Best Warhammer 40k RPG

[Anderlith]

Just wanting to know the opinions of everyone, which is the best 40k RPG & why?

[The Glyphstone]

That's way too subjective. Each of the 40K RPGs is designed for a completely different thing, they are all the 'best' at one type of game and 'worst' at another.

My personal favorite is Deathwatch, because playing a Space Marine is awesome, but it isn't the "best" at anything except combat-heavy brawls.

[king.com]

Dark Heresy is the bestest one. Everyone who disagrees is a poopy head.

[Anderlith]

Alrighty, which is the most versatile & leans itself to the more Adventure genre?

[king.com]

Alrighty, which is the most versatile & leans itself to the more Adventure genre?

Most adventure? I dont know how you exactly define that but i guess most versatile is Dark Heresy and most adventurish is Rogue Trader?

[shadow_archmagi]

Rogue Trader is definitely going to involve the most buckled swashes and takes place on the high seas of space, which are both staples of Adventure. Riddle games with the fey also easy to integrate.

[Anderlith]

Are their any Psykers in Rogue Trader?

[The Glyphstone]

Astropaths and Navigators are both psyker classes.

[Anderlith]

Can they be good at combat? (I don't know much about the class mechanics only lore)

[king.com]

Can they be good at combat? (I don't know much about the class mechanics only lore)

YES, YES THEY CAN! Though in most of the 40K RPGs you really want to be trying to avoid combat.

[Volthawk]

Astropaths and Navigators are both psyker classes.

Aren't navigators technically not psykers but their own thing in Rogue Trader (as in they don't use Psy Rating+psychic powers, but have their own Navigator powers thing)?

[shadow_archmagi]

Aren't navigators technically not psykers but their own thing in Rogue Trader (as in they don't use Psy Rating+psychic powers, but have their own Navigator powers thing)?

Although they are totally different from psykers in how their power system is set up, they're still labelled as psykers and resistance (Psi) helps protect you from them.


Can they be good at combat? (I don't know much about the class mechanics only lore)

Navigators get some pretty vicious offensive powers. Astropaths are more of a support role- making the team stronger and the enemy weaker. Mostly the first thing though.

[Edenbeast]

If you're looking for sandbox style, then Rogue Trader is probably your best bet. The party gets to control their own ship, which is awesome, but gives them alot of responsabilities. As GM I enjoyed RT the most.
If you're looking more for investigation and intrigue, then Dark Heresy is maybe better suited, eventhough you can do pretty much the same with RT. For flexibility in style I'd recommend RT.

[Asmodai]

I'd say this very much depends on what you want from a RPG.

Dark Heresy - moody, low powered game about the horrors that beset humanity and the expendable men and women that are thrust against them. Think Call of Cthulhu with more dynamic (and lethal) combat and you're on the right track.

Rogue Trader - insane, swashbuckling game where you start the game with a spaceship a couple of kilometers long and a giant dynasty of trade and influence at your fingertips. You play the Rogue Trader and his inner circle as they go beyond the borders of the Empire to trade, enslave, loot, fight, seduce and generally wreck mayhem, have their way and come out rich and famous

Deathwatch - grim badassery in a box. Deathwatch is a cunning excuse for each player to pick his own favorite chapter and then be deployed against vile aliens and horrific traitors. Its a very high powered game where you can treat most enemies as cannon fodder and take out whole groups with basic attacks. It's meant to represent the power and indomitably of the Space Marines, and it succeeds pretty well at that.

Black Crusade - Chaos: The RPG. See the cosmos. Corrupt the innocent. Tempt the weak. Burn the Inquisitor. Wear peoples skins as hats. Have harems of lovers that you are just bored with. Be a Chaos Space Marine. The goal is for the PC's to wreck havoc across the stars and through their deeds amount enough Infamy and Corruption to ascend to Demon Princedom.

Only War - Kinda like Dark Heresy in power level, but unlike Dark Heresy you get a gun and ammo and you're supposed to be a grunt in a unit. It's about playing a regiment of the Imperial Guard and you get the build the whole regiment and the members of your squad in addition to the PC's. It's a fun little ditty, albeit mostly focused on the Wars of the Empire.


Personally I enjoy Rogue Trader the most as it feels the most fun of the lot and allows for some amazing storytelling in the setting that doesn't rely on the basic tropes of the setting. Dark Heresy comes in as a second best.

I avoid Black Crusade as the plague as it's really not something I'd enjoy, but, eh... Degustibus.

[satorian]

With the caveat that I'm not being helpful at all, there was a rulebook printed in the 90s that was designed for this. It had as playable characters about a dozen races, each of which had a suite of abilities they could access. It was a percentile skill and ability system. The tone was way more sandboxy than the heavily metaplotty you-are-this of the recent games.

Again, I don't remember what it was called. Maybe something odd like Warhammer 30K. But if someone else remembers, they might be able to let you know.

[Raimun]

I've only played Deatwatch, so I guess I can't really say...

But I'm still going to say Deathwatch. Where else can you play a super elite bioengineered warrior knight from space? :smallcool:

[Volthawk]

I've only played Deatwatch, so I guess I can't really say...

But I'm still going to say Deathwatch. Where else can you play a super elite bioengineered warrior knight from space? :smallcool:

Well, Black Crusade has CSMs...

[Raimun]

Well, Black Crusade has CSMs...

But are they shining beacons of hope and the power of the Imperium of man?

They're not real space marines.

[shadow_archmagi]

But are they shining beacons of hope and the power of the Imperium of man?

They're not real space marines.

Well, more than a quarter of them are probably shining beacons of Hope, he he he.

Hope is a thing with small feathered wings
and tentacles
and plasma rifles

[king.com]

But are they shining beacons of hope and the power of the Imperium of man?

They're not real space marines.

Ascension lets you play as a Grey Knight...

[Jormengand]

Modified pathfinder ended up working quite well, though I don't know much about any of the others, so...

[Malistrae]

All have their strong points. It depends on what playstyle you prefer.
My favorite one is certainly Rogue Trader (especially when I am the GM). Black Crusade is also very good, but many players would find the content unsavory (kinda like doing a Sabbat-chronicle in V: TM or a BoVoD-style evil campaign in D&D). Dark heresy is also alright and I believe it has the most supplements (which I read mostly for fluff, btw). I can't really comment on Deathwatch and the Guard game since I played neither but I suppose they are also tolerable.

[Asmodai]

Sabbat is not in any way unsavoury compared to The Black Crusade. And BoVD is downright funny in how much it tries :). No, Black Crusade is really messed up, especially when you start hearing the fans who totally buy into the spiel of Chaos that they are actually a good thing and how all the creepy **** they do is just incidental.

[Malistrae]

Sabbat is not in any way unsavoury compared to The Black Crusade. And BoVD is downright funny in how much it tries :). No, Black Crusade is really messed up, especially when you start hearing the fans who totally buy into the spiel of Chaos that they are actually a good thing and how all the creepy **** they do is just incidental.

Well, I could argue about the possible nastiness of the Sabbat (if you focus on the inhumanity and crazy rites), or that of a BoVD taken and played seriously, I agree that Black Crusade is really, really creepy. Though, I would enjoy being the Gm of one (since I LIKE Chaos), most of my prospective players would be disgusted/horrified by the sheer craziness. A more adequate comparison would be a Belial's Brood chronicle, possibly.

[Asmodai]

Yeah, though i think Chaos goes a step even beyond that. It's aesthethics and proclaimed philosophy aside, when you realise what they do to the universe, and the minds of broken little humans just because they can... they really make the Empire look like the good guys! And that's a tall order.

[king.com]

Yeah, though i think Chaos goes a step even beyond that. It's aesthethics and proclaimed philosophy aside, when you realise what they do to the universe, and the minds of broken little humans just because they can... they really make the Empire look like the good guys! And that's a tall order.

Well this is the universe where playing the racist, xenophobic SS stormtrooper going out and killing anyone who disagrees with the regime makes you the good guy.

[Asmodai]

Well this is the universe where playing the racist, xenophobic SS stormtrooper going out and killing anyone who disagrees with the regime makes you the good guy.

Exactly. Yet, in this setting where the good guys are anything but, the Big Bads are waaaay waaay worse.

[king.com]

Exactly. Yet, in this setting where the good guys are anything but, the Big Bads are waaaay waaay worse.

I don't know, nurgles a pretty cool guy :smallbiggrin:

[Malistrae]

I don't know, nurgles a pretty cool guy :smallbiggrin:

Yet, for some unexplainable reason, I do not desire his blessings (they make you too ugly). Khorne and Tzeentch are much better. But if I wanted to do a BC game, I would go undivided (especially if you are a sorcerer/psyker, since you get more powers to choose from).

[The Glyphstone]

You should be a Khornate Sorcerer. I have it on good authority that they can take multilasers as wargear.

[Asmodai]

You should be a Khornate Sorcerer. I have it on good authority that they can take multilasers as wargear.

Somone found his First Edition Rogue Trader stuff? :)

[The Glyphstone]

Somone found his First Edition Rogue Trader stuff? :)

More like Ro-Goto Trader.:smallsmile:

[Asmodai]

I still have no idea why they let that guy write Warhammer fiction :P

[king.com]

I still have no idea why they let that guy write Warhammer fiction :P

Because it was all super awesome stuff?

[GolemsVoice]

Yet, for some unexplainable reason, I do not desire his blessings (they make you too ugly). Khorne and Tzeentch are much better. But if I wanted to do a BC game, I would go undivided (especially if you are a sorcerer/psyker, since you get more powers to choose from).

Nurgle all the way, I say.

The best game however? I'd say they're all quite good, since the share the same basic rules, in the end, so you could theoretically play anything in the 40k universe. However, I think RT is the most fun, since it give you the most freedom to play anything you like, from a pseudo-1800eds Navy thing to a dark horror game and anything inbetween (I always wanted to base a RT campaign on "Aguirre, the Wrath of God").