so some of you already have the book ... tell me tell me tell me!

More revelations on the Haarlock mystery? more on the Tyrant Star? is there a good connection with Tattered Fates, and the is the over-arcing story line satisfying?

I don't think any of us have it yet. Hell, I don't even think the book is at the printers yet, though I could be wrong.

I have it.

So far I like it much more than Tattered Fates. It's a murder mystery story with a little twist (though perhaps a predictable one) and some room for Inquisitorial intrigue. It also has a daemonhost, which every good 40k story needs!

A little more detail: The acolytes are sent to investigate a number of suspicious murders. At first it seems the murders might just be the work of opposing factions involved in a power struggle but as more clues are revealed it becomes clear that something stranger is going on. In point of fact, a Daemonhost bound in a pair of mirrors by Haarlock is manipulating the head Arbites officer to conduct the murders. He conducts them through use of living corpses. The story goes that before Haarlock disappeared into the unknown regions he smashed one of the mirrors and spread the pieces around. The daemon is using what little power he still has to murder their owners and get the pieces so he can construct the mirror and escape when it is whole.

Sorry if that's a kind of vague and short summary but I haven't gotten around to reading it all yet. It seems to me a big improvement over the other modules that have come out for DH because of its structure; It's a location-based mystery, and so it gives the PC's plenty of freedom while still providing for the plot.

From what I've seen there doesn't seem to be much of a connection to Tattered Fates, and the "overall story arc" feels more like a loose connection than an "overall story arc." How much of an epic arc could they really create in three missions though?

I think I'll be using this module in my campaign without Tattered Fates.

Sounds intrigueing, but I am dismayed to learn there is no overall story arc. What I expect most from these modules is that they lead up to one another, reveal the mystery of Haarlock, and then conclude with a spectacular finale. It seems now that they are three separate adventures , connected only loosely with lazy references to Haarlock.

I might be wrong, ofcourse, but I am kind of worried that this may be the case. But perhaps it's too early to tell.

So FFG, if you're reading this, make sure that the Haarlock mythos is served well by these adventures

It sounds like a very interesting adventure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,with some good background material.

I am looking forward to it.

Talking "background material":

How many pages is the book? How much of "Sinophia" is actually covered?

After "Tattered Fates" I am more the reluctant to expand the serie, but I would like to learn more about Sinophia. Will the module quench my thirst or should I put my money elsewhere?

Do we really need a spoiler thread on this book, when it's almost out for most everyone?

I mean, you might end up spoiling the module for other people (I haven't read anything in this thread yet, thank the GE)

Kylen said:

Well, that´s the reason why there is big [spoilerS] warning in the topic title. If you don´t want to read it, then you don´t have to, but if you do, you can.

I´m also intresed about some backround material about Sinophia, plus is there any backround package/elite advance as in Tattered Fates?

Kylen said:

In addition to the OP who pointed out the BIG SPOILER WARNING given

Yessir, we need it!
As you already mentioned yourself ("almost out for most everyone") there are a lot of people whom are not going to see it for weeks (like us fellows down here in germany). In addition, it is very very nice to get some information off the actual content.

Kylen said:

well duh there is an obvious spoiler warning in the topic title, and it will take weeks for the book to reach Europe and I know so little of it that I keep talking about Dead Cities when it is Damned Cities

So, back2topic:

Talking "background material":

How many pages is the book? How much of "Sinophia" is actually covered?

After "Tattered Fates" I am more the reluctant to expand the serie, but I would like to learn more about Sinophia. Will the module quench my thirst or should I put my money elsewhere?

Hey I´m european. I like such spoilers.

If a book hit the store in the USA, I´ve to wait a month until I can buy it without a hugh amount of shipping costs.

And I ´m curios: Are there more information about the tyrant star?

Kylen said:

How can you spoil something for people in the GAMESMASTERS forum?

Soo Gathrawny has ya finished reading it yet? Tell us eeeverything! Please? I'll give ya a cookie!

Harlec said:

It's out in the UK this week.

Is there anything new in the book that sheds light on the Haarlock mystery? Interesting revelations and such about the goal and fate of Erasmus Haarlock or possible connections to the Tyrant Star?

The adventure focuses around a Tower once belonging to the Haarlock line called Haarlock's Folly in Sinophia Magna, so for the legacy as a whole it reveals some of the history of Erasmus as revealed through a servant of his.

The book is slim at 70 pages.

Introduction 7 Pages

Chapter 1 : The Sinophia Gazetteer, 9 Pages, describes the city physically.

Chapter 2 : Wicked City, 13 Pages mostly covers the major players in the city involved in the campaign.

Part 1 : Death in Sinophia Magna, 16 Pages, the Acolytes are called in to investigate some murders.

Part 2 : Blind Enemies, 4 Pages. Escalation, some events as things heat up.

Part 3 : Through the shattered Mirror, 4 Pages. Endgame,

Appendix : 9 Pages of npcs, 1 Player handout (initial briefing from Inquisitor), 2 Maps and 1 Harlock Legacy Campaign that mostly reprints the page from tattered fates.

Personally my one big gripe with Dark Heresy scenarios so far has been the prevalence of endings where the players can only be victorious if they do something specific. Having had only a quick read of Damned Cities it does seem to avoid this and actually allows the players to get out and do their own things without railroading them in any way. Details on the city seem decent as much as really possible considering your talking about a city in a few pages and it does look like it would be a really enjoyable adventure.

As for the legacy, the players to have the opportunity to learn a few details.

Some details of the Haarlock line while they still resided here are scattered around, largely not plot relevant but interesting.

What Haarlock's last dealings here were before he left.

What he left to find.

How to plot his last course

and that he's coming back.

Nothing in massive detail, just lines here and there you understand. Personally I would never dream of running this without first getting my hands on the last remaining book. I learn't my lesson well from running Purge the Unclean one adventure at a time only to realise at the end that were was no satisfactory resolution and that the 'hints' of the overarching plot were not an overarching tapestry but just loose threads.

Many a thanks to the "page warning". Bad news, in may book.

I'm still reading, but the setup includes a optional message from Inquisitor Marr. If the players have done House of Dust & Ash, they should have a connection.

In my campaign, I did an adventure between House of Dust & Ash and Tattered Fates where the player's Inquisitor was wounded by a deamon weapon wielded by a radical inquisitor and went into a coma (my adventure contest entry). He hadn't recovered when Tattered Fates started, so no one knows if he will survive or not.

So I may just hand the acolytes over to Marr for the rest of the Harlock adventures. If you use the Marr message, the players will be on the alert for more than just heretical murder right from the start. But they would anyway, once they find the arbeit HQ is in a tower named "Harlock's Folly."

As far as I can tell, the Haarlock "arc" is that "he's coming back, and you won't like it if/when he shows up." I'm hoping he shows up in the third book.

There is an interesting game mechanic for the mood of the city. It changes based on what the players do, and what the deamon does. The default is that the city will devolve into complete anarchy and civil war. The players can solve the mystery and defeat the deamon, and that can still happen. Or they can take action to keep a lid on it, and the city will still come to a boil, but not self destruct.

BTW: We're still playing Tattered Fates, and it's running better than a lot of comments on these boards would lead you to believe. My players had a great time with the Spider Bride. Their characters, on the other hand, were rather challenged by her.