30k and FFG Deathwatch

[Pirate Brushes]

Oreet folks?

 

My local gaming group has (finally) started a Dark Heresy campaign with myself GMing it and working through the core rules (as well as the other core rulebooks for the other games) I started to think: wouldn't Deathwatch be a really good system for RPGs set during the Heresy and Great Crusade eras? 

 

Has anyone else considered this or tried to put it into effect? There's plenty of scope for introducing various rules for the different armour marks and bolter variants (which may or may not be already implemented in some of the splatbooks) as well as bringing in Legion rules and fun things like Volkites (choom choom traitor scum).

[blackoption]

I am currently running a Great Crusade era game using Deathwatch as the base rule set.  There are a number of resources through FFG forums where people have created rules for the legions and the era.  Thus far, the only thing I had to create is rules for Volkites and rapiers.

[Daemon2027]

Would love to do something like that. Played Deathwatch once, just one evening, the group never got back together to keep it going.

[Flint13]

I am currently running a Great Crusade era game using Deathwatch as the base rule set.  There are a number of resources through FFG forums where people have created rules for the legions and the era.  Thus far, the only thing I had to create is rules for Volkites and rapiers.

 

Huh... I'd think the first thing a homebrew bro would come up with would be a Volkite.

 

How do yours look rules wise?  

[Quixus]

Space Marine chapters are the tip of the spear of the Imperial war machine, deathwatch kill teams are a scalpel. Space Marine Legions were a hammer during the great crusade.

 

While I can see (at least some) Legions employing scalpels from time to time, there is little to no reason or opportunity to form such all star teams as the kill teams are. So most likely the operatives would be limited to a single Legion to keep verisimilitude.

[blackoption]

 

I am currently running a Great Crusade era game using Deathwatch as the base rule set.  There are a number of resources through FFG forums where people have created rules for the legions and the era.  Thus far, the only thing I had to create is rules for Volkites and rapiers.

 

Huh... I'd think the first thing a homebrew bro would come up with would be a Volkite.

 

How do yours look rules wise?  

 

 

 

I started by comparing the Heavy Bolter and Volkite Charger on table top.  The heavy bolter has longer range, better AP (4 to 5), and fires more shots. The Volkite has deflagrate... so that would have to be a custom rule.

 

So.. taking the heavy bolter base damage (1D10+12 using erranted stats that match with DC and OW). Since the Charger has less range than a bolter, I shorted the range increment to 75 meters.  The Rate of Fire slower than erranted bolters (S/2/-).  For the Deflagrate rule I went with the following:  If a successful attack (single or semi auto) succeeds by 2 or more degrees past what the rate of fire allows, that attack gains the storm quality.

 

So it looks like this:

 

Volkite Charger:  Basic  75 Meters   1D10+12 E  Pen 4 S/2/-, Deflagrate.

 

From there, I down sized  the Volkite pistol.  I have not done the support weapons versions yet

[Pirate Brushes]

Space Marine chapters are the tip of the spear of the Imperial war machine, deathwatch kill teams are a scalpel. Space Marine Legions were a hammer during the great crusade.

 

While I can see (at least some) Legions employing scalpels from time to time, there is little to no reason or opportunity to form such all star teams as the kill teams are. So most likely the operatives would be limited to a single Legion to keep verisimilitude.

 

And on the same end of the spectrum, Only War (the Imperial Guard RPG) contained rules for massive military actions and you have "backup characters" in the form of team mates (since you WILL die in that game. Violently). 

 

Even in the HH novels there's plenty of examples of small kill-teams operating during the Great Crusade and Heresy itself. Off the top of my head there are the handful of Alpha Legion operatives working alongside humans (which matches the framework in Dark Crusade) in Legion, the mixed-Legion strike force in Battle For The Abyss, Wayland and Sharrowkin's capture of the Cryptos (and to a lesser extent most of the actions of the crew of the Sisypheum) and basically any of the missions of the Knights Errant.

 

Whilst Deathwatch worked on the basis of mixed Chapter kill teams running off on surgical missions, there was nothing stopping canny GMs using the rules to represent kill teams gathered from a single Chapter and so from there it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to apply it to Legion strike squads. Example plots could be anything from a Night Lord Terror Squad running a guerrilla war against a group of Imperials whilst the rest of their army prepares for the grand assault, a team of Alpha Legionnaires launching hit-and-run or assassination attacks on key targets, or perhaps barely a full squad of the Shattered Legions attempting to rally together the beleaguered defenders of a planet against an oncoming traitor assault.

 

Blackoption I really do quite like your rules for the Volkite Charger. I was initially thinking of using modified rules for catching fire as part of the Deflagarate rule and maybe factoring a beam-like rule (so you can hit a handful of targets provided they fall within the straight line fired from the weapon) or the larger weapons.

[Quixus]

 

Space Marine chapters are the tip of the spear of the Imperial war machine, deathwatch kill teams are a scalpel. Space Marine Legions were a hammer during the great crusade.

 

While I can see (at least some) Legions employing scalpels from time to time, there is little to no reason or opportunity to form such all star teams as the kill teams are. So most likely the operatives would be limited to a single Legion to keep verisimilitude.

 

And on the same end of the spectrum, Only War (the Imperial Guard RPG) contained rules for massive military actions and you have "backup characters" in the form of team mates (since you WILL die in that game. Violently).

 

I have not looked into that book so I cannot say much about it.  

 

Even in the HH novels there's plenty of examples of small kill-teams operating during the Great Crusade and Heresy itself. Off the top of my head there are the handful of Alpha Legion operatives working alongside humans (which matches the framework in Dark Crusade) in Legion, the mixed-Legion strike force in Battle For The Abyss, Wayland and Sharrowkin's capture of the Cryptos (and to a lesser extent most of the actions of the crew of the Sisypheum) and basically any of the missions of the Knights Errant.

Very little in the books is before the events leading up to the heresy (Lorgar writing the Lectitio Divinitatus, the Emperor chastizing him etc.) or at least before the Heresy itself. I thought the intened period was before the Heresy. During the heresy mixed teams become much more likely.

 

Whilst Deathwatch worked on the basis of mixed Chapter kill teams running off on surgical missions, there was nothing stopping canny GMs using the rules to represent kill teams gathered from a single Chapter and so from there it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to apply it to Legion strike squads. Example plots could be anything from a Night Lord Terror Squad running a guerrilla war against a group of Imperials whilst the rest of their army prepares for the grand assault, a team of Alpha Legionnaires launching hit-and-run or assassination attacks on key targets, or perhaps barely a full squad of the Shattered Legions attempting to rally together the beleaguered defenders of a planet against an oncoming traitor assault.

Of course no one is stopping you it just limits options. Legion Strike teams IMHO are the way to go for a crusade era Deathwatch game.

 

Thinking about it, I think the Legion leaders might have been more willing to learn from eachother and form such mixed teams before the Primarchs were found, on the other hand they might be more inclined to learn from each other on a larger scale i.e. larger joint operations.

[blackoption]

My campaign follows a group of marines assigned to serve a Delgatus of their legion (IIIrd).  Because of their low numbers at this point of the crusade (year 58) and tendency to fulfill the 'spirit' of the Emperor's Orders, the Emperor's Children they have a tendency to work with other legions quite frequently. I allow my players to have back up characters (including mortals and characters in other legions). 

 

As for the volkite rules....  rapid fire weapons allow hits to be transfered to other enemies if the original enemy dies.  If I remember correctly it has to be within 3 meters and the firing arc of the shooter.

[Kilofix]

It also doesn't have to be a mixed strike team, it could just be a small strike team comprised of a single Legion.

 

I would just auto pass any tests for Squad Mode stuff.

[jeremy1391]

You could do a knight errant type kill team, or a shattered legions kill team, mixed squad from imperium secundus....