Monday, June 21, 2010

Forces of the Holy Inquisition Part II: Character Matters...

So 40k aside, I've been playing a lot of Dark Heresy. Our Inquistorial Acolyte team's 5 strong and consists of my Arbitrator, a Techpriest, a Guardsman, an Imperial Priest, and a Metallican Gunslinger. Aside from being an excellent (and nicely art directed) game, acting as miniatures wrangler for DH lets me field many models that would otherwise never see the light of day on the 40k battlefield, so I thought I'd share. 


(I'm experimenting with the light box, so bear with me)


Adeptus Arbites officers, converted from Dark Age Coil miniatures. I found a cheap "St. Mark Warband" on eBay a while ago, and have been painting converting as needed. I like them a lot better than the overpriced (and half-assed, design-wise) GW Arbitrator minis.  Since they're based on Brom illustrations, those chicks are monstrously fit and muscular, so people either love or hate them. (personally, I like strong women a lot, but man...)  In case you were wondering, I used the chap with the big revolver as my character mini when I was lower-level, but modified and painted up the chainsword version when I finally got my chainsword and bolt pistol, several levels later. The reds on their tunics don't match because I wanted to convey used, secondhand digs with the lower-level model and more of a polished, Judge Dredd feel with the higher-level one. Strangely, it's the non-combat investigative skills where this character really seems to shine; I just rolled better on some stats than on others, and if you don't have high WS/BS/Agility, then... well, you're better off acting as an investigator/ human sensor array/smooth talker.



Our GM pointed out, and rightly so, that the Chaliced Commissariat isn't actually a bunch of Imperial-Sanctioned Commissars, to the chap that's 3 from the left is pretty much just for looks. He usually stands in for Creed when I field a Mechanicus army. (strangely, though I'm curious about Warmachine, I just keep tossing the cards for the minis) The Priest is a Reaper mini that was originally a just some friar holding a cross. Since our priest uses a flame pistol full of holy promethium, I stripped and upgraded him a bit (with the book, Emperor icon, and flamer, natch), and his new home is in the DH box. That guardsman is a polyglot conversion job using Tau legs, Scout Marine boots, and IG bits and bobs from the odd vehicle sprue (all of my tanks are buttoned up anyway).



Though we've been using an Engineseer mini, that 3rd chap with torch has been a fine stand-in every so often, the others (well, except for Flamer Arms, there on the end) have been seeing pretty good use as adepts, servitors, and other academic types. I wish someone would put out some kind of old lady cyborg, since we seem to be running into the odd eccentric old biddy once a module. 



I converted these guys up as a couple of hunter/trapper types, and intentionally kept their colors drab, so they'd look like they just fell of the (interstellar) turnip truck. That flintlock and pistol came from a Mordheim dwarf sprue, and the enormous pick hammer belonged to... well, another Warmachine mini that's since gone on to other pastimes. 

Yes, you'll see her in the future. 

Yes, she works for the Inquisition, too. 

Yes, she's hot ;)


5 comments:

Chumbalaya said...

Sweet minis.

<3 Dark Heresy

Unknown said...

Wow, nice work. Our group has been agitating for DH minis for some time now, and I think I need to just convince them to use non-GW figures.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sorscha in the 41st millennium!

Messanger of Death said...

Those Dark Age miniatures look sexy. And looking around on the interwebz shows that they produce alot of nice looking ones.

Messanger

Mark said...

@ Chumb: me too.

@ Greg: the secret seems to be in leaving GW behind, since a lot of their minis, even the Necromunda ones, just don't map well to the setting. Your characters just aren't that powerful/well-equipped starting off, and when you get there... well, let's just say that Bolt ammo and decent armor are prohibitively expensive.

@ MoD: They do indeed! I'm not sure if it was even just a minis line or had an actual game around it. If it did, I couldn't care less; I just want the minis....

Von said...

I also <3 Dark Heresy (and the Dark Age minis, shame I've never seen them in the UK), and I like the approach that you've taken with this grab-bag of minis. Maybe I should do that, since we've started using maps now...