The Radical's Handbook describes "The Cortax" as a xeno mercenary army. Am I correct in assuming that it consists of a mixture of different types of xenos (Kroot, Orks, Hrud, etc), or are the Cortax a specific form of xenos that I've never heard of before?

Also, I need a big expanse of jungle on a planet near Canopus (in the Josian Reach). I'm leaning toward Munsk; the only reference to that planet that I've been able to find is a mention in The Inquisitor's Handbook that refers to a Northern continent with lots of rodents. Are there any references that I've missed that would counterdict my decision to have a large Southerly jungle continent?

I'm not terribly worried that my players will turn up counterdictory info, but I want to cover my bases as much as possible, and Indexes are few and far between in WH40KRP books, for some reason...

Adeptus-B said:

No idea, but good luck with that.

Adeptus-B said:

Well, if you REALLY want to make sure no one can contradict you, you could just use the nearby planet Plotimus Maximus, which is covered from pole to pole in exactly the kind of jungle you want to make use of and populated by whatever critters you feel are appropriate to the game you want to run. I'm just saying is all.

Here's the problem with metaplot: It's cool because it provides a backdrop for your game, a rich history of the universe to make things come alive for your players. It's bad because it can trap you in the fear of accidentally contradicting it with your game. Metpalot should be used as a tool, but it should not be put up on a pedastal and treated as inviolable law. RPGs are about telling a story, and anything which hinders or undermines your efforts to tell the story you want to tell should not be permitted to exist. That's the whole reason why the Golden Rule of RPGs exists in the first place. The GM is allowed to bend, break or ignore any game rules he sees fit in order to tell a good story, so why should he be confined by metaplot?

If you want to use a "real" planet because it makes the game more "authentic" then go nuts, but don't be paralyzed by the fear that somewhere, in some random book, they might mention that the southern half of the planet isn't a jungle exactly like the one you need. On the off chance that one of your players pulls a rabbit like that out of his ass, then just look him square in the eye and say "not in this 40k universe it isn't!"

The same ultimately applies to your Cortax dilemma, above. I wish you all the best at finding out which of your hypotheses is the answer, but if you can't get a straight answer, don't be afraid to decide the answer. If you absolutely can't bring yourself to pick the "wrong" answer, then make up your own "xeno merc army" name and let them be whatever you want.

Steve-O said:

Thanks for the GAMEMASTERING FOR DUMMIES lecture. I had no idea I was allowed to make stuff up...!

Yes, I occasionally make the decision to violate the details of the setting. And yes, I've even busted out the trusty "Well, that's how it is in my campaign" rebuttal when I've been challenged by my players; but doing so invariably snaps the players out of what writers refer to as "the willing suspension of disbelief", so I try to do that only when it is absolutely necessary to the plot, and not just trot it out as an excuse for not doing basic research. If I can tell a good story, and hold true to the setting, why the Hell shouldn't I?

-And I try to keep inventing new planets to a minimum (only if there are absolutely no suitable "canon" worlds in the required area), to keep down on the bookkeeping. If I need to backtrack the party's movements, I'd rather refer to a single map than have to thumb through page after page of handwritten notes, trying to reconstruct where all my new worlds are in relation to each other...

Adeptus-B said:

I was only trying to help, you know. There ARE some people out there who don't consider these options, either because they're new to the GM's seat or because they're so obssessed with metaplot that they never think to create their own story elements. Based on your original post, I had little reason to suspect this wasn't the case for you.

Keep in mind, I don't know anything about you as an individual human being except what you put in your posts. For example, until I read this reply, I had no idea you were an insufferable *******.

You could have politely clarified your position. You could even have simply ignored my response and waited for someone else to chime in. Instead you opted to be a jerk about it and react with unnecessary sarcasm. If this is how you treat everyone who tries to help you when there's a misunderstanding about your desirable responses, I pity you and everyone you game with. Seriously, talk about your antisocial gamer stereotypes.

Have a nice life.