The Independent Characters | Warhammer 40k Podcast

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!...

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 Pl...

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 e...

We are joined by two very special guests for Episode 252! Welcome David and Adam (known as Chaos Dave - or Wargaming Dave, and Uncle Adam of Tabletop Minions fame) who are here to talk about the growing influence of online content in our hobby. How does it impact your gaming for the positive, the negative, and what can be done better from both a producer and consumer side. Many people think that c...

Episode 251 of The Independent Characters takes a deep look at Warhammer 40k and how it is played in both competition, more casual play, and why it matters. How this impacts not only the types of units considered 'good' by those folks on the Internet, but also how the game is played by different sets of players and how it may shape new players approach and introduction to the game. To bring differ...

The end of 2024 brings us around to our annual Warhammer 40k Year in Review Episode. Typically we go down an entire list of all releases for the year and weigh in on our opinions of them. However, this year we have a lot to celebrate here and so we are going to change it up a little bit. Not only is it the end of 2024 and the beginning of a new year, it is the 250th Episode of The Independent Char...

Episode 249 of The Independent Characters has Carl, Josh, and Campbell discussing the merits of Collaborative Wargaming. What does that mean? Well you will find out more when you listen, but at it's core it involves working together to improve your gaming experience. Whether you are playing in a Team Tournament, or launching the greatest narrative campaign this side of the Cicatrix Maledictum, you...

Episode 248 of The Independent Characters has Carl, Josh, and Campbell talking about where Warhammer 40k terrain originated from, where it currently stands, and where it might be going. Yep! Still new intro music you are hearing at the beginning of the episode. We are going to stick with it for awhile, at least as long as Campbell is guest starring on the show, and see how you folks adapt to it! B...

Episode 247 of The Independent Characters witnesses the return of Josh to the show! We continue to have Campbell from the 40kBadcast as our adopted Podcast Partner while Dan is on Paternity leave! (Congrats Dan by the way!) In this episode Carl, Campbell, and Josh discuss the benefits and drawbacks of two different styles of lists. On one hand, there are those who never, or rarely change anything...

Episode 246 of The Independent Characters brings onto the roster Campbell McLaughlin of The 40k Badcast fame to join us! While his regular Podcast partner Dan takes some much deserved paternity leave, Campbell will be joining The Independent Characters army roster on a regular basis. We couldn't ask for a better partner! In this episode, Carl and Campbell talk about the ways that Campaigns, in pre...

Episode 236 of The Independent Characters has us bringing out the Big Guns! We have not only the return of none other than Justin Keefer to the program, but we also bring in Campbell McLaughlin from the 40k Badcast as well as Phil Hall from The Glacial Geek for a round of The Warrior Lodge! We will cover a variety of topics in this lengthy episode. It will be a long episode but one that we feel wi...

Episode 244 of The Independent Characters has us joined by Phil Hall, also known as The Glacial Geek (check out his YouTube Channel!). Phil and Carl spent quite a bit of time together during this years Nova Open Tabletop Wargaming Convention and while there we had a lot of conversation around painting, playing, and Kill Team. Phil has agreed to join Carl for an episode all about Small Unit Actions...

Episode 243 of The Independent Characters finds Carl joined by Aaron as we discuss the Crusade rules in general, but more specifically how the Crusade Rules for Pariah Nexus offer a unique gaming experience. We will delve into the lore of the Pariah Nexus Campaign before discussing the rules, features, and missions of the Pariah Nexus Crusade book. Even if you aren't interested in Crusade style pl...

Make sure you stay through the end of the episode to hear a potential new intro song for the show! Let us know your thoughts. Episode 242 of The Independent Characters has us joined by Skye Herrick, who is filling in for Josh at the moment. Skye and Carl spend time discussing how Warhammer 40k (and other gaming related things) can help both your personal and professional life. What skills they hel...

Josh will be on a (hopefully) short hiatus from the show. In the meantime we will have a rotating cast of guest hosts as we continue to move forward. Unfortunately, this puts our video efforts temporarily on hold (except for when we do remote interviews). However, the shows audio content continues! This episode has Carl joined by friend, local friendly game store owner, and sponsor, Skye Herrick o...

Make sure you stay through the end of the episode for a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT about our 2024/2025 Hobby Progress Challenge! Episode 240 of The Independent Characters brings on two special guests from the newly reconstituted Life After the Cover Save Podcast. Ed and Travis join us for a great round table discussion! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress, and Games Played 1:...

Episode 239 of The Independent Characters has us finally returning to our Show of Force series! This time we are covering the Leagues of Votann! To help us out, we bring in the famous Dave Taylor! Dave has been a fixture in the miniature wargaming scene for over thirty years. A peerless hobbiest, and incredible painter. Dave has a fantastic Leagues of Votann army. As usual, we issue a warning with...

Episode 238 of The Independent Characters sees Josh and Carl take a historical and current view at The Lost and The Damned. Don't know what that is exactly? Don't worry we will fill you in soon. We think this leads to some very interesting conversation around the current state of the Warhammer 40k Ruleset, how tight it is, and how you can break free of the constraints that may be inhibiting your g...

Episode 237 of The Independent Characters has special guest Dan Boyd of the 40k Badcast crew joining us to go into a deep dive about Necromunda House Orlock and exactly why he decided to model for the cover of the House of Iron book. We spend a lot of time talking about the Maelstrom Mixer 40k narrative event that Carl attended in San Jose, and then launch into a 2+ hour discussion about House Orl...

Episode 236 of The Independent Characters has us returning to the shelves and storage at the back of the Astronomicon to uncover more Warhammer 40k collectible materials. In our second go around of Rare Warhammer 40k Materials, Carl and Josh discuss several art books as well as a graphic novel which is set in the Horus Heresy era and completes a story that was left untold! With this episode being...

Episode 235 of The Independent Characters takes us, primarily, on a review and recounting of Adepticon from Josh and Jody's point of view. Originally we had expected to include a bunch of information about the various game stores and events Carl went to when on vacation in Australia, but things didn't quite work out as planned on that front. If you ARE interested in the Australia Trip, Carl will d...

Episode 234 of The Independent Characters has us taking a close look at the Sociology of Warhammer 40K Gaming Groups. We will delve into the various social dynamics within Warhammer 40,000 gaming groups such as clubs, friend groups, tournament scenes, conventions, etc. We discuss how these microcosms build camaraderie, negotiate conflicts, and create inclusive spaces for diverse players. We hope y...

Episode 233 of The Independent Characters takes an in depth look at the psychology behind collecting Warhammer 40k. We are going to explore the benefits and pitfalls of the hobby and take a look at some strategies for not increasing your "closet of opportunity"... unless that makes you happy! To help us with this we are joined for an interview with Christopher Will, a psychologist operating out of...

In Episode 232 we are joined by not one, but two, distinguished guests! Distinguished may be pushing it, but we are joined by Campbel McLaughlin and Dan Boyd of the 40k Badcast! Two of our favorite people in 40k provide us with a ton of great discussion around various topics that are floating around the Warhammer universe at this time in an episode we are calling The Warrior Lodge - Collab Edition...

In Episode 231 we are going to take a look at the history of Legions Imperialis. We talk about where it came from, what roles in filled in the past, and what role it fills now. We hope you enjoy Episode 231 as much as we enjoy Legions Imperialis! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro and Elite Choice 0:13:25 - Workbench and Hobby Progress 1:05:00 - Legions Imerialis: History of the game 1:37:00 - Legi...