Hello guys!

I was invited on Best GM tournament on polish RPG and Fantastic Festival - Copernicon. I decided to prepare adventure in Warhammer 40k universe becouse I like it very much and it is quite fresh and yet not well-known rpg system in Poland [in comparison with World of Darkness or Warhammer Fantasy]. I need adventure for 3 hours [strictly]. My Team will be 4 random players [probably with none or almost none knowledge about W40k].

I want to create an epic, military story about few guys from imperial guard trying to survive and fight against Krieg Corps sent on their planet to find one person important to inquisition. I am going to make Krieg soldiers behaviour totally nazi style with mass murders, extreme violence etc. Thinking about beginning of the session I'll tell the story about invasion and local imperial guard rebel with commisair execution etc.

Of course i am planning some intrigue - one Inquisitor is going to order exterminatus on planet when other want only to take what he come for, and the second one is the one who sent Krieg. He will be operating on planet surface so team can met him and maybe, just maybe save the day or something. What will be not known for the team is that leader of the rebel is Chaos Sorcerer who is trying to make all human beings on the planet a sacrifice to Khorn. He will open some demonic portals also.

I am going to show that in 41-st millenium there is only war and war is terrible no win situation, horror for civils and soldiers alike. I will try to make it on epic [huge battle] and personal level [psychological].

Can you guys give me some advice, maybe opinions about my idea? Any help will be valuable.

Furthermore, I want to ask if any of you know any good music themes and songs suitable to adventure I am going to create. I am going to take my notebook with me so I will create playlist specially for this session. Of course I'll have to make presentation about Warhammer 40k - universe, rules, flavour - for my players [up to 1 hour] so if you can help me with some good videos on you.tube, pictures from internet or some advices I'll be grateful.

Now i am searching you.tube and my own media library for fitting music and short videos, I've got few interesting tributes form you.tube and opening to the adventure - Sabaton's song Uprising. I think that i will use Sabaton's 40:1, and maybe some music from Dawn of War.

Any help will be valuable.

P.s. Sorry for my weak English.

I know that posting under your own post is wrong but i can't find edit option so... I want to ask if any of you know any good music themes and songs suitable to adventure I am going to create. I am going to take my notebook with me so I will create playlist specially for this session. Of course I'll have to make presentation about Warhammer 40k - universe, rules, flavour - for my players [up to 1 hour] so if you can help me with some good videos on you.tube, pictures from internet or some advices I'll be grateful.

Now i am searching you.tube and my own media library for fitting music and short videos, I've got few interesting tributes form you.tube and opening to the adventure - Sabaton's song Uprising. I think that i will use Sabaton's 40:1, and maybe some music from Dawn of War.

Any help will be valuable.

If I understand correctly you have a 3 hour hardcap to introduce random players to the 40K universe, teach them the basic rules and run an epic intrigue that culminates in Exterminatus? Holy crap, that is one tough order to fill....

Maybe go with something more manageable time-wise like being sent to look into a remote outpost satellite (owned by the Adeptus Mechanicus, Scholastica Psycana or some faction or another of the Inquisition) and find out why it has fallen silent. Throw in some nice creepy Space Hulk style exploration and investigation, cranking up the creepy-factor as they find more and more disturbing evidence of Tech Heresy/Warp Incursion. Once the suspense and mood are properly set, have them meet the station's crew, or rather what WAS the station's crew... Since it is a convention game, make sure to include some "big boss" villain of some sort just like in a video game: A daemon, posessed Magos who is merging with the control station, some sort of horrible unknown alien... Pretty much anything suitably epic will do.

Since the game needs to be quick and have some crunch make the Guardsmen a few ranks into their careers. This makes them more suitably bad-ass and also allows you to avoid the "cookie cutter characters" thing. Consider adding an Adept or TechPriest character if you need to bolster the ranks with a brainy specialist.

Leader: Sergeant. Bad-ass with some fellowship and a few "follow me, I'm cool" skills/talents. Should probably have a chainsword because players will love it. Maybe a bolt pistol too? He should have some sort of impressive scarring or an obvious augmetic replacement somewhere, again because it is cool.

Special Weapons: Demolitions and special weapons. Make sure this one has some suitable tools and explosives, plus maybe a plasma gun, melta gun or grenade launcher. This guy should also have a laspistol.

Troopers: Your basic lasgun-toting Imperial Guard soldiers. Make them have at least one distinguishing or unusual trait that makes them stand out from the crowd: One might be a bit short and wiry but surprisingly brainy. One might be the laid back "big guy". The main thing is to make them different from the other "generic" troopers you include in your stack of pregen characters. One easy niche is to make one of the Troopers a vehicle operator in addition to their normal infantry training (do this if you plan on staging any daring vehicular escapes or chases).

Medicae: If you want basic level then they need to be at least Veteran rank. Alternately make an Adept (using the Medicae career branch) and then replace the usual robes and books with more typical Imperial Guard wargear.

Techie: This pretty much requires a TechPriest if it is going to be a player character. Since the Imperial Guard make extensive use of Enginseers this is very easy to justify. Alternately you could provide an "Advanced Maintenance Servitor" that is vox-controlled by a remote Enginseer. Plan C is to instruct them "Do not touch any machinery you filthy, unconsecrated monkeys!" The reason this is the least desirable option is because this is a convention game and at least one player WILL monkey with a shiny ("Oooh! Shiny!") reactor core with their unskilled hands!

Commissar: Terribly bad idea for a convention game. If you really want one just use the Cleric career and then change the name and gear.

The Trash Talking Guy that is more funny than muscle but somehow still competent (yes, you have seen this guy in more than a few movies): Build a Scum character but pick skills and talents as if they are a soldier, because they are... Like the Medicae, replace the usual Scum gear with normal Imperial Guard wargear.

Since this is an action-adventure you are making and 40K to boot, this demands an ass-kicking Heavy Metal soundtrack. Some Industrial music might fit too. The Gladiator soundtrack works pretty well. Likewise for Aliens

Thank you so much for your answer -i was loosing my faith ...

Time hardcap for game is 3 hours + up to 15 minutes. 1 hour for presentation basic rules and universe is out of this time so whole contest will be about 4 hours + 15 minutes.

I am going to build ready characters including your advices and of course I'll customize it a little bit with my players.

Commisaires will be killed in first day of the rebel - it is hard enough to walk through this adventure without taking care about commisair killing my fresh team.

I can't switch main metaplot to space hulk exploration 'cos I sent main metaplot to jury and I can't change general points now but many players said that i am good with epic military stories and building the mood fast so I will try to win however I know it will be extremely hard to manage time and speed of action in only 3 hours session. Of course i will beta test this adventure [with watch on my hand] - one or two of my usual teams want to help me that way.

Metal soundtrack will be good, I think about final fantasy soundtrack - especially one-winged angel, also.

I will cut game time on 3 days [ each day about 40-45 minutes and the last one with culmination and big boss fight about 90 minutes].

First day - The rebel against Krieg Corps and annihilation of citizens will start. Some fast and brave fights. Some pictures of mass destruction and making players heroes of the day.

Second day - After few days of heavy combat rebels are hungry, injured and starting to loose hope. Mood is getting darker but there is still some bright heroism. Heavy and brutal fights. Some falvour npcs talk with team. Some blood brothers forever crap and so on...

Third day - Last day of the fights. team will be in the last Alamo [some sort of bunker or fortress i think] - and there i will try to make everything go slower for a while 'cos it is time for little investigation and exploration finished with final boss fight.

I think that there will be Two Final Bosses of choice:

- First Boss - Commander of Imperial Guard and leader of the rebel, who truly is Psyker and Chaos Sorcerer who is going to make the whole rebel battle against Krieg Corps a bloody sacrifice to Khorn and bring here demonic incursion through portals.

- Second Boss - Inquisitor with few Krieg Corps Soldiers.

Everything depends on players choices if they help Inquisition however their forces were brute and merciless maybe it won't be exterminatus. Only - some executions on rebels but not too harsh. However if players help their commander end scenes will be full of demons and exterminatus.

What do you think about npc in team? - I am quite good in npc management without destroying fun to the players.

I am going to use some advance story telling techniques like flashes from the past, some sort of scenes on slow motion picture and so on...

Feel free to share with me your comments or critics...

Suggestion:

Start the game in Alamo. The PCs and any in-squad NPCs are sitting around the table, eating some last grub. Set mood on "we are all expecting to die but won't go down without a fight". Have no-one describe their character (except for the name), implicating that they know each other so well at this point that it doesn't really matter how they look. While eating the last bits of watery porridge the PCs recount what has happened during last days...

Switch to Day #1 as a Flashback. Have everyone describe what they looked like that day. Play the set.

Switch back to Alamo. A mortally wounded, slowly dying NPC moans from his makeshift bed beside the table, begging one of the PCs to tell that him that everything is going to be alright...

Switch to Day #2 as a Flashback. Start the heavy fighting right in the middle of things, starting by describing how the shrapnel/bullet/beam hits the man who they all know now to be dying and wounded. Play the set. Have the set end in the moment when the first PC opens a door of an abandoned bunker... This bunker is the Alamo.

Switch back to Alamo. Run the rest of the scenario without Flashbacks.

Regarding the music you're going to use - I wouldn't use metal, to be honest. Might not be everyone's preference.My personal preference is to go with instrumental music, as you don't have lyrics distracting you (and you avoid the odd moment of hilarity). You can have a couple of "special" tracks with lyrics for some key plot points.

After looking through my WH40k playlist, here are some suggestions, if you can get them/have them:

- the two orchestral suites from Se7en soundtrack. Powerful orchestral music, dark, foreboding, builds the tension. Not for combat, but for suspense/atmosphere

- "Kraken" and "Davy Jones" tracks from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest .

- your choice bits from The Perfume soundtrack (there are tracks for tension/ atmosphere - "Grasse in Panic", "The Method Works"; there are also those awesome choired tracks for moments of epiphany/ desperate last stands - "The Crowd Embrace"/ "The Perfume")

-Elliot Goldenthal's soundtracks (the Alien series; Interview with a Vampire )

- John Adams' Harmonielehre has some powerful orchestral music, but interspersed with more peaceful moments

- Philip Glass' Koyanisqaatsi also delivers in that regard (especially the track "Pruit Ingoe", sheer brilliance)

- Nick Cave & Warren Ellis' The Road soundtrack might have two more aggressive tracks, although short ("The Cannibals", "The House", "The Journey" could come in handy, as well)

- (not everyone's cup of tea, but) for that psycho touch, I suggest checking out the band Neurosis and "Aeon" (brilliant almost 4 minute long outburst that's perfect for the climactic battle) from Through Silver in Blood , and "Cleanse" from a different album (came across it in the bonus tracks of Souls at Zero ). "Flood" off Sovereign is also great.

- Zimmer's The Dark Knight featured some heavier music as well, although again - has some quiet bits. Black Hawk Down , obviously, if we're at Zimmer (just off the bat: "Synchotrone", "Tribal War").

- Poledouris' The Hunt for the Red October also features good themes, also martially coloured (and IIRC one of the dev's mentioned it as inspiration during writing of some supplements)

- might also look at Terminator 1/2 soundtracks

- Williams has always been a solid soundtrackist, and I'd go for Minority Report , as it might not be as known as Star Wars or Harry Potters. Check out "Pre-Crime to the Rescue", "Everybody Runs!", "Anderton's Great Escape" and "Psychic Truth and Finale".

- game soudtracks might be a way, as the music is usually consistent, with a similar theme throughout - I'd suggest maybe Blood II .

I'll agree with others, a very ambitious thing to do in 3 hours. The martial theme looks like a good choice though. Without the time for subtlety, you'll be giving people the most mainstream part of WH40k. War is within people's grasp to imagine, so you're just changing the dressing (lasguns, bolters, etc). I reckon you won't come across complete strangers to the setting, however. Someone's bound to have seen a game somewhere.

A tak przy okazji - kiedy jest sama impreza? Caly konwent, czy tylko ten konkurs? No, powodzenia.

Polaria - Thanks for this shiny idea. It perfectly fits to my storytelling style and will be very helpful in time managing... I'll definitly go this way.

Von Todkopf - I know some of these soundtracks and it will work for me and my players i think... These not known by me I will try to get and listen to - maybe I will find in your list some inspirations ;>...

P.s. Von Todkopf - caly konwent - Copernicon.pl - jak masz mozliwosc to wpadnij - w programie w bloku rpg i zakladce Konkurs na mistrza twierdzy Thorn znajdziesz mnie pod pseudo "Ashandarei"

Also, forgot to add, my personal favourite, as it's gotten so much session-time already: Wojciech Kilar's Bram Stoker's Dracula . You can't go wrong with that soundtrack.

A co do konwentu, w sumie moze nawet wpadne, nie jest tak daleko z 3miasta. Przy zalozeniu, ze nie bede mial zbyt duzo pracy w tym czasie.

Thanks for help and useful hints. I won the second place in contest. Quite good for such a short period and random players - I had only two players who did not know anything about 40k.

I will try to win next year. See you around guys.