So has anyone gotten this yet, cause I'm sure I'm not the only one who's intensly curious about the book (badly enough that I'd buy the Drive Thru RPG edition if it becomes available there before the FLGS).

And should anyone be gracious enough to start providing previews, I'm most interested in the White Scars. I've wanted to play one since Hunt for Voldorius. In fact, is there anything about the Chapter's Master of the Hunt, like a specialty for Marines that have taken part in one?

Waiting too. It's in the mail for me. Hopefully arrives today, my guess is Wednesday though, because it would be the most inconvenient one for me, though anytime this week is possible. It just depends what day the store got it shipped out, as it is coming priority and their order tracker doesn't give a tracking number or say what day it shipped exactly.

So I'll take anything I can get to tide me over while waiting!

I am not really a Deathwatch fan but the possiblity to see stats for Salamanders and Iron Hands intrigues me. What are they like? Are there stats for a Salamander Forgemaster or Iron Hands Iron Father?

AND IT IS HERE!!!

Keep in mind I've had it like 10 minutes. And might not get to read it much today... at least not until later tonight.

But the skim through quickly and Table of Contents impression: Finally, with this and Rites of Battle, Deathwatch is finally 'complete' in a matter of speaking - finally we have ways to play the OTHER Founders. And with these and the RoB "Create a Chapter" we now have all the tools to make really cool successors too.

The downside: While we have stats, right now the new chapters are pretty much at, or a bit behind where the old ones were after Rites of Battle, since there's no chapter specific advanced specialties for them. And while I didn't expect it, I was sorta hoping to at least get the stat boosts and demeanor for the traitor legions.

OK, a bit more. Finished reading the White Scars chapter (They were the one I was most looking forward to). It seems quite good. They feel different. They seem to work good. I'm getting more and more convinced the Storm Wardens are a White Scars successor too. There are some real similarities. right down to 'storm' being in the name of at least one White Scars successor (Storm Lords). their Squad and Solo Mode abilities work both with and without vehicles, which was my biggest worry about them (That they'd end up purely vehicle focused).

One other minor disappointment. the names for the Salamanders name chart are all directly taken from main characters in the Tome of Fire trilogy. A bit of a 'really?' moment for me having just finished reading said trilogy. Obviously just a silly thing but yeah.

Dulahan said:

Thanks, that was the intent there - the White Scars focus on mobile hit-and-run warfare, vehicles are just a useful tool to that end, rather than the only means by which they fight. They were good fun to work on, actually, as I'd just finished reading Savage Scars only to find myself writing rules to go with background written by that novel's author - having Andy Hoare's depiction of the White Scars fresh in my mind really helped me try and push beyond the "bike mounted space marines" stereotype.

Dulahan said:

One other minor disappointment. the names for the Salamanders name chart are all directly taken from main characters in the Tome of Fire trilogy. A bit of a 'really?' moment for me having just finished reading said trilogy. Obviously just a silly thing but yeah.

Yeah, sorry about that... bit of a brainfart with those, but I couldn't really think of anything else good enough. The White Scars name generator, I could plunder names from websites about the Gengis Khan era Mongols, but a similar reference point didn't exist for the Salamanders. That said, I took a lot of inspiration from the two Tome of Fire novels that were out at the time of writing, choosing to emphasise in the rules their self-reliance and endurance (for good or ill), and their skill as artisans as much as their stereotypical affinity for flame.

I'm eagerly awaiting the book's release - I've still not seen the Raven Guard or Iron Hands rules (I did most of the new material for existing chapters, plus the White Scars and Salamanders), and I'm quite intrigued to see how they turned out.

Most of my Masters Degree work involved the Mongols specifically, and Central Asia broadly. So I think that can point to why I was so looking forward to White Scars. and glad to hear you're drawing from Hoare's novel too. I did think it did a good job.

Hopefully Hunt for Voldorius played into the Raven Guard stuff! I still haven't got to them, hopefully tonight.

If they don't have Chapter specific specialties, then what do they have? (as that honour guard already spoiled had looked pretty Chapter specific).

Could we get a brief list with enough of a short description to let us know what each specialty is about?

Also, thankyou very much for the spoilers.

Blood Pact said:

Oh, they have Chapter Specifics for the Corebook 1st Founding chapters. Just not the ones released in this book. the info available for the new Chapters is roughly the same sort of stuff we had for the Corebook chapters. AKA, Demeanor, Stat Bonuses, Solo mode, Attack Squad Mode, Defense Squad Mode, 4 Psychic Powers, Chapter Advance table, some relics. More than enough to play, they just lack advanced specialties like the others do.

Off top of my head:

All old (First Founding - not successors) chapters get an additional Solo Mode option and 2 new Squad modes (One attack, one defense). there are new history tables to use too.

Blood Angels get - Sanguinary Priest*, Furioso Dreadnought, and Librarian Dreadnought

Dark Angels - Deathwing, Ravenwing*

Imperial Fists - Nothing

Space Wolves - Wolf Scout* Wolf Priest

Ultramarines - Tyrannic War Veteran*, Honor Guard

* - Rank 1 only options.

I have read Wolf Scout though, it's an interesting "Alternate" Tactical Marine essentially, right down to changing your starting special ability.

Honestly, some of the new stuff for "Corebook" chapters have sections at least as long as the New Chapter Rules. Honestly, would almost have rather seen the "Old" chapters have their additional info about Deathwatch and Jericho history removed and just put in the new rules so we'd have had more room for the new chapters to have their Chapter Specialties too. Actually, if I had to choose something to not have in here it would have been the Adventure. Primarilly because I see this as a "Player" book - one EVERY player with any interest in a First Founding Chapter should aspire to have. so it makes the adventure rather hard to use since PCs are likely to own it too, and thus know it. then use that space for more system info.

But still, having read more of the first parts (I've -read- all the new Chapters now, though skimmed the more rules based stuff), still consider this the most essential book yet.

This is a pouty group of new chapters! Barring the White Scars.

Wolf Scouts are awesome. So are the Wolf Priests. I'm not a fan of the Woofs, but those two things are some of the best bits in the book.

Tell me though, as you have the final copy, what are the requirements for becoming a Ravenwing?

BYE

Are there rules for playing a chapter campaign (not Deathwatch...all marines from the same chapter)?

H.B.M.C. said:

45 Ag, 35 Per and WP. Rank 1 and Dark Angels only. 1000 XP.

Nothing really on a chapter campaign that I've seen yet to answer someone else's question..

Alright! Nice to see that there are people who have this stuff now. One big question I have is about how much info there are about the Traitor Legions in it. It said in the review that there would be background for the Traitor Legions and so I was wondering what stuff about them is in. I'm a bit interested in using this for Black Crusade and to perhaps give it to people who haven't read all that much 40k fluff to get a basic hang about the Traitor Legions. Is there info enough to make it work that way? I'll probably buy it anyway but I would really like to know what's their deal.

As I said earlier, traitor legions are... brief.

It's essentially most of a single page devoted to their history. Some go a bit more than a page, just depends. This is divided into Primarch and Crusade history, Heresy History (usually just a paragraph or two), and then a paragraph or two on "what X legion is doing in the Reach." Then some of them have additional stuff such as a notable member of the legion in the Jericho Reach - like the World Eaters have The Headsman, a Berserker who names a target and devotes himself to killing said target.

Can we have some info on the new followers? Are they more then just serfs and servitors?

Doc Kill said:

The rules are more or less generic. There are two types fo followers active and background. Active followers follow you into battle (or at least can) and provide some use there. One example is a Librarian's familiar, another is a Cenobyte servitor, and of course there is a Fenrisian Wolf . The Wolf is actually statted for you space puppy guys.

Background followers are more like the Equerry, Chapter Serf, and Watcher in the Dark for you Dark Angels out there. These supply a benefit to the character, but don't really assist in combat For example the Watcher in the Dark gives you a chance of recovering fate points after they are spent.

Followers come in 3 levels with varying benefits/ power levels of course. The examples are there to help the GM stat them for you. Active followers receieve a pool of points to spraqd amongst stats and a number of talents/traits per level. They follow a similar method as Black Crusade for those of you who have that.

Hmmm, well what do the Salamanders and Iron Hands get then?

Dulahan said:

Guess I missed that part. I didn't see anything when I read the thread. But I was a bit stressed on time then so I guess it could've been it.

Dulahan said:

Sounds like there's a little good for the the Traitor Legions as well. Thanks for the info.

Psion said:

Exactly the same thing the Ultramarines or Dark Angels or any of the others get in the Corebook. The same sort of template. Stat Bonuses, Demeanor, Relics, Solo Mode, Squad Mode, Primarch's Curse, 4 psychic powers, Chapter Advance table, and a decent 6 or so page writeup (Including all the rules).

Iron Hands also get a free Excellent Quality Bionic Hand.

Salamanders get some Fire Resistance.

Don't have their stat bonuses handy right now.

I would dearly love to hear more about the White Scars, though I have no idea where to start (I want to hear it ALL!).

So I'd settle just for knowing what they have for trappings and relics, please?

Also are there any new Deeds and Distinctions, for anyone not just the White Scars?

Dulahan said:

Trappings?

Alex

ak-73 said:

Yes.

To answer someone else, no deeds or distinctions for new chapters.

No Successor Chapters either...

BYE

H.B.M.C. said:

Well, it IS First Founding. I don't see that Successors had a place in it. Hopefully a new book like "Astartes of the Reach" or something.

And at least now that we have all the Loyalists statted out Rites of Battle is going to work better for Chapter Design!

So what about the Trappings and Relics for the White Scars?

I know one of those HAS to be a bike.

And don't mind HMBC, they get steamed and storm off from time to time.