I want to run a Dark Heresy game but I don't like the system for it. (I liked the cancelled Beta, but not the new one or original, but lets not get into that). So I'm looking for an alternate system.

Currently, I'm planning to use Shadowrun 4th Edition. It's pretty much a perfect match in terms of ability to represent things (it has cyberware, magic and a realistic damage / armour / combat scale). It also has more headroom than the DH system making it much easier to throw in big daemons, space marines and other big things than you ever comfortably could with the percentile DH system. The only thing it's really lacking is critical hits results, which are a sad loss, but a concession I can make.

So why aren't I fully happy with using SR4A for my DH game? Because EotE / AoR is one of the best rules systems I've ever used and I want to use it at every opportunity. Additionally, the players I have in mind for this aren't much into RPGs and I want to give them a system they can pick up and roll with and wont get in the way of story. SR4A is great, but much more bitty than EotE.

So, I'm looking for advice / suggestions on how I can get a DH flavour out of EotE rules. This may not be possible, but it's worth investigating.

I have not yet run more than a couple of games of EotE, so the following is at least in large part based on rules readings and may be wrong. The chiefworries I have are the lack of fine detail in powers (e.g. in Dark Heresy, you might fit cyberlimbs, bionic eyes, have small mutant powers), lack of distinction between weapons (players need to feel that when they pick up a bolt-pistol it's something significantly different to their stubber.

I am surprisingly not as concerned with how much more survivable the PCs are in EotE. Honestly in my adventure they probably need a boost. One thing I was planning to do was to add a flat +30% to criticals to make the game a bit grittier.

But other than that, I'm still not sure it's enough to create a WH40K feel. Really open to suggestions!

I'm not familiar with the WH40K universe or the RPG. However, I think the FFG SW system is extremely flexible and easy to reskin due to the narrative nature of the system. Since the power levels are relatively flat, it's not hard to keep things reasonably balanced. If you study the skills and talent trees you will see the underlying design is simple and elegant. At its heart, each specialization is based on a classic movie, or book, character.

It shouldn't be too difficult to work with your players to come up with custom skills and talent tree to support the flavor of WH40K and recreate the significant characters from the books.

I think it would be fairly easy to reskin the system like Rasguy says.

Come up with some custom "species" and careers. Using existing specialization trees with some reshuffling or just renaming(Gadgeteer could be renamed Engineseer or something)

Use the base human statline as a base for other "species" stats.

A Space Marine might be Brawn 4, Agility 3, Intellect 1, Cunning 1, Willpower 2, and Presence 2. Have them only have 50 XP to start with, but start with 1 rank in ranged heavy and melee(and have all combat skills as automatic career skills)

I'm assuming you are trying to replicate the feel of the 40K fluff (particularly the novels) rather than just convert the game which I am not familiar with.

Just some random thoughts:

Destiny Points: Star Wars has the concept of balance whereas in 40k, it's just the inevitable slide into Chaos. Because of this, when players use Destiny Points, they go to the GM. However, when the GM uses one, it doesn't go back to the players but is removed.

Psykers: While it should be fairly easy to add new psyker powers, the way the Force points work doesn't really reflect 40k as there is no Light side to the Warp. So, each light side point will represent the Psyker's internal power whereas the dark side points represent calling on the warp. When calling on the Warp, the Psyker should probably gain some sort of corruption point or token.

Weapons: In 40K, characters often carry around weapons that can vaporize even the most heavily armored vehicles. Go with the 5:1 personal:vehicle damage ratio instead of 10:1.

Armor: Power Armor as, especially Terminator armor can stop even the most powerful attacks. You could just pile on the Soak but these armors aren't that reliable. So give them moderate amounts of soak but give them an ability that lest the player spend Threats generated by the attack to increase the soak for that one attack. This will give a chance for a character to survive a lascannon if lucky enough. Also, Defense granting force fields should be fairly common, forex storm shields, power fields, etc.

Obligation: Replace this with a Corruption stat. I'm not sure how this would work but it should be tied to the use of psyker powers and contact with alien artifacts, demons, or mutants.

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't reply sooner because I was doing some serious mulling on the subject.

EotE is a brilliant system, one of the two best systems I've ever used. I've thought this over a lot but I don't think I can properly capture the feel of Dark Heresy with it. It's hard to put my finger on it but I think WH40K just needs to feel dirtier somehow. I'm going to go with Shadowrun 4A for it. Ultimately, what it came down to, was that when trying to convert the various weapons in WH40K to EotE, so much of it came out feeling the same. EotE is a far better system than the original DH rules (or the 2nd ed. for that matter now FFG caved on the original very nice Beta), but it's just too light and clean and generally streamlined for the nitty-gritty WH setting, imo.

I am, however, inclined to convert Mage: The Ascension to use it. That would be a perfect match!

I dont know the DH system, except it is similar to the 2nd Ed WFRP, which I am looking at converting the EotE system to.

While I like WFRP, the Black and White nature (No grey) has started to annoy me.

I dont know if what I am doing would be a useful starting point for DH, but I would happily share what im doing, or collaborate or mutual works.

I dont know the DH system, except it is similar to the 2nd Ed WFRP, which I am looking at converting the EotE system to.

While I like WFRP, the Black and White nature (No grey) has started to annoy me.

I dont know if what I am doing would be a useful starting point for DH, but I would happily share what im doing, or collaborate or mutual works.

Always interested to here about projects like that - absolutely please do share! But WHFRP without any grey?!?!? I actually haven't played any edition since 1st. The setting is pretty much all shades of grey. In fact, WHFRP is a game where most shades of grey are darker than the black in most other games. Do I really want to ask what they did to it?

Always interested to here about projects like that - absolutely please do share! But WHFRP without any grey?!?!? I actually haven't played any edition since 1st. The setting is pretty much all shades of grey. In fact, WHFRP is a game where most shades of grey are darker than the black in most other games. Do I really want to ask what they did to it?

Ahh, sorry. I meant mechanically.

Due to the system, which is nice in its own way... it is all Pass/Fail.

Its a hardline, you Pass a Check, or you Fail it.

The narrative you can add it using degrees of success to add some flavour, but the hit still hits, the spell is still cast, etc. Its still a Pass.

The same could be done for a failed roll, but you would need to house rule some of it.

What I liked about the EotE system is the mechanic supports Success AND Failure in the same roll... the whole Threat/Dispai Advantage/Triumph I like... its abit more.. squishy and less rigid.