'To Plunder the Stars Themselves' OOC Thread

[Lysimachus]

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?

[Mazer Rackham]

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?

 

MS Paint is my bestie!

 

I mostly download free/donated maps from the interwebs, but I have all the originals so can always credit if required.  Then I just tweak them.

 

The Deathwatch character sheets I think were a team effort by Mol and Slips (yes, the Mod!)

 

I...may have an interest in your proposal...

 

EDIT: One query - nothing from Honour the Chapter?  Is there a specific reason (avoiding silly character archetypes etc?)

 

MR.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Cool!

 

And doh, forgot HtC, will edit it in above!

[Commissar Molotov]

Most of my maps are done in PowerPoint, actually - just because it's a software I can easily access and use to move things around maps as characters and NPCs move. Once I'm happy, I simply screenshot and then upload.

[A.T.]

Had an old character concept along the lines of 'how dangerous could you be with just a regular bolter/stormbolter' - turns out pretty dangerous indeed with a signum (typically rank 2 sig wargear for skull of brantor-type follower), roaming around shooting whoever the skull at your shoulder decides to give the evil eye :p

 

But my first thought in a space game would be marines errant librarian - the 'designated driver'.

[Mazer Rackham]

Got a real soft spot for the Marines Errant, ever since WD 101 and the 2nd Outer-galactic Expeditionary Force.

 

Their Null G and Pilot skills are a good set to have in a team for something like this - and the Naval Bolter is too.

 

Lysimachus, I take it there won't be Spec Ammo/DW Bolters and stuff?  I know you've mentioned limited equipment, have you got as far as considering the Requisition mechanics?

 

MR.

[Xin Ceithan]

Uh...oh...Did I hear Space Pirates? 

[Lysimachus]

@Mol: Of course, great idea! Even I should be able to manage PP... :D

 

@AT: It may just be my own lack of knowledge, but I fear your understanding of the ruleset, sir. :P

 

Seriously though, a psyker could be cool. In a 5(ish) man squad, I don't really want loads of specialists, but 1 or 2 would be nice!

 

@Mazer: I'm not 100% sure yet? My gut feeling is no special ammo/shot selectors. I'm thinking everything will start with the basics, Rank 1, no Renown, etc. So Requisition would be pretty basic unless someone SigWargear's for something they previously owned (or stole!).

 

I was thinking about giving a slightly higher than usual starting XP to players to compensate though, and represent their 'life experience' before joining the IG...?

 

@Xin: Arrr matey!!! ;)

[TechCaptain]

This might be an interesting way for me to explore my other Chapters a little. I am leaning to Sanguine Templar (Knight like Blood Angels) or Steel Harbinger (Highly Tech oriented Siege Experts) using the rules that you put in the initial post.

[Lysimachus]

Sounds cool... but remember, don't post anything here about which Chapter they come from or what it's like/how it fights. Part of the fun of being a group of anonymous pirates is finding/working out each other's terrible secrets as you go!!! :D

 

Oh, as another rules point that I just thought of, I would probably be sticking to the original DW rules for Squad tactics, at the very least to begin with, as the characters will definitely NOT have much trust for each other at the start! ;)

[Necronaut]

I hate to sign up for another PBP game, but this sounds like a great concept. Throwing my hat into the ring for a Techmarine or Apothecary.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Necronaut

[Lysimachus]

Awesome!

 

I wouldn't worry too much about overlapping with other games, I don't know how long Headhunted or the current run of Blackthorn will last, but Plunder definitely won't start immediately.

 

This is very much an opening ideas post just to gauge interest (and it's fantastic to hear people like the idea!) and then if people are up for it, I'll start working on a specific plot, etc.

 

That said, to give an idea of what I was thinking, I'm picturing a fairly balanced kill team, perhaps character slots of:

 

2 Tac Marines?

1 Dev?

1 Assault? (or possibly a Librarian, who I see generally as more CC-focussed characters? - in which case, maybe A.T.?)

1 Tech or Apothecary? (Necronaut?)

[Xin Ceithan]

I’ll keep an eye on this as it develops. I certainly don’t want to take away someone else slot. 

Was pondering some BA space vampires and the 40K version of the Corvus Cabal for Mazer’s gang, but decided on something more open for the revenge trip ;) 

 

This might see me going down that rabbit hole again..

 

Also, ...arr....mateys . space pirates :)

[A.T.]

1 Assault? (or possibly a Librarian, who I see generally as more CC-focussed characters? - in which case, maybe A.T.?)

 

Librarians are somewhat assaulty by nature, but no match for a real assault marine. Psychic powers offer all kinds of advantages such as teleportation and mind reading but the half action to sustain takes away most of your combat options.

 

Except for Iron Hands Librarians who can just push their strength and toughness up into three digits as a free action - while there is a great risk of inadvertantly summoning a daemon if you do this too often, with stats like that it's always an option to just punch out the daemon and carry on...

[Mazer Rackham]

I feel a Tactical Marine coming on...

 

MR.

[Lysimachus]

@Xin: I love the style of the Corvus Cabal minis! Not sure how it would translate to Astartes...

 

...suddenly I'm picturing a sneaky but unstable (sort of twitchy) RG geneline Marine, gone off the deep end with the feathers/shamanistic stuff!!!

 

Anyway, that's just me taking an idea and running with it, I'd love to hear more about your ideas for it!

 

@AT: Hah, that's very cool! Hm, so I guess maybe for balance I should have 1 of each Marine squad type (Tac/Dev/Ass), plus a psyker and a Tech or Medic?

 

 

 

Tech-Captain and me have just been chatting via PM about a character for one slot, if anyone else wants to throw out any ideas feel free to shoot me a PM too?

 

 

Edit: Mazer, I'd be delighted to have you on board! :D

[TechCaptain]

So thinking an Abandoned Astartes that has decided to strike out on his own after years with a lack of contact with his parent Chapter. Paranoid and intelligent, he searches for a cause to which he feels apart of. With dark eyes and skin, always observing closely the state of affairs around him growing disillusioned and feeling there is a problem he needs to solve but he doesn't even have the question much less the answer. 

[Ancient_Sobek]

I’m interested if you are ok with rules noobs.

[Lysimachus]

I think so... I'm kind of a rules noob myself, so I was hoping that there would be a few who know what they're doing who could keep me on the straight and narrow! But it looks like we've got a few of those veterans interested, so I think we should be OK? Feel free to pitch me a character idea via PM!

 

 

So, just to sum up possible participants/archetypes so far;

 

Tac: Mazer?

Dev: TechCaptain

Assault: ???

Librarian: AT?

Apothecary: Necronaut?

 

I'm considering as there seem to be quite a few potentially interested, I might throw in a second Tac Marine slot for a 6 man Kill Team, if someone wants it...

[Necronaut]

Yeah I could do an apothecary if push came to shove. Maybe something along the lines of Variel from the Night Lords trilogy? Edited April 12, 2021 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

Yeah, a second Tac would be a good call.

 

I could swap to Apothecary if you wanted to try something else Necro, I am sure I could still run my proposed build with a small GM slieght of hand...

 

MR.

[Necronaut]

Nah I'll roll up an apothecary. Could be fun!

 

Edit: unless you're keen to play an apothecary, in which case I'll go techmarine. I have decent concepts in mind for both.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Necronaut

[Beren]

Also interested, possibly in a Tac or Assault character, provided slots are available.

[Mazer Rackham]

Edit: unless you're keen to play an apothecary, in which case I'll go techmarine. I have decent concepts in mind for both.

 

It would be different, but too late, as I've built my Tac now.

 

Playing as a Tac opens up tasty (not mental) options for my build, whilst 500xp would probably have to be spent on SigWargear for the Diagnostor Helmet if I went Apothecary.

 

Go ahead sawbones!  Just keep your needles away from me

 

MR.

 

EDIT: That and I'd be too tempted to roll up an Astral Claw Corpse-Taker....

Edited April 13, 2021 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

So, update:

 

I've now had PMs and confirmed character ideas and squad slots for:

 

TechCaptain: Dev

Ancient Sobek: Tac

 

I've also had character suggestions, but no specific PM for:

 

Mazer: Tac?

Necronaut: Apothecary?

AT: Librarian?

Xin: No squad role but Space Vampire/Corvus Cabal have been mentioned (although if the above slots are agreed, it would be an Assault Marine, which would make sense...?)

Beren: Ass/Tac?

 

So, that's already 1 more than the 6 slots I've got available for the opening game... but everyone please still feel free to PM your character pitches. If I can't pick you for this game, maybe when I've got a bit of GMing under my belt, I can expand to a full squad for a later episode?