As titled, what's the deal with Deathwatch?

And I'm notthinking about mechanics or whatever, but what's the special something that's in it?

I mean,

Dark Heresy got the Tyrant Star

Rogue Trader got that Ghost Cruiser

Deathwatch got..The Deathwatch? Some unknown alien? A Hive Fleet? Something more Epicly awesome?

plain and simpel: The Omega Vault!

The core rulebook hints that the "deal" seems to link to the Omega Vault, and the suggestion that the Deathwatch are in the Jericho Reach guarding something. They kept watch over the region even after it fell out of Imperial control. The fact that it's the Deathwatch guarding it (as opposed to the Grey Knights, or Sororitas) suggests that this is some sort of Xenos threat, presumably as that falls under their purview.

As it's not one of the three major threats affecting the region (Tau, Tyranids, Chaos, all of which postdate DW involvement in the region), and as whatever it is hasn't been seen for the recent history of the Reach (several thousand years) this suggests that it's a slumbering and ancient threat of some kind. And as it predates the Imperium's full knowledge of the Necron threat, I'd say it's something we haven't seen before.

Omega Vault huh?...Some sort of Space Vault floating around or some barred planet?

Braddoc said:

It's a secret storage facility in the major Deathwatch watch fortress in the Jericho Reach. It's an ancient vault which intermittently opens and provides the DW with ancient weapons, guidance etc on emerging threats. Its been opening a lot more recently, suggesting that something big and nasty is brewing.

EDIT: the suggestion seems to be that the Omega Vault somehow "knows" what the DW need to combat the latest threats to emerge. Whether this is because it's sentient, or just that it's very well programmed is a matter that's up for debate.

Where to find the Rogue trader ghost cruiser (book(s) and page(s))?

thor2006 said:

The ship makes a cameo in The Frozen Reaches in the last part; as for the core, it's in the Expanse section or the rogue Trader section.

Can't recall the Ship's name thought..

Braddoc said:

I hope to Throne that it is not The Spear of Destiny . That was Erasmus Haarlock's ship, and appears briefly in the third installment of the Haarlock Trilogy. Don't know, as I've not gotten a coin to pick up Frozen Reaches as yet.

-=Brother Praetus=-

I think that's the mystery of it- does it know what's happening or did an ancient and very knowlegeable individual or group construct it? It may be explained in a future supplement, or they may just leave it up to us.

Remember the trick with the Necrons is yes, the time frame is too early for their 'recorded' awakening in the Reach, but the writers have done a very clever thing and written the whole crusade into the reach as a big giant (and some would argue impossible to keep) secret. Meaning anything could in theory happen in the reach, including the awakening of Necrons, and the Crusade would do everything in its power to keep it secret because they want the warp gate at nearly any cost and the political forces that be would just blow it up if it looked like there was a significant threat to the Calixis sector. The other thing they've done is reminded us that anything that the Deathwatch does or sees is kept secret, meaning there could be tons of Necron encounters in the reach in small groups, specifically with the DW/Inquisition, and the Empire at large wouldn't be the wiser until some unlucky colonists stumbled across them in 897 (80 years after the current DW date). It could be a whole new threat (which I'd prefer, TBH), or it could be Necrons.

Brother Praetus said:

No idea about Frozen Reaches but I guess he's talking about the Eldar ghost ship "Whisper of Anaris" (even though I don't see why that woul be the "Deal with Rogue Trader").

Personally I don't believe that Deathwatch will be about the Necrons. They already appeared as a minor annoyance in "The Emperor Protects" and it is implied that they also play a role in Rogue Trader. (At least that's what the Crow Spirit fluff sounds like, one the other hand it seems that the major theme of RT will be the left-overs of the Yu'vath.)

Mjoellnir said:

I'd agree with this. It would be unusual for a game line to give away its key underlying secret in the very first game supplement! I suspect the real "deal" with Deathwatch will emerge slowly.

As for Rogue Trader, one imagines that the Yu'Vath will play a role, but that there are many many other threads to the ongoing exploration of the Koronus expanse. After all, look at Dark Heresy: although the Tyrant Star is a major thematic plot point, it's far from being the only one. There are dozens of distinct conspiracies going on at any one time.