I posted this over at Dark Reign, ( http://vidzup.com/forum/index.php?topic=1105.0 ) but thought i'd copy it over here as well.

Disciples of the Dark Gods

OK, I’m still digesting this (xmas got in the way), but have enough to make a review of my initial impressions. £35 paid…it’ll have to be good to be worth it!

I’ll take it stage by stage.

Appearance

Beautiful as ever. The Dark Heresy books can’t be faulted on visuals and DotDG doesn’t disappoint on this score. The layout and watermarking is just enough to evoke the right ‘feel’ without obscuring any text, and the framing and imagery is already satisfyingly familiar.

The artwork is again a slight disappointment, but only in that it is largely recycled, instead of being predominantly new images. That said, DotDG really plumbs the depths of the GW image archives with some lovely old art mixed in with the newer stuff.

Personally I’d like to see a lot more ‘civilian’ imagery, rather than the relentless gun/sword-fest, but that’s a minor quibble.

Anyway, on to content…

Chapter 1 – Shadows of the Tyrant Star

OK. Cards on the table. The Tyrant Star leaves me cold. It’s a narrative dead end, tediously impersonal in the extreme, and frankly to me, an obvious and pointless direct ‘port of Morrslieb from WHFRP. Komus will never find its way into any game I’ll run, which is why I dismiss it as a ‘Jokaero spawning ship’…

That said, the Tyrant Star section takes an interesting approach. Rather than actually defining things or giving the GM hard facts it presents a series of ‘reports’ – little more than fluff really – offering titbits and opinions of in-game characters that have been exposed to Komus. There’s some very nice stuff here and they are enjoyable reads, but there’s actually very little fleshed out to help the GM interested in incorporating the Komus Star. We’re left on our own here again, with a series of ‘plot seeds’, albeit presented well.

Chapter 2 - Hereticus

This chapter obviously concerns itself with the threats addressed by the Ordo Hereticus, and the chapter attempts to make it clear what that Ordo is supposed to be doing. It includes an interesting clarification of the definition of a mutant (as opposed to an abhuman) and some generics on the nature and type of cults likely to be faced.

From this opening, the chapter then leaps into a list of additional psyker talents and powers ‘more rare than those found in the Dark Heresy rulebook’. I can’t vouch for their consistency or how they actually work, but the Space Slip power looks very interesting, as does Molten Man. This section also includes a sidebar on ‘untouchables’, but these rules seem dreadfully underdeveloped and don’t seem to adequately reflect the effects of psychic blanks described in much of the literature.

The rest of the chapter then goes on to detail a number of specific cults, organisations and threats that a GM might like to use in their game. These are:

The Temple Tendency (an Ecclesiarchy cult)
The Logicians (Heretek cult)
The Pale Throng (a ‘mutants and psykers first’ cult)
The Night Cult (Necromancers)

Each cult is very well detailed with its relevant tenets, goals and beliefs; its structure and activities; an ‘Inquisitorial threat briefing’; associated stats, characters, monsters, etc.; advice on how to use the various cults, and their relation to and activities within Calixis.

This is all very useful, excellent stuff and will keep many GMs busy and inspired for months. It really is very good.

Personally however, for me, it feels like a castle built on sand. For example, the Pale Throng is a cult dedicated to promoting and protecting mutants, psykers, etc. (it’s a bit more than that but I don’t want to spoil things too much!) It reminds me of the mutants cause on Strontium Dog (and of course the Tenebrae in Durham Red), but my reservations come from the gaping ‘roleplaying’ holes at the heart of 40k and Dark Heresy…

OK, here’s my reservation. …the Pale Throng has since created and inspired revolts on dozens of worlds across the Calixis sector…’ (p52).

How? Since it is an organisation of heretics and mutants how have they transmitted their ideas across the sector? Do mutants have access to interstellar travel, communications, etc?

I know that’s a thread on its own, but its those sorts of undefined issues, missing at the core of the game, that undermine the undoubted value of DotDG for me.

Chapter 3 - Xenos

This chapter obviously concerns itself with the threats addressed by the Ordo Xenos, and the chapter attempts to make it clear what that Ordo is supposed to be doing. It includes an interesting passage about the need to gain exposure to, study and understand aliens in order to assess their threat and should it be required, better destroy them. VERY interesting I think. It also defines the ‘five dangers’ posed by contact with aliens…again very interesting food for thought.

Appetite whetted, the chapter then yanks away the main course and plunges into Dark Heresy’s ‘narrow focus’; concentrating on the aliens of the Calixis sector.

It provides the most perfunctory and cursory detail about the ‘Cold Trade’ in Calixis; that being trade in alien artefacts. But the three pages worth of detail, prices, and equipment is, well, derisory really. There is also some detail later about the vastly powerful ‘Halo Devices’, but again very little detail concerning their origins, etc.

The chapter then details the Amaranthine Syndicate, the Beast House, the Cryptos, and the Curse of Solomon. These are all well detailed akin to the Hereticus cults, and provide a very useful selection of organisations for the GM to plague their players with. The Amaranthine Syndicate in particular seems to be shaping up to be a solid part of the Calixis sector and indeed the distinctiveness of Dark Heresy.

Hugely disappointing in that none of the iconic 40k aliens are even approached, let along detailed, what is presented here is well thought out an packed with thought-food for the struggling GM.

Chapter 4 - Malleus

This chapter obviously moves on to the threats addressed by the Ordo Malleus, and attempts to make it clear what that Ordo is supposed to be doing. It also proposes to takes a look at how the warp might taint humanity, concentrating on this aspect more than the actual denizens of the Empyrean. Although I couldn’t discern exactly where this was detailed.

Rituals, the talents and powers of the Sorcerer, unhallowed relics, wards and daemon weapons are all covered; but again in only the most brief manner.

The chapter then continues, as the previous two, with a detailed list of cults for the GM to use, in this case;

the Pilgrims of Hayte (nihilists and apocalyptics)
Ateanism (an interesting ‘school of thought’ more than a cult)
The Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness (traditional ‘cowled cult’ of wealthy and privaledged…real Cthulhu stuff)
The Vile Savants (Nurgle…say no more)
The Menagerie (Tzeentch)
The Murder Room (Murder Cult…think ‘Saw’ or ‘Se7en’, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

Again the detail here positively drips with inspiration for the GM.

Chapter 5 – The Enemy Within

Ah. OK. So far so good, but here things start to unravel for me and its hard to remain objective.

This chapter presents some very cursory detail about the Imperial authorities in Calixis and the possible factional infighting that might occur, but still fails to provide any meaningful detail. ‘The Law in Dispute: The Adeptus Arbites’ for example once again states that the Arbites enforce the emperor’s Law, but gives us no clue as to what that might actually be…

While a less critical GM will undoubtedly find this section as inspiring as the others, for me, it represents a continuation of the ‘gaping hole’ mentioned above.

Next the chapter runs through the various Ordos, Conclaves, Cabals, and Factions of the Inquisition itself. Yet again, still we get little detail of how the Inquisition works. Aside from reference to how these relate to the Calixis sector, you’re frankly better off reading the Inquisitor rulebook and the Thorian Sourcebook, which details what DotDG only summarises.

Frankly this section feels like a draft, or a pitching brief and is severely underdeveloped.

It would have been better left out of DotDG to make room for a bit more information on alien artefacts and how the trading of such actually works in Calixis.

Chapter 6 – The Hunted: Wanted Heretics of the Calixis Sector

A very nice little section outlining 7 major villains in Calixis. That said there are no stats included which is both good and bad depending on your perspective. But these are well realised individuals with some very interesting plot-hookery. Ferran Ghast particularly caught my eye, as he could well represent the fate of most PCs! The Burning Princess is an A+ psyker, so modelling her using DH rules is going to be VERY tricky…

Chapter 7 – The House of dust and Ash

The final chapter is an adventure intended for ranks 4-6. I’ll say little about it so as not to step into spoiler territory, except to say that the way the PCs are hooked in at the start really galled me…

Overall

DotDG is very good, however this book is firmly aimed at the GM and should NOT be purchased by active players…there’s nothing here for you except and annoyed GM…

It feels solid and provides a surfeit of information about a variety of threats. Even the most prolific GM will find quality inspiration here, and I highly recommend it.

However…it does feel (as I said above) like a castle built on sand, since many of the foundations its sits on have yet to be defined.

DotDG tells you that a cult of mutant supremacists exists across Calixis…but doesn’t tell you how.

It tells you that alien artefacts are traded, but doesn't tell you who finds them, who wants them, or how the former acquires and transfers it to the latter…

As a final note, I paid £35 for this book; was it worth it?

As a book and a supplement it’s a good read and highly inspiring, but it tiptoes over the holes in the core book, that I’d argue it needed to fill to make it a great supplement.

Luddite said:

1. Short answer Yes. There are plenty of smugglers for instance that have no problems transporting mutants or wyrds between the stars. Not to mention that some of these may use conventional transportation, depending on their mutations ofcourse. Specific mutant groups might even posess their own starships, for example there may be mutant pirates plying the spacelanes.

2. The Adeptus Arbites deal with upholding planetary order and enforcing the Tithe mostly as ive understood. I know that there responsibilities are listed in published materials but Im not available to check which book right now. Mostly though I think that what they specificly do can vary from world to world and between sectors depending on the need.

Good review! nice to see one that isn't just "DotG is made sunshine and happiness!", while still giving the book a positive review.

I constantly find the fague position of the Arbites irritating, they are supposed to be upholders of imperial law (the Lex Imperialis), which means most of the time all they are about is tithing. Half the time they are described at beat cops! grrr. (though it is mostly bl fiction that is guilty of that). Do you ever see the FBI booking people for DUI?

Top notch review!

I don't necessarily agree with all the points you make, especially the point about rules for sorcery, rituals and Daemon Weapons lacking depth, but overall bravo!

One point I want to make regarding portraying powerful A+ Psykers in Dark Heresy. It's not hard at all. It's true you don't have the humonguously powerful psychic powers that could threaten the whole world but i've found a Psy Rating of 9 or 10, coupled with Discipline Focus, Discipline Mastery and perhaps stuff like Unnatural Willpower(x2) does the trick very nicely. Massive overbleeds leading to hugely pumped up abilities and more Psychic Phenomena and Perils of the Warp then you can shake a stick at.

The one time I used that in the game, it certainly FELT like an A+ Psyker should and the PC's were creaming their pants.

For a Sanctioned Psyker on that level, add the Discipline Supremacy talent from DotDG and the Favoured By the Warp talent and you have an NPC with some level of control. I think the key is having Unnatural Willpower (x2) or (x3). In play that makes a big difference, psychic powers suddenly feel potentially city/world shattering.

If I recall correctly, there's a powerful NPC Psyker/Sorcerer in DotDG with Unnatural Willpower(x2) and that looked pretty **** scary powerful to me.

Hi Luddite,

I´m glad that somebody finally review DotDG and you did well, altough I think you are little bit too harsh in one aspect- as far as I know and as I want to use them, DotDG weren´t intedted as Complete and Detailed Guide to the Dark Forces of Calixis Sector and Imperium. It´s rather "hintbook", full of useful themes wich should inspire Game Master´s in their own adventures, plots and (eeevil, eeevil) goals.

I first put my clawed fingers on this malefic book this afternoon (by the way I already feel black tendrils of corruption ensnaring my dark soul:D:D), having only a brief and scetchy look into it, but I must agree that Hereticus Tenebrae (sp?) is simply... boring. Sorry, nothing intresting.

On the other hand, all other sections (with the exception of adventure, which I skipped by now) make me gibbering enthousiasticly. Hereticus is my favourite by far, not only becouse of longly awaited Logicians, but also for such sweets as relics of Imperium dark past (Age of Apostasy-ish sect), theory about death-cults and also suprisingly intresting Pale Throng (after reading Esienhorn and Ravenor series I become intrigued about mutie societies, also way how they should be manipulated by other powers is... useful)

Than Malleus section struck me deeply. Pilgrims of Hayte, cliché as they are, are realy realy sweet. Where would Warhammer 40 000 be, if it didn´t have have crazed chaos-worshiping lunatics? Also, description of Vile Savants, Blood Room and Menagerie deserve more than simple naming their god, they have lot of potential and one thing on the Dark heresy I realy don´t like is that it consider "TT player known secrets" as "Imperium known secrets".

Gah! im getting my copy tomorrow. Can barely wait! Now you made me restless.

So you are wondering how a group laden with Psykers manages to communicate across systems, personally cant think of any way that would be possible, none at all .

I must say that 'Disciples' is one of the most enjoyable RPG products I've ever read ... it does a very good job to convey the atmosphere of the Dark Heresy universe and the plots, cults and enemies it details are often very original. Take for example the Slaanesh cult (relax, no spoilers), which takes a very interesting turn from the kind of debauchery that you would normally expect. It contains a lot of leads and triggers to stimulate your imagination and create cool adventures.

I was getting ready to write a review today, but looks like I wont have to. Very good overall review, a bit more positive then what I had planned. I actually disliked the Malleus section and the most wanted section.

Overall a good book and very useful, but not as good as IHB.

Peacekeeper_b said:

Could you specify, why you don´t like Mallerus chapter, please? I´m curious, from the brief look I had today I quite like it (more than for example Xenos section...)

Only think I don´t like on Most Wanted is, that is same thing as latter DotDG web enchancement, with the online file perhaps being even better and more useful (altough lacking ilustations).

just got mine yesterday and my first impressions are of a hefty, rather impressive and great looking book. - being quite shallow I do appreciate the time and effor taken in its appearance - especially given the lack of care some other companies can be guilty of.

the first skim through tonight after work has shown me that there is plenty to ingeste - I must admit it is very different to what I expected - I was thinking of a Beastiary in the same vein as the WFRP book but I am not thus far disapointed..........

It seems to be a tool box for a GM to pick and choose form and I like the fact that it is adapatable to the GMs need - now it may not be to everyones taste as the bits I have read are not definative but I do l like that kind of approach.

Another thing I like is the fact it is not full of stat blocks.........

quite a bit of the art is recycled - but the new stuff is nice................

I tend to agree it would have bene nice to have some more on the more well known races and even the less well known ones like the Hrudd and the Fra'al etc but that might be a GW descision that they can't reveal more?

As for the Malleus section, I just felt most of it was ho hum cults. Sure the viral zombie thing was cool and all, but we had zombies in Purge the Uncelan and earlier in DotDG. I found the Murder Room and the Pilgrims of Hayte to be two sides of the same coin (violent, pointless, nihilistic killers, just one does it alone). And quite honestly, boring.

The Horned Darkness was a typical cult, which means I like it and it brought up memories of the Skaven Vermin Lord, so kudos there.

And every entry that had a "mysterious", "shadowy", "cloaked" or "unseen" backer/lord just shouted out to me "everything in the book is about those lame ass Slaugth."

Seriously, it felt to me that the Tyrant Star was the Slaugth home ship, they were also the ones behind the Halo Devices, the Cold Trade, the Pale Throng and they managed to chase the Cryptos for long enough that they evolved to gaseous life forms (eat those insbustantial brains you bastards).

But back to the Malleus, most of them felt to me like the were half thought out, rushed and thrown in there just to meet a page count quota for a section that the book obviously had to have (being the third ordo of the inq).

But this is my opinion and if I do write full review it will only be my opinion not fact.

Peacekeeper_b said:

The Malleus section was by far my least favorite of the book, for exactly the same reason. The Horned Darkness seemed almost as generic to me, to be frank. I found most of the Malleus section very uninspired. The Menagerie was ..almost.. there, but it seemed like a lot of pages to basically say.. "Tzeench likes mutation." (Similar to all the pages saying "Evil heretics make pacts with khornate daemons.")

I agree with your assessment of the Vile Savants as well (good and bad points), but did absolutely love Ateanism because it speaks so strongly to some of the Inquisition's themes (and was different side of that particular Ruinous Power than we usually get to see).

I should be clear that I thought the book was very good, but like you was underwhelmed by the un-originality of the Malleus cults.

Just bought it today, and so far quite good. It is indeed as beautiful as others DH books. Can't wait for Creatures Anathema too.

All that's left is for me to start playing it lol!

Nice piece of hate mail you go there on Dark Reign Luddite. I hate it when people are unable to differe between an opinion and a fact. And when they are unable to respong properly and at least intelligently. I agree with your review to a point, mainly I think the book is worse then you said.

Now dont get me wrong, I like it and I hope the all DH products are of at least this scale or better in the future, and not that of the GMs Kit or PtU. But you are right in the assumption that so much is left unfilled and empty. I also felt like a few paragraphs were just rephrased variations of earlier statements in the same section.

I will use this book, and I will use it alot. But as you mentioned, the "enemy within" section was just crap. It added a bit of insight, but only enough for me to hang myself with if the players wanted to follow through.

Dark Heresy (and 40K in general) isnt a open source, it isnt an infinite variation of concepts and ideas. Eventually something comes up that will conflict with something else and that ruins the continuity of a campaign. Im not looking for every clue in the god given earth be given to me, but I would appreciate a sample rogue trader who deals in the cold trade and how he is also tied into the Slaugth guild of spacers and Halo Devices. A common thread that could be played together to help create a more "interlocking" world.

I can see the conglace lead by the Slaugth being behind the Cold Trade and the Beast House as well as on a quest for a Halo Device.

I guess I like my background to be more firm and not a flexible poorly designed set from Blake's 7 that doesnt interlock.

Its a good book, dont get me wrong. It sits proudly on my shelf, but Id woudl have liked to seen just a tad bit more and maybe a little less pulled away.

But then again, I do have several plots and plans formulating that may benefit from the freeform style of the book. Doesnt mean I like it at the moment.

I rather liked the Malleus section. Possibly because I haven't seen much of Chaos cults in literature beyond "hordes of madmen." Anteanism was easily my favourite. That said, I can see how the cults generally fit tropes from various genres. I disagree about sorcery and daemon weapons - why would more details be needed? Unless you're hoping to find exact rules on binding a daemon into a weapon.

Peacekeeper_b said:

When the eagles are quiet the parrots begin to jabber...

Aye. Shame he didn't put up a cogent rebuttal rather than a simple spleen-vent. Oh well...

Peacekeeper_b said:

Stepping away from the review a moment, this is at the core of my concerns over the 'gaping hole' i talk about.

As GM you need to know how the world works and whats going on n order to effectively design, and adjudicate, stories and adventures. Without the detail, things become inconsistent and affect the 'willing suspension of disbelief' as you suggest.

Simple example: Common Lore - Imperial Creed. OK, so when a player asks, 'what is the Imperial Creed?' what does the GM say? How can you roleplay a character that believes in the Imperial Creed if you don't know what that creed is about?

Basic information totally missing.

So when you come to dealing with the Pale Throng, how do they relate to the Imperial Creed? thats why my review mentioned 'castles built on sand'...

Peacekeeper_b said:

Very interesting.

Perhaps if DotDG had been written as a 'report', or 'collected wisdom' of the activities of a single Inquisitor, that might have instilled a common thread to the work that would have unifiied the disparate elements better?

Thanks for a thorough review. It certainly makes one want to get started with this volume.

Luddite said:

This nails it for me. Some things are too unexplainable, while other, I find, are so entrenched in the fluff that I feel limited.

What the hell?

Nothing's worse than revealing a major plot point about the conspiracy of my campaign to my players, only to have them go: "That couldn't happen because of fluff from pageX of the Space Marines Army book." ARGH.

So, because of this, I like SOME of the vague concepts presented in DotDG.

Thats is a perfectably reasonable response Necrozius. Afterall, its all opnions. No one is right or wrong.

I just wont say that this is the best book ever or the best sourcebook ever. Im still prone to the Atlas of the DC Universe for that title.

Or maybe the Inquisitor's Handbook.

But as Luddite said, a Guide to Life in the Empire would be helpful.

Pale Throng meets Creed is pretty simple really - rogue psykers & mutants. How does their Word spread? Rogue psykers and mutants can travel not to mention their sympathisers. It is mentioned several times you can get pretty much whatever you want wherever you want if you know the right people, are willing to pay for it and willing to take the risk.

I am just up to the necros but so far I am quite impressed. By keeping things vague and using a 'story mode' rather than dry stats and facts I think helps promote the idea of uncertainty. Considering that there is no written Creed anywhere and that Inquisitors and the variuos Ordos cannot agree with its interpretation, actually putting it in the game wouldn't add anything imo. By example, look at what people have made out of the Bible. While it could make some interesing ideas for conflict and heresies, it could easily drag it down.

That being said, the xeno chapter seems pretty short. If orks and eldar are so common and such a problem, what one actually looks like might help. The Slaughth are cool but seem too powerful and rare to use very often. It just realli irks me that after 3 1/2 books, what are apparently two main enemies of the Imperium are talked about as being enemies but never described except in passing.

Eldar were sort of given stats in Purge the Unclean, more or less as Dark Eldar, but if you change the splinter weapons to shuriken weapons, you should be able ti simulate standard Eldar warriors.

But yeah, orks are mentioned enough time that we should have stats for them by now. But hey, its only a month or so until Creatures Anathema should be out.

Great review, Luddite, you've pretty much captured my feelings about this book, although I disagree about a few of the little details. DotDG is the second best Dark Heresy supplement after the Inquisitor's Handbook, and while I love it (and am still absorbing a lot of the little details) I agree that it lacks a certain little something...

I guess some of the problem the authors had is that if you're writing for an ongoing, multi-author setting, you HAVE to keep things open ended and ambiguous in order to keep the background interesting. DotDG can't ever offer any true answers, because every time it does so it's obliged to ask half a dozen further questions. This is frustrating for GMs who want closure or clarity, or, like Luddite, detailed rationalisation for some of the sweeping conspiracies thrown up by the book.

I don't mind though, I like the book.

One thing you should bear in mind though, if anyone here is actually dithering about whether to buy the book or not (which is probably unlikely) is that it doesn't really seem to me to be a sourcebook, but a book of ideas that GMs are expected to run with themselves. It's a book which assumes the reader is an intelligent GM.

Having said all that, I do agree with the thrust of Luddite's criticism. There are a lot of ideas here, and while some are great, they are mixed in with some weaker stuff. Everyone will like some ideas and hate others... I like:-

The Temple Tendency - nice example of a straightforward heresy, well executed and believable in context

The Pale Throng - Unlike Luddite, I LIKED the Pale throng, perhaps because it's nice to have an exciting active warzone developed a bit in the Calixis sector

The Amarinthine Syndicate - I like this too - I'm becoming a Slaugthaphile....disturbing!

Sorcery and ritual rules - good stuff, evocative and punchy

New psychic powers - good stuff, nuff said

The Pilgrims of Hayte - a really nicely written piece, with groovy chaotic enemies and some nice background.

Ateanism - nice concept, well written

The Vile savants - a good little article about a nasty Nurglish chaos infestation

The Menagerie - a creepy little Tzeentchian cult, like a bad LSD trip, nicely written and well fleshed out

The Enemy within - While I agree with Luddite that it's a bit thin, I do still like this section - it's well put together, and is clearly designed to springboard GMs to develop their own ideas.

The Hunted - Some nice arch villains each of whom could be the focus of a whole campaign

The House of Dust and Ash - so far my favourite DH adventure, simple and linear without appearing to be so, (by which I mean it'll no doubt play really well) with lots of great setting touches.

I don't rate as much:-

The Logicians - pretty archetypal mad scientists, I felt...

The Night Cult - thantologists and death cultists seem a little forced in a sci-fi setting, and more appropriate to WFRP than DH

The Beast House - I dunno...seems a fairly underdeveloped concept to me, really, without a clear or coherent motive

The Cryptos - mysterious mind controlling xenos seem a little superfluous given the number of similar beasties and xenos races and psychics and chaos sorcerors already in the setting...

The Halo devices - nice concept, but really underdeveloped as anything other than a plot McGuffin

The Curse of Solomon - er...it's a monster...that's killing people...er...you choose what it actually is. A bit thin as a concept, really.

Untouchables - I always think untouchables are overrated as a concept, but even I can see these rules are a bit on the light side for the topic.

The Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness - intentionally archetypal chaos cult, but somehow a litle bit flat.

The Murder room - fairly characteristic of this book, a nice concept but a little bit underdeveloped and frustratingly ambiguous

Lightbringer2009 said:

Actually this was my favourite part of DotDG... ...hehe...

It smacks of Dan Abnetts Tenebrae in the Durham Red Scarlett Cantos trilogy, which is a VERY good thing in my opinion.

Developing the mutant underclass into something other than bullet-catchers is, for me, the most interesting of subjects and DotDG puts forward a very good model in The Pale Throng.

Luddite said:

Actually my favorite part so far is in the heresy part where all I was thinking of were characters of the various factions or possibilities to play the game actually against the Inquisition.

Taking that sidebar a little further and melding it with another thread, it would seem to have more epic possibilities if you actually played from the opposite side than as DH is written, i.e. as a heretic redshirt in a very hostile universe. Take xeno-tech for example. I am sure many of you reading about the various weapons were thinking 'how could my character get one of those shuriken guns and still remain a member in the Inquisition and loyal to the Creed'. Where is the fun when all the bad guys get all the cool stuff?