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Hello all! I'm starting a new post for a bit more exposure... So, the first Episode of the Iron Gods (Deathwatch) Play-By-Post RPG 'To Plunder the Stars Themselves' has come to an end. We've had some fun times; engaging in piracy, facing down enemies from xenos filth to ecclesiastical hordes to giant robots, making emergency warp jumps to escape from the backs of dying spaceships, and more besides! Link to Episode 1 But the game is not ended. In Episode II, there will be new adventures to be had, new questions to be answered. What is the 'Pride of Kings'? Who is Holger? Will Svelk blow himself up with that second Melta Bomb? What is Vesalius going to do with those Bulkhead Shears? :lol: If you'd like to be part of the game, we are looking for new villains to join Talek Varn's motley crew of rogues and cutthroats! Ideally I'd like to increase Kill-Team Cutlass to a full unit of 10 Astartes, with a full complement of Specialists. That means we are looking for: 1 Techmarine 1 Tactical Marine 1 Assault Marine 1 Devastator Marine to join our existing all-star cast: The Traveller, Tactical Marine (Commissar Molotov) Brynjarr, Tactical Marine (Trokair) Svelk, Assault Marine (Beren) Decimus, Devastator Marine (Black Cohort) Vesalius, Apothecary (Necronaut) Odysseus, Librarian (A.T.) If you would be interested in taking part, please send me a PM with details of your ideas regarding which of the available character slots above you would like to play. As with Episode I, DON'T POST SPECIFIC CHARACTER IDEAS HERE! - A big part of the fun of playing anonymous scoundrels from across the galaxy is that no-one knows who their squadmates really are, and everyone has to rely on assumptions and guesswork! Once I (hopefully) have some PMs, I'll send each new player a pdf where I've collated all of the amendments to the DW Character Creation stuff, and a link to a Character Sheet to fill out. Then you can start rolling dice and spending XP! Link to the Iron Gods Index Traitoris, plus other background stuff, short stories, and miniatures. Thanks for reading! Lysimachus

++ ONLY THE GREATER GOOD IS WORTH WAR ++ ONLY WAR/XENOS: TAU CAMPAIGN - CHARACTER THREAD. +++ OPERATION: FIREKNIFE +++ "When the upstart Tau came from under their rock, their brought with them their heresy. Who are these thieves, who have not spilled blood for the soil now within the Emperor's Realm? Who would not stand against the might of His Armies with honour? Worse, who would dare betray His Holy Purpose to stand with them?" - Zealot Hyram Graff, Ecclesiarch of the Cathedral of His Majesty In Perpetuity. + Servants of the Tau'Va + Heroes of the Fire Caste: Trokair - Shas'Ui Monat, Stealth Battlesuit Pilot (F) Commander Dawnstar - Shas'Ui Bork'an Kyosha, Drone Controller (F) Morovir - Shas'vre Sa'cea R'nan, Fire Warrior Veteran (M) Ancient_Sobek - Shas’ui N’dras Anuk’Var, Pathfinder (M) Honoured Warriors of Pech: Beren - Targykex, Kroot Mercenary (M) Badgersinhills - Jaq'Arn, Kroot Mercenary (F) The Enlightened Gue'Vesa: Machine God - Tony Keys (Ex-Imperial layabout) (M)+++ DRAMATIS PERSONAE +++ Shas'O Sa'Cea Tu'uan Mal'Caor (Iron Spider) (M) Aun'La Bork'an Du'Rega Khalat (Merciful Word) (F) Kor'Vre Vior'la Unzal Or'es (Star Witch) (F) Por'El Dal'yth Mesme Mon'Wer'nat (Unclear translation: Either Double-tongued, Two-Faced, or Half-Truths.) (M) Building a Tau Kill Team: All PC's who begin Play as the Tau Race must first generate a set of Characteristics, which they should post in their Character Profile and Bio below. Please include some background for your Character, or use some of the following details to prompt you. Note that your specialisation is independent of your Stats and will be chosen from a list further down in this post. Gue'Vesa: All Gue'Vesa characters start with common Imperial gear, augmented by Tau supplementals. (Note they will generate Human Characteristics from Only War itself). Kroot: (Cheers Beren ). Additional Special Rules - Sworn to the Ta'Lissera (Team Action/Squad Modes): Although all Tau are equal, in following with the Greater Good, some Fire Warriors fall into positions of command. Unlike some other races, however, Tau commanders hold themselves to the same standards of those they lead. A Shas'Vre (with any member of his team who have participated in the Ritual of Communion) may, on a successful Leadership Test, declare the following actions once per combat. There is no test to enter Squad Mode, since the Characters count as always being in Squad Mode - however, the basic Squad Mode rules apply: All Characters must be conscious; All Characters must have LOS; All Characters must be within 30m. TEAM ACTIONS: TBC...

++ 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

++ ONLY THE GREATER GOOD IS WORTH WAR ++ ONLY WAR/XENOS: TAU CAMPAIGN (ACTIVE IC THREAD). +++ OPERATION FIREKNIFE +++ "On the World of Kur'Sadesh, I go to my fate. The High Summer Conclave of the Aun'ar'Tol has decreed that I must go there to seek new blood for our allies, new voices for our Coalition. I trust the Caste of Princes as I do the Tau'Va, in my heart. My Honour Blade is one carried before me by great heroes of our cause, and to disappoint them or incur the shame of Malk'la is unthinkable. Yet my dearest friend I tell you, I know that service to this task will put me in the direst peril, which troubles my heart only less than returning to find the Great Terror. The Kor'vattra assure me they will defend me to the death, but once that happens, what then? - Xenos-Classified [TAU] Message received by emergency comm-buoy Imperial Adjunct 114-16-212. The Custodian Class Battleship was abruptly spat from gravitic drive slipstream and came to a breif stop before power ran through the hull, the engines stirred to motion by the Air caste crew. Smooth and efficient, the Fio had built the spacecraft well, unlike the ungainly ships of the Gue'la, which seemed banded together by iron bolts and hasps forged by blind madmen. Shas'O Mal'Caor studied the twin-boomed prow and its elegant curves and pleasing organic shapes. Such a vessel could hide in the depths of the seas on Sa'Cea, a shadow beneath the rolling waves, cutting through the liquid medium as surely as it cruised through vacuum. He reached up to his smooth scalp, the locks long gone. He stifled a grunt, they looked so pleasant and light, but hours crammed inside an XV05 on a humid forest world did not lend to wearing them. Beside him, the ship's Captain, Vre'Unzel stirred, lifing her own wrist communicator to her lips. "Slow to one third and begin a drone sweep for debris or ion trails." "Hai'Kor'Vre." The glittering spots of the scanner drones became a small cloud of glimmering light as they decanted from the launch bays. Around them, O'Mal'Caor could feel the sleek ships of this flotilla, Barracudas, Castellans and Wardens. Behind them by several Rotaa, were the combat group should he need them, but he hoped his plan wouldn't necessitate that. He stared down into the abyss, the lights of stars winking back at him, the binary star at the heart of the system two giant white orbs, crackling as they danced with each other in a strange honour duel. The Imperial World the Shas'ar'Tol named Kur'Sadesh rolled below them, the skies thick with clouds and ash. A prison world the humans called Perdition. Down there, somewhere, was Aun'la Du'Rega, and even now, as the klaxons sounded across the ship, he knew the Expeditionary FLeet had detected the attack ships of the Imperium. Perdition was one of those worlds he despised. Not because of the criminals or the Gue'La or the lunacy of their Throne-Prince's tyranny, but because it was so damn close to the border - close enough that the humans kept a close eye. "Assemble the Strike Team. I will meet them in the briefing room," he spoke at large to the room, hearing the snap to attention of his own aides. La'Du'Rega had been on her own for 6 Decs. And that was 5 too long. Introduction: You are aboard the Custodian Class battleship Blackstar, a heavily armed ship for even this class. It boasts a significant complement of Fire Warriors as well as Earth and Air Caste personnel. You have been summoned to this vessel by many different means, perhaps unexpectedly, or maybe you have known from a rumour that your name was on a list somewhere. The mission is not a secret. it is a rescue mission of an Ethereal Caste representative and her attendants on a mission of peace along with her Water Caste diplomatic envoy, Por'El Mesme, a veteran of contact with the Gue'la. Indeed, he insisted on Gue'Vesa troops being available for all expeditions, so they could spread the good word, and this may be why you are aboard. In any event, feel free to introduce your characters with whatever is foremost on their minds as well as what their day-to-day duties may have them doing before the are summoned to the briefing room.

++ RPG: SPACE HULK ++ ++ THE DESOLATION OF INNOCENCE ++ ++ MISSION ROSTER ++ "What kind of man willingly sets foot into a nest of vipers?" - First Officer Ralthon Vex, Deathwatch Fleet Officer. MOOD MUSIC: (Highly recommended). DRAMATIS PERSONAE: ++ KILL TEAM: REGENT ++ (NB, whichever character you choose, they will always be seconded to KT Regent, as this keeps things simple for everyone). Necronaut: Brother Arcturion Moros - Spiritwalker of the Lamenters Brother Gerhardt - Loyal Knight of the Black Templars Lysimachus: Brother Laeknir Rockhand - Skald of the Marines Adamant Brother Philemon - Eternal Flame of the Emperor's Blade Machine God: Brother Korvaan - Iron Father of the Brazen Claws Trokair: Brother Nergüi - Soulwarden of the Tsagaan Chono A.T: Brother Luthais - Everblade of the Storm Wardens + ORDO XENOS/DEATHWATCH + Watch Commander Cordovan - Chevalier of the Astral Knights Warden Caleb Sophis - Lieutenant of the Deathwatch, and Puritan of the Red Scorpions Inquisitor Markus Ignacio Hadrax, of the Ever-vigilant Ordo Xenos PERSONAE INIMICUS: ++ KILL SQUAD: KHYROPTERA ++ [CLASSIFIED] [CLASSIFIED] + CURRENT OPERATIONS + MISSION 1: VANGUARD STRIKE MISSION 2: RETRIEVAL + ADVANCED TRAINING + ++ BY THE WILL OF THE EMPEROR, BY RIGHT OF HIS MOST HOLY INQUISITION ++ ++ DEATH TO THE ALIEN ++

++ SPACE HULK: DEATHWATCH RPG ++ ++ THE DESOLATION OF INNOCENCE ++ "A space hulk is a danger like no other, a myriad of twisted passageways and tanged buttresses. It is a conglomerate of smashed and hapless ship carcasses, where the silent screams of dead men echo in halls without light. To look upon such a thing is to defy understanding, to board one searching for treasure is to defy sanity. And yet the treasure is real, guarded by the glowing eyes of fiends, and the chittering of claws scraping in the dark." - Lord Juliard Langstrom, Master of the Patrol Vessel Acheron. + Welcome to the Hulk! + Space Hulk: RPG is a blend of the board game of Space Hulk, Space Crusade and a few other games to give a tactical, action-heavy roleplaying game which allows for short, intense scenarios players can pick up and put down. It is designed to try and capture the essence of stalking down corridors which have been airless and lightless for centuries, and the darkness is watching - filled with abominations by the score. Campaign Premise: Each player starts out with a Deathwatch RPG Character at Rank 4, wielding some of the most powerful arms and armour the Imperium can provide, with full access to a suite of Skills, Abilities and Talents which will make them better, stronger, faster and harder to kill. They'll need it. Arrayed against them is almost every enemy of the Imperium you can imagine. Genestealers, Cults, soulless Automatons, the forces of Chaos and more - for all is to be found in the depths of the Hulk. There is no grace or mercy, there is only the Desolation of Innocence. Structure: This is flexible. DoI is designed as a setting to facilitate a series of one-shot scenarios which follow a narrative, cohesive overview. The scenarios can include simple, or multiple objectives, depending on the forces committed. For this purpose, the Character Thread containing all the background and histories for the PC's will be known as the Mission Roster. Each PC can choose to enter the mission being played. It is modular and adaptable in scale, even to supporting a single player. This means that GM's can hopefully get some games finished! A Threat Cannot Be Ignored: The Deathwatch are Mankind's elite, premier combat troops against the Xenos, but everyone is in their sights. The local Watch Fortress Commander has marked the Near-Space Anomaly designated Object XB-203991 (Coderef: Desolation of Innocence) as a Primary Grade Threat, and so the hulk must be investigated, and purged with righteous courage... +++++++++++++++++++ A Contrivance of Fate: Watch Commander Cordovan ignored the hushed gasps of relief as the Strike Cruiser Hecate's Bane escaped the grip of warp translation. Whatever horrors lurked behind them in the immaterium were dealt with, but here, the terror of something every sane commander feared: A space hulk. He lifted the dataslate to consult it. Whatever Mechanicus or Ordo references screed up the glazed holographic projector were irrelevant. This was Primary Threat - Absolutio Extremis - to the security of this sector, and the lives of the Imperial citizens on the planets in its shadow. He peered through metres of armoured window pane, out across the bow, glowing as the doors opened ready to hurl the Thunderhawks forth as a close-space security picket. The warriors in the cells and sacred halls below were girding themselves for the most intense combat a veteran of the Astartes would ever see. The boarding of a space hulk was a mix between dreadful battle in the tight confines of the most dilapidated hive city, and void war. Opening a door on such a hulk could reveal an enemy, hard vacuum, a dead end - or all three. With limited resources, he would have to rotate his men, but the fate of this sector could well rest upon the broad shoulders of the Astartes. The galaxy had done so since the Emperor bent the heavens to his will. "How will you proceed?" The words cut across his thoughts, the bow of an unwelcome vessel prowling a wake in his mind. He half turned, clad only in robes, where the figure who demanded his attention was harnessed in fine, human scale power armour, a red robe cascading over the silver filigreed plating. "Carefully," Cordovan rumbled in bass timbre. "Very carefully." He let the Inquisitor decide what that entailed. ++ KILL TEAM REGENT ++ ++ STAND BY FOR INCOMING PRIORITY TASKING ++ "Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow is written with your Sacrifice." You have been hurriedly assembled, along with other hand-picked brethren of your Veteran Company. As the newest Initiates to this austere formation, you have proved yourself numerous times within the sight of such peerless warriors, and yet more tests remain, for trial is to a Space Marine as breathing. It seems those trials have arrived. The alert notices to take your wargear into the belly of Hecate's Bane see you fresh from the training cages, and now you are here - materialising at a place and time of the Watch Commander's choosing. You will know this is no small thing - there are over two-hundred other Astartes aboard, from Deathwatch Scouts, to members of the Reclusiam. Word spreads quickly amongst the assembly. You have tasked with assaulting a Space Hulk - and not just your own Kill Team, but every soul who wears the sable and quicksilver. The whispers spill from knowing lips about an Inquisitor who has petitioned the Xenos-slayers for aid... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Contrivance of Spite: The growl was wet beneath the helm as the object of the visions came into view. Lord Executioner Tyrox allowed his irritation to show in the slow rap of his fingers across the arms of his command throne. The headache was undimmed. A lightning strike of white hot pain behind his eyes. His ship, the cruiser Carrion King pulled into long augur range. Signals from the hulk showed it was being boarded by another ship. +Identify!+ The slave on the augur array, a recent captive from one of the raids Tyrox's warparty undertook, flinched as though lashed across the shoulders. "Un...unknown, Lord. It is an Astartes vessel, but their IFF's are scrambled." Tyrox absorbed this, anger at the incompetence of these worthless subordinates held in abeyance over the urgent need for camouflage. +Engage shadowshields. Let us see if the Magos' gift was worth the effort..+ The bridge stirred from meagre white light, to arterial red. An alarm sounded to signal the change. +When we pass through their augur envelope, launch our Thunderhawks. We will reap a bounty under their noses!+ The Hulk was a cursed boon. It would provide supplies and potential slaves or materiel for repairs. It would provide answers for the...visions. ++ KILL SQUAD KHYROPTERA ++ ++ STAND BY FOR INCOMING PRIORITY TASKING ++ "By the strength of your arm it is yours. The weak surrender to the Strong." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is just to start some RP to get the juices flowing. How do you feel about the missions ahead, what emotions or thoughts does a space hulk stir in you? Revulsion, determination, perhaps ambition to win glory in the crucible of battle?

Hello all. This is just a thread I picked up from some comments in another PBP game, where someone thought it would be fun to take Deathwatch ruleset, and go down tight corridors to certain doom. In my mind, this amps up the gameplay of Space Hulk to another level, because you have an actual, not AI director and have far more options available to you as a player in terms of abilities and skills to help PC's survive the onslaught. This is an exploratory thread, mainly to discuss if such a thing is viable, or worth the time in doing. It would be very action heavy, but with the GM being involved, could also spark moments of genuine intrigue. My premise would be that all players would start from Rank 4, with certain GM improvements, and access to Terminator wargear, and sufficient Requisition to arm with preferred or slightly off-piste equipment (such as the Dark Angels Plasma Cannon). Of course, the team could be composed from any of the Deathwatch classes/Chapters allowed across the books, but it could easily be a single Chapter using the same rule/advance tables for that Chapter. (Deathwatch table is removed). Thoughts? EDIT: I will keep this post edited with changes or proposed characters so we have a repository of sorts as we go along, for when we come up with ideas. So far we have: 1 x Librarian - Necronaut 1 x Apothecary - Lysimachus 1 x Techmarine - Machine God 1 x Chaplain - Trokair Special rules/exceptions: Only Devs can take Heavy TDA weapons Only Assaulters can take TDA CCWs 1 Blackshield only, strict GM generation. Cataphractii and Tartaros are available in limited quantities. Players will begin at Renown Rank: Famed Players will have 50 Requisition to buy weapons (Subject to change) Players will not need to Req their TDA PC's will receive Our Hands Bring Death and Hypnogogic Induction. Enemies: Various - the current leaning is a Space Crusade/Space Hulk feel, with almost anything being on the menu: Genestealers (MoX) Orks (MoX, TGT) Necrons (TOR) Maybe Eldar (There was a Space Crusade expansion with them)

Hello fraters! So, I'm playing about a bit more with an idea I mentioned previously, of having a go at GMing a PBP game with a bit of a twist - a motley crew of Iron Gods pirates! The Setting: Astartes renegades out of the Solios Nebula, pre-Great Rift. For more detail, I'd invite you to read their Index Traitoris (and the other linked threads) in the Liber Showcase for more details: IT: Iron Gods Missions: Newly arrived at the asteroid home of the Iron Gods, Talek Varn wants the new blood to prove their worth. At this point you are an unknown quantity, and therefore expendable until you have shown otherwise. As such, you are assigned to the tasks with the least chance of glory and the highest likelihood of death. Missions won't save or doom entire planets/systems, but would be on a smaller scale, with more focus on intrigue, conspiracy, larceny and all the other fun of being a pirate! They might also feature interacting with (and fighting against) the inhabitants of the Imperium's underbelly on worlds around the edge of the Solios Nebula, from criminal gangs to the agents of corrupt planetary governors, heretical tech cults or xenos infiltrators. Perhaps run-ins with the Adeptus Arbites, or even... the feared and hated Inquisition! Characters: Renegades, exiles (self-imposed or otherwise) from your Chapters, survivors of lost causes. From every Chapter and gene-line, from across the breadth of the galaxy, you have found your way here, like filth gathering at the lowest sump. Your histories are unknown, your former colours, battle honours and selves obliterated in grey and red. Talek Varn insists on knowing the truth of all your pasts, but how much of it you reveal to the rest of your new 'brethren' is up to you. Perhaps you are a true pirate, an arrogant killer or greedy opportunist who barely escaped execution at the hands of his more noble former brothers? Or maybe they spurned you because of some other deviance, some uncontrollable battle madness or genetic insanity? Or perhaps you are a bold revolutionary, who has seen the Imperium for the sham it is and are determined to bring the truth to Mankind? Or perhaps you are one of the lost, spared by fate, plagued by guilt and remorse for living when your squadmates or Chapter died? (If any of this sparks something and you want to post character ideas here, that's cool, but stick to the obvious surface stuff; appearance, etc. DON'T include their history, keep that private in PMs just to me!) Rules: Characters will be created using DW (+RoB, FF, HtC) No DIY rules, must be one of the FFG Chapters presented in these books for simplicity, although of course, fluffwise Successor (official or DIY) Chapters are very, very welcome! Equipment: Minimal, this isn't the Deathwatch! Requisition allowances will be low, so if there is something you especially want your character to have, SigWargear (something they brought with them into exile) may well be the way to go! NB. I'm using DW as a base rather than Black Crusade, partly because I've just gotten vaguely familiar with it, but mainly because in-universe Talek Varn knows that the surest way to get himself crushed between a very big Imperial rock and a nasty, daemon-infested hard place is to start messing around with Chaos. He's not interested in becoming anyone's pawn and he despises those weaklings who do. That's not to say that people's characters couldn't be secretly taking their first steps down a(n even) darker path, but if Varn catches you he'll kill you without blinking. As I'm totally new at this, I'm thinking maybe to keep it simple I'd like to find around 4 or 5 volunteers for a small opening game? (If you know what you're doing in regards to the rules, that would be awesome as you can help cover the gaping holes in my understanding of them!! :P ) There we go, that's just some fairly random opening ideas. I'm not planning on starting this at any time soon as I don't have a definite plan for a first mission, I'm just spitballing at the mo. Anyway, if this setting interests you, or you have other ideas on ways I could run it, feel free to throw them out for discussion! PS. A specific question to Mol or other GMs: where do you get the Character spreadsheets, and also the cool maps to lay out combat phases? Are they downloaded somewhere, or is there a program you use to create them or will something as simple as Paint do the trick?

The recent Deathwatch Recruitment Thread has shown there is an acute interest in taking part in play-by-post games here on the Bolter and Chainsword. That's intensely gratifying - and to me, I think it demonstrates that we can sustain multiple games here. This thread is intended to serve as a resource both for players looking to join a game, as well as GMs looking to recruit. This is not really designed for conversations - if you find enough players looking for a specific game, start a new thread and PM them to join. Name: Interested in Playing: Dark Heresy 1st Edition / Dark Heresy 2nd Edition / Rogue Trader / Deathwatch / Only War / Black Crusade / Wrath & Glory / Other Knowledge/Experience of Rules: Have you played in campaigns before? Do you own the rules? Are you familiar with the rules? Other Pertinent Information: You might consider here notes on your availability; on your 40k interest, armies and hobbies; or anything else you'd like other forum members to know. You might consider thinking about , as this might help you think about the style of game you'd like to participate in.

RECRUITMENT FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Thank you so much for your interest; I could not be more pleased with the response this has received, and what it means for the PBP forum. Please consider signing up for the PBP Player Register here, or starting a new thread to arrange a game. The PBP forum can only be enriched by your presence! Original Post Below:

Black Crusade Campaign: ++ MAGELLAN'S DEVILS ++ + Character Holofiles and Intel Dataslates + "Better it is, that a man not know the horrors lurking beyond the boundaries of the skies above him, better he not delve in the dark places, where the rocks warn of trapped souls in whisper, and better yet should he not know of the devils pulled from nightmare. Aye, the traitor, mutant and heretic. Better is he that takes to faith in ignorance, for when the devils fall upon him, his suffering will be all the shorter and his soul rush to the Emperor's bosom." - Cardinal Kyril Harmoni, Sanctum of St Katherine the Avenger, Magellan. This thread will hold the details for all Characters in the Black Crusade game. + Heretic Astartes + Steel Company Trokair Necronaut Ancient Sobek + Mortal Heretics + Petragor ++ PLEASE POST YOUR CHARACTERS BELOW ++

"To Plunder the Stars Themselves" Episode 1: The Rivals The Solios Nebula. A wild, desolate array of dying stars and near endless asteroid fields. Bordered by no less than seven Sectors in three different Segmenta, but claimed by none. A galactic backwater, cursed with unstable warp routes and few resources. A haven for those cast from the Emperor's light. In recent centuries, the Nebula has become the home of a dark legend, Talek Varn, and his reavers, the Iron Gods. Astartes, those who should be the greatest of Humanity's defenders, led by a tyrant and turned against their former charges. Terrifying monsters that plunder and pillage worlds and vessels around the edges of their domain. Few would now willingly enter the Solios Nebula, risking the pirate Lord's wrath. But there are still those who do come, for like inevitably calls to like. Outcasts and freaks, ignored, shunned or even persecuted by the vast Imperium. Captains and crews of warp-faring vessels, seeking a life of freedom and adventure from the grim realities of Mankind's existence. Even once proud Astartes warriors, somehow failed or fallen in their duty to the Golden Throne. Warriors like you. Each of you has travelled here, some with intent and purpose, others drifting like flotsam and jetsam caught in an eddying current. However you came to be here, you each have stood before the mighty gates of the Crag, the Iron Gods asteroid fortress. You have each come before their cruel master and revealed to him alone the secrets of your former lives. Your histories, your glories and your shames. You have bowed down before him and sworn the oaths of fealty and obedience he demanded of you. Now the day has come that you must pay what you promised. Talek Varn has called you again to his presence. INQ.ref.35-4.ver.152_6432-67.ha_Solios-Nebula. Your power armour had been taken from you, supposedly part of the tribute you owed, but now it has been returned. It is not as it was. The badges, colours and honours of your former Chapters have been carelessly obliterated, scoured away and replaced with mismatched greys and a few, seemingly randomly chosen sections of deep, bloody red. Icons of the Imperium itself, double-headed eagles and winged skulls, have been left in place but brutally defaced, a deliberate statement of rebellion and anarchy. As you armour yourselves, some of you would admit to finding this troubling. Others claim indifference. Any weapons you brought with you into the Solios Nebula still have not yet been returned. You gather, as instructed, in the Crag's Auditorium, a vast amphitheatre carved into the inner rock of the asteroid. It is a dark, echoing space of gradually descending stone steps in a wide semi-circle. Down at the centre of these many levels is a raised platform with a podium, surrounded by lumens and accessed by dark portals on either side of the chamber. The Auditorium could hold every single Astartes under Talek Varn's authority and several thousands of his mortal thralls besides, but at this moment there are only six. Seven. On the platform, beside the podium, a seventh Marine stands at ease. He is armoured as you are, in grey and red plate of unidentifiable provenance. Unlike yours however, his armour is covered in trinkets and talismans, furs and long, wicked looking teeth. His face is tanned and weathered, his hair and short beard a peppery grey, and something golden glitters in one ear. You all recognize him as Ghoran, Talek Varn's utterly loyal Master Sergeant and second-in-command. He has a reputation as a highly skilled if less than honourable fighter, especially with the powered fist that encases his left arm. Ghoran does not stand on ceremony, but instead offers you a simple comradely nod. Then he speaks, his rough voice a match for his worn features. "Well lads, you're all here," he grins. "He'll join us in a moment and we can get started. In the meantime, feel free to get to know each other a bit." *** GM: Welcome to the Solios Nebula! This is now your opportunity to introduce your characters to each other. Or at least to make mental judgements about each other based on what you can see. The physical descriptions in the character thread may give you a few ideas or hints about who your new squadmates are. (Bear in mind that everyone has their armour and any personal items back now, but no-one has their weapons yet.) Alternatively, you might want to introduce your own character by means of flashbacks, or thinking back and wondering how you ended up in this Emperor-forsaken hole, etc etc. You're free to share as much or as little of your story as you wish, though you have already learned it is wise to be cautious around strangers. And of course, you cannot even be certain that anything you are told by the others is actually the truth…

To Plunder the Stars Themselves Dramatis Personae Iron Gods: Solios Nebula: Talek Varn: Tyrant of the Solios Nebula, Lord of the Iron Gods. Brother Ghoran: Talek Varn's loyal Second. Brother Degier: Varn's personal Librarian advisor. Magos Octavius: Renegade AdMech Magos, cares for Iron Gods technical/medical needs, Varn's power rival and mental sparring partner. (See the IT and the 2 short stories linked in the IT thread if you want more detail about these characters!) Kill-Team Cutlass: Brother Orphiel, Tactical Marine (Mazer) Brother Kai (The Traveller), Tactical Marine (Commissar Molotov) Brother Svelk, Assault Marine (Beren) Brother Decimus, Devastator Marine (Black Cohort) Brother Odysseus, Librarian (A.T.) Brother Vesalius, Apothecary (Necronaut) Brother Brynjarr, Tactical Marine (Trokair) Brother Draak, Devastator Marine (Machine God) Brother Radago S'ynek, Assault Marine (Ancient Sobek) Brother Ithan Khor (Redcloak), Techmarine (Xin Ceithan) Non-Astartes: Xaver Achard, Captain of the Dagger Thrust Mister Holger, Remembrancer Vessels: Strike Cruiser Avarice, Iron Gods flagship Sword-class Frigate Dagger Thrust