About The Commissar

So, what about me?

Let's see, where to start...

I'm 31. I'm 5-11 and 193 pounds. I'm a loving husband and father, a weightlifter, a martial artist, a writer, a painter, a poet, a paintball warrior, a Dungeon Master, an ex-cop, a masseuse, and general manager of an ISP (in a nutshell).

I started playing Warhammer 40K back in 1996 when my son made his remission from cancer. After he and I fought his cancer, I was really needing a distraction. A store owner talked me into playing a demo game, and I traded thousands of my then-outdated Magic cards for some in-store credit, and bought my first box of 40K minis: a box of the old plastic Stormtroopers. From there, with what little money I had, I would buy used tanks and paint for people in trade for minis, tank kits, etc. Slowly my army built. In the beginning, I was all shooty, like all beginning Imperial Guard players should be. I lost most of the time in the first year. I never swayed much from the Guard though, it was always my primary army. In fact, the only other army I ever played was Sisters and a small Ultramarines force. I was too in love with Imperial Guard to stray far, and now, it is the only army I own. I have always worn trench coats, and I kept showing up with my I.G. army while wearing said trenchcoats, and some guys who would later become my most loyal gaming buddies started calling me "The Commissar", and the name stuck. In the past two years, I've had this goal hanging around in my head: to master the use of assault with Imperial Guard. Yes, that's right, I'm taking the army that does assault the worst, and making it kick ass!

So far I have participated in two Grand Tournaments and one Rouge Trader Tournament. My Girl (a.k.a. The Commissar's Babe) is building a grand Sisters Of Battle Army. My 9-year-old son has had a Space Marine Chapter in the works for some time now...

(Yes, I corrupted my whole family!)

But that was only the beginning of my corruption!

*rubs hands together in a sinister fashion*

Through the use of the e-mail & chat list I started 3 years ago ( The E.G.I.G.1st- imperialguard@yahoogroups.com ) I have corrupted hundreds with my fanatical devotion to the spirit of the game, and the Imperial Guard.

When I go to big events, I wear 'the Commissar suit' (created by The Commissar's Babe), and I represent myself on the gaming table with a miniature painted to look just like me (Mini Me).

I live happily in Mt. Shasta, California. And though I don't have many people to play with in my area, my spirit and devotion to the Imperial Guard and Warhammer 40K is just as strong as it has always been.

In fact, I decided to paint for myself for once, I have acetoned and am repainting my entire Cadian Obsidian Brigade for the 2002 Grand Tournaments and Rouge Trader Tourneys! I'm having a blast!

MY GREATEST HOPE as far as Warhammer 40K goes, is to help Imperial Guard players to learn to win without having to load up on heavy support and rely on sit & shoot tactics. There's nothing I hate worse than a cheesy Imperial Guard player! While I respect a well-balanced shooty I.G. army, I don't respect armies that require little or no skill to use and win with. Most of the people that complain about I.G. being a cheesy army to play are complaining because they were the unfortunate victim of an abusive I.G. player. I used to hate comp scoring in tournaments, but in the past year, I have come to appreciate the balance that it gives to Warhammer 40K in general, as it persuades players to build a well-balanced army (one that does not piss off every opponent they play).

Winning with a powergaming army is easy. Winning with a well-balanced army takes skill.

Enough about me... go enjoy the rest of my site!!!