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Is it an actual RPG with roleplaying or is it simply screaming bald space marines spraying Xenos with bolter fire?

I've played FFGs other 40K RPGs and would think that my IRL local club might find this easiest to start in (I'm trying to ween them into playing either RT or DH.) I'm assuming DW will be: Kill kill kill, FOR THE EMPEROR!! kill kill kill.
If so it'll probably appeal to my prospective group.

It can be like any other RPG. You play in a kill team so it is heavily focused on combat. But that does not mean it is mindless violence. This is how I can my starting adventure...


30 weeks ago we received a message from an Industrial World in the bordering sub-sector. Astropathic messages revealed that some foul craft emerged from the Empyrean and laid waste to the defenses of the world. Last message received indicated the remaining forces have fortified the last remaining Tech-Palace and have prepared for the final assault.

Under order from the High Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos a battlegroup has been dispatched to reclaim the world and assist the remaining Imperial Guard stationed on the planet. Your primary mission is to orbital drop directly into the ruined Tech-Palace. Assist any Imperial Guard that you come across. Organize the defenses until the remaining forces are deployed.

Following Imperial protocol your next objective is to secure the space port and aid in the evacuation of the citizens. They have called upon the Emperor for deliverance and you are his angels of vengeance. With the non-combatant population secure and the defenses organized you are to begin the extermination of the foul xenos in your assigned combat zone. All standing military personnel are to fall under your command as needed to secure the tech-palace and its surrounding mines.

Praise be to the Emperor! Hallowed be his name. We shall cleanse this world and avenge those who have fallen in His name.

It allows for heavy focus on combat, but as an RPG it can also require more tactful activity (negotiations/diplomacy, etc.).

It all depends on what you do/allow as GM, the tone you set, and the desire/skill of your players to roleplay and think beyond combat as a solution to every problem...

VikingScott wrote:I'm assuming DW will be: Kill kill kill, FOR THE EMPEROR!! kill kill kill.
If so it'll probably appeal to my prospective group.

Sounds like you need a different prospective group if you wanna do some proper roleplaying....
Whats the ages of the people in the group?

We played a bit of Deathwatch a while back and it was a good larf, was nice to be hard as nails and armoured up the yinyang, but I doubt it has long-term playability. But if the people in the group are most likely just wanting to be killing stuff then after playing DW its going to be hard to get them to play RT and even harder to play basic DH....

Yeah I probably am not going to get success.

The group are around my own age (mostly. A few older or younger.)
(I am 17 for reference.)

I think that the combat aspect of RPGs would appeal to my prospective group the most. But I would try to expand it slowly to a more balanced sessions.

I'm involved with another group as it is (we rotate GMs and play DH) but that is over the interent and is slower than an IRL group and game would be. Seeing as I go to a club I thought I'd try to set one up but I'm not sure about interest and opinions. :/

I figure that heavy combat would apeal the most seeing as this would be the first pen and paper rpg any of them have played and that they will probably think this will be like fallout or something where you just wade in killing most things.

VikingScott wrote:Is it an actual RPG with roleplaying or is it simply screaming bald space marines spraying Xenos with bolter fire?

Well I'm sorry to say but that's a stupid assumption (mixed with a little tired 4Chan-esque meme cliché-ing above screaming bald Marines).

You get as much out of an RPG as you put into an RPG. If all you can get out of Deathwatch is a few hours of "SPEHSS MAHREEHNS! HURR!", then that's the fault of the GM, the players, or both.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

VikingScott wrote:Is it an actual RPG with roleplaying or is it simply screaming bald space marines spraying Xenos with bolter fire?

Well I'm sorry to say but that's a stupid assumption (mixed with a little tired 4Chan-esque meme cliché-ing above screaming bald Marines).

You get as much out of an RPG as you put into an RPG. If all you can get out of Deathwatch is a few hours of "SPEHSS MAHREEHNS! HURR!", then that's the fault of the GM, the players, or both.

What can I say, I'm a cynical sort.

I play DH already and didn't know that deathwatch interacting would have as much potential as either DH or RT. I would have gathered that DW would be more combat heavy.

As a game about Space Marines it naturally lends itself to a more combat-heavy approach, but as I said, that's only if you let it be. You could run entire sessions about the prayers Marines say before going into battle. I doubt it would be any fun, but it wouldn't involve any combat either.

My wanna-be-writer says that roleplaying and such about Space Marines should focus on two things:
1. Killing bad guys (Xenos, Chaos, etc.)
2. Temptations

The second is probably more interesting, while the first can be fun for players as tactical challenges and such.

For temptation, I don't just mean the obvious stuff like "Wow, that Daemonette sure is hot. You'll never be able to look at crab claws the same way again."

I'd want to look at what could cause a Space marine to go off the 'rails' of their oaths and expectations. not necessarily to fall to Chaos, but merely to bend orders, display some humanity and emotion, or otherwise act in an unexpected way. For Dark Angels, the desire to deal with the Fallen seems like an obvious hook... A Deathwatch team might be working on a threat, and the suggestion of info on the fallen might cause the DA member to get distracted. A Space Wolf might be vulnerable to appeals to his pride, an their's some stuff in canon about them actually being one of the nicer Chapters... They've done stuff to protect innocents that many other Chapters would not have done, I believe. Blood Angels might be tempted by the chance to recover valuable artworks, as well as their own torments.

The flip side of this is that if I was GMing I'd want to make sure the players understood that I wouldn't be using these disadvantages to screw them, but to give them something interesting to do. There's a cliche that the majority of RPG characters are wandering orphans because the players don't want to give the GMs ammo, but I feel people should look at dependents and attachments to the world as opportunities, not flaws.

Interesting.

But if a fun, more balaced rpg is wanted then deffo stick to DH and RT.

Alright I think my question has been answered.

Any other details about DW anyone wants to share with me?

Yeah. It's awesome.

Just read through the rulebook. Heaps of cool stuff in there and, better, because all the 40K RPG's share the same basic rule-set, you can treat all three of them as one giant game and mix'n'match what you want or need.

That's cool that it uses the same rules system.

I supose as their marines they don't have to worry so much about equipment as mere acloytes do or Explorers do.

Not in the slightest. You get Requisition at the start of each mission, and you essentially spend that Req on whatever you want (and can afford). Certain items are restricted (can't just take a Thunder Hammer or Terminator Armour on your first mission - you need to be a well respected DW Marine first), and the amount of Req you get will be dependent on the GM, but it means you won't be scavenging for weapons or hoarding Thrones to buy a new Autopistol.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Not in the slightest. You get Requisition at the start of each mission, and you essentially spend that Req on whatever you want (and can afford). Certain items are restricted (can't just take a Thunder Hammer or Terminator Armour on your first mission - you need to be a well respected DW Marine first), and the amount of Req you get will be dependent on the GM, but it means you won't be scavenging for weapons or hoarding Thrones to buy a new Autopistol.

The hoarding thrones/scavenging to buy a new pistol sounds familiar .

Indeed it does.

When we played DW we all stayed completely in character, calling each other 'Brother *insert pseudo-latin name here*'.

If its a new group then they'll probably be messing around, being harsh on them for not sticking to character (i.e. not acting appropriately for an uber-disciplined, genetically modified reactionary religious loonbox). It'll have the added bonus of weeding out those who just want a combat game and those who actually might like roleplaying.

Just an idea.

Yeah that's why I'm considering deathwatch over either DH or RT.

DW would suit those who would want combat and would give me an indication to those who might like to do more roleplaying than fighting. (I didn't think there was that much useful RPing that could be done with DW compared to DH or RT.)

I like the idea. I expect that the prospective group (who have never played a pen and paper rpg before) would expect something combat related and not be too sure of how to roleplay.

I'll be bringing up the idea of roleplaying at my next club meet and see who's interested.