reds8n wrote: ..hmm.. don't think so...it IS in Deathwatch though.

Hello Rogue Trader fans!

This week I’d like to talk about the second adventure in the upcoming Lure of the Expanse adventure book, The Heathen Trail.

Without giving too much away, The Heathen Trail takes place in a part of the Koronus Expanse known as the Heathen Stars. The Heathen Stars is a region of the Expanse that has been inhabited by humanity for many millennia, possibly even before the time of the Imperium. More often than not, they know nothing of the Imperium or its divine ruler, the God-Emperor of Mankind.
It is amongst these worlds the Explorers must travel, to uncover long-lost secrets and clues to the location of a vast treasure. However, being Rogue Traders, they should consider that every situation they find themselves in has a chance for profit!

The Heathen Trail is set up a ‘sandbox’ adventure, designed to give the players a great deal of leeway in how they go about exploring the Heathen Stars. The adventure provides five different unique worlds and locations within the Heathen Stars (with one very notable exception). Each has a history and gazateer, and a detailed set of objectives the Explorers can fulfill to obtain additional profit on the side. Sometimes these objectives coincide with the Explorers’ original goals, while in other cases the Explorers could ignore them...if they can easily ignore the possible rewards!

In this designer diary, I would like to talk about two of the locations, the desert world of Vaporius, and the ill-omened Processional of the Damned.

Vaporius

Vaporius is an excellent example of a world whose culture is very divergent from the Imperium, something the Explorers will encounter in the Heathen Stars. A world of pink, sandy deserts, beautiful but extremely poisonous cyan seas, and jagged mountain ranges that cut across the planet like chainsword teeth, Vaporius is hardly a place where you would expect to find life. However, humanity has survived and even prospered here, living in vast cities in the deserts constructed of copper, glass, and ceramic tiles. Each city is built around a single spring of pure, fresh water, and each spring is controlled by a Priest-King.



The Priest-Kings hold absolute power over their subjects, who are completely (and some might say suspiciously) content with their servitude. They worship the Priest-Kings as deities, and the Priest-Kings in turn live in complete luxury. There is only one threat to the Preist-Kings’ authority—the Imperium of Man, or more specifically the Missionarius Galaxia. These preachers of the Imperial Creed are attempting to convert the population to worship of the God-Emperor and in doing so, threaten the one thing the Priest-Kings covet most of all—their people’s faith.

The Processional of the Damned

Far from the Heathen Stars, the Processional of the Damned is linked to them nonetheless, by the ancient strands of fate and strange xenos machinations. A haunted and fearful place, the Processional is a vast ring of derelict vessels and shattered worlds orbiting a dark star that shines with an eerie light.



Only a few Rogue Traders have visited this place, and even fewer have returned. The only one to speak extensively of his journey is Wrath Umboldt, who stumbled across the Processional while exploring the far reaches of the Accursed Demesne. Umboldt told of a vast procession of wrecked space hulks, as if all the lost ships in the Segmentum (or perhaps the galaxy) had washed up on this benighted shore. He did not tarry there long, but he did send crewmembers along the edges of the wreckage. Some returned with treasures and archeotech. More never returned at all.

In The Heathen Trail, the Explorers may be compelled to journey into the Processional as well. The rewards they find may be considerable, though it will be up to them to determine if they outweigh the risk.

That’s all for this week. Stay tuned for my next Designer Diary, when I discuss the overarching structure of the Lure of the Expanse.

Greetings, Dark Heresy fans!



“Now, you face a somewhat better class of heretic.”
–Inquisitor Felroth Gelt

During the development of Ascension, one thing that became clear early on is that we needed to present ascended characters with suitably challenging enemies. An Inquisitor and his hand-picked retinue face different foes than the cultists and mutants that Acolytes often encounter.

One of my favourite bad guys from this ultimate bad guy chapter in Ascension is Governor Malakai Vess. He does not represent an unstoppable monster in personal combat. No, in fact, he is little more than a normal man (albeit hardened by years of service in the Emperor’s Name). What makes him truly and exceptionally dangerous is his heretical beliefs and his exceptional ability to inspire fanatical loyalty in his followers. Thus, Vess presents an interesting challenge to an Inquisitor and other Throne Agents, in that facing him head-on will likely not produce ideal results. Rather, a more creative approach is going to provide a much better outcome for the Throne Agents. It may even be possible to reason with Vess, and no doubt there could be a great deal of exciting roleplaying opportunities for the player characters to attempt to sway him...or perhaps for Vess to sway them to his point of view in turn!

As an Imperial Governor, Vess has a great deal of power and authority. This is represented by his Influence score. In Ascension, Influence is a game mechanic that measures the impact a person’s authority may have on the various organisations of the Imperium. For Vess, his impressive Influence score means that the Throne Agents will not simply have to face him in battle, they will have to first untangle the web of favours and pressure the Governor can use to slow their progress.

Influence may also be used to acquire special gear or the services of particularly useful groups or individuals. In Governor Vess’ case, this means that he not only commands the potent forces of his own personal guard, he may also be able to call on the services of the especially deadly Eversor Assassin!



Imperial Governor Malaki Vess oversees Zweihan’s World, a minor hive world located in the Malfian Sub-sector. A cool and temperate planet, much of Zweihan’s World’s surface is covered in water, resulting in a rather damp planetary climate. The planet is circled by several long, mountainous and almost serpentine continents, which are straddled by four hive cities near the equator. Zweihan’s World’s most notable feature is not on the planet, but around it: a vast ring system made up of the shattered remains of what used to be a large moon. Now the rock rings are mined, bringing the planet impressive mineral wealth.

As the Imperial ruler of the planet, Vess has overseen Zweihan’s World’s development for most of the last century. An intelligent, empathetic, and charismatic man and ruler, he has ruled his planet well, and as a result his subjects are prosperous and content. It is no wonder that Vess is respected, even adored, by his subjects.

However, trouble looms for Vess. The Adeptus Administratum has recently determined that Zweihan’s World is not properly exploiting the vast mineral deposits found in its planetary rings. As a result, the planet’s Tithe is set to increase to exploitive levels.

Vess knows what this means; Zweihan’s World will become a blasted, strip-mined, and polluted wasteland where the unlucky inhabitants scrabble for simple survival. He cannot stand to see this happen, and thus, plots rebellion.

Naturally, Governor Vess is simply one of the many ascended adversaries you will find within Ascension...this particular chapter is quite packed with other dangerous Xenos, foul minions of Chaos, and much more!

Ascension Wallpaper #3

As a special bonus, this week you can find the third of four special Ascension wallpapers on the Dark Heresy support page! Enjoy!

RussWakelin wrote:Shameless self promotion:

Don't forget we have a 1 hour audio interview with Ross Watson of FFG about Ascension:

The discussion starts at the 1hr 18min mark.

http://www.thed6generation.com/index.php?post_id=574787

Greetings, Dark Heresy fans!

This week, I have some more great information about the new Dark Heresy sourcebook that takes your campaign to all new heights—Ascension!

What I’d like to talk about this time is a new set of Talents presented in Ascension that give your Dark Heresy characters a new way to interact with the Inquisition, the Calixis Sector, and the Imperium itself. Talents of Influence are Talents which represent a character’s relationships and influence with other organisations within the Imperium. By taking Talents such as being a Peer of a particular division of the Imperial apparatus, or by deliberately setting themselves in opposition to particular factions using negative influence Talents, characters can build their own place within the ever-turning wheels of Imperial power.



“Ah, I see that you think to take this matter up with the Lord Marshall? Yes? Oh, but I am afraid that Lord Gorman and myself have a mutual understanding of considerable pedigree. You understand, I am sure, my dear.”
—words of Inquisitor Rathbone in confrontation with Senior Arbitrator Drusil

Positive and Negative Influence

Talents which interact with Influence can have either a positive or negative effect on exerting influence over a particular group or organisation. Both negative and positive influence Talents are available as advances for Ascended Characters, with positive influence Talents costing a character experience and negative influence granting a character an amount of experience to spend on other advances in recompense. Negative influence Talents may represent an enemy, or a negative perception of the character held by a particular organisation. Talents which have a positive effect on influence may be a good reputation, accolade or honour that a character has earned.

Building the Map of Influence

By taking both positive and negative Talents of influence, a character is creating a set of favourable and unfavourable dispositions that relate to the other powers that operate within the Imperium. Combining together the influence traits of the entire group, you can build a map of where the influence of an Inquisitor and his close associates lies; where it is strong, where it is neutral, and where it stops or runs into complications, rivalry, or animosity.

The following is an example of a Talent of Influence:

Acolyte Network
Career: Inquisitor

The character maintains one or more cells of chosen acolytes who perform missions for him, and can act as his proxies and agents when he are not present. These acolytes are talented servants who carry out dangerous missions and investigations at the will of their Inquisitor, often on their own and with little direct intervention from their master. The number of acolyte cells an Inquisitor maintains beyond his personal cadre varies as much as the nature of individual Inquisitors. Some maintain vast networks of dozens of acolytes working alone or in cells, others maintain only a single cell of carefully chosen servants. The advantage of maintaining an acolyte network is that an Inquisitor can address many tasks without being personally present and can draw on a pool of loyal and experienced operatives who are personally loyal to him.

Effect: At the point that the character gains this Talent, he must reduce his Influence by –5 for every acolyte cell he sets up. This loss represents the cost and resources required to set up a network of acolytes. The character may spend more Influence points in this manner at any time to create new Acolyte cells or to replace one that was lost or destroyed. The character may use his acolyte network in two ways: to carry out specific missions, or as a resource of people to draw on.

Missions: To set an acolyte cell on a mission, the character simply needs to set out the mission objective. The GM then decides, in secret, if the mission succeeds and to what extent; if he wishes to do this randomly, he should make a test using the character’s influence modified as he sees fit for the difficulty of the mission. As the Inquisitor is not acting directly in the mission a –20 penalty is imposed on this test.

Personal Resource: The character may attempt to requisition individuals of a particular expertise from amongst the acolytes he maintains to accompany him in person. This is done in exactly the same way as requisitioning personnel using Influence, but no negative modifiers for the duration of requisition apply, and the character can only requisition individual acolytes. This means that he has to test for every acolyte he wishes to requisition in this way.



The Balance of Influence of Inquisitor Glavius Wroth

Glavius Wroth is a staunch Amalathian who has built a reputation as a pragmatic but steadfast defender of Imperial order and stability. While he does take a personal hand in many of his operations, he also maintains a wide sphere of influence that is balanced by the fact that he has as many enemies as he has allies; not least of which are a number of powerful Inquisitors within the Calixian Conclave.

Close Allies: Wroth has very close ties with the Adeptus Arbites and has cultivated key allies within their senior ranks including Kae Drusil of the Divisio Immoralis, and Lord Marshal Gorman, the most senior member of the Arbites in the sector. He also has close friendship with General Kasir, commander of Imperial forces on Tranch. Amongst the ranks of the Ecclesiarchy, Wroth has formed a number of useful relationships chief amongst which is Deacon Priam. High Prefect Momulus, Administratum overseer of the Golgenna Reach, has long been one of Wroth’s closest allies and informants on the internal politics of the Imperial bureaucracy in the sector.

Well Disposed Individuals and Organisations: Wroth has great respect for Lord Inquisitor Caidin, a compliment which the Lord Inquisitor broadly returns in recognition of Wroth’s effectiveness as a bulwark against instability. Although it is a close secret, Wroth is in correspondence with the mysterious Inquisitor Marr, a relationship that has profited both Inquisitors.

Conflicting Interests: Wroth sees Lord Sector Marius Hax as a paranoid fanatic who is a long-term risk to the stability of the sector; an opinion that Wroth has not succeeded in keeping secret from the Lord Sector’s allies within the Inquisition. On a number of occasions, Wroth has clashed with the Lord Sector’s upstart military police, the Chaliced Commissariat, and there is little love lost between the Inquisitor and ‘Hax’s hounds.’ Wroth has always mistrusted the function and intent of the Tyrantine Cabal, and relations between him and most members of the Cabal are strained at best. His denouncements and persecution of two radical Inquisitors in the course of his career puts him in broad conflict with all Inquisitors of a radical persuasion.

Enemies: Though Wroth does not know it, Inquisitor Lord Anton Zerbe, convenor of the Tyrantine Cabal is an enemy that even now moves against him. Wroth’s suspicions regarding the Tyrantine Cabal, and information that he has assembled about the secret Tenebrae Collegium within the Cabal, have made him an intolerable threat to Zerbe’s plans.

Ascension Preview #1

This week we have a special preview of Ascension, featuring Mastered Skills and Paragon Talents! Download the preview below:

Preview #1 (Print Quality) (PDF, 27.7 MB)
Preview #1 (Web Quality) (PDF, 652KB)

Ascension Wallpaper #4

As a special bonus, this week you can find the fourth of four special Ascension wallpapers on the Dark Heresy support page! Enjoy!

Mellon wrote:Hmm, 180w. I know this is old news, and probably wrong anyhow, but I think it is quite reasonable if you want a single monster to challenge a big group of combat oriented PCs. Both my DH groups normaly have six to eight players in them (popular game around here and lack of GMs), and many of those are good at making powerful combat synergies for their characters. Doing 180W to something with an effective TB of 14 and 10 points of armor (these are only a guesstimate) would take them two or three rounds at most, _if_ they got to set the stage for the fight. Autocannon + Bulging biceps. Holy eviscreators. Unnatural strength + powerfist. Lighning attack + Furious assault. All these things makes it nearly impossible to make one big bad a serious opponent. And these abilities are quite accessible around the 10k xp. So I don't think 180 w are at all irrationally high for an Ascension adversary.

Mattlov wrote:

Mellon wrote:Hmm, 180w. I know this is old news, and probably wrong anyhow, but I think it is quite reasonable if you want a single monster to challenge a big group of combat oriented PCs. Both my DH groups normaly have six to eight players in them (popular game around here and lack of GMs), and many of those are good at making powerful combat synergies for their characters. Doing 180W to something with an effective TB of 14 and 10 points of armor (these are only a guesstimate) would take them two or three rounds at most, _if_ they got to set the stage for the fight. Autocannon + Bulging biceps. Holy eviscreators. Unnatural strength + powerfist. Lighning attack + Furious assault. All these things makes it nearly impossible to make one big bad a serious opponent. And these abilities are quite accessible around the 10k xp. So I don't think 180 w are at all irrationally high for an Ascension adversary.

I'm going to guess with a Greater Daemon just running up to it will create reasonably quick failure. It will probably drive you insane and corruption the gak out if you just to look at it, let alone get close to it.

+++Incoming Astropathic Transmission+++


Greetings, Dark Heresy fans!

Chapter VII of Ascension is focused around helping prepare a Dark Heresy gaming group for the new ascended level presented in the book. This chapter, known as Game Mastery, describes the unique circumstances for the Acolytes-turned-Throne Agents and includes guidance on how to work with one or more of the players assuming the role of the Inquisitor.

As the lead developer on Ascension, I knew we would need to cover a lot of ground when presenting an entirely different spin on the Dark Heresy experience. One of the paramount topics that would need to be covered in depth is advice and guidance for the GM on how an ascended campaign should function, including a way to steer around some of the common pitfalls often associated with higher-level play. In addition, we wanted to highlight the fantastic opportunities for roleplaying that are offered in an ascended campaign, such as how the group can interact with various factions of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Terra, plus the political maneuverings and back-room dealings that will affect them both during the game and “off-screen.”



The Cadre

A group of ascended characters is often referred to as a “Cadre,” reflecting their specialised nature as the Inquisitor and his personal retinue of talented retainers. In a Cadre, the Inquisitor (or senior Inquisitor if there is more than one present) is the person in charge; the other characters work for him, and their power and influence derives from the Inquisitor’s authority.

However, this particular approach may not work for every group, and this chapter discusses a number of alternate methods to approach the game to alleviate this issue.

Everything from the basic concept of the group’s direction (“Are we a group of witch hunters, or are we going to focus on the threat of the Tyrant Star?”) to how the group makes decisions is examined in detail, and we made sure that there are numerous examples!

The chapter includes many other topics, including extensive advice on how to run an ascended campaign, involving the various factions and political issues that are likely to be part of such an undertaking.

Ascension Preview #2
This week I am pleased to present the second preview for Ascension, a glimpse at the Magos Ascended Career. Enjoy!

Preview #2 (Print Quality) (PDF, 10.9 MB)
Preview #2 (Web Quality) (PDF, 340 KB)

The Next Step

Stay tuned to the Fantasy Flight Games web site in the next few weeks as Ascension nears release!

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce that Disciples of the Dark Gods, a sourcebook for Dark Heresy, is now available for purchase via download. Head over to drivethrurpg.com or rpgnow.com and and check out a collection of the darkest threats the Calixis Sector has ever seen!

The Ruinous Powers of Chaos take delight in seducing mortals to become sorcerers and cultists. Sinister secrets and conspiracies place entire worlds in peril. These dangers are kept in check only by the courage and iron determination of the Inquisition.

From the savage blood-soaked arenas of the Beast Houses, to the apocalyptic terror of the Tyrant Star, Disciples of the Dark Gods features a wealth of detailed challenges for Acolytes to confront, along with profiles of the Calixis Sector’s most wanted—a collection of cunning and dangerous foes who seek the downfall of the Golden Throne.

Additionally, you’ll find new character options and new Psychic Powers, along with forbidden technology of the alien and the corrupting path of sorcery, along with a full-length adventure that introduces the Acolytes to the affairs of a notorious Rogue Trader.

Hello Rogue Trader fans!

This week I’d like to take some time to talk about Lure of the Expanse, specifically the book’s grand endeavour: Conquering the Dread Pearl.



So far, most of the endeavours in Rogue Trader adventures have been presented as profit-earning opportunities the players may look into in the course of their adventures. While tied into the plot of an adventure, they are not central to completing that adventure. Instead, they are independent opportunities the players can pursue on their own time. (Or possibly have their lackeys handle for them!)

Lure of the Expanse and Conquering the Dread Pearl go in an entirely different direction. Instead of multiple endeavours that are kept somewhat independent of the central storyline, all three adventures are linked by this overarching grand endeavour. As the players navigate the treacherous landscape of Footfall, strike bargains with the Priest-Kings of Vaporius, duel in the void against the ships of the Twilight Corsairs, or even bombard war-torn Zayth, each of their actions contributes to the success of the overall endeavour (and by extension, Lure of the Expanse as a whole). If, like true Rogue Traders, they turn each situation into an opportunity for profit, completing Lure will leave them wealthy and powerful, forces to be reckoned with in the Expanse. However, a wrong move can drain a Rogue Trader’s coffers instead, making it that much harder to turn their quest for the Dread Pearl into a profit-making venture.



To help Game Masters keep track of their players’ successes (and failures), Lure of the Expanse includes an Achievement Point Tracker. The image above depicts the Tracker, with some of the juicier details blurred out. We don't want to spoil the adventure before the book's released, after all!

While completing the three adventures in Lure of the Expanse, the players will have numerous opportunities to earn (and lose!) Achievement Points. There is more information about how Achievement Points work in the Core Rulebook, but suffice to say, the players will need to earn a certain amount for the endeavour to be successful. The Achievement Point Tracker not only lets the GM keep track of how many Achievement Points his party earns throughout the Adventures, when the group finishes Lure the GM can show them the Tracker and the group can see where in the adventure they were wildly successful, and where they failed.

On the Track above, the group is about half-way through the three adventures. They have mostly been successful (although not nearly as successful as they could be). However, their most recent adventure turned out very badly for them, and they will have to work even harder to make up for it.

However, the grand endeavour does not lock a group into playing through all three adventures, nor is its use mandatory. Lure of the Expanse explains how to use each of the book’s three adventures separately, and many of the objectives in the book can be turned into endeavours of their own right, with a minimum of conversion work. However, for groups who want a truly epic three-part adventure where every choice has an impact on their bottom line, Lure of the Expanse provides.

Rogue Trader is a roleplaying game set in dark gothic far future of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe. Players take on the roles of explorers aboard a Rogue Trader's ship, searching for profit and adventure while discovering new alien cultures and threats in the uncharted regions of space

The enemies of man are too numerous to count; the alien, the beast, and the daemon are but a few of the horrors lurking in the shadows. The Inquisition’s mandate is to bring the Emperor’s Light into the darkness and utterly extinguish those that oppose the might of the Imperium... but first, you must know your enemy.

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce that Creatures Anathema, a bestiary of aliens, beasts, and daemons for Dark Heresy, is now available for purchase via download at drivethrurpg.com and rpgnow.com!

Creatures Anathema features a variety of menaces, from the Fenksworld Pit Thing to the Xothian Blood Locusts, plus an overview of the Calixis Sector’s infamous Deathworlds, along with counsel from notable members of the Inquisition on exterminating each foe!

Classic monsters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe like the Ambull and Enslaver lie within the pages of Creatures Anathema, alongside all-new foes to the Calixis Sector! Creatures Anathema is a vital accessory for any Dark Heresy campaign; each creature entry includes adventure seeds to help Gamemasters insert a ferocious alien, beast, or daemon seamlessly into a campaign.

Head over to drivethrurpg.com or rpgnow.com and download your copy today!

+++ INCOMING ASTROPA <shhhz> TR@NSMISHHH +++
+++ ASTROPATHIC CORPUS FAILURE +++

Greetings Dark Heresy Fans!

My name is Mack, and I'm the new RPG Producer here at Fantasy Flight Games. I have hijacked Ross’s scheduled designer diary to talk about some of the player experiences that really excite me in Ascension.



I enjoyed a long running Dark Heresy game about a year ago with some good friends that came to a close with our characters sitting around Rank 8. When one spends that much time delving into the underbelly of the Calixis Sector, you know the character like the back of your hand.

That’s who Octus Enoch was for me. A loyal acolyte of Inquisitor Calantis whose mind cleansing left him unable to control his latent psychic abilities and whose true past had been revealed over months of game play. His story was told... but I wanted to see what happened next. Thus, when Ross gave me a chance to experience another chapter in the tale of Octus through an Ascension character, I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to share this experience with the Dark Heresy community so I recorded the process as a designer diary.

Below, you can see Octus’ character sheet as he stood at the end of our last campaign. I knew that Octus had only one route to take. Everything about our “Eisenhorn-esque” campaign was leading him towards becoming an Inquisitor. That left me to choose a transition package, which is my favorite part about making an Ascension character. A transition package is a story element that connects a Rank 8 Dark Heresy character to a Rank 9 Ascension character. There are several options in the Ascension book that are suitable for taking a Dark Heresy career character to an Ascension career. Perhaps an assassin can become an Interrogator... but how? That is where the transition package comes in!



Click the above image to see Octus before his ascension (pdf, 5.8 MB)

I thought about all the things that happened to the character from Rank 1 to Rank 8, and I finally settled on “Spiritual Retreat” as a great way to represent Octus sequestering himself and learning to control his latent psychic abilities without getting himself executed for heresy. Even better, choosing this package let him shed a few corruption points and gave him a Willpower boost. The other choices, “Baptism of Fire” and “Ritual Trial” were very tempting. “Ritual Trial” made a lot of sense to have Enoch ritually tortured and tested with the threat of execution looming at all times. However, in the end, the Spiritual Retreat transition package felt right to me.

The story began to unfold in my head—I could imagine Inquisitor Calantis weighing the decision to just kill Octus or to continue his training. Perhaps Octus was taken into deep space, and he spent time meditating in an air lock (with the Inquisitor standing ready to blow him into space if anything went wrong). Portions of his mind thought forever locked to him opening under the careful psychic scapel of our groups Psyker... memories of a former life flooding back. I couldn’t wait to put Inquisitor Enoch into a Dark Heresy saga again.

Having dealt with the transition package, I chose my Ascdended trait. I chose “The Psyker’s Gift” because it allowed the character to begin developing his psychic potential without making it the entire focus of the character. I then adjusted some other portions of my character sheet (Fate, Corruption, Insanity and Wounds all shift with Ascension), and I spent the starting Ascended character experience points on other advances and Characteristic increases.

Here is “Inquisitor Enoch” ready to hit the table top and root out evils within the Calixis sector!



Click the above image to see Octus after his ascension (pdf, 10.1 MB)

Dark Heresy is a roleplaying game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, a setting in the grim darkness of the far future. Players take on the roles of Acolytes serving the Inquisition, rooting out heresy and corruption from within the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man.

Deathwatch | Published 05 March 2010 Rating 3 votes
Greetings, Deathwatch fans!

My name is Ross Watson, Lead Developer for Deathwatch. This is the first of many designer diaries that present a number of my thoughts (and those of others on the Deathwatch design team!) about the Deathwatch RPG. In these designer diaries, my intention is to make a solid connection with the fans of the game, present new and exciting information about the Deathwatch line, and have a little fun while doing so.

I look at each designer diary as a personal letter from me to a fellow gamer, someone who enjoys roleplaying and the grim darkness of the far future that is the Warhammer 40,000 universe.





Deathwatch: A New Challenge

As a long-time fan of all things Warhammer 40,000, the opportunity to create a roleplaying game centred on the Space Marines of the Deathwatch was something I absolutely could not pass up! I knew that this particular game was going to present a number of big challenges, but I wasn’t daunted by that.

Becoming a Space Marine

One of the first challenges that needed to be met was to identify and emphasise the elements of a Space Marine’s personality and bring that into the game. The Space Marines are elite warriors, amongst the deadliest in the galaxy—but that is not the entire story. Roleplaying as a Space Marine presents a unique test: Space Marines are more than human, larger-than-life figures more akin to the heroes of the Trojan War and the Odyssey than to Inquisitional Acolytes or a Rogue Trader and his companions. Some Space Marines are epic individuals who will risk all for a matter of honour, others are philosophers and tragic figures, full of passion and regret. However you choose to interpret these ideas, it is important to note that the Space Marines chosen for the Deathwatch are nuanced, complex characters.

Deathwatch supports this unique roleplaying experience with its varied themes, styles of play, and some special mechanics (more on this will be revealed in the weeks to come!).

Styles of Play


One of the things I knew very early on was that Deathwatch needed to provide styles of play that would encourage roleplaying and story-building during the game. There are a number of ways to experience the game that lend themselves to Deathwatch and focus on the different kinds of adventures the Game Master might like to run. None of these approaches are exclusive, of course, and they can be mixed and matched as required by the GM’s plot. Here are some example styles of play (from the mind of the talented Owen Barnes) that are well-suited to Deathwatch characters:

The Emperor's Finest


Space Marines are, by their nature and design, most commonly found where the fighting is the thickest. Bred for war and trained to excel in all aspects of battle, Battle-Brothers fit easily into adventures that focus on lots of combat. These often take the form of military missions where the characters find themselves sent in to destroy targets, complete objectives, and bring glory to the Emperor by vanquishing his foes. While there are many permutations and variations on the military theme and the idea of an elite group of warriors tasked with special orders, they all share the common goal of annihilating the enemy, usually in a hail of bolter shells and plasma bolts. Military-themed games also often focus on single actions and objectives in the greater scheme of Imperial strategy.

While the Imperial battlefleet rains orbital barrages from above and the Imperial Guard swarm across the blasted landscape, the Deathwatch Kill-team moves between the flames and shadows to strike at critical times and places. Against a backdrop of ash, blood, and ruin, the Battle-Brothers wade through the carnage aloof and elite, aware of their unique role in the tide of battle. Such games can also see the characters swept up in ongoing Imperial campaigns and dispatched from world to world or warzone to warzone at the whim of unseen commanders and battle-hungry generals. This could see them storming a lunar defence platform, followed by a low-orbit insertion into a jungle warzone before being conveyed by Thunderhawk gunship to a beach landing on the other side of the planet.

The advantage of military-style games is that they are easy to start and finish, existing only within the parameters of the mission and with the benefit of the Imperial war machine to ferry, supply, and brief the characters without the need for them to find their own way around the galaxy or shop for replacement weapons or ammo.

Inquisitorial Involvement

While the Deathwatch are drawn from the Adeptus Astartes, they also work closely with the Ordo Xenos. They are an elite force within the Imperial war machine, but, they have a special place within the structure of the Inquisition dedicated to the eradication of a specific enemy of the Imperium. Games that feature the involvement of the Inquisition are likely to be more subtle and detailed than those in which the Kill-team is facing the foes of humanity in open battle. This can mean accompanying an Inquisitor and his servants into the depths of a hive world, some ancient and forgotten alien ruins, or the shadowy corridors of a space hulk, far from the support of the Imperial armies, where the Kill-team must rely upon their own skills to survive and protect their allies.

Even the most arrogant Inquisitor knows, however, that petitioning a Watch Commander for the aid of a Kill-team is not to be done lightly. When the Battle-Brothers join such a mission, they can be sure it is because the Inquisitor and his followers are counting on their strength of arms. Another exciting and interesting aspect of working for the Inquisition is the moral ambiguity it can create, leading the Battle-Brothers to question their allegiances and even their own view of Emperor’s will.

The advantage of games with Inquisitorial involvement is that it allows both the GM and players to explore some of the darker and more shrouded aspects of the Imperium as well as better understand their own role in such affairs and the sharpened blade of the Ordo Xenos.

Envoys, Emissaries and Assassins

The size, skills, and flexibility of a Deathwatch Kill-team mean they often find themselves in situations unique to the Adeptus Astartes. Often, at the behest of a Watch Captain or an Inquisitor, a Kill-team may be dispatched as part of an envoy to a wayward Imperial world or even an alien empire, either alone or as part of an Imperial emissary’s entourage. This can serve a number of purposes, such as making a show of force, keeping lesser Imperial servants in line, or even honouring an ally with the presence of Adeptus Astartes representatives. In this capacity, Battle-Brothers may have to use their tongues rather than their boltguns to influence proceedings.

Alternatively, a Kill-team may find itself operating on the fringes of Imperial space, particularly where it borders aggressive xenos races. Dropped onto fledgling worlds, the Kill-team’s presence can rally the local human population against invaders and alien subversion. Where an army may fail, a small group of Space Marines can often turn the tide. Just as even a single Space Marine has the power to bolster the courage and faith of a world, so to can he be used to destroy it. Working without support for months or even years, Kill-teams deployed to alien worlds or Imperial worlds tainted by xenos dominance can wreak terrible havoc. Appearing as monsters from the dark, the black-armoured giants strike against leadership and military infrastructure, fighting tirelessly until the world's civilisation collapses under the weight of its own fear and confusion.

Games where the Battle-Brothers take up the mantle of envoys, emissaries, or assassins offer a different kind of experience to pure combat missions and a challenge for the Kill-team (a fearsome combat unit) to complete its goals and objectives without resorting to bolters and chainswords (at least not right away).

Onward, Battle-Brothers!

Join me next week as I pull back the curtain a bit and talk about the Space Marine Chapters featured in Deathwatch.

Deathwatch is a roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of the bio-engineered super-soldiers known as Space Marines. United with their battle-brothers, players will complete extraordinary missions involving some of the greatest heroes and deadliest opponents the Warhammer 40,000 universe has to offer.

Now on sale at your local retailer and on our webstore is the latest supplement to join the Dark Heresy collection, Ascension! What’s more, you can meet Ross Watson, developer of Dark Heresy, this weekend at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center!

Ascension takes your Acolytes to the next tier of power in the Calixis Sector. Learn to wield the authority of an Inquisitor’s rosette, join the elite Storm Troopers, or discover the secrets of technology known only to a Magos of the Lathe Worlds.

It is time to take your rightful place amongst the ranks of the Holy Inquisition itself! No longer are you a pawn; you’ll find advanced character generation, including transition packages to take your Dark Heresy characters from Acolytes to Throne Agents—and even the position of Inquisitor. Eleven other Ascended Careers include the mysterious Sage and the formidable Vindicare Assassin!

New Ascended Psychic Powers abound, plus a section on ascended adversaries... from Greater Daemons to renegade Imperial Governors. You’ll also find systems of influence and reputation for a different scale of wealth and power in the Imperium, plus Paragon Talents and Mastered Skills to enhance your character’s abilities.

Ascension will take your Dark Heresy campaign to higher levels of power, responsibility, and peril in the grim darkness of the far future. Head to your local retailer or our webstore and grab your copy today!

And if you live anywhere near Minnesota’s Twin Cities, come join us at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center in Roseville, MN on Saturday, March 20th from 1 PM - 3 PM to meet Ross Watson, the Lead Developer of the Dark Heresy RPG line!

Ross will be available to answer all your questions about Ascension, as well as any other release in this expansive series. Ross will also have a selection of Dark Heresy sourcebooks with him, and will be be happy to sign your copies.

As always, the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center is open seven days a week for all board, card, miniature and roleplaying gamers to come and enjoy whatever game they love. Subscribe to our FFG Event Center Twitter feed for real-time updates, and keep your eyes on the FFG Event Center calendar to learn of the game demonstrations, tournaments and community events that we host, every single day.

Dark Heresy is a roleplaying game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, a setting in the grim darkness of the far future. Players take on the roles of Acolytes serving the Inquisition, rooting out heresy and corruption from within the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man.