Woes of Askellon

By venkelos, in Dark Heresy General Discussion

So, this is going to seem a bit trivial, and certainly a bit only my opinion, but why does Askellon SUCK so hard? What I mean is, Calixis has it's problems, certainly, but it seems a decent enough place, in spots. The Koronus Expanse suffers from a certain amount of freedom, and a lack of Imperial oversight, but it works. So, if Askellon is actually closer to the rest of the Imperium than the boonies-sector of Calixis, and Scarus, or Ixaniad, why does it seem SO lost, and terrible? Their sector leader is a lunatic, only better than Vandire, mentally, on account of she can't bring down too much suffering anyplace else. The head of their Arbites is feeble, and a bit crazy. Everything there already seems lost, addled, or worse, and then the Pandemonium is going to swallow it. What light still shines in the sector, that it's worth saving? I accept that the Imperium doesn't really let anything go, and the Jericho Reach is a fine example of the lengths to which they'll go to plant a flag, and see that it keeps waving, but Calixis seemed to have organizations in place that would help the players, as the Inquisition is strong there; Askellon seems to be lacking this, in my brief paging through the stuff, and I'm not sure how the Inquisitors keep it going, when the agencies they usually depend on to see their word heeded are decrepit, deceitful, or absent, and the proclamation "I'm an Inquisitor!" loses something when you can't make it matter, if you can't blow up the world, and then the Imperium holds you accountable for that.

I might've missed something, certainly, but is there really anything redeeming about Askellon, apart from it's a different region than Calixis? I appreciate that they made it, but it just seems so trashed, lost, and benighted, already, that, while I don't expect the party to really save the sector, in this case it just seems so far beyond impossible, even compared to the rest of the FFG settings.

So, in the event I came off as overly negative of the new DH setting, if you had to pick, what would be your favorite change, between Calixis, and Askellon? As a second bit, in Calixis, they have a rather potent Inquisitor concentration, even excluding the PCs. In Askellon, is there something similar? Do you basically show up, from outside, and try to right some wrongs, or is there an established Inquisition framework, already standing, akin to the Conclave Calixis sports?

It is fairly negative in relation to Calixis, in particular the level of Inquisitorial involvement. Calixis Inquisitors operate openly, and there are a LOT of them, with a ton of hooks and major threats to deal with. Askellon, on the other hand, is going downhill and it's entirely possible that the PC's Inquisitor is the only one in the entire sector. But what that means is that the players can possibly have a far greater effect on the sector as a whole, especially if their Inquisitor plays a personal role in the party. Askellon is so badly off that the players will make a difference whatever they do -- either destroy a planet or save it. There's perhaps greater room for outright heroics. I like the influence mechanic as a way to indicate the party's impact, because around Askellon it can make waves.

That would make playing a campaign in Askellon where the players are more open about their allegiance possibly more fruitful -- There's no one to say them nay if they raise an army to fight orks or purge a planet's leadership, and that can lead to wider changes for the better. Especially if they play as Recongregators.

why does it seem SO lost, and terrible?

Because significant bits of Imperial Authority have accepted that the sector is dead (or at least dying) and have stopped trying to save it.

Sooner or later the Pandaemonium is going to eat the rest of it (they think), and unlike a 'mere' invasion that's not a problem they can make go away by throwing 'mere' expendable armies at it. As a result, all the organisations controlled from outside the sector (Arbites, Navy, etc) aren't inclined to provide their Askelleonian elements with one whit more than is needed to retain order long enough to strip the sector of any assets worth saving.

The people stuck there......kind of know this, meaning they either leave, or just give up and go "what the hell, we're dead as a society anyway". At least, the educated nobility do - which (whether the reasoning is understood or not) filters down to the rest of society.

I'm not sure how the Inquisitors keep it going, when the agencies they usually depend on to see their word heeded are decrepit, deceitful, or absent, and the proclamation "I'm an Inquisitor!" loses something when you can't make it matter, if you can't blow up the world, and then the Imperium holds you accountable for that.

I appreciate that they made it, but it just seems so trashed, lost, and benighted, already, that, while I don't expect the party to really save the sector, in this case it just seems so far beyond impossible, even compared to the rest of the FFG settings.

You can't save Askelleon, anymore than you can save the Imperium. That is, sadly, the point. But with sacrifice, and cunning, you might just save them for a bit longer.

or is there an established Inquisition framework, already standing