So in my session today my PC kill team found out that there has been another DW Kill Team (NPC) on the planet they are on too. One of the members of my group told me mid session pretty much after revealing this little bit of info that another KT couldn't be on the planet and that there being one is heresy and unsanctioned because the Watch Captain overseeing the KT didnt know about this NPC KT either either.

So what I'm asking is how much do KT know about each other and each others dealings. My opinion is that many act individually of each other not knowing what each other are doing, therefore it is quite reasonable that they will come across another KT. Another small point is that the NPC KT is working with a Malleus Inquisitor to achieve the same ends, which according to this other player wouldnt happen as they would use either Grey Knights or Battle Sisters.

So I would like to hear your opinions on this, would one KT be apprised of another especially the Watch Captain (and by not being apprised is it heresy and unsanctioned) and would the DW work with the Ordo Malleus if they were attempting to achieve the same ends?

Well I don't see a reason for the Kill Teams to know of each other, but as for the other point, the Deathwatch works on Ordo Xenos missions, and if working 'with' the Ordo Malleus, would likely be working alongside Grey Knights in a Join-Ordo operation.

Even though it is rather unlikely that two KT are deployed at the very same location (though planets are huge), it is absolutely possible without being heresy or unsanctioned. The Watch Commander should certainly know of every KT deployment in his sector, but Watch Captains and Inquisitors might not. Especially if the KT is assigned to an Inquisitor for a longer involvement, the respective Watch Captain and Watch Commander might not always know where the KT and Inquisitor specifically are at every moment.

Grey Knights are normally only ever involved if daemonic opposition is to be expected. They are never deployed lightly or without good reason. Sisters of Battle are not more associated with the Ordo Malleus than the Deathwatch is, though in both cases it is certainly viable that the organizations join forces or support each other in their special field. The Inquisitors of certain Ordos are normally not that restrictive in their agendas as for example the Grey Knights are; meaning an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor could of course be involved in typical Ordo Xenos themes (there are many xenos summoning daemons or using sorcery for example). So, it is completely viable that an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor is joined by a KT, because he hunts for a certain daemonic relic in ancient (still inhabited…) xenos ruins for example.

Thanks for the replies.

Even though I thought it went well last night I couldn't help feel some important bits were delivered wrong, mainly that their was another KT on the planet. The Interrogator wanted to inform the whole KT but due to there being several people in the room who aren't taking part merely spectating only the Squad Sergeant stayed, this is where part of the problem came from.

One thing I was very clear on in the briefing was that the Inquisitor had a very good relationship with the DW despite being Malleus (i.e Ex-xeno Inquisitor), and he and the KT were chasing the artifact down from different ends and decided to basically pool resource. I think the main issue is the fact that the Interrogator chose to use the term 'Bodyguards' for the KT and that particular person has quite a rigid vue of the 40k universe as opposed to my quite open, anything is possible attitude. I suppose i was a little annoyed that he was basically telling me that my campaign was broken because something like this wouldnt happen. I think it will be best if next session i put my foot down and point out he isn't the gm.

Sorry for deviating a little bit from my topic, i just needed to rant a little because it was my first gm session and telling me my story was wrong disheartend me a little bit.

I don't know much about your campaign, but I would say it is possible for a deathwatch team working with an inquisitor could be off the books as it were. There are definitely cases of deathwatch fighting daemons as well as xenos. and personally I think people take the ordo malleus/ordo xenos thing way to seriously. an ordo malleus inquisitor may seek out signs of daemons and witches, but he is certainly not going to ignore evidence of a xenos invasion because he is Ordo Malleus. He will still do everything he can to stop it. and the internal politics of the inquisition are much more complicated than the Ordos. Personally I take the Eisenhorn view of the Inquisition. In his career Eisenhorn stops Heretics, Xenos and Daemonhosts because they just happen to be what he finds in his investigations, and it specifically says that the reason the Deathwatch are called in in the book "Xenos" is not because of the fact that he discovers a xenos plot, but because he discovers Emperor's Children working with Xenos. And when an inquisitor encounters chaos space marines he sends for the Deathwatch

and yeah, open view of the universe is very important for this RPG, because loads of the canon is contradictory and really strange anyway. Most people will complain about Dan Abnett's view of the universe because it contradicts loads of canon, but its so much more fun and interesting than what it contradicts. So I just enjoy it all

Narkasis Broon said:

These are very true words.

Just one more thing to add. Actually, for such a vast universe/setting like 40K there is relatively little actual canon (expect in regard to warfare as it is originally a wargame after all), so a lot must be improvised (as did Dan Abnett in his own special way) and elaborated as one (e.g. GM) sees fit.

It is your game, and if you find it viable for an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor to be joined by the DW, than this is how it should work. Take it or leave it. Few thinks can damage an RPG as much as those sort of smartass players that always do the fluff nazi (and even wrongly).

Say some 'Scary Stuff' is happening on a planet, and the Chamber of Vigilance decides that something needs to be done, so they gather together some Marines, form a Kill-Team and send them on their way. Meanwhile, an Inquisitor discovers the same 'Scary Stuff', and petitions a different Watch Station for a Kill-Team escort. The commander of the base sanctions the action, and off they go. Suddenly we have two Kill-Teams on the planet who know nothing of one another but just happen to have the same mission.

I don't see this as far fetched at all.

BYE

...and really, an Inquisitor by their very nature and calling is a person who does what must be done in whatever way it needs doing, so claiming that they follow specific operative systems is often a flawed concept. There's a reason they have so much power, and that reason is not for filing paper work.

Indeed! Your poor player is still stuck in the Malleus = Grey Knights, Xenos = Deathwatch mode; he has a thoroughly broad knowledge of wh40k, but not deep. Do try to be gentle with him/her, as they're only trying to have fun; but, yeah, don't let him pee all over yer parade...Calmly but firmly let him know that the grimdark universe of 40k is very very varied and very very 'grey' - Inquisitors do what they want, space marine chapters do what they want, High Lords do what they want, and everyone else better look the hell out. There are no rules followed by the Inquisition or the Deathwatch (i s'pose the Grey Knights have their 666 rules of chaotic engagement, but they're the exception that proves the rule ). And, as previously stated, the Greys are reserved for full-blown incursions and little else. And the DW rulebook does state that the Deathwatch works with the whole Inquisition (though, it's true, they are the chamber militant of Xenos, it seems to me that the Deathwatch are the go-to guys for the Inquisition or indeed any Imperial Lord/Commander with alien trouble).

So, yeah, tell buddy the Deathwatch brotherhood says to calm the heck down and enjoy the game!

Its a bit like 2 special forces teams running into each other in the night somewhere in the hills of Tora-Bora in 2003, sure its a little odd and they might be there on different missions or even on more or less the same mission, but not every branch of miltel knows what the others are doing or even what their own counterparts are doing because some of these things are so dark deep black bag that only a handful of handlers and a team or two know about it.

Deathwatch exists in this darkness, a watch captain might have a mission from his commander saying do this, get to this goal, that puts one of this kill teams on a mission, then another captain has another end goal that he is working towards, but he deploys a kill team in the same area to ensure that his mission gets take care of, and so we are standing there in the night, dead locals and burning imp guard transports under an alien sky looking at our brothers thinking, what in the name of the throne is going on, surprised, yes! But still not all flabbergasted