Okay so I am still new to dark hersey but I plan on running a one shot game for a con. I felt inspired to run a game along the lines of Space Hulk. However instead of doing standard ZOMG WE ARE HEROIC SUPER AWESOME MARINES IN TERMINATOR ARMOR. Which really sounds quite boring. I thought sending along the lines of redshirts (see humans). I thought DH would be ideal for this kind of stuff.

For those of you who are unfamliar with space hulk see this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Hulk

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So my idea is that the PCs have to deal the deadly genestealers and other creatures other threats aboard can include followers of Chaos , Warp Daemons, and Orkz, maybe necrons idk. So I am thinking that the PCs are "scouts" or something. They been sent to investage this for reason. I'm just unsure what.

But the idea is the PCs have a tech priest. He has the very vaulble and sacred object known as the radar. However this object is not very reliable. So the idea is the PCs are basically more or less doing surival horror style the PCs need to grab the macguffin . For a suprising reason the book does not seem to have genestealers or any of the major 40k races and how to scale encounters. So I was hoping not to having to buy a GM's book for a one shot game but it looks forced. Help me build ideas. Thanks.

Well, I'd say there is a reason Terminators are sent to those ships. I don't know if you are aware of what genestealer is really capable of in this game. I'd say start Rogue Trader for this purpose. Characters there are on higher level at the beginning and it sounds more convincing (looting Space Hulks for treasures) than: "Sent Acolytes to scout" "They will die" "Of course they will - that's what Acolytes are for, eh?"

BUT, if you really want to use Dark Heresy for it - buy Ascension, download "Heed the Higher Call" where you can find ready Ascension classes and play with it. In this way it would be fun rather than death after 5 minutes and 4 met genestealers.

There is also an adventure in Purge the Unclean book that includes Space Hulk full of Dark Eldar. You may start with it, but still I suggest giving the players good equipment and at least rank 4 for such a task.

Edit: Genestealers and all similar creatures that would be fine for Space Hulk can be found in Creatures Anathema.

Reilly said:

This is sound advice if the plot involves Genestealers. Especially if they are in their "home territory" ie. the close, claustropohobic confines of a space hulk.

No way... go with Dark Heresy! The point is to create a meat-grinder not a bughunt Make them Rank 2, give them a map of a ship that has several "Armory" locations on it, fill them with huge guns and only 2 clips of ammo. Kill em all. It's the 40K version of Zombie Apocalypse!

There is also a Genestealer writeup on the DarkReign website.

6Kilgs said:

Umm, 6K, there's a genestealer write up in Creatures Anathema ... Along with stats for a lictor.

-=Brother Praetus=-

Brother Praetus said:

The OP's also not wanting to have to buy anouther book for a one-shot game ;-)

Hi there!

" Nids and Orcs and Necrons and Chaos and..."
Sounds like you are planning on using figures from "SpaceQuest" Boardgame. Seriously, you should restrain yourself to one or perhaps two "sources" of enemy. Unless, you are fine to make things unbelievable campy.

What enemy? What reason? What MacGuffin?
My suggestion would be that the majority of the "HULK" is made up of a forma Fartrader/Roguetrade considered "lost in warp" some decades (or a centruy) ago. The players can either be a regular investigation team by planetary authoritiy ("check if their is anything /important left before we blow the thrice-damned thing into pieces!") or a team of (licensed) space scavengers ("look for something valuable before the patrol decides to blow the thrice-damned thing into pieces!").

If you want, the Trader had a load of Xenosware or Xenosbeast for the bloodpits of the planet. While "lost" to the real world for years, it experienced merely days (or hours) in the warp... with a complete gellarfield failure, that is!

The enemy comes in the form of surviving mutated crew men, unstable daemons, possed shipparts (ever fought with a bulkhead door spitting bolts at ya?) and some "regular possesed". If you use the "xeno beast trader", you have a good excuse to have all kinds of alien creatures alive and loose onboard.

The "mission" of the pc would be to get to the bridge to secure the captains travell notes (if rougetrader), to power down the core/engine (so the ship can be taken appart in peace without the wrack getting evercloser to the planet every minute!), to find the location of the captains vault & plunder it and/or to get decompressure the ship section by section to flush out all the mutants inside..if this is possible, after all!

Build some premade characters at about rank 4 or something close to that. Make them an outlaw salvage team that is making a quick "board and search" of the space hulk before the Sector Navy shows up and takes the opportunity away. Make sure they have the earlier mentioned Techpriest or maybe a Scum with the Reclamator package. Make sure another character has a piloting skill. After that you are pretty much free to add whatever strikes your fancy. The "radar" you want is called an "Auspex" and has stats in the core book... If it is "too good" then just make the thing poor quality. Give them a reasonable selection of armour, weapons and some utility gear, then wade on in.

Genestealers are statted in Creatures Anathema, as mentioned earlier. Up close and personal they will almost certainly kill something. And they will be acting first!

This is a cool idea, IMO.

Why marines in Terminator armor are always sent to ships to fight? (when you have the choice, that is). In a word: Vacuum. The logic behind this is simple: you don't want bullets ripping apart critical systems in your ship when a firefight starts, so you won't have heavy weapons inside. If you want to capture the ship, then the attacker won0t use them either... which means the terminator armor makes the boarder nearly invulnerable (more than usual), and with a flamer and a saw fist (to cut bulkheads and enemies if needed) you can do a good job.

That's the reason you wanna use flamers against pests like tyranids, or eldars (or assasins): whe they run at you, a big cone of fire is more deadly than a dozen of bullets fired inder panic. Also, if you are in the observation room, the bolter might break it (depresurizing the zone), but a flamer won't.

As for the enemies, genestealers are the usual inhabitants of space hulks; orks are (usually) able to come with crude but effective ways to make the thing move, and necrons aren't left behind (they teleport out after boarding, but what for? they wanna destroy life, not capture technology); warp creatures, on the other hand, are quite interesting as a second threat (but remember, where tyranids are, synaptic creatures are also, and they are all psy tyranids more than able to hold their line against chaos).

Reilly said:

To me rogue trader sounded quite difficult to run since if I understood correctly. The universe is the PC's playground. And also Ascension it sounds pretty cool and from what I understand its basically "epic" however books cost $$$ and this is a one shot con game (I'm running this game to avoid having to pay entry fee and it sounded fun). I might want to just go to the book store and breifly look through the Purge Unclean Book and get ideas.

Rank 4 does sound bout right. I'll discuss what pregens I should make on the bottom of this post.

6Kilgs said:

I do agreem however I might also run an afmbe game too so I rather not So rank 4 they will be equiped. Thanks for pointing out where I can find genestealers saving a man some $$$.

Gregorius21778 said:

Gregorius21778 said:

I love this idea. It sounds like it would be pretty awesome. I think I won't have too many xeno beast because the mutant and ch but the tone WILL encourage well extreme caution. The party should be well equiped I am thinking the following:

*An assasin who specalizes in Flames and believes in "purifying the unclean"

*An guardsman who is good all around espically with shooting

* An Scum with knowledge of the space hulks

*Arabritor who-well not sure bout the concept for this one

*A crazed psyker who is a pyromaniac and has a noturious kill count (Of xenos) however not very trusted

* A Scribe with nightvision mutation and uncanny forbidden knowledge and skill with pistols

*Tech Preist who will act as the repair man and the sacred aspex holder

I dunno this are just some ideas

I'm going to go brainstorm a bit more about the space hulk but you guys have given me good ideas.

Lich said:

Make note that Guardsmen and Adepts get cheap and early access to assorted Pilot skills.

There is also a Talent that allows the leader to substitute his Intelligence bonus for teammates' individual Agility bonuses if they choose to follow his instructions. Don't have my book on hand at the moment, so appologies for not being more precise. Might be one of the new Ascention talents though...

If you are wanting to include an Arbitrator but are not sure what to do with them: Tough as hell team leader is usually a reasonably safe fallback for a social-minded (or just strong willed and belicose!) ex-Enforcer. Don't forget about that lovely Melee (Shock) training at level 2!

Guardsman fun on a starship: Heavy (SP) training allows them to use the glorious Shotcannon! Not all of the big guns are from the Imperial Guard, and the Navy is proud of this monster. Stats are in Inquisitor's Handbook.

Free up the Assassin to be a melee or gun specialist, then toss that flamer to the Adept or Techpriest. It will make the "brain guys" more appealing in what is essentially a "dungeon crawl" scenario. Likewise make sure the Auspex user has Tech Use skill so they can use the item as something besides an overpriced club. Maybe the Scum has an unusual background and a suspiciously high WS (fallen Noble with a duelist past)? Make them cool and interesting, yet still iconic (since it IS a con game). If the mutation thing starts seeming to not fit, just give the character in question cybernetic eyes with the Nightsight upgrade (either is cool).

Cheesy low budget Sci-Fi movie weapon/door opener option of joy: Consider giving the Techpriest a Breacher implant. That's right, he has a huge DRILL installed on his body! Also statted in IH.

Yeah, you're thinking "Combat Formation" that's in RT and Ascension. As an elite advance that would be a great skill for a more combat oriented Adept, but only if he has at least 40 int, with 50 being better. I'd guess that nearly everyone in that group will have at least agi 30.

Gregorius21778 said:

Given that one possible backgrounds for voidborn is a hulk. A scum who grew up in a Hulk is a very much in keeping with 40K. Not all Hulks are warp touched xenos infested horror shows. Some are just mostly destroyed space craft that have been drifting for centuries. Some are used as crude space stations, while others are drifting wrecks with small communities barely surviving year to year. Also a great idea for a Scum is as a Reclaimer from the IH.

Dalnor Surloc said:

THat is exactly what I was thinking with the scum.

I have borrowed the IH and the MA from so what pages should I look for this great stuff for the pregens I am working on. Currently working on the psyker since he seems to be the most stright forward PC.

I agree with the earlier comment about keeping the foes to one flavor. Having too many at a time just makes things rather meh. I mean, how scary would be fighting a Necron Lord if two rooms back you slew a half dozen Chaos Marines, and before that some Nobs needed lead induced puncture wounds.

If location is a problem, the vessel in question doesnt even have to be a straight Hulk. I ran a one off like this, only I used a lost Lunar Class Frigate (which once reclaimed was sold for a hefty profit). My PC's enjoyed the fact that the environment wasnt mind bogglingly large, as a hulk is, and I could find a plethora of easy map templates online to keep my adventure organized.