This may seem to be something of an odd question. But as I am currently kicking around ideas for a new DH campaign I'll ask it anyway. What non-GW books, movies, comics, and so forth do you get your ideas from? What would you consider to be required reading/viewing for DH players that isn't put out by GW?

Movies

Aliens, Alien, In the Name of the Rose, Starship Troopers, Soldier, Dark City, Blade Runner, Judge Dredd, Event Horizon

Games

Mutant Chronicles, Fading Suns

Before listing inspirational sources, I would like to take the somewhat standard approach that one can draw ones inspiration from practically any source.

Adding to peacekeeper_b's list, all of which would have shown up on my own list:

Books

Focault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco).

Games

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader.

Kage

Wont repeat other peoples suggestions, since I do agree with many of them, but I will add some to the list

Movies: Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, Dune, Battlestar Galactica,

Games: Escape from Butchers Bay, Thief series,

Books: Dune

You can get the whole history of Judge Dredd, the original Arbites, in collected volumes these days:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Judge-Dredd-Complete-Case-Files/dp/1904265790

As has already been mentioned, mutant chronicles is a terrific resource to steal...er, borrow, ideas from for your DH games. It can be difficult to find since it's been out of print for a couple years now, but if you're somewhat flexible when it comes to morality and know where to look, its possible to find a bittorrent stream with nearly the entire collection on .pdf format. No, I am not going to show you how to find it. you can figure that out for yourself.

Torg also had some interesting ideas (specifically Orrorsh) but given how big that game was you could probably fit any of those ideas into the game. Tharkold would be good for a war world setting. Anything written by Umberto Eco works too of course.

weaver95 said:

http://www.mutantpedia.com/eng/GDR.html

Most of the major works have been covered, thus I'll add the less overt but none-the-less, for myself evocative works (content or thematically), for me, in regards to how I see a Dark Heresy centred 40,000 RPG are:

Films & Series:

• The Hour of the Pig
• The Thing
• Ravenous
• The Wicker Man (Please, Please, Please NOT the 'new' one)
• Witch Hunter Robin (Anime Series)
• Mononoke (Anime Series)

Books:

• Witch Hunters: Professional Prickers, Unwitchers & Witchfinders of the Renaissance by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart
• The Last Kabalist of Lisbon by Rchard Zimler
• The Stain by Rikki Ducornet
• The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
• Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
• In the Name of the Rose by Emberto Ecco (The book is MUCH better than the film)
• A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
• Almost anything by Howard Philips Lovecraft or Ambrose Beirce

Games:

• Call of Cthulhu (and the franchise at large Dreamlands, Dark Ages ect.)
• Paranoia (Which may seem odd given the whole 'Grimdark' but go figure.)

+++++Thief series+++++

Game: Dead Space, espescially if you have the flamethrower. Burn Xenos scum.

Artwork by: Grunwalder, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer.

Music: Classical, Industrial etc.

Books: The Prince, Malleus Maleficarum.

And most things already mentioned.

Comics: Fall of Cthulhu, Fall of Cthulhu: Godwar, Cthulhu Tales (All from Boom! Studios) and Negation (from teh now defenuct CrossGen)

TV Series: Lexx (sometimes), Andromeda (sometimes), Firefly, Space Above and Beyond.

Games: AT 43, Cthulhu Rising, Bloodshadows (sometimes), Dragon Star.

But in all honesty, there is more 40K related material then there is Star Wars (maybe not, but you know where Im headed), be it Necromunda novels, Epic Novels, Dawn of War Novels, 40K Novels, DH Novel(s) and so forth. Background books (Sabbat Crusades, Armageddon, Xenology), reference books (the Inquisition), hobby books (art of 40k and so forth) and a plethera of games such as Necromunda, Gorka Morka, Battlefleet Gothic and what not that you really dont have to go out of sector to get references and ideas to steal.

Yeah, I know -- you can't swing a stick in a mass-market bookstore without hitting a 40k novel. But what I'm looking for is idea material that goes beyond GW's IP and look at other authors'/artists' take on the same themes. Now, I'd like to thank you all for your imput but in case there is someone else benefiting from this list I'd like to add what I've been reading/watching for ideas recently.

The Metabarons comic

Ironwolf (a hard to find but worthwhile space opera graphic novel)

Perdido Street Station (a novel by China Mieville)

Rennaissance (at least that's the English title of this French animated movie reminiscent of Blade Runner and Sin City)

Brotherhood of the Wolf (more WFRP than DH but has some great ideas for conflict between Church and State, Reason vs. Superstition, dissolute nobles, insane priests, and man eating beasties)

Thanks again !

Blake's 7, how the hell did I forget Blake's 7?

So yeah, find Blake's 7. It is cheaply made and not well acted but it was a early 80s BBC sci-fi series and it fits quite well.

I keep thinking I am missing something, but I just cant put my finger on it.

Films

• As Wu Ming says The Hour of the Pig (released in the US as The Advocate) is an absolute must.
• The Bourne trilogy
• The Amazing Mr Blunden
• Aeon Flux
• The Merchant of Venice (Al Pacino version is very good)
• Riegn of Fire
• Nightwatch
• Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
• The Day After Tomorrow
• Brazil
• Nightwatch
• Serenity (Firefly)
• Resident Evil series
• Dog Soldiers
• The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Kellys Heroes
• Hellraiser

Books / Literature

• 1984
• Brave New World
• The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius
• Guards! Guards!
• War of the Worlds (everyone should)

Comics

• Pretty much everything produced by 2000AD - especially:
• Judge Dredd
• Durham Red (especially Dan Abnett's Scarlet Cantos Trilogy - unmissable)
• Sinister Dexter
• Rogue Trooper

• Hellblazer
• Mashall Law (a brilliant, ultraviolent parody of the superhero genre)
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• V for Vendetta
• Accident Man
• Sex Warriors
• Tank Girl
• Concrete
• Axel Pressbutton

All offer up a different and interesting inspiration.

In defence of witches by Jan Guillou, I'm not sure if it’s available in English. The interesting bit is that this is an investigation into the actual witch burnings in Sweden during the "witch craze". Cases are examined fairly methodically and worked through, what drives the people who commit the atrocities (inquisitors), how society at the time works ECT, very interesting stuff for any “heresy” oriented campaign, be it WFTP or DH. Now this said the author has very coloured glass that he looks at the world through, he’s very left wing and very atheist sort of to the point where some of his books becomes attacks on organized religion, if you can get past that then you are in for a treat. He’s an excellent investigative journalist and writer. Also his book about Hammilton (sort of like a Swedish James Bond, but with less gadgets and a lot more grit) and the templar books (which have been translated), but for all that is Holy (God Emperors) love avoid the movies, they are soooooooo bad.

sorry x2 post.

Ghost in the Shell 2 has some great material:-

Movies and TV:

The illusionist

The Prestige

From Hell

The Ninth Gate

The XFiles

Fringe

Stargate

Books:

Wastelands of Flint and House of Reeds

The Sinful Stars (fading Suns)

Games (computer, rpg, etc)

Shadow run

Deus Ex

Alone in the Dark

The Thing

salcor

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, for the visuals:-

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Damnatus yet, what with it being leaked and all.

I was not aware anything other than the trailer was out there. Interesting.

I'd post a link here, but I'm unsure if that'd go against forum rules. The whole legal drama surrounding it is pretty complicated.

Snidesworth said:

True, but a hint or two would be nice.

ahem <<< [email protected] >>>> ahem

<beams>

I just love it when opensource sticks it to the man.

Erm, but I just hate it when someones job suffers from it, though. Since I think that the only jobs that are suffering from it are the lawyers - a profession that I find perhaps the most reprehensible, being somewhere behind megalomaniac dictators - you could always post it my way as well.

(On the other hand, the lawyers I have known on a more intimate level rather than just professional are just great!)

Kage

Ive given GW enough money in my time, they can let me just enjoy the **** film.