Looks like we'll be seeing Rites of Battle in our FLGS any day now! Status has been updated to Now Shipping.

Amazon haven't noticed this yet.

I hope I will be able to get one soon!

Jackal_Strain said:

Amazon has the ship-date bumped back to April 14 on my order. Really thinking I'm going to check out a few of the local game stores and see if any of them can get me a copy in less than 3 months from now.

I prepaid for mine at my FLGS weeks ago. We're about a day's shipping distance from FFG and from there another day to get from the distributor to the store. I'm thinking by the end of week.

Chris

It would be nice if it was available as a pdf as soon as possible though.

I fear it will be a long wait here in Norway.

Always, always, check your FLGS if getting the book on time is important. Amazon almost religiously gets the books in way later than the local game shop, BUT, Amazon, even with FLGS usual discounts for being a good customer stuff, is almost 100% better on prices.

i don't know if amazon and the other online discounters getting the books later is an actual policy with FFG or some complicated interaction but i think its a good idea and helps support the industry better overall. that way, FLGS get the sales to the die hard customers that must have the books while the casual buyers can wait and get it cheaper from amazon.

I just checked and it says Available Soon... grrr. Every source for the release date says something different, and the Designer Diaries are as quixotic as always. GAHHHHHHH. Commit, you gits!

BrotherHostower said:

I hunted down a few gaming stores in my area, none of them have any idea when they'll be able to get a copy. Only one knew what I was talking about, as the clerk was a DH/RT/DW player himself, and I was told to call back next week.

I'd be more than happy to pay a little more to keep a local business open and get the **** thing 2.5 months before Amazon can get me it.

My FLGS typically gets product within a week of the "Shipping" notice going up. The stores themselves are pretty clueless as to the fact the product is shipping and often depend on their distributors to let them know. Usually it's a day or two for the title to get to the distributor and a day or two for the store to get the product on the shelf. Of course I live in a city with a very robust gaming environment only a day's shipping from FFG so my situation is probably a bit more rosy than normal.

Could it be that Amazon doesn't know when they weill get it either? I got The Emperor Protects a week and a half after it was released from FFG. Another topic on this had amazon show a Feb 11th delivery date for another member (so he said). Maybe they just slapped on a date to be altered later?

The Russian said:

It was so with the Core Rulebook. Also in some FLGS TEP was sold two weeks or so before it got officially declared released here. If you want it early, best to check out various online game stores?

Alex

From experiences Paizo customers have had with new releases through Amazon, I can assure people that delays at Amazon are almost certainly Amazon's fault. FFG, Paizo, and other RPG companies do not sell to Amazon directly. They sell to distributors like Alliance. Game stores and Amazon both order from Alliance. However, Amazon is cheap by being a juggernaut. Alliance doesn't ship to Amazon. Amazon sends a truck over to Alliance to pick up orders when they feel like it. This can be a week or more after the book has been sitting in the Alliance warehouse.

RPGs aren't a large enough portion of Amazon's sales for them to care about being the first ones to market on books. They order in bulk to get deep discounts, but are fairly slow about when they get things into Amazon's warehouse. Once in an Amazon warehouse, they do process orders and ship things fairly quickly.

So the short answer is: Pre-ordering from Amazon means a cheap book, but it will arrive anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months after the release date.

It's listed as "VERY GOOD STOCK" on the FRP Games website. If you fall into the MUST-HAVE-COPY-IN-GRUBBY-PAWS-NOW category (I know I do), I suggest ordering it from them because they apparently have copies ready to ship now.

To add to what deinol wrote, Alliance's website still lists RoB as NYA. I can't vouch for how accurate that is (they may physically have some in stock and haven't updated their site yet). Assuming the status is accurate, when this changes it should only be a matter of days before it arrives at a game store that orders from them frequently.

I picked mine up at my FLGS yesterday. Good read, of course I paid full retail price as opposed to those getting it on Amazon at discount. Maybe that's why people ordering them through those services get them later? Also I happened to pre order mine and I don't think they got any other copies besides mine.

Gaurdian31 said:

You got it? Table of contents please.

Alex

Just got mine. Here you go...

Chapter I - Deathwatch Origins

• Trials of the Aspirant (5 pages)
• Creating your own Chapter (30 pages)
• The Imperial Fists (8 pages)
• Successor Chapters (~ a dozen of them, 16 pages)
• Joint Operations (using DW with DH & RT and vice versa, 4 pages)

Chapter II - The Call of War

• Deeds (bought during character creation,13 pages)
• Distinctions (sort of elite advances, 10 pages)
• Advanced Specialties (Black Shield, Deathwatch Champion, Deathwatch Chaplain, Deathwatch Dreadnought, Deathwatch Epistolary, Deathwatch Forge Master, Deathwatch Keeper, Deathwatch Kill-Marine, Deathwatch Captain, First Company Veteran)

Chapter III - Expanded Wargear

• Ranged Weapons
• Grenades & Explosives
• Launchers
• Exotic Weapons
• Melee Weapons
• Special Issue Ammunition
• Armour
• Force Fields
• Weapon Upgrades
• Tools & Equipment
• Cybernetics
• Power Armour
• Relics

Chapter IV - Vehicles

• Vehicle Classifications
• Driving and Flying
• Vehicle Combat
• Aerial Combat
• Chaos Vehicles
• Tau Vehicles

Chapter V - Honour or Death

• Renown (4 pages)
• Honours (7 pages)
• Requisition (2 pages)
• Imperial Assets (9 pages)
• Divided Loyalties
• Advanced Solo and Squad Mode (1 page)

Chapter VI Watch Fortress Erioch

• Many things (24 pages)

Wow, thanks a lot. Couple of brief questions of public interest if you guys who have it don't mind:

1) Can you give a short summary of the new specialties like kill-marine and DW keeper. We heard about them before but don't know what they are.

2) Which requirements does the Dreadnought have?

3) What can you say about what new stuff Joint Operations adds?

4) Does the Erioch chapter contain stat blocks for Mordigael and others? Do new high-rank DW Marines get added?

5) What is Divided Loyalties all about?

Lastly a personal question, what do the Crimson Fists get?

Alex

I've got a few questions too which I got curious about as I read the ToC.

1. Any interesting successor chapters?
2. Does "Deeds" have some mechanical effect, so already created characters are missing out?
3. Are there any Weapon Upgrades for melee weapons?
4. Does every chapter get one or several new Relics?
5. Is the First Company Veteran something which got to do with DW, or is the home chapter involved in that one? It sounds like the latter.

Thanks in advance.

Kill-Marine: his special ability is called One Man Kill-Team if that gives you an idea. He specializes in singleton operations and is a master of stealth. Recommended as a good crossover archetype for DH or RT.

Deathwatch Keeper: sort of an inner-circle guardian of the Deathwatch. Their talent is called Chosen Representative if that helps you get the gist.

Dreadnoughts: you better have a bunch of saved up XP, be well respected & died gloriously to have a chance of becoming one.

Joint Operations: Some ideas on how to interoperate between the various game systems. Recommend you pick a base system and stick with it but generate your characters from their home RPG (DW, DH, RT). Standard conversion info for DH to RT/DW psy systems.

Erioch: Lots of persona dramatis included but no stat blocs

Divided Loyalties: a role play suggestion on how to work with Deathwatch PCs who encounter SMs of their home Chapter

Successor Chapters: Nova Marines, White Consuls, Black Consuls, Mortifactors, Genesis Chapter, Consecrators, Angels of Redemption, Angels of Absolution, Flesh Tearers, Lamenters, Blood Drinkers, Knights of Blood, Crimson Fists, Hammers of Dorn, Subjugators

Deeds: nearly all are for beginning characters

Weapon Upgrades: Only a couple listed, none appear intended for Melee Weapons

Relics: Every Chapter from the DW core book gets 2 relics (except one) and there are several DW relics as well

First Company Vet: Haven't read it through but it appears to be non-DW specific

I'm guessing a Black Shield is something you take right at the start rather than picking a Chapter?

And what's so special about the Deathwatch Epistolary?

Are the Imperial Fist Demeanours/Solo-/Squad-Modes related to siege warfare or stubbornness?

Can I keep asking questions?

Well? Can I?

Black Shield is a Rank 1 specialty and is generally a replacement for the normal Chapter advances and the like.

No idea on the other stuff yet.

Well **** it man! You've got the book - read faster!

j/k!!!

My FLGS tells me that my copy should arrive Friday. I was pleasantly surprised since normally the status switch to "now shipping" usually means about a two-week wait.