Weekly Waffle #411 – Keeper of the dead
7th February 2026
Welcome back to the weekly waffle I’m going to start off by saying the non hobby side of my life has been manic this week. It’s finally kicking in that I will be setting off for a trip half way around the world in just three weeks. I’m one of those people that either get’s everything ready well in advance or I leave it until the last minute. No in-between. And for this trip in firmly in the well in advance category. I think I’m just about packed and ready to go. Or when I say packed I have everything ready to go in a case before we leave. Everything checked off on my packing list. All the flights and seats booked. Transfers all worked out and lifts to and from airport all ready to go. So on that front at least I can sit back and enjoy the rest of the build up.
On the hobby front I have been working to get the morticians finished off and we have the penultimate character this week in the form of Graves. He’s been painted up exactly the same as the other guys so I’m not going to bore you with a recipe on the colours. Next week should be Obulus followed by the mascots and then they will all be done and I’ll move on to something new. Although I think that will still be sport related.
But I’ll save that teaser for a later date. Here we have Graves in all his glory, or maybe that should be gory.
You can see more Guild Ball miniatures at my gallery here
In the Morticians’ lore, Graves is exactly what his name suggests — a man bound to the guild through his trade as a gravedigger. He’s not the glamorous face of the organisation like Obulus, nor the sadistic surgeon like Scalpel, nor the screaming banshee like Cosset. Graves is the one who handles the aftermath.
Someone has to dig the holes. Someone has to make sure the dead stay where they belong. Someone has to get on with the dirty, thankless work while everyone else is basking in the limelight. That’s Graves.
And there’s a quiet menace to him. He doesn’t need to shout. He doesn’t even need to threaten. His shovel says enough. A man who spends his life digging graves doesn’t need to tell you what he’s capable of. You already know.
On the table, Graves is one of those wonderfully versatile players who never steals the spotlight but always makes a difference. He’s a utility man, capable of chipping in damage, handing out conditions, and supporting the rest of the Morticians’ more specialised threats.
Whilst Graves isn’t the scariest hitter on the team, he can contribute. Between his playbook and his abilities, he adds reliable chip damage that softens up targets for the likes of Cosset or Ghast to finish. In his early days (classic Greaves) Tooled up was his claim to fame, handing out extra damage to allies. Nothing says “Cosset missile” like Graves patting her on the back with a grim nod and sending her screaming off to obliterate someone. He has tricks that let him push or pull models around. Again, not as dramatic as Obulus or Scalpel, but subtly effective in shaping engagements. And he can spread Bleed, adding attrition pressure to opponents who might otherwise shrug off Mortician shenanigans.
He is best thought of as the glue. He’s not a centrepiece. He’s not the star. But he’s the player who makes everyone else’s job easier by buffing the hitters with Tooled Up, he enables Mortician damage spikes. He can chip in to add Bleed, and pushes, to keep the pressure rolling. He can flex if you need some help positioning? He’s got you. Graves doesn’t specialise, but that’s his strength — he covers the gaps.
In many ways, he’s the Morticians’ most “normal” player. Which, ironically, makes him stand out all the more in such a freakish roster.
Here’s the thing about Graves though, he’s rarely your priority target, but he’s also never safe to ignore.
Leave him unchecked, and he’ll quietly hand out buffs, spread Bleed, and set up the Morticians’ nastier threats. Focus on him, and you’ll often find you’ve spent too much effort removing a model who, while useful, isn’t the engine of the team.
The trick is awareness. Keep an eye on his buffs, deny him opportunities to support Cosset or Ghast, and chip him down when convenient. Don’t underestimate him, but don’t obsess over him either.
Graves is the gaming equivalent of that one mate who always brings snacks, organises the tables, and remembers to pack the dice trays. They’re not the loudest, they’re not the flashiest, but without them, game night doesn’t run.
They don’t demand praise, but you notice their absence immediately. That’s Graves. He’s not the one you write war stories about, but without him, half those war stories wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Graves is the Morticians’ utility man, their quiet backbone, their dependable gravedigger. He’s not flashy, but he doesn’t need to be. He enables the stars, fills the gaps, and makes sure the Morticians’ cruel machine keeps grinding forward.
On the pitch, he buffs, chips, and flexes as needed. In the lore, he’s the embodiment of the guild’s philosophy: everyone has their role to play in death, even if it’s just digging the hole.
If Obulus is the puppeteer, Scalpel the surgeon, Ghast the executioner, and Cosset the banshee, then Graves is the gravedigger, patient, reliable, and quietly essential.
