The Independent Characters Warhammer 40k Podcast | Radio

It’s that time again - the 2025 Hobby Progress Challenge is here, and we’re diving headfirst into all the details on this episode. Chelle, Adan, and Carl sit down to go over the rules of this year’s challenge, how it’s tracked, and what makes it such a fun and motivating way to tackle that pile of shame. Whether you’re painting for glory in the Emperor’s name or fueled by the whispers of Chaos, the HPC is your chance to stay focused, productive, and inspired all year long. We’ll also hear directly from our community. Listeners who took part in last year’s challenge share how the HPC helped them hit their goals, what they learned along the way, and what they’re looking forward to this time around. Their stories remind us that while prizes and painted models are great, it’s the camaraderie and encouragement that truly keep the brush moving month after month. Of course, we’ll be talking about the prize support too - because what’s a challenge without a few epic rewards along the way? With fantastic sponsors st

In Episode 265, we explore what it means to be a hobbyist over time - from the first spark of excitement, to balancing life’s responsibilities, to rediscovering joy in unexpected ways. We’re diving into how the hobby grows with us, and how each phase of life brings something new to the tabletop. This episode features reflections and insights from both our hosts and members of the community, sharing how their passion for Warhammer 40K has changed over the years, and what keeps them coming back. Whether you’re painting your first Intercessor or pulling out Rogue Trader-era minis, this one’s for you. Join us as we celebrate the long game of 40K and the people who’ve made it a lifelong journey. Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress 0:31:40 - 40k For a Lifetime: Part 1 1:35:00 - 40k For a Lifetime: Part 2 2:04:10 - Final Thoughts and show closing 2:12:40 - 40k For a Lifetime: Secret Last Part Relevant Links: The Independent Characters Patreon Tablewar! - SPONSOR Herrick Games & Hob

Episode 264 of The Independent Characters is one for the ages! This time, we’re not just joined by guests, we’re joined by legends. That’s right: the entire cast of Life After the Cover Save joins Carl in the Astronomicon! Ed, Blake, and Travis bring their unique brand of humor, hobby passion, and podcast chaos to join Carl and crew for one big crossover episode you won’t want to miss. The topic? One that’s bound to spark some debate... What are the greatest Warhammer 40,000 expansion supplements of all time? From the game-changing codex expansions that shaped entire editions, to legendary campaign books and wild narrative add-ons that still echo in hobby history - we’re digging deep, reminiscing, and arguing about which supplements truly stood the test of time. You’ll get laughs, you’ll get hot takes, and you might even find yourself dusting off some old tomes from your shelf once we’re done. Because let’s face it, everyone has their own “best of all time” picks, and we want to hear yours too! This one

In Episode 263 of The Independent Characters, we open the doors once again to The Warrior Lodge, our roundtable-style discussion format where we bring together voices from across the Warhammer 40,000 community. This episode, Carl is joined by Josh, Adan, and Skye as we dive into some of the most pressing topics currently sparking debate and reflection within the hobby. Whether you’re a veteran player or newly initiated into the grim darkness of the far future, The Warrior Lodge always has a seat at the table for you. We hope you enjoy this episode of The Independent Characters! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 – Show Intro, Elite Choice, Hobby Progress 1:08:45 – The Warrior Lodge: Part 1 2:00:45 – The Warrior Lodge: Part 2 2:34:30 – 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 Gamers Grass Bases

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 s

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 informat

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 co

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 Re

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 - Fin

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 Mi

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

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 & H

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 Mi

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

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 content production is all about the fame, glory, and swimming pools of money. I mean, it is. But that really isn't the actual goal of most content producers. Most are incredibly passionate about their gaming, whether that is 40k, Ravaged Stars, Reign in Hell, or Trench Crusade. Expect to hear the thoughts of these two very successful content producers about how they see their role within the hobby space and what responsibilities content producers have, and why you should (or should not) listen to them. You will get a unique view of what goes on behind the scenes for most productions! We hope you enjoy this discussion!

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 differing views on this, we once again have Campbell McLaughlin joining us to help us understand the importance of the tournament scene standpoint. We hope you enjoy Episode 251. There is a lot to unpack here, and we hope you get out of it as much as we put into it! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro and Elite Choice 0:09:30 - Hobby Progress & War on The Shore 1:26:30 - Why Terrain & Layouts Define 40k 2:06:40 - Final Thoughts and show closing Relevant Links: The Independent Characters Patreon Tablewar! - SPONSOR Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR Grimdark Compendium Games Workshop The Black Library

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 Characters Podcast. And although we took a couple of breaks on the way here, we have indeed made it to this milestone episode. However, for us it isn't about quantity so much as it is about quality. So we will take some time to discuss a little bit of the history of the show, where we see it going, and what is going on currently. Then, instead of boiling 2024 down to a list of releases by Games Workshop, we will discuss our various favorites of the year in depth. What was our favorite game played of the year? Who was our favorite opponent? What was our favorite release? All of this and more will be discussed as we meande

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 are going to want to take a listen to this episode for tips, tricks, and inspiration! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro and Elite Choice, Workbench, and Hobby Progress 1:10:30 - Collaborative Gaming: Part 1 1:50:50 - Collaborative Gaming: Part 2 2:20:25 - Final Discussion and Show Closing Relevant Links: The Independent Characters Patreon Tablewar! - SPONSOR Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR The 40k Badcast Tablewar Charities 40kHamslam on Instagram Hawaii 'War on the Shore' Charity GT 2025 Games Workshop The Black Library

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! Be sure to let us know your feedback! Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro and Elite Choice, Workbench, and Hobby Progress 0:50:25 - Evolution of 40k Terrain: Part 1 1:35:30 - Evolution of 40k Terrain: Part 2 2:08:30 - Final Discussion and Show Closing Relevant Links: The Independent Characters Patreon Tablewar! - SPONSOR Herrick Games & Hobbies - SPONSOR The 40k Badcast Tablewar Charities 40kHamslam on Instagram Hawaii 'War on the Shore' Charity GT 2025 Games Workshop The Black Library  

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 in their list. While on the other hand, you have those who enjoy changing up their lists every game. We will go into the pros and cons of each option, and maybe a few ideas on how you might want to adjust your approach. And yes, that is 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! Be sure to let us know your feedback! This episode will drop on November 15th. Time Stamps: 0:00:00 - Show Intro and Elite Choice, Workbench, and Hobby Progress 1:05:00 - Fixed L