[40KRP] Shattered Hope demo is out

[Kiero]

Shattered Hope is the demo adventure/preview for 40KRP that made an appearance at GenCon. It is now available to download.

I've not had a chance to read it yet, but I'm sure it'll be of interest to a number of you out there.

As well as a starting point for discussion, since I'm sure it's giving some hints away as to the final state of Dark Heresy.

[Matthew]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[Bryn]

Looks interesting, although there are no instructions for building characters as far as I can tell so I can't tell properly how the system works. It did seem fairly simple from what I read, but that's probably due to the size of the booklet rather than the complexity of the actual game (and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing either).

Thanks for the link

[goat]

Well, from that it seems a fairly simple mechanic, but it might get more complicated as power levels go up. Only needing three dice (though I missed what the third was for) is quite nice, and it looks like it could be a fairly brutal system. D10s +extra that can roll up for damage with low HP could require a lot of backup character sheets, but I think that fits the flavour quite well.

I'm not sure how I feel about the opposed rolls system, in some ways it makes sense, but something about it is irritating me.

[Kiero]

What I've read elsewhere is that there are different "Ranks" of character, and the sample ones are Rank 1 types. For something more akin to what you might read in Eisenhorn and Ravenor, you'd be playing with characters of Rank 5-7.

[Townopolis]

Ranks of characters? Is this like:

Rank 1, Guardsman?

Rank 3, Kasrkin?

Rank 7, Grey Knight Terminator Sergeant?

Not meaning IC rank within a military, but rather character power. A guardsman in 40k is almost destined to die in any sizeable conflict, whereas a grey knight is pretty survivable no matter what, and bad news for any foe.

[Kiero]

Ranks of characters? Is this like:

Rank 1, Guardsman?

Rank 3, Kasrkin?

Rank 7, Grey Knight Terminator Sergeant?

Not meaning IC rank within a military, but rather character power. A guardsman in 40k is almost destined to die in any sizeable conflict, whereas a grey knight is pretty survivable no matter what, and bad news for any foe.

No, I think it's more like experience and power level bound together. No idea if it'll be level across the games either.

'sides it was said Ravenor's operatives are 5-7, and they're no Space Marines.

[goat]

No, I think it's more like experience and power level bound together. No idea if it'll be level across the games either.

'sides it was said Ravenor's operatives are 5-7, and they're no Space Marines.

I'm really not sure how the system will work in regards to level. I just doesn't seem to work with the "normal" levelling system.

As an example, a normal Hive-born baseline human should never be able to attain the combat heights of a Space Marine. Perhaps the greatest, baseline human, unarmed fighter in a sector might be able to take down a freshly trained marine without his armour, but I can't see them lasting long against a veteran of any length of time.

The game itself seems to be split into three sections from the information available: The inquisitors retinue, the space pirates and privateers, and the "power players" of the Adeptus Astartes. I cant see how it would be possible to mix characters from the three groups into each other. The power ranges and relative difficulties of situations would be massively different.

"You're attacked by a Genestealer"
Guardsman: "I shoot it with my las-gun until it kills me"
Rogue Trader: "I shoot it with my illegally acquired plasma-gun while keeping back and hoping it doesn't kill me"
Space Marine: "I shoot it with my bolter until it gets close enough to whack it with my chain sword. Even if it gets into hand-to-hand I should last a while"
Ork: "WAAAAGHH! MORE DAKKA!"

[Sulecrist]

I'm really not sure how the system will work in regards to level. I just doesn't seem to work with the "normal" levelling system.

As an example, a normal Hive-born baseline human should never be able to attain the combat heights of a Space Marine. Perhaps the greatest, baseline human, unarmed fighter in a sector might be able to take down a freshly trained marine without his armour, but I can't see them lasting long against a veteran of any length of time.

Note: I suppose I can come out and admit to being on the playtest at this point.

In the books, there are many 'heroic' human characters that (eventually) develop the skills to take down Marines. None of the reasonable ones (Gaunt or Cain, or in the nonhuman forum Kais and Eldrad) ever do it by running up and boxing with their enemies. They collapse beams on them. They decapitate them. They hack apart their ankles with power swords. They use traps, ambushes, and guile.

The game supports this. Gear and skills will increase to the point that a high-powered character will be, like Nayle (or John McClane) able to empty a Cobra-class destroyer (high rise building) of cultists (terrorists) with a lot of self-damage and general angst along the way. On the other hand, they might die. It relies a lot on player intelligence. Smart, powerful characters need to pick their battles. They'll win a lot of them, but they're not invulnerable. They'll never be able to charge straight in like a Marine (at least not if they want to make it through the other side.)

[Kiero]

As an example, a normal Hive-born baseline human should never be able to attain the combat heights of a Space Marine. Perhaps the greatest, baseline human, unarmed fighter in a sector might be able to take down a freshly trained marine without his armour, but I can't see them lasting long against a veteran of any length of time.

Marines aren't supermen, and they have problems of their own. I thought that was nicely highlighted in Xenos, where a Space Marine refused to accept that his auspex was near-useless in the twisted environment he was fighting in, where the Guardsmen he was with had adapted to the weirdness.

[alchahest]

Marines aren't supermen, and they have problems of their own. I thought that was nicely highlighted in Xenos, where a Space Marine refused to accept that his auspex was near-useless in the twisted environment he was fighting in, where the Guardsmen he was with had adapted to the weirdness.

well, they're pretty much supermen. they're not perfect, but they're definitely supermen.

[Attilargh]

I'm not sure how I feel about the opposed rolls system, in some ways it makes sense, but something about it is irritating me.

Same here. My problem is how the better one always wins if both happen to succeed on the test. If his opponent happens to be even slightly better, it doesn't matter if a Guardsman rolled a one and succeeded so hard his clothes fell off, he's still fethed.

I like the system, however. Very much akin to the WFRP system which I find really elegant and appropriate to the setting. ("Rocks fall. Your arm is severed messily at the shoulder, and after some agonizing moments you die of blood loss, alone in the cold arse-end of the world.") (See? Elegance.)

Much of the art in the demo has been recycled, once again. The adventure itself seems pretty solid, if a bit splatter-y and unoriginal. I like how the characters aren't quite what I had expected.


All in all, a very promising little promo. I will look forward to this game. (And here I was thinking I had dropped 40k for good. )