@kenshin138 Not surprised, it's Heroes of Tomorrow - a nifty generic SF background creation book from the late 80s or so. I mentioned it in a previous post, that's why I used HoT for short.

@dvang/dulahan The point is that SM seem to be more less reduced to their profession. That it seems to be all they got. In the case of my Scum Acolyte, he's got the blueprints of a xeno power armour (should I really state such openly in the Deathwatch forums?) which got him in prison to begin with and as a Reclaimator he's looking for parts in the underhives. Beyond that he's trying to climb the ranks in the Brotherhood of Thollos in order to become a more effective asset to his Inquisitor. Oh and given the time he spent in prison he's got various various female NPCs on his mind too. Not to mention that one of his main efforts is to climb the ranks in the Inquisition. He's a busy fellow playing a high-stake game.

I wonder SMs might be less fun to play if almost all of their life revolves around their fighting alien incursions.

Alex

Since all of the PCs do more or less the same thing in a fight (purge the xeno), that is the part of the game that suits very nicely as a backfor a heavily character-driven storyline. What matters in the scope of things, is the characters on screen (usually the PCs) and what they are doing. The interesting parts of Space Marines are not the slew of implants or the fact that they are genegineered super-soldiers. Those are integral to being a Space Marine, but not a person. The interpersonal conflicts that arise from groups of powerful, driven people being obligated to work together in close quarters will provide the meat and potatoes of your RP. The relationships the characters build with themselves, with the people around them, with powerful members of the Imperium, with superiors in the Deathwatch and with peers in their home chapters will provide all of your variety. When everyone has the same goal, but different standard approaches, a conflict arises and sorting that out provides opportunities for the characters to learn more about one another and grow as individuals in the process.

What I feel is the key in all of this, is to place the combat in the back. It happens, and you roll out the interesting parts of it, but the more interesting part is watching how the relationships between the characters and the people around them grow over time. If they play the social cards right, they can win ever greater victories for the emperor; however, if they ignore all of those people and just beeline for the exp at the end of the tyranid, they will likely miss out on opportunities to have even more fun along the way.

dvang said:

No Marine is mind wiped unless, back in they day at least, they come into contact with Chaos.

On the other hand, it all depends on what you mean by "mind wiped." One could reasonably argue that the kind of trauma associated with Marine training (o so one would imagine) would lead to disassociation or "burial" of childhood memories. Furthermore, forgetting childhood memories is really not unusual, especially given the intensity of the Marine induction process. Quite simply, how significant is playing in the field in comparison to the process that I described in a previous post?

Remember that depressingly trite tagline, "In the grim dark future there is only war" (or something like that)? How is playing with Spot going to contrast against that?

Of course, for some it might offer a bastion-memory, a bulwark against the unending horrors of warfare. That's kind of the reason that I personally was happy with the suggestion that while most Marines are "programmed," there are some that break free of this programming (the "ghost in the machine") and become simply more .

You could also take the route that the older a Marine gets, the more complex they become. The induction process becomes an almost literal rebirth.

The point, however, is that there is a degree of flexibility of interpretation that means that terms like "most" need not apply. I, for one, prefer my Marines to be dour and emotionally simple. They are not human, both physically and mentally. Those that can rise beyond this are the types that you get to see in the Deathwatch. They're the ones that rise to prominence in the Chapter, coming out of the front line of repeated activity...

Playing a Marine in some ways would be akin to playing a child. Playing a Deathwatch Marine might be akin to roleplaying Cybergeneration .

YMMV.

Kage

Kage2020 said:

If Marines are mentally superior though, it would be difficult to imagine them as dour. To be the chosen amonst the chosen ones, it must take personality of some sort, requiring lively intelligence. If a person isn't an independent thinker, I don't see them as capable of qualifiying as a space marine. Even if SMs are recruited from brutes and murderers, they would take only those who can think for themselves and observe well.

Consider the recuitment base and the number of actual Space Marines. In sporting terms, they can afford to only draft Michael Jordan and dismiss all other basketball players of Terra as not good enough. :-)

Alex

ak-73 said:

Errr, dour in this context just means "stern," it makes no reference whatsoever to native wit or intelligence. Do you truly mean to say that you cannot image Marines being stern? Mayhap even severe?

You will also note that in the post that I refer to I mention the intelligence as a factor to recruitment, something that according to the 'fluff' translates as an eidetic memory. As to independent thought? I cover that one, too...

None of this, of course, invalidates my response. Intelligence does not require emotional complexity.

Kage

Kage2020 said:

My mistake. :-) Well, of course I can. However I don't believe in one-size-fits-all answers. In my estimation groups and shared eperiences generally shape group members to a degree. So being stern might be one's take on the general mindset; one could say that comes with responsibility. Otoh, even the experiences of WW2 and the concentration camps left room for different personalities. Some people resort to humour in order to deal with hard times, for example.

Kage2020 said:

No but being a SM seems to necessitate maturity. :-)

Alex

ak-73 said >>>

However I don't believe in one-size-fits-all answers.

The counter to that is, of course, that responses based upon "exceptions to exceptions of an exception" are equally problematic. I prefer providing a general rule to which exceptions can be made, and the conceit is that with Marine PCs you are dealing with that exception. I also said emotionally simple, not absent of personality.

Again, sorry if this sounds argumentative, but on these boards it is so easy for things to be taken out of context.

ak-73 said >>>

No but being a SM seems to necessitate maturity. :-)

I'm not quite sure how to take this, so I shall leave it alone since depending on what is meant it could be misleading.

Kage

ak-73 said:

Or not. In Horus Rising, there are a few characters who doesn't strike me as mature, Eidolon being the most obious case. So, eidetic memory and emotional complexity not essential. Sheldon Cooper could be recruted as a SM

Well, of course, Horus Rising is part of the Dan-Abnett-is-God's-gift-to-WH40K-and-he-can-retcon-anything-he-wants-because-he's-so-cool craze...

Kyorou said:

Maturity and arrogance are two different things.

Eidolon was very arrogant... and why should he be expected to be anything else?

When everyone turns to their Primarch to look for guidance and how they should act, and your Primarch is FULGRIM, it's no surprise that since he was the closest to Fulgrim out of everyone else in his legion that he would have a superior attitude.

Once again, just because they are super human doesn't mean that they don't have personalities and personal issues. They are all mature, however, there are plenty of other personality disorders that they could exhibit.

SpawnoChaos said:

Sure, Tiger Woods didn't act exactly in a mature way either. But then again carrying actual responsibility tend to turn boys into men fairly speedily.

As for being immature, the people in charge will certainly take great care to not put the fate of Mankind into the hands of irresponsible or immature people.

Even if one would argue that SMs are not perfect, strict minimum standards will need to be met. Beyond the physical regime.

Alex