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Using a Commissar in Inq.

Started by foxphoenix135, December 23, 2009, 07:56:23 PM

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Kaled

There's no reason you can't have a Commissar - I quite liked your idea for one accompanied by a administrative officer, medic or comms officer (along with the odd trooper) you just need to get away from the battlefield image of a Commissar. You should be able to put together easily enough - the main thing is the hat.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

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MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Kaled on December 24, 2009, 09:55:04 PMThere's no reason you can't have a Commissar
There certainly isn't - I'd like to see more Commissars on the Inquisitor table. I'm just not so keen on a Commissar who looks like he's come straight from the battlefield.

One possibility however is that maybe he gets dressed up in his powerfist get-up when he's weeded out "un-imperialness", and is now wading in to utterly crush it - but that he generally sticks to more practical equipment.
Kaled does much that kind of thing with his Inquisitorial namesake, with two Inquisitor Kaled models - one in "battle gear" - and one more moderately equipped for a more "average" day.

I'm considering doing a similar thing for some of the more heavily equipped of my characters (Probably Kai Gillmore without his Kasrkin* armour and maybe even Frost out of her combat gear), and giving them more "casual" models for when such a thing would be appropriate. However, as I seem to have made something of an unspoken agreement with myself that all my future Inq models are to be sculpted, those models will be some way off.

*Admittedly, a Kasrkin is something of a battlefield character, but I worked my friggin' guts out scratch sculpting his 54mm model - so he's no model plucked straight from a 40k army.
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Adlan

Generally, the more work that's gone into the model, the less people care if it has power weapons, bolt pistols, and such.

Hasn't some one worked on a 54mm inquisitor before. I seem to remember a lovely conversion.

foxphoenix135

Quote from: MarcoSkoll on December 25, 2009, 02:52:13 AM
Quote from: Kaled on December 24, 2009, 09:55:04 PMThere's no reason you can't have a Commissar
There certainly isn't - I'd like to see more Commissars on the Inquisitor table. I'm just not so keen on a Commissar who looks like he's come straight from the battlefield.

One possibility however is that maybe he gets dressed up in his powerfist get-up when he's weeded out "un-imperialness", and is now wading in to utterly crush it - but that he generally sticks to more practical equipment.
Kaled does much that kind of thing with his Inquisitorial namesake, with two Inquisitor Kaled models - one in "battle gear" - and one more moderately equipped for a more "average" day.

I like this idea, but I lack the skills and funds to obtain another model for a commissar. Maybe sometime in the next year; time will tell.

Kaled

Quote from: foxphoenix135 on December 25, 2009, 08:45:29 AM
I like this idea, but I lack the skills and funds to obtain another model for a commissar. Maybe sometime in the next year; time will tell.
I always thought the Baneblade commander body with the long coat would make a good starting point for a Commissar like this - with the right arms and head/hat he'd be perfect.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

foxphoenix135

Well, I do have a converted model from another game system that may fit for a planetary Commisariat member, rather than a normal Commissar that belongs to the Ecclesiarchy. He lacks the peaked hat, but has a greatcoat and I sculpted a beret for him. He has pretty unique-looking armor that I thought was pretty decent-looking. I also got a few generic henchmen for him with projectile weapons and tactical gear. Stormtroopers with autoguns? Anyway, I am starting to see a good plot point with this character: A PDF Commissar goes insane, and takes over the system, which contains vital imperial supplies. Inquisitor sent as a covert means of removing the power-mad former planetary political officer.


MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Adlan on December 25, 2009, 07:46:43 AMGenerally, the more work that's gone into the model, the less people care if it has power weapons, bolt pistols, and such.
Mostly, yes. If you've really lavished work on converting/painting the model, and making it something special, people are more interested in playing against the cool model than bothered by its equipment (provided it's not completely unreasonable).

I wasn't in the slightest bothered by Orla Riall's 3D10+4 power weapon destroying Energy Blade (not quite the most damaging thing I've played against though) at the IGT in spite of facing it twice - because she's such a exceptionally brilliantly modelled character.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Molotov

An interesting thread. I'm always glad to see someone approaching INQ28 - particularly because you seem to keen to go about it the right way.

Commissars are interesting characters, but you only need to look at the model you've got to see some potential problems. A power fist is a weapon capable of tearing through a tank. There we have a Commissar roaring prayers from the book just before leading his troops over the top - and that's a key part of the Commissar image, but it shows how he's a "battlefield" Commissar.

One of my favourite quotes when it comes to Inquisitor is from the introduction to the collected Eisenhorn trilogy, by Dan Abnett:

Quote'This wasn't about the battlefield, the front-line of mud and gas and behemoth engines. This was a glimpse behind the lines at the internal complexity of the Imperium. It offered a chance to explore what might be called the 'domestic' side of the Warhammer 40,000 universe: the daily, non-military, life - at work, at worship, at rest, at court, at slum-level. A chance to visit worlds that were not levelled by war, and see how the billions of Imperial citizens lived.

And also to find out what evils stalked them, even in the shadows of their own hive cities.'

A Commissar is certainly a character that could be suitable within the retinues of many Inquisitors. They provide a number of interesting skills that could be of use to an Inquisitor - they are faithful, stalwart, courageous, proficient with weapons and equipped with intimate knowledge of the Imperial military. They are able to lead, and are willing to kill to ensure the mission is completed. Of course, they may well have a certain moral inflexibility that might make them unsuitable, or that might complicate their work (but complications are what endear us to characters).

I'm not personally a fan of "insane Commissars"; I would suggest you look at your initial games as a lead-in to future scenarios. Perhaps a Commissar attached to a PDF unit begins to suspect something is amiss. Taking it upon himself to investigate (a trait that might make him useful to Ihquisitors in the future) he discovers a conspiracy at the heart of the planet's PDF threatening to take power in a bloody coup. This could be anything from a Chaos coven to a Genestealer cult. Gathering PDF troopers loyal to him, the Commissar sets out to eradicate the conspirators or die trying, determined to make a difference.

Depending on your tastes, the scale of the conspiracy could be anything from a couple of disgruntled officers to the entire PDF. It's entirely possible that your Commissar might find himself up against impossible odds, but then in the end, your Inquisitor could show up and save the day, inducting any survivors into his retinue. It provides a narrative hook to expand your games to the Inquisitorial arena, and gives you an interesting justification for just how an Inquisitor could see potentially useful characteristics in a Commissar.

If you're after a different model for a Commissar, you could do worse than considering this Mordian officer - with a different paintjob you could conceivably pass him off as a Commissar.
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Myriad

The second commisar model, with the 'stormtroopers', fits better as a political commisar.  Stormtroopers are rather specialised aren't they?  Just elite guardsmen / planetary defence troopers would work - they are a good set of goons.

It doesn't necessarily have to be an insane commisar - maybe he had perfectly legitimate reasons for locking down the station, which would give PCs a path into the scenario other than 'shoot the madman'.

They're widely underused, but in many ways a natural choice of aides, certainly for inquisitors of a more puritanical bent, or one investigating military matters - they have a similar remit within the military to that of the inquisition (in a more limited sense), after all.
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N01H3r3

Quote from: Myriad on December 27, 2009, 11:16:10 AM
The second commisar model, with the 'stormtroopers', fits better as a political commisar.  Stormtroopers are rather specialised aren't they?
Personally, I'm quite fond of the idea of the Departmento Munitorum sometimes using its Stormtroopers as a form of military police, under the command of the ranking Commissar. Given that there are a couple of recent sources that suggest that many Commissars are former Stormtroopers, this kind of duty seems appropriate, particularly given that Stormtroopers themselves lack any loyalties to individual Guard regiments or Navy battlegroups.
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stormturmoil

Another possibility if you are dead set on the power fist model, is to 'shave' the powerfist down a few notches and turn it into a perhaps overly clunky bionic arm-It's not like Commissars have a shortage of opportunities to lose body parts.

Adlan

Or it's battle damaged and buggy. a Chance of failure or not activating the power field might balance it a bit.

Vladimir

First off, I can see a comissar and hos goons being quite likely to appear in Inquisitor- being responsible for the spiritual welfare of their men, he is likely to be keen to go off after any rumours of corruption in their warzone. he does this, finds out that the cult (or whatever) that he uncovered is just the tip of the iceburg, and gets sucked in from there. Being high-ranking but also fairly indipendant, he's fairly free to go scooting off like that if he can justify it.
Of course, being a fairly strait-laced imperial type, when he *does* get hold of his enemies, he'll be wading in in full regalia.

In conclusion- I think the figure could work like that, although I would knock up another as him not in his 'battlefield gear'. Try the tank comander with the cap, perhaps. Oh, and it's greasuring to see somebody doing Inq. 28- I'm not the only one!
But what if the Emperor could be granted a body that does not wither and die, that could be his vessel for all eternity to come? I believe that such a thing is possible, that the Emperor yet waits for his new body to be found or created. In essence, a new Emperor will be created to lead Mankind to i

MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Vladimir on December 31, 2009, 05:04:13 PMOh, and it's greasuring to see somebody doing Inq. 28- I'm not the only one!
Well, while there aren't many Inq28 players on the forums, it's not all that rare (although I get the idea it's more in the US than in the UK - might be wrong, though).

The thing is, once you get into the rather serious players (the type that you find on these forums), the majority will prefer to play at 54mm.
Aside from being more cinematic and models that help give a better idea of individuals than faceless goons, it's the official size - and well, you couldn't turn up at Conclave events and game with 28mm models.

Also, I like it because ~1/30th is less fiddly than ~1/60th, particularly if you're sculpting it.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Vladimir

I do have a few 54 mm figures (actually, I'm doing a 54 mm techpriest atm), but they're generally more for display. But I find it easier to model 28 mm, more bits, you see...
But what if the Emperor could be granted a body that does not wither and die, that could be his vessel for all eternity to come? I believe that such a thing is possible, that the Emperor yet waits for his new body to be found or created. In essence, a new Emperor will be created to lead Mankind to i