Dark Heresy?

[Deth Muncher]

I recently saw this mentioned here in this very forum, and accidently stumbled upon it in my local Barnes 'n' Nobles yesterday. How's people's mileage on this? I mean, I literally know nothing about it. I didn't even have time to read it there, what with being waiting for a movie and such. But I also noticed it cost as much as the actualy 40k rulebook. I also saw no suppliments. Does this mean it's a selfcontained book? As in, no splat books, no extra books, like how DnD has the PHB, the DMG and the MM?

Please and thanks.


Cheers!

[Name_Here]

It has 1 splatbook, the Inquisitor's guide. That has some advanced classes and even a soritas. It also had oodles and oodles of extra weapons. But yes the original book contains the player's guide, DM's guide and monster guide.

[holywhippet]

As far as gaming goes it can be a pretty lethal system. Outside of combat you have to be careful of things that can cause insanity and corruption. Within combat, you have to watch out for the above as well as incoming weapons fire. Most classes don't start out with great armour so hits can do a lot of damage.

[Deth Muncher]

Well...hm.


What system is it, anyway? d6? d10? d20?

Oh, and also, and I don't mean to spark anything about this, but as the only other P&P RPG I've played is DnD 3.5, how does this hold up? I mean, is it comparable?

[NPCMook]

It uses the d% system, from what I've heard the Monster section of the book is rather lacking, usually only pitting you against other humans and deamons, no Tau, Necron, or Tyranids. Originally the book was about 45 dollars, and they didn't plan on making anymore books beyond the first print, even though pre-orders SOLD OUT. Finally after realizing how much money they could make off the book they apparently upped it to 60 dollars.

As a GM once told me WotC wants you to have fun, where as GW seems to want you to die

[SolkaTruesilver]

As a GM once told me WotC wants you to have fun, where as GW seems to want you to die

I'd say they want you to survive very, very hard challenges to your body, your sanity, and your integrity. Or die trying

[loopy]

I'd say they want you to survive very, very hard challenges to your body, your sanity, and your integrity. Or die trying

Sounds like my last girlfriend, actually.

[Dragor]

Dark Heresy is a darkly fun system. Your characters don't have much chance of surviving unless you're incredibly shrewd or even cowardly. The art is amazing (if you're into the 40K rulebook art, this builds on that tenfold) and the classes broad enough.

I like it, but I haven't had the opportunity to play it as much as I've liked. If you've got a group of friends into 40K who are also good roleplayers, you'll love this. It has a lot of nice background and fluff, and I've purchased the splatbook, which I can tell you... is interesting enough, but if you're not interested in the Sororitas, a lot more fluff and extra weapons, don't get it. The weapons in the Inquisitors Guide are much more unique, and while it can give a character a lot more depth if they're wearing certain armour from their homeworld, etc, it can be a bit confusing, too.

I recommend the core rulebook, and suggest that if you like DH after a few sessions, buy the Inquisitors Handbook.

[hamlet]

As a GM once told me WotC wants you to have fun, where as GW seems to want you to die

Considering the setting . . . it's not so much GW as the entire universe is, in fact, out to get you.

To the OP: The game is great. It stacks up much better than D20 IMO and the system is designed specifically to support the world created by the WH40K product line. It's dark, dangerous, and gruesome, but VERY intersting and greatly entertaining.

A note: your character WILL die, and it will be horrifying, painful, and squicky in the extreme. That's half the point, really. As a member of the inquisition, you are a disposable tool sent to deal with those unmentionable horrors that lurk in the dark corners of conciousness and devour not only your body, but your mind and soul with great relish (or maybe some kind of piquante sauce).

If you want to make it a campaign, it will take a GM with a sense of when to pull back rather than enforcing the rules as written. If you want it as a one off type game, it's a great deal of fun. Play a psycher and watch his brains leak out his ears.

[Destro_Yersul]

Probably the best place to be in this system is far away from anything hostile and holding a high powered sniper rifle. That way they don't have quite as many ways to kill you.

Great system though, loads of fun.

[hamlet]

Probably the best place to be in this system is far away from anything hostile and holding a high powered sniper rifle. That way they don't have quite as many ways to kill you.

Great system though, loads of fun.

That might be the best place to survive from . . . however it is far from the most fun.

I much prefer mixing it up with a chain saw sword and a melta gun and muttering soundbites from the StarCraft games.

[Destro_Yersul]

I suppose I just like sniper types.

But yeah, chainsword would be fun. And you could use Dawn of War for the sound bites as well as Starcraft, if you really wanted to. There's something about bellowing 'Cleanse! Purge! Kill!' as you rip things to shreds with a chainsaw sword and a miniature fully automatic armour-piercing rocket-propelled grenade launcher (bolt pistol) that just screams 'awesome'.

even if you die doing it, it's still awesome.

[hamlet]

Dying while doing it is kind of the point, in a way.

After all, one of my favorite quotes from the book is:

You and your fellow Acolytes must struggle to hold back the many threats that face humanity. You must do this knowing that your name will never be recorded in the annals of history. Power, fame and grandeur shall never be yours . . . When you die, you will not be missed, but then mere glory never made heroes. Your struggle, your triumph, your failure 0 these are the thigns that matter . . .

[Deth Muncher]

Well! That's pretty nifty.

I'm miffed at the fact it doesnt include stats for other races.

And I take it you pretty much have to be human, right? Which means you either go IG or SM, yes? (Or Inquisition or SoB with the splatbook)

[Myshlaevsky]

Well! That's pretty nifty.

I'm miffed at the fact it doesnt include stats for other races.

And I take it you pretty much have to be human, right? Which means you either go IG or SM, yes? (Or Inquisition or SoB with the splatbook)

The character classes are:

• Adept
• Arbitrator
• Assassin
• Cleric
• Guardsman
• Imperial Psyker
• Sister of Battle
• Scum
• Tech-priest

The game is very good, but the feel of it is not at all similar to 40K. It's much more like Inquisitor. Except, you know, with a good rules system.

[hamlet]

It does not include stats for other races very specifically since the original plan was to publish the parts of the WH40k universe in parts.

Including stats for other races in the books covering the inquisition (an exclusively human organization) is not really advisable since pretty much every race in the galaxy is a "shoot on sight" relationship.

[Revlid]

Well! That's pretty nifty.

I'm miffed at the fact it doesnt include stats for other races.

And I take it you pretty much have to be human, right? Which means you either go IG or SM, yes? (Or Inquisition or SoB with the splatbook)

Given that the 'main' book did so well, I wouldn't be surprised if the company that just bought the right to produce the game decided to produce some more books.

I talked to a guy who worked on the book at my local GW (before the rights were bought) and he said that there were a few more books already in progress - one that would let you play as an Inquisitor (presumably the already released splatbook), a Space Marine supplement. Necromunda, Xenos and Chaos supplements. were also mentioned.

[Myshlaevsky]

Given that the 'main' book did so well, I wouldn't be surprised if the company that just bought the right to produce the game decided to produce some more books.

I talked to a guy who worked on the book at my local GW (before the rights were bought) and he said that there were a few more books already in progress - one that would let you play as an Inquisitor (presumably the already released splatbook), a Space Marine supplement. Necromunda, Xenos and Chaos supplements. were also mentioned.

I don't know about all these, but I suppose he must be correct. The Inquisitor's Handbook is something like an expanded PH, but it does not let you play as an Inquisitor, AFAIK. Before the release of the first book, two more were planned: One allowing gameplay on the level of Rogue Traders/Eldar Pirates, and one on the level of Space Marines.

[SolkaTruesilver]

It was somewhat of a letdown that there weren't stats for Orks, Tau, Necrons, Tyrannids, Eldars and Space Marines, I have to admit. I'd guess the Tau would have a natural 10 + 2d10 strenght?

[NPCMook]

The setting more or less takes place in Necromunda(if you know what game I am referring to, awesome.) No you most likely won't see a group made up of a Tau, Ork, and Human... because they all hate each other. My friends who made up stat lines for the other races aren't exactly the most player friendly people, in fact they are the competitive type who like BIG NUMBARS! So all the other races they made are vastly superior to the groups ragged band of Humans

[Eita]

I can actually see Orks on Necromunda. Only takes one spore....

[Colmarr]

I can actually see Orks on Necromunda. Only takes one spore....

And if you don't want to use Necromunda, you can use the other canonical hiveworld Armageddon.

And it has ample background to justify an orc outbreak.

[Myshlaevsky]

Having looked at the book, it is quite definitely not set on Necromunda. They invented an entire sector just to have someplace to play it out in new (and fantastic) background - The Calixis Sector. While you could easily play a game on Necromunda, or go there in the course of your game, that world is not located there.

EDIT: In fact, the game can more or less be set anywhere. You could play it on the Eastern Fringe, in the Halo Stars, onboard a Hulk or at Holy Terra itself - a little knowledge of the background is all you'd really need.

[Leon]

Necromunda is the Poster Child for Hive Cities

[Myshlaevsky]

Necromunda is the Poster Child for Hive Cities

That does not mean that every Hive city is Necromunda - there are outlined differences between the Calixian Hives and Necromunda, although there is a great deal of overlap. The detailed world-background isn't even focused on Hive Cities. What about Iocanthos, Sepheris Secundus or the Misericord?

[Leon]

That does not mean that every Hive city is Necromunda - there are outlined differences between the Calixian Hives and Necromunda, although there is a great deal of overlap. The detailed world-background isn't even focused on Hive Cities. What about Iocanthos, Sepheris Secundus or the Misericord?

Im aware of that, Necromunda is the place you generaly think of when a Hive is mentioned - particulay if you dont know much about the setting but have played some of the games

[Myshlaevsky]

The setting more or less takes place in Necromunda

That's the quote I'm addressing. I'm not disputing that Necromunda is the most well-known Hive.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Funny. One of my player WANTS his character to be born on Necromunda. He says he wants his mother to be Bell Adonna.

[Myshlaevsky]

Funny. One of my player WANTS his character to be born on Necromunda. He says he wants his mother to be Bell Adonna.

Just say he was forcefully inducted into the Spiders and roll up some random limb loss. Then give him his severance pay.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Spiders..?

Okay, I don't know a thing about Necromunda. Can you enlighten me what you meant?