As you have perhaps heard by now, at the end of April 2015 I will be ending the run of The Independent Characters. This is something I have been considering for the past few months and the decision to end the show is based on several factors. Family time, my personal time to actually play the game and hobby (which is impacted tremendously by the time it takes to produce the show), as well as a new job which is going to take a tremendous amount of energy on my part in 2015.

The show has far exceeded my expectations and this is in no small part to the continued support of our advertisers and listeners over the last 5 years. Our show is arguably the most successful Warhammer 40k Podcast currently in existence (depending upon how you measure such things!) and rather than have things limp along or slowly degrade, I prefer to go out “leaving them wanting more”. We have always strived to bring you the very best in Warhammer 40k Podcasting and I would hate to end that legacy on a sour note.

The site will continue to stay up, and the back episodes will be available for as long as there is interest. For the most part, our episodes are “timeless” and cover topics which will almost always be relevant.

Geoff and I started this show based upon several factors:

We couldn’t find a show at the time that met our needs for enjoyment of Warhammer 40k.

We wanted to share our approach to the hobby and game with everyone we could.

We wanted to celebrate the entire hobby, not just competitive play.

Somewhere along the lines we also took on the following:

Championing playing with Forge World rules and models.

Encouraging players to get their armies painted to increase enjoyment for all players.

Helping the community by looking at the game, hobby and community in a positive light.

Over the course of my time in producing The Independent Characters I have made an incredible number of friends. Some even within Games Workshop, Black Library, and Forge World. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to share my enjoyment of the Warhammer 40k hobby with all of you and I wanted to thank you so much for listening.

Several friends and guest hosts who were aware of the decision, have tried to talk me out of this course of action. There have been offers to help with editing and other work, as well as suggestions for how to monetize the show. Let me be really clear that this show has always been a labor of love and neither money nor financial gain has ever played a factor.

Others have asked if I would pass the show onto someone else. The answer to that is a very firm “No.” The Independent Characters was created by Geoff and myself and without either of us on the show… well it just isn’t The Independent Characters. This is one of the biggest things either of us has created and we are incredibly proud of it. Handing it into the care of someone else just isn’t an option.

So what am I going to do now? Well besides spend more time with my family, I intend to go on playing 40k and Horus Heresy games. I really DO love this hobby and enjoy it immensely. I am by no means quitting. I also want to get back to playing some RPGs (primarily 40k themed or Call of Cthulhu). I miss playing RPGs.

I will continue to put out videos from The ICs Unbound (check out the You Tube channel if you haven’t yet) and if the mood strikes we may record an episode here or there. I’ll continue to be a presence on Facebook and other forums, including the IC’s forums as long as they remain active. I will also continue to champion for Warhammer 40k as long as I enjoy it.

That’s it for now. There are still several episodes of The Independent Characters to come before I close it all down. You will have plenty of time to hear from other guest-hosts on the show about their thoughts, in the weeks and months to come. We still have quite a lineup of episodes planned for you. So sit tight and enjoy!