Hiyas!
Not very clear on this:
Is a SM always in Power Armour, or, do they take it off when not in combat? Can they?
Thanks!
L
Armour - always on?
They can. Check out the last paragraph before "Power Armour History" on pg. 161. Outside of training, ritualistic ceremonies, and combat, a space marine probably does not wear his armor. It takes ~20 minutes to remove and adorn the armour if the marine is doing it himself.
in some of the Horus hersey novels marines are seen relaxing as much as a marine actually relaxes ! without armour
Yes they can take off their armour.
Indeed they should spend the majority of their time both on and off mission out of their armour. It is wargear and should only be donned when it is to be taken to war.
Deathwatch (Ordo Xenos Chamber Militant) 'kill-teams' should spend the majority of their missions out of armour as most of their time should be spent infiltrating, observing, liaising and assessing xenos cultures and breeds for possible exploitation and threat; and negotiating with potentially useful xenos in terms of getting them into the Imperium, and acting as ambassadors for the Imperium in that regard.
Their main purpose (used by the Inquisition) is to go into a xenos culture, assess the threat, extract anything useful (like technology), and report back on their findings. If their findings are that the xenos need to be eliminated...on goes the armour and out come the boltguns...
In the way that Rogue Traders are sanctioned to explore beyond the Imperial borders, so the Deathwatch are sanctioned to liaise with teh xenos. They are afforded this honour as decades, even centuries of service in the chapters have forged an unswerving loyalty to the Imperium so they aren't going to 'go native' (like John Dunbar in Dances With Wolves).
If all you're doing with the DW RPG is combat mission after combat mission, i think you're seriously missing the point of the Deathwatch...
Luddite said:
Yes they can take off their armour.
Indeed they should spend the majority of their time both on and off mission out of their armour. It is wargear and should only be donned when it is to be taken to war.
Deathwatch (Ordo Xenos Chamber Militant) 'kill-teams' should spend the majority of their missions out of armour as most of their time should be spent infiltrating, observing, liaising and assessing xenos cultures and breeds for possible exploitation and threat; and negotiating with potentially useful xenos in terms of getting them into the Imperium, and acting as ambassadors for the Imperium in that regard.
Their main purpose (used by the Inquisition) is to go into a xenos culture, assess the threat, extract anything useful (like technology), and report back on their findings. If their findings are that the xenos need to be eliminated...on goes the armour and out come the boltguns...
In the way that Rogue Traders are sanctioned to explore beyond the Imperial borders, so the Deathwatch are sanctioned to liaise with teh xenos. They are afforded this honour as decades, even centuries of service in the chapters have forged an unswerving loyalty to the Imperium so they aren't going to 'go native' (like John Dunbar in Dances With Wolves).
If all you're doing with the DW RPG is combat mission after combat mission, i think you're seriously missing the point of the Deathwatch...
The book constantly refers to the players as being part of a Killteam, the Deathwatch units specifically sent on missions involving direct confrontation with armed hostiles. I'd expect there to be further books, including alterate career paths, for playing covert or social missions.
Kasatka said:
The book constantly refers to the players as being part of a Killteam, the Deathwatch units specifically sent on missions involving direct confrontation with armed hostiles. I'd expect there to be further books, including alterate career paths, for playing covert or social missions.
Just because FFG decided to concentrate on one very small aspect of what the Ordo Xenos Orders Militant: Deathwatch does (which i'm really not sure they have actually if you read through much of what is there), does that mean GMs/players have to limit themselves to that?
Why would they when the Deathwatch are about so much more in terms of DEALING WITH the xenos threat. This can include 'termination in extremis' for sure but the large part of what they do is far more interesting from an RP perspective...
Your post stated that players SHOULD be doing certain things. I was merely stating what the book had said, as it is ultimately up to each player-group to decide how they like to play.
In my Deathwatch team this depends a whole lot on the marine in question... Most of them (Death Spectre, Winged Serpent and Dark Angel) go about in nondescript robes. Blood Angel started by wearing his armor everywhere, but when he became a bit more comfortable with Watch Fortress Enoch he changed out of it. The only one who hasn't yet removed his armor outside his own chamber is the Black Templar... But then again he also eats with weapons on the table, still attached to his gauntlets so he's kinda extreme case
The only time space marines are not in armor is when they are on home turf (either a ship/base/etc). They wear the armor the entire time they are on missions. No reason they wouldnt be wearing it either, it is comfortable, weights nothing, is a massive honor, status, etc.
I see a space marine's 'negotiating' being about equivelant to the Chinese meeting with Tibet before full scale invasion (e.g. the movie Seven Years in Tibet.) These are genetically engineered super soldiers, fanatically loyal to their God Emperor, and completely humanocentric. They are going to negotiate with extreme prejudice. And you can bet they are going to show up for those 'peace talks' fully armored and ready to let them all see the business end of a bolter.