Has anyone thought about using the DW rules to run a game using a single chapter as it's focus instead of the Deathwatch? I really like some of the Black Library books, and they all seem to focus on one chapter at a time. Think it would be possible to do this as a RPG using the rules we have?

The only thing one would really need to do is figure out how much XP is contributed to the total 12,000 that all Deathwatch characters start with pre-spent. Then let players spend the unspent XP. Beyond that, all that needs to be done is restrict access to the Deathwatch-specific Advance Scheme and Relics.

At least, that is the way I see things.

Seems pretty simple.

You've got the Specialty and Chapter Advance tables already - though you may want to tweak the Chapter ones to suit (see RoB). You'll want to craft the Chapter's Advance Specializations, Psychic Powers, Relics, Solo & Squad Modes most likely as well.

I'd stick with the 12k starting level but strip out the Deathwatch-specific items (Deathwatch Training, Common Lore (Deathwatch) & Forbidden Lore (Xenos)) and allow players to use the resultant XP to pay for Deeds and Distinctions (from RoB) along with their usual 1000xp. You might tweak the starting skills/talents a bit depending on the Chapter, too.

But what will characters be playing in a Chapter-based game? A Codex-prescribed Tac Squad? It seems pretty tame next to the flexibility of specialties and weapon options of a Deathwatch-based game. It might be a little more exciting at a higher level where the PCs are a group 1st Company Vets (Sternguard, Vanguard, etc) working with Librarians and Chaplains and other notables.

Or perhaps the road to fame and glory of progressing from that Tac Squad looks enticing to your players after all...

In any case I'd say there's enough ground work available now to allow a Chapter-based game to take off.

darknite said:

Totally agree here. The current rules set is meant for "veteran" space marines (and this isn't a bad place to start, it's exciting, powerful, full of variation). Dark's suggestions are ideal for the kind of "squad" you might run. Sternguard/Vanguard for vanilla marines, Wolf Guard for Space Wolves, Company Veterans for Dark Angels, Sword Bretheren for Templars. Command squads are also not a bad idea.

OR you could go buck wild, start a Dark Heresy character for your 11-13 year old initiate, make them earn a small fortune in xp (and 5-8 years of game time training and modification) before moving them from "scouts" to an actual company (tac squads for non-ward-fethed version, or devestators for ward-fethed version).

darknite said:

'From' the tac squad? They'd be ending up there, not starting there!

It could easily be argued that given the limited skills of a Rank 1 marine, they've just come straight out of Scout Coy. Which is a kinda cool place to start. There's a lot of scope for doing stuff here, especially -say- as SW Blood Claws, eager for glory.