Interaction with Inquisitor

By Visitor Q, in Dark Heresy Gamemasters

This is a rather open ended topic for all GM's.

Basically I have finished the' Sicarius Connection' which is the 2nd adventure/2nd part of my Campaign ('Exterminatus After Reading') and I had a debriefing session with my PC's where they can tell me all the bits they liked and all the bits they didn't like so I can improve for the next adventure ('Pride and Destroy with Extreme Prejudice').

Some of their answers were slightly surprising. They really enjoyed the adventure but what they wanted was more interaction with their Inquisitor.

Now they generally get face time with him once or twice per session or so, generally in briefing or other 'office' meetings, and in the backgorund they are the henchmen to his inner circle of Interrogators/Senior Acolytes so comparitivley speaking they are fairly well thought of by him.

So the only way they could interact with him more would be for him to actually go along with them on missions. Now I have no problems with that per say but I want the PC's to be the stars of the show rather then be shown up by some power sword wielding Inquisitor Lord.

Do I have a one off session where he comes along and generally 'shows off'? Or do I maybe do a mission where he comes along but is in the background evaluating their performace?

I don't want to do the old 'powerful NPC turns up but gets injured' routine becuse this is old and boring.

As a wider question how do you guys play your Inquisitor in terms of interacting with the PC's?

Double post......................................

Whoever said an Inquisitor needs to be a super-powerful combat machine? Many Inquisitors are no such thing. If you do send him on a mission with the PCs and you have already designed him as a butt-kicker, even then he doesn't have to show up the PCs. Look at Agamorr in Shades of Twilight for ideas on some ways to avoid having him taking over the spotlight.

I'm curious if you asked your players why they wanted more interaction with their Inquisitor. Honestly I have a pretty strict policy of keeping my Inquisitor remote. Later in the campaign that may change, but I really like the distrust and paranoia a remote Inquisitor creates. Of course my current Inquisitor is a extremely powerful psyker encased in a massive life-support apparatus/tank due to horrific injuries of an unknown origin, so the prospect of her accompanying the acolytes isn't something I have to think about at all.

Atheosis said:

Whoever said an Inquisitor needs to be a super-powerful combat machine? Many Inquisitors are no such thing. If you do send him on a mission with the PCs and you have already designed him as a butt-kicker, even then he doesn't have to show up the PCs. Look at Agamorr in Shades of Twilight for ideas on some ways to avoid having him taking over the spotlight.

I'm curious if you asked your players why they wanted more interaction with their Inquisitor. Honestly I have a pretty strict policy of keeping my Inquisitor remote. Later in the campaign that may change, but I really like the distrust and paranoia a remote Inquisitor creates. Of course my current Inquisitor is a extremely powerful psyker encased in a massive life-support apparatus/tank due to horrific injuries of an unknown origin, so the prospect of her accompanying the acolytes isn't something I have to think about at all.

There are many types of Inquisitors in the Imperium it just so happens that my PC's happen to have chosen the 'butt kicking type'....(This actually has some significance to a sub plot that is slowly on the boil so to speak)

My campaign focuses heavily around inter Ordo rivalry (and outright betrayal) so I have built up a fairly extensive background for all the key players and their retinues.

I suppose because my players know some of this background and know something of their Inquisitor by reputation that they want to work more closesly with him.

I did think about having the Inquisitor as a fairly remote figure but it didn't appeal to me. If I have their Inquisitor betray the PC's in the future in some way I would rather they actualy quite like and respect him, so that the emotional turmoil that ensues will be all the more dramatic.

The other practical point is that by making the Inquisitor they have a good working relationship with it keeps the players on course in terms of their mission without actually railroading them, because they want to do a good job out of loyalty and duty.

I think I might have the Inquisitor go along with them on a fairly minor mission and allow the PC's to run the show completly even taking orders from them, mainly as a kind of practical asessment......