Greetings, all

Being a fan of 40k and role playing games I am interested in running a Deathwatch game for my regular gaming group. I have never before DMd any game, but have played quite a variety of rpgs. But never any Warhammer -related games. I've been reading over the Final Sanction pdf, along with the Errata and the two extra characters, and I think this game would make for a nice change from fantasy gaming. For many of my would-be players the only rpg they have ever played is 4th ed. D&D (please don't judge them too harshly).

My biggest worry is that I do have a rather large group of players. With my self as the DM I would have 8 (yes, EIGHT) players. Now, part of me likes that this would make for a nearly full sized tactical squad, but leads me to my main concern and question:

Is 8 too many players for this game? I know many games can easily be altered (more monsters, tougher monsters, larger rooms, etc) to accommodate an unusual number of players, but I also know that some games are too easily broken by too many players (such as Dogs in the Vineyard ).

Honestly, I think DW kind of handles itself rather well with large groups of players. Its focus is more on over the top combat than RPing, so you won't necassarily have some players sitting out while others do excessive amounts of talking. Just buff up the hordes and add some more elites/master enemies to the fights and you should be fine.

I you can run 8 players with 4e, you can do it with DW. It's more than I'd like to handle, but frankly the mechanics of DW are probably better suited to larger parties than 4e mechanics. Things like the Horde rules are a godsend for speeding up fights, and you'll soon come to realise that you don't need to look up every critical hit done to the monsters.

(I have ordered my copy of the rule book, but do not yet have one on hand)

How does the game handle itself with battlemats/maps, and miniatures to represent relative locations in combat? I have some 40k marines (and a company of Imperial Guard), and would like to create custom minis for each of my players. Some where in the <i>Final Sanction</i> pdf is mention of using a map for battles, but how does that work? Everything is measured in metres, so do the standard 1" square grids work well enough for a 1in : 1m ratio? Or are hexagonal grids better?

Combat works equally well with or without a grid. Hexagon VS square will probably come down to a matter of preference.

The horde rules lend themselves better to not having a grid IMO, but if you own plenty of 40k models it shouldn't be a problem.

The game works fine on a battle mat. I prefer hexes, others I play with prefer squares, they both work.

1-1 is the normal scale although at times adjusting the scale can be quite helpful.

DW handles big groups surprisingly well. I've run it with a group of eight and the number of players isn't really that much of a problem, even though I personally prefer smaller groups.

*grinds teeth*

There are no rules specified for battle-maps. You can add an extra layer of complexity if you like, but it will slow things down a bit. You could not pay me enough money* to run a session using a strictly-enforced battle-grid to measure movement et al.

* This is a lie: A hundred bucks would do.

Siranui said:

I do agree with this to a point. The over the top fast paced action of this game seems to go better without the grid, honestly.

Great! I'm actually glad to hear this. As stated above, I agree with the rigidity of a fixed scale and grid form. As much as I enjoy D&D (all editions) I do feel that this latest iteration has become little more than a board game in many cases.

However, staying on topic: This news makes me happy. I can use nothing, or break out some of my terrain pieces and minis (and leave the mat rolled and stowed).

. . .now how to get my hands on a "horde" of cheap genestealers. . .

DacenMarus said:

Ebay most likely.

My 2 cents on the map/no map debate: I usually use no map, just 3-D terrain like in the tabletop game, for outdoor fight scenes, and measure distances with a tape measure. I've been using the standard 1"=1 meter, but that makes it pretty easy for the action to spill off the table, so I'm considering switching to 1/2"=1 meter- with your large group, that may be a better option for you.

For indoor fight scenes, however, I use a wet-erase mat with a 1" grid, since representing confined spaces with 3-D terrain is pretty impracticle.

Many people on the Forums sing the praises of playing out combats with no map at all, relying only on the GM's descriptions, but that would make my head explode...

Here's something to consider. As with tryanids (since you used Geneestealers as your basis), try using one model to represent a squad of ten (so you don't spend a crazy amount of money on models), and use certain models to represent high threat/priority targets (i.e., fire support squads, captains/leaders, etc.). From what I've gathered, this is a fast-pace game and you don't want to bog down with hundreds of models on the table (if they're not significant).

i think i will pass on the measuring tape lthough i do like it. i was thinking of set pieces and terrain with no actual scale. Just aproximations. the same for what npc/enemy models i would use.

We use a grid and minis because we have a lot of nicely painted ones, and it can look very cool. You may find grid-based combat a bit stilted (particularly for melee) without a few house rules though.

harlokin said:

-Like counting every other diagonal square of Movement/Range as 2 squares!

Adeptus-B said:

That's why you use Hex grids!

Or just ignore the diagonal issue and go 1 for 1.

Or discard them so that there's more room in the middle of the table for beer and pizza.

+1 for Siranui idea. Grid maps are nice in small areas, but for the most part we use a dry erase board for general lay out. We tried to use the grid more often, but the range of guns were so high it made it pretty much pointless. Now I just detail it as best I can it seems to be working out better for us.

If you like the map with lots of models just becareful that it doesn't turn into 40k light unless that is how everyone wants to play it.