40k Roleplays

[ninjacatz]

Are these games fun? Are they really enjoyable? I was looking and thinking how cool these games look and I was wondering what you guys thought about them. Which one is the easiest to learn and the most fun?

[Connjurus]

They're all great fun, and they all use about the same ruleset - focused around the D10/D100 system. They're great fun, more fun than I've had with tabletop RPGs in ages.

I'm running a Deathwatch campaign twice weekly right now, and myself and my players are absolutely loving it. Even have our resident girl-gamer playing with us, bringing along her Ascended Magos-Secutor-Wtfoverpowered chick. Seriously, once you ascend, Psykers and Techpriests can definitely hold their own in a party of Space Marines.

Bit of a tangent there, but TRY IT OUT. Get a group of friends together, find/elect a GM, and give it a shot. I'd say start with Dark Heresy or Rogue Trader first - Rogue Trader is a blast, ship combat for the win! - and then, if you get some interest, go into Deathwatch.

And don't let anyone tell you Deathwatch is just "lolspessmahren kawmbat" because it's not - a good GM will be able to make it just as investigative as DH or RT, and definitely make it a challenge for those Space Marines.

[justsam]

i just recently wrapped up a guardsmen-only DH game (in which we still got tpk'ed by a latent low-level psyker going all daemonhost on us after trying to heal himself). it's a very easy system, i think, and if your DM really knows the fluff then you'll be in for a great time.

[energongoodie]

I've been wanting to play one of these games for ages but I don't have anyone to play with

[ninjacatz]

So, I think I like the look of deathwatch and dark heresy the best so which one do you think is better for me?

[weeble1000]

I suggest Dark Heresy. The D10/100 system works much better on the Dark Heresy scale and the setting naturally encourages a great deal of depth and role-playing. You'll also find many more play aids, published modules, and fan-written modules for Dark Heresy.

I would also check out Dark Reign ([url]http://darkreign40k.com[/url]) a 40K RPG fansite. It has an amazing number of useful downloads as well as some nicely-written adventures and supplements.

[sneakyben]

which of these games gives the most scope for being or interacting with Xenos (tau, ork, eldar etc)?

also, is there a time-line on the series? or can you just pick the book with a topic that is most interetsing to you, without feeling that you are missing out because you missed something in another book?

[justsam]

the three systems use the same engine, but they're set in different sectors instead of different times. deathwatch is great for xenos-slaughtering action, but more pro-xenos (you heretic!) interaction would be suitable for rogue trader. the timeline is the same fuzzy static you see in most of the inspecific fluff

[Drew da Destroya]

I have a question related to the OP... I've always had my eye on Shadowrun, especially since the 20th anniversary edition came out, but I keep hearing good things about Rogue Trader/Dark Heresy.

I haven't played a tabletop RPG before (although I am starting a character in a D20 adventure soon with a couple other RPG noobs), but I was thinking of picking up the core rulebook for one of the above. I really like the setting of all three, although I feel like I'd like Rogue Trader more than Dark Heresy... anyone have some good pros/cons for me? Is Shadowrun actually as fun as I want it to be?

[Freefall945]

Shadowrun has a fun, clean system but really benefits from having a storyteller who knows the system and setting very well. The Percentile system of Dark Heresy Et Al is much more forgiving to new gamers.

Interestingly, before DH came out, my group played a 40k game using the shadowrun system, with some minor mods. It worked really well. Inquisitor and his retinue, playing through what turned out to be the first Ravenor novel!

Notable characters included the coerced digganob thug, hilariously powerful psyker, a stormtrooper with a Wyrd talent to SUMMON BLOODLETTERS OF KHORNE, a Xeno-tech loving techpriest and his pilfered "Mark I imperial stealth armor", and the most internal Heresy tolerant and flat out Radical *** inquisitor you ever met.