An Introduction to Antor

Hello readers,

Now I've got the basics of this site up and running, with pages for tactics, background and battle report articles, it's time I got around to introducing the world at the heart of all this, Antor.

Located in the far Galactic North, Antor was only discovered by Imperial Explorator fleets following the end of the Horus Heresy, in early M32, and as such, had escaped the galactic turmoil caused by that great conflict almost entirely. To those who found it, Antor was something of a paradise compared to the horror that had swept the Imperium, with cities still standing high, and wide plains rich with crops. The people of Antor were initially suspicious of the new system they found themselves a part of, but soon came to accept the ways of the Imperium, and as more and more settlers arrived from worlds ravaged by war, more and more of the planet was converted to Hive-cities, and the population began to swell.

The first regiment of Imperial Guard raised from Antor entered service in 413 M32, and they were immediately deployed near the Eye of Terror, assisting the Cadian Garrison to guard the vital Cadian Gate. While this initial task was a test to the regiment, it was but a shadow of what was to come, with the Traitor Legions too consumed with bitter conflict among themselves to be a trouble to the Imperium.

Even in times of peace, though, the regiment still suffered losses, through nothing more than a quirk of evolution. Where the explorators were amazed at the cleanliness and purity of Antor, the troops from that world were equally horrified at the polluted and clouded environments found across the remainder of the Imperium. While this was initially nothing more than a simple dislike, it soon turned to outright disgust as men started dying, claimed by illnesses and diseases in the atmospheres that were long eliminated on Antor. Before long, the problem had been once more countered, but only so long as the troops remained in respirators on any world but their home. With this issue resolved, or at least prevented, they returned to duty near Cadia, and for many years, were engaged in nothing but the smallest conflicts, not being redeployed for fear Cadia could not hold the gate alone.

This peace was not to last, as barely a century after the regiment was first deployed, the Beast's Waaagh tore through the Imperium, and like so many other regiments, the men of Antor took near-fatal losses. As the Waaagh was finally defeated, and the cost counted, the regiment was found to be all but destroyed, and for generations, they were merely assigned piecemeal to various warzones, losing any semblance of coherency or identity. It was only at the close of the millennium that the regiment again fought together at full strength.

Since then, the First Antor Rifles have fought across the galaxy, against all manner of foes, and their style of warfare has become as varied as their foes. This is partly due to the wide range of threats, but also to the unpolluted nature of their homeworld. The relative peace and comfort of Antor made it a haven for any regiment who were either too exhausted, weak, or underequipped to fight on the front lines, and as such, the leaders of Antor's own regiment have been exposed to a thousand different combat doctrines, and have gained experience in all manners of warfare, from siegecraft to airborne assault, and from infantry wave attacks to armoured breakthrough. This has also led to Antor regiments having an unusually high contingent of veteran troops to call upon, as they are typically deployed to take the place of those who use their home.

In a age of war, the First Antor Rifles are rarely off the front lines.

Antor's Finest: Commissar-General Wolfe

In this, the first of a series of character bios for the men of Antor, I'm introducing the commander of the army, Commissar-General Wolfe. In games, he is represented by a Forge World Death Korps Of Krieg Commissar model, armed with a power sword. Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about this leader of men:

Commissar-General Wolfe is a rare case among Commissars, in that he leads not through fear or brutality, but through respect earned through years of fighting on the front lines of a hundred warzones. Armed with his trusted and ancient power sword, Vigilant, he leads from the front, frequently fighting alongside the men of Captain Lorcan's 3rd platoon, and has yet to fail to achieve an objective when with them. His iron will, skilled mastery of battle, and daring wilfulness to lead them where other commanders would hesitate have turned them from a rabble of conscripts to a battle-hardened force, and as such, it is Lorcan's platoon that lead the charge when the men of Antor go to war, bayonets fixed and rifles ready.

As well as the formidable skills as a commander, Wolfe is possessed of extraordinary talent with a blade, and is ever eager to prove this, seeking out the enemy commanders for a challenge of single combat. This is seen by some of his fellow officers and superiors as reckless, even careless, and there are some in the upper echelons of Antor's hierarchy that would see him restrained or monitored should he continue what is considered by them to be personal glory-hunting. Wolfe is well aware of this criticism and his precarious position, but knows too that to cut the head from the enemy army is to watch the body die, and as such, he persists with this policy. Regardless of the personal opinion of his critics, Wolfe's unorthodox tactics have been proven effective, though he bears more than his fair share of scars from a number of desperate gambits. Wolfe is fully aware his luck will one day run out, but has long since accepted this fact, and asks only that when he falls, the men of Antor will fight on.

Wolfe's past has not always been so noble, and he hides a secret known only to his closest fellows, and that haunts him through every battle. While his near-perfect record with the men of Antor speaks of a great hero and flawless commander, his success and heroism stems from a far darker place than faith and skill alone.

Wolfe's first deployment as a fully-fledged commissar was to be the mission that defined his career. Deployed against the forces of Chaos on the world of Calix VI, Wolfe and the Calix regiments swiftly became bogged down in a bitter stalemate with the chaotic hordes, trading shots and lives but gaining no ground against his foe. Wolfe knew the deadlock must be broken, and after a month of examining every scrap of information available, he devised a plan. Using a hidden tunnel network, Wolfe led a handful veterans on a daring mission behind enemy lines, leaving the command of the main battle to Calixian General Trav. For 2 days Wolfe and the veterans studied the enemy position, and on the third, they made their move, using the last of their stock of meltabombs to destroy the vast majority of the Chaos vehicles and crippling their forces. Wolfe's message for Trav to attack went unanswered, and when no advance came, he returned to the Imperial lines. What he discovered was an army in turmoil, turned against itself as the corrupting influence of chaos took them one by one. Trav was in the thick of the fighting, swelled beyond his normal bulk by the blessings of dark gods. Wolfe relayed the information to the High Command, who, faced with the prospect of an unwinnable battle, gave the order for Wolfe and those with him to retreat. Wolfe's pleas to attempt to quell the rebellion fell on deaf ears, and he grudgingly fell back. As the planet was subjected to Exterminatus, Wolfe swore on the lives of those billion souls that he would never again retreat, and never again leave the men under his command to the enemy.

Now returned from a successful campaign against the Tau on the Eastern Fringe, and having led Antor to victory in the centennial war games with Savosen, Wolfe now returns to Antor, before being once more thrust into combat in the name of the Emperor.

Going live in 3...2...1...

Hello everyone, and welcome to the the home of the First Antor Rifles regiment, an Imperial guard army for Warhammer 40,000. This page will in time play host to battle reports, painting logs, articles and general wargaming ramblings, but for now, the only thing of worth here is the page linked above, the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer. This is intended to be a complete guide to playing Guard in 6th edition, and should hopefully provide some useful information for anyone from the oldest veteran to the newest recruit.

Welcome again, I hope you enjoy this,

Paradigm