In episode 262 of The Independent Characters, we delve deep into the shadows of the Imperium with a close look at Imperium Maledictum, the Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game from Cubicle 7. Carl is joined by guest hosts Lars, Thom, and Steve; each bringing their unique RPG experience to the table, as we unravel the mysteries and mechanics of this investigative game set in the decaying heart of the Imperium.

We begin with an exploration of the setting: This is a desperate and fractured region of space known as the Macharian Sector. The players serve shadowy patrons; from Inquisitors, Rogue Traders and Adeptus Mechanicus. Adventures revolve around investigations and surviving political intrigue, heretical threats, and the oppressive weight of Imperial bureaucracy. The game’s tone is one of paranoia, secrets, and moral ambiguity - perfectly capturing the essence of the Warhammer 40k universe from a civilian perspective.

Then we dive into the core mechanics and ruleset of Imperium Maledictum. From the D100-based skill checks to the Patron system that shapes your party’s resources and objectives. We will explore how the game encourages teamwork, narrative depth, and immersive roleplaying.

Whether you're a veteran of previous Warhammer RPGs, such as Rogue Trader or Dark Heresy, or new to roleplaying in the 41st Millennium, this episode will help you understand why Imperium Maledictum stands out as a compelling and richly detailed approach to role playing.

If you ARE interested in purchasing the game after listening to this episode - please use our link below as it helps us with our Cubicle7 relationship.

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 0:35:20 - Imperium Maledictum: Part 1
• 1:22:45 - Imperium Maledictum: Part 2
• 1:49:52 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Imperium Maledictum by Cubicle7
• Goonhammer
• War on The Shore 2026
• Adepticon
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

In Episode 261 we’re thrilled to welcome back our longtime cohost and friend, Adan Tejada, to The Independent Characters! Adan joins Carl for a wide-ranging discussion that starts where many games and campaigns end - exploring the tools, techniques, and traditions that help preserve the epic narratives forged on the tabletop. From post-campaign surveys to lore write-ups, and archiving your group or clubs shared mythology, we look at how to give your games the grand epilogue they deserve. If your Warhammer stories stop once the dice go cold, you’re missing one of the best parts.

But that’s not all—we also sit down with Adan for a candid conversation about his recent 3.5-year stint working for Games Workshop. From staffing one of Southern California’s flagship Warhammer stores to managing a single-staffer shop, Adan shares insights on what it’s really like behind the counter. What works, what doesn’t, and how Games Workshop’s retail model functions on the ground floor all get covered in this honest and informative segment.

Whether you're building out your games epilogues or just curious about what goes on in your local Warhammer store, this episode offers something for every hobbyist who loves the game behind the game. It’s a look at the stories we tell after the battles are over—and the people who help keep the hobby alive in the real world.

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 1:32:25 - After Action Reports: The story after the battle
• 2:21:15 - Working for GW: Tales from Adan
• 3:10:45 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Goonhammer
• War on The Shore 2026
• Adepticon
• The Beard Bunker
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

The Independent Characters is a show focused on the universe of Warhammer 40,000. However, for one of the first times ever, we are going to take a slight tour and perhaps a dimension hop to discuss an Old World topic!

In this episode of The Independent Characters, we dive into the crumbling streets of the City of the Damned with Episode 260: Mordheim - Warbands and Wyrdstone.

Carl, Josh, and Jody explore the gritty skirmish game that captured the imaginations of Warhammer Fantasy fans back in 1999 and still lives on through a passionate community today. We’ll break down the core mechanics of Mordheim, how warbands are built and evolve, and what makes its campaign system so enduring.

Then, we recount our own recent two-day campaign weekend—hosted by Jody—where warbands clashed, wyrdstone was hoarded, and lasting stories were forged in the ruins. From preparation to final battle, we share the triumphs, tragedies, and unforgettable moments of bringing this classic game back to life.

While this isn't our usual content, if you're a veteran of the old world or just discovering Mordheim for the first time, this is an episode not to miss!

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 0:21:35 - Mordheim: The Foundations
• 1:08:35 - Mordheim: Campaign Experience
• 2:22:00 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• War on The Shore 2026
• Adepticon
• Hexengarde Mordheim Terrain
• Broheim Necromunda Community Resources
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 259 is finally, our Show of Force episode about The World Eaters! To help us out, we have brought in World Eaters expert Brian Harvey, to help us understand what the Sons of Angron are all about... and what makes them such a fantastic army.

If you aren't aware of what our Show of Force Episodes are all about well here is your answer:

Show of Force is an ongoing series of episodes we will spread out through our releases of The Independent Characters. These shows take a look at each army in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe and seek to answer the question 'Why should you collect this army?'

As we have said from the beginning, we don't do "Codex Overviews" this is more of a celebration of the hobby from a specific point of view.

WARNING: These episodes can be dangerous to your wallet. Please listen responsibly!

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 0:56:55 - Show of Force: The Red Tide - Pt 1
• 2:40:15 - Show of Force: The Red Tide - Pt 2
• 3:18:00 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Adepticon
• Lost to The Nails Podcast
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 258 of The Independent Characters discusses the future of Narrative Warhammer 40,000!

With the rumors and timetable of a new edition of Warhammer 40,000 ramping up, Episode 258 sees The Independent Characters discussing where we would like to see the focus of narrative style games shift.

This episode contains round-table speculation on what Crusade (or its successor) might look like in the next edition, plus a wish-list to Games Workshop for more social, story-first support.

Additionally we have an interview with the founder and creator of the Rapid Fire Dicebox! This is a really great product that I have seen in person and really thought it was thematically clever. I neglected to lead into the interview - but it comes just before the show closing.

We hope you enjoy Episode 258.

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress, & Games Played
• 0:54:00 - The Future of Narrative Part 1
• 1:42:45 - The Future of Narrative Part 2
• 1:42:45 - Interview: The Rapid Fire Dice Box!
• 2:54:00 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Adepticon
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Rapid Fire Dicebox
• Rapid Fire Dicebox Kickstarter
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

This episode of The Independent Characters starts off with the usual segments. With Josh out of town, Chelle is stepping in to discuss elite choice, hobby progress, and games played.

Then we pivot to discussions with on of the folks who have created and organized this years Maelstrom Mixer, a large narrative event in San Jose. Brett joins us to discuss what it took to put on the event, what they learned from previous years, and where it is going in the future!

Carl attended last year and had a fantastic time. So we will talk about the event, but also pull back the curtain on how one runs something like this.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 1:02:20 - The Maelstrom Mixer
• 2:21:45 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Adepticon
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• The Imperial Truth Podcast (Greg Dann's Charity discussed)
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 256 of The Independent Characters is a long one... and we even reigned it in! We had a lot to talk about here.

We revisit episode 72, where we looked deep into the history and current issues of White Dwarf. In this episode we bridge the gap between episode 72 and now, in an episode we titled White Dwarf: Now and Again. Nearly 12 years have passed since our last coverage of this topic and it was due for a refresh as White Dwarf itself seems to have gone through many refreshes.

To help us with this discussion, we are joined by Campbell from the 40k Badcast again. He always brings some great insight.

We hope you enjoy Episode 256... and are here for the four hour episode!

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress
• 0:44:35 - White Dwarf: Now and Again Pt 1
• 2:52:35 - White Dwarf: Now and Again Pt 2
• 3:46:10 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Adepticon
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• Creature Caster
• Arsenal Miniatures Game
• Bushido Miniatures Game
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 255 of The Independent Characters is all about our experience at Adepticon 2025! We are back from Milwaukee and along with Josh, Chelle, and Carl will be a host of interviews with those of us who went to AdeptiCon in 2025.

We had to repost this since Chelle decided she wants to join this episode. She says that she has "Things to say" about AdeptiCon. What that is... is any of our guesses!

We will talk about the events and classes we attended as well as the people we met and spoke with. Finally we will give our opinions on this years AdeptiCon and how it performs in it's new location!

We hope you enjoy Episode 255.

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice
• 0:12:45 - Hobby Progress, & Games Played
• 0:54:00 - Adepticon 2025 Review
• 1:42:45 - Interview with Blake & Ed of LAtCS
• 2:09:45 - Interview with Craig & Skye
• 2:35:45 - Interview with Travis of LAtCS
• 2:54:00 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Adepticon
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• Creature Caster
• Arsenal Miniatures Game
• Bushido Miniatures Game
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Basement of Death (the Space Hulk guys!)
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 254 of The Independent Characters brings in a couple of amazing guests to join us in The Warrior Lodge! First we have Liz Apke, prolific painter and awesome IC's Community Member. You're going to love what she has to say about the Grand Narrative.

We also bring in Troy Weis. One of the amazing event coordinators of the now famous Space Hulk event at Adepticon and one of the hosts of the Playin' and Slayin' Podcast from the Basement of Death guys.

There is some really great conversation this episode. Some things that made our hosts really stop and consider different opinions here. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did recording it.

Welcome to Episode 254

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress, & Games Played
• 0:45:10 - The Warrior Lodge - 6 Questions!
• 2:16:05 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Playin' & Slayin' Podcast
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library

Episode 253 of The Independent Characters explores the age old questions of 'How do you get your significant other into Warhammer 40k?'. To help us explain her journey into the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, we are joined by Chelle Tuttle. For those who don't know by now, Chelle is Carl's wife and has had an on again, off again relationship with 40k. She is also managing all of the tracking of everyone's hobby progress in the Hobby Progress Challenge for 2025. For which we are very grateful!

While we take a trip down memory lane on her exposure to the game, we also get some insights on what worked for her, to get her invested in the game. I want to thank Chelle for taking the time to join me on this discussion as I know this is a bit outside her comfort zone.

We hope you enjoy Episode 253.

Time Stamps:

• 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress, & Games Played
• 0:18:30 - Introducing your partner to 40k
• 1:29:20 - Final Thoughts and show closing

Relevant Links:

• The Independent Characters Patreon
• Tablewar! - SPONSOR
• Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR
• Goblin Hobbies - Makers of the Stampin' Plates
• Maelstrom Mixer
• Games Workshop
• The Black Library