Relatively new to the DH/DW world, forums, and gaming systems, so I apologize if this is way off base or if it is/has been discussed. Reading through the material for both, it seems the typical DH game relies heavily on investigation, intrigue, subtlety and social interaction, while Deathwatch relies heavily on combat. I was thinking it might be interesting to have a group run two sets of characters. One group as acolytes - mayhap reporting to Inq. Quist, and another group as DW marines who are called to service based on the information gathered by the Inquisition. There are no absolutes here, as each group can expand into each others domains (social DW and combat DH), but I think it could be an interesting way to run a campaing. Someone I game with likened it to playing out "Law and Order" episodes.

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome.

One of my players suggested the exact same thing.

Their acolyte characters do the investigation part and discover they need some heavy hitters to get the job done, so call in the Deathwatch. I think it would be a great way to introduce DW and to see how the 2 systems work together.

Someone previously mentioned that he was going to run two groups, one DH and one DW , who's stories occur simultaneously and effect each other. I haven't seen a follow-up to that post, so it may have collapsed on him...

I run a Dark Heresy campaign, and I'm planning on starting a Deathwatch campaign as a 'fill-in' option for game nights where one or more players of the DH campaign can't make it and would miss important plot points. The DW campaign will be almost purely combat-focused, as opposed to the DH focus on investigation, but some of the events will effect the DW campaign and vice versa ( both set in DH 's Calaxis Sector- I'm picturing the Deathwatch presence in the Calaxis to be very small and stretched thin, hence requiring the PCs Kill Team to shuttle wildly from one end of the Sector to the other).

I'm running a rather epic DH campaign since a few years back and I regularly let my players see the story through some other characters for a session or two. This is often done as a story in the story, for example an NPC talking with the main characters about what happened on the almost deserted mining station. And instead of me just reading the clues/information/fluff for the players, they get to borrow characters who was there and play it. Now I'm planning to let the players find a mission report from a Deathwatch Killteam that works for the antagonist inquisitor. So for a few sessions they will play these marines to gain some vital pieces of information. Later in the campaign, in 6 months or so, I'm planning to use these same marines as surprise opponents in the final standoff against the antagonist. It should be a dramatic moment.

CrispyRat said:

I am running simular to that right now actually. We use Google Wave to play the DH portion then when we are able to meet up once or twice a month we play the DW portion. I am running a campaign based on the Tyrant Star and I went a differant direction then the trilogy that FFG did.

In the DH portion the acolytes start out working for thier Inquisitor's Interrogator because the Inquisitor is "away". As the story Progresses they find out that thier Interrogator and some of the cadre has betrayed his Inquisitor and left him alone on a remote planet(Dusk) which is currently over run by orks and tribal eldar in my campaign. So as they are doing quests and figuring this out they start to meet other members of the cadre that are either loyal to the Inquisitor or the Interrogator for differant reasons. Who to side with is left to the players .

In my DW portion the Kill team is assigned to the calaxis sector on a moon that orbits around the deathworld Phyrr(from the creatures anathema)And when not tasked with something in the area they escort deliveries down to the planet for the adaptus mechanics biotech lab. On a routine mission they meet up with one of the Inquisitor's Crusaders whom was the most loyal and was sent on a fake misson to the planet. (the acolyets are here and if they had sided with the interrogator they would be hunting him to prevent him from reaching the tech facility,but they sided with the Inquisitor so they were with him, but got them selfs captured by the Eldar who are currently laying siege to the facility. Thats basicly were we are now in the game. I started the DH game befor the DW one but if I had started them at same time I would probably have done some things differant.

Hope that helped.