[DW] Blackthorn/Swordhand Episode III: Recruitment Thread

[Commissar Molotov]

Do you guys use much of the Squad rules? That's the only thing I couldn't really get my head around in the one-shots I've played - cohesion, etc.

As I said, I have a few players who are rather proficient with the rules and they've sprung quite a few surprises on me!

 

It is possible to play Deathwatch without Squad Abilities, but you are definitely fighting with one hand behind your back.

 

The original DW rules were flawed in that you needed to use Tactical Marines with Tactical Expertise to share out Chapter-specific Squad Modes. They tried to fix this with Rites of Battle (pp225-6), where they added the Forging the Bond talent.

[Mazer Rackham]

Oh gosh, the possibility to play Tyber off of an Unforgiven would be so much fun!

 

Yes, but if it's an Angel of Absolution, they think they're FORgiven...would be interesting to see Tyber say about being buried under crippling betrayal and the AoA going, "Yeah, how about that?" ;p

 

 

 

Another is a Consecrators tactical marine. I've always enjoyed the Dark Angels for their knightly theme and while the overly paranoid, secretive "who's backstabbing who", can get grating at times there's more water to draw from the well of The First - the Consecrators are a good example of it. Relics, secrets, histories and knightly bonds abound I think with this one. The chapter's history is also quite cool, with being tied up in the original Legio I's Firewing. Lots of prestige, lots of a pride, lots of potential politicking - it's a pre-build lion in a box innit?

 

I suppose we'll see won't we! I'll drop a pre-emptive thanks for any people who will welcome me to this forum; you all seem very sincere and eager for new blood like a den of hungry wolves. : )

 

 

I feel thanked!  Welcome to the forum!  I must say I really like the Consecrators idea - where do you even see one of those nowadays?

 

Death Obessed Librarian sounds like he would be fun with my Paranoid Bomber.

 

Oh.  My.  God....

 

Do you guys use much of the Squad rules? That's the only thing I couldn't really get my head around in the one-shots I've played - cohesion, etc.

 

SQD Rules mechanics, as written, are awfully written, but we manage to wrangle them well enough - we do use a lot of them, Free Actions are especially useful to my character who can really only shoot or move without them.

 

Welcome to the board everyone!

 

MR.

[ApostleRP]

Hail fellow RPG nerds!

Been working on some character details for a couple days now, and been pestering CM ceaselessly as well (Yes, I am in fact "That Person".)

So I've been working on a Tactical Marine Concept from the awesome sounding (and poorly documented) Star Phantoms Chapter.

Got some rough notes here:

- Chapter rules (Myself and CM both agreed the rules for the Stare Phantoms in HtC/FF were... subpar): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIZOsfrXEDVPDjUj13B1RnqP2gKmoriy-DRtkLAlpTg/edit?usp=sharing

- Character Profile - Lycus Artemios: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lwu9cmvYnMeryFNLxCfi3-pfGRNhrAnWbaPtnqJnq90/edit?usp=sharing

 

Hoping to see you in the field.

Gloria, Imperator Mortifex!

[Nineswords]

Hail fellow RPG nerds!

 

Been working on some character details for a couple days now, and been pestering CM ceaselessly as well (Yes, I am in fact "That Person".)

 

So I've been working on a Tactical Marine Concept from the awesome sounding (and poorly documented) Star Phantoms Chapter.

 

Got some rough notes here:

 

- Chapter rules (Myself and CM both agreed the rules for the Stare Phantoms in HtC/FF were... subpar): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIZOsfrXEDVPDjUj13B1RnqP2gKmoriy-DRtkLAlpTg/edit?usp=sharing

 

- Character Profile - Lycus Artemios: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lwu9cmvYnMeryFNLxCfi3-pfGRNhrAnWbaPtnqJnq90/edit?usp=sharing

 

Hoping to see you in the field.

 

Gloria, Imperator Mortifex!

I’m a big fan of the Star Phantoms. In fact my next DIY Project after the Storm Sons is a Star Phantoms successor chapter which I have begun to flesh out.

[ApostleRP]

 

Hail fellow RPG nerds!

 

Been working on some character details for a couple days now, and been pestering CM ceaselessly as well (Yes, I am in fact "That Person".)

 

So I've been working on a Tactical Marine Concept from the awesome sounding (and poorly documented) Star Phantoms Chapter.

 

Got some rough notes here:

 

- Chapter rules (Myself and CM both agreed the rules for the Stare Phantoms in HtC/FF were... subpar): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIZOsfrXEDVPDjUj13B1RnqP2gKmoriy-DRtkLAlpTg/edit?usp=sharing

 

- Character Profile - Lycus Artemios: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lwu9cmvYnMeryFNLxCfi3-pfGRNhrAnWbaPtnqJnq90/edit?usp=sharing

 

Hoping to see you in the field.

 

Gloria, Imperator Mortifex!

I’m a big fan of the Star Phantoms. In fact my next DIY Project after the Storm Sons is a Star Phantoms successor chapter which I have begun to flesh out.

 

That's cool :) Have you looked over my stuff? Did I miss / misinterpret anything? :D

[PhiltheHuman]

Hi, I would also be really interested in joining your game. The character concept I have is an Ultramarine tactical marine/ Tyranic war veteran. I have a backstory ready to go, which I can either post here or send via a word document. If the tactical marine class is already taken, I am happy to take one of the other classes.

 

Im the guy from reddit, btw. With gracious help from the admins, I was able to finally get my profile to work 

[Petragor]

Hi, I would also be really interested in joining your game. The character concept I have is an Ultramarine tactical marine/ Tyranic war veteran. I have a backstory ready to go, which I can either post here or send via a word document. If the tactical marine class is already taken, I am happy to take one of the other classes.

 

Im the guy from reddit, btw. With gracious help from the admins, I was able to finally get my profile to work 

Actual Ultramarines or a successor chapter? GM specifically prefers successors, you can read more about it earlier in the topic

[Commissar Molotov]

Hi Phil,

 

I've sent you a message on Reddit but I am trying to avoid having too many of the "big names." For me, it stretches credulity that I would have all of the "big nine" in one place right when I need them. I also worry that it creates a power disparity between the original Legions and Joe Average from the 26th Founding. And, ultimately, it's a big galaxy and I would love to explore it with my players!

 

I would encourage you to consider whether your character concept would work with another successor Chapter. If so, great!

Edited January 21, 2021 by Commissar Molotov

[Reyner]

We got any Scythes of the Emperor? After Ultramarines they're the next best choice for Tyranic War Veterans for me.

[Commissar Molotov]

I love love love the Scythes - though it is worth noting that the destruction of Sotha happens with Kraken in the 990s of M41. By our time frame it's only Behemoth, in 745.

[Boyadventurer]

Is there a specific way we should be "applying" as it were? I've been delving a little into the Silver Skulls as well and have a neat concept there to work from if Imperial Fists would be a no go.

[Mojake]

At risk of sounding like a kiss-arse, god-damn you guys write good. You weren't kidding that some of these posts could rival BL with their prose.

 

A few questions I have - I suppose others not familiar with this forum will have the same questions:

1. What do you use to roll dice? I've seen the early posts use 'orokos.com', but apparently you need to register an account and I don't seem to be able to do so. It also looks like some are rolling in person, then posting their result? Hard to tell. Do you post your response, roll dice, then edit your response to reflect the rolls, or do you roll first then post a response?
2. What is the general post frequency? It seems like 2-3 days between each of CM's posts earlier on in Episode I. Not sure if this changes later in the game or remains the same. I've taken part in PBP before with an expected minimum of 1 post per day per person (and GM), and whilst this kept the game moving quick it meant that the length/quality of posts were sacrificed by some. I'm really loving the amount of detail you each put into each post, so much so that I've already picked up my Steve Parker Deathwatch book and started my second read.
3. Out of character text, it looks like most people at this point in the game are using green text. Are there any other formats that you've adopted as a group that would be a good habit to get into? I've noticed that some players use different fonts, some write in third person whilst others write in first, etc. Is there anything that us as prospective players would benefit to know?

TIA!

[Steel Company]

I use orokos.com out of habit, I registered for it a while ago and had no issue with that. I'm also sure that there is a fair amount of trusting us to be honest with our rolls and I'm sure that both are fine and accepeted, but CM should have final say about that.

 

The posting frequency varies, sometimes there can be multiple per day sometimes a fair amount of time goes by. I know for most of 2020 not a lot happened on the board, but that was because we were all busy with things going on in our personal lives. On top of that, very few of us are in the same time-zone, so coordination can be a bit tricky sometimes.

 

I think the use of the green text just kind of happened as CM uses Mod Yellow for GM stuff a lot, so it's nice to have out of character stuff be in the green or yellow depending on who is saying what. When it comes to writing format, I think, just write how you're comfortable to write.

[Praetorian86]

Courage and Honor Phil,

 

Since we’re avoiding First Foundings, if you’d really like to play an Ultramarine without being an Ultramarine, you could look into the Genesis Chapter. They’re Second Founding and very close to the UMs geographically, culturally, and doctrinally. They frequently will serve alongside the UMs on campaign as well. In the game you even start with the talent Peer (Ultramarines).

[Mazer Rackham]

As an addendum to Steel's great post, I am working on/planning when I get the time, to post something up as to PBP Posting conventions, using our current method as the standard practice.

 

@Mol, you're not alone, had an army of the SOTE back in the day.  Bits of Tyranids glued everywhere

 

MR.

[TechCaptain]

As an addendum to Steel's great post, I am working on/planning when I get the time, to post something up as to PBP Posting conventions, using our current method as the standard practice.

 

MR.

I think this is a great idea and it leaves it open to add stuff we may not have thought of yet to improve form.

[Mojake]

As an addendum to Steel's great post, I am working on/planning when I get the time, to post something up as to PBP Posting conventions, using our current method as the standard practice.

 

@Mol, you're not alone, had an army of the SOTE back in the day.  Bits of Tyranids glued everywhere

 

MR.

 

I look forward to it, and perhaps I'll be able to impart some PBP wisdom of my own.

[Commissar Molotov]

I was discussing this with Nineswords today, but I don't think it is desirable to police my players too stringently regarding the way that they post. On the one hand, I think that there is an element of "peer pressure", in that when the players around you are putting in a lot of effort in their posts, it makes you want to do so as well. On the other hand, nobody here is doing this as their job: my players could all quit on me, and I would be left writing glorified fan fiction. At the end of the day, player engagement is more important than my pedantry. Plus, getting a red pen out and correcting you is all a bit too close to my day job!

 

Additionally, it is important to remember that the B&C is an international community, and we do have players for whom English is not their first language.

 

Typically, I use present tense when providing updates to players. I don't mind whether players use present or past tense (although I think most players use present, as well - it gives a feeling of immediacy to the action.)

 

It has long been a convention of the B&C that moderators and administrators use orange in their "official posts" - and whilst I am neither, it is important to separate what is my "GM voice" and the narrative posting. Orange grabs the attention without the negative connotations of red. Equally, many of the players choose to use green for their rolls so that it's easier, visually, to distinguish and dismiss them. Some players choose to use the SPOILER tags for this as well. Obviously, we also have the OOC thread to coordinate on a grander scale - there shouldn't be off-topic discussions in the in-character thread.

 

 

Posting frequencies vary - it is natural for there to be ebbs and flows over the course of time. If you are able to warn us of real life events it's always possible for you to leave instructions regarding how you'd like your character to act. Obviously all of us are fitting our posting around work and the like - and I never imagined that only a few months into the game my wife would be diagnosed with breast cancer, which took up a huge chunk of my time! Plus, as Steel mentioned, in 2020 we took a summer break due to the horrible year that 2020 was!

 

Additionally, we do make use of placeholder posts - where you bullet-point your actions and the salient things that I or the other players need, and then go back and fill in later. That's one of the advantages of a forum-based roleplay.

 

With regards to dice rolls - I don't feel the need to use Orokos because I trust the players. My ultimate attitude is that "if you can cheat, I can cheat bigger and better" - and then drop a Warhound Titan on your head! If players want to use Orokos, that's absolutely fine by me. The more important thing I like is to see when players are applying modifiers to their rolls, where they come from. Instead of telling me your Chainsword is 1D10+20, explain to me where you derive that from. The Deathwatch rules are a thorny mess at the best of times!

Edited January 21, 2021 by Commissar Molotov

[Commissar Molotov]

Is there a specific way we should be "applying" as it were? I've been delving a little into the Silver Skulls as well and have a neat concept there to work from if Imperial Fists would be a no go.

 

Hi, 

 

At the moment I'm just gathering interest from players. I've had one other player express interest in a Silver Skull. Is there another Chapter you might be interested in? If you're after Imperial Fists successors you could consider Subjugators, or Black Templars? (I'm quite surprised that nobody has offered up a Black Templar!) 

[Steel Company]

 

Is there a specific way we should be "applying" as it were? I've been delving a little into the Silver Skulls as well and have a neat concept there to work from if Imperial Fists would be a no go.

 

Hi, 

 

At the moment I'm just gathering interest from players. I've had one other player express interest in a Silver Skull. Is there another Chapter you might be interested in? If you're after Imperial Fists successors you could consider Subjugators, or Black Templars? (I'm quite surprised that nobody has offered up a Black Templar!) 

 

*points to Dos' first character idea*

 

Well there was one... but it was three years ago....

[Commissar Molotov]

PHASE ONE

 

Hi all,

 

Thanks for all your patience and understanding. I've contacted all of the current players in Blackthorn and Swordhand. The players and characters that I've managed to confirm for next time are:

 

• Atratus (Raptors Assault Marine) - A.T.
• Greysight (Storm Sons Tactical Marine) - Nineswords
• Nycax Sabaan (Iron Hands Techmarine) - Xin Ceithan
• Tyber (Dragons of Caliban Assault Marine) - Steel Company
• Varvost (Eradicators Assault Marine) - NPC
• Thorvald Hammerhand (Space Wolves XXXX) - TBC
• Brakan Vorr (Red Talons Devastator) - Reyner
• Oto Yeng (Gatebreakers Apothecary) - Apologist

That's eight characters - three Assault, one Tactical, one Devastator, one Techmarine and one Apothecary. Thorvald was a Devastator previously, but can re-spec as a Tactical or Assault as needed.

 

As I said, my theoretical maximum is 22 characters (this would be two Kill-Teams of 10, plus 2 specialists - I am projecting one Librarian and one Chaplain.)

 

Twenty Marines could be 4ish Assault, 4ish Devastator, 2 Apothecaries, 2 Techmarines, 8ish Tactical (in theory - Assault and Devastator could stretch to five of each - leaving one Kill-Team with 3 and one Kill-Team with 2.)

 

This could suggest:

- 1-2 more Assault Marines

- 2-3 more Devastator Marines

- ~6-8 more Tactical Marines

- 1 more Techmarine

- 1 more Apothecary

- 1 Librarian

- 1 Chaplain

 

I've started messaging a few players to enquire about particular character concepts. As I start getting back some confirmations, I will be able to be more concrete regarding vacancies.

 

Thank you, as always, for your consideration and support in all my endeavours.

[Necronaut]

Hi Molotov,

 

Based on your above post, I'm still very interested in playing a chaplain or chaplain type of character, or librarian or even techmarine. Chapter-wise I would like to explore playing either a Black Shield (can discuss chapter idea via DM), or a battle-brother of a Blood Angels descendent chapter (Blood Drinkers or Lamenters would be among my top choices) or similar for White Scars (thinking Iron Talons).

 

Edit: Carcharodons are also a chapter with killer fluff I could happily work with.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Necronaut

[Steel Company]

Hi Molotov,

 

Based on your above post, I'm still very interested in playing a chaplain or chaplain type of character, or librarian or even techmarine. Chapter-wise I would like to explore playing either a Black Shield (can discuss chapter idea via DM), or a battle-brother of a Blood Angels descendent chapter (Blood Drinkers or Lamenters would be among my top choices) or similar for White Scars (thinking Iron Talons).

 

Edit: Carcharodons are also a chapter with killer fluff I could happily work with.

 

Thankfully getting into Chaplain isn't too hard:

 

Rank 4+

WP 45+

Fel 40+

Not: Libby/Techmarine/Space Wolf

 

The easiest base class to use to reach it I've found is tactical marine as they get cheep fellowship and will power advances.

[Necronaut]

 

 

Hi Molotov,

 

Based on your above post, I'm still very interested in playing a chaplain or chaplain type of character, or librarian or even techmarine. Chapter-wise I would like to explore playing either a Black Shield (can discuss chapter idea via DM), or a battle-brother of a Blood Angels descendent chapter (Blood Drinkers or Lamenters would be among my top choices) or similar for White Scars (thinking Iron Talons).

 

Edit: Carcharodons are also a chapter with killer fluff I could happily work with.

Thankfully getting into Chaplain isn't too hard:

 

Rank 4+

WP 45+

Fel 40+

Not: Libby/Techmarine/Space Wolf

 

The easiest base class to use to reach it I've found is tactical marine as they get cheep fellowship and will power advances.

Yep that's pretty much my thinking! Start off as a tactical marine and upgrade at rank 4. The XP stockpiling will be a bit painful for a bit, but the pay-off just looks like so much fun.

[Boyadventurer]

 

Is there a specific way we should be "applying" as it were? I've been delving a little into the Silver Skulls as well and have a neat concept there to work from if Imperial Fists would be a no go.

 

Hi, 

 

At the moment I'm just gathering interest from players. I've had one other player express interest in a Silver Skull. Is there another Chapter you might be interested in? If you're after Imperial Fists successors you could consider Subjugators, or Black Templars? (I'm quite surprised that nobody has offered up a Black Templar!) 

 

 

I feel like BT has one of those diehard fanbases, I wouldn't want to take them as a back up and keep one of their boys from unleashing that righteous zeal whenever they come out of the woodwork (I'm really surprised no one has wanted them yet too!). I would have pitched Retributors (I like their icon and combat doctrine), but it seems like they disappear a while before this timeline.

 

Has anyone thrown in for Dark Hunters? There's some interesting RP potential there with their mistrust of machinery and the Mechanicum.