After putting this one off for a long time due to the uncertainty involved in player interest, I figured I might as well give this game a shot. Dark Heresy is an rpg based in the popular Warhammer 40k setting from Games Workshop, and is currently being produced by Fantasy Flight Games.
Among the three Warhammer 40k rpgs, Dark Heresy is the most interesting to me since it takes place in more familiar settings, and lends itself well to investigative games, the sort that I like to run. Being agents of the Inquisition puts the players in a position of relative authority, being able to use the xenophobic norms of the society of the Imperium of Man to police society from threats of the Alien, the Mutant and the Heretic.
That said, I know next to nothing about the game system, and I’m admittedly not quite so familiar with the 40k setting in great detail either. I remember playing the Dawn of War RTS games, and can name a few Space Marine Chapters, but that’s about it. The majority of my exposure to the setting was through Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn and Ravenor Trilogies, which may color my perception of the setting somewhat.
That said, I’m looking forward to cracking this game open and seeing what makes it tick. Who knows, I might even find the right hook to get my players to try it.
Personally I want to play the lot, but Rogue trader more than the others as I love the scale of the setting and the ships.
I know some of the system from WHFRP 2nd ed (the 3rd ed is very different) and of course I have played the wargame/miniature roleplay game Inquisitor, so I had a good fill of the system and the setting (I worked for GW in a store for 3 years so the setting I know pretty well inside and out).
So I look forward to seeing your view on the system and the setting.
Rogue Trader certainly does look interesting, doctorether. Maybe after Dark Heresy I’ll move on to that game line!
From what I have heard, the Ravenor books are a great introduction to Dark Heresy type games in general.
I like the system, it is complex enough to handle all sorts of things, while simple enough that I learned everything I needed to know about it to play in less than a session’s worth of play. It has a bit of an old school feel with rolling for stats, and the fact you can do completely random character generation, but you also have a lot of choice inside of your classes and levels to build your character the way you want them to be.
The world is a bit dark and bleak for some, but hopefully you’ll find what you need to hook your players. It is a very fun system.
Ravenor and Eisenhorn books are awesome. Also The Sword of Damocles and Star of Damocles are good source info
Eisenhorn’s background and themes lends itself heavily to Dark Heresy so fluff-wise, you are good.
The system is relatively simple enough- skill and abilities are percentile based. So in a nutshell, the lower you roll, the better. There are primary attributes and skills that define your character and then there are talents which operate much like feats in DND. Combat turns are handled much like DnD 3.5 where combat actions fall into one of three broad categories: free, half and whole actions and functions much like their dnd coutner-parts. There are rules for more complicated situations like psychic powers, suppressive fire and pinning but it’s fairly easy to get into.
If you want to emulate Ravenor and Eisenhorn levels, I would advise getting the Ascension sourcebook. Vanilla Dark Heresy is somewhat disappointing for W40k fluff enthusiasts but good enough to introduce players to the grim 41st millenium
Of the 3, Rogue Trader is my favourite, because of the scope of the game and the ease of implementing a multi-genre/multi-playstyle campaign within the 41st.
When I was first exposed to DH in 2007, I had a similar level of 40K exposure. I feel that FFG has done well iin making the universe accessible. The free RPG day modules do a good job at introducing players to the rules and universe gradually (I think that there are 2 modules per game).
Hey Jatori!
I’m glad to see that someone else with the same level of exposure has tried it out and found this game to be good. I’m actually kind of worried about doing this Let’s Study series since so many other people already know of it. The WH40K crowd here is pretty big.
I still feel a bit worried when blogging about my RT campaign. I’m afraid that somebody will declare me a heretic
All talk, pointyman.
Where is the money, honey!
Nobody expects the Scarlet Inquisition!!! Our two weapons are surprise and fanatical devotion to the most holy Emperor and our daemonhammers… Our THREE weapons are
You know I couldn’t resist.