Hello all!

So, I am about to take on a second group of players who've requested I run a Dark Heresy game for them! Unfortunately, and though it would have saved me a lot of work and trouble, I can't use my previous material with this new group as not only have they heard all of the highlights, one of them is even a player in my first group.

In the process of coming up with something completely new, I find that brainstorming on the forums and chatting it up with people is always the best way to get the creative juices flowing.

So, without further ado- Genestealers! Whereas my last campaign focused on the Tech-heresy, Daemonic presence, Inquisition conspiracy and is about to move into the Haarlock Legacy now, I figured this one would be a completely different shift and focus on those Nasty Tyranids.

For a first scenario, and keeping in mind that these games are likely to last 8 hours, up to 12 (yes, were insane like that.) I was thinking of starting off with a bang: The group would gathered up together trough circumstance when a Scintillan Noble treks down to Sibellus' Under-Hive in order to hunt the Most Dangerous Game. The Antagonist would be a member of "The Sibellus Hunter's Club for Gentlemen", as detailed in Santiago (& Co.) 's amazing supplement, "Genestealer Cults".

The acolytes, after evading the hunter, would end up turning the tables on him and slaying him or capturing him (depending)… Only to find, (as they attempt to loot or examine the body), the strangest mutation. Maybe an atrophied extra arm and claw on his chest? maybe his left hand only has three claws instead of fingers? Something damning and heretical. Several minutes after, the Inquisition arrives- the players have seen and know too much: the noble, now identified, is linked to a massive conspiracy and has the backing of several power people. They are conscripted into the Inquisition, and so begins the campaign: an attempt to condemn, accuse, purge or (if it so happens), acquit the noble families involved. This pits the acolytes against powerful foes- From the Beast House, to the nobles families Obes, Bishops and Raikones and the Great Devourer . Perhaps, by the end of it, we'll find out that the Tyrant Star is actually the Shadow in the Warp or an incoming fleet!

Best of all, it would all tie in with the "Canon" Lore- Inquisitor Felroth Gelt was after all present when the first of the Genestealers was released from its cages, or escaped, from its cages in the Beast House (as per creature's anathema) and a reference to this event, and perhaps a meeting with the inquisitor, would be unavoidable.

Now, the thing is- I am not sure, the idea of the "Most Dangerous Game" is stuck in my head. Can't get it out. But, it seems my players are going to be making an Assassin, an Arbitrator and a Battle-Sister (and a fourth, yet unknown character.) Whereas I was planning on having them all slumming when the Noble starts shooting them up, the sister puts a bit of a wrench in my plans. Not to mention, she's Ordo Hereticus…

Though I wouldn't mind them starting the game "captured" and stripped of "weapons and gear"- perhaps handed over some basic pistols and fur armor in order to put up a fight, I am not sure if its going to go well with the players…

I could start it off with sister, or the entire group for that matter having infiltrated a slavers stock, knowing they'd be purchased by this particular noble. But this starts off the acolytes "In the Know"- and I think that the "Joining the Inquisition" twist at the end of the mission would be cool.

Which leads me to the second problem- 12 hours of play is a long time… The Most Dangerous Game can't possibly stay entertaining that long, I would need to either pad it with events, or end it and pad the rest of the evening with ceremonies- as I would rather avoid taking the plunge into the actual full campaign, which is mostly still in my head. Preferably, it would start off the scenario as a way to get the acolytes together and avoiding playing a different intro for each one of them.

As I write this, I am coming up with an Idea- For the Arena, I had planned just a random Under-hive, the broken-down remains of a small town, typical. What if the noble has purchased this thing, or rented it out for the evening and sealed it off? Now the players have to get out in addition of escaping the mad hunter. To escape, they'd need to reach some sort of main-control, derelict Administratum or Mechanicus control point and activate that. But the doors are sealed, only a Gene-match from the noble will open them, which forces a confrontation.

So, what do you guys think? Enough for a night's worth of game? Ideas for padding the hunt? Observer Servo-skulls and Cyber-mastiffs abound, and may be even other prisoners who decide to turn on each other for a chance at survival or work with the players until such time they get a better offer…

Thanks for the help, and sorry for the long post- but I did get a chance to order my thoughts while writing it

The Undehive location lends itself to plenty of diversions that can pad out the time. Maybe the party comes across a shoot-out between rivel gangs- and notices that one of the gangers has a genestealer skull hanging from his belt as a souvineer. If they want to find out where he got it, they will have to interviene in the shoot-out. Or they could stop at a settlement to re-equip, and come across lots of people looking for loved-ones who have disappeared… And then there are the ever-present hive vermin and predators which have to be dealt with, even though they are not relevent to the story.

Perhaps the players could be a group including a slumming noble who has gone down to see what the fun is. Then they find out it is more sinister than they thought and get caught up in it all?

So, I`ve gotten a bit more time to work on this and decided to restrict the location into a more plausible setting.

To Brotherkane- that`s a good idea, and if any of my players decide to make a noble, it would certainly justify as to why he`s down here in the first place.

Instead of an a segment of the Underhive, the Hunt will take place in an abandoned Manufactorium. Well, not really completely abandoned- where would be the fun in that be?

Once a rather active metal and mineral recycling facility, the (extremely large) building has been left to rot by its owners as its location is stopped being profitable hundreds of years ago when it was deemed officially in "the Under-hive". In fact, its actually situated exactly on the respective borders of two Under-world gangs, funded by powerful familes [Likely some of the Fanes in Gunmetal City]- so its constantly being contest, so much so its no-longer really worth it. Since its been left alone, a lot of squatters have moved in to make use of its living quarters, large cafeterias and semi-functioning facilities. Its now an "outpost" delimiting the two warring gang`s territories, sort of a neutral ground.

In comes the Genestealer-infected noble who manages, trough rightful ownership or simply lots of bribery and thrones, to rent or occupy the facility for the duration of his games. He sets up shop in the Main Admnistration, the Central Control Room and Security Office and from there seals off the entire facility. Large Iron doors slam shut, metal shutters drop down on the windows and emergency protocols activate.

The players, each here for a differant reason, find themselves trapped in the facility- and subjected to the Noble`s twisted games. But they aren`t alone: trapped with them are various bounty-hunters, criminals, gangers and scum that were either escaping from the law or hunting down someone that had. Furthermore, in the lower levels of the foundry, mutants have taken refuge in the darkness… Last but not least (and likely one of the player`s side-quest) a Rogue Psyker [Or Heretech] is suspected of hiding down here.

After the Noble announces his intentions- A Great Hunt! It ends when either everyone is dead, and the Noble is Victorius, or a person manages to evade him for X Period of Time. This Person would be, assuming they are the last survivors, showered with thrones as not to ever need anything again [A Lie, obviously].

After releasing a multitude of Observer-Servo-skulls and strange, scuttling horrors to hunt down anyone in the factory, he sets about assassinating almost everybody with the help of his custom hunting riffle.

Now the ball is in the Player`s hand, and there`s about 9 Locations that I was thinking of adding into the game.

The Living Quarters [investigative Area]: This is where the players are likely to gather all of the information.

Barracks - Where the various employees used to sleep back when this facility was operational. Now squatters and gangers have taken over, but its a good place to get information, as to the layout, inhabitants and workings of the manufactorium. Perhaps even information on its previous owners… If the players decide to spend the night here without setting up a proper [and intimidating] watch, they might not wake up with much.

Cafeteria - Central meeting spot, converted into a market of sorts, where those reclaimaitors fast enough to take over the refridigerator units now peddle food to the needy masses. More often then not they find themselves trading all manner of things and utilities. Again, another source of information. When the announcement is made though, it would not be surprising for a riot to break out and for the gangers and bounty-hunters here to turn on each other… Especially if the players are around at the time.

Chapel - A safe house: completely abandoned, the players could set it up as a home base and not fear any form of retaliation. Virtually no one uses this thing anymore, save for perhaps a caretaker priest who has now gone blind [A shamed missionary? The players could find out about him in either the Barracks of the Cafeteria].

The Manufactorium Workshops [Combat and Environmental Challenges]: This is where the players have to survive the reactivated, and deadly, machinery of the manufactorium all while evading the crazed hunter- eventually turning the tables on him, at least if they want to escape alive.

Production Lines- The Central chambers of the manufactorium, moving platforms and rolling carpets and production lines transport scraps of metal into the great furnaces. Not to mention new material is produced here trough boiling vats then shaped by crushing pistons and powerful presses. Who knows how eveything works, whats it for, or whats being made- as long as it happens. The reactivated foundry is using up the last remaining scraps that haven`t been moved when it shut down- but its more then enough to make this entire area a dangerous death-trap. There are service elevators here that lead up to the machine shrine temple, or down to the furnaces.

Break`s over, so I am going to have to stop for a bit. I will post up the rest of my ideas once I am back home! They include a third general location [The Main Administration], that, if the players decide to explore, will make the Manufactorium Workshops a lot easier [by accessing control rooms] or the hunt agaisnt the noble easier as well [by accessing the security chamber.]

Back home and here's the rest of it!

Rest of the Manufactorium-

The Furnace- Rumors that there's someone living down there, but its overheated. Impossible for any normal individual to survive more then a few minutes. Not a problem for the Rogue Pyromancer [Endure Flamer] though, whose help might prove invaluable to the players [Weapon Jynx to disable the hunter's riffle, for example.] He's also a bonus boss whose capture or death is likely to earn the players something extra…

The Machine-Spirit Chapel [Thermo-pump Controls]: the Furnace is overheating and the only way to make it manageable is to reach the controls near the top of a spire. Without the careful manipulations of a tech-priest, the machine spirit is upset and must be soothed before the entire manufactorium is put at risk… But the players aren't alone in the top of the tower- here's where the mutants were hiding, the only "safe" place in the factory…

The Administration:

Central Control: the door to this room is sealed by a gene-locked door. Impossible to pass, impossible to cut trough- only with a sample of the hunter's blood or his finger-prints can anyone hope to pass into this room and unlock the doors of the manufactorium. Not to mention, call for help. Once inside here, the game is pretty much over- If not for Lurch, the Hunter's massive, Albino mutant henchman left to guard the place. As big as an ogryn, and just as strong, he's more then enough to hold up an entire team… Might even wreck some of the controls if he's not watched.

Main Security: Beating the security turrets and frying the security lock is enough to pass by the doors into this room which allows the players control over the inner-doors of the facility, the entire network of voxes and videos and maybe even a couple of turrets. It will make finding the noble and hunting him down relative child's play.

Administrator's Offices: the long abandoned offices of the big boss- there's not much left in this room that hasn't been taken, looted or broken apart- except for the secret safe in the ground beneath the desk. Inside here, lots of thrones, a big gun and an access card to the security room which would bypass the turrets and other security measures.

------------------------

One last room- the Junk Yard: Travelling from any of these buildings towards any other building moves you to the junk and scrap yards, with the collapsed and rusted hulks of vehicles and metal pillars littering the grounds. Here the players have a chance of encountering the party of hunting hounds owned by the nobles. Obviously, the yard is a giant triangle within massive walls that link all three main buildings together. Its impossible to leave the facility from here….

So, that's about that for a first game. Might even last for a second.

What do you guys think? Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

I like it. A lot.

An idea to implement the players as not part of the Inquisition yet and not really together, could be that the Sister of Battle is a fallen sister, disgraced and sent off into the wastelands to redeem herself. The Arbitrator happens to be one of good heart, that isn't corrupted (or implanted) by the Genestealers and their henchmen. The Sister of Battle could of tried to report information about a Rogue Psyker or other such enemy to the deaf hears of the Enforcer's / Arbitrators. The only person that took her seriously was the Arbitrator. They could be hunting this person/group who's hiding in the Manufactorium, or maybe this was the safest spot to rest in compared to other parts of the wastelands in the hive. The Assassin just happens to be relaxing there, or maybe the Sister of Battle hired him as a guide before going into the wastes. Same with the other party member. That person could be a friend of the Sister of Battle or the Arbitrator and decided to assist them, or just happens to live in the wastes and was stopping at the Manufactorium for supplies, etc. Not sure your line of thought for them, but figured I'd throw some ideas at you.

Anyhoot, well thought out area. Bravo.

Thanks for the compliment and the ideas- getting the group together is going to be the weirdest part, and I am still torn between having them know each and having them be complete strangers before-hand.

I am looking forward to running it- what's left now is the fleshing of some NPCs to make the whole thing more interesting. I will be sure to post those up when its finished- it doesn't look like I am going to running the game this week, so I still have some time to work on it.

I will be sure to post those up as soon as I can!

I like it

As a player I prefer the sandbox approach and you've not only provided that environment but you've also blocked them from legging it, sorry performing a strategic retreat, from the get go.

Do you plan on the players being initiated into the inquisition at the end of the adventure? If you don't mind the suggestion you could always have an interrogator or a few acolytes locked in there. They'd been tracking the noble and were just about to report back to their Inquisitor prior to the lockdown and of course the structure of the building/compound blocks any long-range vox.

Or maybe a Radical inquisitor of the Isstvanian sect has set the entire thing up as a test to select his next crop of Acolytes though of course the PCs wouldn't find out about this until later in the campaign…

Oh man- that's genius! Two birds with one stone.

Yes, I was planning on having the Acolytes join up with the Inquisition after "They've seen too much" by uncovering the Noble's secret [even if they might not understand what it means at the time.] Seeing as they are likely going to be too valuable to purge (with an arbitrator and a sister in their numbers)

But I love the idea of the Istvaanian Inquisitor pulling the strings for the entire thing. I was going to use Al-Subai, but he's described as a complete puritan. Maybe I will find someone else then… Or just create my own.

But yeah, that could be an extra side-quest: Free up the Inquisitor's team or agent from wherever he's been locked in. Maybe in a repurposed chamber now some sort of trophy room with hanging bodies.

You're right on that part- without access to the control room, sending out a long- distance vox message would be impossible, either due to an installed jamming device [One on each of the three towers? A third and final side-quest] or simply the location.

I haven't gotten a chance to work on the NPCs yet, but I will do that during the week and have something up.

Hello all!

So, here follows a list of characters and an expansion on the locations of note.

Father Macaroth –

An old cleric whose been watching over the chapel for ages now. He dislikes pretty much everybody that’s left and won’t allow just anyone entry into chapel- scaring away intruders with the help of his only friend, a flamer as old as he is (but nonetheless very well maintained). A successful Imperial Creed test is necessary in order to gain his trust and access to the chamber.
Looking around the chapel, the players can find a med-kit alongside small stores of Promethium”hidden beneath the main altar. On the altar itself, as is customary in Gunmetal City, several bullets have been left as offerings and blessed by Macaroth. [At a Gm’s discretion, these can either serve as charms or, if used in an actual gun, count as Sanctified, ignoring Psychic Protections].

What he knows- Father Macaroth knows nothing about the Great Hunt and elects to stay in the Manufactorium for wholly different reasons. He’s been having horrible visions- a great, raging inferno, from which a burning man will come forth and wreak havoc in the Hives. He believes it’s his duty to stave this off. In reality, he’s seen the man before- the rogue psyker whose hidden himself in the Manufactorium, trough one of the chapels windows that opens onto the Workshops.

Janos Vandal-

A reclamaitor, cleverer than most, that quickly learned one of the fundamental truths of living in the Under-hives: You can’t eat (or drink for that matter) thrones. As such, when the manufactorium was abandoned, he quickly moved with a small group of armed scum and recidivists into the kitchens and secured the refrigeration units and the supplies left therein. He sells these at usurious prices and then, thanks to the same smuggling network that brings in new material, moves the thrones out into Gun-metal city proper where he can then spend them. He’ll serve as a low-level black market smuggler to the players, capable of selling them a bit of ammunition and supplies.

What he knows- Various salvaging teams in his employ have reported increased mutant activity in the Workshops: something’s made them nervous and is causing them to move out from the lower levels (this is the rogue psyker’s influence).

His involvement in the Great Hunt is limited. He knows the noble’s reward is likely bogus so, depending on the player’s actions towards him, he might be tempted to side with them along with his small troop of poorly armed scavengers. Furthermore, he recognizes that the sounds coming from the Factorium are indicative of an Unhealthy machine spirit…

[Optional: He recognizes the Noble’s voice on the Voxes as the man who commissioned him not too long ago to sneak in some material into the manufactorium: three large crates, which he preceded to place at the top levels of each of the three buildings. As it’s customary in the business, he didn’t ask what was in the boxes and didn’t care, having received a handsome fee for his trouble. [Virtually anything can be in any of the three boxes: the noble’s hidden weapon stash to Jammers, depending on the player’s actions.]]

Majorian Coldsmith-

As his name implies, he is a brutish looking tower of a man adept at dealing death and thus, when the situation requires it, intimidation. His past as a supposed member of an Infernis Gang has quickly allowed him to set himself up as the top dog in the abandoned manufactorium. Most people would rather follow his lead than end up on the bad side of not the single, but rather the two hand-cannons he wields simultaneously with considerable skill.

What he knows- Nothing really or as much as needed. A Bounty hunter and a cold-blood killer, his presence can be either justified (he’s after someone specific) or glossed over (he’s laying low after a job). When the announcement is made, he’ll be the first to pull out his guns and start a stand-off before attempting to rally the rest of the bounty hunters to his team.

Once a fight breaks out in the Cafeteria, and it will, he’ll flip over the various lunch-tables and encourage his allies to do the same, turning the area into a battlefield while gaining the advantage of cover. He won't fight to the death, but will attempt to escape if the fight is going badly in order to ambush the players later.

Claudius-

A rogue psyker who inadvertently destroys an entire Hab-block after he accidently loses control of his powers. He heads off into the Under-hive to escape prosecution and eventually settles into hiding in the relatively abandoned manufactorium’s furnace, his powers allowing him to survive the otherwise intolerable conditions.

His presence fuels the furnaces that, once reactivted during the great hunt, begin to overheat, threatening to blow up the entire facility if not dealt with accordingly.

The Great Furnace: a massive chamber made up of a burning lake of fire, lava and molten steel. Several platforms and broken bridges hang suspended over the infernal pit, but moving form to the other requires either Jump tests or Acrobatics as several meters separate them. These platforms are at various heights and if the players enter here before releasing pressure in the Machine God Temple upstairs, it will be impossible to cross without suffering heavy burns almost instantly. Once the molten lake’s level is reduced, crossing becomes possible- but reaching the Psyker at the other end of the room remains difficult.

The Psyker has Five main powers- Endure Flames, Fire bolt, Burning Fist, Telekinetic Shield [Reflufed as a Lava Wall] & Molten Man and the Touched by the Fates talent with One fate point.

For the first segment of the fight, he pelts the player with Fireballs as they attempt to advance towards him. If people try to shoot him with Burning weapons, he’ll likely shrug it off, but if they try to use SP weapons, he’ll use a refluffed telekinetic shield, raising a wall of Lava to stop the bullets [A holy bullet from the shrine would pass through this]. When someone reaches his platform, he attempts to fight them off by grappling with Burning Fists.

[burning Conscience: When Claudius rolls a 9, Instead of causing normal phenomena, he always triggers a unique one instead- moaning faces begin to materialize in the molten lake beneath and hands reach up in supplications, both enraged and in pain, grabbing onto platforms and pulling upwards. The lava level rises 1d5 Meters out of say, a maximum of ten meters before all of the platforms are submerged.]

When he is finally killed, likely with relative ease [What with the players outnumbering him massively], he catches fire and staggers off the platform with a deathly scream, slowly being consumed by the lake- triggering One final phenomena, bringing the Lava up towards the platforms. Good job, the manufactorium is saved…

…. Until that is, the players try to leave- and a burning, molten hand reaches out from the lake and grabs one of their ankles, attempting to pull them down into a burning lake [Grapple or Str Test to escape it.] The Psyker comes back in Molten Man [Having pushed in order to cast the expensive spell] for a bit of a tussle before he is destroyed for good.

--------------------

So that covers the Living Quarters Completely, including the first boss battle VS Majorian. For the Manufactorium, a fight in the chapel Vs a bunch of mutants should be more than enough or, for the more evil GMs, the mutants can just be escaping from Claudius downstairs- perhaps even protecting their young. Claudius himself is a relatively optional boss, not necessary to kill or fight but can make for an interesting scene if one would like to add the danger of the Manufactorium blowing up.

Coming up next time- the Final Location, the Administration: The Noble himself, a Member of "The Sibellus Hunter's Club for Gentlemen", his mutant aid Lurch and likely a couple of retainers that'll scour the building as extra security [Not to mention the Captured interrogator- perhaps only a corpse with a recording, hanging like a trophy somewhere….] That should pretty much wrap up the cast of characters, leaving the players with the trouble of dealing with them one way or the other.

Edit- Sorry for the typoes, by the way, I am terrible with noticing them, by the time I do, I often can't edit the post anymore.

Double Edit- I am thinking of adding a Guest-star appearance as well: a Mysterious Old man in the Cafeteria, who vanishes after giving some cryptic advice a la X-Files, in reality the Rogue Inquisitor Felroth Geth himself makes a first unnamed appearance….

Wrapping up before I take everything and put it on a word-document, as I believe were likely to test this out Saturday or Sunday! So its time to add the last few NPCs and maybe a few twists to some of the locations to make them more interesting as a whole.

Dramatis Personae!

Marius Glarson

A sick and sadistic Scintillan noble who’s genetic defects particularity has forced his retirement from society. A distant relative of the Raikons, his intelligence and instincts earned him a spot in the family’s inner circle, fully exposing him to their terrible secret. Trough Tech-heresy and gene-modifications, the Raikons had managed to inject themselves with Genestealer Gene-seed, granting considerable power but at a costly price (effectively turning themselves into Brood Brothers.) Unfortunately, the process is not perfect. Perhaps because the boy matured too quickly, Malignus’s induction failed- leaving him with visible (more so than the rest of his brood) signs that, when scrutinized, would betray the true nature of his mutation. Large bulbous eyes, scaly skin and a small, atrophied arm with three claws sticking out of his chest branded him as a monster that could no longer be exposed to the public. A sort of familial pride kept his father from purging him, believing him to be superior to humans despite the mutations. Marius was inducted into Sibellus’ Hunters Club for Gentlemen where his disdain for humanity festered into hate and his predatorily instinct developed as only to be satisfied by hunting.

Thanks to his vast familial fortune, he’s taken to setting up arenas in the Under-hive (and In Gunmetal city in particular, where the gangs are notorious for their skills with a weapon) in order to challenge himself by hunting every single individual snared by his trap with his trusty [modified] riffle and small retinue of Hounds and Servo-skulls.

Our story starts when he sets his sight on the Manufactorium, abandoned by the Imperium and its owners [easily discovered thanks to his connections], but inhabited by members of two rival gangs (and unbeknownst to him, the Inquisition).

He sets up the game ahead of time- sending three crates of supply and jammers into the manufactorium, and walks in on the big day, heading straight to the main chamber which he fits with a Gene-lock, making escape impossible.

To make the games more interesting, he releases a crate of rip-saw scuttlers In the Junkyard. Fighting in the Junkyard is difficult, with a chance of collapsing rubble and metal on the group.

Using the servo-skulls to locate the players, Marius will proceed to hunt them down, while setting up traps in the various locations. He uses his Servo-skulls to search a building when the players first enter it (so the Cafeteria, the Workshops or the Entrance Hall of the Administratum.) He leaves the Junkyard to a pack of hounds and the sctullers. If he succeeds on his search test, he’ll start snipping the players from afar. Concealment tests after he fires to snipe- a chance for the players to find him with perception tests. At best they should try and take cover and won’t be able to get him like that. They’ll have to setup their own tests or traps – perhaps by pulling out bait in order to outsmart him and using some of his traps (in the crates) against him.

Lurch:

A massive, albino Ogryn-like servant to Marius in charge of gathering up his kills and hanging them like trophies in the massive entrance hall (Search test reveals an aquilla ring on one of the corpses?) of the central Administration- the players have a chance of finding him and two escorts cleaning up.

If he’s not there, he’s patrolling the Administration building- he has a small device that warns him when someone has breached the central control room and will quickly take service elevators to head on off there in order to stop anyone that’s there.

Posting got cut short but I still have one last thing to post and its the Inquisition's NPCs, the Interrogator for example… Should be running this game on Sunday if everything goes according to plan!

I will let you guys know how it went- if anyone has any comments… Especially on how I could include Felroth Geth in there, or what I could add or change to make things more interesting, I'd love to hear ideas!