BaronIveagh wrote:My money is on kroot and eldar.

Kroothawk wrote:
I think Kroot mercenary and Eldar corsair are likely candidates.

by Ross Watson

Greetings, Deathwatch fans!

The Deathwatch is a unique organisation where Space Marines from different Chapters across the Imperium of Man are brought together to serve together in the same, small unit known as a Kill-team. When I turned this concept over in my mind, I found myself often focusing on the thought of what it must be like to be placed into that situation with complete strangers; some might become friends, others bitter rivals. The interpersonal dynamic of such a group would be fascinating. I returned again and again to the idea of learning to work together—to give up the “Space Wolf way” to solve a problem (for one example), and instead concentrate on “the Kill-team way”—captured my imagination. Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch are often thrust into dire situations, sometimes alongside allies they may not trust. During the course of his service with the Deathwatch, a Battle-Brother learns to overcome many of his prejudices and misunderstandings...

Part of the core experience of the Deathwatch RPG involves roleplaying as a Space Marine sent on the most dangerous of special missions, and I wanted the mechanics of the game to support that! The “Project Iceberg” team and I designed Deathwatch around the idea that the experience should revolve around the team dynamic, from a group of strangers learning to work together to the hardened veteran Deathwatch Battle-Brothers who form a nigh-unstoppable squad. In this, I was inspired by source material like the WWII series Band of Brothers and the Knights of the Round Table in Mallory’s L'Morte D'Arthur.



The difference between the group and the individual definitely had a strong influence on my design for Deathwatch, and this concept about individual sacrifice for the good of the team evolved into a set of three linked mechanics for Deathwatch: Solo Mode, Squad Mode, and Cohesion.

Because I have been an avid player of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game for years, I have had many opportunities to watch Space Marines in action (at least, in miniature form!). More than a few times I would marvel at a particular commander, captain, or special character, but I would also take note of how a particular Squad, working together, could vanquish even the greatest of foes; a Tyranid Carnifex, Chaos Daemon Prince, or Eldar Avatar.

Space Marines are considerably dangerous on their own; they are the supreme warriors of the Imperium, the most deadly of soldiers. How much more impressive, then, would a force of Space Marines be when working together as a group? The challenge then would be to somehow model that idea within the mechanics of the Deathwatch RPG.

Solo Mode

The first thing I needed to do was to define when a Space Marine was acting on his own; this would be called “Solo Mode.” When in Solo Mode, a Space Marine is operating based on the traditions, beliefs, and methods of war ingrained into him by his Chapter. A Dark Angel in Solo Mode is acting and fighting as if he were part of his Dark Angels squad. Therefore, a Space Marine in Solo Mode is using abilities that are most representative of his home Chapter.

Solo Mode is the default mode of play for all characters. Unless otherwise indicated by the rules, a Battle-Brother is in this mode. While in Solo Mode, a Space Marine is not linked to the rest of his squad in any special way and cannot benefit from Squad Mode actions or abilities used by his Battle-Brothers. He has access to all of his Solo Mode actions and abilities and may use these freely.

Example Solo Mode Ability: Feat of Strength
The Kill-team is in a desperate race to reach the spaceport in time to board their Thunderhawk before cyclonic torpedoes destroy the planet from orbit. However, a burning wreck of a Chimera APC blocks their path; the Space Marine focuses his righteous wrath and, with a heroic feat of strength, heaves the wreckage aside so that he and his Battle-Brothers may pass unhindered.
Required Rank: 1
Effects: Space Marines are genetically gifted with great strength far exceeding. that or normal men. In times of need, a Battle-Brother can push this great brawn to its limits to perform truly impressive feats. Once per day of game time, a Battle-Brother may perform a Feat of Strength. This ability effectively increases his Unnatural Strength Trait by one level, so for instance Unnatural Strength x2 becomes Unnatural Strength x3. This effect lasts for a number of Rounds equal to his Rank.
Improvement: At Rank 3 and above Feat of Strength also adds +10 to all Strength Tests and Strength-based Skill Tests for its duration. At Rank 5 and above Feat of Strength last for a number of Rounds equal to twice the character’s Rank. At Rank 7 and above, Feat of Strength increases the character’s Unnatural Strength Trait by two levels.



Squad Mode
However, in the Deathwatch, a Dark Angels Space Marine is not surrounded by other Dark Angels. Instead, he is placed with Battle-Brothers of the Storm Wardens, the Ultramarines, and possibly even a rival from the Space Wolves. When the Dark Angel is acting as part of his Kill-team, he is moving out of Solo Mode and entering Squad Mode. In Squad Mode, Space Marines work together, each acting in concert with his Battle-Brothers. A Kill-team in Squad Mode is a terrifying foe for the enemies of Man; Squad Mode abilities allow the entire group to move and shoot as one, to lay down covering fire during an advance, lure the foe into a trap, and much more.

Squad Mode can only be entered deliberately (often by a character using an action). While in Squad Mode, a Space Marine is linked to any other members of his team that are also in Squad Mode and may benefit fully from Squad Mode actions and abilities. A character in Squad Mode can also initiate Squad Mode actions and abilities for the benefit of other team members also in this mode.

Example Squad Mode Ability: Tactical Spacing
The Kill-team has been deployed deep behind enemy lines in order to find—and assassinate—an enemy leader. During the journey, the Kill-team keeps a wary watch, for this region is heavily patrolled by the enemy and filled with traps. The Space Marines stand ready to knock a Battle-Brother out of the way of enemy fire or warn him of stepping upon a hidden explosive.
Action: Full Action
Cost: 1
Sustained: Yes
Effects: Formation and spacing are an important part of a squad’s function on the battlefield and influence their ability to warn each other of danger and defend themselves against attack. While this ability is in effect, the Battle-Brother and those in Support Range of him can share their Reactions. For example, one member of the Kill-team could give his Reaction (losing it for himself for the turn) to another member of the Kill-team to use. If the Space Marine has extra reactions (such as the bonus reactions granted from the Step Aside Talent), these may also be shared.
Improvement: If the Battle-Brother is Rank 5 or more, in addition to being able to share Reactions within the group, all members gain an additional Reaction while this ability is in effect.

Cohesion
It is important to note that the example Squad Mode ability above has a cost listed. The resource that a Kill-team uses to activate Squad Mode abilities is known as Cohesion. This resource is gained when the Kill-team is assigned a mission (don’t worry—I will be going over how Missions work in a future Designer Diary!), and is then used during the mission to activate Squad Mode abilities. Cohesion can also be reduced, however, by being hit with certain weapons (if the Kill-team is knocked around by high explosives, for example) or by certain abilities possessed by a powerful enemy (a Chaos Daemon Prince, for example, has an Aura of Death that reduces a Kill-team’s Cohesion...the warp-tainted presence of the Daemon Prince causes confusion and spreads strife wherever he goes). Certain abilities and wargear (such as a back banner!) may increase or have an effect on regaining Cohesion.

Forward, Battle-Brothers!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this brief overview of Solo Mode, Squad Mode, and Cohesion! I will definitely have more to say about these mechanics in the future, so keep an eye on the FFG website as we delve deeper over the next few weeks into what makes the team-based roleplaying experience of Deathwatch so unique and compelling!

Greetings, Deathwatch fans!

This week, I have a guest designer diary from Owen Barnes, one of the members of the “Project Iceberg” team who helped bring the Deathwatch RPG to life.

Missions in Deathwatch

As part of a Deathwatch Kill-team it often falls to the players to tackle specialised battlefield tasks or complete key objectives for the Imperial forces. Unlike other kinds of soldiers a kill-team is often deployed as an autonomous unit, given broad tactical guidelines and lots of free license to wreak havoc and smite the Emperor’s foes. The kind of stuff Player-Characters excel at... Battle-Brothers are, however, much more than mere adventurers, and are usually only deployed for a good reason. This where the rules for Missions come into play.

Missions are guidelines that help the GM create the kinds of adventures and scenarios that a kill-team is likely to encounter, as well as give his games a sense of the duty and honour that comes of being a member of the Adeptus Astartes. Players who are familiar with the Endeavour system from Rogue Trader will recognise some of the ways that a Mission works. However, given the more militaristic nature of Deathwatch, there are a number of key differences.



Missions are divided up into Objectives, which are either rated as Primary Objectives, Secondary Objectives, or Tertiary Objectives (also known as Targets of Opportunity). The players can then complete Objectives how and in what order they see fit, and it is possible to complete a Mission without completing all its Objectives (though typically a Mission is considered ‘successful’ if its Primary Objective has been completed). Of course completing more Objectives usually means more experience and more renown as your Chapter sings songs of your deeds long after the bodies of your foes have turned to dust. In some circumstances, the Kill-team can even set its own Objectives during the mission!

One of the other key aspects of Missions is preparation. This is a selection of things that occur before a Mission, such as briefing, assigning a squad leader or choosing weapons and equipment. This period also includes Oath Taking, where Battle-Brothers can take on an Oath for their Mission, making a vow to the Emperor, their Chapter or their Battle-Brothers. Such vows are potent things for a Space Marine, and while they may motivate them to greater feats of bravery they may also force them to put their oath before tactical commonsense.

Missions can also have Complications, and as they say no plan survives contact with the enemy. These are special events that the GM can throw into a Mission to make things more challenging for the players, such as a mis-drop that puts them kilometres from their primary target, hidden foes like Lictors or daemon-hosts lurking among lesser enemies, or logistical problems that can mean a lack of support or limited ammo. Sometimes even Objectives may turn out to be false or changeable—such as turning up to destroy a bridge only to find it doesn’t exist, or protecting an Inquisitor who is more dangerous that the things trying to kill him.



However they are used, Missions are designed to be tools for the GM, helping him to bring Deathwatch to life and give his players a taste of the blood-soaked battlefields of the 41st millennium.

Forward, Battle-Brothers!

Next week, keep an eye out for more about the Missions framework, including some special attention to the deeper mechanics, like selecting a Kill-team Leader and the Oaths the Kill-team swears before the mission begins!

Salutations Acolytes!

In this week’s Designer Diary, I have my blessed bolgun aimed squarely at you Game Masters out there! With Dead Stars on shelves, I thought it might be helpful to provide the player handouts from that book for easy download. These handouts are for the GM’s out there, so don’t you players go sneaking a peak—or else you’ll ruin all the surprises!


Click the image above to download the player handouts (pdf, 532 KB)

For those who haven’t been following the Haarlock’s Legacy (or who are thinking of starting it), Dead Stars is the last in a trilogy of adventures that started in Tattered Fates, Continued in Damned Cities, and climaxes in Dead Stars. It’s been a long road of intrigue and adventure that brought us to the precipice of insanity that the Acolytes in your game will soon witness.
So what do you do once the trilogy is complete? Where do you go from here? (Assuming your characters survive, of course!) I would like to present you with three options for continuing your campaign with the events from the Haarlock’s Legacy driving you forward.

Scions of Haarlock: The Haarlock Legacy could have left more behind than the Acolytes will ever know. Discovering the remnants of the legacy or preventing others from uncovering the shards of this once grand power can make for a grand adventure series all on its own. The Acolytes may find that their deeds have created a new villain whose avarice sparks a new dark conspiracy.

Acolytes On The Run: The Acolytes have seen too much, failed in their duty, or succeeded where some wish they had not. The group finds itself on the run from an Inquisitor who isn’t happy with them. Faced with an opponent who can marshall the weight of the Imperium behind him, the Acolytes must go into hiding as the root out secrets powerful enough to topple a giant to it’s knees.

Ascension: Dead Stars is designed for characters who are rank 7 or 8. This adventure can serve as a great jumping off point for an Ascension campaign. The Acolytes have gone their separate ways in the wake of the Haarlock’s Legacy and have become Throne Agents in their own right. Powerful men and women with their own agenda’s and responsibilities it takes something from their past to bring them all back together and prevent the fall of the Calixis Sector.



Thanks for reading, Acolytes. Stay tuned for more Designer Diaries as developments unfold!

H.B.M.C. wrote:"Thanks for reading, Acolytes. Stay tuned for more Designer Diaries as developments unfold!"

Wow. Maybe they'll actually give as a clue as to what's coming out.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Guy must be a politician. Nearly 1200 words and he didn't actually say anything...

Hello Rogue Traders!

I’d like to take a moment away from the upcoming Into the Storm to provide something extra for the three-part adventure book Lure of the Expanse. Traitor’s Nexus is a nine page downloadable supplement detailing a sixth world in the Heathen Stars with a lost nexus point, and an accompanying adventure of intrigue and survival horror in the dank bayous of a lost planet. Game Masters can easily include this adventure in play-throughs of Lure of the Expanse, or with a little customization, can use Traitor’s Nexus as a foundation for a new adventure.



Click the above image to download Traitor's Nexus (pdf, 20.8 MB)

What secrets lurk at the heart of the lost backwater planet of Sabrine? Who are the mad King Kommitzar and his subjects, and what evils do they struggle with in the heart of Sabrine’s swamps? Will the Explorers make it off Sabrine alive? Download Traitor’s Nexus (pdf, 20.8 MB) from our support page and find out.

A copy of Lure of the Expanse is needed to make full use of this content. Enjoy!

Greetings, Deathwatch fans! This week, I want to give you some more details about the way Missions work in the Deathwatch RPG.

The Missions Framework

“The forward Tau command centre is too heavily shielded for an orbital strike, and too far behind the front lines for a push by the Stygian 5th Armoured Division. However, intelligence suggests that there is at least one of these so-called Ethereals coordinating operations from the base, making it a vital target. It is my recommendation that we deploy the Deathwatch Kill-team available to us and consider the matter closed...”
–High Tactician Favius at the Battle of Blood Moon



Missions are a framework for a GM to build an adventure for a Deathwatch Kill-team; it is not a random chart, nor is it a railroad. It is simply a tool that the GM can use to build a vast array of different types of stories for your Space Marine characters to interact with. The Space Marines of the Deathwatch face many unique challenges, not all of which are encountered on the battlefield! Deathwatch Kill-teams are deployed in a wide variety of situations, allowing you to create almost any kind of encounter you wish. Here are just a few examples of adventures that benefit from the Missions framework:

If your group enjoys uncovering secrets and revealing hidden facts, your Deathwatch Kill-team may be required to find the killer of a murdered Inquisitor...and discover what enigma is worth killing a member of the Holy Ordos to hide.

As an example, in the in-house Deathwatch game I run here at FFG, the Kill-team served as an honour guard for an Inquisitor during her visit to a dangerous world rife with unrest. The Inquisitor was struck down with an insidious poison, and the Kill-team was honour bound to track down those responsible and cleanse their honour.

If your group prefers exploration, your Kill-team may be sent to acquire an enigmatic alien artefact from the heart of a crumbling xenos ruin on a rogue planet, far from any sun.

The setting of the Jericho Reach and the Omega Vault within Watch Fortress Erioch provide a number of opportunities for such adventures. A Kill-team may be sent to re-establish an abandoned Watch Station, or the Omega Vault may reveal some ancient map detailing the location of an important xenos relic that the Deathwatch must secure. Your Kill-team may even be sent to a hellish daemon world or into the bleak wasteland of a planet devoured by a Tyranid swarm.

If your group has a predilection for political intrigue, the Deathwatch may dispatch your Kill-team to deal with a delicate situation involving the high Lord-Militants of the Crusade, complete with plenty of backstabbing, favour-grubbing, and jockeying for position and privilege.

The machinations of the Crusade in the Jericho Reach provide an excellent background for political maneuvers involving the Deathwatch. There are many places where the efforts of a single Kill-team could spell the difference between victory and defeat, and there are many more officials of the Crusade who are well aware of this fact! During our in-house Deathwatch campaign, the Kill-team encountered a Lord General who had clearly gone insane and needed to be replaced, lest his madness cost the Crusade invaluable territory and progress. This particular challenge required more than bolter fire to solve...

A Mission is a template for such adventures and provides the GM with a collection of obstacles for his players to overcome and rewards for successfully completing their objectives. Based on the success and significance of the Kill-team’s actions, rewards include experience points, increased Renown, and possibly the awards of special honours.



Command Without Doubt

One of my favourite parts of the Deathwatch core rulebook is the extensive background on the Deathwatch itself; its origin, purpose, and structure fully explored for the first time. As an organisation, the Deathwatch is quite unique, not only in its composition of Space Marines from across the galaxy, but also in its operations and traditions. The Space Marines of the Deathwatch are well-aware of their duties, meaning that they can be quite pro-active in seeking out xenos forces, eliminating threats, investigating forgotten ruins, or planning an assault on an alien stronghold. It is not unusual for an Inquisitor to request the assistance of the Deathwatch with a myriad of tasks, and it is also not unknown for a particular Watch Captain or Watch Commander to set forth an agenda for the Space Marines under his command.

Therefore, a Kill-team may be taking orders from their Watch Captain one mission and respond to the urgent plea of an Inquisitor on the next. The Kill-team might be assigned to work with the Lord-Militants in a particular region of the Crusade in the Jericho Reach, or they may be given a Watch Station of their own to maintain and keep vigil over a particular set of xenos tombs.

Naturally, the Kill-team itself is a group that benefits from a firm vision, and one of the elements of the Missions framework is the selection of a squad’s leader. During the development of the Deathwatch RPG, I knew that I didn’t want the “team leader” role to devolve into listening to the loudest player at the table, nor did I wish it to be a straightjacket that forced all the players into a subordinate position. Therefore, we worked hard to clearly outline the role of the leader in Deathwatch:

The mantle of squad leader is one that the players should not take lightly. In the eyes of the Deathwatch, it is the squad leader who is responsible for the success or failure of the Kill-team and the completion of their Mission. In this capacity, the player chosen to be the leader for a particular Mission has two key responsibilities for that Mission:

If at any point the Kill-team needs to make a decision on how to proceed with their Mission and they cannot reach an accord, then it falls to the squad leader to make the choice. He should listen to the other players and make a decision based on the majority. It is important to remember that making these calls does not mean that the leader is allowed to boss the other players around. Rather, he is there to guide the actions of the group.

The responsibility for the Mission and contact with the Deathwatch or the Kill-team’s commanders falls to the leader. He becomes the link in the chain of command that ties the squad into the greater Imperial efforts in their theatre of operations, receiving orders and sending vox messages to appraise the higher-ups as to the squad’s progress.

In addition, selecting a Kill-team’s leader opens up access to a set of particular Oaths that the Kill-team may select before the mission. Each Oath not only serves to guide the Kill-team’s particular focus for that mission, they also grant some small in-game benefits. Because certain Oaths may only be given from certain leaders, this encourages each Deathwatch group to rotate the role of leader amongst themselves. For example, one Mission may take place on a corrupted Forge World, requiring the Kill-team to deal with recalictrant machine spirits. Thus, they might wish to nominate the Techmarine as the leader so that he may grant the Oath of the Weapon:

Oath of the Weapon
Space Marines drill constantly, and when they are not fighting. they are training for combat. Some Battle-Brothers take this a step further and take oaths to ensure their weapons do not fail them in combat, blessing bolters and chainswords so that the Emperor might ensure their effectiveness against His enemies.
Prerequisite: Techmarine or Devastator Marine
Effect: Those taking the Oath of the Weapon pray over their weapons before battle and strive to extinguish even the smallest element of chance in their function. A Kill-team which takes this oath may ignore the effects of Jams with their personal weaponry and re-roll Weapon Skill Tests to confirm Righteous Fury with melee weapons for the duration of the Mission.
Squad Mode Abilities: Fire Support, Fire for Effect and Tank Buster.

The Storm Wardens Army Charity Project

I want to especially mention this project; it is a very cool effort for a very good cause! Several highly talented miniature painters on the internet have gathered together to create an entire Storm Wardens Army, with the proceeds going to the charity Doctors Without Borders. You can find all the information on this awesome project here:

The Storm Wardens Charity Project

Forward, Battle-Brothers!

Next week, I will present a special guest designer diary about Space Marine equipment in Deathwatch! Until then, may the Primarchs guide your way.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Yeah that's... not so awesome.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Yeah that's... not so awesome.