40K RPG WRATH & GLORY

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**adamsouza**

This approach looks promising.

**Aesthete**

Yeah I can dig it.

**Chairman Aeon**

Kanluwen wrote:

That's your opinion.

I find John Blanche's art to be ridiculously useless and nothing but an excuse for him to be celebrated because it's "different" to what we get now.

I'm guessing you're not a Picasso fan either.

The tiered system sounds good. I wonder how many people will play a game higher tiered than the characters they want to play just to 'beef' them up.

**warboss**

The approach sounds quite similar to the FFG one (minus the superficially similar yet nitty gritty different ruleset). Pick an advanced class and spend your xp on bonuses while you get some better gear. Iirc, leveled up rogue trader and/or dark heresy characters were the same in that they couldn't go toe to toe with a starting marine in combat generally but had tons of bonuses outside of combat.

**ZebioLizard2**

Unless you were talking about first edition DH, whose different levelup costs ensured you could go toe to toe with a SM because you could just buy things like toughness far cheaper with XP till the point your Adeptas Mechanicus could walk out into space and be completely fine... Not even going to discuss Ascension classes, or psykers from that era that's for sure. Using Lascannons to snipe headshots was probably one of the simplest things a Psyker could do if he survived the initial period.

**Iracundus**

warboss wrote:
The approach sounds quite similar to the FFG one (minus the superficially similar yet nitty gritty different ruleset). Pick an advanced class and spend your xp on bonuses while you get some better gear. Iirc, leveled up rogue trader and/or dark heresy characters were the same in that they couldn't go toe to toe with a starting marine in combat generally but had tons of bonuses outside of combat.

Of course that is dependent on the GM to have a campaign where such non-combat aspects came into play regularly enough (and where the space marine couldn't just bulldoze past with brawn).

**H.B.M.C.**

Marines in DH1 were an interesting beast. They were so far and beyond the regular characters (Ascension notwithstanding) that including them as enemies would be seen as rail-roading the players into an unavoidable loss, but having them as friendly NPCs could result in them doing all the work (the dreaded DMPC, as it were).

You really had to invent reasons to shackle them.

**AndrewGPaul**

We came up against Chaos Marines in DH2 a couple of times (although since the DM was only using the core rulebook, he made up his own stats). My character suffered his first sucking chest wound from bolter fire from a Khornate Marine. It was at that point that we all started spending XP for Weapon Specialisation talents and went scrounging for plasma and melta weapons.

**schoon**

Totally off topic, but I wonder if getting a Squat bounty hunter for Necromunda means that we might see them in the RPG eventually...

**Iracundus**

I'm interested whether they include non-tangible psychological injuries as "memorable injuries". I just remember the DH ascension packages included things like trading physical attributes for reduction in Corruption or Insanity, representing a period of harsh religious penance or treatment with powerful drugs. Alternatively there was the option to trade Corruption for Insanity or vice versa, representing gaining mental clarity at the cost of a darkening of the soul, or alternatively a retreat from reality in order to avoid tainting the soul.

**Mr Morden**

BrookM wrote:
From the latest newsletter:

Wrath & Glory - February 2018
Greetings, readers! Today I’m going to pick up the thread from my December Designer Diary where I talked about the different Tiers of play in the Wrath & Glory RPG. Today’s designer diary goes hand-in-hand with that one, so I suggest you read it first.

In Wrath & Glory, the first step is to choose the Tier of your campaign. After that has been established, you can freely mix any characters of that Tier or lower into your game. How does this work? Characters with an archetype of a Tier lower than the Game’s Tier can Ascend.

It would have been simple to say something like, “A character of a lower tier spends a number of build points to equal the game tier.” However, that answer—while simple—lacks any investment of story in the character’s growth. It also can lead to some unusually restrictive situations. For example, Imperial Guardsman Tannenberg (a Tier 1 archetype) joining a Tier 3 game would still begin play with just his flak armour and a lasgun, which could lead to Tannenberg’s player feeling very under-prepared for the challenges of a Tier 3 campaign.

So here’s how Ascending works. A lower-Tier character buys an “Ascension package,” which gives that character three important things. First, the character gains a new Keyword to symbolize their journey from that lower Tier to the higher one. This keyword represents some allegiance, contact, or connection to another organization that the character acquired, and it comes with some bonus influence to indicate that the character is now more well-known. Secondly, the character gains either some points of Corruption or a memorable injury—typically some kind of scar or other reminder that the 41st Millennium is a very dangerous place. Thirdly, the character may select some additional gear of higher rarity than their starting equipment, and the value of that gear scales with the new Tier to which they are ascending.

Here’s the proper example of Imperial Guardsman Tannenberg joining a Tier 3 campaign. The player spends points to buy Tannenberg’s attributes, skills, and talents as normal for Tier 1. Then, the player purchases the Ascension package “Stay the Course,” (the basic Ascension package as described above). The player decides that Tannenberg spent some time working with the Imperial Inquisition after going through grueling interrogation in the wake of a battle against a rogue psyker (gaining the Inquisition Keyword). The battle was costly, leaving Tannenberg the only survivor of his platoon and bearing a permanent twitch in one eye as a souvenir (the player chose the memorable injury). When Tannenberg joins the Tier 3 warband, he walks in with a plasma pistol holstered at his hip and a sub-dermal armour augmetic implant. Lastly, the player then spends the remaining build points (after deducting the cost of the Ascension package) on more attributes, skills, and talents until they reach the starting total for a Tier 3 character.

Tannenberg is now formidable enough to meaningfully contribute to a Tier 3 campaign and not feel entirely overshadowed by archetypes that begin at Tier 3. The twitchy Imperial Guardsman may not be as strong or as tough as a Space Marine, but he has a lot of experience dealing with the Inquisition, influence amongst that shadowy organization (as well as the Astra Militarum), and a broad depth of skills and talents that he can bring to the table.

Keep an eye on the Ulisses North America website for more updates to come about Wrath & Glory!

-Ross Watson, Product Line Manager

That all sounds very good to me.

**BrookM**

**Kroem**

Wahoo this is more like it! Waaagh!

**schoon**

I've always wanted to give an Ork game a go!

**Kroem**

Haha a whole table of people trying to roleplay Orks would be a right laugh!

I only tried out roleplay for the first time last month (turns out it is great fun!) so I'm not going to try something so ambitious just yet.

**Mr Morden**

schoon wrote:
I've always wanted to give an Ork game a go!

Yeah me too - could end up abit like Paranoia though in terms of pc kills

**A Town Called Malus**

I've always thought an amusing way to play an all Ork player characters game would be to have the players (and Ork NPCs) talk normally and instead have the NPCs of other races they encounter have ridiculously over the top characterisations, representing the Orks opinions and preconceptions of them.

**BrookM**

FROM FACEBOOK:

UPDATES CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://www.ulisses-us.com/comic/wg-example-p1/

**Kanluwen**

I'm kind of liking that system. Also the art. And the chosen characters.

Commissar could have been an Inquisitor for bonus cool points though.

**BrookM**

Inquisitors are in all likeliness a tier up and over these archetypes used in the example.

Also, Imperial Knight in the background, using the idiotic thought processes of youtubers and clickbait sites, THIS MEANS IMPERIAL KNIGHTS ARE ALSO PLAYABLE.

**Kanluwen**

BrookM wrote:
Inquisitors are in all likeliness a tier up and over these archetypes used in the example.

Also, Imperial Knight in the background, using the idiotic thought processes of youtubers and clickbait sites, THIS MEANS IMPERIAL KNIGHTS ARE ALSO PLAYABLE.

I was extremely tempted to ask if that meant a female Commissar model was confirmed for release as a 'preorder bonus!' for the book, personally.

I'd only been paying attention to the art initially but seeing it's a D6 system, I'm actually intrigued by it a bit more now.

**BrookM**

It's a simple dice pool system, which isn't a bad thing as people can just grab a few D6's and join in.

Though the mention of icons prolly means that they'll be pushing their own fancy dice like FFG does with almost all of their games.

**Kanluwen**

I mean, we could always just ask what "icons" mean...

**warboss**

Kroem wrote:
Haha a whole table of people trying to roleplay Orks would be a right laugh!

I only tried out roleplay for the first time last month (turns out it is great fun!) so I'm not going to try something so ambitious just yet.

I suspect it would be fun for about 15 minutes and then increasingly annoying for the next four hours just like GW led WAAAGHS in crowded convemtions like Gencon. YMMV but Ork roleplaying/impressions are like SNL skits... Better in short, intense doses.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Iracundus wrote:
warboss wrote:
The approach sounds quite similar to the FFG one (minus the superficially similar yet nitty gritty different ruleset). Pick an advanced class and spend your xp on bonuses while you get some better gear. Iirc, leveled up rogue trader and/or dark heresy characters were the same in that they couldn't go toe to toe with a starting marine in combat generally but had tons of bonuses outside of combat.

Of course that is dependent on the GM to have a campaign where such non-combat aspects came into play regularly enough (and where the space marine couldn't just bulldoze past with brawn).

Absolutely but I'd say that is more of a general disclaimer for rpg campaigns rather than an issue with mixed power tiers.

**BrookM**

Read a novel or short story from an Ork perspective, that should give enough of an idea on how to pull it off in a way that isn't overly annoying or forced.

One of the short stories about a Stompa crew that took part in the Sanctus Reach invasion is still one of my favourites from an ork perspective.

**Elbows**

Just a heads up...if the system is predominantly based around 4+, with special 6+ results you could use the Betrayal at Calth dice which are cheap on eBay.

I know you could use normal D6's, but for a 40K and more "iconic" (wink!) game, it'd be something to consider. I have a couple of sets myself and will probably set them aside if I ever try this.

I believe there are two circles, and one skull/circle on each dice:

The remaining three sides are: blank, apothecary, apothecary.

**BlueGrassGamer**

Howdy,

Kanluwen wrote:I mean, we could always just ask what "icons" mean...

Going off comic's first page, I'd hazard a guess that "Icon" is just Wrath and Glory's chosen synonym for "success". Four and five net you a standard success, while getting a six results in an "Exalted Icon" and two success...

Elbows wrote:I know you could use normal D6's, but for a 40K and more "iconic" (wink!) game, it'd be something to consider..

Or,y'know, you could just pick up one of the factions specific die sets that GW already makes....

**warboss**

IIRC, the tactical marine was the example of a tier 3. I wonder if a scout is a tier 2 Astartes...

**adamsouza**

Elbows wrote:
Just a heads up...if the system is predominantly based around 4+, with special 6+ results you could use the Betrayal at Calth dice which are cheap on eBay

Nice catch. I have 2 sets of these myself that was just going to sit around unused. Now at least I have a use for them.

**BlueGrassGamer**

warboss wrote:
IIRC, the tactical marine was the example of a tier 3. I wonder if a scout is a tier 2 Astartes...

Given that Guardsman Tannenberg is in the adventuring party, I'm wondering if the intro comic is either focused on a Tier 3 group or if Guardsman Tannenberg represents a high level character in a mixed group... Barring Sigma-19 and Scout Varkus, Tannenberg looks like he's the oldest and/or more grizzled member of the group and he was also the example that they used to illustrate the Ascension process for player characters.