With recent announcment of Dark Heresy 2nd edition, it became obvious that the 1E is dead, I wouldn't really mind it if it meant just updating rules for OW/BC level, but apparently will be getting completely incompatible mechanics and brand new sector. Now, I don't want to start any edition wars, I don't consider 2e a bad thing, especially that I don't really know it since I have not bought beta and don't plan to do so, though I'm definitely buying final core rulebook when it will be released.

Even if 2nd edition will be good, there will be probably many of us that will prefer to remain on 1e, maybe some of us will think it has better rules, maybe some of us will prefer to remain in Calixis, maybe some of us just hate change. Doesn't really matter the reason. What matters is that we will remain without having anymore support for our game line. And that sucks, but who can blame FFG for wanting to refresh their best 40k game. Certinaily not me.

However, this leaves us with lots of questions about the Calixis sector unanswered, and while some of them, like the Tyrant Star, should remain so, so every GM could craft his own dark answer, not all should be left in shadows. During all the years when Dark Heresy was published we received some great supplements like Disciples of the Dark Gods or Blood of Martyrs, lots of topics were brought to our attention and described in rich and interesting detail.

So what can we do if we do now? Well, since the Calixis sector has been left unguarded, we should descend on it and make our own supplements. That's right, that's how it was done in ye olden days when game line died. We're rich and creative community with lots of awesome ideas, so why not use it to our advantage? We won't receive much more information about Calixis sector from FFG, only snippets and mentions that will get smuggled in books for other 40k RPG game lines.

I say, let us gather a team of writers and artists, write a supplement and release it for free for all fans of Dark Heresy. While the task may seem daunting, many fans of other games have done so before when their beloved game was killed and so can we. We just need to organise. While I'm aware that many of us have families, jobs, studies and other important matters, we all also have some free time, otherwise we wouldn't play RPGs, right? So, we can devote some of this time for describing a few weapons or planet or something.

How I think it should be done? (By the way, it's just my humble opinion, not a descision of any sorts) We should gather a team who can devote a fair share of their free time for writing and/or creating art, but also accept texts from non-affiliated with team fans. Maybe someone has great idea for a chaotic cult, but doesn't have time to devote oneself to writing a whole supplement, such person can describe his idea and send to creative team for reviewing (to check if it doesn not contradict any official lore or things planned for the supplement) and them accepted.

So what supplements should we create? I think everyone who wants should submit their idea and then let the fans vote for what they want the most right now. Calxis sector gazetteer? Puritan's Handbook? Witch Hunters guidebook? Psykers sourcebook? Whatever gets most votes, should get priority.

I'm not saying such a team would be a stable organized unit that would write supplement after supplement, maybe someone just wants describe few worlds of Hazeroth Abyss, but doesn't care about psykers at all? That's fine. Team for each supplement should be probably created anew. If there will be more than one supplement anyway.

What do you guys think about this?

Sounds good to me, although I am personally swamped in to many projects to be able to provide anything.

Great idea.

I vote for a supplement on the Ordo Calixus. I feel not enough attention has been given to the fractious nature of the inquisition. Backstabbing has been alluded, either between various inquisitors or various cells from a single inquistor but a bit more info to flesh this out would be nice.

Perhaps more detailed info on the tricorne and other inquisitorial assets as well as some background on inquisitor wars in the region, how to create safe houses, how to "fly underneath the radar" in 40K, what kind of assets can be brought to bear to locate someone etc.

What does a governor do when 2 inquisitors start feuding on his world and wreck his ability to pay his tithe? Does he kill them and send their heads to the tricorne? Does he call for help from Lord Hax? Or contact the tricorne?

These details would be nice to have IMO.

My all time favorite supplement that was not delivered was one on the Ordo Xenos. The other 2 got whole books on them, but nothing on the Xenos. I get the gist and can play without it, but there is much potential in this small, overlooked conclave.

I've been working on several supplements I want to finish sometime this year. The list I'm currently working on:

The Recidivists Handbook (Converts some Black Crusade Archetypes to Dark Heresy. Sourcebook for running games with no Inquisitiorial backgrounds)

The Explorer's Handbook (Converts Rogue Trader archetypes to Dark Heresy. Focuses on integrating the two together on the Dark Heresy scale).

I'm also working on three adventure books.

I'm up for contributing to something . My vote would be an Ordo Xenos supplement.

I'm in for an Ordo Xenos supplement.

A few new backgrounds, some new weapons, and some more lore; sounds like a plan!

We also need to do another errata; the 3.0 one is still missing some core components.

I would also like to suggest that if we are to release any new books, that there are two versions. The first an all-out picture infused monster and a smaller printer friendly version.

I'm glad seeing that my proposition got accepted by the community, I must admit, I was a little afraid that I'll get ignored or bashed for whatever reason. But it's good that it is not the case.

About your ideas - while I disagree with the statement that two other Ordos got their books, I firmly agree that Ordo Xenos needs a sourcebook. I disgree that Ordo Hereticus was covered, Daemon Hunters got their very own, specific book. Hereticus did not, they go way beyond that what has been said in Blood of Martyrs - which focuses on the Ecclesiarchy and Adepta Sororitas anyway.

I really like Ranoncles' idea.

Now, let us assume that there would form a group that would be devoted to writing fan supplements for DH 1e. While members would probably change with each project, here is how I would see the fanbooks:

Big books - like official ones, big, cover a lot of material 120+ pages etc.

Mini-books - smaller ideas that would be awesome to cover at some time, but there is no need for making it gigantic tome, I see them as something from 20 to 60 pages maximum.

What books I personally would like to see done? Here is my list:

- Alien Hunters - Obviously, similar to Daemon Hunters book in every aspect,

- Witch Hunters - Another Ordo book and the last of great three Ordos,

- Ordos Minoris - maybe as a minibook, to cover all Ordos Minoris and their operations within Calixis Sector,

- Puritan's Handbook - the truth is, we have not gotten a good presentation of many Puritan philosophies of the Inquisition and puritan factions operating in Calixis, so here it is,

- Ordos Calxis - Ranoncles' idea, maybe as a minibook too? To cover how Acolytes are recruited, how to set up safehouses, how to get money and equipment, interactions with black market, how to infiltrate both cults and Imperial organizations, how to make various charges brought by Arbites go away, how to avoid them etc.

- Calixis Sector gazeteer - name says it all.

- Sorcery sourcebook - I see it as a minibook, we've got nice sorcery from Radical's Handbook but I see that the idea can be expanded, there is a place for different disciplines of sorcery, dark pacts, rituals etc.

- Psyker's sourcebook - psykers have been a little neglected by DH, there are tons of new guns with every book but not many psychic powers if any at all. So this would repair that state of things.

- Minibooks for Adepta Sororitas other than Sisters of Battle - like Sisters Hospitaller, Famulous and the rest of them.

That's just few loose ideas that are in my head if you're curious.

What books I personally would like to see done? Here is my list:

- Alien Hunters - Obviously, similar to Daemon Hunters book in every aspect,

- Witch Hunters - Another Ordo book and the last of great three Ordos,

- Ordos Minoris - maybe as a minibook, to cover all Ordos Minoris and their operations within Calixis Sector,

- Puritan's Handbook - the truth is, we have not gotten a good presentation of many Puritan philosophies of the Inquisition and puritan factions operating in Calixis, so here it is,

- Ordos Calxis - Ranoncles' idea, maybe as a minibook too? To cover how Acolytes are recruited, how to set up safehouses, how to get money and equipment, interactions with black market, how to infiltrate both cults and Imperial organizations, how to make various charges brought by Arbites go away, how to avoid them etc.

- Calixis Sector gazeteer - name says it all.

- Sorcery sourcebook - I see it as a minibook, we've got nice sorcery from Radical's Handbook but I see that the idea can be expanded, there is a place for different disciplines of sorcery, dark pacts, rituals etc.

- Psyker's sourcebook - psykers have been a little neglected by DH, there are tons of new guns with every book but not many psychic powers if any at all. So this would repair that state of things.

- Minibooks for Adepta Sororitas other than Sisters of Battle - like Sisters Hospitaller, Famulous and the rest of them.

I underlined the ones I most want to see; I already have some stuff in the works that I'll be happy to contribute. The others don't grab me as much (the Ordo Hereticus may not have a dedicated sourcebook, but that's because they currently have the most support material of any Ordo in the game; and I'm just not seeing how a Puritan's Handbook can be nearly as interesting as their Radical counterpart...), but if the majority want to do those first, I can probably pitch in...

Alien Hunters would be pretty cool- we would need a catchy name for it [ Known Thine Enemy!].

Though I would mostly be interested in the "Whose whose" section of that Book- we already know that Inquisitor Lord Anton Zerbes is likely head of Ordo Hereticus, and Lord Inquisitor Dhar heads Ordo Malleus...

Afterwards, a Calixis sector source-book would be epic (Orendal's Tomb anyone? my next game is going to happen there ).

But I do think that a Puritan's Handbook would be cool, again so to work on Inquisitorial Intrigues.

We could make it as interesting by giving the "Malleus Maleficarum" a good read, emulating some of those ideas- introducing for example social combat rules in terms of a Witch-burning Trial, mechanics for things like that. Instructions on HOW the acolytes can actually work with Various Imperial Organizations [same as the Radical's resources, perhaps]. I am sure we can make it very interesting!

In any case, I reiterate my invitation to the GM Skype Chat room where we can discuss all of this in Real Time. Send me a Msg if you'd like the address!

I'm okay with giving Ordo Xenos a priority, they're extremaly interesting and there has been almost nothing on them so exploring their philosophies, factions and personalities would be cool thing to do. Also fleshing out their history in Calixis, important persons, secret bases and labs, more detail on cold trade and pre-imperial xenos artifacts in Calixis, maybe something about special taskforce of Ordo Xenos sent to Koronus? I'd like to tackle that a lot.

Guys, just a question...

What is the attraction of a Ordo Xenos book for DH? As I see it, the Calixus sector is pretty much established and most xenos empires were "genocided" by the Imperium. So any sentinent xenos left would be either very insignificant, raiders of some kind or a hidden xenos pocket empire with little contact with the rest of the sector. Or am I missing something?

I think the attraction with Xenos in Calaxis is more "X-Files" than "Only War" like it is in the rest of the Imperium.

Most of the Xenos in this sector HAVE been destroyed, so are forced to Infiltrate humanity under hidden guises and false pretenses. They hate humans, corrupt them and feed off* them- all while living secretly amongst them.

Races like the Simulacra and the Cryptos are cool- but are very difficult [at least in terms of the cryptos, who don't leave a body behind] extremely difficult to portray.

And then you have the "old xenos ruins" and dead xenos cultures which the Yuvath & The Halo Devices, and a number of mentions here in there in the books [The Harrowing from the Phaenonites, Tsade's strange lights and others] which would be very cool to explore.

Granted, this book doesn't have to answer all of these questions, but in terms of Xenos I see the Calaxis sector a lot more like Call of Cthulhu in space, so that the aliens aren't really interested in War but beyond the black and [and blood red] morality of the other races in Warhammer in General.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/163346020

Mock-up cover art for the Ordo Xenos supplement.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/163357650/Recidivists-Handbook

Mock-up cover art for the Recividist supplement.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/163357978/Unveiled-Penumbra

Mock-up cover art for the Sorcery supplement.

Nice work!

I have a pet peeve about the official supplements.

When I buy a pre-fab adventure I want a canned adventure, preferably with a few possible endings. That way, I can easily use it, tailor the ending to suit my players and not spend too much time fiddling with it. Otherwise, I might as well make my own adventures.

When I buy a background book, I want clear information I can use as a DM. Nothing pisses me off more than vague hints and descriptions without a clear explanation. Like the Tyrant Star. Would it kill FFG to tell us what it is? Or perhaps give a few possible options?

As a GM, I buy stuff for answers, not to get more mysteries. I hope the fan-made works will be unambiguous.

Guys, just a question...

What is the attraction of a Ordo Xenos book for DH? As I see it, the Calixus sector is pretty much established and most xenos empires were "genocided" by the Imperium. So any sentinent xenos left would be either very insignificant, raiders of some kind or a hidden xenos pocket empire with little contact with the rest of the sector. Or am I missing something?

That's the main part of the attraction. If Calixis was one of those sectors where you can't pee on the ground without upsetting ork spores and where people set their chronos according to inevitable Eldar attacks, there wouldn't be much to cover in an Ordo Xenos book except for extended enemy profiles and some gear.

Instead, Calixis was wrested from the filthy hands of multiple xenos species. Some of these species have escaped total extinction and are looming somewhere under the radar, their alien minds filled with horrible vendetta. Some have managed to hide in the very midst of humanity, taking false shapes and advancing their soul-shattering agendas. Some are gone, but have left behind horrible Giger-esque ruins and artifacts that defy sanity. Then, there are "cryptids", those xenos who have completely avoided detection throughout the millennia and only surface as urban legends on the worlds they inhabit.

It's a mess that won't be cleaned up anytime soon, but someone has to do it. Of all the Calixian Ordos, Xenos has the greatest potential for mystery and conspiracy theories. It also lets us run wild with our imagination by creating entire xeno species and weaving them into the history of the sector.

Great mock-up covers Cogniczar, I especially like the one for sorcery book.

About mysteries in books - I very much like White Wolf's new World of Darkness and how they approach grand, unknowable mysteries. First they present mystery and what is known about them (so not very much) but after this they give us few possible explanations and solutions, they don't say which of them is true, maybe none is, or all are, but possible explanation to the mystery is right there. And this is the way I would like to approach subject of mysteries.

And about Ordo Xenos all my previous posters explained what the appeal is. I don't care about making profiles and stats for new ork monsters that you can send on your players. It's boring. But I'd like to explore activity of remnants of Calixian pre-human xenos empires, items that Rogue Traders bring from Koronus Expanse, give more details to Halo Devices, explore forbidden worlds of Calixis sector teeming with unexplored ruins of dead civilizations.

I have a pet peeve about the official supplements.

When I buy a pre-fab adventure I want a canned adventure, preferably with a few possible endings. That way, I can easily use it, tailor the ending to suit my players and not spend too much time fiddling with it. Otherwise, I might as well make my own adventures.

When I buy a background book, I want clear information I can use as a DM. Nothing pisses me off more than vague hints and descriptions without a clear explanation. Like the Tyrant Star. Would it kill FFG to tell us what it is? Or perhaps give a few possible options?

As a GM, I buy stuff for answers, not to get more mysteries. I hope the fan-made works will be unambiguous.

There are two problems with official explanations to mysteries:

1. Despite authors' best efforts, they often come out feeling extremely underwhelming. Sometimes it's literally just because it got explained in any way, no matter how good or bad this explanation seems on it's own.

2. Every mystery with a canon explanation quickly stops being a mystery and becomes common knowledge. This can sour some people on addressing it in a game at all if people at the table have trouble separating IC and OOC knowledge.

Not saying that I fundamentally disagree, just that there's a certain balance to be struck between being too cryptic and too open, and reaching this balance is an art form in itself.

Personally, I think all these ideas are great and should be worked on. ^^.

Ok, to make things easier. Everyone who wants to contribute to Ordo Xenos sourcebook, please send me a PM, it will be easier for me to get the band together.

Guys, just a question...

What is the attraction of a Ordo Xenos book for DH? As I see it, the Calixus sector is pretty much established and most xenos empires were "genocided" by the Imperium. So any sentinent xenos left would be either very insignificant, raiders of some kind or a hidden xenos pocket empire with little contact with the rest of the sector. Or am I missing something?

I think the core appeal of an Ordo Xenos sourcebook is basic fairness. GMs are expected to choose either Hereticus, Malleus, or Xenos as the basis for a DH campaign. Two of those have a huge amount of support material- the third has very little.

Also, while it's true that the 'xeno threat' has been beaten down to the point that their military conquest of the Sector is no longer an option, that just puts them on the same basic footing as heretic cults, doesn't it...? I think the remnants of native xeno species, teetering on the brink of extinction and desperate for revenge against the Imperium, can be as interesting as any adversary in Disciples of the Dark Gods ...

Considering the views on the Ordo Xenos book, I think the focus should be on the Yu'vath and their client races. Remnants, artifacts, maybe even a few survivors?

Which would mean we'd have to work out a backstory. My own, admittedly rather vague, backstory was that the Yu'vath arose during the waning years of the war in heaven. They witnessed wholesale destruction and vowed to find the strength to survive in a harsh, hostile universe. And thus they discovered the warp and how it could be manipulated, hence the many artifacts powered by the warp (think a race of sorcerers/psykers).

As a species, they were quite limited in numbers so they sought to employ client races to provide slaves and warriors, much like the Old Ones had done before them. Physically weak but very intelligent, the Yu'vath discovered through trial & error that primitive races could be mastered by providing them with warp infused 'jewelry'. As the primitives wore these 'gifts from the gods', they slowly fell under the corrupting influence of the warp and became susceptible to the influence of the Yu'vath who they would eventually worship as living gods.

Living in their towers, each thus mastered huge numbers of slaves, ready to defend them from a renewed war in heaven. Thus when the Crusade came, the Yu'vath were well placed to fight the might of the Imperium.

So why did they lose? Because their millenia of warp use had so warped their own bodies that they needed the 'souls' of hundreds of sentient beings each day to prolongue their lives (much like the Emperor...). And faced with steady attrition from fighting the Imperium and being killed to feed their own masters, the client races could not defeat the Angevin Crusade and thus the Yu'vath empire (in the calixus sector at least) came to an end.

So there you have it. My idea for the Yu'vath. I never got to deciding if they had indeed been wiped out or that more lived beyond the map....

I am sure others have much better background stories and look forward to reading them, maybe in the Ordo Xenos book?

Also, while it's true that the 'xeno threat' has been beaten down to the point that their military conquest of the Sector is no longer an option, that just puts them on the same basic footing as heretic cults, doesn't it...?

Yeah, that. No matter what adversaries one uses, Calixis Sector (and arguably Dark Heresy at all) is more suited to telling stories of less open threats.

Guys, just a question...

What is the attraction of a Ordo Xenos book for DH? As I see it, the Calixus sector is pretty much established and most xenos empires were "genocided" by the Imperium. So any sentinent xenos left would be either very insignificant, raiders of some kind or a hidden xenos pocket empire with little contact with the rest of the sector. Or am I missing something?

A sector that have not been Genocided™ is a sector more fitting for Only War or Rogue Trader, depending on circumstance. Sector Calixis is interesting because it is clearly Imperium Proper, yet there's cults and insurrections aplenty.

While certain xenos might be inappropriate (such as Orks, although not undoable - small burgeoning greenskin infestation in the underhives, anyone?), others are perfect material for the Inquisition and the Acolytes to deal with. Wayward genestealer cults, eldar mechanizations, those warp-based-brain-parasite-things, or various backdoor plans by raider races (Dark Eldar striking a deal with a terrorized and scared planetary governor, or a Rak'gol Abomination setting up a massive strategic raid from the inside, or the last of the Yu'Vath summoning daemons through mystic techno-sorcery on a Feral World).