Gauging interest for a new Black Crusade game

[Beren]

I'm familliar with the Black Crusade rulebooks (I got most of the FFG 40k rpg books because of their fluff content), but I haven't actually roleplayed in any capacity. Edited July 14, 2019 by Beren

[Mazer Rackham]

The FFG books do have an impressive lore collection - that's great then, because technically all you need for Roleplay in a BC game is your wits and an eye over your shoulder! ;)

 

Roleplay can be as straightforward or as complicated as you want to make it - since you're a fluff nut, I have a feeling the number crunching will be a means to the story ends. 

 

Start with what kind of character in the lore attracts you.  Why do you like them?  What drives your affinity for their actions and their objectives?  Try to put the character in an odd situation in your mind - what would that character do in a given situation and stay true to how you perceive him?

 

Congratulations!  You've just done your first roleplay! :)

 

I'm sure you already have, but have a trawl through the Blackthorn/Swordhand thread for a few (ignore my terrible scribbles! ;) ) examples of how you can do things.  Play By Post is pretty straightforward and the best thing about it is you can ponder how to write about what you want to do and get it exactly how you want it - well until a nine foot tall murder-machine wades into the next post and chops everything up! ;) 

 

Then it's just the luck of the dice sometimes.  Don't worry about that, all that matters is that you enjoy the storytelling and how it all unfolds for good or ill - besides, this a Chaos game - nothing is going to smoothly when the Dark Gods are involved! 

 

I'm sure more of the guys will chip in with their own takes, but please don't be afraid to ask anything.

 

MR.

[Steel Company]

Just to tack onto what MR is saying, the hardest part I usually find when starting a new character to RP, is to give them a personality that isn't like mine, for instance Tyber in the Blackthron/Swordhand PBP going on right now has serious confidence and trust issues, a lot of the time it is covered up with bravado... by contrast I don't have similar issues, so for me it is an exercise to get into Tyber's head and figure out how he would react to things, what his motivations are and how they would influence his actions.

 

When starting out however, I would recommend using a personality that isn't that dissimilar to your own to make the leap  a bit easier. That all being said, if you want to go for the more advance form of using a personality that is dissimilar, the go for it, it can be a great mental exercise.

 

Now as to referencing a 9 foot tall murder machine... well if the shorter one would stop jamming their gun all the time, then the murder machine wouldn't have to chop them to ribbons.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Steel Company

[Steel Company]

So while I was idling away in the kitchen lastnight making dinner, I had a character concept come in to my mind that seemed like something that could be interesting to explore. A thousand son sorcerer that is searching for a laugh to counter the Rubic and take revenge on Ahriman as his brother was dusted in the process of the rubic.

[Mazer Rackham]

You know Steel, I think you should run with that literally.

 

Maybe he mistranslated something in Eldar and he thinks that the laugh of a god means laughing god and he spends his time looking for the Laugh of Life or something - and it's all one of Tzeench's hearty old jests, that in the end, Wizzy McSparklehat goes off his nut.

 

Just As Planned?

 

MR.

[Steel Company]

I like it MR, I was thinking his end goal would be to cause Ahriman to turn into a chaos spawn and then keep him as a pet, after returning his brother to flesh and blood.

 

You know, the type to do unspeakable horrors for what were once noble reasons that became corrupted over time.

 

 

 

Edit;

 

Was just flipping through my digital copy of Tome of Fate, and found a couple of things that I really like mechanically for this idea:

 

Greater Minion of Chaos, Rubric Marine

Ritual of Binding

 

 

Those two things could be used to represent his brother whom was dusted and has stayed with him through everything. Ritual of Binding makes the minion 100% loyal and no loyalty tests need to be taken with it.

 

Combine that with the Thousand Son Sorcerer template and I can see how to get this character to life. The more I look at it, the more I like it.

 

 

Edit #2!

 

Just reread the Rubric Marine, apparently, if I'm a TSS (Thousand Son Sorcerer) I get a discount on the Rubric Marine, nifty!

Edited July 30, 2019 by Steel Company

[Xin Ceithan]

Nice one. I am still undecided between the sheer coolness of Power Armour and Giant Frigging Robots here ;)

 

Even if Chaos Marines are surely more cheaper if I were to make a model for my character :p

[Slips]

What you all need to do is play a band of Alpha Legionnaires masquerading as a band of disparate legionnaires/renegades/heretics who each have no idea the other is an Alpha Legionnaire all while trying to further the Alpha Legions "goals" while under the assumption that you're the only Alpha Legionnaire present.

[Mazer Rackham]

I can see it now.  Reservoir Dogs.  But with Space Marines?

 

"Right, code-names."

"Why can't we pick our own names?"

"Doesn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because I get six Astartes all arguing over who wants to be Alpharius and because nobody knows each other, no-one backs down."

"I'm Alpharius!"

"Shut up!"

 

MR.

[Noctus Cornix]

There's only two way you're going to be on this job, Beta. My way, or the highway.

 

 

Now let's get to business.

 

 

Jokes aside, I apologize for the brief stall. It's been a rough couple weeks on my end and I went afk for a little while to figure some things out. I'm unfortunately still on the job hunt. Hopefully something will come up sooner, rather than later. I think it would likely be easier to start something up with Chaos Space Marines, rather than going whole-sale on the Knight stuff. I am totally down for the Knight idea, but it's a concept I need to do more research on and look into. Besides, everyone loves Marines. :)

 

Steel Company, I dig the Rubric Marine idea. Lofty goals, but hey can't blame him for it. ;)

[Xin Ceithan]

What you all need to do is play a band of Alpha Legionnaires masquerading as a band of disparate legionnaires/renegades/heretics who each have no idea the other is an Alpha Legionnaire all while trying to further the Alpha Legions "goals" while under the assumption that you're the only Alpha Legionnaire present.

This is either going for excellence or very serious injury! ;)

 

 

So Marines it is!

 

How closely are we supposed to go with the archetypes in the rulebook? Or much leeway do we have narratively? Like adding the Psyker trait and a low level psych rating to say, the Dark Apostle class.

I am aware we are way early in this ....

at least I can give my character concept sketches some direction now :)

[Steel Company]

Thanks Noctus!

 

I've got a couple of ideas for components to the ritual that are so unobtainable and ambiguous that it would be easy for the entire campaign to go by and not get a few of them.

 

I think one of my favorites is a"Tear of Isha", considering that she is trapped in Nurgle's garden this is so far out of reach it's almost funny.

[Noctus Cornix]

 

What you all need to do is play a band of Alpha Legionnaires masquerading as a band of disparate legionnaires/renegades/heretics who each have no idea the other is an Alpha Legionnaire all while trying to further the Alpha Legions "goals" while under the assumption that you're the only Alpha Legionnaire present.

This is either going for excellence or very serious injury!

 

 

So Marines it is!

 

How closely are we supposed to go with the archetypes in the rulebook? Or much leeway do we have narratively? Like adding the Psyker trait and a low level psych rating to say, the Dark Apostle class.

I am aware we are way early in this ....

at least I can give my character concept sketches some direction now

 

 

I'm always willing to give leeway if it makes sense. Low-level psychic potential for a Dark Apostle makes perfect sense, as the 'Burning Lore' option in the Horus Heresy tabletop game proves. 

 

 

My question for you guys is which would you folks prefer? I'm still presently on the fence of whether I want to do a warband starting point where you guys can be from wherever, or if I want to start from the Horus Heresy where you guys are basically all from the same Legion.

 

I admit, I'm a little tempted by the idea of having you guys play out as Word Bearers from the Istvaan Massacre to the 13th Black Crusade.

[Steel Company]

I'm good with what ever, but given my preference, I'd love to run with the idea that character concept I put forward here already. It gives a ton of leeway as he'd be searching for something that would take him away from the fellows of his gene line, likely looking for temporary minions allies across the galaxy to reach his goal.

[Morovir]

My idea for an Alpha Legion game would be building on Slip's idea, with a The Man Who Was Thursday-style epic about an Alpha Legionnaire infiltrating an Inquisitorial conclave, only to eventually discover that every other member of the conclave is also an Alpha Legionnaire from a different cell sent to infiltrate it for completely different, often opposing, reasons.

 

Going back to the actual prospective game at hand, I think it would be interesting to have a band of Black Legionnaires, all from varying Legion and thinblood backgrounds, as that would allow them to have an at least somewhat unified purpose whilst still having vastly different backstories.

[Mazer Rackham]

SNIP* The Man Who Was Thursday SNIP*

 

A man of refined literary taste...definitely an Alpharius here! ;)

 

Istvaan Massacre could start the party off well - a blend of the ideas so far, a Commander has formed an Ad-Hoc unit to do something nefarious, perhaps  we  you are hunting a group of loyalists that know the massacre is about to happen and we must use all our tools to silence them.  Our damnation begins there.

 

We're all swinging towards the same goal at the start, with a bigger hat above us.  Of course, after Istvaan it all goes pear-shaped and we end up doing whichever up to the part where Ol 'armless asks a lackey of a lackey of a lackey for us to be his lackeys in the 13th Big Show.

 

Or I could be talking bobbins.

 

MR.

[Beren]

A Heresy base could allow for some interesting starting points; Destroyers, Seekers and the like.

[Slips]

It would also be a cool way to explore how, over time, their Power Armour would degrade and their feelings on having to scavenge power armour parts.

[No Foes Remain]

If its not too late to join the heresy train, I'd like to join. Its been a while since I've done a PBP but before I found D&D and RPG systems thats all I used to do with a small group from the old DoW2 community forums.

[Mazer Rackham]

Beren - I regret my Heresy lore is lacking, as I only kind of know Destroyers and the Moritat.  I think you'll have to help me out there - but it sounds like we could add a few spins on the Archetypes...

 

Slips - Not sure what you mean by that since you're all wearing my spares... 

 

If its not too late to join the heresy train, I'd like to join. Its been a while since I've done a PBP but before I found D&D and RPG systems thats all I used to do with a small group from the old DoW2 community forums.

 

Welcome, No Foes Remain. (I heard that in my best Unicron voice). I am sure our GM will drop by shortly to issue you with a ticket for the platform with a pedigree like that.

 

Mind the gap - it's a long way down to hell.

 

MR.

[Beren]

How detailed/extensive an overview do you want Mazer?

[Steel Company]

How detailed/extensive an overview do you want Mazer?

 

 

I'd take detailed personally.

 

I don't get a lot of time to crawl through the 30k rules and unit descriptions....

[Beren]

Just infantry units? Including HQ's and Legion specific one's?

[Steel Company]

I'll take any info you are willing to hand over, provided it's not taking too much of your time.

 

As for Legion specific, I'm a First Legion fan, so the others can take a back seat.... but if I do get a go a head with the Thousand Sons Character I'm toying with, then they could be helpful too.

[Mazer Rackham]

Just infantry units? Including HQ's and Legion specific one's?

 

I'll take any info you are willing to hand over, provided it's not taking too much of your time.

 

As for Legion specific, I'm a First Legion fan, so the others can take a back seat.... but if I do get a go a head with the Thousand Sons Character I'm toying with, then they could be helpful too.

 

I don't think we should clog the thread with a 30K Tactica!   But I agree wholeheartedly with Steel - just spend whatever time you can giving us a flavour.  If I may suggest something like this for easy digestion:

 

All Legions:

• Moritat - armed with pistol type weapons, fire and forget loners, specialise in x (Probably death? ;p )
• Destroyers - black sheep of the legion, the dirty tricks squad, use rad bombs, phosphex.
• Tacticals - the backbone of the Legion.

Then I think a focus on players' own choices - so for Steel:

 

Thousand Sons:

• Special unit Sekhmet, heavily armoured, like to wear Lion pelts (for example) and power weapons

I'd suggest if you want to trade more detail about the 1st Legion, PM's may be better to keep things in here slick, but be warned Beren - Steel is lore-hungry chap!

 

In summary then, I think just a quick cheat card perhaps to familiarise us with what we could expect to see would be great, but there's no need for this right away, we can hammer that out in this thread or the OOC thread when the time comes - perhaps even including it in a Player Dataslate thread like Mol did with Blackthorn/Swordhand - but again, don't feel you have to and anything you are willing to feed us is gratefully received.

 

Souls are also acceptable.

 

MR.