TEXT: Oh, To Be an Inquisitor – Part II
  By Ben Hulston
  So…
  “So, you think you’re good enough to cut it in His Most Holy Ordos, do you? We’ll see, my friend, we’ll see…..”
  Welcome to the second part of, “Oh To Be an Inquisitor!” As a brief recap, the first article covered those Inquisitor 
  archetypes which were – in my humble opinion – terrible, and hopefully contained just enough justification to say why they 
  were so very bad.
  This article will focus on altogether more positive aspects of character creation. I will attempt to guide players through a 
  process I consider fairly loose, but with enough focus that players should be able to avoid creating truly terrible, 
  hackneyed characters.
  … The Real Inquisitor Induction Pack
  Creating the central beacon within a warband, usually the 
  Inquisitor, is a player’s greatest source of joy, but can also 
  be a huge chasm of misery. A concept or idea – even a 
  great one – may simply fizzle out due to an inability to 
  actually execute the idea effectively.
  As a sufferer of this kind of creative fizzle from time to time, 
  I’ve found that a structured approach can often help me 
  hold onto the idea and, more than that, help to form it into 
  something truly exciting. 
  The Idea
  Write  it  down!  I  can’t  emphasize  this  point  enough. 
  Whatever it is – if it is half an idea, a small word, a phrase 
  or a paragraph – just get it down on paper, the quicker the 
  better. From this, fire off a few lines with concepts and 
  words that relate to the idea. You’ll probably find yourself 
  quickly developing the concept really rather quickly with a 
  rapid brain-storming session.
  The Brief
  So your idea is down on paper, perhaps even with a few 
  scribbled notes and ideas relating to the concept.
  The next stage is to develop that idea a little further, into a 
  brief.  The  brief  should  detail,  in  as  few  words  as  is 
  possible, who the character is. Who are they? Where did 
  they train? No specifics are required at this point, but it 
  would be a good idea at this stage to at least apply a name 
  and some rough details on philosophy and their past. If 
  you’re struggling for those, try to think of the future for this 
  character. Where do they want to go? Do they have any 
  overriding goals and ambitions?
  Future targets should align with their general philosophy. 
  The categories given in the  Inquisitor rulebook can be a 
  great way to catalyse further thoughts regarding the ins 
  and outs of your character, but don’t be afraid to play with 
  them to suit your own needs.
  Philosophy can also help form ideas over the next stage in 
  the process (the model), as it can help with iconography, 
  colours  and  weaponry  –  all  of  which  are  important 
  considerations when building a model.
  The Model
  Almost enough said really on this front! You can’t play the 
  game without a model (54mm, in my mind). But, use this 
  as an opportunity to give that concept a face, allow your 
  idea to expand and become reality. I’m not entirely sure I 
  need to emphasize this point to  Inquisitor gamers – but 
  what the hell – with your Inquisitor, really go to town with 
  the model. This is the centrepiece of your warband, your 
  shining representation of the last line of defence in the 
  battle for the Emperor’s soul! What are you waiting for? 
  Get stuck in!
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  
  Page 2 of 2
  The Inquisitor model should also be the first constructed in 
  the  warband.  This  is  because  those  who  the  Inquisitor 
  chooses to retain as his followers will be influenced in 
  terms of weapons, dress, colours and iconography by their 
  leader.
  It is also a great time to go back to that brief and develop it 
  a little more. By now it should be nearing 150 or so words, 
  in brief note form – a few more isn’t likely to hurt, especially 
  now you have a model (54mm) staring up at you, longing 
  to be turned into a living, breathing defender of humanity… 
  At least in your head, anyway!
  Planning a conversion should be a considered process, 
  and could even be the subject of an article in itself! Take a 
  look  through  your bits  box,  the  GW  website  and  other 
  Inquisitor sites to get some inspiration. Make a list of parts, 
  purchase / scavenge / trade for them, and do a dry run fit. 
  If you’re not happy with anything at this stage, don’t be 
  afraid to change it. Mix up the parts, add and take them 
  away. 
  As stated, I cannot emphasize enough how important I feel 
  it is to get your leader right. I guess the other reason for 
  this is that there is so much potential at 54mm with your 
  conversion,  it  is  simply  wrong  not  to  just  harness  that 
  potential and really produce something spectacular!
  Don’t forget – WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) 
  is your friend here. While statistics and equipment have not 
  been  discussed  yet,  the  brief  previously  produced  will 
  probably influence who the character will turn out to be.
  Background Check
  The briefing should be of sufficient thickness now that most 
  people will have notes, ideas and even a few numbers that 
  they can begin to develop into a fully-fledged character 
  background – great!
  It is important to check that your character concept fits in 
  with the canon of the 40k universe. Good checks can be 
  performed  by  having  a  read  of  the  Inquisitor  rulebook, 
  other 40k  source  books  and rules  books,  and  possibly 
  even drifting into the books from the Black Library.
  Where do you see your character fitting into the establish 
  background? Is it something new? If it is, does it fit with the 
  feeling of the 40k universe? Extending canon with “fan-on” 
  is fine, so long as it fits with the feeling, the logic and the 
  ethos behind the 40k universe. Be careful though – you 
  could quite easily step on some toes, or cause problems if 
  you play outside your own gaming group and your idea is a 
  little “off-the-wall”. 
  Of course, if the idea synergises with the background that 
  should be no issue…
  Character Unleashed!
  How does this character act on the table top? This is the 
  most important point of ensuring your character sticks to 
  the  background  you  placed  behind  it.  Regardless  of 
  scenario, sticking to the core character of your Inquisitor is 
  always important when playing Inquisitor. Remember, the 
  game is narrative driven, and sticking to the core integrity 
  of your character should always be an objective of the 
  players in any game. Step away from thinking as a gamer, 
  and think as if you were the character on the tabletop. 
  There is guidance towards this approach and manner of 
  gaming in  the back  of  the  Inquisitor rulebook,  and the 
  recent series of battle reports in previous issues of  Dark 
  Magenta have  also  highlighted  the  importance  of  this 
  aspect of good Inquisitor play.
  Conclusion
  Creating an Inquisitor isn’t an easy task. It can also be a 
  fairly thankless task if someone comes along and rips your 
  concept to bits. But fear not, my brothers in 54mm arms – 
  there is hope. And I hope my advice leads you that little bit 
  closer to creating that perfect Inquisitor.
  Happy gaming,
  - Ben
  About the Author
  Mr Hulston is a disreputable miscreant, known for showing 
  up  at  Warhammer  World  at  the  Inquisitor  meets  and 
  making  everyone  feel  rather  uncomfortable  with  his 
  incoherent  babble  and  terrible  GMing  skills.  His  shady 
  alter-ego,  SlaaneshBen,  is  known  for  doing  rather  the 
  same thing online at The Conclave. 
  When not fighting the eternal battle for the Emperor’s Soul, 
  he leads a life in an alternate universe where he is a 
  trainee chartered accountant, IT consultant, and all round 
  nice guy.
  Models built and painted by Dave Knowles, known to the
  Conclave as Kaled.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Inquisitor Skirmish/Articles/Oh To Be An Inquisitor (Part 2).pdf