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So after a conversation a few weeks back with a friend, we got to thinking of playing Dark Heresy under Call of Cthulhu rules, mostly just to see "what if." Granted it'd only really work with Dark Heresy (squishy humans investigating the unknowable and wondering if maybe they aren't the top of the food chain...only in space). So I set to work making a few modifications and re-skinning a few things. Wondered if I could get some feed back or suggestions.

And just to say, we do LIKE the original rules, we were even part of the 2.0 beta just...between the shenanigans going on behind the 2.0, and the amount of bloat in the 1.5 (DH all the way up to OW I mean)...we thought we'd give this a try.

Going off a modified "Present Day" character sheet for CoC 6ed we have:
Changing Accounting to Influence. Use it mostly in the same way as it is in the current 40k RPG's, a way to get what you want and call in favors. A straight replace as I couldn't really see Accounting as being that useful in the setting.

Replace Mythos with Corruption. More of a name change. Read a Daemonic Tome, sacrifice some priests in a ritual, increase your understanding of Heresy, the warp and just how corrupt mankind can get.

Remove SMG and add Heavy weapons OR Exotic weapons. Can't really think of much that'd cover SMG in 40k that wouldn't either just be a Pistol or covered elsewhere (everything basically being bigger). Heavy Weapons would cover things like your Missile Launchers, but then Exotic is likely a better fit, plus it seems like it'd cover things like Metla and Plasma weapons a bit better.

Psyker powers costing Sanity and/or Corruption. Work them as a go between of the two rule books. Want to see X days into the future/past? Pay some Magic Points to do so, but take a SAN check or have the timelines cross over in your mind, the "now" and "then" blurring into one for instance. Want to launch warpfire? Magic and a test maybe for Corruption as your channeling the powers of the warp a little more directly and inviting ruin. Maybe.

Name change Occult to Heresy. Pretty much the same thing I suppose, the rename just seemed to fit better.

Replace Psychoanalysis with Psyniscience. Psychoanalysis basically works like a Medicine role for your Sanity. Spend a few game weeks with all passes, recover a few points. In the 41st Millennium though, doesn't really seem to be much calling for Shrinks.

That's the majority of the changes so far, i'm working on some class defaults based on the ones from DH, but...CoC has never been fast and easy for character gen as it is. Likely base Guardsmen and Arbites on modern source material books for Police and Soldier occupations.

What are peoples thoughts?

I've played CoC a few times. I wasn't really such a big fan I have to say. The feeling that your character was completely helpless and really just waiting around to die/go insane wasn't something I enjoyed. Although to be fair the person running the game might have had something to do with that.

Dark Heresy has the same kind of setup so I could certainly see a rules transition working out (in fact whenever I want to run DH for some people I describe it a "Call of Cthulhu, except you have really really big guns).

And now you have me wanting to port it the opposite direction and play CoC using Dark Heresy rules!

Personally the whole CoC "death rate" i'd say depends on the GM. I'm much more a fan of making use of the passing out rule, and having them waking up sans fingers or an organ, at least for the first time or three. Only time I throw a deathtrap at my players is when they're being unbearably dense and need some serious prodding in the right direction/a warning to stop fething around.

My main real concern with this is combat, i'm going to go out on a limb at the start and as I said base the characters on the stuff from the DH rulebook, but starting players off with all those guns...gives me a bad feeling as a CoC gm normally heh

Ah well time will tell soon I guess.

I don't think combat will be an issue, cultists are just people and a gun will kill em! A Chaos Marine would be a terrifying adversary though! and that's what you need!

I can see this working quite well, being near a tainted person and seeing them carve symbols of Nurgle into their flesh will make you a bit tainted for sure!

Is the idea that the players will become tainted by chaos though? so as they progress through the story/campaign they might start sabotaging the other players and pledge to the dark gods? or would they start growing tentacles and extra eyes? or simply go mad??

That's certainly an option yes, Call of Cthulhu lends itself well to a little bit of underhanded play, especially if at a late stage a certain GM whispers in certain ears (all of the players) that one of their numbers a traitor.