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++ ONLY THE GREATER GOOD IS WORTH WAR ++ ONLY WAR/XENOS: TAU CAMPAIGN +++ OPERATION FIREKNIFE +++ "That the races of the galaxy do not understand their peril - or worse, choose to ignore it, demonstrates the fact they are at war with themselves. We succumbed to that barbarity long ago, and saw it for what it was. The ideas of the individual should be one of public good, of municipal service, yes indeed, the Tau'Va - and all that it entails. It is better that the brave few give their lives, so all of us may stand to greet the dawn once more." Aun'Vre Bork'an Lo'Shasanna Alcat'aa, Sage of Borkan, Speaker of the Ancient Truths. Introduction: So what is Operation Fireknife, other than something that would cut butter really well? Well, I'm glad you asked, Prisoner #442 Category Infrared Threat Level, let me explain. Simply put, this is a One-Shot in the framework of Only War, with Character Profiles from Rogue Trader, with gunfights from Deathwatch. If that's a mouthful, don't worry, all you need is a few D10's, the will to play the Tau race as you perceive them, and a willingness to engage in a narrative heavy, crunch-light campaign. I would suggest if you haven't already, that you take a look at The Die Hards, an OW game set up by our own Commissar Molotov, which gave us a little more of the human element in the RPG Nook, and now, we're going far far from that. In more ways than one. This is the opportunity to actually do a first on this Board, as there has rarely if ever been an RP campaign dedicated to a Xenos race - I am sure we've seen a few Tau or Kroot explorers here and there, but we have the blessing of the forum to write about factions we hardly understand or see - because it's from the human perspective. So what kind of challenges do we face? These are an alien race after all, how do we understand them? How do we roleplay something not really meant to be that deeply explored? Well there are some books (a good Deathwatch one actually) which show that Tau are just like us, having the same hopes and dreams, the same bitterness when their ideology comes up against the might of an Imperial STC iron boot. In short, there's nothing to stop us doing this. Execution: After some discussion, I've settled on building our characters from the Rogue Trader templates, if our players do not have access to them, don't fear, we'll build them in this thread before porting them over to the Character Thread for easy access for everyone. So, why are we using Rogue Trade profiles for a game about great big phalanxes of Imperial Guard? Simple: Rogue Trader characters are tougher than Only War ones, by about 5,000xp in starting skills and talents, so you as a player can be a bit more handy in a scrap. Similarly, Tau are squishy, and so the Companion rules from Only War will allow mistakes, heighten drama, and allow me to twist the emotional knife every chance I get. Regimental bonuses will be brought in as well, to further flavour our Characters. Essentially, this RPG: Kill Team, so we need to make allowances. There will be a rules framework, since we have to have some kind of arbitration to resolve the encounters our intrepid Tau face, but it's not going to be terrible cumbersome, since I fly by the seams of my trousers anyway, and I'll likely just ask for a dice roll. On that subject, I don't care how you roll your dice - Orokos, Roll-A-Die, the real deal on a table top - it's not an issue. I mean you can cheat if you like, but there's no winning a Roleplaying game, so just let the numbers come up, and if they aren't great, just adapt your story. Chances are, failing is actually better than success. The only real caveat is that this is a 24hour forum, and it will e a PBP (play-by-post) game and we will have to be patient as people turn up to post. Another thing we have to consider is when people don't post after a good period things can get bogged down or stale. As GM, I would advise that I will have to move the game on at some point for the benefit of the rest of the players - if you can, please let me know what the trouble is, real life happens, and we understand. This is a game, life comes first. If you're new to PBP games, or this forum in general, just a couple of pointers: This is my GM voice, in which I will impart instruction and information I think is pertinent, such as when I call for tests. This is an Out-of-Character voice, that you should all use for when you are doing things which are not narrative, such as rolling tests, asking quickfire questions or speaking to me directly as a PC to GM. Look here! How we roll the tests and such will become apparent through play. Rules Modifications: In the FFG books, there are many rules, and his one is mine: I will, can and do change rules to make the game more enjoyable or accessible for my players. When I do this, I will try at all times to act consistently and in good faith in order to keep things smooth, fair and even. We will also add special rules to Characters, Equipment, Weapons and Adversaries in order to "Make it Work". Extra rules will be contained in the Character Thread OP, so that you can refer to them whenever you like. Setting: TBD Location: TBD