out of the thread, in particular Migsula's most recent Inquisitor, which you can see here.

With regards to the Dan Abnett interview, I do still want it to go ahead, as I think it will be a real string in the blog's bow - although my holiday to Florida put a kink in my plan. Feel free to tweet Dan at (@VincentAbnett) and encourage him to take part!

That's all I've got at the moment (Xbox has been proving far more accessible at the moment, and my gamerscore is ratcheting up...) but hopefully my next update will include some modelling progress.

I hope this update finds you all well,

Mol.

Inquisitors Hoth and Adorno arrive...

2011-06-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Steve giving me the first batch of INQ28 models back meant that I've been able to take some pictures with my slightly dodgy camera. Here they are; please excuse the slipshod photography
:

As ever, just click the pictures for a bigger view.

Dan Abnett Interview

2011-06-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, major news today.

Whilst at the AmmoBash (Which Rictus informs me should be "The Open Bash" - but I liked the AmmoBunker/AmmoBash connection...) Steve suggested that I look into hassling Dan Abnett for an Inquisitorial-themed interview.

Abnett has long been my favourite Black Library author (with AD-B just creeping into a close second place) and Eisenhorn really is the seminal Black Library book for me - the series by which all others are judged. Following the exploits of Gregor Eisenhorn and his band of followers as he rises and falls (so very, very far) was really breathtaking. It's still the series I'll read again and again - the series I refer to when thinking about the Inquisition. Even now, as I've been working on The Higher Call, I've been exploring how to make it Eisenhorn-esque.

Well, I took Steve's chance, and hassled Dan Abnett. To my surprise, he emailed me back, agreeing to an interview!

My thoughts are that I'm keen to explore the process of writing Eisenhorn and Ravenor; to ask (however futilely!) about The Keeler Image and the 'Bequin Trilogy'; to talk about why Inquisitors are such compelling characters; to discuss aspects of the Inquisition in the 40k universe. As well as a few comedy non sequitur questions thrown in for good measure.

If you guys have any questions you'd like to throw into the mix, I may well be able to include them. Please leave them in a comment and I'll put it all together when I can!

Thank you once again for reading this; I hope it finds you well,

- Molotov.

AmmoBash 2011

2011-06-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Yesterday was the 2011 AmmoBunker AmmoBash, held at Warhammer World in Nottingham. I got to Warhammer World at half eight thanks to a suspiciously efficient taxi driver. Standing outside twiddling my thumbs, Old Guard (Andy) and El D (Steve) turned up. I helped them carry some of their many, many boxes up into the gaming hall, and got to meet some more of the Bunkerites, including Rictus and Digits (the first of many Daves...)

Much fun was had throughout the day, and I will try to blog about it in the future - several ideas were spawned! Matt (Tychonaut) and I played a game of Inquisitor entitled "Nine-Tenths of the Lore", as Inquisitors Adorno and Artaxis struggled for supremacy over the Minthras Dig-Site. This was a really great game, actually. A relatively simple scenario concept turned into a complex fight as both of us tried to angle our forces in order to do damage. There were several highlights, including one of Artaxis's retinue spotting one of the enemy whilst on his way to the toilet; Adorno's daemonhost incapacitating a Guard Vet by turning his blood to ice; Inquisitor Adorno eviscerating a Sister Hospitaller with a power sword and Inquisitor Artaxis firing an alien weapon whilst running, hitting the enemy, knocking him straight of his feet and sending him several yards away! In the end, Inquisitor Adorno triumphed, whilst the tragedies suffered here might send Inquisitor Artaxis further down the path towards radicalism... A really good game, though it got some confused glances from people - with eight models on a 6x4 board, I guess it looked like not much was going on!

The bash also brought about several interesting conversations with Digits/Old Guard about terrain and future plans for an Inquisitor tournament, a chance to chat to Steve, and a chance to discuss plans for The Higher Call (even if I did almost manage to leave all my notes behind when I left...)

There will be a battle report... at some stage, but I'm going to be leaving for Florida next week, so I can't guarantee anything at the moment!

Hope you're all well,

Molotov

INQ28 Invitational...?

2011-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

With my INQ28 game against Tychonaut approaching this weekend, I have been giving some thought to the idea of an INQ28 campaign day at some stage. The 54mm Inquisitor players have played campaign days in the past, but nothing like this has ever been done before.

Is there interest in something like this? Do we have a venue?

I could look into prize support (I have some good ideas) but this is something that would need a lot of logistical support. (And this would almost certainly be something that takes place in 2012.)

If you have any thoughts, please get in touch. I will develop this concept, but obviously interest is key!

"We must be the better men."

2011-06-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

"...We already are."

One of my curses is that wherever I go, I'm constantly asking "would this be useful inspiration for Inquisitor?"

Yesterday, I went to the cinema and saw X-Men First Class, which was actually rather enjoyable. With each film it moves further and further away from the comic continuity, creating an internal canon. Although there are some inconsistencies, the film as a whole centred around the relationship between Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr - as we know them, Professor X and Magneto.

Here we have the contrast between a child persecuted for being a minority, whose family is killed and who is subjected to inhumane experimentation in order to harness his powers, and a child born into wealth and privilege, who holds on to cherished ideals. These two individuals who consider one another to be friends, if not brothers - bound by a deep friendship, yet divided irrevocably by ideological differences.

We often read about Inquisitors denouncing their peers for taking particular philosophical stances. But this perhaps drew me to the connection between Gideon Ravenor and Gregor Eisenhorn - Ravenor's pained sorrow that his master consorts with daemons, whilst Eisenhorn was shocked to see Ravenor working alongside the Eldar.

It made me think of two Inquisitors who had worked side-by-side, one being drawn to radicalism, the other a 'puritan', a moderate. If we think in the black-and-white stereotypes of 40k, the puritan would burn the radical and the status quo would be maintained. But in the shades of grey engendered by Inquisitor, it's easy to imagine that the puritan would not reveal the transgressions of his friend, instead convinced that he can redeem his comrade and bring them back to the light. Perhaps, for his part, the radical would try to show his erstwhile brother "the truth", that his terrible actions are neccessary for the greater good of the Imperium. They would skirmish, and the puritan would risk everything for his friend - even his career and his life, if the Conclave finds out - but he would not give up. In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, the bond of friendship is one of the few things worth fighting for....

Adorno Rises...

2011-05-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hello!

The utterly unexpected news that I'm going to be playing a game of INQ28 on Saturday, 11th of June has led to me having to quickly put together rules and work on the scenario. The Ammobunker team have kindly allowed me to use the 'Poisoned Chalice' board that they took to last year's Games Day UK.

The board includes a downed Necron vessel, but what really interests me is the archaeological dig site, which seems the ideal place for Inquisitors to meet.

Going to the Bash means that I'm going to be receiving the retinues of Inquisitors Adorno and Hoth from El_Diablo. Ammobunker member "Tychonaut" has challenged me to a game of Inquisitor. I'm still to hear back from him as to what exactly he's going to bring (let's hope he foregoes the power armour!) but I'm thinking that this will prove a useful opportunity to playtest some of Adorno's retinue with unexpected opposition!

So, be on the lookout for Adorno! I'm going to be posting stat-lines and the like for his retinue soon, in order to finalise them...

Finecast: What does it mean for Inquisitor?

2011-05-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

This week the GW community has been abuzz with the news that Games Workshop will be phasing out metal production in favour of the new "Citadel Finecast". As with any large transition, there is a lot of doubt. People aren't sure what this will mean for them and for their hobby. There are plenty of us who like working with metal, who find its awkwardness oddly endearing.

I myself am not entirely sure what to make of this move away from metal to resin. I'm not a painter - I leave that to those far more talented than me. But I enjoy converting models, and there are very few miniatures that make it onto my workbench and leave entirely unscathed. I'm curious about the prospects of GW releasing some of the Inquisition miniatures in a material that might actually make converting slightly easier. Being able to easily carve detail away with a hobby knife, for example, might open new frontiers in my conversions.

Though that niggling doubt creeps in once again. Specialist Games has fallen from being a cherished cousin of the "Big Three" to the red-headed step-child. Will GW re-release the Specialist Games miniatures in resin, or simply do away with them altogether? Whether you play Inquisitor at 54mm or 28mm, the prospect is worrying. For me especially, I would worry about the Necromunda range being taken away. (Those lovely, lovely Eschers, which rank among my favourite miniatures ever...)

INQ28 depends on moving away from the battlefield of 40k. If GW's switch to Finecast results in a streamlining of the range, it might make getting some of those more obscure and eclectic miniatures that bit more difficult. This is obviously worrying.

The other thing worth mentioning is, of course, the recent (and very significant) price rise announced by GW. This is always something that's met with a certain amount of acrimony by GW customers. But like it or not, the cost of the hobby is increasing. Could this mean that a game where you can play with three or four miniatures (rather than fifty or sixty) could become more enticing?

I don't really know. I don't claim to. All I know is that we are at a transitionary stage of GW's evolution, and nobody really knows where we're going to end up. I would, however, really welcome your opinion.

------------------------------------

Also today, some really quite fantastic news!

The Ammobunker Bash will be held on the 11th of June; I'm going to be attending thanks to Big Steve, who has subbed me the train fare. Steve's going to be handing over all the INQ28 models he's been working on, so anybody at Warhammer World on that Saturday will be more than welcome to come see!

More stuff up on eBay...

2011-05-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, more advertising, but hey, I have to eat!

Hopefully there's something you'll like:

Magos Spur, Completed

2011-05-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

This post comes from PDH, who has contributed to this blog before (you can find more of his excellent work in this post.)

This model really shows INQ28 at its best. This character, Magos Helixis Spur, is actually created from a Skaven miniature! (Ikit Claw, to be exact.) That alone shows you the sort of excellent eye for potential that PDH has.

Such a model is really cool, very creepy, and fits perfectly with the 40k universe and the INQ28 game. PDH also generously agreed to allow me to feature Magos Spur here, before he posted it elsewhere, but you should certainly check Dakka Dakka for his excellent INQ28 (and Necromunda) work.

In other news:

I got the job!

My very own Battle Company?

2011-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I was checking over the blog, and I was amazed to see that I currently have 91 followers. Which, of course, pales before some other blogs, but I'm really pleased to see that I've nearly got a full battle-company of followers... ;)

Alas, I probably won't be able to enlist them in my plans for world domination, but it's certainly very gratifying to know that you're keeping track of what I'm doing and (hopefully) finding it inspiring. I know that I spend a lot of time on the internet ~~stealing~~ taking inspiration from others, and so it's always pretty cool when other people do the same.

So yes, when I reach 100 followers, I'd like to run some sort of competition to thank you for your efforts - so if you have any ideas on that, please get back to me!

Keep your Fingers Crossed...

2011-05-10T14:25:00.001-07:00

So, tomorrow I have a job interview at another school for an English teaching post.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Terrain Plea

2011-05-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Our next INQ28 game is going to be taking place in Nova Castille's spaceport, which will feature our Shuttlecraft, and a sort of warehouse-esque area. I'm really after any ideas for terrain that would go really well with this game. You get extra bonus points if you can provide links to terrain that we can buy!

Thanks in advance,

- Mol

Style over Substance

2011-05-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

If you're reading this, you're vicariously doing a bad thing. Right now, I'm supposed to be writing a 5,000-word assignment for my teacher training course. As you can clearly see, I'm not! I've taken a break from it (though I'm currently at 3,668 words, so I don't feel too bad...)

So, I received a nice message recently from Chris/Deserter, who I previously linked to you. (His blog, once again, can be found here.) He told me he'd nominated me for a 'Stylish Blogger Award.' I was excited! I expected a golden trophy, at least... no such luck. However, today I was pleasantly surprised that Torben/Phoenikuz of Port Maw had also put me up for one.

So, what is it? Well, it's a chain letter, to put it bluntly. Whoever came up with it originally was clever indeed! But it's an idea with a lot of heart. Ironically, my PGCE assignment is about new technologies in English Teaching. A BBC source claims that a new blog is created every second - and that over 1.4 million blogs are owned by UK students alone. There are, to put it bluntly, a lot of blogs out there. I put INQ28 in my signature on just about every forum I visit, and hope that people will come, but not everybody does that. So anything that gets people visiting blogs is a good thing, right? Especially in a community that is as niche as ours. And what brings people faster than word of mouth?

The other people I've seen putting up these 'Stylish Blogger Awards' have actually led me to some interesting blogs, so I took some time to scour through my bloglist to see what I could unearth.

A Bunch of Bloody Good Blogs
(Please note these aren't in any sort of order - they're just a bunch of blogs that I think are good, with a little blurb about why. In my opinon, for a blog to be 'stylish', it needs to be doing something different, innovative, or creative. It needs to make me think 'I wish I was doing that...' - Maybe they'll make you do the same!)

Pulp Citizen
(http://pulp-citizen.blogspot.com/)
Pulp Citizen is a blog based around the Pulp City Superheroes Skirmish Game. I'd love to play Pulp City - I've played a couple of games of SuperSystem with my friends, but we simply haven't been able to sustain it. As a result, I've lived vicariously through this blog, which is run by Leon Mallett. Leon's a "big cheese" in the Pulp city community, a major poster on the Pulp City forums, and certainly an ambassador for the game. What I like about the blog is that it's a neatly self-contained blog, with a clearly defined aim. Leon's painting (at least!) one of every Pulp City model, but it's more than a painting blog - he posts tactics and strategies for Pulp City players, battle reports, and has provided downloadable resources in the past. That sort of generosity certainly marks him out in my book!

Dante's Inferno
(http://cmdante.blogspot.com/)
CMDante is a poster I've encountered on both Warseer and DakkaDakka. He'll often comment on my various INQ28 threads with insightful, well-considered critique designed to help move my concepts along. Dante's a bit of a renaissance man, with all the sorts of skills I wish I had. Not only an exceptionally (Daemon-winning) painter, he's a fantastic sculptor, too. Whilst he somewhat neglects his blog (he tends to post more on Warseer) I like it because it's a useful source. His posts are well thought-out and use just the right sort of visual accompaniment, and his blog design is very pleasing too (with some little things that I'd like to nick!)

Dave Taylor Miniatures
(http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/)
Run by (you guessed it) Dave Taylor, former US White Dwarf editor, and now editor of Wargames Illustrated, this blog is one that I think all hobbyists should visit. Dave's work is really very excellent; his conversions and paintjobs are really awesome, and certainly very enviable. He's also involved in the very noble Heroes of Armageddon charity project (which sort of makes this a "two-for-one" recommendation!)

Mind of the Daemon
(http://mindofthedaemon.blogspot.com/)
I couldn't start advertising blogs without plugging Mind of the Daemon. Steve's responsible for painting a great many of my INQ28 models. He's a general all-round cool guy, and a great painter. He's also a fantastic contributor to my projects, such as The Higher Call. He has a bunch of amazing-looking armies that he hasn't really posted yet, and you can see a few of them in this post. He doesn't post quite as much as he could do, though, so go and poke him into activity.

Col Gravis' Praetorian Imperial Guard
(http://colgravis.blogspot.com/)
This one sort of does what it says on the tin, really. It's interesting how the GW internet community, so disparate, can kick up a 'glitch in the machine'. When someone really, really gets known for something. I'm "the INQ28 guy". Gravis is "the Praetorian guy". He's taken an oft-forgotten force and expanded them. His modelling and converting are really good, but he's put up some really intelligent and well thought-out posts containing his home-grown Praetorian fluff that are definitely worth the read.

Four Colour Super Minis
(http://fourcoloursupers.blogspot.com/)
I found this blog through the Forum of Doom; it was one of the first gaming blogs I'd encountered, and I thought it was a really interesting blog. At the time, it was during a short-lived digression into superhero miniature gaming, and Rob's blog had some really interesting ideas. He's always got something interesting and innovative going on - whether it's his Wild West gaming, the "Car Wars" game, A Very British Civil War, historical miniatures or his Superhero models. Definitely worth checking out.

Tales from the Maelstrom
(http://talesfromthemaelstrom.blogspot.com/)
A while ago, I came across a blog entitled Jeriko Reach. It focused around the efforts of a group of players (who played a weird hybrid mish-mash of Rogue Trader and Necromunda) as they played a series of narrative games. Jeriko Reach closed down - or at least, I can't view it! But Tales for the Maelstrom continues. It has some lovely updates, and the ethos of the site is one that I really identify strongly with when it comes to INQ28. It really is something that all 40k players should check out. His battle reports are exceptionally stylish, too! (Something I'd like to learn from.)

Port Maw
(http://portmaw.blogspot.com/)
In a similar vein, I'd encourage you to check out Port Maw. I've advertised it before; it's only been running for the last week or so, but I definitely think it's full of a lot of exciting potential. Torben has posted up some exciting things on The Conclave and DakkaDakka, and I definitely think his is a blog to keep your eye on.

From my end, there's little to say at the moment, but I will try to keep you updated.
There is, however, one cheeky blog for you to follow:

The Higher Call
(http://the-higher-call.blogspot.com/)
The Higher Call is a collaborative forum-based roleplay being run on The Ammobunker. I've only just set p the blog, so there's little to see at the moment, but it will serve to record some of our activites. Heavily influenced by Fantasy Flight Games' Dark Heresy roleplays, but operating in a systemless, narrative environment, The Higher Call follows a group of Acolytes as they are inducted into Inquisitorial service and face some of the darkest and most insidious threats in the Warhammer 40,000 universe....

So yes, please add those blogs to your blogrolls! I hope you find something exciting in them.

Re-Direct 26/4/11

2011-04-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

If you're viewing this and wondering why I've not been updating, I have nothing but apologies! Alas, I've had to leave my modelling desk behind and return to the real world.

But if you'd rather have a dose of the 41st millennium, I encourage you to check two other blogs out!

The first is Chris' Miniature Woes, the home of an Ammobunker poster who usually goes by the name of Deserter. He's got some lovely models on the go, and I'm particularly interested in his plans for an alternate Necromunda setting which he described to me as "Fallout meets Borderlands meets Firefly meets 40k, in a nutshell" - so yes, there's definitely some cool stuff going on there which would be a worthy addition to any blogroll.

Secondly, check out Port Maw (not the old BFG site!) which is the blog of Phoenikuz, who has some interesting "INQ28"/"=][=munda" modelling in these two Dakka Dakka threads: [LNKY] - [DINKY]

So yes, I would encourage you to check these posters out!

Female Arbitrator WIP

2011-04-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

In what will probably be my last proper update for the Easter holidays, here's some progress on our female Arbitrator concept. She's going to be going into the retinue of Inquisitor Ferox.

We've been looking for a long time for the female Necromunda Bounty Hunter:

We've seen a couple go on eBay, but usually for a bit more than we were willing to spend.

That is, until I caught sight of this eBay auction:

In the background you can just about see her!

So, having won the auction, I set about stripping her. We didn't like her pose, with the raised pistol, so I had to convert her somewhat.

You can see here that I've given her another bolt pistol. Well, the pistol that fit her best was one from the newer-looking Van Saars. It looks just different enough from a bolt pistol for it to conceivably be a heavy stub pistol or the like.

All in all, whilst a relatively simplistic conversion, it should do its job admirably!

INQAssessment: Grey Knights and Tomb Kings

2011-04-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I've been wanting to do this for a little while, but I'm the forgetful sort and I haven't had much time to put it together. Good Friday is "good" for several reasons!

With the "INQAssessment", what I want to do is give you my point of view on the utility of various GW (and non-GW) items for INQ28. If you have a suggestion for an INQAssessment, feel free to contact me and I'll see what I can do. Today, I'm looking at the Grey Knights and the Tomb Kings due to them being the two most recent forces released by Games Workshop.

Firstly, then, the Grey Knights, those heroic daemon-hunting Astartes. Billed as being the elite of the elite, a Grey Knight would be a rather worrying prospect on the Inquisitor table. However, could anything in the kits be of use to us?

The new wave of releases has given us two new metal characters for the Grey Knights: Lord Kaldor Draigo and the daemonsword-toting Castellan Crowe. Straight off the bat, I'd say that these two have limited utility for the INQ28 modeller. Crowe's daemonsword is nice enough, but most of the detail is in the hilt, and it would be a pain to prise it out of his hands. Plus, there are other nice enough alternatives available - from the Chaos Marauders or the Bloodletters, for example.

Then you have the bulk of the Grey Knights themselves. GW has released plastic Grey Knight Terminators and Grey Knights. Again, clad in ceramite, it's not immediately clear what use we can put them to. The pages I've linked to do provide us with a look at the sprues, however. There are a couple of Inquisitorial sigils that could be useful, along with the power weapons, which could be very nice indeed. (Incidentally, my thought with the Terminators was that the double-handed halberds could be converted into scythes for the Mortifactors or the Death Guard... but alas, not much use for us.) This says nothing about the Nemesis Dreadknight, which is the sort of model that's sure to divide opinion.

So, it's clear that GW's done its best to divorce the Grey Knights from the Inquisition. We have one new model: the Jokaero Weaponsmith - a classic GW alien given a new twist. The Jokaero could, perhaps, make an appearance in an Inquisitor's retinue, but it's stretching it somewhat.

Next, we have the new Tomb Kings for Warhammer Fantasy. The Tomb Kings range has been expanded through the inclusion of a number of Rare and Special choices. Foremost among these is the Khemrian Warsphinx/Necrosphinx kit, which gives modellers to construct either of these monstrous creatures. The creature is massive, and so would be difficult to wedge into INQ28, but the kit does include a rather nice plastic Tomb King (pictured above) who I think could be converted to be a character - with some work.

A long time ago, I did have fluff for a world called Thutmos, where the rulers had been buried in pyramids for millennia. Whenever Thutmos would raise a regiment of the Imperial Guard, one of the long-dead kings would be disinterred and, clad in armour, would be made the "Colonel-in-Chief" of the regiment, accompanying them to war in his deathly state. I figured that the resin Tallarn from Forgeworld would make good Thutmosian warriors. But yes, never a concept that got very far!

Along with the Tomb King, there is a new plastic regiment of Tomb Guard - which are perhaps most useful for trinkets and detailing. The vulture on the standard could be useful for a Nurgle project, though!

Lastly, there are the Necropolis Knights/Sepulchral Stalkers, another "two-in-one" kit. I've said before that I reckon this kit could be used to make a Sslyth -PDH, over on DakkaDakka, said he thought they'd be a bit big, but my thoughts are that aliens should be imposing and intimidating on the Inquisitorial battlefield.

If you can come up with any interesting uses for these kits, please let me know!

INQ28 Round-up

2011-04-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I've spent the last few days with my girlfriend's family, planning for our forthcoming trip to Florida in July. Whilst that was fun, it's nice to get back to my desk for a few more hours! I've been using the opportunity to work on a number of my models.

On Tuesday, I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends. Whilst I've been busy with university, they've been getting stuck into a Necromunda campaign. When it comes to the specialist games, Necromunda was always my first love. Following the trials and tribulations of your gang as they struggled for success was just an entire paradigm shift from 40k. Necromunda really comes into its own when you have a close-knit group of players - when the same gangs clash numerous times, it really adds to the idea of gangs fighting fierce turf wars.
Really, Necromunda paved the way for my affinity with Inquisitor. I've run three or four Necromunda campaigns with my local "circle" - and it was sort of bittersweet to see them continuing without me!

I was able to drop off a number of miniatures for my INQ28 players to be getting on with. Nick received Interrogator Bastian Grimm, Arbitrator Vaun and a "penitent" figure. Darren got a Sanctioned Psyker model, an Inquisitorial operative converted from an Eversor Assassin, and a female Arbitrator converted from the female Necromunda Bounty Hunter (which we finally managed to get off eBay!)

One of the things I want to do with this blog is to spread awareness of INQ28. INQ28's roots really come from the Ammobunker forum, as it was where Steve and I really forged our working relationship and friendship. The Ammobunker is holding its annual "bash" at Warhammer World on Saturday, June 11th.

There has been some talk on the 'Bunker about us possibly playing some games of INQ28 at the Bash. Obviously, scenery is then an issue - you can't really play INQ28 on a typical 40k table!

However, it is raising the possibility that there could be some sort of event or tournament at some stage. If people are interested in such a thing, I'd really be interested to hear your thoughts.

Good Geek, Bad Geek

2011-04-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

Anybody who enters the wargaming scene faces a certain amount of difficulty - that thorny issue of how people around them will perceive their activities. I've been into the world of 40k for almost as long as I can remember. My brother used to work for GW, and one of my friends from school had the second edition starter set, with the single-pose plastic Space Marines and Orks.

Consider this - in order to be reading this article, you have to move in a very specific circle in the internet. You have to like Games Workshop games enough to be on the internet. Then you're part of that band who like specialist games - and like them enough to look around the internet for blogs that relate to them.

There is undeniably a bit of a geek hierarchy - and everyone comes to 40k from their own background. Depending on your viewpoint, we sit below video games and above cosplay... But then there are 40k fans who do both. I'm a fan of Star Trek; tomorrow I'll be tuning in as Doctor Who returns to the airwaves here in Britain. I run online roleplaying games set in the forty-first millennium, I push little plastic men around the tabletop whilst creating stories that very few people will appreciate. But there's something about that shared experience, creating something for your players that you can look back on and say "I was there."

Inquisitor is a wargame with the brakes off: a bare-back, white-knuckle ride that takes all the bits you like best about tabletop wargames (the rich context, the dark themes, the shock of conflict) and roleplay games (colourful individuals, the fate of the galaxy hanging by a thread, sudden changes of personal fortune in the time it takes to pull a trigger) and throws them into a single package. It's like a cooperative novel and a competitive action movie rolled up into one thing. It's wargaming for poets. It's falling to your knees in a sea of corpses, an empty stubber in one hand and a bloody chainsword in the other, screaming "If this is heresy, it feels SO GOOD!"

- PrecinctOmega

I was talking to one of my players on Tuesday about some of the games we've played - reminiscing. Each has been great in its own way, as we've weaved a tapestry. I suppose in a way this blog exists to make things that bit more "concrete" and to share what we've been doing with a much larger audience.

Unlike some, my other half isn't that receptive to Warhammer. It's interesting how, in the age of "geek chic" many of those things that I was into as a child (and which I was made fun of for) are now popular.

Good Geek

Bad Geek

It's funny how it's encouraged for me to say that I have an XBOX live gamerscore of over 34,000, but that 40k is a taboo topic. And in order to resist that societal pressure, there needs to be something inherent within the game (and the community) that makes it worthwhile. And I really believe there is.

Chrono-Gladiator Painted

2011-04-20T00:39:00.001-07:00

Quick post - Steve's done a great job here; a nice, simplistic yet evocative model.

Workbench Update 19/4

2011-04-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pics from today:

Most of the models I've worked on overnight.

My Star Trek-inspired Rogue Trader crew as they stand. Here you can see (l-r) Magos Jorgan Vorg; Kurn, the Oathbound Warrior of the Ressikan Empire; Captain Jean-Patrique LeKard and Navigator Noonien Celestino.

Here you can see Arbitrator Vaun, pretty much done. The head has been replaced, and he's been given a bionic foot.

A cherub, I like the model and he'll be joining Inquisitor Adorno as a familiar. I'm currently toying with replacing the head with that of a servo-skull. I've seen it done before, and it looks delightfully creepy.

The Russian not-Josef model. A really crisp and detailed sculpt. I've pinned the chainsword into its hilt, and have glued him to the base.

Workbench Update 18/4

2011-04-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I arrived home earlier than I expected, so I set to work.

Shot of the desk:

I started by decapitating a bunch of figures:

Work has started on the "Fiendgryn" - here's some pics to show you.

This pic shows Kurn alongside his master, Captain LeKard. The head's not sitting perfectly at an appropriate angle, so I've still got some filing and repositioning to do. I intend to give Kurn a Worf-esque mane of hair, which should help conceal some of the awkwardness regarding the Ogryn's neck.

Before I fit the arms and head properly, I'm giving Kurn a sash (or, more precisely, a baldric) so as to fit closer to my inspiration. This is the first image of it - whilst it looks rough, I'll be neatening it up and adding detail with the subsequent layers. At the moment, I'm considering making it into a sort of chainmail affair.

The next model I've been working on has been Trooper Anton Drexler, part of Inquisitor Greer's retinue - a bunch of upright, pious individuals. I imagined this trooper might hail from Macharia (or a similar world) and would be adorned with many trinkets and holy icons. I'm not sure at the moment, but I might add some sort of parchment on one of his shoulderpads. This is, of course, partially an attempt to differentiate him from 40k Storm Troopers.

Having sawn off the helmet, I had to add a neck from the plastic Cadian troopers.

This allowed me to add the beret head from the Catachan Command Squad.

Whilst waiting for other models to come together, I managed to put together this techno-barbarian (though I have no real use for him at all... might well donate him to someone else...)

Weekend Round-Up (15/4/11)

2011-04-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Today was the last day of the Easter term, and so I've finally got some time off. This coming week I'll be heading back to Peterborough, which means I'll be able to attack the workbench (between various family and in-law commitments... sigh.)

Still, I should have a bunch of stuff to show you, which will include my Storm Trooper conversion, the new Arbitrator Vaun (for Nick) and the "Fiendgryn." Alongside that, I should hopefully get around to finishing off Interrogator Bastian Grimm, the sinister acolyte assigned to Inquisitor Balthier by Lord Dire.

As always in these slack periods, I have been idly considering various options for yet more INQ28 characters. Of course, not all of them will ever make it - but maybe one of you will seize upon them. One option I considered was using the new Tomb Kings Sepulchral Stalkers to make a Sslyth, a four-armed snake-alien mercenary race often aligned with the Dark Eldar (but which could feature in Inquisitor...)

I also liked the idea of making a Gladiator-type, a melee character who would use a shield and a... hrm. A bolas? A trident? A net? A sword? All of those things? Who knows, but it could've been a cool idea for the techno-gothic aspect of 40k. Perhaps using the Mordheim Pit Fighters would be good (particularly the middle one of the top row) - after all, if it's good enough for Angron...

I mentioned recently that I've been working on character profiles. One of the retinues I've been focusing on has been that of Inquisitor Adorno, as they'll soon be taking to the Inquisitor battlefield. Today I received an email from Steve that he'd touched up one of my conversions. You've likely seen him before on the blog:

The model is a Chrono-Gladiator, a concept originated (as far as I know) in the Kal Jericho comics with the "Krieger" character. These characters have a kill-timer built into them that is constantly counting down. When it reaches zero, it will kill them. The only way for them to stave off death is to keep constantly killing. (So, if 40k did Crank...)

Anyway, back in the fuzzy days of the White Dwarf team's Inquisitor campaign, Gav Thorpe had a retinue led by Inquisitor Kessel. The retinue included a chrono-gladiator called Mechsimus Oilrelius:

Kessel had stopped the Gladiator's kill-timer with just a few scant months left. And so Oilrelius laboured in Kessel's service, knowing that the Inquisitor, if displeased, could restart the timer, sentencing him to death. I really liked the storyline, and thought it was very cool. And so I decided that Inquisitor Adorno would do something very similar with this individual. Adorno seems, for the most part, to see his followers simply as "tools", rather than companions (perhaps the only exception being Ophelia Dannica...)

So, expect progress on the painting front from Steve, and progress on the modelling front from me! I hope you're all well.

- Mol.

Weekend Round-Up (10/4/11)

2011-04-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hello once again,

We're nearing the Easter holidays, which means that on Wednesday 20th, I should be back at my modelling desk. In the meantime, I'm in a sort of limbo. I've been kept busy by work, but I was a fool and managed to leave my netbook's charge cable in a different city. As a result, my internet access is restricted to my BlackBerry (slow, limited access, difficult to type), my School computer (most things are blocked) or SWMBO's laptop. Suddenly, she is the gatekeeper, restricting access to my online adventures.

...which is to say that right now she's asleep, so I'm able to put up a post here.

Twitter has been useful - despite only having it for a short while, I've quickly seen how useful it can be, particularly in keeping in touch with Steve and Nick. If you missed it, you can find me at: http://www.twitter.com/INQ28 - and I look forward to it! Oddly, I'm accumulating followers at a much faster rate than the blog - and I wonder what that means...?

Thank you once again to those of you who bought my junk on eBay, especially Novascotius and Comicbooksandfigures - your lovely messages were really appreciated.

Whilst not having much time for the internet, SWMBO and I have been watching a lot of things (entirely and unquestionably legally) on the internet. Two things stand out with regards to Inquisitor:

I watched the new Red Riding Hood - which is actually quite a terrible film. It's shares its director (and many visual hallmarks) with the first Twilight film. Yes, I've seen all the Twilight films, thanks to being dragged to the cinema! It is, accordingly, very angsty, with plenty of young men with tousled hair emoting all over the place. Plus, if you know the 700-year-old story of Red Riding Hood, the plot is ridiculously simple.

But, Gary Oldman's character, "Father Solomon", was very Inquisitorial. He came into the town to hunt down the Werewolf, and showed an incredible callous disregard for the lives of innocents. Just what you'd want in an Imperial Inquisitor! His life had disintegrated thanks to his obsession with destroying these beasts, and he was really the only interesting part (and person) in the film.

The second thing we watched was AMC's The Walking Dead - all six hours of it! It's quite an interesting show, and really got me in the mood for games involving zombies. I hear Steve's just won a lot of 25 Necromunda Plague Zombies...

Indeed, Robey "Precinctomega" Jenkins put up an interesting set of rules on The Conclave for dealing with zombies:

For handling damage, I would suggest that zombies ignore all damage that fails to exceed their BIV. Give each zombie a small d6 on its base and give them a set number of "wounds". Then each hit that exceeds the BIV reduces the figure by 1 until the zombie is finally blasted to pieces and removed. Any hit to the head that exceeds the BIV kills instantly.

To calculate a good number of zombies to field, simply add up all the Speed values of the characters facing off against them. The total is a good number of zombies to field.

To calculate the BIV and number of wounds to give each zombie, divide the total number of zombies by the total number of PCs.

So let's say you have three players, each with 2 characters and Speeds of 5, 5, 4, 4, 4 and 3, that would mean you want 25 zombies, each with a BIV of 4 and 4 wounds.

Any scenario that actually requires the PCs to get out an engage with the zombies (or each other) is a good one. Place a vital datacache at the heart of a zombie plague outbreak, with three parties vying to control it. Or position a getaway shuttle at one end of the board with only enough seats to carry three PCs to safety (that's always a good one!).

Hmmm.... the unadulterated slaughter that runs through a GM's mind!

Talking of GM duties, I've been working on writing up all the characters I've created. One thing that's helped me incredibly has been a character sheet devised by Conclave user MarcoSkoll - it's called the "Economy Character Sheet", and its main aim is to reduce the mass of papers that accumulate at the side of an Inquisitor table. You should be able to fit four characters on two sides of paper. I've found that for some of my more complicated characters (psychic powers, etc.) they take slightly more space, but it's been really useful.

You can find Marco's beta character sheet here.

That's it for now, but I hope to be back soon!

Re-vamping Vaun

2011-04-03T03:09:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Today's been spent sorting out the postage and packaging for all the eBay auctions. Thank you if any of you were bidders - I managed to get a combined total of just over £138. Some of that's already gone on some purchases - but the majority of it will be put towards basic human survival!

Some of you might remember Arbitrator Vaun. He was a generic NPC, what some on the Conclave might call a "mauve shirt", who was commanded by Nick in our "Breakout" Battle Report. Vaun was able to kill three gangers from the White Snake Cartel outright in one round of shooting, before succumbing in close combat to the forces of Interrogator Venris.

Vaun performed so well that Nick wanted to induct him into the retinue of Inquisitor Balthier. Having been promoted from an NPC into a PC, I decided I wanted Vaun to have a new, more detailed model. I've fiddled with options previously, but have finally settled on a suitable conversion.

(Click image for a larger version)

Although it's not much to look at right now, this is the concept sheet for Arbitrator Vaun. The base model is a classic Arbites patrol leader - a really nice model, though I'm not a fan of the plumed eagle helmet. I'm going to be removing the helmet and adding one from a normal Arbites; the head will also be turned to look the way he's pointing. A bionic foot from a Tyrannic War Veteran will help represent the injuries he sustained during "Breakout", and there we go.

He looks somewhat similar to Titus Dio, but that's fine - they both inhabit the same archetype. When they're painted up I'm confident they'll look different enough.

Resin crack...

2011-04-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

Whenever you think you're out, Games Workshop pulls you back in. Their latest Forgeworld offering is the Imperial Strongpoint Expansion, a new tile for the Realm of Battle.

Now, you might be thinking "But Molotov, you only just got rid of your Realm of Battle Board!" - and you'd be right. But the interesting thing about this is that the Realm of Battle is based around interchangeable 2-Feet-by-2-Feet tiles.

Now, remember that INQ28 is a "half-size" version of Inquisitor. Most Inquisitor games tend to be played on boards that are about 4x4. Which means that a 2x2 Realm of Battle tile is a perfectly playable surface for an INQ28 game. It really is a "tabletop game."

With some scenery (perhaps a vehicle), this could prove to be a very interesting bit of kit for an INQ28 game...

Updates 02/04/11

2011-04-02T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

This week has been a ridiculously busy one for me. I had my birthday on Thursday, but didn't have much chance to celebrate it; instead, I spent most of it marking and planning for a university observation. Such is the life of a teacher!

I've still got some items on eBay - they may be gone by the time you read this: As I post this, most of the items have about two hours to go. You can see them here, though.

I received a message from my friend Darren that he's bought me an Imperial Guard Ogryn and a Tau Ethereal - the models I needed to create my "Fiendgryn" and my Navigator models. So next time I go home, you should be able to see those two conversions. I've also received an Imperial Guard Kasrkin from "Old Guard" on the Ammobunker - many thanks to him for his extraordinary generosity.

I've also received my resin Warrior-Priest from Russia; I will get pics up of that as soon as I go home next.

Many thanks guys, hopefully will have cool stuff to show you soon.

Twitter?

2011-03-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired somewhat by CMDante, I've set up an INQ28 Twitter account, so that people can follow and find out information about INQ28 as I update.

Bear with me, because I know very little about Twitter!

You can follow me at http://twitter.com/INQ28

Thanks to all!

More eBaying...

2011-03-26T11:21:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

The financial situation has led me to put yet more stuff on eBay. So, shameless plug...

There are a number of items there that could prove useful to INQ28 modellers, and I would encourage you to have a look!

Thanks for your time, I will endeavour to have another post up soon.

The Kindness of Strangers

2011-03-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.

I broke yesterday and bought the Donorian Clawed Fiend from GW. Many thanks to Chris at GW Leicester, who has put up with me going in there on several occasions over the last month to try to catch a glimpse of the Fiend. The head/body arrangement is slightly different to what I anticipated, so some extra work will likely be needed to create my "Fiendgryn." Mostly in terms of sculpting GS fur...

Talking of the Fiend, Games Workshop recently posted an interesting article in their "What's New Today" blog about the Dark Eldar beasts. It includes some of Jes Goodwin's art, and a very nifty sketch of the Fiend. You can see it at this link.

As I mentioned last blog-post, I'm working on creating my next batch of INQ28 models. One of the forums on which I regularly post, The Ammobunker, has a well-established trading forum. The 'bunker has always been more of a community than some forums, and the trading forum is very low-key. I put up the Bat-Signal and a list of components that I would need in order to complete some of the models I'm conceptualising.

My good friend Steve was able to quickly respond, and thanks to his unfeasibly large bitzbox, has managed to solve almost all my worries. Here's what's winging its way to me:

Chaos Space Marine knives and a Space Marine Chainsword, for my Assassin concept.
The Beret head from the Catachan Command Squad, for my Storm Trooper.
A scanner from the Tau Fire Warriors, and the Astrolabe staff-top from the Fantasy Wizard (both for Captain LeKard's Navigator.)
Catachan Command Squad bits, for my Beastman.

So, that's all very exciting. Though I realise now that this blog is, in some ways, behind the times. Thanks in part to Steve Buddle from Eolith Miniatures, I found myself on the shop of Australian manufacturer Guild of Harmony and saw a figure that should prove the basis for my new Assassin figure:

(Click the pictures for larger versions.)

Here you can see the model, and my inspiration. Time will tell if it works out as I hope...

Also, in an important note to any INQ28 fans wanting to create a Rogue Trader, Hasslefree's new Privateer Godwin figure is a must-buy!

19/03/2011

2011-03-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.

I'm still in Leicester at the moment, and things have been very up-and-down recently. There's not been much time for me to get much done.Still, I wanted to chuck up a post to consolidate some things.

Firstly, Steve finished up Banner:

I think he looks great, and he will definitely look the business alongside Inquisitor Adorno. Up next, Steve's got his sights set on the Chrono-Gladiator I converted (can't seem to find any pictures at the moment, but will try to locate some soon.)

I've ordered a number of miniatures to my parents' house, which means the next time I go home, I'll be very busy as I attempt to build and convert a great number of differing models - which, of course, translates into more blog posts for you guys!

In an attempt to control my spending, I've put a page at the top of the blog entitled "Status", which clarifies a great many of the models I want to make. Doing that will, I hope, help to control my spending as there'll be less impulse buying on eBay. WWith money tighter than ever, I'm having to carefully consider what I build, rather than just putting things together in the spur of the moment.

So, this details a number of my current projects, in an attempt to clarify exactly what bits I need to acquire:

Witch-Hound (Adorno)
You've seen this guy before. Based on a piece of fluff released by Fanatic Online, I wanted to make this Guardsman a ordinary soldier who was the only survivor of a daemonic incursion; his sight was stolen by a daemonette, and in its place he was given warp-sight. That was the concept, but I've struggled for ages to give this guy decent arms. I don't want him to have weapons, and I even at one stage wanted to give him a walking stick. I'm really a bit lost with him. However, with the new Grey Knights models, there is a Grey Knight brandishing the decapitated head of a Daemonette. It made me think of the Head of the Navigator from Monkey Island, and so I'm thinking of having a blindfolded character navigating using a decapitated daemonette... though I'm having to consider just how fluffy it is. Would make a cool model, though!

Adorno's Scribe
I want to make a dark scribe for Adorno, some kind of savant character, though I'm a bit lost and would welcome innovative suggestions for models.

Adorno's Assassin
Apparently the model has arrived at home, so next time I get home I'll be checking it out. What immediately springs to mind is I'm going to need something for the hidden blade. I need a cool dagger, and I will probably have to use some Guardsman fists...

Trooper Drexler
For Drexler, I want to use Kasrkin 3 with the beret head from the Catachan Command Squad. I'm planning on giving him a necklace of Ork Teeth just to give him a bit of rough-'n-ready backstory, but this guy should be relatively simple to put together.

Daemonsword Bearer
This is a model that I've recently conceptualised. As described to Steve, I plan him to be an acolyte of Adorno's who has been entrusted with a daemon-sword. In order to master the blade, he lives the life of an ascetic: Regularly fasting, spending his time training or in meditation, he believes himself to be damned but also believes that the righteous must sacrifice so that the bulk of Humanity can endure. A sort of "fallen knight" archetype.

I want to use this Crusader (don't have it, will have to get it) but with a sword held more-or-less parallel to the ground. As to the sword, I want it to be a cool-but-obviously-corrupted blade; Steve suggested one from the fantasy Bloodletters, but again, will have to source that. I would like to have him actually holding/using the shield, which will necessitate sawing, pinning and GSing his arm. I'd also like him to have a bare head, but it will have to be a suitable one, and I don't have ideas for that yet.

Fat Priest
You've seen him before, the main issue is in finding a suitable replacement head. Currently looking through the Bretonnian range.

Jorgan Vorg
This is the "Geordi La Forge" character, he needs a pistol from Heresy Miniatures and some work on mechadendrites to be done.

Noonien Celestino
The Navigator model, will need to get an Ethereal, the head from the Cadian Command Squad, the tip from the Fantasy wizard set and a scanner hand from the Tau Fire Warriors.

Kurn
My "not-Worf", will require an Ogryn and the Donorian Clawed Fiend...

Beastman
This Beastman requires parts (particularly arms) from the Catachan Command Squad...

In future posts, there'll be more details on some of these characters - this doesn't, for example, include the "Felix Vance" character that I've wanted to create for something in the order of two years(!)

Gideon Lorr
There's been quite a furore on the internet over a recent blunder(?) by Games Workshop, in which they put up a limited Inquisitor from 2004 on their website this month. They got incredible sales, and then pulled it. I didn't manage to get another Lorr, but I hear that eBay are doing are roaring trade in the model. It's a shame that one of GW's best Inquisitorial sculpts can't be sold. Similarly, you can see a really cool Acolyte model here which I really, really wish I could get my hands on!

Shuttle Progress
Here's a little more work on our shuttle:

And with that, I'll see you soon! Updates are most likely next weekend. Hope you're all well!

Banner (Continued)

2011-03-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest picture from Steve, showing the progress on Banner.

Hope you enjoy! In other news, I've been looking at the newest Grey Knights models. There are a few nice Inquisitorial symbols on the sprues, but aside from that... It's really quite a shame that the Inquisition has been stripped away from the Grey Knights, but hopefully there are a few bits that I can use. I know somebody who will be keen to take the sets off my hands when I'm done with them!

Banner (WIP)

2011-03-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

For as long as my friend Nick and I have played Inquisitor, there's been a character called "Banner". I remember that when we were learning the rules, we played a test game where Inquisitor Balthier had a "Banner" in his employ. That Banner was a Goliath Ganger with an autogun, taken from Nick's Necromunda gang at the time - Hogan's Hulks. As a result, we picked a "Hulkish" name for him, and suddenly, we had Banner.

This model wasn't really supposed to be Banner. I had seen an excellent conversion by blogger "Col. Corbane" on his blog Corbania Prime of the Catachan special character, Gunnery Sergeant Harker. The conversion was pretty simple, but very effective - giving him a beret, a t-shirt and a camo-cloak. You can see pictures of that conversion here. After that, I saw by chance a conversion by Catferret, a user who has posted in my INQ28 thread on Warseer a number of times. This conversion was designed to fit into Catferret's fallout/ash waste games, and you can see his thread here.

This conversion was just cool. I thought it was brilliant, turning a character known for his heavy firepower into a melee character - the ragged techno-punk aspects were really creative (including using the tire for shoulder armour!) and I knew I just had to have one of my own.

So, I bought the Gunnery Sergeant Harker model, and set to it. Only... things didn't quite end up how I'd planned. Some conversions are so organic that they happen by chance, and just seem to make sense. So it was when I idly tried a Necromunda Autogun on the Harker figure. And suddenly, I knew we had a new Banner.

The conversion, whilst simple, wasn't simplistic; the Harker model comes with bracers on both forearms. Unfortunately, the ammo feed of 'Payback', his Heavy Bolter, is wrapped around one of the bracers. This meant I had to clipper off the ammo belt, which left it jagged and angular (as you can see in the picture above) and then file the bracer back into a smooth, spherical surface. The autogun and the hands were a single piece, and they only just fit. The shoulderpad came from the Valkyrie kit, and helped give him a little more protection. Of course, it's impractical - but that's so 40k!

The finishing touch was to add a sling for the autogun. I tried a similar piece from the Kroot rifles, but in the end the best bit was from a Space Marine Scout boltgun; the scouts hold their bolters at a similar angle, and so the strap fell naturally. I had to carve out part of the strap so it would sit comfortably against Harker's leg, but then it all came together in the end.

Whilst some of my models have sat in various stages of completion for months on end, the new-look Banner came together in a matter of days. And pretty quickly, he got shipped off to Steve to get painted. And so, today we have some WIP pictures of Banner!

Here's what Steve had to say:

"Right, first (proper) wip of Banner.

Skin still has a stage to go (glaze/highlights over the tattoos) and the trousers have been done. Shouldn't take long from here.

Experimented with digi cam on the trousers, using a similar technique to applying battle damage with a sponge. Doesn't create the nice square patterns we all know and love but it's enough to fool the eye into thinking it."

Not 99 No More...

2011-03-06T04:11:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

You may remember that in this blog entry, I informed you all that I'd put one of the Games Workshop Realm of Battle Boards on eBay. In a bid to draw attention, and also to avoid some sellers' fees, I put it up for 99p. It's got about an hour to go as I type this, and it's at a whopping £122!

Now, if you're the winner (or even one of the bidders) you have my gratitude, as that money's going to go into my "engagement ring fund", so it will certainly make a difference. Next time I'm home, I'm going to be seeing just what else I can eBay off in order to reach my targets that much quicker.

"Big" Steve's (or El_Diablo, as some of you know him) has been off on a holiday for a few days - whilst some might desire the sun, the sea or the sand, he went to Birmingham(?!) - but that's all good, because he participated in a battle with Matt (Sorrowshard)'s Dark Eldar. You can see the video of the game on both of their blogs, and I'd encourage you to check it out.

Now that he's back from Birmingham, he promises me that there will be a WIP pic of "Banner", our Sergeant-Harker-with-an-autogun conversion. Today! So, stay tuned.

I have no shuttle-related pun.

2011-03-05T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Things have been going okay here; I've been at university all week so I've not had much chance to do some active modelling. My friend Darren's been working on our shuttle, and you can see more progress:

As always, click on the pictures to have them appear, much larger.

Hope this entry finds you well - there should hopefully be more eye candy soon!

Realm of Battle for 99p?

2011-02-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

One of the things you will have seen in the new blog redesign is the "Engagement Ring Fund". I've got a lot of work to do in order to get that number up to a respectable figure! As a result, I'm eBaying stuff in dribs and drabs.

One of the things to go is a Realm of Battle Game Board. I've never used it, but it needs to go! And so it does, on eBay. I've put this £155 monstrosity on for a mere 99p, and you can see the auction here.

If you bid, good luck to you! Know that you're doing it for a good cause. ;)

UPDATE:
For those of you with more modest budgets, I've put up the rare female Catachan with Grenade Launcher here. I will be putting more models on eBay in the forthcoming future, so keep an eye out for those!

Trekking on... (Mailbag Update)

2011-02-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey guys.

As you may have noticed, the INQ28 blog has received a little bit of a facelift today. I spent an hour or so this morning tightening things up. I found a number of little quirks on the blogspot homepage, and so I've been able to install the menu bar that you see at the top. Among those fancy new features was one call "Recent Comments". Funnily enough, it's been over a year, and I've only just found out how to alter the setting so that I receive an email notification when someone posts a comment on the blog!

Still, it gives me the opportunity to respond to a number of comments I've received.

Max said...: Very nice conversions, as always. I would like to ask you a few questions: 1. Where did you get the model for the shuttle pilot? It seems vaguely familiar but I can't really place it. 2. What kind of shuttle do you intend to use? An Aquila Lander? 3. I might be starting with Inq28 sometime soon. Would you mind me stealing a few of your ideas? (I really like Hurk, for example.)

Thanks for the comment, Max. With regards to your first question, the pilot is a Necromunda figure, from the new(er) Enforcers range. This model doesn't sport quite the same armour as the rest, as he's intended to operate as the Cyber-Mastiff handler. You can see him on the left of this picture. The laspistol is taken from the newer House Orlock Gangers, whilst the neural connection is taken from a plastic servo-skull included in the Space Marines Devastators boxed set.

With regards to your second question, the shuttle we're working on is based off the Imperial Guard Valkyrie; whilst the Forgeworld Aquila Lander is a nice kit, it's prohibitively expensive for what it is! You'll see more of it later in this post. :)

Lastly - this blog is all about sharing! Many of my ideas have come from borrowing the work of others. Just be sure to link me to your efforts! I'm always keen to see more INQ28 modellers.

Shane said...: Wow! Quite the flurry of activity here lately, Mol. As always, I love your work. I can't wait to see Rourke painted, my eye is having a hard time deciphering him as-is. I was curious about the pilot figure too, and the head of the Drop Veteran. Do you know where that bit came from?

Hopefully Nick'll get around to painting Rourke sometime this year! The Drop Veteran's head is taken from the Valkyrie kit.

Mister Feral said...: For the Lelith to Death Cult Assassin conversion, if you were to swap the head (check Wood Elf range?)and weapons, sculpt a corset over her abdomen, add loads of purity seals and finally paint most of the flesh as a skintight bodysuit I reckon it could convincingly be pulled off! :) The terrain is shaping up nicely too and the Officer is a nice conversion too. :)

Thanks for the comment. Lelith herself might be too much hard work (her hair is massive!) but I was talking generally regarding the new Dark Eldar range. It's just things like the spiky, layered armour that are so Dark Eldar. Replacing them might be difficult to do.

This weekend, I've been spending some time working on my Star Trek-themed Rogue Trader's warband.

The parts ought to be obvious; this Tech-Priest is based on Geordi LaForge. He needs a bit of work - I need to remove the second hand on his great axe, and he'll be getting a pistol from Heresy Miniatures. I also plan to fiddle with his backpack - I don't want him to have the servo-arm that comes with the Enginseer model, as it looks unbalanced with him holding the axe one-handed. So I'm considering giving him mechadendrites instead. Obviously I'm also going to be giving him a hood, as that's one of the key signifiers of the AdMech.

Here you can see him alongside Captain LeKard, the Rogue Trader. LeKard still needs some work green-stuffing his neck and repairing the collar slightly. Along with the Worf-esque "Fiendgryn"... I'm just considering a fourth member. Data wouldn't fit the 40k setting, but I'm wondering if Troi could fit as a psyker (sanctioned or otherwise...)

In the meantime, work has continued apace on our Shuttlecraft:

Keeping on track...

2011-02-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty busy at INQ28 HQ.

One of my resolutions (1B) was to make at least thirty-five posts in 2011. As we near the end of the second month, I've put up thirteen posts. if I continue at the same sort of rate, by the end of the year, I should have seventy-eight posts!

The aim of this post is to highlight some of my recent work, some ideas I've been fiddling with, and to provide some glimpses of our future INQ28 campaign games.

The downsides of 28mm...
When the 54mm Inquisitor range was released, many new models and concepts were released. Foremost among these were the arco-flagellants, the chrono-gladiators and daemonhosts. When the Warhammer 40,000 Daemonhunters Codex was released, a number of models were released, many of which had taken direct influence from its "bigger brother." That trend was repeated when the Witchhunters Codex came out.

The problem is that many of these models just weren't up to the same standard as their 54mm counterparts. Take Cherubael, an elegant, sinister and malevolent model that oozes character. You can feel the agony inherent in the process of binding a creature of the warp into the shell of a human body. Then take that, and compare it to the 40k Daemonhosts - or ugly and uglier, as they could quite easily be known. They're crude - almost comedic. That can't be right. (This says nothing of the Death Cult Assassins, or the Arco-Flagellants, which are nothing compared to the powerhouse that is Damien 1427. Oh, how I wish I could get decent 28mm Arco-Flagellants...)

I've been looking at the newest Dark Eldar models that've come out and wondering what steps would need to be taken to convert a credible Death Cult Assassin out of them. The new metal Lelith Hesperax is a beautiful model, full of lithe grace and deadly potential. I would need to be careful, because the Dark Eldar have a particular 'niche' (that is, deadly and spiky) but one that is similar to that used by Death Cultists. However, when you're converting a Lelith Hesperax model and asking people to believe that it's not Lelith Hesperax, you need to try to make the transition believable. Opinions are welcomed!

Articles of Interest
PDH recently sent me an e-mail pointing me toward an interesting thread on Dakka Dakka. Modeller 'Lalabox' (who has a cool forum avatar) has created two female arbitrators from the aforementioned Death Cult Assassins and female heads from Microart Studios.

Check out the thread here!

From the Workbench
Quite a mixed bag of updates this post. I snatch my modelling time when and where I can, but I'm not alone in my endeavours. My friends Darren and Nick comprise my normal playing 'circle', but they have also been helping to build some scenery for our forthcoming campaign games.

Firstly, a WIP model: This is a random conversion that came together quite organically. The idea was that he is a Colonel from an Imperial Guard regiment seconded to the service of the Inquisition. Whilst all the regiment's soldiers were executed at the conclusion of the campaign, he continues his service.

The conversion really started from me thinking "Hmm... the Sniper Rifle camo-cloak could make a good cape..." and so here it is. What I want to do next is to green-stuff a fur trim around his collar.

Secondly, here's some work on a shuttlecraft for our next campaign game. The shuttle is based on the work of Ammobunker user 'Whitehorn', who built a craft which you can see here. The shuttle will be pivotal in our next campaign, so it has to be done before we can play! Darren is currently working hard on it.

These two trucks are kits from Italieri and Tamiya - a German Cargo Truck and a Humvee. I won't pretend to be an expert on the vehicles in particular, but I figured that they would prove to be quite versatile. They will work both as static scenery and for moving vehicles. The cargo truck could be used everywhere from a spaceport to a farm. Although they're both slightly too large for 40k scale, they're still fitting for "heroic 28mm". And at the end of the day, I can't afford to spend too much on a relatively minor part of our gaming. Once they're painted up, they should be entirely serviceable!

Next up, there is a glimpse of forthcoming scenery for a future game. This is a mineworking that we'll be fighting over. Made primarily from plasticard and Necromunda bulkheads, once painted up it should also prove a solid piece of scenery and fun to game over. One advantage of INQ28 is that you only need a relatively small playing surface - a 2'x2' board is equivalent to 4'x4'.

And finally, the beginnings of our work on a lost and forgotten tomb far beneath the surface of Nova Castille; a tomb where something dark and entirely insidious slumbers...

Contributor: PDH

2011-02-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

As one of my 2011 resolutions, I made it a point that I wanted to include articles and models by other INQ28 hobbyists on this blog. In the past, Kaled has generously agreed to let me feature his models.

For the first contributor of 2011, I have been lucky enough to feature the work of Peter "PDH" Hudson. I've seen PDH's work on DakkaDakka - a forum known for being the "home of Inquisimunda". He has always been generous with his commentary, and has produced many models and concepts which I've jealously considered stealing for myself!

Without further ado, I'll pass the torch onto PDH:

PDH: I’ve been playing 40k since 2^nd edition on and off. My favourite parts were the Imperial Agents list and the picture of the Inquisitor in Codex Imperialis. In a way I prefer the Inquisition of 2^nd Ed as they were a shadowy organisation because there was almost nothing known about them, an odd paragraph here and a picture there, my imagination ran riot.

Image copyright Games Workshop, used without permission.

Ian Watson’s Inquisition War Trilogy shed a bit more light on this sinister organisation. When I saw the cryptic advert/preview in White Dwarf, the idea of Inquisitor grabbed me immediately and I knew, that whatever is was, it was going to be cool. When the book arrived I flipped through it and thought...bloody hell this looks complicated. But I was more interested in the pictures, the background packages and most of all the fantastic treatise on radical and puritan elements. Reading Eisenhorn: Xenos when it came out really pulled me in. The Inquisition suddenly became much more fleshed out and in some ways better for it...in others I’m not so sure I somehow liked not knowing and being in the dark. But I’ve been an avid follower of all the back ground since.

My experience of INQ54

When it first came out I played a few games in my local GW with a member of staff, who I’d known for a few years at college. He had painted up some of the standard miniatures and then moved onto converting some characters of his own and was complaining about the lack of parts (and so was sculpting a model almost from scratch). I was more concerned with the cost, a warband for £70 was out of my price range (he didn’t care he was buying metal by weight). I loved the game but really wasn’t that fussed by the models (same as LOTR) because of the scale...I like my models 28mm Heroic. So while I enjoyed the game it didn’t really catch on round here and I started Uni in 2002, which meant other than reading bits and bobs I pretty much stopped playing and only painted every once in a while. Girls were much more interesting.

My experience of INQ28

I first got interested in the idea of Inq28 when the Witch Hunter codex came out in 04 (I’d missed the Daemon Hunter codex completely). It was full of snippets, ideas and the models grabbed me, especially the 28mm Arco-flagellants.

I built an inquisitor out of a Dark Elder Haemonculus, some parts from the Dark Elf range and an imperial looking power sword from some place or other. The good old days of the mail order service! Over the next few years I built a few priests and gunslingers but only ever played a few games here and there....but I think that was more to do with the people I knew in the hobby. We played quite a bit of Nercomunda, which is definitely my first love when it comes to specialist games.

In 2009 I started building Haxtus and his warband just for the fun of painting something a little different and using odd bits and pieces. These guys were put in the cabinet in my local GW and this got some people interested in playing some games on vets night. I also didn’t have to GM which was great. This came to an abrupt end when GW stopped letting us play specialist games in storeL. We were going to play someplace else but the guy running the campaign got a job with massively antisocial hours. So the last time we played was mid 2010. I was GM because the guy who was meant to do it had to work... Three players, two were using some of my Nercomunda Scavvies as mutants vs a rogue trader. The idea was the mutants had been sent out, by Haxtus, to capture a witness before he could sell some information about a lost piece of Archeotech to the Rogue Trader. It ended with the rogue trader killing the witness, after buying the information and getting his purse back, and scarpering from the incompetent mutants. We did not continue with the campaign after this, as we were hoping that our GM would come back as he held all the secrets of the Archeotech site...

INQ54 vs INQ28

I find it hard to compare the two types of game play...to me it doesn’t make any difference...but perhaps that’s just how I remember the few INQ54 games I played. I definitely prefer INQ28 solely for the cheaper costs and modelling opportunities that it brings me in my chosen scale of modelling. I am foremost a modeller/painter than a gamer. But I do like to use the models I paint in games from time to time and Inquisitor really lets me bring these bits of metal and plastic to life. If a mutant is injured in Necromunda it is a shame and oh he has a name. In Inquisitor he is not just a mutant it is actually PDF Trooper Brandhof, with a valiant history of overcoming adversity in the name of the God Emperor. To finalise I don’t think it matters what scale you are using as long as the story is good and some thought has been put into the characters. Oh, and that there are very few bolt weapons and space marines!

Mol: Thank you, PDH!

Inquisitor Emil Haxtus

Haxtus has been in the service of the Inquisition for nearly one hundred and seventy seven years, since his mentor tested his psychic strength aboard one of the black ships. During his tenure as an Inquisitor he moved towards the ranks of the Ordo Hereticus destroying the cancer from within. It was here he originally came across the Istvannian philosophy, believing the human race was its best at times of peril. Here he sought out and organised heretical cults, then brought the dangers to the attention of the authorities to be smote upon the anvil of the Emperors’ Justice.

Though a firm believer in the methods of the Istvannians he was never reckless in his endangerment of any world’s population. His view was that while good can come from conflict if a planet is overcome with corruption, it can no longer have a place in the domain of the Emperor on Terra. He regularly destroyed dangerous chaos cults intent on and capable of daemon summoning. It was at this stage his personal library of un-prescribed texts took form, originally to only help him conquer the blasphemous creatures brought forth using them.

Eventually he started to dabble in the rituals within the texts, to bring forth minor daemons for interrogation into the nature of the enemy. Forty years ago he carefully began his research into the process of making his own daemon host, to use against the enemy. This first attempt failed and left him severely scarred as the daemon broke its bonds and briefly used Haxtus as a play thing. Since then he always wears billowing hooded robes to hide his disfigurement and has armed himself more appropriately for destroying the daemon. His second attempt eleven years ago was successful and the daemon host Judge Rhinehart is still bound to Haxtus.

Master Savant Todial Galvisum

Many centuries has Master Savant Todial Galvisum worked for the Inquisition and with the death of his last three masters he has he been reassigned to the next generation. Galvisum does not judge the methods used by the Inquisition, only the results and is willing to openly play devil’s advocate with his masters. An expert in investigative work he often becomes obsessed with tasks until they are completed to his exacting standards. Having worked for Inquisitor Haxtus for the last one hundred years he was present during the failed attempt at daemon host creation and has been nearly killed during numerous incidents.

With his dangerous occupation and his advanced age he is slowly becoming more machine than man so that he can continue to serve. Not only has his body been repaired, it has been modified to improve his role in investigative work and can now link directly with logic engines. Having come into harm’s way frequently he has had sensors and bionics installed and has become adept at defending himself. The demands of controlling extensive bionic and electronic data storage has necessitated Galvisum being powered by a small generator.

Hierophant Yektor Pritov

Originally came into Haxtus’s service during an investigation into mutant cults in the lower districts of Hive Finnder Terceius on Finnder’s World. Pritov was a young priest in a small church on the edge of the mutant shanties. The Inquisitor interrogated the priest asking him for any leads with his enquiries. During the ensuing investigation it came to light that the chaos worshipping cult was actually in the higher echelons of the hives government. With Pritov’s help Inquisitor Haxtus persuaded the mutant population to rebel against the corrupt leaders. For two months the Haxtus, Pritov and the mutants hid within the hive making daring raids against the cult until it became apparent the majority of the hive were secretly worshipping the chaos gods. During this Pritov continued his devotion to him on earth leading the mutant population in prayer. The rebellion was ended when Haxtus got a message for help off world, answered by the Relictor Chapter of Space Marines.

After the rebellion Pritov asked to join Haxtus off world. As he had visions that is was his position to administer to the Inquisitor spiritual guidance. Since the creation of the daemon host Pritov has removed his eyes, ears drums and tongue. This protects him from ever looking upon, speaking with or hearing the daemon’s evil. So Pritov can function and as a compromise he has had bionic implants to replace his natural senses. He believes now more than ever he is needed to protect Inquisitor Haxtus from falling to the will of the dark gods.

PDF Trooper Brandhof

Inquisitor Haxtus recruited Brandhof after a mission to bring down a rogue psyker on the ice world of Felixus IV. Trooper Brandhof was a member of a squad assigned as an honour guard to the Inquisitor. During the investigation the psyker made his presence felt by ambushing the Inquisitor and his party. The surprise attack mutated the PDF squad and the psyker ignored their altered remains, leaving them for dead. This left Haxtus and Judge Rhinehart to battle the psyker alone. During the ensuing combat Brandhof came round and instead of despairing at his new form he fought on. Despite the searing agony wrought by his newly deformed limbs Brandhof took aim and killed the psyker with a perfect head shot. Felixus IV governing body being particularly intolerant of mutation would have put Brandhof to death, except Haxtus was impressed with the trooper’s dedication and fortitude.

The attack has left Brandhof a hunched, twisted figure with thin wasted limbs and a bulging neck, which makes talking difficult. Since being recruited Inquisitor Haxtus continually uses the mutated trooper to help infiltrate mutant shanties and other unsavoury areas during his investigations. Brandhof is also used for a little extra muscle when necessary, with his steady aim. Brandhof manages his condition with a cocktail of pain suppressants and faith. He does not blame the Inquisitor for his current circumstances seeing him as a vessel of the Emperor’s might.

Daemonhost – Judge Rhinehart

When the daemon host was summoned the body that Inquisitor Haxtus used had been in a coma, brain dead, for years. The daemon when placed in the host body found the name of the previous occupier and has used it since, at first to attempt escape and then to torment and bring doubt to the Inquisitor. As with most creatures from beyond it causes strange occurrences in its vicinity. Those within arms reach of the daemon host hear the whimper and cries of small children. Also if the host body is caught in precipitation or similar conditions water drops within a few metres turn to purple sparks until they hit the ground.

Mol: Inquisitor Haxtus and his retinue are all very creative figures, which show some of INQ28's true potential. All of that pales, however, before this next figure; Magos Helixis Spur:

Spur is based on Ikit Claw, one of the new Skaven special characters. This is an example of using a model for a completely different purpose. Really very imaginative, and totally in the spirit of INQ28!

Many thanks to PDH for contributing his models to the blog. If you are interested in contributing to the blog, check the link to the left of the blog, or email inq28blog@gmail.com with the subject line "contributions".

Bring me the head of a Donorian Clawed Fiend!

2011-02-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

(Or... "What pops up into my head when I look at new releases.")
(Or... "Why the hell can't I just leave a model unconverted?!")

I saw the recently advertised Dark Eldar Clawed Fiend on the GW website. On The Conclave, there was discussion that it could make a great 54mm Werewolf. I had other ideas - it would make an excellent alien when meshed with the body of an Ogryn! I did originally consider the Blood Bowl Ogres for the task, in part because of these fabulous Drop Troop Ogryn (whose owner I can't credit, so apologies for that...), but failing that, I settled on the Imperial Guard Ogryn for my "Fiendgryn" concept.

After thinking about the "Mr Woof" idea, the not-Worf for Captain LeKard's motley crew, it occured to me that an alien like this would make a brilliant member of his retinue. It has the ridged forehead, the mane of hair, and even the beginnings of a sash across his chest. The idea certainly has merit! I went into GW Leicester today to see if they had a Clawed Fiend on display so I could get a general idea for the scale of it (if it's out of scale with an Ogryn, then the conversion won't work) - but unfortunately they don't. The Fiend is due out on March 19th, so they should hopefully have a display model in the Black Box soon; as a consolation a staff member at the store was able to find me this picture, which suggests my plan may well work...

Overhauling Half-Finished Models

2011-02-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

Went home for the weekend, and as is customary, got a bit of modelling done. Firstly, I started tackling Guardsman Rourke, who has been effectively changed from a Sniper to more of a Scout/Tracker/Pathfinder Figure.

Today, I looked at his Vostroyan mask. It had a bulbous breathing apparatus which looked like a censer. If anything, it looked Nurglesque. As a result, I used a Cadian rebreather to make it a little more pleasing to the eye:

I've added part of a Space Marine auspex to his lasgun to emulate the heartbeat sensors from Modern Warfare 2.

I've also added a cool knife that was floating around in my bitzbox. I think it was from an Eversor assassin, but truth be told I'm not really sure. Regardless, Rourke is done and I've given him back to Nick (so who knows how long it'll be before it's painted...)

The next battle in our campaign will feature Interrogator Venris attempting to kidnap the head of the White Snake Cartel whilst Inquisitor Balthier is trying to kill him. The battle will take place across Nova Castille's spaceport. There will be an orbital shuttle, and the shuttle requires a pilot:

The next conversion came out quite unexpectedly. He's a bit of an ODST-inspired "Drop Veteran". I want to do some work on him to make it clear that he's absolutely not a Space Marine scout, though...

Lastly, I was fiddliing around with a bunch of Ork Nobz. I true-scaled my Deathwatch Space Marine. Why would Space Marines be so big? Because the enemies of Man are terrifying. I think that Tyranids, Orks, and the like should be huge and intimidating. It makes Mankind seem all the more threatened, and that makes the sacrifice of the Imperial Guard all the more impressive.

These are a bunch of Ork Boyz:

And they need a Nob to lead them, so I converted a Black Reach warboss (and that banner was a complete PAIN to do...)

Including 40k mainstays in Inquisitor will always have its detractors. There are also those who will ask what role Xenos such as the Orks have in the "battle for the Emperor's soul" that Inquisitor champions. Partly, I've made these models for the fun of it. But they may well feature - though hopefully you can trust me to do so responsibly!

Various updates...

2011-02-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of news here. My girlfriend's family have got in touch and let me know that we're all going to Flordia in the summer for a month. This means that my "hobby resolutions" have taken on an entirely different light when you consider that by June, I need to have spending money for the holiday, and enough saved up for an engagement ring.

In the next few days, I have an interview at a school for a job which will start in September (which is cool) but is only adding to the stress!

So, here's where I am at the moment. I recently bought a model from Red Box Games, a company I've not heard of before. Their "Shadowblade Reyviande" model makes an excellent Assassin's Creed-styled miniature, and I'm looking forward to getting it in my hands. You can see some excellent pictures of the model on the MASSIVE VOODOO blog (and in fact, you need to - because the pictures on the RBG webstore are a bit shoddy, to be honest.)

I've been thinking about my "Captain LeKard" model, and how it would be cool to put together a crew for him. Of course, me being me, I want to incorporate some inspiration from Star Trek. I've worked on an "Elspeth LeKard", who I imagined as being a psyker of some kind, which obviously could fit in with a Deanna Troi-esque telepath. I certainly want to create a Tech-Priest based on Geordi LaForge, using the scout head with the visor and the metal techpriest enginseer.

Kev White of Hasslefree Miniatures recently posted a work-in-progress miniature which is a conversion of his "Smudge" model:

(Click on the picture for a larger size)

He would make a good security chief. I could name him... Mr Woof?

In the meantime, I'm getting desperate for money. I'm going to be going through my collections and seeing what I can put up on eBay. I hope that you'll find something interesting!

The continuing mission...

2011-01-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

So, I've been stuck at university for the past few weeks, and haven't really been able to do too much; my placement has been dragging on, and I've not had anything to show for it.

On The Ammobunker, however, I've been running a Dark Heresy-esque game called 'The Higher Call':

Dark Heresy has been a mixed blessing for me; I've bought every book that Fantasy Flight has released for Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader and Deathwatch, if only because they provide you with fantastic fluff and an insight into the 40k universe that obviously has implications for Inquisitor players. The main difference, of course, is that whilst Inquisitor tends to focus around the eponymous Inquisitors and their retinues fighting the secret war for the Emperor's soul, Dark Heresy tends to focus around small cells of acolytes, waaay down the totem pole. As a pen-and-paper RPG, Dark Heresy is infamous for the short life expectancies of its players.

We're running 'The Higher Call' as a forum-based roleplay, and it's been going quite well. Whilst Dark Heresy is based in the Calixis sector, I've been using our game to flesh out some of the other sides of the Dalthus Sector, which is obviously where my INQ28 campaign has been set, also. I've had a lot of fun immersing myself in the 40k universe, and I have a notebook full of ideas and plots for the acolytes to embark upon. Exciting stuff!

In other INQ28 news, I've made a number of purchases over eBay.

Firstly, I managed to get hold of two OOP Inquisitor sourcebooks, which follow on from The Cirian Legacy, a sourcebook which has heavily influenced our current INQ28 campaign.

I also managed to get hold of an OOP forgeworld sculpture of Inquisitor Gruendvald, taken from Dave Gallagher's picture (above). I love this sculpture, and he will look fantastic, gazing imperiously down upon us during our INQ28 games.

Some other pictures (which should hopefully be improved upon at a later date:)

Sales since January 1st: £36.20

Purchases since January 1st: -£129.75

Total Hobby Balance: -£93.55

With January coming to an end tomorrow, I have some way to go in order to break even! However, given that I've not even started yet, and that I have quite a few juicy pieces hidden away at home, I should hopefully be able to make inroads.

I hope this finds you well - I should hopefully be able to update soon,

- Mol.

Various hobby-related things.

2011-01-16T02:29:00.000-08:00

So, what with being away from my modelling stuff I've not been able to get that much done so far in 2011. But there's several things to talk about that I thought I ought to raise - hopefully you'll like them.

Firstly, the Hobby Fund!

One of my resolutions (3B) has been to buy less than I sell. Here's how I've been doing.

In order to make the new Arbitrator Vaun, I bought Ultramarines Tyranic War Veterans 1 for the bionic leg - which has worked fantastically, but set me back £10.75! I also bought a Space Marine Command Squad (£18.50) and the Dark Angels Chapter Upgrade Frame (£8.50) for a combined total of £37.75. Not an auspicious start to the new year! However, I went and traded in five XBOX games - and I managed to earn back £36.20.

So, my hobby fund thus far:

Sales since January 1st: £36.20
Purchases since January 1st: -£37.75
Total Hobby Balance: -£1.55

Looks like I'm going to need to scrape around and see what models I've got for sale!

In other news, I managed to get two 40k books to read thanks to Waterstones.

The first was Legends of the Space Marines, edited by Christian Dunn. A book of short stories focusing around the Space Marines, I was excited to see how they fared. In the end, I found myself flicking through a number of the tales. I applaud the Black Library for looking at a number of the lesser Chapters of the Astartes, however, and I did find some diamonds in the rough which had me really very engaged.

I particularly liked 'The Returned', a story by James Swallow which looked at a Sergeant, thought dead by his Chapter, returning, and how sometimes that isn't always a good thing... Orphans of the Kraken, by Richard Williams, was a really well-composed story about the Scythes of the Emperor, who are one of my favourite Chapters. It gave some really nice details about how the Scythes have struggled to recover since the loss of Sotha to Hive Fleet Kraken, and the actions of the Chapter Master to unite the shattered factions within the Chapter. (At one point he sends nearly a third of the Chapter's survivors to the Deathwatch so they can't disagree with him!)

The book had a number of interesting tales, and I would certainly advise to pick it up - but to do so with low expectations. That way, you'll only be pleased!

By contrast, I found myself caught up in Aaron Dembski-Bowden's Soul Hunter. I've heard a lot of praise heaped at AD-B's feet, not least because he posts on forums such as Warseer and the B+C in response to posters' comments. But I truly found myself engaged with this novel, and I read it in about three hours. The Night Lords are not a Legion I've ever found myself enamoured with, but I really enjoyed the novel, and also how similar the Night Lords are to "loyal" Astartes. The novel really gave you an excellent idea of what it is like to be an Astartes, and the differences between the Astartes and their human servants. The inclusion of the central character's serf, Septimus, as a character was a real masterstroke, I think.

I think the Black Library has certainly found a great talent in Dembski-Bowden, and he's certainly someone I would put "up there" with Abnett. It says something that in the future I would read his books simply because his name is on the cover! I definitely would advise you to read through Soul Hunter. Whilst the subject matter wasn't my favourite, the execution was such that I really found myself drawn in. A credit to the writer!

New modelling in the new year...

2011-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

So today I've been able to go home, and I've been rushing around making some progress on a bunch of conversions.

Firstly, Arbitrator Vaun. During our "Breakout" battle, my friend Nick controlled the Arbites, and Vaun managed to take down four gangers with his shotgun before falling in close combat against Interrogator Venris's forces. Nick said a number of times that he wanted Vaun to join Inquisitor Balthier's retinue.

As a result, we needed to give the model a bit of an overhaul. Vaun was going from being a somewhat generic NPC into a more fleshed-out character. Given his serious injuries in the last game, he's picked up a bionic leg (which I'm still working on.) I also added a winged skull to the butt of his shotgun as I thought it made him look a little different. And, obviously, he's decided to take his helmet off!

I still need to do some green-stuffing to his collar, his breastplate and his wrist (as well as fiddling with his bionic leg to make it a little more integrated), but I really enjoyed the challenge of making him a distinct and interesting model.

Next, Rourke the Sniper.

I've had Rourke kicking around for quite a while, and he was always meant to be part of Balthier's retinue, but I didn't really like how he performed in game. I've changed his long-las into a more traditional lasgun.

The next stage in the continuing saga of Captain LeKard - the sword is taken from the Colonel-Commissar Gaunt model.

And this is the model I'm perhaps most pleased with at the moment:

I've had this conversion in mind for a while, and I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

Contributor: Kaled

2011-01-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Inquisitor(s) Kaled

As you no doubt saw in the post Bloody, Bold and Resolute, one of my resolutions was to feature the work of other INQ28 hobbyists on this blog. When I created this blog, I wanted to use it to chronicle my adventures in the INQ28 hobby, but I also wanted to use it to help collate and display some of the truly exceptional INQ28 work that is around on the internet.

If, in the future, you'd like to have your work featured on this blog, please contact me - I have, in the recent blog reorganisation, added a link to the left-hand column entitled Interested in contributing to the blog? - and if you are, I would love to hear from you.

I've posted Kaled's work before, but I wanted to use it as my first "proper" post of 2011 to start as I mean to go on. So, here goes!

Dave "Kaled" Knowles has quite a presence amongst the Inquisitor community. He is a major poster on The Conclave and even organiser of the 2011 Inquisitor Grand Tournament. For those looking to get into Inquisitor, Kaled has written an excellent guide, which is certainly worth reading and something which I would encourage any player to read.

Kaled is a talented modeller, and must surely have one of the largest collections of Inquisitor models on the internet. He has a gallery of Inquisitor figures which you can see here. His INQ28 endeavours are all the more impressive to me because he has managed to realise his 'Inquisitor Kaled' model in both 54mm and 28mm scales.

Here's Inquisitor Drake Kaled in 54mm Scale:

...whilst here is Inquisitor Kaled in 28mm scale!

Kaled writes:

"[28mm Kaled] is a fairly decent match to the original - the details are different, but he's close enough I think. He's mainly a Mordian sergeant with a resculpted lower torso, new weapons and a rebuilt terminator head (I think)."

Kaled has also built his namesake a retinue of INQ28 miniatures, each made up from a Rogue Trader miniature. From left to right, you can see a Navy Trooper, a Fleet Astropath, Inquisitor Kaled himself, an Arbites Regulator and a Navy Pilot:

Kaled writes:

All too often when I mention I play Inquisitor at 54mm, people come along and say that they play at 28mm because it's cheaper, easier to find terrain and there's a wider range of models to convert and use. The last point is usually the one they emphasise - I've been told that the 54mm range is tiny so games at that scale must be filled with endless Eisenhorn clones and why would I restrict myself to such a small range given the numerous 28mm alternatives. Unfortunately, I feel this is where the Inq28 community often lets itself down - after hearing of the advantages of the vast 28mm range, I'm then left disappointed by many of the 28mm models I see and hear about. All too often they show little in the way of imagination and don't take advantage of the wide range of available models.

That's why I think this blog is a great idea. It's good to see some interesting Inq28 characters for a change - and Molotov is not the only one doing this, I know that there are some fantastic Inq28 models out there. The Inq28 community should make itself seen and heard - I may prefer playing at 54mm, but I'd rather see people playing Inquisitor at 28mm than not at all so I'd encourage all you other Inq28 players to send in your pictures too.

Finally, here are the three Inquisitors Kaled; the 54mm and 28mm versions alongside another 54mm version of Kaled.

It's a real pleasure to see the work put into these models in order to do the character of Drake Kaled justice, and it's a pleasure to feature work such as this here on the blog.

I hope that I can continue to feature more interesting and innovative 28mm Inquisitor models over the course of 2011. As I said, I look forward to hearing from anyone interested in contributing?

Bloody, Bold and Resolute

2010-12-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I write this post as 2010 is drawing to a close. And I couldn't help but find myself looking back a year to the post 'New Year, Ancient Rivalries (Or Molotov's Manifesto)', which I wrote back in December of 2009.

The ending of a year provides a solid point in which to look back at what has been achieved. 2010 was the first full year that this blog has been up. As I write this, throughout the year, I managed to post 35 entries to this blog (well, 36 now...) which equates to something like an entry every 10.4 days. That's not too bad when you consider at certain points I had several weeks between posts. At last count, I have 59 'followers' on this blog, and something like 15,500 hits (notwithstanding the INQ28 threads on forums such as Dakka Dakka, Warseer, Ammobunker and The Conclave!) These are all things I'm pleased with!

Looking over the year, I have managed to build and produce some excellent models which I have been proud to show over the internet. 2010 saw Saul Baltasar, Inquisitor Hoth, Ophelia Dannica and Hurk all completed - to say nothing of the Adeptus Arbites squad and many more. It saw my friends and I completing our 'favela' table and playing five games of INQ28 - including one at Nottingham's Warhammer World.

(Let me just say here that most of the wonderfully painted models on this blog would not be here without the sterling efforts of Steve 'El Diablo' Day, whose skills have been put to wonderful use in bringing these models to life and making them true 'characters'. You can, as always, see more of his work at Mind of the Daemon, and I encourage you to do so!)

And so, as 2011 begins, where do I go from here?

My hobby time has become increasingly limited, of late. Having been accepted onto a PGCE course at university, I've spent the last few months studying hard to become an English teacher. I'm currently on a placement at a secondary school, which is immensely rewarding (and tiring!) I'm also living with my girlfriend and two other people at the moment, which has helped to put a crimp into my hobby. As I am becoming a real "grown up", I am having to re-evaluate my 'hobby', as it is. The demands of work (and my girlfriend) are such that something has to give.

So, my resolutions for the upcoming year.

1. Keep going with INQ28
I said last year that INQ28 covered many of my bases. It does. I love the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and the rich and evocative background has kept me drawn in for many, many years. But 40k itself is a hollow game. If a Space Marine squad gets wiped out, they stand back up for the next game. But each individual Marine is a decorated hero of many hundreds of battles, each with their own history and their own identity. The loss of one of the Astartes is a tragedy - the loss of ten, an unimaginable horror.

I want to keep going with INQ28. Nova Castille's fate was not decided in 2010 - we simply didn't play enough games. But I want to try to rectify that in the upcoming year. I want to play games that matter. I want to take characters - some of which are very diverse and unusual - and find out what happens to them. Will they achieve their goals, or will their dreams be dashed?

1A. Play at least five games of INQ28 during 2011.
So, I will try to make the goal more manageable. I want to play more games of INQ28. In the interests of making my success measureable, I want to play at least five games of INQ28 in 2011, as that will equal my 2010 total.

1B. Make at least thirty-five posts on the INQ28 blog during 2011.
Similarly, I want to continue to use this blog. I think it is something good, and something I want to maintain. I imagine that this year will have slightly less hobby-time than 2010 did, and that my busiest period will be during the summer, but I want to try to continue (at the very least) the same sort of posting rate that I managed in the previous year.

2. To raise the profile of INQ28.
I've always had to fight to get my work recognised as something distinct and different from 'Inquisimunda'. It's also been a struggle to have my work seen as something inferior to 54mm Inquisitor, just because it's smaller.

2A: Include posts by other hobbyists on this blog.
In 2011, I want to showcase the work of other INQ28 hobbyists. This is a fertile hobby, and we rely on the cross-pollenation of ideas. I want to show that INQ28 is not just sticking a model from your 40k army into the battle for the Emperor's soul.

2B: Write at least one article in 2010 for Dark Magenta.
I also want to write at least one article this year for the online Inquisitor magazine Dark Magenta. Doing so will, I hope, introduce the concept of INQ28 to others.

2C: Get INQ28.com online.
Lastly, I want to open an INQ28 website, which will provide me with a place to showcase my miniatures and act as a hub for other hobbyists.

3. To spend wisely, and save what I can
This is a big one. As most hobbyists, I have in the past over-spent, or committed myself to games systems without understanding the ramifications. As I said, my hobby-time is limited, and I want to be able to spend the time I have on the games I love.

3A. Sell what I can of my unwanted models on eBay.
Therefore, I want to rid myself of some of the detritus. I want to sell what I can of my GW models (particularly my 40k stuff) and save the money. This is where real-life intrudes, you see; this year will be an expensive one in many ways, and I want to be in a good position.

3B. Aim to buy less than I sell.
To that end, I want to try to track my hobby expenditure, and off-set it through eBaying my unwanted models. This will be a tricky one, so we'll see how it ends up! Logically, this is one that I'm likely to fail, but my motives in this are good - if I can at least reduce the cost of my hobby through trading for bits and selling what I don't need, it will help reduce its "footprint", and that can only be a good thing.

So, my resolutions, in review:

1. Keep going with INQ28

1A. Play at least five games of INQ28 during 2011.

1B. Make at least thirty-five posts on the INQ28 blog during 2011.

2. To raise the profile of INQ28.

2A: Include posts by other hobbyists on this blog.

2B: Write at least one article in 2010 for Dark Magenta.

2C: Get INQ28.com online.

3. To spend wisely, and save what I can

3A. Sell what I can of my unwanted models on eBay.

3B. Aim to buy less than I sell.

With these resolutions written down and mapped out, I've really got my work cut out for me, but I think all of these are emminently achieveable.

So, finally - what can I say other than thank you for paying attention to my blog, and I hope that you will continue to do so in 2011!

Wishing you all the best for the next year,
- Molotov.

BREAKOUT

2010-12-30T09:20:00.003-08:00

Ra'ef and "Gunhound" have been captured by the Arbites, and are being held in a temporary holding facility before they can be transported and interrogated.

The facility is located in the slums. The three uninjured members of Judge Frost's squad have been left to guard the facility - Laceo, Knox and Vaun.

(The jail is the building in the centre of the board.)

Little do the Arbitrators know that the White Snake Cartel is mounting an assault. Not to rescue Venris - but to get that data-slate back at all costs!

The scenario begins with the White Snakes unleashing a torrent of fire against the Arbites guarding the cell-block.

Over forty shots later, Arbitrator Knox is still standing. The suppression shield that has saved his life is pock-marked and dented, but he stands resolute!

On the other side of the board, Ra'ef's comrades arrive to rescue him. Led by Parragus, a slightly deranged serial-killing Tech-Priest, they make haste toward the cell-block. Nasrine Arbest reminds behind to guard their escape route.

Arbitrators Knox and Vaun notice none of this, because they're too occupied fending off the assault of the White Snakes. Vaun kills three of them outright with accurate shotgun shooting, whilst Knox takes one out in close combat, smashing the ganger's head open with his suppression shield.

Parragus works with machine-like efficiency, detonating a Krak Grenade against the jail cell's wall. As the dust from the explosion begins to settle he moves in quickly, hacking open the cell bars. A full-scale melee breaks out inside the cell block as Arbitrator Laceo struggles to contain his prisoners.

At that moment, Inquisitor Balthier and his retinue arrive. With Rios and Ishmael providing support, Balthier charges towards the cell block, ordering the Arbitrators to aid him.

Balthier kicks open the door to the cell block. Surveying the scene qiuckly, he sees the Bounty Hunter "Gunhound" equipping himself from the cell's equipment locker. Balthier raises his plasma pistol and fires. The pistol spits out a ball of energy that incinerates Gunhound's torso, leaving him dying on the floor. Balthier notices to his dismay that the courier is gone! As is the data-slate!

Balthier charges through the cell-block, exiting through the hole in the wall and finding himself confronted by Elias Quinn. Without so much as pausing, Balthier impales the unfortunate marksman on his power sword, leaving his broken corpse twitching on the floor. He sees the other two leaving, and orders them to stop.

Venris turns and laughs at Balthier, and in that moment the Inquisitor recognises the shadowy man who warned him off the White Snakes. With a cry of "You!", Balthier launches into combat, although the Tech-Priest manages to interject himself as Venris flees.

Only Ishmael Castor is in a position to stop Venris as he flees with the data-slate!

Unfortunately the hardy warrior-priest finds himself outmatched in combat and falls, allowing Venris to escape.

CONCLUSION

Again Balthier has met Venris, and again he has been thwarted! In a real case of "so near, yet so far, Balthier could not manage to engage the Interrogator in close combat. Not that Balthier knows Venris is an Interrogator, yet!

Still, he knows now that powerful forces are attempting to force him to leave the White Snakes alone, and few can stand against Inquisitors - aside from other Inquisitors. He has little choice now but to pursue Venris and attempt to recover the data-slate.

Venris, for his part, has had his cover blown within the White Snakes. Kane is a suspicious man, and will be wasting no time in attempting to move his assets off-world. Venris must attempt to stop Kane before he leaves Nova Castille and attempt to find out just where they are getting the mysterious drug "Haze" from.

AMBUSH

2010-12-30T09:20:00.002-08:00

Leaving Kane's office, Venris takes with him a Bounty Hunter by the name of Gaius Varrus, known to all as "Gunhound". They set out for the Riverside district.

Against him are Judge Theophilius Frost, a hard-bitten man who's not about to let a Cartel member disgrace him in front of an Inquisitor.

(L-R: Arbitrator Knox, Arbitrator Laceo, Judge Frost, Arbitrator Vaun, Arbitrator Cagnus)

The table was laid out like so; Interrogator Venris would be starting on the left-hand side and would have to escape off the right, whilst the Arbitrators were at the right end of the board, hidden ready in ambush.

The two of them moved briskly along the street, stopping at the corner so that the Gunhound could try to spot anything untoward...

... but the coast seems clear, so the two of them begin to move down the street.

The end seems to be in sight for Venris, who must be wondering why Kane made this all sound so serious!

Suddenly, an Arbitrator bursts from cover. Judge Frost knocks the Gunhound out of action straight away with a clean hit straight to the head with his crackling shock-maul.

The Judge orders Venris to surrender - he is clearly outnumbered and outmatched. The Arbitrators begin to close in from all sides. Vaun aims at him with the shotgun, intending to shoot him if he runs.

Venris smiles. Outnumbered he may be. But outmatched? He thumbs the activation rune on his chainsword and plunges into the fray. As he trades blow after blow with the Arbitrators, he quickly has the upper hand, his ferocious technique making up for the Arbitrators' superior armour. Judge Frost quickly falls, as does Arbitrator Laceo. As he is about to deliver the killing strike, Laceo lashes out with his shock maul, bringing Venris to his knees.

Arbitrator Knox quickly steps in and delivers a savage blow to the back of the neck, rendering Venris unconscious.

RENDEZVOUS

2010-12-30T09:20:00.001-08:00

This scenario would see two sides pitted against each other. One one, we have the retinue of Inquisitor Alaric Balthier:

(l-r: Salem "Slim" Rios, Inquisitor Balthier, Ishmael Castor)

BRIEFING – INQUISITOR BALTHIER
Having finally arrived at Nova Castille after a month of travel, you have sequestered a small strike force comprised of Arbitrators and PDF forces, and stand ready to destroy the White Snake Cartel utterly.

Like the centre of a web, you plan to strike at Nova Castille first before hunting down any remaining tendrils.

However, mere hours away from the execution of the strike, you receive a coded message marked with Inquisitorial ciphers requesting a clandestine rendezvous in the slums of Cantium.

Whilst on the other, we have Interrogator Ra'ef Venris, currently operating undercover on the planet of Nova Castille:

(l-r: Nasrine Arbest, Ra'ef Venris, Elias Quinn)

BRIEFING – INQUISITOR FEROX
With frustration, you have learnt through your contacts within the Dalthan Conclave that in the wake of the Lady Evangeline’s death, Lord Dire has set one of his lapdogs upon the trail of the White Snake Cartel.

Inquisitor Balthier plans a series of high-profile frontal assaults designed to smash the Cartel and leave it reeling. This will surely prove disastrous for your plans – especially as Interrogator Venris has reported that he is on the cusp of securing the information you require.

With these concerns at the forefront, you have directed Venris to arrange a meeting with Balthier in the hope of convincing him to at least delay the raids.

If Balthier cannot be convinced to hold off, he must be detained. Killing another Inquisitor – even one as dense as Balthier – is a drastic course of action, one that should not be entered into unless all other avenues have been exhausted.

We set the board up, using our "favela" terrain:

And the stage was set for the confrontation!

Night had begun to fall upon the slums of Cantium city, bringing with it a fog that was more like a thick woollen blanket, smothering the narrow streets and diffusing the dim light the glow-globes could produce.

Inquisitor Baltheir turned to regard his followers. Salem Rios stood tall, the legacy of a childhood spent on a low-gravity agri-world. His hair was braided and coloured in a style popular on Dalthus Prime, his beard shaped into a goatee that seemed to dance around his lips as they twitched into a slight smile. His hands hovered over the holsters that contained his customised laspistols as he listened to Balthier’s instructions.

Beside him stood the stout warrior-priest, Ishmael Castor. Ishmael’s craggy face, marked deeply by a long, vertical scar sustained in the defence of a pilgrim ship raided by slavers, was as dour as ever. He wore crimson robes and silvered armour swathed with purity seals and trinkets gathered during his years on the pilgrim trails. In his hands he carried a bulky “warspite” auto-rifle.

"Cover my advance as I meet this stranger." Balthier said, curtly. He needed to say no more; he trusted these two individuals to do what must be done.

Balthier moved cautiously through the fog, towards the designated meeting-place. He turned abruptly as he heard the sound of a scuffed heel from close behind him. Scowling, he attempted to discern the noise, but could see nothing.

There were others moving in this fog, but he could not tell exactly where they were.

A shadow passed overhead and Balthier looked up to see the dark underbelly of an Arbites Valkyrie sweeping low over the slums. The growl of the craft’s engines was a counterpoint to the howl of the wind.

He dropped his eyes to the street ahead and stopped.

A hooded figure stood before him, regarding him steadily. Its face was hidden by the wide, shadowy cowl of it cloak. The dark fabric trailed in the wind, billowing up around its legs. Given the figure’s size and bulk, it had to be a man. There was little else that Balthier could discern.

The stranger spoke, after a moment regarding him.

"Greetings. Are you alone?"

Balthier ignored the question.

"Who are you, and why have you sent for me?" The Inquisitor did little to hide his irritation.

"That is of no concern. We know who you are, and that is enough." The mysterious figure appeared almost to smile.

"Then you know I am not renowned for my patience. I ask you again - why have you brought me here?"

"We know your mission is to bring down the White Snakes. You must halt your strikes."

Balthier drew back, drawing his plasma pistol as he did so. The coils of the deadly weapon hummed to life, casting a glow that illuminated the face of the stranger - a face that seemed implacable.

"I have travelled half-way across the sector to complete a mission any novice explicator could accomplish," Balthier hissed. "The assault on the cartel is imminent. I will not halt my work on the words of a robed figure in a backwater street who refused to tell me why - or even to give me his name!"

The figure shrugged.

"Your orders come from Lord Dire. I serve a higher authority. If you love the Emperor, you will do as I ask." He inclined his head toward the plasma pistol. "Killing me will accomplish nothing." It was not a plea; rather, it was a statement of fact.

Balthier found himself caught between outrage that the stranger should insult his faith in the Emperor and incredulity at his gall. What did he know of Lord Dire? Who did he serve, and what was his agenda here?

"And what would delaying the strikes achieve?"

* * *

Nasrine Arbest moved quickly through the fog, gripping her autopistol tightly.

Venris had ordered her to locate and silence Balthier's men. Although there had been no sign that the Inquisitor had brought followers, he was predictable enough. Somewhere in these streets, his lackeys were to be found.

She glanced back, trying to discern where Quinn had settled. The fog made it impossible to see more than a few metres, and she trusted that the marksman would be able to protect her, if it came to it.

* * *

Quinn stared down the scope of his hunting rifle, 'Audrina'. Named after his ex-wife, it was a vicious weapon - though not quite the equal of its namesake. Through the thermal sight, he could see Venris talking to Balthier. He settled his crosshairs on the Inquisitor, and waited for the signal...

* * *

The stranger inclined his head slightly.

"We have plans in place that must be seen to fruition."

Balthier shook his head, raising his plasma pistol. "I will not listen to these riddles and veiled truths. Speak plainly!"

"We are working at cross purposes. Your actions against the Cartel must be halted - one way or another. Let us end this amicably."

"I do not wish to raise arms against another servant of the Emperor." Balthier grimaced. "But if you attempt to halt my work here, then you will leave me no choice."

The stranger sighed. "Neither of us have the luxury of choice here, Inquisitor. What we do here must be done. The ends justify the means." He raised his hand and gestured.

Balthier felt the shot before he heard it.

* * *

The shot took Balthier high in the chest, knocking him off his feet and smashing him to the ground. Coolly, Quinn pulled back the lever, loaded another shot, and fired again.

He caught movement in his peripheral vision, and saw a priest of some kind in silvered armour raising an out-dated autorifle and firing it at his position. The bullets blew chunks out of the brickwork around his position. In truth, the priest was too far away to do much damage, but he was exposed. Quickly, he packed up his rifle and left for the arranged location.

* * *

Nasrine turned the corner of the building, and found herself abruptly confronted by a tall and undeniably handsome man with two laspistols held confidently in his hands. Both found themselves with guns in their faces.

"Well, this is embarassing." She said.

He smiled wryly.

And then she punched him in the face, diving backwards, doing anything she could to escape. She could hear gunfire, shattering the stillness of the night, and the Arbites would be here soon.

Disappearing behind a building, she heard lasfire hissing past her. Doubtlessly she would see this man again...

Conclusion

Balthier was shot in the chest and heavily wounded. The medicae in question should be praised for their tolerance - the Inquisitor is not exactly known for his patience! With the Inquisitor injured, the raids against the Cartel have been delayed, much to Balthier's annoyance.

Knowing that there must be more to the situation than meets the eye, Balthier has requested more intelligence on the White Snake Cartel. The Arbitrators have been able to bring the Inquisitor a transcript from a vox-thief installed in the offices of Gidaeon Kane, the head of the Cartel. It reads:

CLASSIFICATION: BLACK OMEGA
DATE: 910.m41
AUTHOR: Arbitrator Vaun
Subject: Trasncript of meeting between Gidaeon Kane and unidentified individual.
Recipient: Inquisitor Balthier

Inquisitor,
The following transcript is the result of a sound capture obtained by covert methods. The meeting detailed below took place within the offices of Gidaeon Kane, suspected to be the leader of the White Snake Cartel. The manner of both parties would indicate that this was not the first time they had met. Throughout the transcript, Kane is designated ‘K’ and the unidentified mercenary is designated as ‘M’.

[transcript begins]
M: You summoned me?
K: Yes, sit down. [Pause] I’ve been observing you for a couple of months now and I’m impressed with your work; the way you dealt with Bivander was impressive and saved me considerable loss of income. I am now prepared to let you into the inner circle, but first there is something you must do for me. You must take this data-slate to a contact in the riverside district. It must be taken personally. I cannot risk anyone else getting knowledge of this.
M: You wish me to run a simple errand?
K: Yes, but is of the utmost importance. This is why I’m trusting you with it. Take someone else with you as protection, but not a large group as that would raise suspicion.
[Transcript ends]

Seizing upon this opportunity, Balthier orders a squad of Arbitrators to capture the courier and get him that data-slate. Something is going on on Nova Castille, and Balthier intends to find out what it is...

Packing up!

2010-12-30T04:42:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holiday has seen a frenzied orgy of activity as I've returned to my models and to INQ28. I have to admit that I've found it very enjoyable.

An order from Forgeworld arrived on Christmas Eve. To begin with, my progress was negligible, and the pictures I'd taken were of such poor quality that I didn't bother putting them up. Now though, I've managed to take a few better ones, so here you go.

This first model represents Captain Le Kard, a Rogue Trader and former officer of His Majesty's Imperial Navy. Now he heads his own dynasty, and sets his own destiny.

The model is made from the Death Korps of Krieg Commissar with a head taken from the Cadian Infantry Squad Upgrade Pack. Taking inspiration from a member of the Conclave, this Captain is based around Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard. And what did you expect from a bald starship Captain?

Another Forgeworld head let me give a face to Interrogator Bastian Grimm, assigned to the retinue of Inquisitor Balthier by Lord Dire, the master of the Dalthan Ordo Hereticus and a powerful figure in the Conclave. Grimm is an enthusiastic member of the Janus Cabal, and his motives are not as pure as they might seem...

The next model might be a little difficult to make out, but I've taken the previous "Cardinal" figure, and given him the head and hand from an older Imperial Missionary figure. Holding the Ecclesairchal symbol really gives him a "The power of the Emperor COMPELS YOU!" look, which is entirely fitting. I've given him the name "Deacon Gallowglass", and he seems to be keen to burn down everything around him.

Lastly for today, I have another model that formed quite organically. He's been a total pain to photograph, though. Based on the Eversor assassin, I made an Inquisitorial operative. Not quite finished yet, but hopefully you can get the gist:

And so, for now, I'm packing away the models into their case:

... and hopefully I'll be able to retrieve them soon!

In the meantime, my group played two games of INQ28, and I did take pictures, so hopefully I can put those up on here in the next few hours. There will be at least one more post this year!

Something's stirring...

2010-12-21T03:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a fair while since I've done much relating to INQ28. In part, that's been because I've been at university working towards my teaching qualification. In part, it's because the house in which I live isn't very friendly to hobbies, so GW has taken a back seat (I've managed to severely increase my XBOX gamerscore, though!)

So, the Christmas holidays have seen me come back to my parents' house, and crack on with the modelling:

(Although not all the models on that desk will feature in this entry, 90% are destined to be involved in our INQ28 exploits!)

It's always a bit weird with my desk - some models will sit there for years and suddenly have a bunch of bits added to them. And some of them don't turn out at all how I imagined.

Here's a few interesting things I've been working on for the past few days:

This is Pyremaster Korbin... one of my favourite 40k figures, so I've not converted him. I have, however, added a brass etch =][= to the page of his book (hopefully you should be able to see it...)

A bit of a messier picture, this is Inquisitor Greer. You've seen him before, but the combination of losing certain bits and finding other bits has left him in the state he is at the moment. I can't decide on a head for him at the moment, however. I'm in the midst of trying to give him an armoured breastplate, to which I'm going to add an =][=. After that I'll be green-stuffing his arm.

Now this model is an oddity. I bought Gunnery Sergeant Harker because somewhere on the internet I saw a cool conversion of the model for a post-apocalyptic game, giving him a double-handed axe. (By Catferret, found here) I fully intended to rip off the conversion. However, playing with the figure he ended up like this:

I quite liked how he looked at this stage; he needed a certain amount of work, but he looked the part for an Inquisitor's chem-nourished henchman. I then fiddled with him a little more to give him a sling for his autogun:

The sling is taken from the SM Scouts sniper rifles. I tried the Catachan one, but it was too thin and flimsy. I've had to carve it out a little to go around his leg, but it looks pretty neat now and just needs a little bit of repair work. By this stage, I had managed to get the bracer on his wrist looking a LOT better - after filing away the heavy bolter shells. I've added a few pouches to the back (after removing the grenades).

All in all, he's come together very organically, and I'm very pleased with him.

Another model I worked on was based on one of my favourite Necromunda models, the scummer with two bolt pistols:

Now, I have one of these miniatures, but it's been damaged by somebody attempting in the past to remove the bolt pistols. (Which I didn't have a problem with, as I figured twin bolt pistols was perhaps a bit much in Inquisitor anyway).

So, after rooting around in my bitzbox, I managed to find a pair of matched autopistols which I could use. It took a bit of work to carve out the jacket on the left arm so that it would fit, but it looks a lot better now:

Shock and Awe

2010-10-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update, because I'm rushing between cities today. An Arbites patrol team that I converted and that my friend Darren painted. Their armour has been painted with gloss varnish, which looks good in real life, but which is always problematic to photograph well.

These guys will patrol Nova Castille, and are intended to be quite threatening (hence the Power Mauls and Suppression Shields) but not overly so. They should prove an interesting force!

Hurk is completed!

2010-10-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

At last! Some of you may remember Hurk. I've talked about him before (in these posts). He is an excellent sculpt by Steve Buddle of Eolith Miniatures, An excellent sculpt, and real fun to convert (and for Steve to paint, I hear!) The Hurk model is designed to be a small model at 54mm scale, but at 27mm tall he sits well amongst the other denizens of the dark millennium.

The model is intended to represent a member of the Scythians, a relatively unknown 40k race that have received only a few scattered mentions in the fluff. He operates alongside Inquisitor Hoth. We wanted him to look deliberately very 'alien', hence the blue skin. I asked Steve to take inspiration from the Poison Dart Frog, hence the spotting on his skin.

I gave some thought as to why the pommel of his dagger had a human skull on it - I came to the idea that it might be a gift from the Inqusitor he works with. As a result, I attached a brass-etch Inquisition symbol to the scabbard of his blade to show that his work is sanctioned by the Inquisitor in question. I think it's come out really well, and serves as a nice little touch that gives him a bit of character.

A Blade in the Crowd

2010-09-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've been disconnected from the internet for the past two weeks or so, a virtue of moving into a new house to begin my teacher training. Here's a little bit of an update - and this one even has nifty pictures to alleviate some of your boredom!

I contacted Doghouse with a commission to sculpt me an assassin based on the highly-successful Assassin's Creed series. Here's the fluff I sent him:

An assassin in the employ of Inquisitor Adorno: The order of assassins from which he hails has no name, but likens itself to the Imperial Aquila. Hailing from a remote community upon an arid, rocky planetoid, its operatives are seen as akin to the claws ot the eagle, dispensing swift and violent justice to the Emperor's foes. The order places great emphasis upon remaining undetected until the last possible moment so that death may come to their targets at any time. The assassins are a 'hidden blade' at the throat of the enemy. To prosper, an assassin must blend with crowds, moving swiftly and silently without detection. They must take unexpected routes to their targets and strike without mercy.

Secretive and closed to outsiders, the order has evoked suspicion over the course of its history. At one point, the Black Templars Chapter stood ready to eradicate the assassins, but highly-placed Inquisitors ordered the Space Marines to stand down, reasoning the value of such a brotherhood beholden to the Inquisition.

Since that time, the order has provided assassins to Inquisitors upon request. Adorno's radical views and diabolic practices are of little concern to the order - its masters are well aware that extreme methods must be taken to safeguard the Imperium. It is enough for them that Adorno's authority is derived from that of the Emperor Himself.

The assassin is an intense man, quiet and introspective. Typically, he wears a white cloak, the thick cowl pulled low over his face. He radiates a palpable aura of strength and fortitude. His voice is low and masked with a thick accent, his movements fluid, yet unassuming. Having undergone trials and instruction into the hidden mysteries of the order, he is introverted, devoting himself to the ritual of training, ceaselessly honing his skills. He is in thrall to the tenets of the cult, what he calls 'the creed'.

With the order likening itself to the claw of the Aquila, the assassin carries what is known as a 'talon', a bracer worn on the forearm incorporating a spring-loaded blade mounted above the wrist. A flex of the hand and the mechanism of the blade will trigger, extending it and allowing it to be used to its full, deadly potential.

Doghouse has been busy at work. He produced a couple of concept sketches, and we batted around a couple of ideas:

We discussed the idea that he might appear like one of the millions of imperial pilgrims that pass through imperial space every day.

He looks to progressing well, and I'm excited to see where he goes from here!

The Mind of the Daemon...

2010-09-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Most of you will have seen El_Diablo's excellent painting on this blog. He ranks as my favourite GW painter. I love his work, which constantly and consistently captivates me.

He has finally started his own blog, and you can find it at the Mind of the Daemon; I heartily recommend that you check it out. I've even given it a special section of its own in the left column of this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ophelia, Part 2

2010-08-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that Ophelia is just about completed:

The bad news is that she's getting scrapped. Unfortunately, the chainsword hand was a little 'injured' in the conversion -moreso than I'd realised. As a result, Steve's ordered a new Viktoria model and is going to attempt to replicate the conversion.

Oh, but I do have some good news - Doghouse has agreed to sculpt a couple of models for my INQ28 campaign, so keep your eyes peeled for those!

Ophelia WIP

2010-08-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while. I posted the conversion of Ophelia back in March. I sent her to Steve a few months ago, and he's gotten round to painting her. This is just a work-in-progress, but is definitely showing the direction we're intending to go with her.

For those wondering, the original miniature is Viktoria, Bounty Hunter from the 'Outcasts' Malifaux line. They've got some nice models, but they're 32mm compared to the heroic 28mm of Games Workshop. Whilst she's a little tall, I don't think it's a deal-breaker. After all, she's an ex-Battle Sister (now you know what's under that armour!)

The laspistol is a FW resin one from the Cadian Accessories, and the Chainsword is from the Space Marine Scout Sergeant, primarily because it's a little bit shorter and more compact. Dare I say ladylike?

Dark Magenta

2010-08-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Things have been beyond quiet on the INQ28 front lately. But I promise that's not the case!

Steve is painting one of my miniatures, so there should be a model update at the weekend. My friend and I have recently purchased INQ28.com, so we're hoping to get a website up soon. That won't necessarily mean the end of this blog, as this is still a very useful way to communicate. (I was blown away when I checked today and saw I had 52 followers!)

I've also been asked to contribute to Dark Magenta. It's a fan-written magazine dedicated to keeping the Inquisitor hobby alive. And I think Inquisitor has grown and changed since it was first released - INQ28 is just one strand. I think the INQ28 angle has a lot of depth, and can be mined for many articles. Perhaps that's the problem - I've sat down on several occasions to put something together for the mag, and find myself stumped. I'm writing too much, and I don't think what I have has enough focus.

I guess what I'm after is some feedback. Would you be interested in an article (or a series of articles) on 28mm Inquisitor? What would you want to read? I mean, I could write something on why I've chosen 28mm Inquisitor, the perils and pitfalls of INQ28, a defence of INQ28's legitimacy... I've been a little unsure as to what to write, and some guidance would be much appreciated!

Hoth!

2010-06-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

Inquisitor Hoth appears on the horizon:

Let's face it...

2010-05-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit rubbish. I promised you guys a battle report but I haven't delivered. Things have been a bit mad around here (and may continue to be) for a while - the school in which I work is in the midst of examination season, so I'm a bit snowed under.

I will have some battle reports (yes, plural!) up soon. In the meantime, just so you know that there IS some life in my INQ28 endeavours, here's the progress with Inquisitor Hoth. It's interesting how an idea can change.

You'll hopefully have seen him in a different post before (check the "Inquisitor Hoth" label at the bottom of the thread) but here's what's happened. Firstly, the model that I sent to Steve, and secondly the alterations that Steve's made after discussing things with me:

INQ28 Retrospective

2010-04-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

As is the wont of many hobbyists, this blog has taken twists and turns due to my regular changes of mood. I'll be working on a model only to get bored with it and move on to another. This is exacerbated due to the fact that Steve and I are working on very different things (his Death Guard and Nurgle Militia take up much of his time - which is understandable).

This entry is just to gather together some of the models that Steve and I have worked on. As a consequence it misses out some of the other models done by my group, but it serves to keep you all in the loop!

Also, be on the lookout for our latest Nova Castille battle report soon!

Saul Baltasar Completed

2010-03-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

New update today, courtesy of Steve:

Finally finished Saul Baltasar tonight. Wasn't sure how I was going to tackle him at first but once I got started everything fell into place nicely. From talking with Mol he wanted Saul to have a nod to a possible naval past so I went with a blue coat - once I had the coat down I was looking through some reference pics of US Marines in dress blues so figured a white dress glove would fit quite well, along with a white undershirt. I deliberately kept him quite plain, almost as if he doesn't want to draw much attention to himself, even with the big chunk of Eldar bling on the chain. I'll leave Mol to fill in that fluff gap.

Very pleased with the face, loads of character to it.

Anyway, the pics.

An Overdue Update

2010-03-09T23:42:00.001-08:00

Not much response on the battle report (which is a shame) but my group is hard at work getting ready for the next game. I've also received an order from GW, which has put me into a frenzy of converting:

This is the WIP of Inquisitor Theseus, ardent puritan of the "burn-them-all" school of thought.

You should probably be able to place most of the pieces for this model. He's semi-blu-tacked at the moment, but with a bit of green-stuffing he should hopefully come together a bit more.

This is Pyremaster Korbin, one of his followers:

(Obviously an unconverted 40k miniature, but I've always really liked it and wanted to include him.)

This shot shows the Inquisitor and his chum together!

I've also managed to acquire this model:

I'm a big fan of it, but at the moment I'm unsure what I'm going to be doing with it.

Lastly, I've begun to do some work on a warband of Nurgle-worshipping Tech-Priests. Here's the first models as they stand:

This is a tech-priest, and I really like how he seems to be contemplating the head he's just removed. I'm not sure what to put in his other hand; possibly a plague knife like the Death Guard have?

This model should end up being a skitarii of some kind. He'll be very different, mostly due to the judicious use of green-stuff. For example, I'm dead-set on the model having a hood, so in the end you probably won't even recognise it as a Catachan one!

Steve's also been busy with his Death Guard, which you should check out here! But he's this morning posted two pictures of his work on Saul Baltasar, which you can see here: