Inquisitor Battle Report: The Hunt for Kellwrath (pic heavy - updated June 2)

[Maniacus]

When a few friends made the trip to the Twin Cites in July 2012 for “Casual Con” (an informal gaming weekend at my brother's house), one of the games we played was GW's Inquisitor.  A few years back some of the our gaming group played and enjoyed Inquisitor quite a bit and also ran Inquisitor games for a number of years at a local convention. So this presented a fun opportunity to dust it off and play it again as well as to introduce a few new players to the game.

We played a story consisting of two linked scenarios:  the first scenario was played on Saturday night and the second scenario played on Sunday afternoon.

Below is the players’ mission briefing and a battle report from the first scenario.

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REF:           Inq/01159744311/BR
AUTHOR:     Inquisitor Dunn
SUBJECT:    Progress of Investigation
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:   A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords at dawn

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>> WELCOME INQUISITOR

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Lord Inquisitor Lazarus:

I have finally arrived with my team in the Lentax System.  As related in my previous report, you are aware that for the last four years Inquisitor Darkmoor and I had been working together on the trail of Chaos Magus Kellwrath, the accursed fiend whose infernal activities are well known to you.  We have long remained on Kellwrath’s heels, tracking him from system to system but never able to ultimately run our quarry to ground.

However, for several months I had heard nothing from Inquisitor Darkmoor, and only recently did I receive bits of information which have allowed me to piece together the tragedy that has befallen him.  I have discovered that he tracked Magus Kellwrath to the Lentax System and discovered that Kellwrath had found the rumored location of an ancient artifact know at The Arc.  It was at this point that Inquisitor Darkmoor and his entire team were killed after encountering Kellwrath.  Worse yet, I have learned that they were betrayed into his hands by Karl Demos, Kellwrath’s double agent who had been part of Inquisitor Darkmoor’s own warband.

We ourselves have now arrived in the Lentax System.  My advance team has been scouring the area and has zeroed in on the location where we believe Karl Demos, the vile traitor, is now holed up.  Even as I write this communiqué we are preparing to launch our raid upon his lair.  

Once we have Demos in custody I am confident that we will learn the specific nature of Magus Kellwrath’s plans, what he intends to do with The Arc, as well as the information we need to lead us directly to Kellwrath himself.  Rest assured, Demos will pay for his betrayal and his punishment will be neither quick nor merciful.

As the Emperor guides us, we will not fail in this task.  

In the Emperor’s service,
Inquisitor Dunn


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Information from Inquisitor Dunn’s informants led him to discover the rumored location of the traitor Karl Demos, a remote portion of the old sewage network beneath the industrial outskirts of the city.  The Inquisitor assembles his strike team and prepares to delve into the sewers to locate his quarry.


With the Emperor watching over us from above, surely this mission cannot fail!


Leading the way down into the sewers, Inquisitor Dunn strides forward up the walkway on one side of the sewage channel while the other half of the warband proceeds cautiously up the other side.






Tabitha hears faint skittering sounds from the darkened passageway ahead.  She draws her stubbers from their holsters and prepares to investigate.


Now joined by Flavian, the Intergalactic Man of Mystery, Tabitha whirls around the corner only to see a darkened stairway.  However, the skittering noises quickly grow louder and move toward her . . .


. . . when she is suddenly set upon by a swarm of giant mutant rats!  Caught off guard, the shots from her stubber impact wildly into the walls as the rats attack her, biting and clawing.  Her gunshots having proved less than effective, Tabitha is quickly saved by Flavian whose suit-mounted power sword dispatches the creatures, sending their bloody pieces spraying across her body.  


Meanwhile, on the other side of the channel Sister Sascha and Inquisitor Dunn move forward into a partially excavated section of sewer.  Their movements obviously draw attention as autogun fire suddenly rings out from up ahead and rounds impact all around them.  


Locating the source of the shots and spotting the two mutants firing upon them, Inquisitor Dunn calmly draws his bolt pistol and shouts a warning to his companions.  With a single minded determination Sister Sascha strides forward shooting round after round into the nearest mutant and sending him crumpling to the ground, his cover behind a pallet of storage crates offering him no protection.


Seeing her first target drop down out of sight, Sascha draws her sword, an ancient blade blessed by the matriarch of her order herself, and charges into combat with the second mutant.


Her first swings impact the mutant and send him to the ground.  But he isn’t out of action and swings his massive clawed hand toward her legs, attempting to cripple her.

[Maniacus]

(Page 2)

Back across the sewage channel Tabitha and Flavian finish dispatching the giant rats and hear the sound of their comrades engaging the mutants.  Tabitha attempts to leap across the channel in order to lend her aid but slips on the edge and falls, flailing about wildly as she plunges into the foul liquid.  Only with a last second lunge does she manage to barely grasp onto the walkway on the other side.  Flavian makes an attempt to assist her but also fails to jump the distance, leaving him in the channel also clinging precariously to the edge beside Tabitha.


Nearby, Inquisitor Dunn gives the command phrase to activate Damien 1427, whose crime of operating an unlicensed falafel stand earned him the sentence of serving the Emperor as an archo-flagellant.  As the command phrase is given powerful combat stimms begin pumping into his body as he lumbers forward.


However, before Damien 1427 can round the corner into sight of the enemy Sister Sascha finishes her downed foe with a final thrust of her sword.  With no visible enemy to trigger his frenzied state Damien 1427 slowly turns back and begins to search for another target.


Meanwhile, Drill Abbot Voss advances slowly up another passageway.  He soon hears a growing hissing noise and light emerging from around the corner ahead of him.  Before he can pass a warning to those following behind him he sees the source of the noise:  a mutant with a flamer!




With a sickening guttural laugh the mutant point the flamer down the channel and unleashes a massive gout of flame toward Voss.
 

Showing an unexpected nimbleness for his size, the drill abbot leaps backward just in time to avoid the flames and dives for cover behind a nearby barrel around the corner from the mutant.
 

Having finally climbed out of the sewage channel and seeing Drill Abbot Voss in trouble, Tabitha rushes forward to assist.  She takes what cover she can from a corner and desperately tries to draw a bead on the mutant with her pistol before he can bring his flamer to bear.


Unfortunately her reflexes aren’t fast enough and she can’t get off a clean shot in time.  The mutant gleefully unleashes yet another burst of flame which rushes down the channel and engulfs Tabitha before she can react.

 
Knocked down onto the ground she vainly attempts to put out the fire but it quickly spreads around her body and overwhelms her.  No amount of aid from her comrades will be enough to save her as her form slumps onto the ground and lies motionless while continuing to burn.  Flavian exacts swift revenge with his bolt pistol, blasting the flamer-wielding mutant and knocking his corpse back into the sewage channel.

[Maniacus]

(Page 3)

The team moves out past Tabitha’s burning body when laspistol shots suddenly ring up from up ahead, sending the drill abbot diving to the ground for cover.


The source of the shots is revealed to be none other than their target – Karl Demos himself.  Upon seeing him Flavian bellows out a loud command for him to surrender in the name of the Emperor.  Demos shouts back his response, “Your commands mean nothing. I’m done being a lapdog to a false emperor!” and fires once again at the team.  Displaying an almost unnatural calm, Flavian strides forward and fires a volley of aimed shots from his bolt pistol, impacting into Demos and knocking him to the ground.  


The injured Demos begins crawling toward a nearby blast door and the team hears him shout out, “Protect me!”  Soon the sound of heavy lumbering footfalls alerts them to a new enemy approaching.


Flavian leaps across the channel again and take up position in order to identify this new threat – an ogryn bodyguard!


The injured Karl Demos reaches up to a control panel to open the blast doors and begins crawling away while the huge ogryn continues it’s adance.


Inquisitor Dunn and Flavian quickly form a gameplan.


First Drill Abbot Voss and then Inquisitor Dunn sprint and leap across the sewer channel in pursuit of the escaping Karl Demos.


Flavian aimes his bolt pistol at the advancing ogryn.


Several bolt rounds graze the ogryn but he continues his advance toward the Inquisitor.


The archo-flagellant Damian 1427 slowly lopes up the passageway.  If only he can come within sight of the ogryn his combat stimms will trigger and he can launch himself into action.  He is followed by The Renegade, another of Inquisitor Dunn’s henchmen arriving from their transport to render assistance after the death of Tabitha.

[Maniacus]

(Page 4)

The ogryn launches himself into a charge toward Inquisitor Dunn. He steps off the edge of the walkway but the sewage channel only come up the giant’s waist and he easily strides across and raises his enormous axe.




Inquisitor Dunn spins toward the ogryn and readies himself for the attack as Flavian desperately attempts to put the ogryn down with more bolt pistol fire.


Not taken out by the bolt rounds, the ogryn swings his axe at the Inquisitor and connects, knocking Dunn to the ground.




The ogryn readies himself to finish off the Inquisitor as Flavian fires off another volley of bolt pistol rounds and Damian 1427 nears the corner where he may finally come into view of the enemy.


Coming to the rescue just in time Sister Sascha, who took another passageway and came up behind the ogryn, strides forward and adds the deadly aim of her bolt pistol fire to the fight.




The overwhelming bolt pistol fire from Sister Sascha and Flavian finally knocks the ogryn down and he falls prone into the sewage channel.


Flavian leaps across the channel to assist the injured Inquisitor Dunn, but first puts another bolt round into the ogryn’s body for extra assurance that the threat is ended.

[Maniacus]

(Page 5)

Meanwhile, Drill Abbot Voss continues his pursuit of Karl Demos and desperately tries to stop him before he can escape.


Spinning around, Demos prepares to defend himself.




Having gotten back onto his feet, Inquisitor Dunn shouts quick orders to the rest of the team to follow the drill abbott and apprehend Demos before he can get away.


Further injured by the drill abbott’s hammer, Demos crawls up a set of stairs towards an escape hatch.


Considering it better to risk killing him outright rather than allowing him to escape, Sister Sascha fires a single aimed round from her bolt pistol. Demos slumps onto the ground, unconscious from the shock of the impacting round.


Still having yet to even see the enemy, Damian 1427 continues his slow lumbering journey through the sewer.  He apparently finds a particular alcove quite interesting…


With their mission accomplished and the traitor Karl Demos successfully apprehended, the Inquisitor’s team returns to their transport and brings their prisoner back to their safe house for interrogation. Through whatever means necessary, The Inquisitor is determined to learn the information that will lead him to his final quarry the Chaos Magus Kellwrath.


Battle report for Scenario #2 to follow . . . .

[Elbows]

Not a fan of inquisitor, but a great looking board - looks like you guys had fun.

[stroblight]

Love the use of the giant as an Ogryn!

[v_lazy_dragon]

Very nice  - it's good to see the 54mm Inquisitor figures being used... which reminds me tht I still have a pile in need of paint...

[Prof.Witchheimer]

This is a lovely report with some great story-telling. Nice to see people are still playing Inquisitor.

[Kitsune]

Good report, especially the "forming a plan" picture.

How do you find the Inq rules? Often tempted to try and GM a game, but a couple of people told me not to bother after giving it a go themselves as it was just too complex & detailed for its own good.

[Elbows]

The gist I got from my buddies (who used to run a GW store and played a good bit) it's essentially an RPG but with big expensive figures.  Sadly at 54mm, it means terrain is expensive or time/space consuming etc.  When "miniature" games get to that point, I just skip straight to the RPG and save myself the hassle.

I think the minis are nice for people who want to some big masterpiece paintjobs, etc.  It's cool to see people dedicate themselves to it.  I find when I see a big inquisitor game at conventions, it starts out with 20 excited players...and 5 hours later, it's 20 people sitting around, checking their watches and cell phones.  It doesn't look like it scales well?

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Has anyone ever tried to play Inquisitor using 28mm figures? One day I really would love to try the game but with 28mm, I really can’t imagine to start collecting and painting of 54mm, just due to terrain and to lack of too much figures variety.

[Maniacus]

We've found that the issue of terrain scale isn’t as big of a issue as one might think.  Over the years we’ve been pleased to find that a large portion of our existing terrain collection works just fine for 54mm.  You just have to not use those few pieces that are too obviously intended for a smaller scale.  All the terrain in this battle report comes from our regular terrain collection and can be used for both 28mm and 54mm.

Nevertheless, I can understand why a lot of people choose to play Inquisitor in 28mm (could use the rules and measurements straight out of the book, but with 28mm models), but we find that the larger scale does make it unique and also really gives you an up-close-and-personal feel to the game and your characters. 

A previous Inquisitor battle report from our group with more example terrain pictures can be found here:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=20221.msg246169#msg246169

[Kitsune]

Has anyone ever tried to play Inquisitor using 28mm figures? One day I really would love to try the game but with 28mm, I really can’t imagine to start collecting and painting of 54mm, just due to terrain and to lack of too much figures variety.

Theres a website dedicated to it here:

http://inq28.blogspot.co.uk/

[FramFramson]

What's odd is that for some reason those photos make it look like you're playing in 28mm, though I'm not quite sure why.