Dear fellow Gamemasters,

we are now playing Deathwatch weekly since it came out early last year.

I was quite moderate with giving XP and Renown, but the charas are now leveled out, meaning they are Rank 8 and all have a speciality(Watch Capitain, Champion etc) and the relevant stats are at max and most talents have been purchased(now by every single one, but eg. one has charm+20 the next one has mosts Lore Skills for example). 2 Times i allowed them to take elite advances for horrifying costs(Wall of steel for the apothecary at 3000 xp e.g.)

I habe now the question, is there something comming like Ascendation for Dark Heresy?!

And then the next question would be: What enemies for so mighty warriors, they are all ready now nearly invincible.(i left them stripped of all there gear several times to make it more thrilling)

Have you similar "problems"?! We do not want to start a new campain and i am worried that we start another RPG is there is no change.

DW is already at the Ascension XP level. I'd just keep giving XP, let players take elite advances, maybe jump into another Advanced Specialty.

Or, alternatively, have a last big bang super epic mission, end their Vigil, and start a new game. Maybe not the answer you want but I doubt there will be "Ascension-plus" coming out.

As to missions...go after the Swarmlord. Strike at Tsu'malor. Have a Tomb World awaken. Find a webway gate and die in.

I have seen nothing announcing an supplement for higher than rank 8, First Founding and the Reach supplements are already past their published previews. Honestly, I'm not sure the current system could support higher ranks, it has enough trouble with 'simple' Space Marines.

I'd go with Kshatriya's suggestions- create a last big bang mission, have a notched up version of Oblivions Edge, have a Tomb World awaken or the like, and let them either win and return to their home chapters or die heroically defending mankind. All good things must come to an end. If you can't come up with enough new shiny things in DW to keep the interest for a new campaign (IMO that's hard to do, the backdrop is pretty rich) then maybe it's time for a break.

Page 59. Completing all the Ranks. "the character who has attained the top Rank of his Speciality is considered to have completed his initial service in the Deathwatch."

Which means mr. badboy goes back to his chapter with honour. Retiring the character from the Deathwatch, and thus becoming an NPC.

There are two ways to handle it to me. A) make sure everything ends with a big bang, something that not everyone survives, but those who do are worthy of a celebratory ceremony of Star Wars perportions (they won't get it in 40k, but they'll have earned it). B) When they re-roll new characters, have their old characters make cameos, even having the watch commander being their new characters commander.

Or in the spirit of the game have them save the Achilus Crusade by sacrificing their lives at the end of the final big bang mission. Make sure that there is a chapel dedicated to the kill-team on Erioch when the new guys arrive and that they uphold the honour and memory of the kill-team whose name they bear.

The only alternative I see is making them rise to positions of power in the DW and turn the whole game into chapter management with only occasional joining of the action.

Alex