Weekly Waffle #409 – The Quiet Threat
24th January 2026
For this week’s weekly waffle on the hobby front we are firmly wrapped up in the world of ground hog day, and if you haven’t seen that film go and find it. It’s been a ground hog day because I’m still working on getting the Morticians finished before I move onto anything new. So that’s why the hobby update will feel a little ground hog day. But I have been up to quite a few things away from the hobby that have kept me busy. Trying to get all of paperwork sorted out for my holiday. Making sure my visa is all in order and that my insurance is all squared away. But that is all done and I’ve even confirmed the seats on the flight, or flights so everything is now in order. All I have left to do now is pack, or a more accurate statement may be I have to pack, the wife has to check what I’ve packed and then I can pack again. But it’s good to have everything sorted out because it’s really busy at work at the moment and I’m ready for a proper break.
I’m also hoping that when I come back I will fully invigorated to try something new and interesting. But for this week it’s been back to the grind and I’ve been working Silence. I really can’t think to add that much here because I have a few weeks of explaining how I’ve painted the other Morticians. Although I do like how this one has turned out. It just feels a little bit smoother than some of the others. But the face could do with more work and I think that is going to be one of the things I need to work on this year. But in the meantime what do you think.
Now that we have talked about the hobby work for Silence let’s have a look at the background and game play for Silence.
In the world of Guild Ball, Silence is not a bombastic figure. He doesn’t stand on a stage like Obulus, commanding through charisma and control. He doesn’t carve his name into flesh like Scalpel. Instead, he’s the whisperer. The one who lets his actions , or rather, the sudden absence of your own actions, do the talking.
Silence is portrayed as cold, calculating, and merciless. He embodies the Morticians’ philosophy in a uniquely unnerving way: instead of outright violence, he offers denial. He cuts off your options, strips away your confidence, and leaves you staring into the void where your agency used to be.
In a guild built on manipulation, he’s the one who ensures that your cries for help will never be heard.
Right, onto the game itself. Silence is one of those players who doesn’t make sense at first glance. He’s not a top-tier brawler. He’s not a speedster. He’s not even a reliable scorer. But once you’ve seen him in action, you realise he’s a toolbox of disruption that can make entire enemy strategies fall apart.
His Arsenal has such wonders as, Shutout. Arguably his signature move. He can delay an enemy activation, forcing them to wait until the very end of the turn. That striker who was poised to slot in an easy goal? Sorry, mate, you’re benched until it no longer matters. Tucked is another glorious bit of denial. He forces a player to activate earlier than they want, ruining the timing of carefully orchestrated plans.
Fire Blast because sometimes the best way to ruin someone’s day is to set them on fire. This isn’t just damage; it’s area denial, forcing clumps of models to scatter or suffer. And finally we have Utility and Control. With a mix of plays that alter tempo, dictate positioning, and apply conditions, Silence is the ultimate toolkit for a control heavy team.
Silence isn’t about big flashy plays. He’s about subtle pressure. He forces the opponent to play around him, which in turn gives the Morticians more space to do what they do best.
Disrupt activations. Mess with timing and ruin your opponent’s sequencing.
Apply area control. Use Fire Blast to block zones, limit mobility, and force awkward choices.
Enable allies. By denying enemy options, Silence makes life easier for the rest of the Morticians to do their grim work.
If Obulus is the grand puppeteer, Silence is the metronome. He dictates the tempo of the game, forcing everyone to play off-beat.
You know that old saying: “the quiet ones are the ones to watch”? Yeah, that’s Silence.
He’s not usually your primary target especially not when Ghast is looming, Cosset is threatening a charge, or Casket is setting up the infamous “Casket Time.” But ignore Silence at your peril. His plays don’t just hurt; they ruin your plans.
The best way to deal with him is pressure. Don’t give him space to cast his spells unchallenged. Force him to choose between survival and disruption. And above all, keep your timing flexible, because if you rely too heavily on a single activation happening exactly when you want it, Silence is going to ruin your day.
We all know someone like Silence. Not necessarily a dark robed Mortician, but someone who manages to ruin things not by showing up and causing chaos, but by quietly removing the one thing you were counting on.
Maybe it’s that mate who says they’re coming to game night and then cancels last minute, leaving you scrambling for even teams. Or the colleague who doesn’t shout in meetings, but drops one carefully chosen question that derails the entire presentation. Or maybe it’s the friend who just looks at you when you’re about to make a daft life choice, and suddenly you stop in your tracks.
That’s Silence. He doesn’t need to shout. He just needs to take away the option, and the silence does the rest.
Silence is the perfect embodiment of the Morticians’ philosophy: power through denial. He’s not glamorous, he’s not flashy, but he’s devastating all the same.
On the pitch, he’s the control player’s dream, shutting down activations, forcing awkward timing, and setting zones ablaze just to make life miserable. In the lore, he’s the shadow at the edge of the room, the man who makes sure your voice never carries.
If you enjoy watching your opponent squirm, if you like dismantling their plans not with brute force but with quiet inevitability, then Silence is your man. Just don’t be surprised when your opponents groan audibly as soon as they see his card hit the table.
And that good people is all that I have for you this week. I will be back again at the same time next week with more morticians for you and I’ll take a bit of time out to tease you with some of the project I have lined up for when I get back off my jolly bobs. I also have an idea for a new section on the site where I share some of the project idea that I know I will never get round to. A bit of idea dump that I hope could inspire a project or to for one of you guys.
Anyway until next week keep safe and have a good week.
