aka_mythos wrote:He could simply be getting credit because something he wrote before he left is used in the book or it could simply be a short story or something that used in a fluff section. I think its great that he's involved, just that it might be less substantial or more distantly than "getting him back."

Kanluwen wrote:Plus, even if it were him "getting back"...he's working for FFG, not GW.

Subtle difference there.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:Plus, even if it were him "getting back"...he's working for FFG, not GW.

Subtle difference there.

Naught but semantics. He's working with 40K again.

Stop trying to ruin everyone's fun Kan. Honestly...

Kanluwen wrote:I don't think this is the "triumphant return of the Overfiend" you're hoping for.

col. krazy kenny wrote:Most ExCELLENT!!!! ANDY IS BACK,may be that ass for a GW president finally got his head out of it.May be we will get lucky he will start doing some codexs,some of theese new ones really stink.

H.B.M.C. wrote:BrookM - You'll like Blood of Martyrs. It's a very nice book.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Man I hope it has a Commissar Career in there. And rules for all the Guard tanks!

Battlefleet Koronus, Rogue Trader’s extensive sourcebook about the starships that traverse the Koronus Expanse, will be in stores later this winter. Today, we present a designer diary from Jason Marker, one of the writers assigned to this exciting supplement.

Hey Rogue Traders, Jason Marker here. Today I'm here to talk about the rules for large-scale combat, which I wrote for Battlefleet Koronus. My assignment was initially on the ins and outs of waging war in the Imperium. However, as work progressed, we ended up developing a series of simple but effective rules with which players and GMs could design military units from the ground up... then equip them and deploy them among the heathens and xenos of the Koronus Expanse for the glory of the Emperor. Basically, once your crew wins the war in space, it’s time for the invasion.

Raise Your Troops

We start with mustering and equipping troops, which uses the new rules for building and equipping units. There are six general types of units available to Rogue Traders—infantry, calvary, mechanised infantry, artillery, armour, and air forces. Units have a power level dictated by their type, which, along with their acquisition modifier, is then modified by that unit's tech-level, their sub-type (light, medium, or heavy), and their troop quality. This allows for an incredible amount of variation and customization between unit types and near endless options for the GM. It also easily illustrates the reason that while a veteran light infantry company from a hive world may be expensive, they are much better at their jobs than a a company of serfs from a feudal world. Aside from their Unit Power Characteristic, units also have a number of other Characteristics, such as Morale, Strength, and Movement. All of these factors come into play once the bullets and bolt shells start flying.

Once a unit is mustered, they must then be equipped. Like the units themselves, equipment comes in a number of different qualities and covers everything that a unit needs to fight, from what an individual trooper has in his pockets all the way to the unit's vehicles. Needless to say, quality can have serious positive or negative effects on a unit's combat effectiveness.

Control the Chaos

The next step is, of course, waging war. The new mass combat rules allow the GM and players in a Rogue Trader game to add as much detail to their warfare efforts as they see fit. Similar to ship combat, mass combat takes place on both a macro and micro level. During strategic turns, the Explorer leading the combat, typically either the Rogue Trader or an Arch-Militant, issues “orders” to his units. Orders entail such actions as advancing, charging, digging-in, and disengaging. While this is happening, there are also Flash Points, similar to miniature Endeavours with specific goals, such as finding and destroying an enemy's communication hub, jamming transmissions, calling in artillery, or challenging an enemy general to single combat. The idea is these can be completed by the Explorers and picked groups of NPCs, allowing the players to become personally involved. Success at these Flash Points can drastically improve the chances of victory.

In all, these new rules, along with rules for Military Endeavours and hiring mercenaries, add extra levels of immersion for players and Game Masters by allowing greater control over the outcome of military operations. They are highly customisable, allowing Game Masters to tailor them to their particular campaigns and play styles, and are a great way to introduce side-quests and other complications to a Rogue Trader game.

So there you have it, friends. Pick up your copy of Battlefleet Koronus, raise some troops, and go out and win one for the God-Emperor!

reds8n wrote:More RT news...

Battlefleet Koronus, Rogue Trader’s extensive sourcebook about the starships that traverse the Koronus Expanse, will be in stores later this winter. Today, we present a designer diary from Jason Marker, one of the writers assigned to this exciting supplement. ...



http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=1915

Greetings, Deathwatch Fans!

Rites of Battle is the new, upcoming sourcebook for Deathwatch. This tome has a lot of great content for both players and Game Masters, a balance that the project team worked hard to achieve. For players, Rites of Battle has tons of exciting material, including a number of Advanced Specializations; new paths for your Deathwatch Space Marine to tread, from the mysterious Deathwatch Black Shield to the prestigious Deathwatch Champion.

The Advanced Specializations were created by Andy Chambers, and there’s a preview for one of these options found in Rites of Battle (the Deathwatch Chaplain) available on the Deathwatch Support Page.

Rites of Battle excerpt (pdf, 636 KB)

Watch Fortress Erioch

In addition, Andy also worked on a section of Rites of Battle aimed primarily at Game Masters; a detailed look at the “home base” for the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach, a vast and enigmatic construction known as Watch Fortress Erioch. Below, Andy provides his perspective on this section of the book:

I was very lucky to get assigned some truly amazing sections for Rites of Battle. Most of them revolved around Watch Fortress Erioch and its inhabitants waaaay out in the Jericho Reach. The brief for the fortress itself was highly evocative - a gigantic, ancient place hanging in the wan light of a dead star, half forgotten by most but still faithfully manned by the grim and silent brethren of the Deathwatch. I drew additional inspiration from books like Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and Lord Dunsany's In the Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales. These feature vast, rambling fortresses and their equally rambling inhabitants and I wanted to evoke some of the same feel for Watch Fortress Erioch.

I wrote up several characters and locations for Watch Fortress Erioch, and adventure ideas for both that I thought would be fun to GM. I aimed to build up as much strangeness and intrigue as possible within the fortress itself so it wasn't merely a safe haven to run to between missions but a place with plenty of its own excitement and dangers. Probably my favourite section was the Xenos Bestiarium, a kind of alien zoo where all kinds of creatures are imprisoned, interrogated, tested and used for target practice by the Deathwatch. Several of its inhabitants are written up as characters with their own adventure seeds and a breakout of weird unknown aliens is always pending.

Beyond the fortress itself I also got to work with the other designers on creating new specializations for Deathwatch characters such as the highly anticipated Chaplain and Dreadnought. The latter might spoil your chances of pulling off a stealth mission but brings enough firepower that you probably won't care. We also introduced some new specializations unique to the Deathwatch itself, like the Watch Captain, Kill-Marine and Black Shields.

Thanks, Andy! Keep checking back for more on Rites of Battle, and look for on store shelves in the next few weeks!

Miss Dee wrote:How about a Chaplain Dread?

shrike wrote:

Miss Dee wrote:How about a Chaplain Dread?

or the new DC dread? That has a skull and stuff. Just file off the BA symbols.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Looks cool.

Somewhat sad to see the Chaplain isn't a new Speciality but rather just an alternate rank. Shame. I thought that the Chaplain would be the way Faith Talents would be introduced into Deathwatch. Guess not.

Also strange that the Dread is a Speciality rather than just a vehicle. I guess the rules will be broad enough to allow you to have NPC Dreads, but the idea of having Dread PC's is crazy!