Warhammer & 40K RPGs Thread III: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Heresies?

[The Robot Goat]

Thanks! I'm not very familiar with the FFG games, so I just needed some pointers! I'll definitely look at basing the Inquisitor off of a Commissar.

[finaldooms]

NP i don't get to play their games often ( no one around here really cares for WH in any form) i love trying to help out with what ive read..and obviously if I cant help there are tons of other folk on here who can

[Lord Torath]

I forget which books specifically mention it, but at least one of DW/DH/RT has rules for "elite" advances which can come off other class lists at an XP premium, asking for 500 XP (IIRC) on top of what such an advance would normally cost.

Ah, right. I rememeber reading about those. I think it was in Deathwatch... yeah, there it is: p59 Core Rulebook. Minimum cost is 750, and I suspect that is in addition to the regular cost of the skill.

[Destro_Yersul]

Thanks! I'm not very familiar with the FFG games, so I just needed some pointers! I'll definitely look at basing the Inquisitor off of a Commissar.

There's also an Inquisitor in Black Crusade, as one of the Imperial enemies. Could look at that if you've got it.

[Slybluedemon]

Where do you guys go to find games online? Roll20 is not helping. r/lfg is just a bunch of players looking for DMs for 5e D&D

[finaldooms]

i personally dont like using roll20 ( its useful not guna lie just not my cup of tea) so far the only place i use for gaming online is either here on the forum..or i skype with friends ..good amount of warhammer games on the forum though ( i like to read them to pass time)

[Wraith]

RPOL.net is pretty quiet nowadays, but there are still a couple of 40k games running over there.

[Destro_Yersul]

I typically use the forums here. I used to run games over MSN, but my life got a lot busier and PbP is all I really have time for.

[Slybluedemon]

I typically use the forums here. I used to run games over MSN, but my life got a lot busier and PbP is all I really have time for.

how do you find games in the forums? Is there a special area?

[Haval]

how do you find games in the forums? Is there a special area?

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forum...-(Recruitment)

I believe there's a Black Crusade game recruiting.

[Lord Torath]

What's the standard load for an Astartes Missile Launcher (Soundstrike)? There's reference to an auto-loader and a missile rack, but I can't see anything listing the capacity of the storage rack, or how many of what kind of missiles comes included in the requisition price of the launcher itself.

[Destro_Yersul]

The clip size of the Soundstrike is included in the weapon profile; it's 8. Frag and Krak missiles are supplied standard, as per the bottom of the table on p150.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Are folks here aware Wrath and Glory just came out on DriveThruRPG!?

[Random Sanity]

Heard about it, haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Hopefully it's less rocket-taggy than the FFG games. There's a lot of cool stuff in the DH et al line, but it's way too easy to go from full health to dead in one shot for my taste.

[lightningcat]

Heard about it, haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Hopefully it's less rocket-taggy than the FFG games. There's a lot of cool stuff in the DH et al line, but it's way too easy to go from full health to dead in one shot for my taste.

That is very appropriate for the universe, both from the Lore and from the wargame.

Although rocket tag happens in a lot of scifi games, more in my experience then in fantasy. Generally because designers like making really big guns, and players like using them.

[Random Sanity]

That is very appropriate for the universe, both from the Lore and from the wargame.

Although rocket tag happens in a lot of scifi games, more in my experience then in fantasy. Generally because designers like making really big guns, and players like using them.

It may be fluff-appropriate, but it's not the least bit fun to have a character you've poured hours into get deleted by one bad roll. In the wargame it's kind of acceptable because you have dozens of other models on the table. But in an RPG where all your efforts revolve around that one character with more lines of details on his page than that entire tabletop army, it's a straight kick in the nads to have said character suddenly instagibbed.

[Lord Torath]

The clip size of the Soundstrike is included in the weapon profile; it's 8. Frag and Krak missiles are supplied standard, as per the bottom of the table on p150.

Er... umm.. I mean... of course I knew that! I was... uh... just.... testing you, right!

Another Question: Is Swift Attack a worthwhile advance? It lets you spend a full action to attack twice. But you can spend two half-actions to attack twice anyway. Is it only valuable only as a prerequisite for Lightning Attack?

[LeSwordfish]

Another Question: Is Swift Attack a worthwhile advance? It lets you spend a full action to attack twice. But you can spend two half-actions to attack twice anyway. Is it only valuable only as a prerequisite for Lightning Attack?

I'm not suuuuper familiar with Deathwatch, but most other RPGs in the range restrict you from taking two actions with the "attack" subtype in the same turn.

[Lord Torath]

I'm not suuuuper familiar with Deathwatch, but most other RPGs in the range restrict you from taking two actions with the "attack" subtype in the same turn.

Huh. I'll have to give the combat action economy section another read-through. Thanks!

Edit: I'm not seeing a subtype restriction, but you are not permitted to perform the same half-action twice in the same turn.

[Destro_Yersul]

It may be fluff-appropriate, but it's not the least bit fun to have a character you've poured hours into get deleted by one bad roll. In the wargame it's kind of acceptable because you have dozens of other models on the table. But in an RPG where all your efforts revolve around that one character with more lines of details on his page than that entire tabletop army, it's a straight kick in the nads to have said character suddenly instagibbed.

That's what Fate points are for.

[Louro]

Hello everyone. I'm about to make a big leap and I would like some advice.
A week ago I discovered that heretic piece of a game called Dungeons the Dragoning 40k. I do quite like it.
And it's simple: D&D + spelljaming + 40K = An astral galaxy containing many worlds (spheres), and you can travel between them via the Warp/Void.

I would love to give it a try, but I'm not very sure on how to run the 40k universe. I ran several D&D campaigns, but never a futuristic one.
The game allows for a very wide range of diferent gameplays, from taking a ship "to boldly go where no one has gone before" to "let's take over that medieval planet".
I plan to do a short campaign, but I feel I lack the experience on running both the "future" and the 40k system.

If you could drop some light on how to build some interesting scenes, like... shooting on a city. Streets, buildings, diferent heights, lots of cover, ... That's a hell using the battlemat.
What tactics do you use to make encounters interesting (besides demons and fluffy bunnies)? Like grenadier guy blows cover followed by readied shooting.
Does a rooftop withstands a marine jumping on it?
Do marines poo?
Actually, how big a toilet has to be to fit a space marine in?
Do praying the Mechanus really fixes your washing machine?
Are Ork armies really almost self-suficient?
Is the Emperor a god? And the Mechanus?

What common people would answer to this questions?

Spoiler

Show

So far, this is the idea:
- They start inside a ship, travelling through the Warp (holidays, job interview, familiar funeral...).
- Warp crush! Crew turned into zombies. They find an Artifact. They "awake".
- Arrival at planet X Spaceport (security check)
- Arrival at planet X (standard Empire planet, above average wealth)
- Now freedom, either investigate the thing, give it to the authorities or sell it on BM. (social stuff)
- Artifact is actually a sample of Di-Lithium crystal, everyone is after that thing. (getting chased/ambushed/tricked by diferent local organizations)

[Grim Portent]

Does a rooftop withstands a marine jumping on it?
Do marines poo?
Actually, how big a toilet has to be to fit a space marine in?
Do praying the Mechanus really fixes your washing machine?
Are Ork armies really almost self-suficient?
Is the Emperor a god? And the Mechanus?

The Mechanicus is an organization, not a person or god. They worship the Machine God and it's avatar the Omnissiah (who is also the Emperor.)

Depends on the roof, most would hold the marine's weight, the Imperium massively fortifies most buildings compared to modern construction.

Marines do poo yes, their armour includes a recycling system for human waste.

Praying to the Machine God usually involves performing an actual physical repair or act of maintenance. Most of the time it works because of the physical acts involved in the rites of repair rather than anything spiritual.

Ork armies need to eat and when not on an Ork planet they have to steal it or hunt for it until their ecosystem takes hold. They can eat almost anything organic when they need to though. They do need factories and workshops to provide bullets and explosives and vehicles.

The Emperor is a god yes. His faithful are occasionally visited with prophetic visions, outright miracles like sanctified weapons that can burn when smeared with the blood of the faithful. There's also the living saints of the Ecclesiarchy who can perform miracles like healing people's wounds or being able to ressurect themselves.

The Machine God interpretation of things has never performed miracles and is implied to be an alien monster the Emperor trapped in Mars. Generally though it is just the Emperor by another name.

[Lord Torath]

Are there any recommended encounter distances? If an enemy force will "arrive in one minute," how far away are they right now? Hormagaunts should probably be twelve run-moves distant (okay, 11 runs and 1 charge), but what about enemy troops armed with something like stub rifles or lasguns, which have a nominal range of 100 m (and a maximum range of 400 m)?

[Grim Portent]

That's going to come down to encounter design more than anything. If you're fighting in a city or a sewer network ranges will be much shorter than they otherwise would be, in an open field or hills you might see them enemy several minutes before they're in an effective range for anything but the heaviest of weapons.

Generally I'd go 'high end of medium range for the longest ranged weapon in the party or among the enemies +/- a bit.' In really open ground I just let them start the fight within a kilometre or so if they have the range for it, in closed in terrain the low end of medium range or closer is the usual starting range for me. Closest I've ever done an encounter was an ambush in traffic that started at point blank.

[Louro]

Thanks for the answer Grim, but... that's not exactly what I'm trying to figure out.
I'm wondering how life is from the common citizen perspective. Do Empire citizens have rights? Do they have TV? Independent News?
Do they know the Emperor didn't want religion? Do they know about the Inquisition?

I'm picturing something like pseudo-slaves on forge planets and planets nearby, and a wealthy living on planets with heavy Adeptus Ministorum infraestructures. Maybe very vigilant/reluctant society in mechanus planets and high morale on people living neaby military training centers.

40.000 is very disturbing setting.
You see those marines in videogames and such... oh boy! Those guys rock. Sure I wanna play that!
Then you realize how fake that **** was. Like an advertisement trick.
Because 40K is not an epic game... it feels more like a survival horror. And that's the best/worse part about 40K.

[LeSwordfish]

Do Empire citizens have rights?

Depends. Not really.

Do they have TV?

Yes. Content depends: some of the wealthier/more comfortable planets have sports, TV dramas, etc. Some of that will be very propaganda-y.

Independent News?

I can't really imagine anything like that getting by.

Do they know the Emperor didn't want religion?

Absolutely not. Not at all.

Do they know about the Inquisition?

Absolutely. Don't admit to your workmate that you're fed up with praying every morning: he could be the inquisition.

[Aneurin]

Thanks for the answer Grim, but... that's not exactly what I'm trying to figure out.
I'm wondering how life is from the common citizen perspective. Do Empire citizens have rights? Do they have TV? Independent News?
Do they know the Emperor didn't want religion? Do they know about the Inquisition?

I'm picturing something like pseudo-slaves on forge planets and planets nearby, and a wealthy living on planets with heavy Adeptus Ministorum infraestructures. Maybe very vigilant/reluctant society in mechanus planets and high morale on people living neaby military training centers.

40.000 is very disturbing setting.
You see those marines in videogames and such... oh boy! Those guys rock. Sure I wanna play that!
Then you realize how fake that **** was. Like an advertisement trick.
Because 40K is not an epic game... it feels more like a survival horror. And that's the best/worse part about 40K.

Personally, I find it quite helpful to look at 18th and 19th century British society for how the Imperium works on a personal level (that is to say, very unpleasantly for anyone without money by our standards). For all its Gothic trappings, the actual society seems far more like the colonial era, and frankly a lot of the voidship bits seem very Age of Sail.

Quality of life varies depending on where you live, what the local leadership is like, and what you do. Poor families in an agricultural setting may well be happier and healthier than an equally poor family that toils away in the factories of some hellish hive. Or they factory family might end up better off because at least they have a roof over their head, even if it does sometimes let in the acid rain, while the agricultural family struggles to survive as the governor demands exorbitant taxes that only barely let them produce enough surplus to eat.

The law varies from world to world; some planets have weapon restrictions others (like Malfi) really, really don't. The only real common themes are the worship of the Emperor, and the Lex Imperialis, or Imperial law, which doesn't really affect common citizens much which mostly proscribes trafficking with the xenos, the witch, the heretic, and the mutant and making use of their works, as well as the importance of providing regular tithes and maintaining civil order.


The nice thing about 40k, though? It can be whatever you want. The cannon is often self-contradictory and inconsistent, so it's pretty much choose-your-own-interpretation. I run things on the gritty, low-powered side of the game where the players are just ordinary people with ordinary lives thrown up against the horrors of an uncaring galaxy, so I use a lot of real-world history to work out what those lives are like. But if you want a game of galactic-badasses who kick ass and chew gum, then that works too - there's no reason it can't. I mean, we've got Commissar Cain, Inquisitor Eisenhorn, most Space Marine named characters, and almost every Catachan ever who are just the meanest, badest people in the galaxy in a lot of the fluff.

That said, the 40k RPGs mostly do the survival horror side of things by default. I... have no idea about Dungeons: The Dragoning and what playstyle(s) it may support, so your mileage may vary.

[bluntpencil]

Independent news

I can't really imagine anything like that getting by.

I don't know, if we go with Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent, they may very well allow free speech, but with a very narrow scope.

[Delta]

I got the hardcover version of the Wrath & Glory RPG a week ago and gotta say it looks really nice. It's a different approach from the other games in that it tries to really stuff everything 40K right into the core books, you can play Eldar, Orks, Space Marines and Inquisitors straight out of the box (it works with a power tier system).

I like what I've seen from it in that I vastly prefer the new system (d6 pool, attribute + skill, so somewhat Shadowrun-y) to the old d100, but I haven't gotten to trying it out yet.

As someone who doesn't follow the tabletop wargame, I was a bit surprised at all the huge metaplot developments though.

[bluntpencil]

I got the hardcover version of the Wrath & Glory RPG a week ago and gotta say it looks really nice. It's a different approach from the other games in that it tries to really stuff everything 40K right into the core books, you can play Eldar, Orks, Space Marines and Inquisitors straight out of the box (it works with a power tier system).

I like what I've seen from it in that I vastly prefer the new system (d6 pool, attribute + skill, so somewhat Shadowrun-y) to the old d100, but I haven't gotten to trying it out yet.

As someone who doesn't follow the tabletop wargame, I was a bit surprised at all the huge metaplot developments though.

I got the PDF. It's swings and roundabouts for me.

The good: the basic rules aren't bad at all. Intuitive dice pools are nice. Promotes story telling without drifting too far from simulationism.

The bad: Ohmygod it's badly organised. And what's with only miniatures being archetypes - no Adeptus Arbites, no Administratum clerks who aren't Inquisitorial lackeys.

It's easy enough to homebrew Arbites, but it's still annoying.