Death Watch is about Small Space Marine squads opperating as special opperations squards for the Inquisition (Ordo Xenos)

For the most part the Inquisition is all about keeping the Citezens of the Empire pure and fighitng off internal threats. Once there has been a full scale invasion then other imperial orginizations get involved, Imperial Guard, Impeial Navy and of course Space Marine Chapters.

I have read the intorduction adventures and hunting down Genestealer cults is right up the alley of the Deathwatch. Tyranids use psychic manipulation to gather support before they invade.

My question is how do the oher major Xenos races do things that would get a Kill Team called in.

I can for example see someone having illigal dealing with Eldar, Tau or maybe even Dark Eldar. But if they are just breaking Imperial Law then a more standard Inquisitorial Kill Team would probably be sufficient.

I can immagine a chaos cult springing up on a planet, but wouldn't that fall more under the responsibility of Ordo Hereticus, or even Ordo Maulas.

I guess I am wondering how you get an Ork cult, or a Necorn Cult.

I am new to this game and am planning on running a DeathWatch campain sometime in the next few months, but I want to bring in all sorts of vile Xenos, not just Tyranids.

A good mission for you Kill Team could be to obtain and secure some sort of xenotech, befor it fell in the hands of Orcs, Chaos-cults or the like. Or it could be to prevent somebody activating a warpgate, webwayportal etc. that could threaten Imparial worlds.

i know these are not perticular original ideas, but I hope they can give you some insiration.

From my understanding, the relationship between the deathwatch and the inquisition, is more like the relationship between the us marine corp, and the us navy. They are closely aligned, and often work together on things, but the inquisition doesnt run the deathwatch. The deathwatch may have a primary focus of dealing with xenos threats, however they will respond to anything they deam there intervention neccessary for. It could only be extremely loosly related to xenos. For example, a kill team could be dispatched to eliminate a chaos cult that was weakening the populations will to resist outside influence and might allow a more serious xenos threat to move in on the weak point, like the tau. They could respond to a rebelious world that found some xenos writing that caused them to believe they must break from the imperium. With the omega vault in the equation, they could be doing litterally anything and the reason being the omega vault gave something showing it needed to be done.

Cryhavok said:

That's true - for better or worse, FFG has largely decoupled the Deathwatch from the Ordo Xenos, turning what is direct subordination in the GW material into a sort of alliance between equals. For what it's worth, most players here seem to prefer this version, and undoubtedly allows the Deathwatch to be available for a greater amount of missions. I believe the core rulebook even mentions them engaging the forces of Chaos if they should stumble over an incursion just because they still treat their traitor brethren like sworn arch-enemies, so a GM need not feel limited by the retained focus on aliens but could just as well have his players fight all sorts of enemies.

Regarding specific ideas … I don't really know about an Ork-cult (call it "Orkkultism"! this pun is too good to pass up on), but perhaps you could have a tribe of corrupted Feral-worlders ally with an Ork clan to dominate and enslave other humans on this backwards world?

For Necrons, I'd suggest something with mind control … an ancient artifact buried below a hive, invading the citizens' dreams and bringing them to do weird things? You could have random murders and killing sprees, people starting to worship strange metallic totems cobbled together from the scrapyard, or multiple people starting to build components that nobody knows what they'll do, but when combined it's some sort of doomsday device? It gets more interesting when both the local authorities as well as the souped-up gangs start to mess with the Kill-team, which was perhaps sent to this place because the Inquisitor who was there before suffered an "accident", but his last transmission sounded weird …

Or perhaps the AdMech tried to tamper with Necron tech and managed to get their cogitator network "infected", and now your Kill-team has to deal with an ostensibly deserted research outpost which, upon closer examination, turns out to have butchered its inhabitants and now turns upon the Space Marines? Trapping them in airlocks, triggering automated defenses, sending battle-servitors (augmented with bodyparts "harvested" from station personnel) … a good way to add a bit of space horror to the mix. Add some sort of objective like a beacon the team needs to shut down. Maybe the Necrons themselves show up for the showdown, having managed to lock on to the signal with one of their portals, so that the Kill-team must blow the station reactor before the 'crons use it as a staging point for a major incursion…

Also:

Hrathen said:

The interesting thing is that quite a number of Inquisitorial operations are not so clear regarding jurisdiction, which is why you could have, for example, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus and an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus both investigate the same thing for different reasons - and possibly even coming to blows over it. The various Ordos (and Hereticus, Malleus and Xenos are just the three largest / most influential ones) are just semi-unofficial and optional networks, anyways, so there is no Imperial decree clearly separating what sorts of things would fall into the purview of any single one. As far as the Imperium at large is concerned, there is only the Inquisition - although the Ordos have come to wield different amounts of influence with different factions.

Don't restrict yourself to thinking of Deathwatch targets in terms of just 'cults'. Pretty much any xenos activity can attract the attention of the Inquisition & the Deathwatch. Being the 'spec ops' teams for the Inquisition means that the DW will typically be given missions that have (initially at least) straightforward military objectives - destroy this target, retrieve this person/item etc. But of course once the marines are on the ground they find out the situation is more complicated than their briefing suggested.

The scale of the threat is usually why the Ordo Xenos request a Deathwatch team rather than putting together an inquisitorial unit. The DW kill team will face odds that could overwhelm a cell of Inquisitorial agents (eg enemy hordes).

As others have pointed out the DW & Ordo Xenos won't ignore other threats to the Imperium such as servants of Chaos or rebel human worlds just because that's not their area of expertise. The DW may end up dealing with these enemies because the Inquisition needs a swift response and it doesn't have the assets available from the appropriate Ordo (Malleus or Hereticus).

The analogy I use with my players is that the relationship between the Inquisition & the Deathwatch is sort of like an intelligence group (eg CIA) and military special forces (Delta Force, Seal Teams etc). The inquisition carry out intelligence gathering and then issue objectives to the Deathwatch kill teams. But the Inquisition leaves the tactical planning of the mission to the Deathwatch itself. The Inquisition won't interfere (usually) with the nuts & bolts of how the mission is carried out.

Lynata said:

Just for the sake of completeness, I'll throw this out there:

It's my understanding that the seperation of powers between the Deathwatch and the Ordo Xenos, as presented in the Deathwatch game, is specific to the Jericho Reach setting (largely a result of the JR Deathwatch being isolated from the Imperium for so long, and their prominance in the subsequent Crusade), and, unless I'm mistaken, is not intended to represent the universal state of DW/OX relations throughout the Imperium. A minor point, since the overwhelming majority of DW gamers use the JR setting, but I just thought someone should point that out…

Adeptus-B said:

Nope, this is pointed out in the "Origins of the Deathwatch" section in the game's core rulebook on page 305. It discusses how the DW came to be and how "in this mission, the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch are equals" and how "neither party is subject to the command of the other". The Jericho Reach isn't even mentioned there. With "this mission" referring to combating the xenos threat in general and throughout the Imperium.

But most players seem to like this version better (be it for the greater independence, or for how it feels "more marine'ish" without Inquisitorial meddling). And for those who prefer "the other Deathwatch" … well, there's always houserules .

Ah, my bad. That's what I get for relying on memory rather than double-checking the book! Thanks for the correction.

No worries, I know how you feel - had the same thing happen to me in a discussion about Space Marine vehicles/drivers recently.

As the saying goes, the daemon is in the detail!

I'm curious: where is it established that the Deathwatch is subservient to the Ordo Xenos? From all I've encountered, there is no basis for this assumption…..indeed, it seems the supposed 'ffg stance' is the accurate one, given what is widely known about the Ordo Malleus and the Grey Knights (i.e. the greys are not beholden to the Malleus; rather, they work together); and presuming the relationship of Deathwatch to Ordo Xenos is of a similar nature…..more to the point, the original incarnation of the rpg 'Inquisitor' details a Deathwatch veteran (one brother Artemis) who, to all appearances, is considered to be a genuine equal to all the inquisitors presented in the book……

"The Deathwatch forms the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, the branch of the Inquisition tasked with the study, containment and, in most cases, extermination of alien races. […] In battle, each team normally comes under the authority of an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, but, in some exceptional cases, a Deathwatch Captain or Librarian may assume command if circumstances dictate."
- WD #259 : Index Astartes, The Deathwatch

"It is clear then that wherever possible it is best if the Inquisition can deal with a threat using its own resources, avoiding the dangerous entanglements that may result from involving other agencies and military forces. It is for this reason that the Inquisition maintains its own fighting formations, foremost amongst them being the Kill-teams of the Deathwatch Space Marines and the daemon-hunting Grey Knights."
- Inquisitor RPG Thorian Sourcebook

I thought people, especially those interested in a Deathwatch RPG, would be more aware of the "controversy", but I suppose GW's own fluff just isn't widely known / as popular as portrayals in licensed material. Yet, did not this forum even have its own thread concerning the differences, long ago when the Deathwatch RPG was just released? I definitively remember various posters commenting that they prefer FFG's version because they didn't like having to follow the orders of "some random Inquisitor".

Regarding Captain Artemis, he is actually not presented as an Inquisitor's equal - he is meant to be the leader of a non-Marine Kill-Team. And as per the WD article, he would thus command an Inquisitor's authority when dealing with others as he basically serves as a proxy for the Ordo Xenos, but when an actual Inquisitor is around, he'd still have to follow him/her.
Maybe this proxy role is where the confusion stems from?

[edit] But to be clear, both versions of the Deathwatch are "accurate". Neither GW's nor FFG's fluff is more right or less true than the other, it simply is two interpretations of the same theme in the 41st millennium. The way fluff works in this franchise has, for better or worse, paved the way for many overlapping yet subtly different visions. The same is true for all those Black Library novels or Forgeworld books. Careful readers will have already discovered lots of contradictions between the material (mostly minor, sometimes more drastic), and this is why. < bunch of quotes regarding this >

It took me quite a while to swallow this, but I think I'm over it now, even though I'd still prefer more consistency between the various sources.

Cool thanks. Some of my holes in knowledge of the fluff are because Ive never read many WD articles. Many of my own games take players through multiple sectors and I often use differences in fluff to illistrate how the imperium is vastly different one area to another.

Yeah, the vast size of space is a neat cop-out that helps to reconcile a lot of things that may, on first glance, appear contradictory. Of course it doesn't work for everything (mostly where galaxywide organisations and the few existing standards are concerned), but the majority .

WD used to have loads of cool fluff … things like the Index Astartes articles, reports about the war on Armageddon or the 13th Black Crusade, tech descriptions about vehicles - unfortunately, this was mostly the "old" WD, but on occasion you can find some interesting bits in the new issues as well. Not as frequently and not as large, but still.

For example, WD #300 contained a lot about how the Ultramarines organise their strike forces, about how the reserve companies are used to crew vehicles, how the Chapter conducts its wars in space and on the ground, and so on. It's an UM article, but this should also mean the same info applies to most other Codex Chapters and, in some details, perhaps even non-Codex ones.

I've made it a hobby of mine to dig up interesting articles like these from old WD just because I find that they tend to be written in a very informative way, and since they come from the same studio they seem to "tie in" with the Codex material much better than many licensed products that largely promote a different author's own interpretation and ideas, which may differ from GW's. That said, GW has changed its stance on some subjects from time to time as well, so some caution is warranted when combining this material for one's own interpretation of the 'verse.

But the biggest challenge I encounter is to even find which issue has what kind of fluff. Getting your hands on it is, fortunately, not so hard, unless you are looking for the reeeeally old ones. I'd pay money to GW if they would simply put all that stuff online, or re-publish it as a book like they did with the Index Astartes.

Anyways, just in case you're interested in something specific, drop me a message and I'll take a look if I find anything. :3

Regarding Ork Cults; some Orks, Freebootas especially, can be hired as mercenaries. A corrupt Governor might use them as Privateers to attack the interests of his rivals. The factor that would gain the DW's attention is the threat of Ork spores been cast across multiple worlds and infecting all of them. The KT would have to track down the Waaaghparty, possibly bypassing/smashing the latest victim's defenses to take out the tribe, then back track and find the official who needs to be punished.

Plasmafest said:

Don't forget the bloodaxe clan of orks who have deveoped strange and un-orky ideas by acting as mercs for humans too much.

I find the easiest way to frame Deathwatch missions is to play Dark Heresy, and when the agents of the throne find a hard target (or get killed by it) their master can call in your Kill-team to smash it with a sledgehammer of power armoured might.

I'm actually running a three-fold campaign right now where my players will have a DH agent, DW marine and BC Legionanaire character.

Idea we're using is that the agents will be deployed on a hive world to find intel on a newly discovered race of Xenos that infiltrate the hive by "wearing" human hosts.

On a few occaisions in the course of the investigation the agents will call for a kill-team to purge particularly hard targets or bail them out when the doodoo hits the ventilator. Eventually they will trace the source of the infestation back to an orbital facility that has gone silent. (Switches to DW)

The Kill-team will eventually be deployed to cleanse the orbital facility that is the source of the Xenos, while abard they will discover the Xenos have been turned loose on the hive world by a group of Chaos Marines for some nefarious purpose. The DW marines board the CSMs ship for a final showdown. (Switch to BC)

The CSM fight/kill the DW marines but are forced to abandon their plans and flee when reinforcements arrive they'll hve to find another way to succeed in their evil plans.

Death Watch Missions

Suspected Head of the Xenos Blood Sport Criminal Organisation the Beast House has been finally captured by Adeptus Arbites. The prison ship transporting him has been boarded by Wolf Pack raiders who are now piloting the ship out of sector. The Ordo Xenos orders the DeathWatch to recover the vessel.

A plagues begin in a Hive World. 300 years before similar plagues erupted as a result of classified xenos activity. The Death Watch are ordered to go into the Under Hive to discover the source of the plague. It transpires a Hive Gang is worshipping an ancient xenos warrior that is in fact possessed by a daemon of Nurgle.

An Obliterator Chaos Space Marine has been sighted amongst the Xenos ruins of a quarantined moon. The Death Watch is sent in to destroy the creature or even better bring him back alive.

A Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer greatly desires an ancient but seemingly harmless xenos artefact held in the personal museum of an Imperial Governor. An Ordo Mallues Inquisitor has passed this information onto the Ordo Xenos who orders the Death Watch to lay an ambush for the Traitor Sorcerer. But why do the Thousand Sons want the artefact in the first place?

A Rogue Trader is involved in delicate negotiations with an Eldar Corsair clan. The Death Watch owes a blood debt to the Dynasty and have agreed to act as bodyguards. It is also a good opportunity to ensure that the Rogue Trader does not overstep the authority his Warrant grants him.

Two Space Marine Chapters are confronting each other over an ancient piece of archeotech that both claim is a relic of their Chapter. Unknown to both the ‘relic’ uses xenos technology. The Death Watch must intervene. Either expose the truth and risk dishonouring both Chapters or else sneaking the relic away from under the noses of both Astartes forces. Or perhaps the Kill team can find a third way?

A Space Hulk has just re-entered real space in a heavily populated Imperial System. The Death Watch are ordered to enter it, recover any archeotech of value and then destroy the entire vessel. Unfortunately a powerful Navigator Family has just laid claim to the entire Hulk.

An Epistolary of the Death Watch has plotted the last 100 Dark Eldar raids in the sector and has determined a pattern. He is confident he knows where the next raid will come. A perfect time for an ambush or is the Kill team walking into a trap.

An Apostate Cardinal is preaching the value of friendship with the xenos. The Death Watch have been requested by the Ordo Xenos to destroy the fool with extreme predujice. There are two problems, first he has hundreds of thousand of armed followers devoted to his message. More worryingly there is an Ordo Hereticus Acolyte cell on the planet already and for some reason they want to keep him alive.

Orks have attacked the Hive Planet of Thralla IV. They’ve brought a Mega Gargant……

A non Imperial civilisation has been discovered. It possesses technology comparable to the Imperium and it is presently unviable to launch military operations. However the civilisation is open to the idea of accepting the God Emperor as their supreme Lord. The way is set for a relatively peaceful annexation. There is one snag, the civilisation is allied to a minor xenos race. A radical Inquisitor doesn’t want the Non-Imperials destroyed off hand. But manufacturing a war between the humans and xenos could be a useful way of resolving this problem.