Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Well, that is not actually true if you go back to the Rogue Trader setting.
Which, in time, is not even that long ago in the 40k setting.

In that time the Tau were not discovered yet, de Necron were not as numerable, the Squats "still existed" and there were races that we never saw again since 1st and races that were undiscovered.

And there was trade, diplomacy, with eldar, squats (who more or less learned admech how to build) and even with orks and anything and anyone really that did not shoot first.

We lost that vibe since 2nd edition 40k (only returned a bit in the 52mm Inquisitor game). But it is easy to re-create it in one of the many erea's in even the local sector where there is peace (and only the threat of war) the last 100 or maybe even the last 1000 years.

Because "there is only war" sounds great and all, does not mean that there are no periods of peace and that there are no sectors without war. Most human populated planets are locally governed and as long as they keep relativively quiet, the empire leaves them be.

Deciding to bring the eyes of the empire into a world like this, THAT is a decision, even enough for a campaign lasting years.
Mix in the discovery of a Star Child (i still do not get that GW does so little with this...).

I do think that a Mass Effect like story needs a different system though. Mass Effect knows skills (tech, biotic) that need dice (just as shooting), so these skills should be abilities as well with a skill level just as WS and BS.

I myself worked on a rule set for a tabletop wargame in the spirit of Mass Effect and Borderlands and that would be D20 based. But a D6 version would be much easier for 40k players and if the rest of the game would be 40k based.

The main thing to think about is what forces you'd be able to ally with. Tyranids and Daemons would basically be off the table immediately.

I'd think that the races you can recruit would depend on who you have in your party already. For example, a Loyalist and Traitor Space Marine are never going to work together in the same party, but both would be recruitable to an Inquisitor if he wanted them, correct?
Still it would be cool to have a Space Marine Captain, Chaos Sorcerer, and Necron Overlord fight side by side, but it just seems very unlikely.

Chaos marine and loyalist marine, no, never, not even for an Inquisitor. A renegade marine, hunted by certain chapters and inquisition individuals, yet seen with sympathy by other chapters due to the circumstance of their renegade status would find some marines, maybe of less pure blind faith and of a more pragmatic approach would suffer the situation so to speak. And the exact same thing is relevant to the inquisitor recruiting them, they will NOT work with a traitor marine unless they have already fallen to chaos themselves, yet then they wouldn't get the help of a loyalist marine. I doubt except the most liberal of thinking of chapters would suffer an inquisitor utilising a daemonhost also.

I love the idea of the setting and the game, but certain boundaries must also be in place at all times in the game in terms of followers and the meta of influence/corruption otherwise it would be a total utter farse.

Another thought I've just had, is that it would be an amazing opportunity for games workshop to spin some money selling in the models also. If they utilised design ideas based off of current plastic kits, but with a good deal of variety, they could introduce supplements and upgrade kits based on those factions. It would be awesome if you didn't see a single marine chapter or guard regiment that is currently established in the fluff. There really is no need for more games filled with ultramarines and cadian regiments.

At least one Inquisitor has an Alpha Legionnaire on staff...

You could loosely base it on Lord of the Night.

Ordo Xenos inquisitor is sent to X planet to investigate rumours of Xenos cells operating on the planet. It's close to the Eastern Fringe so Tau cells have set up as well as Genestealer cults.

Your first few missions are investigating these and whilst doing so you pick up followers along the way. You are also able to meet guns for hire like Scythians and Loxatyl to join your merry band.

Things get a bit murky as it is apparent that Chaos has started to worm its tendrils into the upper echelons of the hierarchy (Praise Slaanesh!).

Certain missions involve travelling to other planets in the sector or moons where Orks have recently landed in a huge Rok or an Ork Hulk passes by. The Orks have been left alone for sometime as the moon was abandoned due to it being mined extensively and they have built a Gargant there ready to drop on to the planet.

The choices you make during the game would either lead to a Tendril of a hive fleet attacking the planet or a Chaos Cult opening a warp rift.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
At least one Inquisitor has an Alpha Legionnaire on staff...

I haven't read Pariah (googled it after you said), I must read it.

Well, that's me wrong then, though I suppose I could defend my argument in saying Alpha Legionaires' would most certainly be the exception rather than the rule due to their MO.

Very interesting though, awesome even. I do love DA, he gets it right quite often when stretching the limits of the fluff.

endlesswaltz123 wrote:

 dusara217 wrote:

 More Dakka wrote:
I like the Ordos Xenos idea. Also, if you stick to just Imperium humans and Ab-Humans, you'd have the foundations for a pretty diverse cast and story mechanic.

The various factions of the Imperium do not all just get along and agree to help each other all the time. It would take a lot of convincing, conniving, quest-errands etc to get say an Adept of the Mechanicus to help out someone like an administraum adept or IG agent.

Still, Imperium-only wouldn't satisfy the xenophiles

What's the other options?

Doing poetry and art on a craft world, whilst talking about those lowly humans?

High-Fiving all the happy greater good posi vibes in a tau sect every time you build a new drone?

farting and fighting in an work camp with the occasional battle against a non ork?

The imperium is the only 'real' setting where you will get all the meta decision making and influence. And if you aren't human, then you ain't going to last long or be able to negotiate with many NPC's

If you keep it within a Sub-Sector, you'd have the potential for dozens of small alien empires to interact with, along with the Imperials. It would just be more interesting to have to convince a Magos to work together with some alien priest than getting him to work alongside an Inquisitorial offiicial - a bit like getting a Krogan to work with a Turian.