I have my first session of Deathwatch this week. I have a group of 3-4, who other than one player are RP "newbies" (they have played through Dawn of Defiance for Star Wars Saga with me, but nothing to speak of before that), and none of them are 40k/Deathwatch fans who know anything other than the basics of the setting.

I have this idea to make the first session both character creation and an intro to the rules, and rather than the rather dry experience of sitting around looking through books, I plan to have them all in a "VR" sensorium undergoing training. As the session progresses, I'll assign abilities, etc based on how they play their characters. I have an idea that if they play being good at something, they'll get to roll an extra d10 or 2 (discarding the lowest die or dice) to generate related ability scores, and based on the way they play their characters I'll assign chapters, specialties and demeanor.

What I'm after is some inspiration - what types of tests/challenges should they be presented with (ideally one for each attribute, plus some more general ones to help them figure out their character's outlook and personality), and any other suggestions people might have!

gribble said:

Hmmm... take a look at the skills and pick one or two for each characteristic and do tests in that area?

Alex

If you want to make the experience more RP related read the sections on how each chapter handles initiation and make the tests related to the tests an aspirant would have to endure to even become a marine.

Some very good examples lie in the Space Wolf, and Blood Angels Chapters. I understand each marine may come from a different chapter but all you really have to do is briefly describe the situation to the marines of that chapter then make them roll the tests associated with the chapter and move on to the next chapter. With each chapter describe the grim situation on each recruitment world and how these harsh worlds turn out the best of warriors due to their harsh and unrelenting environments.

This seems like it would very much help your group in the ways of learning some 40k lore as well as help them flush out their characters personalities before they were marines. Mind you a marine keeps some of their personality from their time as a mortal man.

Also during this entire process you can introduce some of the 40k main lore about the Emperor and the Heresy if you wish, as well as the warp, and travel in the Imperium. Most citizens of recruitment worlds never leave recruitement worlds because they are the harshest envirnoments inhabited in the imperium, and unlike hive worlds there isn't always a clear understanding of a recruitment worlds population of what is really going on.

For example the world of Fenris, the tales of the Emperor and the battles the astares fight are akin to the halls of valhalla lore, if you die fighting like a hero, you go on to become a champion in the "Afterlife" for the Emperor. The space wolf recruitment planet is talked about heavily in the space wolf novels.

This gives you an oppertunity to really flesh out your groups characters with a unique experience for rolling up a character, as well as showing them some 40k lore. Pretend they are feral tribesman on a recruitment planet who know nothing, just like your players know very little. To me it fits perfect.

I wish I had thought of this for my group, it honestly might have helped some of the group who knew nothing about the 40k universe.

Some of the chapter initaion rites are awesome, correct me if im wroung my friend is a huge blood angel fan and the test for entry involves killing another recruit and considering these "recruits" can be 13 year old kids thats crazy, and would be a would be brutal lession about life in 40k.