I’ve spent the last year or so slowly building out my Inquisitorial warband(s) for various Inq28 gaming opportunities. I’ve always wanted to be able to field a few distinct, flavorful warbands of Imperial agents, and I think I’m just about there.
In addition to painting minis, I’ve also been noodling on lore, trying to tie everything together in a way that 1) pleases me and 2) suits the games we play here at Comrade’s Wargames.
For this post, I’ll be showing off my Ordo Xenos warband, led by Inquisitor Zoltav Throckswain.
Throckswain has built his career pressing deep into xenos territory, operating far outside the influence (and protection) of the Imperium. For most missions, his retinue knows they are on their own, their backs to the wall, as they bring the Emperor’s light to the darkest corners of the galaxy.
For this reason, Throckwain and his disciples are known collectively as The Last Lighthouse.
From left: Sterilizer Dante Blackthorn, Inquisitor Zoltav Throckswain, and Interrogator Lysander Frost
Lately, Throckswain and his trusted followers have been operating in the Juventius sub-sector, a region of the Caluphel sector renowned for its resplendent shrine worlds. Troubling activity from a network of purported xenos cults has drawn the Inquisitor’s attention. The insidious whispers point to Gamma Euphorion, a shining beacon to the Emperor’s grace … which may harbor a dark underbelly of corruption.
From left: Caelum Drake, H4R-T, Jezza Marchstone
Joining Throckswain on this venture are a pair of hired guns recruited from the soot-blackened slums of Palus Secundus. Their scrappy approach is backed up by the immense, mute bulk of H4R-T, an indentured servitor sporting a modular weapons harness.
From left: Vojchek Sparr, Scribe Lobcock, and Rossyncloff the Ombudsman
Even as Throckswain plunges into the depths of Hive Sacrament, the largest hive city on Gamma Euphorion, he will need adepts close at hand to process evidence, research new leads, and disentangle the spiderweb of intrigue. A trio of lettered savants accompanies him to perform these vital tasks. Their workload will only increase as Juventius Prime gives up its secrets.
And so Zoltav Throckswain sallies forth into the cauldron of secrets that bubbles just beneath the shining veneer of Hive Sacrament. The taint of xenos is all around them. Insidious whispers echo through the underhive as the agents of The Last Lighthouse are pulled deeper into a web of alien corruption.
Editor’s note: In case you can’t tell, we have a campaign brewing here at Comrade’s Wargames! Authored and gamemastered by Bif over at Orcs Illustrated, this campaign will use Shadow War: Armageddon to play out a series of linked narrative games. The games will be set in Hive Sacrament on Gamma Euphorion Prime and will feature Throckswain’s Last Lighthouse versus Bif’s cunning Genestealer Cult!
I’m tickled pink to have some lore down on paper about my warband as we head into this campaign. More to come soon, so stay tuned!
The gang got together last month for another game of Shadow War: Armageddon in my basement game room. I was excited to try out my new grimdark battle board, which I had whipped together in a creative frenzy a few weeks back. The board was a bit small for a typical game of Shadow War: Armageddon, but I was confident I could solve that with a few slight modifications to initial deployment — and plenty of terrain, of course!
We were putting Shadow War: Armageddon through its paces with an eye toward embarking on a small mini-campaign using this ruleset. With that in mind, we dredged up a multiplayer scenario that was published specifically for Shadow War: Armageddon. It’s long gone from the official Games Workshop site, but you can snag the PDF at the link below.
The scenario attempts to add some balance to a game mode (multiplayer) that is innately imbalanced. We had four players, which was the ideal number for this published scenario. Let’s see how the game shook out.
Each player chose a corner and deployed their warband. I was running my Dark Mechanicus (kitted out using the Adeptus Mechanicus warband), Rian was running his gorgeous Sisters of Battle, Jim was fielding his Orks, and John brought his eponymous Imperial Guard. Here’s a peek at the warbands in their initial deployment areas.
The battlefield was absolutely choked with terrain: platforms, pipes, walls, barricades, and all sorts of debris. Nobody had a good shot on the first turn, so we spent our time advancing cautiously.
The objective was a promethium valve in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by empty fuel canisters. If the warbands could reach the valve, they could fill a tank and carry off some valuable promethium. We were destined for a mighty clash in the center of the battlefield!
You can see the valve underneath the pipe interchange in the photo above.
It was a wild game. John, to our amazement, employed actual infantry techniques (bounding advance with troopers moving up into overwatch to cover their buddies) and found them to be very effective.
Jim’s Orks had no need for such subtleties — they mostly charged forward, blasting with pistols before charging into close combat with various choppy implements. The victim in the photo below is Ajax 07/4 Ascendant, one of my Dark Mechanicus warriors.
While Jim and I were frantically smashing our forces into each other, Rian was prudently advancing with his Adeptus Sororitas, taking a few potshots (and receiving a few in return). His miniatures looked epic as they navigated the tangle of walkways and pipes in the underhive.
Eventually (and predictably, given our 4-player scenario focusing on a central objective) we all ended up in a giant scrum in the center of the battlefield. Jim’s Orks burst out of cover just as Rian’s Sisters of Battle arrived on the scene, with John sniping from the perimeter and my Dark Mechanicus licking their wounds in the shadows. Another glorious clash in the underhive!
In the end, patience paid off for Rian, as he was able to haul off a couple barrels of promethium while the rest of us were preoccupied with slaying each other. Here’s his Cannoness hoisting her chainsword in triumph!
Once again, Shadow War: Armageddon gave us a great game! It was fun and easy for a new player to learn. It’s very much a GW type of game, so it has zaniness like grenade deviation and poorly balanced wargear options for the various gang lists. But it’s super streamlined and efficient … just one book is all you need. And that’s an approach that really resonates with us here at Comrade’s Wargames.
In any case, we’re interested in using Shadow War: Armageddon for an Inq28 campaign later this summer, so stay tuned for more!
I’ve long been interested in getting some ideas down about my Dark Mechanicum warband: motivations, the names of various leaders and other personalities, and some general warband lore.
The Dark Mechanicum is one of just a small handful of factions in the Warhammer 40,000 that hasn’t been explored in exhaustive details, and that pleases me immensely. It means there are still some darkened corners to explore, some dim hallways that haven’t been illuminated with a wiki article. Light a torch, gentle reader, and let us plumb the unknowable depths together.
Curse This Metal Body
The Dark Mechanicum encompasses a myriad of factions who seek forbidden knowledge that exists beyond the flickering light of the Imperium of Man. While some may seek this knowledge from a position of misplaced altruism, we concern ourselves here with the truly corrupt few who understand that knowledge can be weaponized and used to wield immense power.
With most of their humanity wiped away after centuries of replacement and repair, the vile hereteks of the Dark Mechanicum seek to harness the darkest secrets that remain in a galaxy gone mad with ignorance. Operating from derelict space stations and abandoned asteroid hideouts, the Dark Mechanicum are composed of both brutal raiders and brilliant engineers, working side by side to accomplish their infernal goals.
The Seekers of the Fractal Schematic
The Seekers of the Fractal Schematic are one such warband. Emerging from the chaos that engulfed Gamma Euphorion Prime following a genestealer uprising, the Seekers have been seen operating throughout the Caluphel Sector on a variety of mysterious tasks. Garbled remnants of scrapcode broadcast on forgotten frequencies during their raids, together with the insane babbling of traumatized survivors, point to a singular focus on the fabled Fractal Schematic — a cryptic lodestone rumored to contain untold petabytes of infernal data within its gently pulsating crystalline lattice.
My Dark Mechanicum warband is a collection of miniatures from various manufacturers and sources. I don’t really like limiting myself to “official” figures or sticking with any one particular product line. So you’ll see figures in here from a variety of big name game systems, plus lots and lots of conversions, 3D prints, and smaller boutique sculptors. All it takes is a coherent paintjob to tie everything together and sell the warband concept.
If you’re curious about the origin of any particular mini, just leave a comment and I’ll do my best to enlighten you.
Draxus, the Blighted Cog
Draxus the Blighted Cog is among the most fearsome enforcers of the Seekers’ ranks. A hulking brute with a body assembled from cold steel, Draxus leads raids from his voidship Frigid Alloy. Although Draxus is admittedly a bit one-dimensional, he is but a servant of the warband’s true leader: the dread heretek named Rho-Terak, the Enslaver of Logic.
Rho-Terak has been a character in my warband’s lore for a long time, since the very beginning. Early on I used an Asphyxious miniature from Warmachine to represent Rho-Terak, but now I’m on the hunt for a suitably appropriate bespoke figure. More on that in the future!
Mechanicum Drudges, from the Seekers of the Fractal SchematicMechanicum Drudges, from the Seekers of the Fractal Schematic
Drudges form the core of most Dark Mechanicum raiding parties. With ill-fitting cybernetics and a variety of ramshackle weaponry, these zealots can often be found scavenging useful scraps from among the fallen, always looking for a tempting tidbit that could be used to improve their own wetware.
From left: Remnant of Deltilion, Remnant of Hypara, and Remnant of AbasmexFrom left: Remnant of Nihil and Remnant of Nocturnus
Remnants represent the lowest tier of the warband’s heirarchy and are often little more than a collection of emaciated limbs clutching rusted weaponry, animated by a crude battery pack. The tragic ranks of the Remnants are constantly replenished from among fighters who have displeased the Dark Mechanicum’s infernal leaders. Remnants have no free will of their own and rely on direct commands from nearby Surge Nodes, who drive them forward with sparking shock prods.
Surge Nodes
Surge Nodes are Dark Mechanicum warriors whose bodies have been threaded with so much wiring and augmentation that they fairly crackle with energy. In constant agony from their implants, these gaunt fighters lurch forward from ambush positions, tormenting their victims with gruesome shock prods.
Reclaimers
Reclaimers operate as the second echelon on the battlefield, following behind raiders to mop up survivors. They use unholy fire to burn away flesh and clothing, revealing blackened metal parts to be scavenged by marauding drudges. This loot is catalogued and hauled back to the Seekers’ lair for implantation.
Ascendant
Ajax 07/4 Ascendant is an example of a Dark Mechanicum warrior who is reaching the pinnacle of his inhuman metamorphosis. Ascendants are tech adepts who have been mutilated almost beyond recognition and equipped with cybernetic implants and weaponry to help them serve the warband. Lesser fighters hope to one day receive the gifts of the Ascendants if their service is rewarded.
Exitor 5.41
Exitor 5.41 is an enigma among the Seekers — is he a true synthetic warrior, or does his gaunt metal frame still contain some shreds of flesh, entombed within a steel exoskeleton? As a marksman on the battlefield, Exitor 5.41 once held position for 71 hours straight amid driving acid rain, patiently tracking an enemy officer with his augmented eyesight and waiting for the victim to step out from a bunker and present a satisfactory target.
The Septic Hound
The Septic Hound is likely a heavily modified automaton, perhaps one of the fabled Men of Iron. The Hound was encountered centuries ago in a long-forgotten hive sump, half buried in a fetid stew of engine oil and mouldering fungus. At the time off its discovery, the Hound was inert, its power core dark. A series of repairs and modifications ultimately created the skulking, scuttling monstrosity that now serves the Seekers of the Fractal Schematic.
Thoth-Mu-XIV
Thoth-Mu-XIV is a tech adept whose cybernetic enhancements include razor sharp close combat fittings. While squads of drudges advance and scatter their foes, fast-moving stalkers like Thoth-Mu-XIV separate out fleeing soldiers to be captured, providing the Seekers with needed biomass for their flesh factories.
K-Vorst-14
K-Vorst-14 was first seen during the last days of Hive Sacrament, when the acrid smoke had reached the upper spires and the planetary governor was evacuating with his house guard. K-Vorst-14 rumbled through a sheet of flame and broke the defensive lines of the garrison protecting the landing pad, providing heavy fire support that allowed Draxus the Blighted Cog to cut his way into the data vault and make off with the sanctified cogitator array.
Upload Complete
Thanks for coming on this journey with me! I’ve been noodling on this warband for a few years now, and it’s nice to get all my ideas down on paper (so to speak). Particularly since the Dark Mechanicum don’t have a lot of official lore attached to them. (Again, that’s a feature, not a bug, in my humble opinion.) Look for these guys to feature heavily in our upcoming games!
When you’ve been in this hobby as long as I have, you start to accumulate a lot of weird junk. Boxes of weird bits, curious packaging, interesting beverage lids, partitioned trays, textured plastic sheeting, that sort of thing. I’ve been dutifully collecting this flotsam for more than two decades, hauling it from house to house over the years, always adding, never subtracting, all with some vague idea that one day I would mash it all together with unhealthy amounts of glue and create some sort of grimdark Inq28-inspired sci-fi battle board.
Well, gentle reader, that day is today.
In recent years, I’ve scratchbuilt a table’s worth of rusted industrial terrain — platforms and barricades and control panels and pipelines — perfect for Inq28 and all manner of small-scale sci-fi skirmish games. The stuff looks nice on the tabletop, but what I’ve been missing was some sort of substrate to tie it all together … a game mat or prepared surface that finishes the aesthetic.
I always wanted to build a proper battle board, ever since I peeped a battle report from years ago, featuring some of John Blanche’s Inq28 warbands fighting it out in an oil-spattered Adeptus Mechanicus marketplace on some long-forgottten tech moon. The link escapes me, but maybe one of my faithful readers will dredge it up.
Anyway, my dream of building a proper battle board kicked into high gear when I was scrounging around a hardware store and found a beautiful slab of 1-inch MDF, cut to 32 inches square, calling my name like a siren at sea. At $1.75 out the door, I couldn’t beat the price.
It’s slightly smaller than I’d preferred (36 inches square would have been ideal) but beggars can’t be choosers.
I sealed both sides with Mod Podge and set to work covering it with all manner of accumulated debris … cross stitch grating, aquarium filter panels, straws for conduit and piping, empty medical device cassettes, plus tons of off-cuts and leftovers from various MDF terrain projects. Truly, it was a deep dive to the very depths of my DIY terrain bins.
Once I glued the large pieces down, I turned my attention to the texturing. I planned to add some fairly intense rust effects, so I liberally applied texture paste, sand, and grout mix in a haphazard manner, aiming for a patchy finish.
After that, the whole thing got several successive sprays of black primer, followed by metal spraypaint to give the whole thing a suitably sci-fi starting point.
A heavy black/brown wash followed the silver spray. It was a big bottle I’d mixed myself 10+ years ago, starting with Future Floor Wax and adding in brown and black paint plus water to create a rich, easy to apply wash for terrain projects. (It dries super fast, too, which meant this project could be accomplished in an afternoon.)
From there, I ripped up some chunks of old mattress foam and went to town with sponged-on rust colors: browns, ochres, oranges, as well as some weird turquoise to provide a little pop.
Trust me when I say that the sponged colors don’t look nearly so blotchy in real life. The silver base color really ties everything together.
I affixed some hazard striping details in a few spots that are likely to draw the eye. (Sidenote: we no longer sully ourselves trying to paint hazard striping here at Comrade’s Wargames, not since we ran across a beautiful textured high-resolution printable JPG that will meet our needs for years to come). Grab it for yourself at the link below.
The sponging was quick and frighteningly fun — I always do my best terrain work with old brushes or chunks of sponge, the bigger the better. I’ll probably go through and pick out a few details for further brushwork at some point in the future (such as the chain lengths draped over various pipes and grates). But I’m quite pleased with how this turned out! I even took a moment to arrange some of my existing terrain collection on my new battle board, just to see how it all looks together.
Chef’s kiss, I’d say!
Now, I wish I could say that this terrain project used up all the trash and random junk I’ve accumulated over the years. But I would be lying if I said that. While I’m pleased to get some use out of this stuff, my total collection of detritus barely shrunk. Oh well! I’ll be well equipped the next time inspiration strikes.
We’ll put this battle board through its paces in a couple of weeks with Shadow War: Armageddon. Stay tuned!
We’ve settled on Hobgoblin as the game of choice for our annual holiday mega-battle (affectionally known as Apoc-Luck, since we each bring a dish and break for dinner midway through the evening).
These games are typically structured around simple scenarios, with instructions to each player that can be summed up as “bring all your painted models and we’ll shoehorn everything into a game.” Game balance goes out the window in favor of a grand spectacle of beautifully painted armies clashing on the field of battle surrounded by gorgeous terrain and scenery. Here’s a pic from last year’s Apoc-Luck game which sums up the aesthetic we’re aiming for.
I’ve done a few writeups here of our previous Apoc-Luck game days; check ’em out at the links below.
We’re planning a learning game of Hobgoblin later this month so other guys in the club can get up to speed on it. Personally, I think it’s an inspired choice for a mega-battle. Hobgoblin was developed specifically to accommodate this sort of play style: huge armies clashing, plenty of high drama without a lot of fussing and fiddling with modifiers and stats.
The lore of Hobgoblin is surprisingly well developed as well, which is a refreshing option after many years playing Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy (both serviceable rulesets, of course, but bereft of lore until rather recently in their development).
So I wanted to record some thoughts and musings about Hobgoblin here, to inspire me and possibly serve other players out there who are dipping a toe in the game.
Hobgoblin is a game of matchups
In Hobgoblin, everyone builds their armies from the same core list of a dozen or so units, flavored with a short list of fun keyword abilities. Units have various to-hit target numbers based on what they’re going up against. Again, that’s shared knowledge … both your opponent and you both know that Monstrous Infantry are going to absolutely chew up ranged units or cavalry if they can get off a charge.
As you can see in this photo below from a game earlier this summer, John’s cave troll (a Beast, in the parlance of Hobgoblin) got in amongst my dwarven front line infantry and absolutely wrecked face with his big ol’ rock. John got the matchup he wanted, and I suffered as a result.
Doom Comes to Us All
In Hobgoblin, units don’t take casualties — they accumulate doom tokens, which slowly (or quickly, if you’re me) build up until the unit breaks and flees in terror. There are a few ways to remove doom tokens, but those techniques are really more about managing doom — delaying the inevitable — than they are about actually healing a unit up to its starting “hit points.”
Because of that, it’s important to understand that units will die in Hobgoblin. You can count on that, and you need to position your remaining units to take advantage of that certainty. Second rank units (reinforcements, coming up behind wavering units) are very important. They can plug gaps in the line and charge a weakened unit. You can’t move through friendly or enemy units, of course. So until the front line units die, you need to carefully marshal your second rank reinforcements to ensure they’re fresh and ready to charge in when the time comes.
Magic and Cursed Artefects Are Fun and Wildly Unbalanced
If the basic units you’ll use to build your Hobgoblin army seem bog standard, the same cannot be said of the magic system. Magic in Hobgoblin is dark, terrifying, and flavorful in a way that I’ve never encountered in a game before. The schools of magic, called “Abyssal Allegiances” in Hobgoblin, are straight out of a Lovecraftian tome. They’re utterly unique, and each Allegiance offers spells that affect the game in weird and different ways.
Same with Cursed Artefacts — in a standard game, you and your opponent each select one or roll randomly. It gets assigned to one unit (usually your general) and typically gives a distinct, narrowly applicable set of abilities to your unit or army. For example, you can have both players move twice in a turn, or steal a magic point from the opposing player, or remove doom from a friendly unit.
Abyssal Allegiances are extraordinarily fun; I love the flavor behind them, and the chance to swing for the fences with a particularly potent ability. They also have the potential to whiff badly as the game plays out. You may find that you unit positioning, combined with terrain placement or unexpected casualties, means your spells don’t do much for the majority of the game. For that reason, I have a hard time evaluating their effectiveness, and I’d definitely say they’re generally unbalanced against each other. Some Abyssal Allegiances just feel outright better in most circumstances. Of course, that makes a player like me much more likely to try to force the issue and make a “weaker” Allegiance work.
So all in all, I’m excited to dig into Hobgoblin this month, and to build a gigantic list for next month’s Apoc-Luck game. Stay tuned for more!
Comrade's Wargames 
