Hello everyone, and welcome to my 2nd post on these forums. Yay for me!

Ok, that aside, I am considering running an online game for Dark Heresy or Deathwatch, or both. To introduce myself, I am not new to GMing, though I have little experience with either system beyond reading the rulebooks and a few random play by post games. I am very well versed in the lore however, and have a relatively decent grasp of the setting. My GMing style is slightly off the cuff, though I do prefer to have notes and such to fall back on. I do not railroad and such unless the story obviously calls for it, and am almost always open to player request. I do not play an adversarial GM vs Players game, but believe we are all in it for the fun and love of the setting.

So, introduction done. If you are still reading this, I would prefer to use D20Pro for dice rolling and mapping, and Skype or Ventrillo for voice chat. I will be using all Errata, and would prefer to start with just Core Dark Heresy and Deathwatch books, though im open to using the Inquisitors Handbook. I am looking for 3-4 players that could play roughly 3 to 4 hours a session, bi-weekly on Tuesdays, though I am open to the day changing. Hours would be 9pm to 12pm EST.

I have no preferences or certain things im looking for in a Player, beyond a commitment to us all having fun TOGETHER and not antagonizing each other. I would prefer we get a feel for each other over Email and a couple of Skype conversations first, to make sure we are not all creepers that are going to drive each other to the edge of madness. So, with that being sad, feel free to introduce yourselves and express a preference for which game, if not both, you would like to run. Also, please do not read Edge of Darkness, Illumination, Final Sanction, or whatever the starting adventure in the Deathwatch Core Book is called.

-Thought of the Day-

A mind without Purpose will wander in Dark Places.

Having played many campaigns online, I have to say that the absolute biggest hurdle you will come across is scheduling the game in a way that allows the players to all be on at once. People could come from different timezones and their schedules could change depending on what's going on in their life; organizing an online game is an absolute nightmare. Not to mention combat often moves slowly if people are inattentive or AFK.

The first thing that comes to mind is I would highly recommend that you do not run a mixed Deathwatch and Dark Heresy campaign until you are thoroughly experienced with one, or, preferably, both systems. The power scales are drastically different - a starting level Deathwatch Space Marine will very roughly be equivalent in terms to an Ascended level Dark Heresy character. I say roughly because the Dark Heresy character will have a massive bag of tricks yet be fragile as glass compared to a Space Marine unless they are of the meatshield variety with high end power armor - even then, they just aren't going to be able to take hits like a Space Marine. Dark Heresy characters also can't use Squad Mode mechanics, which is (theoretically) a large part of Deathwatch. The actual system for Dark Heresy is also occasionally different in subtle but crucial ways, and unless you actually know both systems entirely you likely won't be aware of it. A talent of the same name in Dark Heresy may have different rules in Deathwatch, and vice versa. Certainly Psykers work quite differently and offer compatability issues.

Personally, I am a MASSIVE fan of Dark Heresy, and if I can be sure I can attend, I'd love to play in the game. I find that Dark Heresy -more easily- offers a wider range of RP scenarios than Deathwatch. Space Marines can do investigations and intrigue, but less skilled players are likely going to have a harder time in certain social situations than Dark Heresy characters. Alternately, my extensive experience of Dark Heresy has lead to me realizing that a large number of houserules are often necessary to make things more balanced (example: I would rather be hit by a bolter twice than be set on fire a single time, because the latter is more or less auto-death for the average character using RAW). I'm less experienced with Deathwatch, but so far I haven't found any situations or rules that just make me want to smack my forehead and groan. If you go with a Deathwatch game, or even a mixed DH and DW game, I'm still interested, though I have no experience with the D20Pro system regardless.

Having played many campaigns online, I have to say that the absolute biggest hurdle you will come across is scheduling the game in a way that allows the players to all be on at once. People could come from different timezones and their schedules could change depending on what's going on in their life; organizing an online game is an absolute nightmare. Not to mention combat often moves slowly if people are inattentive or AFK.

This. A million times this. Getting players online is a challenge on its own. In all the games I've payed/ran on mIRC getting a schedule working was the hardest part. That and getting actual players/GM that were committed.

Got a good gang now, been at it for 3 years, I got lucky...

I too would recommend using only DH or only DW for your game, as mixing both games will create an imbalance where the DH chars are basically tame and shadowed by the Astartes in a combat situation, while the DW char will do nothing during the investigative portions due to being who he is and his lack of social skills.

I would also be interested, but 9-to-midnight is too late for me. Perhaps 8-11?..I also have no experience with D20Pro system, coming form a background of mIRC and using servitor bot for dice rolls ( http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Servitor_Bot )

Boss Gitsmasha, I agree concerning the scheduling issue. However I play in a weekly online Pathfinder game on Sunday, and have had other experiences with online gaming, so I do not think that will be to difficult of an obstacle. Of course I also admit I could be entirely wrong and this statement will make me look stupid.

And, to clarify, and no time did I mean I would have Dark Heresy characters and Deathwatch characters in the same group! I am fully aware of the difficulties and madness that await me that way, not to mention for at least my interpretation of the fluff, it does not make sense to me to have Inquisitorial Acolytes running around with Deathwatch Marines, and vice versa. Rather I meant you would have two characters, an Acolyte and Space Marine, and alternate between the two as the mission called for it. Example, the Acolytes may track a Tekheretic to a Space Hulk, a notorious bad place for normal people to go. So, reporting to their Inquisitor, he chooses to call on his influence wit the Deathwatch to have a team dispatched to sweep and capture the heretic.

Braddoc, I am not locked into the 9-12 time, as long as the day is Tuesday. Any other day and I do not get off work until 8, so could not play until 9pm. On Tuesdays im off, so I can technically run the game at anytime.

Hmm. having two char might be all right like this..though entering a heretek Hulk as an acolyte..more suspense!

As for the Skype play; would it be with mic or no? I have one, just wondering how that'll play out.

Well, essentially wr would use D20Pro as a Virtual Tabletop, complete with dice rolling and a grid. Skype would be used for a group voice chat, though I never use video. So far ive found it to work well, and thanks to hearing each other, much easier to catch subtle nuances and such. Plus its a lot quicker than typing! Ive actually found that, at least for DnD/Pathfinder, the D20Pro program speeds up combat. For us all we will use our tokens and the dice roller, but it still helps.

So, anyone else out there interested? If you want more details or such, feel free to email me at [email protected] put in the subject line Online 40kRPG.

e-mail send.

Cmon, I know there are more out there looking to play a game.

Interested, email sent. I normally hang out on Rogue Trader forum so I didn't see this till now.