Compatibility

By Athelys, in General Discussion

Sorry is this has been asked already elsewhere but I am curious how well DH2 stacks up in regards to crossovers with RT and the rest?

Thanks in advance

Well I have a moment so I guess I'll answer.

For Rogue Trader and Deathwatch there is a great deal more of a difference between them and New Heresy, examples include: differences in Characteristics (New Heresy is a bit lower than Old Heresy and MUCH lower than Rogue Trader and Deathwatch); psychic powers use a very different system; weapons are stated differently (wont bring up Deathwatch nonsense)...a lot of things are different now.

The closest things to cross-compatible is Only War and to a lesser degree Black Crusade (but that's heretical), though as its honestly said cross-overs are never 100% compatible and the GM will have to work at it regardless.

...though there are a few Only War conversions for Rogue Trader and Deathwatch around the forums that would make the differences much less damning, but Your Mileage May Vary.

^ Agreed.

The different systems are all based on a d100 system, but for better or worse* are all segregated into different power levels and narrative styles which influenced the design of PC, NPC and equipment stats as well as Talents and Traits, to say nothing of the continuing evolution of various mechanics such as psychic powers that have been tweaked a lot over time.

*: This approach has both advantages and disadvantages over a unified ruleset, so it depends on your personal preferences whether it's better or worse.

Either way, if you really want to do a crossover, my advice is to try and recreate what you want to port, using the system of the game you are playing, rather than just lifting it "as is" from another book.

For the record, I have switched from the "Why the hell is there no unified ruleset?" camp to the "Different rulesets are great - if only they would use that to present truly conflicting interpretations of the 40K universe!" camp. Not sure how many people are in the latter. :D

Alex