Alec Worley kicks off the audio side of Black Library’s Warhammer Crime imprint with Dredge Runners, an hour-long audio drama which introduces the pairing of ratling Baggit and ogryn Clodde in a brilliant tale of dirty dealings, rampant corruption and abhuman prejudice. Facing the ire of vicious crime lord Tabidiah Kruger after a deal gone awry, Baggit and Clodde find themselves tasked with digging up dirt on the (supposedly) squeaky-clean sanctioner Savriel Sabbriatti. Putting their unusual combination of skills to good use, the pair uncover secrets that might see them richly rewarded if only they can find a way out from between two such dangerous enemies, and overlook a few moral objections while they’re at it.
While there’s clearly scope with Warhammer Crime for serious, intense thrillers, Dredge Runners takes a different approach, and one which suits the audio medium perfectly. It’s very much a crime caper, with the gritty darkness of vast hive-city Varangantua balanced out by the central character pairing of Baggit and Clodde, who provide a wonderful sense of fun as they hustle their way in and out of trouble and from one con to the next. They’re a classic odd-couple team, one providing the brains and the other the brawn, except that despite his “genetic predisposition towards violence” Clodde is also a surprisingly deep thinker…so deep, in fact, that not even he knows what he’s talking about when he starts getting philosophical. Actors Jon Rand (Baggit) and Paul Putner (Clodde) are clearly having a blast delivering Worley’s witty dialogue, and they bring the pair to life with gleeful, show-stealing abandon.
Aside from the brilliant dialogue, the other genius element of this audio is the variety of Imperial propaganda broadcasts interspersed throughout, which introduce a glorious touch of gothic Imperial satire that’s pure 40k. To the sound of beautiful plainsong the announcer – voiced with relish by David Seddon – issues stern exhortations to duty and piety, before moving seamlessly onto sponsored adverts for premium lho-sticks or deeply dubious worker recruitment drives. It’s a pitch-perfect representation of life in Varangantua, reinforcing both the black humour and the grim darkness that balance out across this story. This is still 40k of course, so despite all the wit it’s still a story about the oppressed masses scrabbling to try and find a way to break the system – the fact that both protagonists are abhumans and therefore doubly downtrodden adds to that darkness, while also providing an unexpected moral element at key moments.
As expected (the standard of Black Library audios being so consistently high) the whole cast puts in typically impressive performances to bring the various shifty, dangerous and downright unpleasant supporting characters to life, but Baggit and Clodde undoubtedly steal the show. It’s absolutely their story, and while the plot itself is excellent there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had in simply getting to know such a great pair of characters. Anyone expecting a gritty, deadpan crime drama might find the tone here a bit of a surprise, but there will inevitably be audio dramas in that style released as part of this imprint in future. What Worley and Black Library have delivered is a tremendously entertaining story with fabulous characters, gleeful performances, and a sharp, twisty plot, with the sponsored broadcasts providing the icing on the cake. It’s a fantastic first audio release for Warhammer Crime, and a clear indication of how much scope there is for Worley to develop this into a truly wonderful series. More please!
See also: Alec Worley Talks Dredge Runners.
