Suggestions on a series of "one shots"

By PPoS, in Dark Heresy Gamemasters

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Hello everyone ! So here's the deal: I've come up with an idea of how to introduce my (regular) players into the fantastic setting of WH40k and the different RPGs from FFG. I want to run a series of (four) "one-shot" adventures for my players, each using a respective RPG (DH, RT, DW, and BC (don't own OW yet)). The idea being that perhaps my players will fall for one of the systems and want to continue playing it (basically evolving into a campaign).

Now, I thought it would be kind of a cool idea to connect the different adventures into each other somehow. I'm planning on running DH first, RT second, DW third, and BC last.

So perhaps it turns out in the RT game that the characters of the preceeding DH game were actually the mysterious acolytes that the RT crew dropped of on some planet (or something along those lines). So bascially the adventures may take place at the same time or perhaps as a continuation of the story by other means. They do not necessarily have to be DIRECTLY connected, i.e. the DW adventure may not have anything to do with what the RT adventure was about, but perhaps the Kill Team have to clean up some mess the RT crew created/discovered, etc.

So I would really like some suggestions on how to pull this off. Specifically ideas on how to tie the adventures together. Fire away !

(Also, I wrote this in a hurry so .. yeah).

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How well do you and they know the setting?

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It's feasible. Especially if you narrate the players essentially meeting themselves, sort of. Even if it means taking a bit of control away from their characters, considering that these are just one-shots, they won't be as attached to them and thus might appreciate the narrative effect.


Off the top of my head ->


Dark Heresy : The players are a team of Inquisitorial agents sent to investigate an illegal auction where an alien artefact is being sold. They fail to acquire the object in question, but may uncover crucial clues as to its nature, as well as its current owner and their location/destination.

Rogue Trader : The players are a Rogue Trader and his/her inner circle of conspirators, who have recently been bidding on a powerful xenos artefact but have been outwitted by a competing noble. They decide to take it by force as the auction's winner attempts to move the item, either by raiding the transit station or intercepting the ship in space.

Deathwatch : The players are a squad of Space Marines that, following an Inquisitorial investigation, has been mobilised to board a certain Rogue Trader's starship and secure an artefact rumoured to be in his/her possession. The Rogue Trader and their crew attempt to resist, forcing the Marines' hand, yet at the climax of the battle the artefact is triggered and opens a portal to the Warp, through which a host of alien creatures swarm the vessel. The mission is cancelled and the Astartes have to escape with their lives instact, ordered to destroy the portal. Bonus points if they instead manage to deactivate the artefact again, and take it with them.

Black Crusade : Guess what followed in the wake of said alien creatures and wants that artefact (or any remains, or the lives of those who dared to damage it), too. :D

Edited by Lynata
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Drath, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:37 PM, said:Drath, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:37 PM, said:Drath, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:37 PM, said:

How well do you and they know the setting?

I'd say that I'm at the level where I can make educated guesses about most things. I feel confident running a game in the setting anyway. My players have little to no knowledge/experience of the setting though.

Lynata, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:55 PM, said:Lynata, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:55 PM, said:Lynata, on 17 Nov 2014 - 5:55 PM, said:

It's feasible. Especially if you narrate the players essentially meeting themselves, sort of. Even if it means taking a bit of control away from their characters, considering that these are just one-shots, they won't be as attached to them and thus might appreciate the narrative effect.

Yeah, don't know if I would go as far as to have them meet themselves. But I could definitely see them being in the same place at the same time (although not knowing about it until after). My first idea was just having the DH characters being transported by the ship that would later serve the players in the RT game, or perhaps having the DH adventure on the RT ship itself (black holds maybe). That way the players could feel the connection by just hearing the name of the ship.

Thanks for the suggestions, sounds like it could become a awesome game. That idea of having the DW marines boarding the RT ship actually crossed my mind as well !

Oh and I might just put it out there that I'll be aiming at finishing each adventure at around 6-8 hours of game time. If that helps in any way.

Edited by PPoS
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Yeah, don't know if I would go as far as to have them meet themselves.

It depends on the type of players, of course - but it could be fun for them fighting against their own characters. Sort of like the "mirror fights" in some games, except here it'd be their retired (due to one-shot) characters rather than being a "clone". ;)

That being said, avoiding deaths would of course keep a window open to continue some of those characters' story if your players have decided which kind of game they like most.

Either way, good luck!

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I'd have them meet themselves. Don't need to end up fighting, though an argument could be good or a 'long time in the future',when the characters would've had to retire regardless could be good. Picture a hoverchair bound Rogue Trader and his new, younger crew of bodyguards (the other characters all stick as advisors, not ground crew) arguing with a bunch of Heretics and chaos marines, threatening them.

Edited by Drath
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I really like the idea.

Here's my take:

Rogue Trader : A group of family members from an imperial backwater are picked up - grudgingly by the current captain and her new husband (related to the PCs). The PCs then follow around the Rogue Trader as they do a few planet hops. At one point they pick up several pods of something they are not to talk about. A Chaos corsair ambushes the Rogue Trader. With the captain incapacitated, can the intrepid PCs take over command and beat the corsair and deliver their mysterious shipment?
Dark Heresy : The pods are opened up on the planet and a disparate group of acolytes are revealed. Supposedly there is a chaos plot on this hive planet. Infamous heretic Malpheasance have been dropped off by the corsair to forment a revolution on already edgy planet under heavy imperial tithe. Can the PCs stop the heretic before time runs out?
Black Crusade : The heretic Malpheasance has been defeated, as his former proteges, the throne upon his corsair is empty and all that is needed is the will to take it! But there are other imperial and chaos forces in the move. Can they dodge a Deathwatch squad and other heretics to wrest his corsair from the grip of others?
Deathwatch : A group of heretics have taken over the heretic Malpheasance's ship, unknown to them a necron tomb ship is hunting it as it contains a powerful necrontyr artefact in the shape of a throne. Can the Deathwatch squad stop the heretics and necrons before awakening the necrons sleeping under an Imperial backwater?
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And here's one more

Black Crusade (don't know this setting, but here goes): A Khorn-cult has guided a Waaagh to a heavily fortified series of forge worlds. However to make sure the fitting number of skulls is harvested, they need the conflict to drag on so that other Imperial troops can fly in and start to stomp the Greenskins to a pulp. This could include sabotaging the Ork fleet or putting Imperial outposts on guard with feints.

Deathwatch: the chapter master learns of a Greenskin Waaagh that threatens a hidden penitentiary facility on one of the forge worlds. The Greenskins have landed on the planet and are close to discovering the facility. The squad needs to eliminate all the prisoners to make sure they don't break free during the conflict and need to extract one powerful psyker that is in the process of being questioned.

Dark Heresy: An inquisitor is smart enough to notice that the latest Waaagh is somehow orchestrated (see the feints at the outposts) and sends the acolytes to investigate. Their mission is to derail the invasion and find out what is behind the Greenskin horde.

Rogue Trader: During the invasion of the forge worlds, a rogue trader sees his chance to plunder one of the more powerful forge complexes that has partly fallen to the Greenskins. Next he needs to break the blockade of the Orkish (or naval) fleet to deliver the stolen archaeotech to his buyer.