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Exile
2008-06-27, 01:24 AM
As a long time fan of the Warhammer 40k universe, despite never having played the table-top war game myself, I'm interested to hear people's impressions of Dark Heresy. Has anyone played it? Is the system intuitive? Is it fun? Most importantly, does it capture that "Rattenkrieg" Stalingrad feel of the setting I find so appealing?

holywhippet
2008-07-05, 09:14 PM
As a long time fan of the Warhammer 40k universe, despite never having played the table-top war game myself, I'm interested to hear people's impressions of Dark Heresy. Has anyone played it? Is the system intuitive? Is it fun? Most importantly, does it capture that "Rattenkrieg" Stalingrad feel of the setting I find so appealing?

I've played two sessions of the game so far. The game is fairly good, if a bit tough at times. An unlucky character (like one who gets caught in a well aimed burst of bolter fire) could find themselves dead pretty much instantly. At low levels your characters are maybe a bit too useless at times since most of your stats/skills have about a 20-40% chance of working under normal circumstances.

I am enjoying it though, the game world has a lot of flavour to it.

Exile
2008-07-07, 06:49 AM
I think the difficulty could probably be adjusted through house rules, but I can't say I'm altogether surprised at that revelation: low levels in D20 are also pretty fragile. If they've managed to preserve the flavor as you suggest then what you're saying so far sounds encouraging, and I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for the rulebooks in my local game shops. Let me know how things progress as you go through more sessions! I'd love to hear about it.

Exile

Myshlaevsky
2008-07-07, 08:23 AM
I think the system is pretty good, and feel it sticks very well to the flavour and theme of the 40K universe. Holywhippet is right about the difficulty of certain actions, but there are ways to circumvent them later in the game (high skill modifiers, choice items and talents, etc.). In fact, psykers (who are completely insane later on full stop) can end up casting their high-level powers on one die. Costs them a few wounds though. I find there's a very big difference between higher and lower levels, mostly due to equipment.

I'd definitely recommend picking it up, if you can. Even if you don't get a chance to play it, if you're interested in the fluff it's probably decent value for that alone. The supplements are also fairly cool.

Dan_Hemmens
2008-07-07, 08:32 AM
I'm running a campaign at the moment. It's good fun (chiefly because we can squee over the setting). The system takes a bit of getting used to, and to be honest I mostly ignore it.

My recommended not-exactly-houserule for the skills system is to ignore their stated Difficulty ratings for things and assume that if your character has the skill for something, then they can damned well do it, only rolling if it's something serious or seriously implausible. Otherwise you get into stupid situations like "okay, the vehicle in front of you brakes suddenly, make a 'Routine' Drive Ground Vehicle check, oh too bad you crashed."

Myshlaevsky
2008-07-07, 08:43 AM
My recommended not-exactly-houserule for the skills system is to ignore their stated Difficulty ratings for things and assume that if your character has the skill for something, then they can damned well do it, only rolling if it's something serious or seriously implausible. Otherwise you get into stupid situations like "okay, the vehicle in front of you brakes suddenly, make a 'Routine' Drive Ground Vehicle check, oh too bad you crashed."

While I'm aware that your example is an exaggeration, by the definition of the Drive skill it wouldn't require a test, as far as I can see.

You're right though - for routine things a test shouldn't be needed: the skill should provide a good degree of competance. I hate the fact there's a test difficulty called 'Routine' because of this. I could have sworn there was something in the book saying this, but I don't seem to be able to find it - I've read a fairly convincing argument posted by someone else along these lines, and will try and post it here if I can find it.

kjones
2008-07-07, 01:08 PM
I've never played, but I've read the rulebook and rolled up a character. Mechanically, the system is beautiful - I'm biased, though, because I love percentile dice. But there's all sorts of neat tricks to make it as involved a system as, say, Rolemaster, but avoiding a lot of the unnecessary complexity.

I really like the leveling mechanics (buy abilities one at a time with XP), skills, combat... and the flavor is spot-on. Unfortunately, the book is difficult to find nowadays. My FLGS has been trying to get me a copy for ages.

EndgamerAzari
2008-07-07, 01:14 PM
I enjoy the system a good deal; it's not that hard to learn, and the leveling system, as mentioned by others, allows for many different options (unless you play Cleric, according to a couple fellow players). The combat is streamlined to the point of being sublime, and there's enough of the morbid humor inherent to the series and setting (my guardsman accdientally setting a heretek on fire with his lasgun or have to test agility to avoid slipping on blood of the guy you just clove in twain, for instance) to make it feel truly 40K-esque.

Problem? I have the main sourcebook and nothing else (in hard copy, which is what matters). You'd think the books were printed on paper made from the wood of the True Cross, for cryin' out loud.

Anyway, this system gets the EA seal of approval.

FOR THE EMPEROR.

Destro_Yersul
2008-07-07, 01:18 PM
Good system, not too hard to learn. And of course, GRIMDARK to the max. It can be a little confusing figuring out progression (ie: must be certain class and level before you can take that oh so shiny talent) but if you manage to roll well and spend your starting cash on a couple bonus granting items, I can guarantee that it is possible, at level one, to have a sniper character who hits roughly 70% of the time.

In short: I like it.

loopy
2008-07-07, 01:20 PM
I quite like it, but watch out, that game is deadly. I had my Noble-born Wyrdling* Scum** lovingly statted out and described, with his ridiculously high fellowship score, his badass longcoat, and a dueling pistol that cost about as much as the average citizen earns in a decade... Just to have his arm get blown off by a shotgun in the first combat he ever entered.

Of course, now he has a bionic arm, a pimp cane and a servo-skull with a fedora floating behind him shouting his praises, so I still have plenty of fun.

* Minor mutation - Psychic powers. Awesome, right until they get detected and you get shipped off on the Black Ships, or worse. My character had an explosive collar clamped around his neck before he was pressed into service by the Inquisitor.
** Pretty much the Dark Heresy equivalent of Rogue.

Exile
2008-07-07, 04:14 PM
Well I'm sold. The more of these comments I read, the more I realize I have to play this system. Are most of you playing table top games? Or is anyone running a PBP?

Exile

Victor Thorian
2008-07-07, 04:24 PM
I'm playing tabletop with a few friends. Of course, we are all fanatics and we would all commit suicide if there was a cult that promised we'd be reborn in 40k universe. I even consider getting an Imperial Aquila tatooed on me as soon as I get enough muscles.

Yes, if there was a PBP I'd like to play.

Prophaniti
2008-07-07, 04:55 PM
I think it's a great system, very gritty and tough. A few houserules can take the edge off this, if you find it too deadly. I've found my group is a lot happier about using a very deadly system and houseruling it to be nicer than starting with a system that's too nice and trying to make it more deadly. I'm running a campaign on the boards currently, as you'll see in my sig, and I've run one with my IRL group. We all know and enjoy the setting, which helps a lot.

As a point of interest, after doing d20 for more than 4 years, my group liked the system so much that when I told them I wanted to start DMing my own setting, and gave them a choice of which system I would adapt for it, they voted for DH. Mostly, I think they like the Careers instead of Classes and the fact that no one ends up with 500+ HP.

puppyavenger
2008-07-07, 06:48 PM
I'm playing tabletop with a few friends. Of course, we are all fanatics and we would all commit suicide if there was a cult that promised we'd be reborn in 40k universe. I even consider getting an Imperial Aquila tatooed on me as soon as I get enough muscles.

Yes, if there was a PBP I'd like to play.

so.. you literaly want to go to hell? cuz that's what 40k is.

Lazy Zomb
2008-07-08, 11:53 AM
I've played it with my friends, cause they all love 40K. Funny thing is, I hadn't a clue when I started how what the universe was. My buddies told me we were pretty uch all bad guys, which led to confused higinks on my part, and the utter loathing of the entire party towards my freak-of-a-person scum.

Anyhow, that said, now that I know more about the setting, I wonder why anyone would want to live in that universe... That is, I wonder in between my exclamations of joy/anger (depending on whether my scum has ripped an enemy into a bloody pulp with a burst from his autopistol, or blew his buddies' leg off with a shotgun)

Still, the game is awesome, and the published campaign we played through encouraged roleplaying, which is something our group admittably has had problems doing consistantly in the past (might have been the switch of gamemaster though)

chiasaur11
2008-07-08, 12:47 PM
so.. you literaly want to go to hell? cuz that's what 40k is.

Not quite true. 40K doesn't have the cool place where all the good pagans hang out.

Destro_Yersul
2008-07-08, 02:35 PM
I shall now quote TVTropes at you on the subject of 40k and hell.


Thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the mighty Imperium of Man has spread across the galaxy, to discover that the galaxy is a hell that would make Hieronymous Bosch s*** himself in terror, and that it has a hell. From without, the Imperium is assailed by alien monsters from the depths of space, nightmare death-machines and soulless daemons; from within, treachery, heresy, mindless incompetence and the festering taint of Chaos threaten to tear it apart.

loopy
2008-07-08, 03:29 PM
Well I'm sold. The more of these comments I read, the more I realize I have to play this system. Are most of you playing table top games? Or is anyone running a PBP?

Exile

My game was/is running over MSN, but the group has dispersed for various reasons, it seems. A pity. :smallfrown:

Bryn
2008-07-08, 04:00 PM
I even consider getting an Imperial Aquila tatooed on me as soon as I get enough muscles.

That would be a really bad idea, because outside of 40k circles it has much, much worse associations... such as Nazi Germany. You really wouldn't want to have something like that if you ever visited Germany, especially, and in general it would probably gather odd looks even among 40k fans.

Destro_Yersul
2008-07-08, 04:29 PM
I even consider getting an Imperial Aquila tattooed on me as soon as I get enough muscles.

What Z-Axis said. You should totally get the Adeptus Mechanicus cog instead. It would be awesome. ESPECIALLY if you like cars/power tools/technology in general.

Exile
2008-07-08, 09:00 PM
I couldn't get on to the forums due to traffic volume for a bit, but I'm pleased to see this topic is still hanging in there. I know this isn't the purpose of this particular forum, Prophaniti, but I don't suppose you'd be interested in taking on new players?

Exile

Prophaniti
2008-07-08, 10:22 PM
Well... I had two drop on me, right now I have four active players. If you really wanted you could try to jump in, but I'd prefer you only do it if you know you'll stick with us for at least a few months. I don't have a minimum post requirement, but we average around 1 per day, sometimes more sometimes less. This is mostly my fault, I'm pretty busy, but it's uncommon for me to miss more than one day. Anyway, feel free to look over what's happened so far, via the links in my sig, and send me a PM if your really interested.

Victor Thorian
2008-07-09, 02:13 AM
What Z-Axis said. You should totally get the Adeptus Mechanicus cog instead. It would be awesome. ESPECIALLY if you like cars/power tools/technology in general.

Well eagles are-were one of the most used symbols for armies, orders, nations etc. all around the world.

And since ancient Romans started using it.. bleh. No point in trying to prove my point with circular logic. Who cares what other people think? Thank you for your suggestions but my decision is final. I will not back down out of fear.

Though the cog is a good idea.

Destro_Yersul
2008-07-09, 08:04 AM
If I didn't have no muscles and a general fear of needles, I'd get either the cog or the Librarian logo. You know the book with the horned skull? yeah, that one.

Name_Here
2008-07-09, 10:18 AM
Dark Heresy is a system that it is literally impossible to balance a fight to be challenging but not deadly. My group has ROFLstomped elite Stormtrooper teams through sheer bravado and luck and have nearly gotten themselves slaughtered by lightly armed Genestealer cultists when my dice refused to roll anything less than a 9 for damage. And once I get into the plasma and melta weapondry I expect the problem to get even worse.

Love my group though. I'll remember the pitched fistifght in the chimera speeding though the clearing where an imperial guard regiment had impaled on spikes. just the image of the bodies flying everywhere while the alcolytes deperatly fight off the attackers with the help of a horribly wounded ratling. won't stop bringing a smile to my face because it is so over the top.