Because working for ][ was a part time job, the game even says as much. You're not useful enough to work full time as a new acolyte. The reason you advance in rank is because the inquisitor uses his influence, partly has a reward, but partially because it pays to have people loyal to you in high places, and because it gives the acolyte access to better training and resources.

Because spending weeks, if not months, travelling to a different world is something you do for a part time job.

Pity the income rules heavily implied the part time job.

I referred to my players as a warband and they all rolled their eyes. We don't like it either, especially when there is an entire new mechanic for tracking Subtelty.

It depends on the players I suppose, but I've continued to call mine a "Cell", since they're not the personal "Retinue" of their Inquisitor. 'Warband' doesn't seem to encourage/duly recognize the kind of secrecy Acolytes should tend to employ.

Specifically, it's a warzone, where the term makes sense.

GW's Inquisitor RPG doesn't take place in warzones.

But the base presumption of the game is that there is going to be combat, as it is a skirmish wargame (even if we used it as the basis for a basic 40k rpg before Dark heresy came out).

I'm tempted to say the same goes for Dark Heresy. Aren't 90% of the rules combat-focused? Investigation is just what leads to it, so you could say that Dark Heresy is Inquisitor plus legwork.

FWIW, I like neither Warband nor Cell. The latter sounds too contemporary for me. Inquisitors and their henchmen are "Lord/Lady X and his/her retinue".

I'm tempted to say the same goes for Dark Heresy. Aren't 90% of the rules combat-focused? Investigation is just what leads to it, so you could say that Dark Heresy is Inquisitor plus legwork.

FWIW, I like neither Warband nor Cell. The latter sounds too contemporary for me. Inquisitors and their henchmen are "Lord/Lady X and his/her retinue".

If the GM is any good you don't need many rules for non-combat stuff. If the GM isn't, no amount of rules will help.

Retinue works if you're travelling with the Inquisitor. When you aren't, you need a different term. Cell is the best so far, does anyone know enough Latin to find an equlivant ?

On friday I have my weekly DH game, with one player who is taking notes on what happens in the session in Latin. So I'll get his input if nobody has replied by then.

If the GM is any good you don't need many rules for non-combat stuff. If the GM isn't, no amount of rules will help.

The same could be said about combat. I was a participant of a completely rules-free Star Wars RPG for many years.

Not that I don't agree, but combat seems to be a fairly important part of Dark Heresy. Entire careers are based around it.

Retinue works if you're travelling with the Inquisitor. When you aren't, you need a different term. Cell is the best so far, does anyone know enough Latin to find an equlivant ?

This has always been one of my minor issues with Dark Heresy, actually - the invention of some weird sort of "Half-Inquisitor" who goes around doing what I would expect to ordinarily be the Arbites job. To this day, I am not sure why the game wasn't based around an Inquisitor just like it was the case with the eponymous RPG from Games Workshop. But perhaps this too was done with player freedom in mind, just like the Deathwatch RPG suggests the players electing a new leader from amongst the squad every week instead of having a dedicated Deathwatch Captain to lead them.

Needless to say, this then necessitated the invention of a new term for such groups.

Anyways, as for an alternate term ... "Cohort" springs to mind, if you'd want to go for some anglicized latin. It became to refer to the basic military unit in the Roman Legion, but in its etymology it is derived simply from "cohortem", which means "enclosure" or "enclosed group".

Alternatively, call it a team or a party. "Cell" just kind of sounds like it was ripped straight out of some Tom Clancy novel - but obviously, that's just my perception, and I honestly don't even believe that a lot of people are bothered by it. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky.

The inter-webs have been buzzing with rumors that GW is developing an Inquisition-based skirmish game; seems to me that the term 'Warband' might invite confusion between the two.

I hope instead of that they remake Necromunda.

Please.

Pleaaaaase.

The inter-webs have been buzzing with rumors that GW is developing an Inquisition-based skirmish game; seems to me that the term 'Warband' might invite confusion between the two.

Maybe that's why they adopted it? To "latch on" to familiarity with GW core material?

I hope instead of that they remake Necromunda.

Oooohhhh...

I think Eisenhorn and Ravenor both called their retinues "warbands."

If this is true, then its just one more reason to not call it warbands in DH.

Heresy.

What about "throne agents" ?

Too high-rank ?

Just "Agents" ?

Somehow the term "Warband" makes me think of Power or Pagan Metal.

Sabaton are a "Warband". My acolytes are agents ;D

I recently used "Auditor" as an individual's title.

Their Inquisitor was head of The Auditorae (a "schola" dedicated to training Acolytes).

Her agents were given the general title of Auditor. This replaced the "traditional" title of Acolyte.

Individual Auditors were given further rank titles based on their expected role and responsibilities, such as Exculpator, Exhumator, Censurist, Praedator, etc. So, an Auditor would be identified as Auditor-Exculpator [insert name].

A dedicated group of Auditors was referred to as a Auditor Cell. Each Cell acted independently of others.

When formalities were unnecessary or could otherwise be inconvenient (such as when kicking in the doors), an Auditor was allowed to assume the title of Throne Agent, as in "Throne Agents! Drop the kukri!" (Always stress the plural of Agents.)

I'm fine with Acolyte, Auditor, Cadre, Cell, Cohort, Retinue, and Throne Agent, but Warband? No. Five to eight individuals do not constitute a Warband. What? That would be like referring to a DEA field agent office compliment as a Warband, and we all know how well the war on drugs is going...

Cadre is a term I've read before for an Inquisitors group.

You probably don't remember where you've read it because you've tried to repress the horrible memories of Ascension

Oh no, you brought back the horrible memories. Still a decent term for an Inquisitors minions.

As a German GM I'd be interested how the German publisher of DH would translate "Warband" into German. "Kriegstrupp" oder "Kriegsbande" sounds really ridicolous in German. "Cadre" (Kader) is used (with a negative touch) to describe parts of political parties (for example: the Chinese communist party has a "Kader" of people who are part of the system). Only in sports you speak of a "Kader" with a positive connotation. When you talk about a "team", you sometimes use the term "Kader" to describe, how many people are in that team.

The only usable term discussed here in German would be "Zelle" ("cell"). It has exactly the same meaning in German as in English.

But let's be honest: we'll have to take it, how we will get it.

I doubt the Inquisition has an official term for the acolyte groups, or even the various people that stick with the Inquisitor. So have the Inquisitor decide upon their own naming scheme. For example:

If I ever run a Dark Heresy game, the Inquisitor will be referring to his lowest grade of acolytes as canaries, as all he expects from them is to keep making noise (sending reports) until something serious happens. Then they die, and their silence lets the Inquisitor know that something worth investigating has happened.

I'm now thinking he'll keep the bird theme going with higher ranks of acolytes. Meaning that he will call each group a flock, or whatever the latin equivalent is.

As a German GM I'd be interested how the German publisher of DH would translate "Warband" into German. "Kriegstrupp" oder "Kriegsbande" sounds really ridicolous in German. "Cadre" (Kader) is used (with a negative touch) to describe parts of political parties (for example: the Chinese communist party has a "Kader" of people who are part of the system). Only in sports you speak of a "Kader" with a positive connotation.

The term "Kader" is still in use with the German Army, too. And as for negative connotations ... really? We're playing the Inquisition .

As for the German publisher, I'll see if I can wriggle an answer out of my contacts. They may well ignore it and keep the old term, just like they ignored some other details of the original EN documents in DH1... But for what it's worth, the German translation for Dark Heresy itself, "Schattenjäger", basically means "Shadow Hunters", which personally I deem a bit questionable as well.

So yet another option would be that again they won't do a literal translation (to be fair, "Dunkle Ketzerei" would have been at least as bad) but come up with a term that conveys the same meaning, but sounds better in German. "Kolonne", for example, is a perfectly accepted synonym for a warband, as far as the thesaurus is concerned.

I'm now thinking he'll keep the bird theme going with higher ranks of acolytes. Meaning that he will call each group a flock, or whatever the latin equivalent is.

That's a pretty cool idea! If it's of any help .. as I was pondering this topic, I found this list on wikipedia. Apparently, there exist several terms for such groups all depending on the specific animal. Pick the one you like most?

I'm now thinking he'll keep the bird theme going with higher ranks of acolytes. Meaning that he will call each group a flock, or whatever the latin equivalent is.

That's a pretty cool idea! If it's of any help .. as I was pondering this topic, I found this list on wikipedia. Apparently, there exist several terms for such groups all depending on the specific animal. Pick the one you like most?

Flock will be his general term. For acolytes of a specific rank, they could also be called something to refer to a group of that species. If he says he's sending a murder to assist them, they might guess the species. But I can't see them figuring out what he means when he responds to a request for help by saying he's sending an unkindness

Thanks for the list. It will be most helpful.

But I can't see them figuring out what he means when he responds to a request for help by saying he's sending an unkindness

In a roundabout gothic way, that might actually sound very wicked and deliciously 40k.

Lets just call the lot the Inquisitors Boyz ;D

Warband does sound like a horrible term for the Inquisition to use. I hope its just a temporary fill before they take in some more suitable term.

Considering the huge variety of just about everything else within the 40k universe, the actual term used would very likely depend on the Inquisitor and the group. Ultimately it should be left up to the GM and/or players. FFG could offer some suggestions (ie. those presented in this thread) but for simplicity's sake refer to them as "warbands" throughout the book.

Considering the huge variety of just about everything else within the 40k universe, the actual term used would very likely depend on the Inquisitor and the group. Ultimately it should be left up to the GM and/or players. FFG could offer some suggestions (ie. those presented in this thread) but for simplicity's sake refer to them as "warbands" throughout the book.

While I agree that there should be a list of suggestions and that it's up to the GM and the group, I disagree that the default term in the book should be "warband".

It gives all the wrong connotations, imho.

Cadre wasnt so bad I think - better than warband at least.

Also shorter, which means it saves space !

"I sent my Warband to investigate..."

"We're an undercover Warband..."

"The Arbites have requested a Warband to consult on the phenomena..."

Yeah, it just doesn't work in an investigation-driven game...