Strictly speaking, I'm referring to using new Dark Heresy PC's in a new Rogue Trader campaign (alongside RT PC's.). I know the experience 'issue' is addressed in the Rogue Trader book, but I'm curious if this has been done before and how people handled it. How would you suggest organising starting equipment for the DH PC's, and did you then use Income or Profit for those PCs? With the additional Exp are the characters equally balanced? Did you have the Dark Heresy characters use the basic character generation from their book, whilst the Rogue Trader characters get the full Origin package from theirs? Sorry for the abundance of questions, I'm just spitballing. Any feedback appreciated.
Combining Rogue Trader With Dark Heresy
I've done just the thing a couple of times, and - after stepping on several "munckin rakes" - can summarize the following:
1. Brand new (lvl.1) DH characters can play RT just fine. Give them an appropriate amount of starting EXP points and - if you're feeling generous - allow to take the choices 2 - 5 (Birthright, Lure of the Void, Trials and Travails, Motivation) from the Origin Path. The resulting characters will be slightly weaker in Characteristics, but will have access to more Talents and Skills: no problem here - you get some, you lose some.
2. Alternatively, you can allow your players the benefit of multi-classing. This works well for level 1-4 non-psyker DH characters only, though. Instead of going level 5, a PC can take one of non-psyker RT careers at level 1. He is then subject to choices 2 - 6 on the Origin Path, and on taking the choice 6 receives all of the appropriate starting talents and skills.
If this is the case, you can (depending on the party's overall strength) consider balancing out the resulting characters in one of two ways:
A). If your players are level 5+ and / or have a lot of unspent EXP points, deny them the benefits of choice 6, depriving them of RT starting talents and skills. Those are included as available choices on career level 1 anyway, and can be purchased for EXP.
B). For those with low Characteristics, set their track of Characteristic Advances to 0. In this way they be able to buy new Characteristic Advances starting from Simple column.
3. The Psyker Question can prove to be something of a private nightmare, so for simplicity's sake the main principle here should be "For Each His Own". I.e., DH psykers should stick to their own rulebook in relation to available powers list, Focus Power tests and Power Treshold. On the other hand, you can safely use the Fettered-Unfettered-Push system and the new Perils of the Warp approach as they are described in RT rulebook. In essence, you'll end up with two separate careers (Sanctioned Psyker and Astropath Transcendent), each with its own selection of powers.
4. Profit factor should probably be calculated as per the RT rules, especially if we're talking about a new campaign. Easier this way. Alternatively, you can just provide them with a starship of you choosing and 0 profit factor points. I did this; the players endured. They can be quite resourceful if they want to (was a good day for some Dark Eldar and a terrible one for these pilgrims though
).
5. Starting equipment is best handed out by GM. Any amount of "free speech" in this question turns first game session into a shopping marathon. Especially if they have a decent enough profit factor value. So, let them stick with the basics: a good quality full carapace or xeno mesh armour, one ranged and one melee weapon + 5 minor gadgets. Rations and ammo supply should generally just be "available", but in reasonable amounts. Say, food for everyone for 6 months, and 10 clips for every gun in players possession.
6. Income for DH characters should only be used if they continue to work for the Inquisition. These money will be their private resource pool, which could be exploited if they need to pay for something without notifying the Rogue Trader of their actions.
There's quite a thread discussing this kind of transfer if you're intersted in reading it:
I just added a ship with a crew complement to my Dark Heresy campaign, with the DH PCs being just passengers and the ship an Inquisitorial ship with some... history (I have thoughts about a campaign for the future, because this ship is one of nine similar ones called "The Nine Sisters". Yeah, I felt arcturic that day ^^). So the RT crew act as NPCs until something happens requiring PC control (warp storm, space battle, etc...), when the players control the ship by themselves using the "bridge crew" (I allow them to use their own characters in boarding parties if they feel like it... but they don't tend to like it XD). Of course, the ship has only one action per player plus the usual bonuses. This work because it's just using Rogue Trader rules and background supporting a Dark Heresy campaign, of course.
It also gives me options to "enlarge" games: if the ship has to rescue the acolytes, I can tell the players to run the ship
