UncleArkie said:

Also works with White Wolf's "Scion" series of games. But yea, it does remove what the munchkins would normally do, because Space Marines are all powerful, and you can't really get "more powerful". More skilled, sure, but never to an extent that they're "overpowered" compared to the rest of the group.

davidlian said:

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who was thinking about going renegade. Maybe it's the Red Corsair player in me, but a book that covers rules for Space Marines from multiple chapters working together? My first thought was to bolt on the Radical's Handbook and report to Huron...

I'm honestly not certain what the fuss is all about. This is going to be just like any other RPG out there. It'll be released, and hundreds of people will converge on teh interweb to talk about how hideously imbalanced it is, how nobody supports it, how marines are utterly unsuited to a roleplaying game (looks like people are getting ahead of themselves!) and how FFG have jumped the shark in general, all the while exchanging character builds and generally making a mess of the place.

Meanwhile, a whole load of people who don't feel the urge to plaster their opinions all over the internet will be enjoying the game immensely, finding the Astartes just as rich a subject to portray as anything else in Warhammer 40,000 and rolling their eyes...

Seraphael said:

Fun fact - assuming Deathwatch uses the same part of the timeline as Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader (815-816M41), then Lufgt Huron is still Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, and the Badab War hasn't happened yet... so you could include 'secret recidivist Space Marines' in normal Deathwatch Killteams, because the Astral Claws haven't openly turned traitor yet...

Ah ha, I hadn't even thought of that! I think I may have settled on my first Deathwatch character, then. It'd be rather groovy to have an Astral Claws marine whose issues with authority cause him to bicker with the bosses. And then I can model him up for the tabletop game!

'Course, the Astral Claws colour scheme is terrible. I always suspected it was the real reason they rebelled! Fortunately, the good old DW get to paint it over anyway!

Hellebore said:

In addition to the hysterectomy, maybe they take all the eggs and do things with them. Maybe extra space marines by some method that uses them??? It could also be any other weird thing the Adeptus Mechanicus does.

Suijin said:

*bows down to a necromancer of such awesome power*

MILLANDSON said:

Five months is impressive. That's some deep digging.

Wow, 13 pages. Got a few in and gave up, so i'll just start my response to the OP assuming these points are fresh - apologies if already covered.

Is this a viable RPG?

Yes. Of course. ANY subject is viable for roleplaying .

Anyway, i think its worth pointing out that this isn't a SPACE MARINE RPG, this is a DEATHWATCH RPG. While the the Deathwatch is constituted of Space MArines, the task of the DW is very much wider.

They ate NOT just a 'kill the xenos scum' organisation.

As the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, the Deathwatch is tasked with the study and, if necessary, the extermination of dangerous intelligent alien races encountered by the Imperium.

Thats for the gun-bunnys

They are also tasked with the observation of alien races, and the acquisition of their technology for further study by the Adeptus Mechanicus. This is because the Deathwatch are not merely intended to cleanse xenos cultures from Imperial space. They are also tasked with the recovery and study of alien devices and artefacts. Sometimes it is necessary to use a weapon against the enemy who created it, although this is not taken lightly. The Deathwatch are constantly vigilant for sabotage, or to advise if it is truly safe to use a weapon of xenos origin. The Adeptus Mechanicus are always on the lookout for alien technology; for instance, the C'tan Phase Sword, used by the Callidus Assassins, was recovered from a Necron Tomb World and successfully integrated into the arsenal of the Imperium.

Aha!! Now there's a task that is ripe with roleplaying potential. Observation, inflitration, stealing goodies. Perhaps the DW are sent as ambassadors to a Xenos world, to covertly assess the alien...heaps of potential there.

The Deathwatch are uniquely organized in that the Veteran Space Marines that make up the Deathwatch are drawn from many different Chapters. They are then specially trained in small units called Kill-Teams to counter xenos threats and are sworn to serve an open-ended term with the Deathwatch. When they return to their Chapter of origin, the former members of the Deathwatch take their hard-won knowledge with them to share with their Battle-Brothers, as well as supplies of specialist anti-alien weaponry.

Loads of RP opportunities there as they try to learn as much as possible from their fellow DW team members as well as the other humans and aliens they meet. DW marines are veterans who have transcended the neccessary combat-dogma of their chapter and have been sent out to learn anew...

Although there is no question of any Chapter or Space Marine failing to fulfill their ancient pledges, Chapters like the Iron Hands, Dark Angels, Space Wolves and Blood Angels have a notoriously strained relationship with the Inquisition. It is not unheard of for Radical Ordo Xenos Inquisitors to find the secondment of Deathwatch troops to their command facilitated by aiding one of these Space Marines Chapters against the political machinations of a Puritanical Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor.

Lovely! So many who serve in the DW are antagonistic towards the Inquisition and therefore their masters. So while in service, they have their own agendas to persue, and are powerful enough to stand up to the Inquisitors who need their help. VERY interesting roleplay dynamic there...

Other Chapters such as the Ultramarines, Crimson Fists and Imperial Fists have a far closer relationship with the Inquisition as a whole and the Ordo Xenos itself. Space Marines from these Chapters are more frequently and in greater number inducted into the Deathwatch, although a Kill-Team may be made up of any variety of Marines as the resources of the Ordo Xenos Chamber Militant are moved around the galaxy. The Space Marines making up a Deathwatch Kill-Team can vary hugely in personal philosophy, culture and custom but are bound together by their loyalty to the Emperor and their zealous hatred of the alien enemies of Mankind. A Space Marine will remain with the Deathwatch until the Inquisitor leading the detachment deems that the necessary tasks have been completed so that he may return to his Chapter with honour.

And there's the conflict thing. However its conflict between marines conditioned for loyalty so they will work together no matter what their differences - realinteresting RP opportunities with that.

Of the three games i actually think this has the highest potential for a roleplaying game. The PCs are tied together by a clear focus and bond of loyalty. They have clear missions, conflicting priorities and duties; all manner of options for the actions they may take, including a clear 'non-violent' ethic as their first option. They are NOT deployed simply as a kill-team, but where an Inquisitor needs exceptionally loyal, dependable and capable teams to go into a xenos environment to gather intelligence, assess potential threats, retreive useful technology or information, and where neccessary, terminate with extreme force. I'd say that's an awesome RPG package right there...

Santiago said:

Really? Take a look at the Salamander books and how they handle the death of their Captain. Or just about any Chapter with regards to their Primarch.