[DW] Blackthorn and Swordhand: OOC Thread

[Commissar Molotov]

Whilst there is that D&D cliche of "never split up the party", the cargo hold fight did show how splitting the Kill-Team into two smaller units can help speed up gameplay as well. After all, some RPG groups might only be three or four players strong. So splitting the squad can be a feasible strategy, at times!

[Xin Ceithan]

Luckily, our characters are not as helpless as the original D&D archetypes out of their chosen niche.

 

And PBP set up does not leave the rest of the group sitting around bored while their Decker is löst in Cyberspace.

 

Of course, the main advantage of bigger groups is giving the enemy someone Else to shoot at!

[A.T.]

The big drawback with party splits is time - it could take a week or more for a combat to run in one group while another group would have had barely has enough in-game time to introduce themselves to an NPC. So the two parties have to be run out of sync and then matched up again.

[Commissar Molotov]

But if, for example, the two parts of the Kill-Team were in different parts of the city, and running parallel to one another, it wouldn't matter if one half were in combat and the other half not. As Xin mentions, play-by-post games can allow us to do certain things that a round-the-table RPG might not be able to do.

 

Either way, it would seem to fall to Dosjetka to decide what happens next...

[Dosjetka]

Still gathering intel, and weighing the pros and cons.

[Commissar Molotov]

It's actually interesting - the other RPG game I'm working on at the moment is Star Trek Adventures, and it's an interesting challenge to make the vessels of the Imperial Navy seem capable and dangerous, whilst also imparting the techno-fuedal mysticism of the grimdark. Things like scanning for lifesigns, which would be Star Trek staples, seem unusually advanced for 40k! But it's hard.

 

Something for me to balance whilst updating!

[Mazer Rackham]

It's actually interesting - the other RPG game I'm working on at the moment is Star Trek Adventures, and it's an interesting challenge to make the vessels of the Imperial Navy seem capable and dangerous, whilst also imparting the techno-fuedal mysticism of the grimdark. Things like scanning for lifesigns, which would be Star Trek staples, seem unusually advanced for 40k! But it's hard. Something for me to balance whilst updating!

 

 

See, this is the thing, because in books where the Imperial Navy is allowed to be effective - it is.  It is also effective in the 40K universe - so it has great internal consistency, a staple of any good fiction, but alongside Star Trek it seems very antiquated - not wanting to get into a debate about it, but it's the same with Star Wars - the Imperial Navy is effective, when it's allowed to be.  Admiral Thrawn for example.  It's basically a case of, "how would the Imperium be so big and survive so much if the Navy wasn't effective/deadly/finger-licking good?"

 

Tau Overlords.  That's how.

 

Hey guys just catching up with this and work. Really liking the developments. I also love the idea of splitting the team up which will make the narrative more interesting to read.

 

This is something important I feel, as in many books we have the change of pace from chapter to chapter, paragraph to paragraph.  When we were doing the cargo bay bash-up, I got some feedback from at least a couple of friends saying the development of the one-up-manship was interesting, but it got a little grindy.  I think this will help up the pace and besides, Mol has an attrition rate does he not?  

 

Can a Jump Pack ne used in this sort of low orbit base jumping? IMO, JPs were more designed to add All Terrain capability than Halo jumping.

 

BTW Sabaan would not wear a bucket. But might consider the value of adding external cranial protection gear, Vintage Pattern.

 

Thought for the Day :

We can rebuilt them. We have the technology.

But I don't want to spent too much money here.

 

I can only *like* this post, which falls short, because I love it. 

 

As for the Orbital Jump-packing - yes, has been done in two books - one is a Deathwatch novel I have just read....

 

MR.

 

Edit: Crazy double-paste.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Mazer Rackham

[Steel Company]

 

It's actually interesting - the other RPG game I'm working on at the moment is Star Trek Adventures, and it's an interesting challenge to make the vessels of the Imperial Navy seem capable and dangerous, whilst also imparting the techno-fuedal mysticism of the grimdark. Things like scanning for lifesigns, which would be Star Trek staples, seem unusually advanced for 40k! But it's hard. Something for me to balance whilst updating!

 

 

See, this is the thing, because in books where the Imperial Navy is allowed to be effective - it is.  It is also effective in the 40K universe - so it has great internal consistency, a staple of any good fiction, but alongside Star Trek it seems very antiquated - not wanting to get into a debate about it, but it's the same with Star Wars - the Imperial Navy is effective, when it's allowed to be.  Admiral Thrawn for example.  It's basically a case of, "how would the Imperium be so big and survive so much if the Navy wasn't effective/deadly/finger-licking good?"

 

Tau Overlords.  That's how.

 

 

heh, the thing about Star Wars, is that it is told by an unreliable narrator... I mean the Rebels are seen as the heroes, when they are actually the villains...

 

Anyway before I go down that rabbit hole,  I agree the Imperial Navy is very effective at what it does, hell the Imperial Guard is very effective, more so that Space Marines, just that most books that have the Guard in it, they are used as a target for taking the beating as there is just so many faceless humans to fill the uniforms.

[Mazer Rackham]

 

heh, the thing about Star Wars, is that it is told by an unreliable narrator... I mean the Rebels are seen as the heroes, when they are actually the villains...

 

Anyway before I go down that rabbit hole,  I agree the Imperial Navy is very effective at what it does, hell the Imperial Guard is very effective, more so that Space Marines, just that most books that have the Guard in it, they are used as a target for taking the beating as there is just so many faceless humans to fill the uniforms.

 

 

Can't argue - although check out Bill King's Macharius books.  Having said that, take anything I say about William King with a table of salt, because I love his writing style and A-D-B's Ragnar book was very close and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

MR.

[Commissar Molotov]

This week I've been re-reading AD-B's The Emperor's Gift, about a squad of Grey Knights in and around the First Armageddon War. Really enjoying it, and he is perhaps the writer I would most want to be like in this game! 

[Steel Company]

I've got to give respect for AD-B, he interacts with the community and I like his writing style... though I would like to see him tackle the First Legion at some point. That being said, it's a tough call for me, between two books as my personal favorite 40k novels... Either Angles of Darkness or Storm of Iron.... both are really well done.

[Xin Ceithan]

But the 1st Legion got tackled repeatedly...by Sevatar, e.g. ;)

 

I particularly like A-D-B because of the characterization and their interactions. I saw a review of Talon of Horus were someone described the the main character meeting up akin to the introduction of a D&D group. I am not sure it was considered as a compliment - but I found it both fitting and inspiring. Basically every book makes my want to set up an RPG group along those lines.

 

The recent Fabius Bile novels go into that direction, which is great.

 

I think when you are playing in this setting, it is important to get the feel right for it. Which is sometimes tough to do just with words. Star Wars has this used, lived in look to it's technology and clothes. You can show that too people or invoke their memory of a scene.

Most 40 k art is battlefields. Which doesn't work so well.

When GM Ing. Dark Heresy, I liked to play with the scale. I had my group visiting a shrine world but didn't want them to feel like they were visiting the Vatican. So I came up with a world where they had turned every mountain range into columns of Saints over the millenia. I described how it looked like watching the pilgrimage of mountain sized idols across the plains as they approached from Orbit and put the places on planet inside those giant stone idols in gothic cathedral caverns full of tiny human pilgrimage masses. And how away from those places they had strip mined the world into a wasteland to build their places of worship. You don't get that in other settings!

 

There is that balance between making the PCs matter in their action yet still conveying that idea that is just a dim spark in an vast and uncaring universe. I think the good novels get that uniqueness across as opossed to yet another power armor action fantasy.

[Commissar Molotov]

24 hours in the life of a GM... I had the bioship attack planned, then had to quickly prepare scenes on those defense vessels, then you decided not to board them...

 

I mentioned that we are still in the "tutorial" and that I still am keen to investigate squad mode properly, along with horde mechanics. That will come soon enough!

 

I am at the hospital today and then tomorrow we have an inspection at work so whilst I might have computer time in ~12 hours, there won't be significant updates until Sunday or Monday.

 

I'm looking forward to some of the placeholder posts filling in!

[Dosjetka]

I'll avoid posting any more placeholders but the ones I have made will likely remain as they are until Saturday/Sunday-ish.

 

Currently writing Vaidan's reaction to this new story twist. ;)

[Dosjetka]

I got a little carried away but then again there's nothing wrong with a little bit of fiery zeal to inspire the poor fools who inhabit the Voice of Thunder. ;)

[Reyner]

Well that escalated quickly 

[Commissar Molotov]

Thanks Reyner, always good to get the spectators opinion (and to see we have spectators!)

 

I would just remind everyone that 40k ships are BIG and that this might factor in with splitting the squad!

[Dosjetka]

Edited the deployment plan a bit but the basic idea remains the same.

[Nineswords]

Well that escalated quickly

Really interested from an outsider perspective, is this fungor you to read?

[Reyner]

It's interesting yeah nice bit of story and also trying to figure out how the game works - when another starts I might throw my hat in and have a go :) 

[Slips]

Had to remind myself when this game was set and not use info about the blood angels and stuff from events that hadnt happened yet @_@

[Slips]

Double post but hey, ill merge em when I get onto my PC.

 

Possible Red Tithe book spoilers:

I now have the mental image of when their Flagship gets boarded by nids and Tyberos the red wake goes to personally deal with the situation playing out in my head full force with the prospect of us being subjected to the same thing.

 

Only that we dont have TDA or Chain-Power-Claw-Fists...

Edited June 28, 2018 by Slips

[Commissar Molotov]

I will have to add that to my reading list! 

[Slips]

If you like the Carcarodons Astra, Red Tithe and the preceeding book are well worth the read!

 

Hell, even if you dont, its worth.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Slips

[Xin Ceithan]

If you like the Carcarodons Astra, Red Tithe and the preceeding book are well worth the read!

Hell, even if you dont, its worth.

Wait...there are people who dislike Space Sharks ?!

Have to catch up on Red Tithe. The predecessor and shorts were quite good indeed.