How to play a Recogregator/ Xenos Hybris Campaign.

By Arnstinium, in Dark Heresy Gamemasters

Hello. I really like the Recogregator and Xenos Hybris factions of the Inquisition. So I was wondering, does anyone have any good pointers for playing a campaign centered around a group of Acolytes who knowingly serve a Recogregator and Xenos Hybris Inquisitor using both the pre-written and custom-made campaigns of Dark Heresy? Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

A lot of it will depend on what the Inquisitor's actual views and methods are. One thing to note is that the phrase 'radical' gets thrown around a lot in the inquisition, mostly as a slur by other factions. Rarely do radicals see themselves as radical (or at least, not as 'borderline heretic', anyway). See the Recongregator Sourcebook for the old Inquisitor game if you want more details.

Essentially the classic 'as described by others' view of the Recongregators ( the Imperium is rubbish! Smash everything and let's start again! ) isn't representative of the bulk of inquisitors who'd call themselves Recongregators - who see that there are, in the Imperium, those unfit to lead or unwilling to do their duty to the Emperor, and see it as unarguably obvious that such individuals should be removed and someone better replace them. Which makes sense.

It's the same as the views of the Amalathians ( Lets, you know, protect the institutions of the Imperium from threats ) compared to their extreme offshoot, the Libricans ( No Change! For Any Reason ! Evarrr!!!111!1!! ).

The key to a recongregator campaign will be to what extent the Inquisitor wants to let the acolytes in on his less...officially sanctioned...shenanigans. Classic missions will broadly follow one of the elements of Recongregator behaviour:

  1. Secretly judge the loyalty and/or competence of an important Official (e.g. Lord-Governor, Marshall, Admiral)
  2. If found wanting - find a suitable replacement amongst rival nobility/disposessed hive scum/the underworld/off-world arbites
  3. Either secretly with an unknowing party or conspiring with a willing party, set it up to ensure the intended replacement takes over if the incumbent falls (via election/coup/inquisitorial authority/whatever)
  4. Remove current incumbent, by assassination or other violence if necessary

Depending on the level of the acolytes, they may be assisting someone else (a disporportionately high percentage of the Ordo Sicarius, who look after the Officio Assassinorium, are apparently Recongregators, so somehow supporting an Imperial Assassin is not beyond the realm of possibility), or be the lead party in the above if good enough on their own...agitating cults and riots, or framing the incumbent for heresy, or whatever.

Xenos Hybris I'm less sure of as a faction - I don't know their philosophy that well

The Xenos Hybris seem to want to learn from the alian thier beliefe is that for humanity to survive it must make allies with xenos. They often find ways to get hold of human xenos hybrid equipment...possibly people..though thats more of a guess on my part. They are few in number but fanatical in their belief. I found this info in the radical's handbook. There wasn't much.

Well tooling around in dead/forbidden worldss looking for alien gear would be one apporach.

A team of new young acolytes sent to Orbus Quill (or something like that) to investigate the phenomena because their inquisitor would die if he set foot there is another.

Failing that it`s raiding archives for xenos artifacts and trying to infilrate xenos cults.

Not that any of that would help you in regard to prewritten adventures but I`ve always written my own.