I'm planning on running a Black Crusade game where the players are all inmates in a high security Imperial prison colony. The campaign will be humans only (since the Imperium is more likely to straight-up execute Chaos Space Marines rather than take them prisoner) and there will be little starting gear; everyone has an orange jumpsuit, with an extra item such as a makeshift lockpick or a shiv or some smuggled drugs. Everyone will be required to write a backstory for their character detailing what crime they're convicted of, whether or not they actually committed the crime, and how long they've been in the prison. Depending on what they did and how long they've been "on the inside", they will start out with different starting talents and equipment.

For instance. a recently-arrested deserter from the Imperial Guard would have Common Lore (Imperial Guard) and might possess special training like being able to operate military vehicles, and could have some smuggled drugs that they hid in an unsavory place. On the other hand, a con artist who's been in for five years or more would have a knack for getting people to do what they want (Charm/Deceive bonuses) and could have fashioned themselves a shiv out of a sharpened toothbrush handle or something similar. The players may not even be devoted to Chaos at first, but one thing's for sure, the Emperor isn't going to save them now, so it's only a matter of time.

The objective of the campaign arc is to escape from the prison colony, at which point the game will probably proceed like regular Black Crusade. Combat would initially be fought with fists and light melee weapons, such as knives or clubs. Apart from perhaps a scratch built Laslock or Mercy Killer (if they're lucky), the only guns are in the hands of the guards, and they'd have to kill one or knock him out in order to acquire one, a feat easier said than done. They'd also have to deal with sadistic prison gangs who think they can push the new meat around, and that's even before they encounter the mutated creatures lurking in the shadows below the prison depths…

I know there's the example story "Broken Chains", and while I haven't read it, I'm wondering how much use that will be to me here. If anyone has their own ideas or comments, feel free to chime in.

Might I suggest taking a gander at hand of corruption. It has a penal colony in it, and may give you some ideas.

Holy crap! This has got to be the single coolest game idea I have heard in 25+ years of doing this gaming thing!! So far you seem to have my vision of imperial prison down pat. I would shank a Houda (sp) [prison cop in Cali] to play in your game!!! I do suggest you check out the prison documentary type shows on cable (but so far you seem to have the flavor down pat, so if you don't it's prob no biggie)

Also, in Real life race is a huge factor in prison. HUGE. So perhaps in WH40k your home world might work like your race in RL. Only thing is, in RL it's more usually your visible race… You are identified by sight. With exceptions like Southern and northern Mexicans and what not.. Those guys ID with tats and such. Perhaps 40k "world-gangs" would do the same or similar to identify affiliation in prison.

DigitalRedneck said:

The gangs would probably be separated into religious lines as well, to some extent. There are six major gangs that I've come up with:

• Iron Skulls (Hivers and Imperial worlders, easily the biggest and most powerful gang. Usually pale, pollution-scarred, mostly composed of mundane criminals such as murderers or thieves. Preferred enemy is the Skinners. Emblem is a grimacing metal skull. Secretly supported by the guards, who use them to keep the other prisoners in line.)
• Skinners (Feral worlders, easily identified by tribal tattoos and/or scarification; big and strong, but seen as savages by some of the others. Rumors of cannibalism that may or may not be true. What they lack in numbers, they make up for with individual strength. Preferred enemy is the Iron Skulls. Emblem is a knife cutting a jagged scar.)
• Purifiers (Religious fanatics; they might have been arrested for being overzealous or later have "found their calling" in prison. Second most powerful gang, nuttier than a squirrel's lunch. Preferred enemies are the Disciples and the Twists but they'll antagonize anyone for being impious enough. Emblem is an Imperial Eagle wrapped in barbed wire.)
• Harpies (All-female gang. Initially formed as a defense against rapists, now they view all men as inferior beings to be abused for their pleasure. They reject mainstream Imperial dogma as patriarchal propaganda and worship the Emperor as the "God-Empress", which infuriates the Purifiers to no end. Infamous for torturing and/or castrating any unfortunate males that catch their ire. Emblem is a heart with a spike through it. Smallest and least powerful gang; even most female inmates think they're a bit nuts.)
• Twists (Mutants, everyone hates them, especially the Purifiers. Often the targets of guard brutality and lynchings. Have no emblem.)
• The Disciples (Chaos cultists. They keep their religious stuff on the down-low lest the guards crack down on them, and are the only gang who tolerate the Twists to any degree. Has subsects devoted to each Chaos God. Preferred enemy is the Purifiers. Emblem is an open eye.)

There'd also be a gang of Ratlings and their Ogryn buddies that would act as a sort of black market; their turf is a truce zone, since the Ratties will smuggle and steal useful stuff for the others (if they can afford the price), and they use the Ogryns as muscle in case someone tries to get clever with them. And, of course, there's plenty of prisoners who are unaffiliated with any of the gangs, either because they'd rather cause mayhem their own way or because they'd rather just serve their sentence quietly.

My primary inspiration for this was the Chronicles of Riddick, especially the Escape from Butcher Bay video game. Hand of Corruption looks like an interesting read, I'll look over it later.

Those gangs and their flavor sound perfect. I totally dig it. The gang supported by the guards should be the one with the most trustees and whatnot. This helps to empower them my giving them more freedom to move around the prison and slip kites (notes) and whatnot to other prisoners, etc.. (I'm sure u thought of this tho, already.)

I gotta say it again. This is a great idea. Oh the intrigue and all..

Something you might want to consider: What's the point of moving convicts to one world? Transport through the void is crazily expensive, so there needs to be a reason. This is the Imperium of Man we're talking about, so it's not necessarily a good (or even sensible) reason, but a reason nevertheless.

It might be traditional. Perhaps the prison planet once was a garden world and served as a golden cage for the noble hostages the lord sector demanded of potentially rebellious planetary governors. Millenia later, conditions shifted so that the planet became a desolate waste hole and the office of the sector governor lost power, becoming unable to enforce the tradition to this degree. To keep up appearances, they made the place a literal prison, still drawing in prisoners from all over the sector, although those are somewhat less noble.

It might be practical. The planet has massive ressource deposits useful to the Imperium, but it's also so hostile to life that a regular colony could never develop. Instead, the Imperium takes a steady tithe of people from the rest of the sector - and since most of them won't live beyond perhaps two decades at most, convicts are the obvious solution.

It might be mystical. An Eldar Farseer has foreseen that the existence of this prison world would save an Eldar's life somewhere down the line (perhaps even due to the characters emerging from there as chaos warlords that challenge the dominion of another warlord who is rabidly anti-eldar). Therefore, they manipulated it into existance.

It might be scientific. The whole planet is a giant social experiment of an Inquisitor interested in the dynamics of forced cohabitation. Perhaps he'll even withdraw the guards someday and see how the population fares on its own.

Also: What are the supply lines? Is the colony self-supplying? Do they (perhaps intentionally) need anything from off-world? How does the black market work? Where are the goods coming from? Is there an internal currency?
And is there anything else on the planet besides the colony?

Good question. Here's my answer so far.

The planet began as a mining colony. It has a harsh atmosphere and environment, but has many valuable ores and minerals beneath the surface. Servitors and professional laborers used to work the mines until planetary officials realized they could get cheaper labor (and deal with increasing crime rates and crowded prisons on nearby planets) by getting convicts to work the mines instead. As an incentive, productive convicts are promised reduced sentences or better living conditions (the key word being promised ). If that doesn't get them to work, then the guards will coerce them with a swift blow from a lasgun's stock. While the colony produces its own food, to a degree (one of the jobs is working in the agri-gardens), most of its supplies come from nearby forge worlds and agri worlds in the system. This is also where the black market gets its goods, because some things slip through the cracks.

Furthermore, escape is said to be impossible; even if a convict did get outside the prison colony, there is nothing but miles upon miles of barren, windswept desert and ash-spewing volcanoes; an escapee will die of heat exhaustion or have the flesh stripped from his bones by a sandstorm, and that's if they're lucky. If they're not, they end up as lunch for the underground indigenous creatures.

The Eldar certainly don't give a **** about the planet, and the Inquisition has little to do with it, too, apart from perhaps abducting useful prisoners and using them as acolytes. There is a noble presence, however, and that's High Warden Crassus Carpalo and his family. They live at the very peak of the prison complex and are pretty much the only five people (and one cat) on the planet with actually good living conditions. Even the guards mostly just live in repurposed military barracks, though it's still far more comfortable than living in a cell.

Guards are equipped with lasguns or shotguns and flak armor (carapace armor for the double-max areas). In case of a riot, webbers and grenade launchers, which are used to launch tear gas or flashbangs, are employed as well. Vehicles include Sentinels, Chimeras, Banewolves, Repressors, and some light aircraft for riot suppression and transportation.

The planet needs a name, especially a darkly humorous nickname that the inmates gave it. I was thinking Traitor's Gorge. I was also tempted to name the warden Matthew, and call him "Matt the Warden", but that was probably going to be too meta.

Man I really dig your vision of the prison. I especially like the living situation of the guards as it would likley induce the proper level of corruption in the guard corps. It's all sounding awesome.

What are you thinking as far as rules and the punishments for breaking them would look like?

While Imperial law is notoriously harsh, I'd probably punish most crimes with a beating from the guards and/or solitary confinement. I expect the PCs to be breaking the rules, but "The guard executes you" would not make a fun game. If they start a riot or make an escape attempt, though, the guards will take the kid gloves off, but by that point the PCs have probably already stabbed a guard or three and taken their weapons, so they'd be able to fight back.

The gangs also have their own rules on their turf, which the PCs will probably only pay lip service to (if they even choose to listen to them at all).

Everything sounds awesome. Was trying to come us with a name for the world like ya asked. For the official name how about just a number? Like 436 in roman numerals to show that it was originally essentially just a big resource not a place to visit.

For what the inmates call the prison.. Sand Palace, the Hole, the Pit, the Sand Pit?

also was thinking the guards could have bean bag non leathal ammo for the shotguns.

And I was also thinking some sort of cyborg dog or robo dog would be sweet. That or something more like Komodo Dragons…

Oh for god Emperors sake! Please oh please make this game an actual play thread! I'm just dying to know what happens. I'd shank a dude if I thought the prison shot callers would make u post the in game happenings!! How manny times must a Redneck say please? Lol

Seriously, if ya don't have time it's cool but by the same token if your just being shy please don't be. This champaign concept is pure GOLD! & i hope to see how it plays out.

Count me as very interested as well. I'd be looking at playing a Heretek sent to the facility as punishment for tech heresies too minor to warrant execution but too numerous to overlook either. What follows would be my suggestion as to how incorporate this faction.

A mining facility needs someone to oversee the machines being used and much like the prisoners, the disgraced tech priests sent to this rock are promised they may one day be allowed to return to a proper shrine or manufactorum. Their augmetics are equipped with limiters by their superiors before being shipped to the prison and the codes are given to the gaurds. This allows them a measure of control over prisoners who otherwise could be walking weapons.

Much like the Imperium at large these prisoner hereteks operate somewhat outside the normal rules. Many prisoners resent the higher degree of freedom they have but the hereteks are a shrewed bunch. Besides their normal ritual repairs needed to keep the prison operational they also use their considerable intellects to produce all sort of useful or desirable items. One favorite item amongst the prisoners is a drink called Cog Syrup, so named not only for it's maker but the materials it's distilled from, namely motor oils and remenants of sacred machine oil. Those outfitted with Medicae arms from their former life often fill the role of the prisons unoffical medicae personnel, making them a good friend to have in a place where a simple infection can easily kill an inmate. Occasionally they can even be convinced to fashion a variety of primitive, if high quality, weapons. Given the frequency of shakedowns and the consequences of being caught producing weapons these items are quite costly. It takes an exceedinly high price for anything resembling a gun however as suspicion would immediately be cast upon them if one were found.

They have formed a gang many prisoners liken more to organized crime syndacite then a simple gang called the Iron Hammers. They use the traditional cog symbol with a iron hammer instead of the half skull half cybernetics design in the center. Only a handful of Tech Priests do not belong to this group. The Iron Hammers do not force or even pressure membership but instead let the harsh realities of the prison drive new tech priests into their mechadedrites. They have adopted a rudimentary form of communistic living as all resources the group holds are able to be accessed equally but all members are expected to deposit the bulk of any deals into the Iron Hammers collective coffers. Members are allowed to keep a small portion of any deals for themselves to allow the Iron Hammers leadership to focus on tasks other then trying to police every throne their numbers obtain. They appear to run by a form of commitee, which is not as rediculous as it sounds on the surface.Their few numbers and ability to coverse in machine cant at far faster rates then normal conversation allows decisions to be made far more swiftly then a group of normal men of similair size. If a dispute reaches an impasse the senior ranking member will make the final decision. They generally don't directly kill those who have managed to incur their wrath but instead engineer cunning accidents for their target. But they are ruthless in the protection of their members

Deimos. The Iron Hammers are hella cool. If da Gitsmasha Boss don't be uzzin 'em, it'll be cuz he olready gotts too much written' dones alreadies.

I really do like the inclusion of the Heretics and the Mob/gang sounds like a crazy good fit to me. I like the idea of a kill switch to turn off the bionics quite a bit too. And it does seem like a prison mine Should have some techs placate and run the machines. And I can see the prisoner techs getting assigned to the more dangerous jobs while Guard Techs work as overseers.

I also was thinking that there could be some sort of Great Terror living in some deep and abandoned part of the mine. Maybe the Prisoners whisper about it, or perhaps nobody is aware of it yet.

The cogboy gang seems like an interesting idea but I'd probably call them something else (Rusty Gears? Something invoking malfunctioning machinery), to prevent possible confusion with the Iron Skulls gang. They all wear red prison jumpsuits with a white stripe across the shoulders and down their sides to identify them as Mechanicus prisoners, since they're not allowed to wear the red robes commonly associated with Techpriests. All of them are equipped with Haywire Collars, which will play havoc with an inmate's bionics should they grow unruly (Test Toughness -20, failure inflicts 1d5 Fatigue, 3 Degrees of Failure or more inflicts 1d5 Damage ignoring Armor and Toughness in addition to Fatigue). If necessary, it can be turned up to lethal levels, which have a similar effect to the more common Explosive Collars. The cogboys also manufacture gunpowder and crude firearms on the side (think Ripper Clips, Laslocks, Mercy Killers, etc.), but these are highly illegal and a prisoner must expect to pay through the nose (or do them one hell of a favor) to even think about getting one of these. Oh, and if the guards catch you with one, you're almost certainly going to get shot. Good thing you can take them apart…

There is indeed a horrific alien race hidden beneath the mines, and sometimes prisoners simply disappear down there. I'm not going to use the Tyranids or anything like that; I'll make up a homebrew alien race, so the PCs won't know what to expect. Are they a hive mind? Are they intelligent? How many are there? Nobody knows. They're totally foreign to the Imperium, since they only dwell on this world and nobody has riled them up yet… until now.

Also, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is still in the prototype stage by now. I'll need a while to draw up maps, think up plothooks and NPCs, et cetera. If there's people on this board who are interested enough to form a play group, then yes, I will run it for you lot. I haven't GM'd in a while, I think this might be fun.

Just remember. Humans only, and if you're a Psyker you better do a **** good job at hiding it. What were you convicted of? Were you actually guilty? How many years have you spent in the slammer? (New Arrival/More than one/More than five/More than ten) Are you in a gang? Does your old cellmate have the soothing, relaxing voice of Morgan Freeman? These are non-trivial questions, since they will determine what skills, talents, or equipment you might start with.

Except the one about Morgan Freeman. That one's just for fun.

I'm stoked to play this campaign!! I might go the unsantioned Psycker route. Perhaps that minor Psycker background from into the storm. But really.. I'm very undecided at the moment. Having the dark secret is really attractive to me the longer I play with it in my mind. Possibly a chaos devotee of some kind too.. Slannesh might be cool to pray to in a prison. And if I go that route I'd say my pc would definitely be smuggling drugs in to trade when he's brought in..

I'd love in on this game. Thinking Aposate for the Purifiers, ready to burn the unbelievers in the "Emperor's" fires.

ygnar said:

Your guy and my Slannesh worshiping Unsanctioned psycher are going to be great friends! Seriously. Im sure my guy can keep his religious views on the down low in order to get along with his Cellie (cell mate). He is good at listening to the thoughts, fears and worrues of others as well as their preaching. & He's used to keeping secrets..

Yep. I'm bringing a Slannesh worshiping Unsanctioned Psycher of some kind to the party. And he looks like the bald ringleader dude from ConAir. Haven't decided if he's going to be gang affiliated at the start of the game yet. But I'm thinking he will be clicked up with the other Chaos Worshippers.

Black Crusade is comming to me Via the US postal service so I'm going to stay vague on specifics for now. But I'm gonna have some Drugs for sure (probably White Void from pg 134 of Into the Storm) if your interested, friend…

DigitalRedneck said:

I think it would be fun if your purifier and my Disciple were actually Cellies together. If we became friends the dramatic tension would be awesome. What if one of us was ordered to hit the other as retaliation for some **** that went down elsewhere in the prison that didn't even involve us? What do we do? Who are we loyal too? Could be good times.

If your up for it… Let's ask the DM if our PCs can actually be Cellies.

You might be.

What were your characters convicted of, and how long have they been in there? Did they just arrive or have they been prisoners for years?

Basic write up for my character if you run this.

Derrin “Widget” Silvanus

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Designation: Heretek (Threat Minoris)

Crimes: Widget stands accused of hundreds of tech heresies, most minor and some major, involving his oversight of a servitor production facility in system Hive World. During his time at the facility he made numerous and completely unauthorized modifications to theservitors that increased effectiveness of all models over 30% in less then a 1 year period. A vicitm of his own success it was actually the very increase in production capacity that drew the ire of his superiors. While tech priests are allowed to make some modifications to the machines they work on, Widgets efforts swent well past the established bounds of alteration and ran straight into the realm of innovation. There was even suspicion he was working on the utterly forbidden practice of creating an AI and was only spared servitorhood or death due to an utter lack of evidence to support it. Secretly there is some truth to the rumors. He was trying find a way to transform a person into a pure data as a means of sidestepping the AI ban.

Personal History: Picked out from his primary school peers for high marks in both technological proficency and medicae aptitude, Widget has been apart of the Mechanicus since a very young age. It was tradition that all children of Imperial standard age 12 be tested for best future use as an adult should they live to maturity. This testing was done due to an arrangement between the planetary governor and the local Mechanicus for Emperor only knows what sort of terms. Surprisingly he looks very unaugmetic, for a Mechanicus at least, due to prior to his arrest he was being groomed for one of the few diplomatic professions of the Mechanicus. The medicae arm was installed prior to his selection for the position and was slated to be modified until his detention sidetracked such procedures. He is suprisingly personable, which makes it all the more alarming for those who have aroused his anger and found out just how sharp his chain scapel really is.

Prison History: Widget has been an inmate at <<Facility name>> for over two Imperial Standard years and e is nominally a member of the <<Mechanicus Gang>>.For the first three months of his incarceration at the prsion he was alone in his cell. Such isolation was a mixed blessing as it made him easier to target without witnesses but meant he didn't have to work as hard to hide his own personal projects. One day he was surprised to find another person in his cell when he returned from his work shift. His cellmate is a strange women that was assigned to his cell by what he assumes was a clerical error. He has never seen her not smiling, a fact that gives him little comfort and great concern. They largely ignored each other until he discovered she was a fiercely sharp Regicide player. Since then they have formed a tight partnership that has benefited them both. He has spent much of his time at the prison as a field medicae, tending to prisoners wounded in the course of mining or assisting with servitorizing those too injured to be "worth" healing. His medicae capabilities has also allowed him to make a name for himself amongst the prisoners for illegal modifications. Usually it's simple things like hidden compartments for smuggling goods or hiding weapons, though he has had more interesting requests like a false leg filled with det cord. He has been assigned a small servo skull that has limited scanning abilities to assist in his procedures or locate trapped prisoners. However it must be checked back into the armory every night prior to lights out to prevent him from using it to assist in any escape attempts. Secretly he has been using it to map the tunnels and potential soft spots in the rock that could be used to tunnel to other portions of the prison.

"Sathlyu" Webb

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Threat: Aposate (Hereticus Minoris)

Crime: "Unauthorized" worship of the God-Emperor. Given the vast differences in the ways the Emperor is worshiped it is little surprise there is infighting in the Imperial Church. Sathlyu, as he is now called, has been accused of heathenistic views by the Cardinal of the local shrine world. When the Inquistion investigated they decided he had strayed from the path, but not so much to warrent execution. He was sent here instead, for an unspecified sentence.

Personal History: Born on a frontier world of <<classified>>, Sathlyu was born Sam Webb to grox herders. He would have continued the family business had he not been caught in a stampede during a migration run. Rushed to the local medicea he was given a very low chance of survival. By the grace of the Emperor, or some other power, he made a full recovery. During this time he had several visions, and walked out of his room as Sathlyu. Buying his way off-world he headed to the Shrine World of <<classified>> and became a devout member of the Imperial Creed.

Returning home he traveled from community to community, spreading the word of the Emperor and ensuring the people stayed on the path. Soon the visions returned, however, and his teaching started to change. During a visit the Cardinal witnessed this new view, and had Sathlyu arrested. Luck was with him, in the form of the Black Ships that came for their tithe. Investigated due to his visions he was sent to <<prison>> when they were deemed trama from the injuries he sustained during the stampede.

Prison: He has been at <<prison>> for 10 years. During this time he joined the Purifiers, his views extreme even in among the harsh standards of the Creed. His views have become warped with time, however as have his visions.

Your write ups are fantastic. Love the PCs , so far. They rock.

Black Crusade has yet to arrive at my house, So stats will have to wait for me. (would have this book much sooner but my wife is not interested. It's on the way)

But a background.. That I can do. Silas Green was the first son of a under hive ***** who loved him immensely but couldn't shake her addictions nor find a more profitable way for a pretty girl to make enough Thrones to feed her three kids. Silas was raised in a remarkably stable home for that sort of environment. his nanny was a minor mutant who was proficient in stealing **** in plain sight (sleight of hand) and other survival tricks, while his early heroes were usually thugs or millirary vets who came to port and were looking for a real good time. As well as several Pimps who had ample time to hang out and teach the kid a thing or two while mom was working. Just to pass the time.

As a result Silas was raised with a solid understanding of base human emotions and needs. And Silas also gained intimate familiarity with manipulating those needs. Although fairly well cared for under the circumstances Silas became a very selfish and manipulative child, and his early teens saw him branching outforom petty theft into a savy drug dealer who used the addictions of his female clients as a means to coerce them into becoming whores that work for him in a desperate effort to make ends meet while also earning another hit. Back then Silas had his own demons as well. He became addicted to several of his own products for a time which made him all the more beholden to his suppliers. not only was their **** necessary to keep his girls in line, but he had to have a twice daily fix himself.

unhappy with this situation and certain of his own innate superiority (sees himself as a survivor and manipulator) he struggled to not actually kick but rather to control his drug habbit. During this "Zen"like time of introspection Silas discovered he could read minds when he put forth the effort. Taking this new found "gift" as yet more proof of his superiority his ego finally allowed him to regain control over his addictions.

Yet, Silas's new found self control did nothing to moderate his decent into depravity but rather added fuel to the fire. Now he felt like he was smart enough to try just about any new thrill and come out ahead. Now the boss of a small and ruthless criminal syndicate he began arranging thrill parties for wealthy and unsavory clients. It was the perfect arrangement. He was getting paid to thrill himself (and his clients) with a whirlwind of debauched parties that included copious amount of Drugs and manny a depraved sexual act. Usually the main event included women and girls who were recently abducted from the street and whom were never intended to survive the night.

It's no surprise that he began arranging parties for Slaanesh Cultists. The Cultists liked Silas and he liked them. Thus it was not long at all, until Silas embraced Slaanesh and Chaos, becoming a full member of the small cell of cultists. Two years later the Cult was accidentally uncovered by the Adeptus Arbites and those Cultists that survived the brutal raid were arrested. Silas however was not turned over to the Ecclisiarchy and exicuted as a Chaos worshiper with the rest of his fellow Cultists. Fortunately for him, during the quick follow up investigation the Arbites assumed he was simply a pimp and drug pusher rather than a cultist. Silas was quickly tried on multiple counts of drug possesion and distribution before being sent of world to <<<name of prison world>>> where Silas is to serve out his twenty year sentence. His home Hive World has laws against whoring but no laws explicitly forbidding acting as a pimp. So he was not charged for his activities as a pimp during the raid on the cultists.

Prison life

Two years into his twenty year sentence Silas has endevored to maintain as much of the appearance of a model prisoner as possible while being knee deep in the Deciples and their activities. He has aquired extensive tattoos depicting all sorts of depraved acts, such as erotic murder scenes, etc. while many of the tats strongly feature the colors of his patron, Slaanesh and also a few obvious hermaphrodites, none of his tats can be tied directly as proof of involvement in the Disciples or the Worship of Chaos. But the overall effect practically screams Slaanesh.

Silas was strongly impacted by the fact that none of his fellow cultists gave him up during and after the arrest. So these days he is highly unlikely to betray any friend he considers to be even the slightest bit trustworthy. He is also likly to viciously defend anyone he conceders a true friend, even at great cost to himself. His usual manner is now soft spoken and friendly to both inmates and guards without any of the typical prison bravado of the majority of inmates. Yet his walk does carry a certain swagger that betrays his confidence in himself, and Slaanesh's protection. Despite his friendly and controlled exterior he is still Silas and will cheerfully kill or worse for both pleasure or necessity without hesitation.

Silas usually has a runner or two (minions maybe?) holding the drugs he is becoming known for and his current endevors are centered around increasing his client base and also securing a larger and steadier supply. Currently he feels confident the guards are not suspicious despite a few close calls. But who really knows for sure.

****. No comments after Silas posts. If this guy sucks cuz he's too much of a bastard or whatever (I say he's a total bastard, than just let me know, & I'll make a different guy. No prob!). Let's keep this awesome thread rollin??

Sorry about my slow response. I've been somewhat busy. A quick update, with a few things that are probably going to be essential for further character development.

• The cogboy gang is going to be called the Crimson Hammers. Their emblem is a white cogwheel with a red hammer inside, in place of the Mechanicus skull. Rather than the usual orange jumpsuit, their jumpsuits are red with a white stripe down the shoulders and legs to indicate their status.
• The planet is the first planet of the Antaeus system, and the closest one to the system's star. Antaeus I was specifically chosen as a prison colony due to the sweltering, unpleasant atmosphere and mineral-rich mines, giving the inmates a chance to "work off the debt" to the Emperor for their crimes. The Imperium being what it is, the debt for many prisoners is too steep for them to ever work off in their lifetime, but this is never mentioned to them.
• The prison complex's official name is Penal Colony #228-Alpha, commonly called "The Pit" by the inmates and "Treacher's Cove" by fearful citizens in the rest of the Antaeus system.
• Antaeus II is an Agri-world, and has such a pleasant atmosphere it is very close to being called a garden world. Crime is rather low thanks to the sparse population density, but it does happen. Antaeus II's rolling, idyllic fields and clean water allow it to grow the massive amounts of food required to feed not only its own population, but the populations of the other planets in the system as well. Thanks to its amazingly fertile atmosphere, is one of the few planets in the Imperium where Terran Lobster can survive in the wild. Warden Carpalo is a particular connoiseur of this lobster, and he will traditionally share a lavish meal of it with his family every Sunday.
• Antaeus III is a Hive World, and supplies the rest of the planets in the system with vehicles, tools, and machinery. Raw minerals from Antaeus I are sent there to be processed and made into manufactured goods. Weapons are also manufactured for the guards of The Pit and the Imperial Guard regiments raised from the local population. The planet's surface outside the hives is rather cold, thanks to its distance from the Antaeus star, but the constant heat generated by the unceasing machinery means that inside the factories, the temperature is rather hot.
• Antaeus IV is a Dead World; the Adeptus Astra Telepathica Observation Post is the only notable landmark on the otherwise frozen, lifeless planet. Its two moons have been hollowed out into orbital fortresses crewed by Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Guard personnel, ready to repel intruders or repair and refuel visiting Imperial vessels.
• The closest Chapter of Imperial Space Marines is the Ebon Knights, on a penitent crusade to atone for the disgrace of their fallen Captain Revellion, who betrayed the Imperium to Khorne after a brutal battle with the World Eaters on Iriad IV. They are currently allied with the Antaean Guard on a campaign against Waaagh! Skullkruncha, which has invaded the nearby star system of Capaneus. While the Antaean Guard are well disciplined and the Ebon Knights are vicious combatants, the Orks are numerous and hardy and the battle has been driven to a near-stalemate. (This is a foothold to allow for more powerful foes once the Acolytes get too big for their britches, and a possible source of Chaos Space Marine characters if/when this campaign allows for it. If you don't feel like retiring your Human character, then you may have to search for a Traitor Apothecary to judge you and see if you are worthy…)

I'm liking the characters so far. To be honest, I kind of expect them to be morally dubious (this is Black Crusade after all), but there is an upper limit to how much of a frothing sociopath your character can be. I'd like to run an exciting game, not an extended Aristocrats joke. Just to keep that in mind.

Once you get to the crunch portion of your characters (stats and stuff) I'll give you gear and talents based on your history and crimes. Make sure to include a brief summary of their crimes and specialties. And by brief, I mean a sentence or two, at most.

How do we want to do stats? Roll for them using an online dice roller or the allocation method mentioned on pg 52 of the core book? Should we roll for Pride, Disgrace and motivation or choose them based on our characters background?

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Crimes

Tech Heresy: Innovation and modification of Servitors outside proscribed bounds.

Attempted to engage in thought transference.

Illegal modification of prisoners bodies, specifically illegal hidden weapon and compartments.

Xenos weapon tech trading, particularly poisons

Specialties

Trained medicae, particularly cybernetics and servitor work

Low profile due to his modified cybernetics, he doesn't stand out initially as a former Mechanicus

Works well with people due to his training to be a Mechanicus liasion to other Imperial agencies and his time managing the servitor manufactorum.