The Blood of Menoth: A Warmachine Narrative

Wow, 11 days since my last post.  I'd apologize for not being up to date, but we've been so busy here at the Wargate! 


It is a special post however - this is the 100th time I've published to this blog.  It's been over a year since we started this new version of the Inner Sanctum website, and our club keeps growing with membership and views.  Though as a club we've had several websites up and down over the years, I think we've finally found a way one site can keep all the different events and narratives going at once in the best possible fashion.  Why didn't we try a blog before?  


We've added a lot of stuff to the range of games and activities we take part in, and I just want to thank everyone who's had a hand in keeping us relevant!

The last few weeks we've been in hard practice mode for our Warmachine campaign!  Now that the first Event Week has begun, the Blood of Menoth campaign page has gone up!  You can keep track of what's what there, and see which of the factions is currently leading.

There's not a whole lot of time left in this Campaign Season, but Blood of Menoth resembles more of a long-form tournament rather than a traditional campaign model.  As this is the first campaign the club has run with this particular gaming system, there are naturally not as many players involved in it.  This allows a lot more room for rivalries, however - and the purpose of the campaign is to decide where in the Warmachine universe our narrative will go.

In most of the miniature games the club plays, there is a marked tendency to avoid named characters from the canon of those games.  I don't know if it's a throwback to the old rules of "special characters need opponent's permission", but we here at the Wargate almost never throw a special or named character on the board.  Instead, we favor creating our own warriors along the guidelines of the army list and background to create our own narratives for campaigns.

Indeed, there is usually a "campaign world" such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle's Old World - and when we play the miniature campaign, it's results will show when we play the RPG version of that game.  Ditto for almost all other titles you'll play here.

Warmachine is a little different.  Though the Iron Kingdoms was a d20 RPG back in the days of the OGL, it's very hard to find copies of the books without paying a large sum of money for each one.  PDF's are available, but the physical object is a tool for gameplay - pdf's aren't going  to cut it at the Wargate.  Therefore, don't expect to see Iron Kingdoms break out onto the d20 RPG campaign schedule.  Warmachine is therefore, the first system that has no rpg analogue here - a refreshing change for some folks.

So, we will approach the narrative in slightly different manner.  For Warmachine, the game is tied to the existence of warcasters - named special characters that lead the army.  So, instead of playing characters of our own creation through the narrative (which will carry over from season to season and game to game) we are going to take the "premade" warcaster characters and play those as our own instead.

Therefore, Skim is High Exemplar Kreoss and Dirty Greg is Drake MacBain.  We'll be using the "plot armor" device for defeated warcasters - more Skeletor vs. He-Man than Patton vs. Rommel.  This sort of approach will be a fun and different way to design narratives based on the background material for Warmachine.

We'll be sticking very close to all canon material published for Warmachine and Iron Kingdoms.  We will be taking creative license with events and characters, however - these characters will do new things and maybe even visit new places during the course of our continuing narrative.  We might even shoehorn in some dialogue or quick piece of fiction.  That's just the way that we play the game!

Good luck to everyone in the Blood of Menoth campaign!  See you on game day!

Infinity Watch Devastators and Veteran Sergeants

The Infinity Watch is the Mardannon Sector's most prominent indigenous Astartes Chapter, and today we have a few more pics of Captain Video's army.  This Devastator Squad has engaged the enemies of the Imperium many times and proved it's worth on the field of battle!

Like the rest of his Infinity Watch force, they were basecoated black, drybrushed through several stages of gold and detailed.  Then, Quickshade Strong Tone was applied to the entire model, nicely rounding out the definition on the armor and equipment.  Notice the 2nd Edition Astartes?

The unit has 10 space marines, and is equipped with the standard range of weapons: a plasma cannon, lascannon, missile launcher and heavy bolter.  It's a ubiquitous setup, but will cost you a good chunk of points to field in it's entirety.  The full 10 warriors make the unit quite resilient, as units with only 1 combat squad can be very vulnerable to enemy attacks as they can be wiped out before they can return fire.

Here we have the Infinity Watch's highly experienced Veteran Sergeants!  Captain Video runs his units with 10 men, but most of those don't include a Veteran in the main list.  When he needs to, he can swap out the squad leaders with these Veteran models to increase their anti-tank / giant monster capability with power fists and plasma pistols.

The battle for Planet Nokk continues!!  Bring your Warhammer 40,000 army and set it on the table to have a say in the war!  Even if you're not part of the current campaign, come get you some action on the table and put your army's mark on Nokk!!

Gang Briefing: House Semetov

House Semetov

By Chief Scrivener Hannan

Lucruzu Primus, .M41

           

            In the annals of the Imperium, there are a great many noble houses that have risen to prominence in the Emperor’s service.  Some of those houses are traders, others have more specialized areas of influence.  Still others actually become the regents of their worlds, with their House Master presiding over their world as Imperial Governor.  Such is the case with the merchant House Semetov, rulers of Lucruzu Primus.

            Though there are many Guilder Houses on Lucruzu, only House Semetov enjoys the true power of the nobility.  With many contracts with the chartist vessels and even more than one of the ancient greatholds plying the stars, House Semetov has ruled the planet in an efficient manner for the last several generations.  Though their rule has been generally peaceful, the planetary defense force has had to move against heretic cults more than once.

The Merchant House

           

            From the city of Domagoshch on the main continent, House Semetov runs the day to day business of the planet.  Their agreements with the other nobles on Lucruzu and various contracts throughout the subsector put their world on the map, but that brings a lot of unwelcome attention as well.  Recently, heretic cults following proscribed versions of the Imperial Creed have been a huge issue.  Three times in the last decade alone, armies of these malcontents have had to be put down by the House Guard or by PDF forces.  The Adeptus Arbites have a fortress-bastion in Domagoshch, but it is undermanned and tends to police the Guilders themselves rather than the populace.

            From time to time, a unit of House Semetov Guard will make a pilgrimage to some sacred place or another.  Refugium, in the Urbanus Totalus system, is the most dangerous and long journey one could hope to make.  There, the soldiers will visit the Temple of the High Lords, and the shrine to Warmaster Mardannon.  If they should return, they will have an honored place amongst the House Guard and will most likely train the next generation of soldiers to protect the interests of the House.

The pilgrim that has returned to Lucruzu Primus is quite rare, but some actually manage to make it back.  Many simply visit the neighboring Velan Thracia, but those who are truly heroic will strive to reach Refugium…most die or are lost in the process...