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drawingfreak
2011-01-07, 01:05 AM
I have not read nor experienced the world of Warhammer 40k outside of looking at miniatures in cases at game stores. I have read the rules to Dark Heresy and am interested in the game mechanics.

In the games that you have played, what was the over all feel of the game, of the universe? What themes were presented?

FelixG
2011-01-07, 01:28 AM
The feel of the game is really dependent on the GM. I have had games that feel like they play out like action movies, or ones that feel very chunky like you are playing a wanna be video game. There is a lot of spread in what is possible "feel" wise.

The universe is a great deal of fun as there are no good and bad guys, everyone is bad just for different reasons :smallbiggrin: You have a wide variety of what you can do in terms of game play, being heretics, xeno lovers, or being xenos themselves if you want to bring in Rogue Trader stuff (I strongly recommend Rogue Trader)

Thematically the games are fairly dark and gritty. You can look at the models and art to know that. While the games are a lot of fun I wouldn't exactly expect your characters experiences to be "fun" to them :smallyuk:

Lycan 01
2011-01-07, 02:53 AM
If you don't know much about 40K yet, I wouldn't dive into Dark Heresy. While the system may not be too hard for newbies, the setting is a bit hard to grasp at first.

My advice: Do some research. Find out more about 40K, specifically the Imperium of Man and its Inquisition, since you play as the students of an Inquisitor.

If you can, find and read the book series "Eisenhorn" by Dan Abnett. Its about an Inquisitor named Gregor Eisenhorn, and his exploits. The entire concept and basis behind Dark Heresy pretty much stems from that series, since Dan Abnett also helped to write a lot of stuff for Dark Heresy. The book series is GREAT at providing examples of how the Inquisition works, what the setting and atmosphere is like, and what you can actually expect from a game of Dark Heresy. In retrospect, I wish I'd read it BEFORE I started playing Dark Heresy. I would have grasped the game as both GM and player much faster, methinks.

Psyx
2011-01-07, 08:19 AM
I have not read nor experienced the world of Warhammer 40k outside of looking at miniatures in cases at game stores. I have read the rules to Dark Heresy and am interested in the game mechanics.

In the games that you have played, what was the over all feel of the game, of the universe? What themes were presented?


Gothic fantasy, with a hint of sci-fi.

Call of Ctulhu with laser guns.

It's a very dark, xenophobic 'world'. I'd recommend reading some books before playing it, in the same way that you'd want to see Starwars before playing that. The game has masses of background information as is rather unique. It's not a 'generic sci-fi' game.

Dead_Jester
2011-01-07, 08:31 AM
Imagine the darkest sci-fi game you played in ...

Now that's what passes for the "good guys", and it's only downhill from there (except for Orks, Orks are just awesome :smallbiggrin:).

Overall, it's a Grimdark sci-fi with extreme xenophobia, hyper-militaristic societies, tons of dark secrets and omnicidal aliens out to eat/annihilate you.

I strongly recommend you read up on a lot of fluff. I'd start here The Lexicanum (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page).

Eldan
2011-01-07, 08:40 AM
Well.
As opposed to the table top game, Dark Heresy does not focused on battles, or even skirmishes between units. It's combat is more close and personal, and combat is only one small part.

Basically, you are the guys who do what needs to be done, for, you hope, the greater good (don't use those exact words, that's Tau propaganda). You fight aliens, sorcerers, people possessed by daemons, mutants, cultists and genestealers.
The empire is huge, and it's inefficient, cruel and oppressive. And yet, all the present alternatives are worse. It is compromised on every level of it's hierarchy, from the lowliest grunt or factory worker, to planetary and sector governors.
You are the inquisition. You find them, you defeat them. No one is above suspicion. Everyone is a suspect. Innocence proves nothing.


Basically, it's a mixture of social interaction, investigation and, when **** starts hitting the fan, action. I think it's important to keep all three parts in. The game is gritty, and sometimes brutal. You have to remember that you are not the strongest people out there, but someone has to do this job, or humanity falls (even further).

Killer Angel
2011-01-07, 09:09 AM
You are the inquisition. You find them, you defeat them. No one is above suspicion. Everyone is a suspect. Innocence proves nothing.


...and claims of innocence, are guilty of wasting inquisitor's time.

druid91
2011-01-07, 09:15 AM
...and claims of innocence, are guilty of wasting inquisitor's time.

I love this quote. Almost as much as the fire speech.

king.com
2011-01-07, 09:30 AM
The game is built around the three ideas of investigation, horror and action. The system itself is divided into 2 categories of skills (though many cross over), information gathering (investigation) and combat. The information gathering is designed for players to explore the worlds, both as learning it and actually gathering evidence and understanding to achieve whatever goals they have. Along the way people appose them and combat (which is exceptionally hazardous and bloody, particularly to players themselves).

The universe itself is absolutely fantastic (being a great lover of GRIM DARKNESS), which really lets a player go for broke into what kind of character they want to play. Morals are thrown out the window and its one of the few settings which actively encourages you to player a racist SS stormtrooper and still be one of the more open and accepting members of the party.

The final aspect of the game is horror (which if you have any knowledge of WH40K) which the universe is abundant with. The best way to actually explain it is to go and watch some of those videos of evangelus preachers, and then imagine that everything they say is true. Every social deviancy leads to untold horror, every misplaced thought is a gateway to corruption and insanity. Thats what your players have to contend with, human nature itself leading spawning these horrors. Not simply some extradimensional /planar etc creature trying to destroy humanity but humanity itself in a galaxy where humanity is doomed anyway.

Honestly Dark Heresy with a GM who knows the universe is a great way of understanding the WH40K fluff. As a level 1 character it is entirely justified that you don't know how much of the universe works, probably having never left your homeworld until now and as you travel you can learn how different aspect of the Imperium work with eachother and eventually how your own Inquisition perceives what is or isnt heresy.