With the release of four corebooks with slight tweeking to the combat rules in each one, is it time for a sourcebook of updated combat rules to span all four books, since each one takes place in the same setting? A one-stop shopping combat manual, so to speak.

If FFG put this out, would anyone be interested in this? Has anyone out there compiled this on their own? Or is it better to use the Combat rules for each different book for balance sake?

For myself, I get kinda tired jumping been all four book, hoping i have the right recipe for my combat.

-Jefferson

I'd buy it, but only because I buy everything and anything with a 40K logo on it

However, it sounds like en excellent idea for a fan-project, though perhaps on the limit of whats permissible within our draconian copyright laws

I'd like a side-by-side listing of different rules, arranged by "chapter".

Ie. a section listing changes/differences in skills (and Talents) and their use, a section on differences in weapon qualities and other related issues, a section on combat actions, etc.

A combat rules update as a free pdf? Just sayin'.

I feel that the entire combat system is a bit hampered by it's roots in the WHFBRPG. All the flashy Sci-Fi-bits was sort of pasted on without much thought of balance. No/very litte playtesting by hardcore rulereaders left a lot of rather stupid wordings and effects (my pet peeve: highest initiative in your group means you tend to do the least effective damage, because when you attack your targets still have their dodges availabe). And the superlativism of the 40k-universe translates badly into balanced rules.

For every review it has gotten better and better. At the moment I'm looking into using the BC-rules (plus houserules ofc), because they are rather more thought-through and consistent than earlier versions. A thorough remake of the entire combat system would be _very_ welcome. I believe FFG is more than capable of this, if they simply put the right people on it and dare to step away from the lousy bits that Black Library put in the system. FFG makes excellently balanced board- and strategy-games after all!

This is true, and the Deathwatch Errata shows they have the balls to change stuff around when needed too.

Mellon said:

They will not if they have Dodged in their previous turn. You get one Reaction IN YOUR TURN, not in the round. Your turn, and so your Reactions, don't refresh when the round ends, nut when your turn comes again. iurns and rounds overlap, they don't coincide. So if you Dodged in Initiative 1, when the next round rolls around you won't have any Reactions.

I think if it was set up as a big book of optional rules for combat, psychic powers, skill tests, etc, that would be very welcome by me. It need not be replacement rules in the case of skill tests, but it could be ancillary stuff, bonuses and penalties, a deeper look into some skills, systems for opposed skills tests, etc.

Perhaps it could be a supplementary Game Master's guide.

bogi_khaosa said:

borithan said:

Hmmm (looks at book) you're right. A Turn is is the point in Initiative Order when a character goes, not a sequence of time, and Reactions are per Round. Well that's pretty dumb!

In RAW, I don't think you can Half-Move, Delay, and then shoot. Because Delay is itself a Half-Action; if you Half-Move and Delay, you have wasted half of your turn, the Delay vanishes into air.

1. Buy Black Crusade

2. Use every rule and every talent for every campaing use like

3. ?????

4. Profit

I think that we would use BC for every type of game becouse it have the best rule set of every wh40k rpg title. You can easily adapt it to play as loyalist.

For new campaigns, yes, that might work. For ongoing ones, you'll run into problems.

The DH careers have skills & Talents that do not exist in BC, like Climb & Swim (replaced by Athletics).

You can transfer yor pc to bc by using transfer rules or you can just use rules from BC

And such skills as swim and climb are in bc one skill like athletic so u can sum them and have fewer skills and I like this aproach

I'd like to see a couple of unified Codices, really - not just combat.

• An official unified gear list that works across all games.
• An official talent & skill list that works across all games.
• A series-spanning errata with uniform conversion schemes between the different games.

When only war finally hits the shelves I'm planning on doing a revamped edition of the Guardsman, perhaps I'll even use BC's free form system.
I'll post it when I'm done with it.

But the new system does encourage tactical play even more

Climbing and swimming are, in fact, totally different abilities, as are moving silently and hiding.

bogi_khaosa said:

Climbing and Swimming are indeed very different skills, but it is often the case in roleplaying games that someone who you want to be good in one you will want to be good in another. This is even more true with moving quietly and hiding (a stealthy character will usually want both). Its like in D&D where Spot and Listen were seperate skills, but all the more recent versions of d20 have tended to merge them into a "Perception" skill. Same goes for Jump, Balance and Tumble, which all became Acrobatics. While having different skills makes simulationist sense to a certain degree, most character concepts that are good are one are likely to be good at the other, so most of the time the seperate skills just increase record keeping unecessarily.

borithan said:

I disagree. Delay is listed as a Half Action, and nowhere does it say that you need another Half Action to use with it. Neither does it say that this must be the first action you take, so I read it so you can do exactly what you proposed, ie Move + Delay.

It would be a bit harsh having to give up your entire turn, just to maybe take a singe half action later. You already rule out many actions by limiting him to a half action, I see no reason why the poor fella shouldn't be allowed to Move first, or draw his gun, etc. etc.

Dok Martin said:

That was the thought that springs to mind for myself as well.