Ok, so: we've played WFRP for years, and love the game to bits. For aeons ago, I even tried to GM a 40k version of WFRP, but nothing came of it. I simply had to time or enthusiasm to rework the system. But now there is the DH and apparently upcoming Rogue Trader, plus a hefty bunch of sourcebooks etc. So it might be a time to try my hand at DH?

Can you people tell me shortly what DH is about? I understand that the PCs are supposed to work for the Inquistion in one form or other, at least in the published adventures? What 'professions' are available for players? And which books are must buys in addition to the rulebook?

I am also curious to know how essential miniatures would be for gaming. Is it like WFRP, they're nice addition if you got them, but not necessary? I sold most of my painted 40k figs years ago, but I still got some Inquisitors, assassins, and of course lots of various daemons from our WFRP games. So I'd maybe want to buy a few Terminators etc, if I decide to use minis.

EDIT: Oh, and is there any difference between the FFG and BI versions of the books?

Dark Heresy is the 40K game of dark gothic horror. It is a slasher film meets hellraiser in space. The characters are suppose to be investigating conspiracies, cults,secret societies, heresy and other criminal acts that are above yoru standard Arbites jurisdiction. Think Call of Cthulhu RPG in space, but with bolt guns, psykers, tech priests and all things 40K (Imperium that is).

Characters can play Adepts (scholars), Assassins, Arbitrators (cops), Guardsmen, Scum (rogues), Priests (not spell-casters I remind you), Psykers or Tech Priests. The game is set to start at a low rank (level) of roughly 400XP. Advancement is similar to WFRP, but yet different as you dont really change career, just position in that career.

If you get the Inquisitor's Handbook (and you should) you get a healthy dose of alternate career ranks and a new career in the Sisters of Battle career (can never spell Sisters properly in High Gothic).

Books I recommend other then the core book are (in order): Inquisitor's Handbook, Creatures Anathema, Disciples of the Dark Gods, Purge the Uncelan, Tattered Fates and GMs Kit. The GMs kit is last because all it is is a simple and crappy adventure, a xeno generator and a two page spread on poisons and toxins. Things not that vital or worthwhile overall. The screen is nice, but not necessary. However, ti generally isnt that expensive so if you are looking for a cheap add to the game then I place it above Purge the Unclean and Tattered Fates, both books I place low on the list as they are just adventure modules more or less, they add some flavor, but not as much as the other books.

There is a wealth of fan made stuff available online as well, including new races, origins, careers and gear.

As of right now, I am a Dark Heresy fanatic. Rogue Trader I will, of course, purchase (DUH), but as a support book for Dark Heresy.

And Miniatures are not required at all.

Thanks, Peacekeeper! Is it possible, or even likely that one of the players becomes an inquisitor one day? And would he come from the ranks of Adepts only? And are Space Marines available as a PC profession?

Its unlikely any players to become inquisitor before ascention (or what its called) book and space marines are first when the space marine book is released, so it is not yet for the players, but its your game and there is plenty of fan based rules on the point.

Ron B. Stard said:

While not supported by the books themselves at the moment, there's nothing stopping you from allowing a PC to be/become an Inquisitor and the rules will one day support this feature (when Death Watch comes out is the current belief). When rules and what-not to support such actually dose find it's way into the books, I'm certain that an Inquisitor will be able to come from any career. Arbiters have become Inquisitors, Priests (Cleric) have become Inquisitors, some Inquisitors are powerful Psykers, etc. It, more then likely, will be an option open to all careers.

As pointed out above, with Ascension latter this year, we will have rules for PC's rising to the ranks of Interrogators (jr. Inquisitors), Rules for Temple Assassins iirc, as well as guidelines for PC's joining the ranks of the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (or rules for making them... something).

Also, as pointed out, Space Marines aren't available in Dark Heresy as they're a bit outside the scope and direction of the game. However, there will be rules for them in the third game installment, Death Watch, due out some time in the fuuuUUuuuuture. The second game of the series due out late August or September is Rogue Trader which, from what I've read, will be adding Rogue Traders and Astropaths to the career line-up as well as a host of others.

I would also mirror Peacekeeper's recommended books except for possibly switching Creatures Anathema and Disciples, but that's just a personal preference. Both are good books and add a wealth of information on the worlds of the Calixis Sector (the setting for Dark Heresy)... I just prefer conspiracies and cults to odd beasties and threats. While IH and DH are all but mandatory for play, those are the next couple of books you would definitly want to set your sights on once the game is going.

Ron, there are just a couple problems to consider when contemplating Space Marines as characters in Dark Heresy not that you can't do it. As has been stated previously. It simply comes down to a conflict in genre.

Space marines are quite turbo charged and over the top (if statted up correctly). Now there is nothing saying that you can't tailor a campaign to a bunch of Space Marines but I would think that mixing standard players as written in the published rules and a space marine or two is going to be very very awkward to say the least with some of your players struggling to survive on your dead world adventure and the space marines drinking irradiated water and digesting rocks.

The game itself is geared around providing a challenge to humans (space marines are human++) and so a campaign with Space Marines in it will limit the tools you have available for story telling and challenges. Space Marines aren't going to put on disguises and investigate...they are going to gland up some stimm and burn/destroy everything in their path. So your story telling as a GM becomes purge mission after purge mission which...will get old...eventually

As far as players becoming inquisitors there are supplements in the works to provide that level of gaming but that is supposed to be after an acolyte reaches max rank in their career. Acolytes can be quite powerful though so don't let your potential players poo poo you on that front. It is totally in the vein of Cthulu in space as Peacekeeper B said, but it has more to offer after a session of gaming than "okay you're all dead again let's do a new asylum adventure"

If you and your players want a more traditional sci-fi romp through the 40k galaxy then I'd suggest waiting for Rogue Trader (aka Lewis and Clark in Space). However, there is so much to love about Dark Heresy and the myriad adventures you can have through the Imperium of Man investigating and rooting out corruption that you could do much worse than giving it a drive.

Strap on a bolter, lace up your jack-boots and get ready to purge the unclean for the god-emperor!

Thanks for the information, all of you! I have to admit I had already forgotten how the SM are pretty super-human in nature. But it's all coming back to me now. The reason for asking was in part to find out how extensive is the range of the 'power levels', or how far the characters can advance. Like it's cousin WFRP, I quite like the idea of pretty down to earth characters to begin with. It seems the 40k background has pretty much evolved and accumulated since the early 90s I last read about Inquisitors et all. so I wasn't sure what elements of the 40k world would be in.

It's interesting how the game has been 'chopped' down into smaller chunks (DH, RT etc.) to handle the various themes. This allows much more in dept covering of the subject (as opposed to a single book covering everything), but it also means spending whole lotta money, if you want to get the complete set. Very clever...

I'm new to 40K and DH and haven't actually actually played, but so far I love it! I'm a HUGE Fading Suns fan and this is the first sci-fi game I've been this excited for. I recommend it.

Ron B. Stard said:

The gear and skills etc at the upper end of the scale in Dark heresy are insane, and when Deathwatch comes out, I would think many of the PC's will have reached the equivalent of tabletop assassins etc, who cuold actually feasibly kill a SM.

To kill a marine all you need is a lascannon or autocannon...

"all you need" eh? Easy!

I did mean in melee combat, by being better than a marine, not actually just being 900 feet away from him with an anti tank weapon.

Highly recommended. It's a fantastic game. I've been an RPer since around 1976 and I've played lots of different RPGs and this by far is the best in my not so humble opinion.

I'd like to add something about the whole Astartes problem. It's true DH is not ment for Marines but it's also true it's the only official 40K RPG out there. I believe most people here are playing becuase they have A) played any of the many videogames or B) like me have been playing the wargame for some time, so I don't understand where the surprice is coming from when someone says he wants to play a marine.

The point is, it would be difficult to have an RPG where a guard recruit would be at the same 'power' level as the guy that is any kind of officer on a naval ship, or even a marine scout.... All three systems: DH; RT; and DW will all be compatible systemwise, but refer to different stratas of societty I reckon.

Hopefully, It should be possible to work your way through all three (although very difficult)).

I think we both know that's not how it works in 40K, expecially for marines. My question stands tho, why everyone seems so amazed someone, and I might add there are many, wants to play a space marines ?

I'm not questioning if the might or might not work into the tier of experience given in DH, I'm not even sure RT will be high enoght BUT there are a couple of systems that are workable enough to be fun.

I don't think people are surprised or amazed particularly that folk are interested in playing SMs - probably not a few of us went through all this argument back with Inquisitor (and weren't too surprised or amazed then...). I read it that they were just answering the question (here).

Re: The topic question, I'd say the books are pretty glorious just as objects (less so, if you have lots of the art in them already) and that it's well worth checking through many of the threads on the forum, since (not to be rude), the players seem to have a better understanding of how the game should be played than the writers did, in terms of the core mechanics of Tests and so on (essentially, don't be as unrealistically severe as the book indicates).

And defo - you'd do well to consider the Core Book and Inquisitor's Handbook to be attached together in the shop (apart from the whole having to buy them individually thing...). I'm the first to be 'cynical' (actually realistic) about anything GW derived but I do get the impression that the books were written by people thoroughly immersed in - and with a profound love of - this 'universe' and they're letting all that love pour out wherever they get the chance. This means multiple books full of fluff (though often with little actual, easily useable 'nuts and bolts' info), extra expense and weight to cart around and the occasional impossibility of remembering where you read a certain little bit of info (lack of good or any indexes and info not always too logically grouped together). But that's just the practical side; the whimsical side is that they've breathed life into one of the best 'universes' ever created, told stories (rather than just drily presented information) and yep, hate to say it for fear of sounding all gushing and wet behind the ears, but you can feel the love - the 'we'd do this even if we weren't paid' vibe - which is fairly rare and precious these days....

Really, it is about investigations and exterminations.

There is no real "need" to run it as a horror game (it really isn't), tho' it can be run that way. It is a film-noir type setting, for sure. Some missions are "find the heretic and Burn him", while others dabble in horror or even comedy.

The metaplot themes are retaining one's sanity and avoiding corruption whilst seeking out the corrupt to excise them from society.

Holy Eternal Emperor onna frigging Golden Throne, Batman! I received my batch of DH books yesterday, and I must say they're gorgeous (even if they're second hand!) Just the DH rulebook of filled with information, and it will take a lot of time ot absorb that book alone. That said, I read through the character creation, combat and psionics section, and it all has that familiar yet new feeling after WFRP. I am liking it very much so far.

Especially character creation and career system seem very interesting, I like the additions and options of various backgrounds and past events, especially with the ones from IH added. Should be fun to make some characters!

The GM screen is nice and sturdy, but I really expected it to include a booklet with the critical wound tables. No doubt something like that is available for download, though? Will read more tonight....

Glad to hear that you like the books so far! When i first started playing i was a little unsure (this is my first RPG) and now, i love it. the GM and i are writing up an adventure (were both 40K nuts). It leaves so much to the imagination. let us know how go when you start up!

Lucius Valerius said:

While I'll admit that some DH players may have come directly from the Wargame or the Video Games, I think that most had at least some experience with RPGs before playing DH (there's a lot of WFRP veterens out there) and know that, when you get down to it, Space Marines just aren't that good a fit for RPGs. You can't do all that much with them. Having them in a game creates too many problems. So the only reason to have them in the game is to cander to SM fanboys... which thankfully BI didn't do.