Dark Heresy - Rogue Trader - Death Watch - Black Crusade - Only War news and rumours

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**Shadow Walker**

PrimarchX: Tyranids list looks pretty impressive [probably it is enough to justify buying JR for me], I would only add Dominatrix and Hydraphant. Could you tell us about other adversaries from JR? Could you write list of JR' contents?

**H.B.M.C.**

There's not a huge amount outside of the Tyranids. The book is mostly dedicated to fleshing out what the Deathwatch are doing in the Jericho Reach, something that the game hasn't really touched on until now.

That's why I said back when it was announced that it was the most important book in the DW line - it actually gives information on the Deathwatch, rather than an Imperial overview or more mysteries. Its got important Deathwatch characters, lots of tactics and strategies they've developed for each of the three salients (represented via new Oaths, Solo and Squad Modes), plus great sections on salient missions.

The Tyranids are just there to fill out the rest of the line and give us all the missing creatures.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

PrimarchX wrote:Biocannon (for Hierophant): twin-linked, Hvy 200m, S/-/-, 4d10+6 X, Pen (6), Blast (4), Devastating (3), Felling (2), Toxic

OMG!

Hierophant's Scything Talons are indeed Pen 3 and Devastating (8)!

That's what I was afraid of. The average damage of Bio-Cannon shot isn't even enough to damage a Predator or Dreadnought, and a Hierophant Bio-Titan cannot penetrate a Marine's armour.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I guess this is news:

FFG wrote:Claim the Hidden Glories of Immaterium
Black Crusade Collector's Edition is now shipping!

“We who toil through the dross of mortal existence can never know the ultimate blessings of uncertainty, but we can embrace the path of change!”
–Demagogue Xentrias in his epistles to the Ghaudians

It may only be a mask, a cloak of normality over the raw, unfocused energies, but it is stunning nonetheless. The incomparable Black Crusade Collector’s Edition has begun shipping from our warehouse!

Bound in crimson leather, with copper-gilded edges adorning its acid-free pages, this tome displays your loyalty to the Ruinous Powers for all to see. Even the masterfully sculpted resin outer case displays a stylized Star of Chaos, the eight points dripping with the blood of the unworthy as a horrific daemon emerges from its center.

What’s more, Black Crusade Collector’s Edition includes sixteen pages of exclusive bonus content, featuring pre-generated characters with unique backstories, statistics, and art. Previous articles have already revealed two exciting two-page samples: the sorcerer Akhor’menet of the Thousand Sons (pdf, 687 KB) and the Heretek Helia Vulka (pdf, 2.1 MB). Download them, and gaze upon the gifts of Chaos.

It’s not too late to embrace the path of change!

Although hundreds of Chaos devotees have already reserved their copies of this remarkable collectible, a limited number remain unclaimed. Visit our webstore today to place your order.

Above: Foul minions of the Ruinous Powers toil endlessly to reward their masters' favoured followers.

IMPORTANT: To ensure that the Writ of Execution in your Collector’s Edition set is personalized to your satisfaction, follow these instructions when ordering:

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Note: Due to the nature and costs of manufacturing this product, we're unable to offer this Fantasy Flight Collector product through distribution or retail as normal. FFG is committed to supporting retailers that wish to carry this product as a service to their customers, despite the financial challenge involved. Such retailers should contact our sales department for more information.

**PrimarchX**

Shadow Walker wrote:PrimarchX: Tyranids list looks pretty impressive [probably it is enough to justify buying JR for me], I would only add Dominatrix and Hydraphant. Could you tell us about other adversaries from JR? Could you write list of JR' contents?

This book is more about chosen system descriptions in each Salient, an NPC section of Imperial heroes then lots of Death-Watch specific info. Only the Orpheus Salient has much in the way of enemy writeups (the Tyranids). There is info on navigating the Hadex Anomaly and other JR specific info. I usually just skim source books at first before settling into reading them. There's not much here to skim, the content is really in the text itself.

ETA - the Table of Contents is big but pretty repetitive. Like I said, each salient has a chapter. Inside those chapters are an overview, a sample of specific worlds, heroes of the Salient, Death-Watch special abilities for the Salient, assets particular to the area, info on running a campaign in the Salient, Death Watch activities, mission concepts and complications. I could spend an hour typing in the TOC but all that would do is add proper names to the concepts I just laid out. The last chapter is an adventure.

**Shadow Walker**

PrimarchX and H.B.M.C. - big thanks for your answers

Now I wonder why it is so hard to design proper damage values for range and cc weapons of Tyranids? We have now 3 sourcebooks after RoB and its vechicles and still nids are almost defendless against them.

**H.B.M.C.**

Lack of scalability. If Scything Talons had Pen 3-per-size, then as a creature got bigger, it's pen would go up:

Normal - Pen 3
Hulking - Pen 6
Enormous - Pen 9
Massive - Pen 12

And so on.

And they've announced it finally, even after people already have copies:

FFG wrote:Drawn from Many, Always Vigilant
The Jericho Reach, a Deathwatch supplement, is now on sale

“Every one of these worlds belongs to Him-on-Terra already; they merely require His servants to enforce that dominion over them. Any soul who claims otherwise is a coward and a traitor, worthless to the Imperium except as an example to others whose belief may falter.”
–Excerpt from Volume IV of Lord Militant Achilus’ memoirs

Band together with your battle-brothers and combat alien threats. The Jericho Reach provides in-depth information on the struggles of Kill-teams currently operating throughout the Reach and important resources for Deathwatch players and Game Masters alike. Additionally, this tome offers a full adventure that will test even the most battle-hardened members of the Deathwatch. The Jericho Reach is now on sale at your local retailer.

Surrounded by alien threats

Lead your brothers into combat against Hive Fleet Dagon. Once regarded as little more than a small Tyranid splinter fleet, Hive Fleet Dagon now posses a significant threat to Orpheus Salient. If the Deathwatch cannot stall Hive Fleet Dagon’s advance, they may lose the entire Jericho Reach.

Meanwhile, the Deathwatch also clashes with the Chaos-worshipping forces of Stigmartus in the Acheros Salient. In the Canis Salient, controversy rages as some suggest a partnership with the Tau, and a brutal witch hunt ensues to track down anyone subscribing to such beliefs.

Learn more about the personalities, planets, and themes of each salient within the reach. This information fuels adventures and further immerses players in the rich setting of Deathwatch.

Gather your arms, brothers, and prepare to meet the alien threat. With so many gripping storylines, you’ll want to explore them all. Get your copy of Deathwatch: The Jericho Reach from your retailer or from the Fantasy Flight Games webstore.

I maintain that this book is the most important book in the DW line since Rites of Battle. And it's also my fav DW book to date.

**Kroothawk**

H.B.M.C. wrote:I maintain that this book is the most important book in the DW line since Rites of Battle. And it's also my fav DW book to date.

In other words: You are mentioned in the credits

**H.B.M.C.**

I appear on the play-test credits in Mark of the Xenos, The Achilus Assault (and as proof-reader for that one), First Founding, The Jericho Reach and the recently announced Tempest Rising. That makes them all important!!! j/k

But Jericho Reach is more important because it does what no other DW book has done so far, which is give us a good look into what the Deathwatch are actually doing in the Reach (Rites expanded the rules, Xenos gave us enemies, Assault gave us the history of the Crusade). Jericho Reach has very important Deathwatch-centric background stuff and world-building and yes, has every missing 'Nid creature as well, towards which I am naturally biased, given my love of all things Tyranid.

**Shadow Walker**

H.B.M.C. - I agree that proper scaling of both range and cc weapons would solve nids problem with armour. I only wonder why it has not been solved already? After so many books FFG still release weapon stats that are useless or just plain stupid. Bio-titan unable to penetrate SM armour or Harpy that has strenght bonus of 5 when even Zoanthrope with its athropied body has unnatural strenght (x2). Do FFG even hear their playtesters [because I am sure that you as nids fan had pointed above problems]?

**H.B.M.C.**

Some new Deathwatch news. Was kinda hoping for other news, but this'll do!

FFG wrote:Lurking Beneath the Surface
A preview of Rising Tempest, the upcoming adventure for Deathwatch

“Things have moved beyond your control. Step aside and clear the way for the Emperor’s Chosen.”
–Brother-Codicier Carrigan

Last month, Fantasy Flight Games announced the upcoming release of Rising Tempest, an adventure in three parts for Deathwatch. In this gripping campaign, the Tau make a play for dominance that threatens to tip the balance of power in the Canis Salient, but in the process they unwittingly endanger the entire Jericho Reach... and only the Space Marines of the Deathwatch can stop them.

In our announcement, we shared a brief overview of each of Rising Tempest’s three parts. The first installment, entitled Depths of Treachery, takes the Kill-team into the iron heart of the Canis Salient to eradicate a subversive xenos presence imperiling the might of the Imperial war machine.

Unravel the mystery

Sent to investigate a series of assassination attempts made against Imperial officers, the Kill-team will embark on a mission that takes them them to the city-state of Javar Prime. Its unremarkable skyline masks an intricate network of subterranean tunnels that run as deep as the city’s many dark secrets. And as the city closest to the infamous Vengeance Sept attacks, Javar Prime has attracted the attention of Lord Commander Ebongrave and has bore the brunt of his obsessive hunt for traitors.

Today, we’re pleased to present three pages from the first chapter of Rising Tempest. The first two feature valuable background on the city of Javar Prime and many of its most important landmarks. The third page, a player handout, offers details regarding the series of assassination attempts that your Kill-team will be tasked with investigating.

Rising Tempest preview (pdf, 1.7 MB)

Are Tau sympathizers really manoeuvring among the loyal citizens of the Imperium? And if so, what darker plans do they hold in store? Keep checking back for more on Rising Tempest in the coming weeks, and look for it on store shelves in the second quarter of 2012!

Wow... that map does not make it easier to follow. Saw it way differently in my head...

**kenshin138**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
But Jericho Reach is more important because it does what no other DW book has done so far, which is give us a good look into what the Deathwatch are actually doing in the Reach (Rites expanded the rules, Xenos gave us enemies, Assault gave us the history of the Crusade). Jericho Reach has very important Deathwatch-centric background stuff and world-building...

As a GM I found the information in Jericho Reach far more useful than Achilus Assault. In fact, IMHO this book is what I was expecting AA to be in the first place. My name too appears in the credits for testing. I was very happy with the salient-specific information it provided.

**PrimarchX**

So other than the Koronus Bestiary, it looks like we're done with source books now.

Still want Only War and am confused why it dropped off the development schedule.

**BaronIveagh**

PrimarchX wrote:So other than the Koronus Bestiary, it looks like we're done with source books now.

Still want Only War and am confused why it dropped off the development schedule.

Yeah, I'd like to see Only War too, since it was supposed to have all those IG tanks in it.

**H.B.M.C.**

I love it when people make assumptions about what's coming up in the 40K RPG product lines. Always makes me smile.

Anyway, news time!

FFG wrote:Deadly Cunning
A preview of The Koronus Bestiary, an upcoming Rogue Trader supplement

“They descend from the heavens like a maelstrom of destruction. Everything they seek and everything that they find lies in ruins, for they are of a lost age. Though if they do find the treasure they seek, a new Age of Strife may come upon us all."
–The Witches of Footfall, prior to the first sighting of the Rak’Gol

In December, Fantasy Flight Games announced the upcoming release of The Koronus Bestiary, a supplement for Rogue Trader. This comprehensive tome features art and descriptions for a range of foes, including Shadowkith, Thornmaws, Void Krakens, and others... plus a Xenos Generator that allows players to create alien species as varied and dangerous as they can imagine!

Each chapter of The Koronus Bestiary focuses on one type of alien threat, and we’ve already seen predatory Terrorax of Burnscour. But while such so-called mindless beasts can be undeniably dangerous, they can often be outwitted. Chapter two, however, presents foes that possess the type of deadly cunning and burning hatred that only sentience can impart. Today, we’re pleased to continue our series of previews with a look at the Rak’Gol, including the high ranking Abomination and the cybernetically enhanced Render.

Prowling the Expanse

Nothing within the Koronus Expanse embodies mindless brutality and unrestrained savagery like the Rak’Gol. Their actions seldom follow any pattern other than that of violence. Huge swaths of destroyed vessels, stations, and even colonies are often the only indications of their passage. The methods by which they select their targets are as yet unfathomable or perhaps may be entirely at random. Only the most focused and the least sane adepts have dared attempt to see a pattern within the activities of these wretched xenos. Their ways remain a mystery, and it is unclear if the answers are crafted in cunning or buried beneath insanity.

Apparent leaders among the Rak’Gol, Abominations are slightly larger than their brethren, and Imperial analyses indicate that they are instrumental in planning Rak’Gol attacks. Alternately, the Rak’Gol Render is often unable to control itself, much less its lesser kin. Download today’s preview to learn more about both fearsome foes.

The Koronus Bestiary preview (pdf, 2.1 MB)

Keep checking back for more, and look for The Koronus Bestiary later this quarter!

The movement values on both creatures are wrong, and they're missing Unnatural Agility (x2) from their Trait listings. And those are just the mistakes I found on my first skim...

**BaronIveagh**

H.B.M.C. wrote:I love it when people make assumptions about what's coming up in the 40K RPG product lines. Always makes me smile.

LOL Yes, how foolish of us to assume that, as it was announced a year and more ago, and has not appeared, that something may have happened. Too bad you, the all knowing disciple of FFG, may not reveal to us your sacred knowledge, lest they descend on you with vengeful wrath and pink slips.

**H.B.M.C.**

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Instead, look to the new news about Koronus Bestiary, a book every RT and DW player is going to buy the moment it comes out.

**BrookM**

Any word on whether or not FFG will do another preview of their upcoming releases in pdf booklets?

**H.B.M.C.**

Eh? The news I posted above has a PDF preview.

**BrookM**

No, I mean, another preview PDF showing off all the upcoming releases.

**H.B.M.C.**

Oh, right, you mean like the Knowledge is Power thing.

I dunno. Given that they didn't quite stick to the schedule for everything (Koronus Bestiary and Only War aren't out yet, Deathwatch got one more book than was on the list, and then this whole 'Black Crusade' thing happened) they might want to avoid it so as to avoid putting Quarter numbers on every release.

Really I think they could release a PDF like that, put no expected release date, and people would be happy. Just knowing what's coming would be fine, and I'm sure most players would rather know what's coming out even if that didn't mean knowing when it was coming out.

**BrookM**

Hell, I don't care about the dates listed, they don't apply to mortals any way, I'm just more curious about what they are planning to release. Still waiting for Only War, which would be my first Dark Heresy purchase since I started my Rogue Trader habit, after that I'll work my way back to Ascension.

**H.B.M.C.**

I'd suggest you get Book of Judgement to go with Hostile Acquisitions. BoJ is a great book (even if all the NPC profiles at the end are riddled with mistakes).

**BrookM**

In due time I will, I'm not as well-funded as I'd like to be these days, so priorities must be set. Still need to get Black Crusade one of these days..

**Kid_Kyoto**

H.B.M.C. wrote:I'd suggest you get Book of Judgement to go with Hostile Acquisitions. BoJ is a great book (even if all the NPC profiles at the end are riddled with mistakes).

And it lacks psi judges and tech judges... Not to mention Judge Death.

I mean if you're going to rip off Dredd why go half way?

**PrimarchX**

I don't think I'm making assumptions, just commenting on how little is currently revealed in FFG's 'Coming Attractions'. It was nice to see a roadmap of products in Knowledge is Power, even if the timeline wasn't really adhered to. Now there's nothing official for a source book beyond Koronus Bestiary, and that's on the boat.

**H.B.M.C.**

Well what you're saying is certainly no where near as bad as what gets said at the FFG forum. Just the other day I read a post where someone had come to the conclusion that Dark Heresy support had been 'stopped' - a week after The Chaos Commandment came out. Hilarious stuff really.

And on the boat you say? Well those 'coming soon' listings aren't 100% accurate (although certainly more accurate than Amazon... a story I will tell at a later date), but even so, that means you - PrimarchX - will have it soon, as you seem to get these things before everyone else.

I'm waiting for my copy of The Jericho Reach to ship.

**H.B.M.C.**

Still not the news I was hoping for... but news nonetheless.

FFG wrote:Download the Final Chapter
The Chaos Commandment is now on sale via download

“There are some who say that you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar, but in my line of work I’ve never found that to be the case."
–Explicator Hieronymous Voss

A conspiracy at the highest levels of the Calixian Church has finally come to fruition, and the sector rests on the edge of interstellar upheaval. Can you and your fellow Acolytes prevent this coming apocalypse?

The Chaos Commandment, an adventure for Dark Heresy, is now available for online purchase from drivethrurpg.com and rpgnow.com! The final chapter in The Apostasy Gambit trilogy (and also playable as a standalone adventure), this epic story pits a small band of Acolytes against an ancient and powerful threat.

The exciting conclusion

For more on this exciting adventure, we turn to Dark Heresy’s lead developer:

Throughout The Apostasy Gambit, Inquisitorial Acolytes have been combating the Maledictor’s Hand, an apocalyptic conspiracy deeply-rooted within the Imperial Church. The goal of this conspiracy is to throw down the ruling nobility and cleanse the Calixis Sector of these “sinners” by fomenting a holy war that will cleanse the debased black heart of the Sector with sacred fire. The Chaos Commandment concludes this trilogy, which began in Black Sepulchre and continued in The Church of the Damned, and the ending will be truly apocalyptic!

This adventure will present challenges of all types and levels to players. They will lead armoured assaults against enemy installations, conduct investigations against powerful individuals, and even fight for their lives out in the cold dark of space. The players will see everything from huge firefights involving masses of troops, to smaller but no less deadly attacks of only handfuls of Acolytes (or even single characters) fighting for their lives against truly horrific foes.

Send ripples across the sector

All this leads up to the conflict against the true power behind the conspiracy, which has been manipulating events and people across the Sector. As this is the grand finale to the trilogy, players can expect a foe that will exceptionally terrifying and powerful. Will the players find it in time, and even if they do will they have the strength and will to confront it?

Make no mistake, the outcomes of this adventure will send ripples across the Sector and through future Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay books, and players will know their actions either saved the Sector (for awhile at least), or let it collapse. So grab your bolter and Inquisitorial Rosette, and get ready to fight!

Prepare to stand against the greatest threat the Calixis Sector has ever seen! Head to drivethrurpg.com or rpgnow.com and download your copy today.

**H.B.M.C.**

More Koronus Bestiary news:

FFG wrote:Fragments of the Chaos Gods
A preview of The Koronus Bestiary, an upcoming Rogue Trader supplement

“There were no bodies to gather, just bits and pieces of meat scattered across decks awash with blood. The ship itself seemed... infected. Like whatever had done this never really left."
–Boarding Officer Lt. Cheshal Saso, aboard The Burning Maw

In December, Fantasy Flight Games announced the upcoming release of The Koronus Bestiary, a supplement for Rogue Trader. This comprehensive tome features art and descriptions for a range of foes, including Shadowkith, Thornmaws, Void Krakens, and many others!

As we mentioned in that announcement, each chapter of The Koronus Bestiary focuses on one type of alien threat. Chapter one examines some of the most dangerous beasts of the Expanse, while chapter two covers the sinister threats posed by sentient xenos. Next, chapter three presents vile warp spawn that prey on the souls of humanity, and chapter four gives players the tools to invent their own formidable enemies. We’ve already seen a glimpse of the fearsome Terrorax and the formidable Rak’Gol. Today, we’ll continue our tour of the Koronus Expanse’s most horrifying foes with a look into the Chaos-infested warp.

Terrors of the warp

A dimension parallel to the one inhabited by mortals, the warp is a universe of psychic energy, where normal physical and temporal laws do not apply. It is virtually unknowable by human minds and can only be traversed with any degree of safety by ships equipped with Gellar Fields. To do otherwise attracts the attention of the beings that live within the warp, beings who gladly peel even the most powerful vessel apart to devour the succulent souls inside. Worse yet, the warp and the Chaos Gods are tied together intimately. The gods are formed out of the very same unnatural energies, and as a particular god rises in power, the warp tends to respond in kind.

Daemons are fragments of the Chaos Gods given form and animation, created to carry out their unfathomable objectives throughout both the warp and in the material realm of mortals. For Explorers accustomed to the material threats of hostile xenos races, alien creatures, and the treacherous dealings of their fellow men, daemons represent a unique danger for which they are often quite unprepared.

With the release of The Koronus Bestiary approaching, we’re pleased to present a preview of two of these foul abominations: the Beast of Nurgle and the Flesh Hound of Khorne (pdf, 1.4 MB). Download it today, and look for The Koronus Bestiary on store shelves later this quarter!

**BaronIveagh**

FFG wrote:
With the release of The Koronus Bestiary approaching, we’re pleased to present a preview of two of these foul abominations: the Beast of Nurgle and the Flesh Hound of Khorne (pdf, 1.4 MB). Download it today, and look for The Koronus Bestiary on store shelves later this quarter!

Why does Slaanesh always get left out? I feel like the 40k RPG books spend a great deal of time dancing around the issue of the Prince of Perversion. I know that we get little bits and sort of side ways to fall into his grasp, but we never really seem to deal with him head on like we do the others.

**H.B.M.C.**

*checks preview document*

Does that look like an entire Daemon chapter to you? Granted, I can’t actually remember what’s in the rest of that chapter, but let’s cool our hot heads and not jump to conclusions.

Instead let’s all rejoice at the fact that those two profiles aren’t riddled with errors...

**BaronIveagh**

H.B.M.C. wrote:*checks preview document*

Does that look like an entire Daemon chapter to you? Granted, I can’t actually remember what’s in the rest of that chapter, but let’s cool our hot heads and not jump to conclusions.

Instead let’s all rejoice at the fact that those two profiles aren’t riddled with errors...

LOL True that.