Return to Castle Ravenloft!

Howdy folks!

A couple of weeks ago, Jerry brought us a real treat.  He had been to a local game store near OKC, and saw something that hearkened back to adventures of old.  Seized by a sudden impulse, he grabbed up a copy of one of Wizards of the Coast new Dungeons & Dragons boardgame, Castle Ravenloft.  It had been his experience (and my own) that boxed games of this ilk tend to be very fun, and remain collectors items for years.  Oh, woe to us, how we didn't keep up with our Heroquest and Warhammer Quest and Dragon Quest and maybe even First Quest.

I'll cut to it...Castle Ravenloft is a blast!  We first tried it out back during Halloween's festivities, and it proved a huge hit right off the bat.  What I found interesting, however, is how close the game seems to be to Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition.

It plays fast and quick, and it's easily taught to new players.  If those players are gamers already, it swiftly becomes second nature to breeze through a turn.  The mechanics are simple yet elegant, but are very similar at the same time to the new edition of it's parent game.  I had sworn never to get 4th Edition, but it was this game that changed my mind about that.

It plays fast, and there are a lot of cool components like Power, Treasure and Monster Cards to tinker with, as well as the miniatures for the heroes and monsters that come in the game.  There is an Adventure Book that presents a series of missions that form sort of a campaign.  We've been playing through the adventures here at the Wargate, and they are far from easy, which makes for great re-playability.  I think we had to try the first group mission four or five times before we succeeded, and the next time we play it will be the third time for the group to try the specific mission we are attempting to finish!

There are Encounter Cards that create nifty effects like traps or magical dangers such as the Icy Corridor.  It has a randomness to it that likens it to Diablo the video game a bit, but it's still a huge hoot.  It even provides gamer nostalgia, because after all, it is Castle Ravenloft!!

It's almost like Speed D&D.  The game can turn deadly very quickly should the heroes become separated, and some of the monsters and other dangers are quite nasty in and of themselves.  The game uses a system for Healing Surges that gives the party a certain number of "resurrections".  You decide how many Surge Tokens your party will take (between 3 and 5 usually), and every time a hero goes down, at the beginning of his next turn he spends one of the party's tokens.  When a hero has fallen and cannot get up (due to there being no more Healing Surges), the game is over and you lose. HAHAHAHAA.

The Dungeon Tiles are another interesting bit.  A lot of those old boxed games came with large dungeon boards or tiles, and Castle Ravenloft does not disappoint.  The squares are the perfect size for a tactical map, if you're into using a grid.  If you're not, they are still well illustrated and can serve alongside your other gaming utensils to provide you with even more RPG or wargame fodder!

After playing the game, I found out it had kin!  Wizards has done another boxed game that is almost identical, except it has different heroes, monsters and a different setting!  It's called Wrath of Ashardalon, and it's all about dragons!  Set at Firestorm Peak, another iconic dungeon, I've heard that the two of these games can be combined into a giant mega dungeon!

I'm considering getting it just for the components, but the games themselves present hours of fun in and of themselves.  So the next time we go vampire hunting, try not to use up all the surges if one of Strahd's goons comes over and lures you into a secret hallway teeming with undead monsters.  Regroup!

Warband Briefing: The Pharoah's Mace

The

Pharoah's

Mace

By Scriveners Hannan and Potter

Land of the Dead, 2522 I.C.

Awakened by a call of unknown origin, Atekh-ra-amon, the most High King of Numas, rose from his thousand year slumber.  Impelled by a renewed desire to fill his coffers and assert the might of Nehekhara upon mortals, he called for his priests to assemble his army at once.  The High Priests set to work, and after much labor raised a great army that pleased their master, Atekh-ra-amon.  The King of Numas would once again feel the thrill of battle and feel the glory of victory.

Mighty Atekh-ra-amon summoned his eldest son, Prince Armaeus.  He spoke at length with him, and called forth the Liche-Priest Zaphnath-Paaneah.  They were dispatched with an important mission, to the lands far from their home in Numas.  The Prince and the Liche-Priest departed from Numas to parts unknown, searching for strange treasures and arcane secrets.  For many years they traveled, and recently have come upon a place called Khazid Grimaz.

The Doomforge

Armaeus and his undead warriors have found gold and treasure, even warpstone.  However, the rumors of something called the Doomforge has captured their attention.  It is said that the dwarfs of the Khazid Grimaz possess the ability to channel the power of the Realm of Chaos using this magical item.  Zaphnath-Paaneah is certain he can understand the magics of this strange contraption, and use it for the High King.  Armaeus himself only wishes to please his father, for that would greatly increase his power and standing.

It is unknown as yet whether the Doomforge can be found, or if it will even be useful.  At least there is a treasure to be had, and many enemies to garner glory from in tireless battle.  Only time and prowess will tell if the Pharoah's Mace will successfully return to their home in the Land of the Dead, laden with riches and gifts for their deathless King.

Josh's Adherents of the Repeated Mean

Welcome back to the Wargate!!

Today we're going to talk about Josh's new Mordheim warband, the Adherents of the Repeated Mean.  A few interesting things about this warband, and Josh took a moment to tell us a few interesting things about his warband.  

Firstly, this warband has been formed of two separate Mordheim Possessed boxed sets.  Half the models once belonged to Dirty Greg, but with all of that stuff on his Mountain of Models, he never quite got to them.  Josh loves pointy hats, and well....

Another nifty thing about this warband is that it's the first project at the Wargate that was completed entirely with Army Painter supplies.  The primer and paints were all purchased in one of their Wargamer Starter Paint sets.  The paints checked out great.  Some settling did occur, but when they were shaken (not stirred) they performed admirably.

Josh used a nifty gimmick to break up the monotony of the figure's poses.  These are pretty old, and they only cast a few different warriors.  Check out the pics above and you'll see an alternating paint scheme that is really cool.  In practice, this gives him the ability to dictate different statistics or skills for individual warriors, as they are each unique (even though they are twins).

  

The models were shaded with Quickshade Strong Tone, and the bases were made to resemble greasy, green warpstone!  All in all, the project looks slick as all get out.

We're going to be taking a look at some of Josh's other projects, as well as some other stuff by the guys here at the 'gate.

And remember, Magister Kakikak sez "Get your Warbands painted, nerds!"

Divergence from Canon

Howdy folks!  Thanks for dropping by the ol 'gate for a short chat with your buddy, Dave Bone.  I have some things to say today about how we're going to be approaching an issue that's plagued gamers for as long as there have been games.  I'm talking about that scourge of the plotline, that eater of good ideas - canon!

For those that aren't sure, canon is defined by Wiktionary as "Those sources, especially including literary works, which are generally considered authoritative regarding a given fictional universe."  Of course, in the context of Middle-Earth, that means pretty much anything that Tolkien (either one) ever published is accepted to be true.  At the Wargate, we extend this canon to most works that involve Middle-Earth, including the rpg's by Iron Crown and Decipher, and also the wargames by Games Workshop.

However, we're going a further step with our divergence from canon.  We're going shy away from canon, for the most part.  We can do this by telling stories that are "allowed" to exist within the auspices of the established works.  We can even use characters from the canon to fight our battles and explain away what has happened to exist within the canon.  Take Elrond in our Goblin King campaign last summer.  He was slain by a horde of goblins during a battle near the borders of his kingdom.  The ages are long, this totally could have happened sometime during the "downtime" presented in the novels as a minor event.  Obviously, Elrond was not killed, but wounded perhaps.

In other cases, we intend re-write the history of Middle-Earth as we go.  Consider the Wargate's Middle-Earth to be a parallel dimension to Tolkien's Middle-Earth.  We'll keep careful track of what changes, much the same way we keep track of things happening in our Old World or Mardannon Sector.  Quite a lot can change, but there are other questions to ask also.

The Age of Middle-Earth that we decide to inhabit will probably remain the Wargate's "official era".  I'll talk about the different opportunities and challenges the particular Ages present in a later post, but for now do consider that even with sweeping changes, in certain ages the effects of particular events may or may not have as much meaning as in an earlier or later age.  I hear that time paradoxes tend to work themselves out.

As the stewards of the many realms of the Wargate, it's our duty to look after the folk of this Middle-Earth as well.  Our armies gather, and a very different world and story can emerge that we can enjoy just as much as the original works, because we get to be a part of it.  It's time to embrace divergence from canon.

Warband Briefing: Adherents of the Repeated Mean

The

Adherents

of the

Repeated Mean

By Scriveners Hannan and Swearingen

Altdorf, 2493-2522 I.C.

Pythagorus was a moneychanger who made a fair bit of coin plying his trade in Altdorf, until one day he was offered a rare tome by a client who could not pay.  He accepted the expensive looking tome, and began his research into it's contents - a radical new theorem of mind-bottling mathematics.  As he applied  it's teachings to his trade, he was able to achieve a vast amount of wealth in a short time.

In addition to it's practical elements, the tome, Theoretical Algorithms for the Applied Abrogation of Limitations, was full of proposed theories that bordered on the insane - and worse, the heretical.  As he would intone the litanies and scrawled the profane diagrams and symbols contained therein, Pythagorus was mildly surprised when he began to sprout mutations.  As his acceptance of the Chaos contagion grew, so did his physical markings, which included his easily recognizable third and fourth arms.

A Lord of Change

As Pythagorus was forced to flee Altdorf due to his inability to conceal the growing taint within himself, the daemon of the book began to speak with him.  Zimiz, a daemon who had been trapped within the book to calculate the exact number of pi for all eternity for a transgression against his master, had finally found a human  to carry on his work in his stead.  Pythagorus had calculated the mythical number to the ten thousandth decimal (per the book's instruction) and Zimiz grew strong.

The daemon made contact with his nearly-gibbering devotee, and charged him with a new task that was crucial to his plan to escape.  The mutant mathematician would be set to scour the world for sets of identical infant children.  Pythagorus, under the auspices of his new master, set about creating a cult.  Nearly thirty years later, the children that were stolen by the mutant in the night would grow strong and demented in their devotion to their daemon master.

The cult's ultimate goal is to summon their master to the mortal world, and destroy the prison that binds his master.  They search far and wide for money and wyrdstone to fuel this mighty endeavor, for it is no trifle of a ritual to do this.  Pythagorus has been promised many gifts for his servitude, which he hopes might include the favor of his fickle and capricious god.

The truth is often different for the servants of such entities, but when Pythagorus has calculated the ten millionth decimal of pi, time will tell which of his hopes and fears prove to be true.

Wargate Swag!!

Howdy folks!

We've had a bit of a buzz around the club the last few weeks, and with good reason!  We've actually legitimized our club with a fair bit of sponsorship, what with Krampusfest last weekend and the Wargate Christmas events we have planned.  However, I want to talk about something that's truly given a bit of identity to our club and created a wave of enthusiasm so radical I think every club should give it a try.

Of course I'm talking about club swag!

We've gotten a bunch of items printed, from the postcards you see above, to a decidedly R rated (for coarse language) poster for the club!  Jerry's been on top of our design team and has put together t-shirts for the club,  gotten postcards, some invitationals (which might show up in your mailbox around Christmas time) and even a huge banner that's on it's way now!  Expect to see it in the background of upcoming posts, and above the table during game nights!

Here's the original staff of the Wargate, posing in our awesome new club tees!  These T-shirts are available to any club member (just ask one of us, or better yet ask Jerry), so grab one up to support the Wargate in the community!  Or just to represent whilst bangin' around town!

I think that this has been one of the straight-up coolest things we've done so far.  Yeah, it costs some money.  However, if you're truly dedicated to your game and your game club, why not try out being a sponsor for events or swag production?

I'll tell you, there's nothing better than being a sponsor of the Game Club.

The Wargate's Krampus Day Special, 2010!

Yesterday was Krampus Day, 2010 and the Wargate is happy to announce that the Krampusfest will be an annual event every year!  Yesterday we had gaming all day long, and our bratwurst dinner had tummies quite fat and the end of the evening!

There was all manner of grub laying about, including the standard holiday fare of pies and Krampus cake!

We even had a visit from Krampus himself! Appropriately enough, he decided to show up during our game of Castle Ravenloft!  Maybe we could make a special villain card for him next year.

You can see some of the guys stuffing sausage in their mouths, absolutely unperturbed by the presence of the Germanic boogeyman.  They must have been good this year!

Next year we'll be doing an even more grandiose Krampusfest, but you'll have to wait until next yuletide to get in on the fun.  Anyone who wants to help make a better Krampus Day, just get with the Wargate staff and we'll put you on the Krampus Day committee!

Make sure to tell your little chitlin's about the Krampus, because it's not just coal you get if you get on Saint Nick's 'bad' list.  You get beaten with a birch branch by a monstrous creature of yore.  

Then you get put in a sack and thrown in the river.  This is truly a children's holiday.

Dark Heresy: Under A Vast Grey Sky Characters

Greetings!

For the last few weeks we've been playing in a Dark Heresy game called Under A Vast Grey Sky.  In this game, the players have been charged by the Ordo Hereticus to root out the taint of heresy on the planet Lucruzu Prime, deep in the Vae Salubrious subsector of Mardannon.  Here they have run across several issues, and the investigation hasn't gone according to plan at all - mostly because there hasn't been one.

I've been trying to compile some data on the characters, but they are quite - elusive.  I present here a short primer on a few of the agents of the Inquisition present on Lucruzu, from the point of the view of the Ordo Hereticus, going clockwise in the photo-log above. This represents Inquisitor Mandera's main operative cell.

---

• Able - One of the 'Sons of Vittium' hive gang, this youthful acolyte was given to Mandera as part of a tithe from the gang itself.  Assigned to Lucruzu mission with the rest of the hive gangers.
• Kull - Not much is known about where this feral warrior originated, but he has been one of Comptroller Bosch's bodyguards for several years.  Assigned to Lucruzu Prime to provide added muscle to the unit.
• Khan - An acolyte drawn from the holds of the Abyssinia, an ancient Chartist vessel, this adept bears Inquisitor Mandera's rosette.  He has been involved in the Inquisitor's machinations for some time, without knowledge of such.  Activated to act as liaison to Imperial institutions planetside.
• Lizzie -  Originally from Attono Vittium, this plucky hive scum somehow managed to stow away aboard the Abyssinia after the Inquisitor gathered his agents from there.  She was sentenced to death by the ship's security ratings, but Comptroller Bosch noted that she had enough wit to get aboard the ship in the first place.  Lizzie was made to swear allegiance to the ordo, and sent planetside with the others to test her value.
• Shi-319 - A death cult assassin long sworn to the service of the Emperor, this mysterious figure is absolutely unfathomable.  Even the gender is unknown.
• Murkul - The tech priest of the group has also only been recently activated to direct Inquisitorial service, and was aboard the Abyssinia for the last part of it's long trade route.  Since arriving planetside, he has spent a great deal of time securing weapons from the manufactorums in Domagoshch.
• Caine - Another hive ganger from Attono Vittium, this older warrior served in the Xenos Wars on that world against the vile Eldar.  Activated along with other elements from Attono Vittium, this acolyte was added to the unit for his extensive military training.
• Metalus - A hardened Arbitrator, Metalus is a highly devoted servant of the Emperor.  Inquisitor Mandera noticed the Metalus' faith during a policing action, and seconded him to his retinue as he returned to the Abyssinia. Activated on Lucruzu Prime to add knowledge and influence with various Imperial institutions planetside.  

---

Feel free to comment on your characters to add details I may have left out that you want recorded for posterity!

Tomorrow is Krampus Day!  Make sure to tell your little ones the old tales, just in case they get the idea there's no downside to being bad!

Dungeons, Dragons & the Wargate

Howdy folks!

It's Dave Bone again, writing to you from the Pandemonium of the Internet.  This time I'm going to talk about something that's going to become relevant once more at the Wargate, after a long long absence from the table.  Of course, I'm talking about that Grand Daddy of all things RPG - Dungeons & Dragons!

It's been a while since we left our D20 Realms, but we'll be reviving that old tradition of classic races and classes with a vengeance!  You see, here at the Wargate, we don't believe in "Edition Wars" - arguments over which edition of the game is better.  Each edition of every game is different, and in some cases the new editions are better.  In others, they are not.  Realistically speaking, I think the Edition Wars are fought between an "old school" or "old guard" who are steeped in a current or previous editions and who feel let down that the line is being discontinued and a new one being supported - and the fresh blood of those who aren't as vested (monetarily) in an older edition.

Over the next year, we'll be running through several Dungeons & Dragons games here at the Wargate.  A lot of those games will be run by different GM's, and I'll have the schedule for the games and GM's coming soon.  However, many of those games that will claim to be Dungeons & Dragons will seem to be very different games to those of you who aren't as familiar with the different materials we'll be using.

To that end, I present to you the Wargate's 2011 D&D primer, packed with plenty of edition history and sneak peeks at what's to come!!

Well, lets start at the beginning.  I'm going to run through this briefly, without too much detail.

---

In the early 1970's, some guys in Wisconsin were playing wargames.  They played all kinds of games, from a popular game at the time called Napoleonics to homebrewed rules for medieval wargames. Some guy named Gygax thought wizards would be cool in his medieval wargames after reading the Dying Earth novels of Jack Vance.  This was a club of gamers, like our own, but they wanted to make money.  They called themselves the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association, and they developed the game known as Chainmail in 1971.  When the club went commercial it changed it's name to Tactical Studies Rules, but would later be known in the gaming world simply as TSR Hobbies, Inc

The creation and demise of TSR, and it's being bought by Wizards of the Coast over a decade ago, is a matter fraught with all kinds of backstabbing, slander, incompetence and general SNUTLINESS.  That's another matter however, and not the subject of this article.  However, the drama between the shareholders, owners and others who were involved in the industry at it's very start is quite compelling, and I encourage readers to seek out this information for themselves.  It's a very interesting, cautionary tale of why you must be careful when "friends" and money are involved.

However all that would turn out 25+ years later, in 1974 Dungeons & Dragons came about as an 'evolved' version of Chainmail that included the fantastic elements we all know and love.  This is what I consider to be the beginning of the modern gaming era.

In 1977, TSR got the "great" idea that it would be necessary to adopt a "two-pronged" strategy.  That is, there was Dungeons & Dragons, but now there would also be Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.  In '77, the Basic boxed set for D&D was published, and from '77 to '79 would see the main rulebooks for the advanced version published for the first time:  the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual.

TSR's practices really got silly in the 80's and 90's.  Different lines, different editions and the apparent inability of the TSR marketing department to put forth cohesive themes all contributed to the downfall, but the current management at the time was mind bogglingly incompetent.  In 1989, the 2nd Edition was published, but the line was still not unified and this confused a lot of prospective gamers.  Hell it even confused veterans at times.  To illustrate this point, and the fact that TSR was driven squarely into the ground by the management over a number of years, the 2nd Edition books were republished in 1996.  These books were the first to have a cohesive design template (they all looked like they belonged together in a set).  I bought these because they looked cool, not because I needed them - the 1989 books were the exact same text.

The next year, 1997, TSR was put out of its misery.  It and it's intellectual property was bought out by gaming giant Wizards of the Coast.

In the year 2000, the D20 version of the main rulebooks were published.  What followed was a renaissance in gaming, and for nearly a decade D&D 3.0 / 3.5 was the absolute ruler of the realm.  The Open Game License was put into place, and third party publishers who had no love under the reign of TSR now flooded the scene with all kinds of interesting 3.5 sourcebooks.  To this day, I know no other game system which so much material has been generated for.

In 2003 the 3.5 editions of the basic rulebooks were published.  I felt like Wizards was trying to rape me, then beat me and take my money.  This was when our game club went to town on the first "Edition War" we had to fight.  Even today, I feel that this particular iteration of D&D wasn't meant to fix anything wrong with 3.0.  Yeah, yeah...I've heard it all before.  This is unbalanced and that doesn't work right - but in all our years of gaming I never encountered anything that I felt required a new edition of the game to be built, so that I could continue to game.  

No no.  What ruined my love affair with the D20 system was Wizards of the Coast's coercion of me to buy new books just a few short years after the publication of a brand new edition.  Sigh.  That is also a conversation for another topic, but suffice to say that soon after 2003, we quit playing D&D.

Then came 2008.

What was to be the 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons didn't even resemble what I knew.  Even the D20 system (3.0/3.5) looked more like the game I knew and loved than did - whatever the hell that game was.  4th Edition was universally reviled at the Wargate, and I think I know why.

The artwork and design.  The artwork is very anime style and a lot of us don't like that with our Swords & Sorcery, preferring to save that particular imagery for Samurai & Ninjas or Robots & Spaceships.  Also, a lot of "sacred cows" had been abandoned during the development of the new edition.

It didn't feel like D&D, so I couldn't play it like it was.  However, at the same time, something else happened...

Pathfinder was published.  This game, published by Paizo Publishing in 2008, extended the OGL and the 3.5 edition as an entirely different game by a different publisher.  Yeah, that's how drastic the 4th Edition transfer was - the Edition Wars spiraled so far out of control another game was created.  One game, but now with two different versions.  Kind of like Basic D&D and AD&D way back in the 80's and early 90's.

Similar, all of these...but very different in practice.  So, we shall ascend above the Edition Wars with the Wargate's new Dungeons & Dragons initiative, spearheaded by GM's Shawn, Skim and Greg!

I can hear you asking, "how are we going to do that, Dave?" or "What Edition will be the official Wargate Edition?"  The answers are easy:  delineation of tasks!!  We've put these editions in their places!!  

If you look back through the editions at the massive amount of material that has been published, you can see a lot of stuff only existed for a certain amount of time, or were only recently brought back.  To that end, we're going to use the native systems for the campaign settings.  There has been a lot of talk about 'converting' material from one edition to another, and I have to say that I really hate doing that crap.  However, since we are gamers of the highest caliber and are familiar with most of the material anyway, we will be playing ALL OF THESE EDITIONS.

Each one has a use it is best put to!  We've been planning far far ahead with what will be happening at the Wargate, and you'll see that we'll be riding along through each edition in time!  Below is what we'll be using different editions to do over the next few years!

• AD&D 2nd Edition will be used to run the Spelljammer setting, as this is the only edition it exists in.
• D&D 3rd Edition will be used to run the Greyhawk setting, as it is the default setting this edition.
• D&D 4th Edition will be used to run the Dark Sun setting, as it has recently been republished.
• Pathfinder will be used to run Pathfinder Chronicles and certain homebrew settings.

It took me a while to warm to D&D 4e, but when I saw the new Dark Sun books I knew the flavor I was looking for.  4e didn't sit well with me when it was published, but my heart is on Greyhawk.  It wasn't the right fit.  4e's flavor and mechanics just seem to - fit - the setting of Dark Sun and we'll be gating back to Athas for the first time in over 13 years!!

We will be able to explore in a full manner the merits of all sides of the Edition Wars.  We will explore the worlds of classic and current Dungeons & Dragons as they were meant to be explored - with the original materials for that Edition.  By the time this next year is done, you'll all be experts in the evolution of gaming by retroactively experiencing it.

Thanks for reading, and remember: this Sunday (Game Day) is Krampus Day!!  So roll on over to the Wargate to get in on our Krampus Day Feast!!  Dinner is served at 6:00, so try to be here for all the Krampus Day cheer!!

Warband Briefing: Despoilers of the Blight

Despoilers of the Blight

By Scriveners Hannan and Hayes

The Grey Mountains, 2522 I.C.

It is unknown whence the foul renegade known only as the Blight Deacon originated.  What can be told, in the whispers of those who've borne witness to the destruction he has wrought, isn't heartening to the folk of the Empire who would stand against the coming of the Chaos Gods.  One can trace the stream of corruption and death all the way from the Reikland to southwestern Wissenland across the Grey Mountains and surmise that this cult is spreading in an insidious fashion, but the truth is much more simple.  The Blight Deacon is an itinerant demagogue, gathering worshipers of foul powers to him as he moves across the old world in service of his gods.

To date, the small band consists of the dregs and outcasts of society whom have fallen in with the Deacon, as well as numerous mutants and beastmen whom he's impressed with his power and strength.  As their legend grows and the Despoilers are favored with the attentions of the Ruinous Powers, even fouler things such as deformed possessed have been seen amidst the congregations as they lay waste to villages and farms, sparing no one the terror of the Ruinous Powers.

Eternal Quest, Eternal Darkness

As time has worn on, the Despoilers of the Blight have even threated the outlying communities of Dwarfs in the Grey Mountains.  This can easily be attributed to the favor of the Ruinous Powers that the Despoilers enjoy, as their leader communes with daemon-spirits that guide them to new prey.  Each time the Blight Deacon completes one of these tasks, the Despoilers have been granted a boon.  The Chaos powers have guided them to lost Darksouls who have sworn themselves to the Deacon's will,  sent daemons into the bodies of worshipers to better ensure their success, and gifted the cult with lore and spells of great power.

As for the daemon patrons of the Despoilers, even less can be said.  The fickle daemons of the Realm of Chaos are capricious indeed, and the Blight Deacon has been canny enough to avoid being marked by any one of the fell powers.  Each of the Gods have set their blessings upon the warband, and for the true believers in the cult, that is quite enough to spur them to acts of fiendish bravery.

For soon, the time of man shall be at an end.  The time of the Blight shall begin.

Army Briefing: The Bloo Moonz Tribe

The

Bloo Moonz

Tribe

By Chief Scrivener Hannan

The Grey Mountains, 2522 I.C.

North of Khazid Grimaz, the Grey Mountains are riddled with goblin tribes. In the high forests near the Empire, forest goblin tribes howl from hidden hovels deep within the wood. Night goblins from beneath the foothills venture forth to terrorize man, elf and dwarf in equal fashion. All of this was bad, before the coming of the black orcs.

Recently, a group of orcs from the badlands have made a base camp in the mountains to the north of the Khazid, near the border with Athel Loren. An old dwarf keep has been claimed by the orcs, and they have started to amass a larger tribe by assimilating smaller greenskin clans they have encountered and subsequently conquered. It is swiftly becoming a real threat, as the orcs are joined by the eager and ever more numerous goblin tribes from the surrounding lands.

Any travel in the area is highly dangerous at this point in time. Goblins and worse crawl thick in the forests and high mountains, having found a great many ancient dwarf tunnels and towers. Encounters occur with great frequency, and even travel to the Empire has been made so hazardous that it’s almost not in the Guilder’s interests to invest in ventures with the dwarfs…almost.

The Bloo Moonz Tribe

A great many Night Goblin tribes have been obedient and willing to help the black orcs, but the new Bloo Moon banner flies not just above these creatures. Trolls from beneath the mountains, orcs from the lowlands and spider riders from the forests all bow to the new Bloo Moon chieftain, Grand Warboss Nurdsnik of the Black Mountain.

Nurdsnik has many ‘Bad Bosses’ to carry out his plans, and each of these powerful black orcs has a mean streak a mile long and a cunning plan to make sure he gets to be mean. From several outposts they maintain their crude empire, making war on dwarfs, men and elves near the Grey Mountains.

Bloo Moonz Territory

The Bloo Moonz hold sway over the northern end of the Grey Mountains, in an area that encompasses outposts near Nuln, Khazid Grimaz, the borders of Athel Loren and even Parravon in Bretonnia. This is the most massive and dangerous greenskin horde to collect in this area for some time, and everyone must take heed.

Near Nuln, Forest Goblins bearing the Bloo Moonz icon have attacked river and road caravans, demolishing everything and looting the rest. The Empire has sent state troops to the outlying villages to try and fend off the greenskin raiders, but is generally unresponsive to these punitive attacks.

In the Grey Mountains, near Khazid Grimaz, the Bloo Moonz and the Grey Dwarfs have been fighting for some time already. Night Goblins and Trolls from beneath the Khazid have taken outlying towers and strongholds once claimed by dwarfs in the ancient age.

As for the Wood Elves, they have not attacked the orcs yet, as the Bloo Moons stay away from the haunted forest of Athel Loren as much as their non-superstitious black orc masters will let them. That will most likely soon change, as the Orcs grow more numerous and overcome their trepidations.

In Bretonnia, orc migrations have stepped up as mobs of orc boyz march toward the Black Mountain to Warboss Nurdsnik. Many have heard of Nurdsnik’s flying beast, and the Bretonnians have felt the attacks of the larger orcs under the Bad Bosses for quite some time.

Travelers seeking to brave these dangers for whatever reason should take heed of these warnings. It is very dangerous in this area, and open and proper war is brewing. It is tough to say how many greenskins have flocked to the banner of Nurdsnik so far, but the Bloo Moonz army may test the might of dwarfs, elves and men in the near future.

Dark Heresy Career Differentiation

Hey folks!

We're still preparing the article on our actual Dark Heresy personas, waiting for minis to be painted yadda yadda yadda. So I'm going to take this moment to talk about something that folks have been asking me lately, and that's what the hell the Dark Heresy Careers are all about. There might have been a bit of confusion around these character types because they aren't really analogous to most fantasy 'classes'. Instead they are distinctly couched in the lore of Warhammer 40,000 and their game role may not be recognizable to someone who hasn't read a ton of books on the subject.

There are splits in each of the Career Paths, and I'm going to go over each of those and hit one or two major points for those splits. I will talk about Alternate Ranks and Elite Advances in a later post, as we're just trotting out the basics here. After reading this article you'll have a pretty good idea of where you want to go with your character, and can begin to worry about other permutations. Lets get started with the first Career Path from the main rulebook, Adept.

The Adept

This character relies a lot on his intelligence to get him by. With access to tons of knowledge skills through the first three ranks, this character has the potential to be a top notch investigator right out of the gate. At Rank 4, you'll have a choice between the Inditor rank and the Chirurgeon rank. This is simply a choice between minor specialties, with the Inditor gaining access to tech skills and knowledge, and the Chirurgeon gaining medical skills.

At Rank 6, you may choose your Career Path from the Lexographer or Comptroller trees. Lexographers are steeped in Forbidden Lores, and eventually develop psychic powers. Comptrollers are more down to earth, learning as much Scholastic Lore as he can stomach and gains more bonuses to social situations due to his station.

The Adept will be a very intelligent and knowledgeable character, but won't gain many combat skills. That's alright, as the need for characters who can make sense of the mysteries of the 41st millennium vastly outstrips the availability of such folk.

The Arbitrator

This character has a good all around Career Path. The Arbitrator is tough, canny and has access to knowledge and investigation skills. The Rank tables (where Skills and Talents are selected) are larger than most other Careers at lower rank, and the player can simply select from several options to advance their Acolyte.

At Rank 6, you'll be able to choose from the Proctor or Intelligencer Career Ranks. This is a simple choice: the Proctor tree is the combat tree, focusing on Heavy Weapons at first and then as the character progresses they will gain access to command skills and have a high resistance to fear and insanity. The Intelligencer is the Arbites Detective, and this character can gain a large amount of both Scholastic and Forbidden Lore during his Career.

The Arbitrator character is skilled at many areas, and this means this character will be in the thick of the action at nearly all times. Able to investigate wrongdoing as well as do combat against those responsible, this character will always be a welcome addition to any troupe of Acolytes.

The Assassin

The Assassin Career is for those who want to fight. This Career Path focuses more than many of the others on Weapon Training and combat Talents. Like a few other Careers, this Path is rather straightforward. The Rank Tables are large, and you'll find a large number of subterfuge skills as well.

At Rank 6, the Assassin Career Path diverges into the Freeblade and Death Adept branches. The Death Adept is the classic Death Cultist - a very hard combatant to face and live. Death Adepts become more and more steeped in battle lore until they are a whirlwind of hatred in battle frenzy. Freeblades are more suave, the classic assassin taking contracts from the upper echelons of society. As Freeblades progress, they gain more and more influence and leadership skills until they are quite talented socialites.

The Assassin character is going to excel at combat, both ranged and hand to hand. They are silent and quick, great for tailing marks or staging ambushes and diversions. These characters may not be the best at interrogating captured prisoners, but will be invaluable during the fighting that's bound to happen whilst the Acolytes are in the service of the Inquisition.

The Cleric

This Career Path represents a character that has a broad base of learning, another good pick for all-rounder. The Career Path isn't as varied as some others, but the Cleric gains a fair amount of combat and social skills. There is also a variety of resistance Talents that make the character a little harder for enemies or horrific situations to influence.

At Rank 6, the Cleric has to choose between the Exorcist or Confessor Careers. The Exorcist gains the terrible Forbidden Lores of Chaos, and the specialized Weapon Training to combat those threats he is cursed with the knowledge of. Eventually, the Exorcist will pile on the Talents that let him resist enemy coercion and will be steeped in the lore of the Ordos and the Inquisition. Confessors also learn impressive combat skills, but focus more on social Skills and Talents that allow them to police his fellow man for signs of heresy. Eventually the Confessor will gain huge amounts of standing that will allow them a great amount of influence in the highest circles of the Imperium.

The Cleric Career is tough and resilient, and can specialize later on in combat or social oriented Career Ranks. This Character can provide guidance against daemonic foes, or influence planetary rulers with their piety. With this set of skills, the enemies of the Emperor should beware his Clerics!

The Guardsman

This Career Path represents a 'Fighting Man', a soldier with a military set of skills. Unlike the Assassin, which specializes in close-quarter fighting, a Guardsman relies on guns and tactics to win the day (though their melee skills can be quite respectable). The Career Path is narrow, and the Rank Tables aren't as large as some other Careers. The Guardsman, however, will learn a great many useful combat and coordination skills prior to the choice of Career Paths.

At Rank 6, the Guardsman gets three choices for his next rank. He can choose from Assault Veteran, and specialize in close quarters combat with blades and assault weapons such as meltaguns. He can also choose the Lieutenant Path, and gain command and social skills on the way to the top of the chain of command. The Scout Path provides stealth, trained senses and focus while harassing the enemy with guerrilla and sniper tactics.

The Guardsmen is going to be a staple in Acolyte groups. This character is able to help coordinate firefights and can fight up close and personal with the best of them, but won't have many non-military knowledge skills. With plenty of options for specialization, this is going to be a character who can lend weight to any combat and come out in one piece on the other end.

The Imperial Psyker

This character is a special case, and starts out the gate with access to Scholastic and Forbidden Knowledge it takes the other Careers several ranks to catch up with. This Career Path makes heavy use of Psychic Disciplines, and starts the game with Psy Rating 1, so they can use thier powers from the beginning. As they progress, Imperial Psykers increase the breadth of their Lores and the power of their disciplines.

At Rank 4, the Imperial Psyker must choose a path. The two choices these characters have is between the path of the Savant, the militant psyker-soldier; and the Scholar, which appropriately enough focus on their learning and skills rather than the training of a soldier. While the Savant will learn military skills, destructive powers and special weapon training talents, the Scholar will learn much about Lores, Trades and even be highly trained in Medicae.

Imperial Psykers are a very interesting character to play. Able to use strange abilities and learn valued skills, the Pskyers are a welcome addition to any Acolyte cell. Just be warned - the powers of the Warp are not a trifle, and meddling with such things in a careless fashion will only damn your soul to a screaming eternity as the plaything of the entities that live there.

The Scum

This character is a rogue, a sly fox that lives on the edge of society. These characters have a certain kind of moral ambiguity that is looked for in potential candidates for service to the Emperor's Inquisition. For the first several Career Ranks, these characters get a broad selection of "subterfuge" skills and talents such as Blather, Barter and Unremarkable. After a few Ranks, the Scum will be quite skilled at getting into and out of the seedier situations his Career will inevitably thrust upon him.

At Rank 6, the player must choose between the Cutter Career Path, or the Fixer. The Cutter is a dirty fighter who specializes in assault (including mugging and burglary). The Cutter eventually establishes himself as a heavy hitter in the criminal underworld and gains a ton of social skills once he makes it to the top. The Fixer, on the other hand are masters of the con-game. They gain a huge amount of social skills and can weave elaborate plots as the flit among the powerful, social elite.

The Scum is a character who will live by his wits, always needing to be one step ahead of his pursuers. They are readily equipped to deal with threats by a variety of means, whether interaction, investigation or combat. Just be sure to brush up on your Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites) when you get the chance - you might soon need the help with the legal system in the Imperium!

The Tech-Priest

The Tech-Priest, like the Imperial Psyker, is a special kind of character whose main talents lie somewhere just outside the other Career's ken. This character is trained in the mysteries of technology and has a deep rapport with the Adeptus Mechanicus, the strange and aloof Priesthood of Mars. As a servant of the Machine God, the Tech-Priest will learn how to harness his own cybernetic potential as well as learn many skills that deal with technology and learning. Through the basic Career Ranks, the Tech-Priest has access to a staggering number of Skills and Talents that should make specialization a snap.

At Rank 6, the Tech-Priest character must choose between the path of the Technomancer, or that of the Mech-Deacon. The Technomancer is a specialized loremaster, and during his career he will have access to plenty of Lore and Talents that add to his fortitude. The Mech-Deacon travels a much more varied path, travelling amongst those who are not adherents to the ways of the Omnissiah. They learn various Trades and how to handle heavy weapons, for unbelievers are often an unruly lot.

The Tech-Priest is a tough character with a range of exotic abilities. They are adept at using their special social circumstances to open doors where others cannot. A very important part of any Acolyte cell, the Tech-Priest character can make the difference between being able to operate critical devices, which are all too common in the service of the Inquisition.

The Adepta Sororitas

Exclusively females, the Sisters of Battle Career Path is available in The Inquisitor's Handbook. This is an interesting Career with many options, but initially all Sisters will learn basic military skills and have a strong indoctrination to the Imperial Creed. They will learn to be vigilant and proficient with the sacred bolter.

At Rank 4, the Sister must make a choice between three separate paths: The Dialogous, the Hospitaller, or the Militant. These are rather easily denoted by their names, and offers the Sister a broad choice in terms of character development. The Dialogous is the social character who is very learned, and possesses a large amount of Lore skills and bonuses to Interaction skills. The Hospitaller is the medical Sister, who tends the wounded with their vast knowledge of injury and medicine. The Militant is the power-armored Bolter Bitch, the Sister of Battle that is an iconic warrior-nun (with guns!)

Sisters of Battle characters are quite valuable to the Emperor's Inquisition, able to perform acts of piety on par with Clerics while administering death to the faithless. In any capacity the player chooses, the Adepta Sororitas will be quite handy to the player group, able to fill a gap in the groups composition by selecting the appropriate Career Path. Try not to lose your faith, however - corruption can gnaw even at the most pious of souls.

Conclusion

I think most folks have learned that Under a Vast Grey Sky isn't a combat game as I've run Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay in the past, or a dungeon run where the adventure locations are spelled out and put in front of the players like dominoes to knock down. Try to think in terms of the investigation, and what skills might be needed. While certainly some combat prowess will be needed (it is certain to happen every session), it won't win you day this time.

Thanks for reading folks. Leave me some comments!

Also, let Jerry know if you want your Wargate T-Shirts! They are $20, just let him know next time you see him!

Casey Casem Cases Your Cases

The spectre of Death hangs over the Wargate, and we wouldn't want it any other way! Armies and Warbands gather, hordes of gun and knife wielding gangs muster in the shadows, and the commotion around the game table is at an all time high! This last weekend we had an awesome day for our Mordheim campaign Death in the Delve, and we're going to be finishing up Round 1 of the Campaign in the next few weeks!

With all these minis swarming around the 'gate, I thought it would be a good time to share with you my thoughts on a truly important issue - protection for your investment (little plastic men).

Cases! Figure Cases! Yeah, so you keep yours in a shoebox, and it's perfectly serviceable. It always makes me cringe when I see a fifty dollar model languishing in a mass grave, in a box full of other miniatures that have either been discarded or forgotten. With as much money as you spend on the model I'd think you'd have a vested interest in making sure they were at least always where you can find them, and if they are painted...why wouldn't you go to extra lengths to maintain that work which you have so finely wrought?

Thankfully, there are plenty of options.

Here we have the ubiquitous Games Workshop Figure Case. Pictured is the Army Case, but it comes in several flavors on the Games Workshop website. This case is about $100, and you can get half size versions of it for half that price. The Monster Case is nice for very large models, and for storing infantry the Citadel Figure Case can hold something like 88 troopers that are standard size.

There are a variety of cases made by companies like Sabol Design's Army Transport. This range has pretty much all you could ask for, and with stylish outer casing - really great if you're moving around a lot and must transport your army to every venue. These cases can get really expensive, but are very high quality.

Another great option in this category is Battlefoam, a company who can produce custom designs for your figure trays. Again, this is in the 'expensive' category, but I do recommend getting at least one of these systems for official events and also because they are very cool.

Here at the Wargate, we have a LOT of models laying around in various stages of composition from unconstructed and unpainted to half painted and fully lacquered. LOTS of miniatures, for lots of various games. It must be said that we've not been able to keep up with certain concerns of protecting miniatures with lavish and expensive cases, but we do have a very nice system that is cheap and addresses our true concern.

Lack of space.

Above is a selection of miniature cases here at the Wargate, which the astute among you will note are simply fishing tackle cases. These can be bought from the nearest store for around $5. The amount of miniatures each will hold is different depending on the composition of the case, but you can do about 1000 points per case. They come in various sizes, so you can get the exact cases you need to house your armies.

If you take some insulation foam and line the cases with pieces cut with an exacto blade, you can get a secure home for your model. Above are a few cases that have recently been cut for Joe's Eldar army, and they fit quite snug in there with minimal jostling around.

They won't stand up to being thrown from a second story window, but hey - they are $5 bucks and are quite small. We have a huge stack of them here, and it's growing. For storage, you can't beat these awesome cases - but for long distance transport to a tournament or other high-energy congregation you might want to get one of the more expensive brands up above.

Anyways, that's enough from me for now. Get cases for all your forces! 40k and Warhammer Armies, Necromunda Gangs, Legions of Middle Earth and Mordheim Warbands all deserve nice cases. They can help you keep your armies straight also, so you can stop worrying about your composition and logistics and get into the fight!

Protect your hobby tools and concentrate on your tactics!

Army Briefing: The Brotherhood of the Most Hated

The Brotherhood

of the

Most Hated

By the Wargate Staff Scriveners

Silencia System, .M41

In the horrid warp-shadow that exudes for thousands of light years beyond the Eye of Terror, there are many things that cannot be explained easily. Some places are cursed by dark powers, and some other places are cursed more than others. Such is the case with the piratical Chaos reavers known as the Brotherhood of the Most Hated, and their mysterious parallel world.

Little is known about the Brotherhood's organization, but it is likely that the pirate force consists primarily of dejected Astartes who have been lost to the Emperor's Light. That such a thing exists within the Mardannon Sector is a terrible omen, but now the suspicion of the Inquisition has settled on the space marine chapters of Mardannon - mainly the Infinity Watch whose homeworld is in the sector. However, many other space marines have gone missing in this sector. The list of chapters maintained by the Inquisition for investigating the Brotherhood is extensive, and includes but is not limited to the Infinity Watch, the Dark Angels, the Blood Angels, the Space Wolves, the Ultramarines, and most recently the Black Templars.

The Beastworld

Within the Silencia system is a strange phenomenon relating to the daemon-world that can be found there. While the Umbral Stalkers cabal control Silencia, there is a hidden warp passage to a parallel world to Silencia Majoris, which is called Discordia, or the Beastworld, by the Chaos sorcerers and pirates privy to it's secrets. Not much is known about this place other than the scattered bits of mad rantings brought back by cultists, soldiers or privateers that have had the misfortune to run across the hidden daemon-world. What is known is that the Chaos master of the Brotherhood directs his pirate army from this dread reach, striking out to bloody the forces of the Imperium whenever the opportunity arises.

It is known that the Umbral Stalkers cabal (also based in the Silencia system) and the Brotherhood clash in catastrophic conflicts that lay waste to entire worlds at regular intervals - however this doesn't seem to diminish their camaraderie or ability to work together to harass Imperial interests. The two forces have been seen to assist one another as much as they have been seen to attack one another without provocation, leaving Imperial Inquisitors with more questions than answers.

Warmaster Laserwulfe, Paterfamilias of the Brotherhood, has recently declared a new Black Crusade within Mardannon. The Brotherhood has taken the initiative on this new "crusade", which at this time consists of about dozen small warships and only a few capital ships across the sector. This small band has seriously damaged the infrastructure of several worlds and been responsible for the utter pillaging of at least two, including Ordavis (most recently). However, the influence of the Umbral Stalkers also comes into question...will the cabal's reach be used to gather new resources for Laserwulfe? The answer is just as grim and disturbing as you would expect.

Laserwulfe's Desires

Warmaster Laserwulfe sighed loudly. Seldom did he sleep through warp travel, but he still grew bored on the long hauls through the voids. He continued counting the countless crates and round drums stacked in plenty in the monsterous belly of the beast he named befittingly "Monstro", the Brotherhood's largest and fastest running space hulk.

He continued to count the cargo unit by unit, his mind encasing the numbers and commiting them to his endless memory. He remembered much, but scarely ever felt the need to recall the past. The past isnt quite as profitable as the happenings of now. The Emperor was long dead, his devoted zealots and dwindling influenced ragtag of martyrs preserving his rotting husk on a throne long since devoid of power. With so little influence and a hand full of fools hope, the stars have no Justice, no court, no law, only Chaos.

The warmaster continued to take inventory, the tomb like cargo hold seemed to go on forever, its shadowey bulk omitting any noise from the mechanical forces that drove the ship, as well the clamour and horrific festivals of blood, over indulgance, and defilation that were constantly carried out on voyages to and from raids.

The Brotherhood of the Most Hated, collected from stragglers, scallywags, criminals, and mercenary marines resembled a pirate enterprise more so than a chapter. But without a head, the beast dies. Laserwulfe is this head. Only through his own ferocity and exhaulted prescence of power his rank and leadership is kept secure.

Laserwulfe has been alive for centuries, but his fall from grace is not recorded. He himself cares not to waste time on the story, but his quick rise to ill repute has been observed by all. Appearing out of the wild and unruley affected planet of Dischordia, his raid for plunder launched a wave of terror felt through all sectors. His perpencaity for war and robbing is only met by his love for Lascannons and all Laser weapondry used towards and for his conquest.

The true god of this army is Greed. The lust for wealth and power overweighing the normal chaos god obsessions of the other chapters, this terrible force has no scurples or honor. Only a large hold to store the wealth and treasures of the fallen and destroyed.

And the Warmaster counted on...

"I WANT MONEY!!!"

"I WANT YOUR MONEY!!!"

"I WANT CRUDE OIL!!!"

Inquisition Time!

Tomorrow we begin Under A Vast Grey Sky, the first part of a new Dark Heresy cycle that will be running here at the Wargate! For those who aren't as familiar with the setting, and for those who are wanting a few more specifics as to how the Ordos stand within the Mardannon Sector, this short primer is designed to hit a few high points in as few words as possible, making it readable for your average net-serf.

Let's start with the major divisions within the Holy Inquisition itself, the Ordos.

1. The Ordo Hereticus is responsible for protecting mankind from itself. This includes but is not limited to apostate members of the Ecclesiarchy, rogue psykers and mutation.
2. The Ordo Malleus is responsible for combating and defending the Imperium from the physical manifestation of Chaos, the daemon. Some overlap with the Ordo Hereticus regarding psykers.
3. The Ordo Xenos is responsible for learning about and policing the Imperium for alien threats. Orks, Tau and all other foul xenos are within the Ordo's purview.

There are myriad smaller Ordos, but these three are found across the galaxy. Also, some Inquisitors do not belong to any Ordo, just sort of roaming around doing crap. However, there are more factions than just these. Many Inquisitors have a certain philosophy they ascribe to, and this colors how they operate. In an organization the likes of the Holy Inquisition, there is bound to be a staggering amount of conflicting viewpoints, and we'll touch on the major strains of belief in the Mardannon Sector. These philosophies are divided into two major camps, known as Puritan and Radical.

The Puritan factions try to stick to Imperial doctrine as much as possible, and pretty much persecute their Radical Brethren as much as possible. The Puritan factions are as thus:

1. The Thorians believe that the Emperor of Mankind will one day be reincarnated.
2. The Monodominants believe that Mankind is only safe if all other sentient alien races are completely obliterated.
3. The Amalathians want the status quo to be maintained, and strive for cooperation between Imperial agencies.

Radical factions have a different outlook - pretty much "if it works, do it". This turns to using the tools of the enemy against them, which is a valid tactic in some situations. However, the suspicions of their Puritan Brethren can be hindering and in many cases dangerous. The Radical factions include:

1. The Xanthites who believe that Chaos can be used against Chaos. This takes the form of daemonic pacts, Chaos artifacts and crazy rituals of nasty Chaos-ity.
2. The Recongregationists who believe that the Imperium is deeply corrupt to the core, and want to destroy it to rebuild it in a more suitable image.
3. The Istvaanians who believe that only strife and war can bring humanity to where it must go. They hold that humanity is the strongest after periods of terrible suffering.

So there are plenty of diametrically opposed viewpoints, and this doesn't do much to actually breed trust amongst certain members of the Inquisition. However, this is the Mardannon Sector...what Inquisitors are active here? To answer that question, I have prepared a small report on the top members of each Ordo most active in the sector. It's assumed your character, as an acolyte, will be aware of at least this much.

The Ordo Malleus

• Inquisitor Lord Lucian Kylan - The most militant Inquisitor in the entire sector, Lord Kylan plies the stars on the powerful and ancient warship Hammer of Titan. He commands a vast amount of resources, and has taken war to the minions of Chaos many times. A staunch monodominant, Kylan's power is turned upon the daemon mutated armies of Chaos.
• Inquisitor Dominic Gustav - A powerful daemon-hunter in his own right, Gustav was once the acolyte of Lord Kylan. Now, he attempts to uphold the Amalathian agenda where the threat of the warp bleeds through.
• Inquisitor Marius Vex - A quiet but thorough witch-finder, rogue psykers and others bound for the Black Ships fear the shadowy form of this Inquisitor. Though he is a believer in the Thorian way, he's not so sure there will ever be such a vessel and focuses on his work rooting out daemon-sorcerers.

The Ordo Hereticus

• Inquisitor Shan Tsien Tiang - Openly ascribing to the philosophies of the Recongregators, this Inquisitor from a barbarian world travels a route between five systems, handing out judgements and burning at least one witch on each stop just to make a point. Many criminals who have violated the tenets of the Hereticus are held prisoner until he arrives to hand down judgement, which might be a period of many years.
• Inquisitor Corvus Mandera - A low key operative who is a staunch Amalathian, Mandera makes it a point to follow up accusations of witch-craft and heresy in the many guilds criss-crossing the sector. Oftentimes operating with very little resources, this rugged Inquistor has produced an amazing amount of results in the short time he has been operating.
• Inquisitor Abakum Lukyanov - This eccentric Xanthite has spent many long years seeking out and (presumably) destroying several legendary sorcerous tomes, such as The Infinite Secret and Ulorkotesh's fabled Snugdriggunumancy. Lukyanov has written several treaties on using mankind's latent psychic powers in conjunction with certain types of learning that suggest he may favor teaching nascent psykers sorcery by tome...

The Ordo Xenos

• Inquisitor Lord Marcus Baurus - A militant Istvaanian, this influential Inquisitor Lord has taken it upon himself to work to aggravate situations where destabilization is imminent. He has fanned the flames of war in many places, ushering in fighting with Ork tribes all along the reaches in warpshot of Magnum Sierra. Lately, he's been exploring the relations of the newly arrived Tau, and how to exploit them to draw them into a cataclysmic war.
• Inquisitor Ignacio Sulla - A professed Recongregationist, Inquisitor Sulla is ready and willing to help any Imperial Commander who requests his help. The catch is that whatever catches his attention is exposed to the most prolific Recongregationist in the sector, and profound change usually follows in his wake.
• Inquisitor Demekh Gulyayeva - An explorer from the edge of the system, this monodominant seeks out alien threats to the Imperium with the aid of the Imperial Navy and even Rogue Traders and other starfarers and organizations across the sector. Currently chasing Eldar pirates all around the sector, this Inquisitor has more resources and favors to call in than many other Inquisitors in the sector.

So, there's our outline for the Inquisition in the Mardannon Sector. You can find more information on the Inquisition at this awesome link to the Warhammer 40,000 wiki. As the game progresses, I'm sure you'll find out a lot more than you wanted to know! Just remember this one maxim, however, whenever you think of the Inquisition.

Even if you have nothing to hide, you still have something to fear.