We're working on various RPGs for our gaming group and although I'm the only one even slightly versed in the 40k 'verse and wondered if they're all essentially the same system. Could I use the xeno stats from Deathwatch and use them in a Dark Heresy scenario? That kind of stuff.

They are "roughly compatible" in much the same way as various editions of D&D or Shadowrun might be. I don't recommend using materials from one game line in a game of another type without careful consideration and a willingness to be flexible with the stats. If you're about strict by-the-letter rules, then i would suggest NOT crossing lines.

I'd say they're closer than that, more akin to the different lines (eg Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse) in the Old World of Darkness.

Opponents and foes are very easily compatible. Judging the difficulty of a foe is a little harder, but that is kind of true even for foes from the same line.

Equipment is easily used from one line to another. Giving access to certain gear too early might shift the balance in a low level dark heresy game, but the stats are more or less identical.

Character options are of course the hardest to convert. On the other hand, I plan on giving Rites of Battle style honors and distinctions to my DH Imperial Guardsmen. Of course, they will have to earn them on the field of battle first.

Still, I find the books can add quite a lot to each line. I'd peruse each book in store (or check out reviews online) to find out what to expect from each particular book. For example, my DH IG game can see use from Rites of Battle and Into the Storm , but is less likely to need the starships from Battlefleet Koronus .

sepayne7l said:

It really depends on what exactly you want to use, for whilst the general mechanics are the same we do have several instances where the same things, including xenos, have different stats between the books. For example, in your case keep in mind that Deathwatch xenos are scaled for player characters whose armour and weapons are notably better than how they were described in Dark Heresy. Still the books are a good source for inspiration. It comes down to how you'd want to use these creatures (numbers and tactics, terrain, do the players have backup, etc) and how experienced / well equipped your Acolytes are - and of course you can always tweak a few things.

I'd agree with MILLANDSON's oWoD comment - the systems are superfically identical. There are a few details that are changed in the general rules and a lot of changes in character creation (tree careers vs. straight careers vs. advances from three tables at the same time) and psychic rules (xd10 vs d% test mechanic).

Enemy stats are portable as long as you keep the relative strength in mind - a creature fit for a Dark Heresy Survival Horror scenario a la Alien may be more suitable as the target of a hunting safari for a Rogue Trader retinue.

Thanks for the replies. I dunno which they would want (if any), but I love the setting and wish I had enough money just to buy the books to read.

If your players like the game and you are a fairly regular group of mates, maybe they can each buy one and you'll trade.

That said, there are also lots of fan-created xenos with stats - perhaps you find something you like on Dark Reign !

Some of the rules were changed from DH to the other 40k games.
So you will have to decide if you want to play each game with it's own rules or if you want to use the rules from one game for all of them.

One example is the called shot combat option. It works different in DH than in DW and RT. Can be confusing if you mix it up.

You can mingle DH and RT characters together without too much fussing around as by and large they aren't very different in terms of basic gear, skills or so forth. Like the other two, DH has a different Psy system but RT-DW Psykers can operate ok. But otherwise you can have Archmilitants, Seneshals, Scholars and Assassins etc, all running around with a bit of work as long as you cater to some of the things like influence/profit and mingle them together with mutual goals.

DW doesn't seem to work very well by itself, let alone with any others. I've given an Ascended DH ordo-xenos Inq a go running next to a marine squad and it ends up just being one boring shitfight after another and the lethality scale of DW is just way too high "as-is". Also what you can do I noticed is have Marine Renknown pretty much given to an Ascended character as Influence on a 1-1 basis. Gear is more problematic on so many levels, not going to start.

Not to be completely defeated I am messing around with a Scout Marine game running parallel to some pre-ascended DH characters, its working ok because I nerfed the f**k out of bolt guns by scaling them back to sensible levels, (some of us do have basic statistical theory...) did up some pre-marine, scout advance package and its actually really quite enjoyable to run.

DW doesn't seem to work very well by itself, let alone with any others. I've given an Ascended DH ordo-xenos Inq a go running next to a marine squad and it ends up just being one boring shitfight after another and the lethality scale of DW is just way too high "as-is".

Sound like the problem is less with the system and more with the adventures played - it's not like the DW core book mandates that at least a hundred enemies must die per session played...

Its easy to dismiss it as that, but essentially when rank 1-2 characters have a rogue traders ransom of heavy ordinance as standard, the Charm Offensive (which only a couple seem get charm) tends to stall fairly quickly when 90% of your basic skills involve surviving under battlefield conditions and beating the f**k out of other people/things/critters etc. But essentially, motivation and sense of achievement for marines is vastly different to that of DH and RT characters. They dont have to worry about weapons, gear, money, love, respect and influence of the Imperium because they already have it. 1980's style action-adventure is ok in small doses but as a GM I'm going to get sick of it pretty soon, plus as I said. Never quite found the happy middle ground of challenging the players and killing some or all of them outright with the lethality of them and their opponenets.

This makes me wonder how well Frozen Reaches would work as a Deathwatch adventure. Not only do you get to kill hordes of orks, but you have to deal with the politics of the planet as well.

You would have to modify the ground fighting to add some hordes, but those seem to be pretty much up to the GM anyway.

Rules wise they are similar but not the same but can be used with each other fairly easy, I tend to use the most current book or the one that I like the most. Characters on the otherhand are fairly different and it will take some work to get them balanced (If that is what you want) while I prefer the later psychic rules as they have less room for abuse.

Ive run a Dark Heresy game with a Astartes Character and it worked fairly well as the Astartes character was happy for me to nuff him at times by taking away his armour/weapons so he could fit in better. He also made the character a tank with some killing ability and left the assasin to deal out the mass attacks and damage.

Im planning to run a short Death Watch game and may allow some old ascended DH characters to make an appearance but having read the rules I dont think they will last long in combat so the DH characters would have to be very careful or defensive.