FFG 40k RPGs Update thread

[reds8n]

latest update

Greetings, Dark Heresy fans! This week, I have some guest words from the authors of Damned Cities, the second part of the epic Haarlock’s Legacy Trilogy, John French and Alan Bligh. John and Alan were kind enough to sit down and give me some of their thoughts on crafting this central portion of the trilogy, and how the adventure can affect the entire Calixis Sector!



Without further ado, allow me to present John French and Alan Bligh:

The Worst City I Know…by John French

Sinophia Magna is my favourite worst place in the Imperium. It is bleak, forgotten place that is decaying both physically and socially. It is a place that was once both beautiful and wealthy. Now it is a rancid grand dame of a city clad in rotting finery and begging for a coin while cursing those that spare one…
…and it always rains.

History in Every Stone

One of the reasons Sinophia Magna is my favourite worse place is that it is a place with history, a history that it is to say in gaming terms as well as background. It is a place that we have played in and used for games for years since long before the first copies of Dark Heresy touched the shelves. It predates the Calixis Sector both in its in game history and in its realty as a game setting: ‘The Empty Men of Sinophia Magna’ incident actually happened (well in a game at least) in its streets, in a 40k rpg game that predated Dark Heresy, as have many other investigations since: Inquisitor Herrod (That was me! –Alan) bisected a Logician flesh abomination in a warehouse in the Sinks and everything when horribly wrong as it only can in 40k. Junt Yaeger (who you may recognise in the future that is yet to come) lost his mind at the sight of the Risen Dead on the streets of the and nearly killed his comrades in his madness. In fact both Alan and I have used many of our experiences playing and running games in Sinophia Magna in creating Damned Cities and making your time in that forsaken place as fun as ours have been.

An Atmosphere of Decay and Despair

In all of the adventures that we cooked up to create the Haarlock Legacy campaign, the location for the adventure has a very strong character of its own: The House of Dust and Ash is treaded through with mortuary images, the smell of dry death and the cold of the grave. Quaddis is a city of masks, blood and lies, and forbidden Mara of course holds [purged by the order of the Tenebrae Collegium]. The character of Sinophia Magna is one of decay, bitterness and lost dreams, and we have woven these qualities into every mouldering cranny of the place.

We imagined every sign of tasteful opulence and then let it rot: The streets of European cities, and places we’ve been such as Prague, Venice, Rome and London informed much of the flavour and feel of the city: It is not a city of towering edifices but of crowded buildings with empty rooms. The physical city is of low buildings that press close over stagnant canals and narrow streets. Broken angels look down from vine-choked plinths and the place reeks of damp and human misery. The characters that players will encounter in Sinophia Magna are deliberate mirrors of the physical corruption: even the best of them have a mote of darkness or despair in their souls.

Corrupt cops, well-dressed monsters and Victorian values, by Alan Bligh

Well with John having already covered a good deal about the adventure’s setting, it leaves it up to me to speak a little about the plot and characters involved (without giving out too many spoilers!) One of the things I really am quite proud off is the setting that John and I wove for the plot was the ‘dramatis personae’ of the adventure itself: We did our part to cram it chock-full of the kind of remarkable, singular and often downright sinister cast of characters that you would expect to encounter in an Imperial city, and just ‘turned up’ the darkness and decay, from monstrously vain and jaded nobles, to psychopathic enforcers, murderous street scum and of course the poor downtrodden mass of normal folk in-between. There’s something I think ineffably both gothic and Victorian about the result, with its own logic and dark ambiance, and was a perfect backdrop of characters to get themselves unwittingly become embroiled in a major piece of the Haarlock puzzle.

Failing States

One other interesting idea John and I had when putting together the adventures outline that really interested us, was the idea of setting it against the background of civil unrest: a worsening collapse of law and government in a capital city of an Imperial world, and thereby the impending threat of riot and civil war for the Acolytes to worry about. This also ties into the fact that in Damned Cities, the Acolytes are acting with inquisitorial authority, and with help, of a sort, from the powers that be, leaving them open to all sorts of potential entanglements in the city’s power politics as well as some interesting moral questions about who they should help, and where their duty lies. Of course, this being Dark Heresy, there are plenty of very nasty surprises hiding behind Sinophia’s rotting veneer as well.

The Mystery Unfolds

Damned Cities was written the ability to run it as a ‘stand alone’ adventure in mind, but is of course, part of the wider dark web of the Haarlock Legacy. Its structure and scope offer what we hope is another change of pace and game play, from either the previous two adventures and something that Dark Heresy fans will greatly enjoy, and it also provides some more troubling answers about the secret of the legacy which will be realised finally in the adventures arc’s shattering conclusion, Dead Stars.

We hope to see you there!

The Next Step

Beginning next week, I’m going to start bringing to light possibly the most anticipated book for Dark Heresy...Ascension! Everything you knew was a lie -- it is time to Heed the Higher Call!

linky

[reds8n]

And for RT...

You are a Rogue Trader, an explorer with a sacred mandate to venture beyond the limits of the Imperium in the name of the Emperor. Whether you live the life of an outlaw privateer, or as a scion of an ancient noble line, as a Rogue Trader you have the power and the tools to challenge all rivals for supreme control of the riches lurking in the uncharted reaches of space.

Now, you can bring the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the Koronus Expanse. Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming sourcebook for Rogue Trader, Lure of the Expanse!

Lure of the Expanse features three adventures set amongst the unexplored stars beyond the Imperium. Wealth and glory await those with the courage to venture into the farthest reaches of space.

In Eye of the Needle, your Explorers will travel to the perilous port of Footfall to learn of a dark prophecy of long-lost riches. In The Heathen Trail, the Explorers find themselves on the path of uncountable riches... but they must cross the wild tracts of the Heathen Stars. Threats abound, but can the Explorers transform danger into rewards? Finally, in The World Beyond, the Explorers discover the location of the legendary treasure world. Now, can they prevail against a host of enemies?

This spring, explore the dark frontier of the Warhammer 40,000 universe with this collection of exciting adventures for Rogue Trader. Opportunity abounds. Will you answer the call of the Expanse?

linky

[reds8n]

Everything You Knew Was A Lie

Greetings, Dark Heresy fans!

Ross Watson here; I’m extremely pleased to begin talking about Ascension—a 256-page sourcebook that takes your Dark Heresy campaign to a whole new tier of power and intrigue. In Ascension, your Acolytes become Throne Agents; they are no longer pawns, but rather, they can change the very nature of the contest.

The Left Hand of the Emperor

As the lead developer for Ascension, I had some specific goals in mind when I crafted the vision for this book. I worked closely with Managing Developer Michael Hurley and Games Workshop to help craft Ascension’s broad scope, intricate mechanics, and details about the Inquisition and the Calixis Sector. I assembled a crack team of designers, including some exceptionally gifted wordsmiths of the 41st Millennium: Andy Hoare, Sam Stewart, John French and Alan Bligh, and Owen Barnes. Under the banner of our codename, “Project Rose,” we went forward with a plan to create the most important release for the Dark Heresy line since the core rulebook.

One of my driving goals was to fulfill the promise of Dark Heresy’s venture into the Inquisition. I wanted to bring in elements from the inspirations for the Dark Heresy line, such as the Inquisition miniature game and the Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels by Dan Abnett. My vision of Ascension shifts the game from investigating a single cult and instead “zooms out” a bit, involving multi-system conspiracies and the politics of the Inquisition itself. Once you take on the role of a pivotal member of the Inquisition, you tend to garner a lot of attention...and a lot of enemies! Different factions and rivals are sure to get involved with your investigation as friends and foes (and sometimes both at the same time!).

So, what will you find inside Ascension?

This book is chock-full of material to enhance your Dark Heresy campaign, including a lot of new additional rules, new ways to use Fate Points, an expanded Rank structure, a new approach to psychic powers, and a system named Influence that puts your characters at the center of your own operations, able to muster the resources of entire worlds to your authority.

Other chapters provide a selection of 12 all-new full Careers, including the ability to directly take on the role of an Inquisitor! Other options involve Careers known as Throne Agents—a step above Acolytes in both power and responsibility. Among their ranks are the Hierophant, Primaris Psyker, and Adeptus Arbites Judge just to name a few...

Later sections delve into the secrets of the Inquisition and how it operates within the Imperium of Mankind. There is a focus on the place of an Inquisitor as a peer of the Imperium, the power of Inquisitor Lords, and the nature of the Ordos.

One of my favorite sections of the book details the challenges faced by a Game Master running an ascended game of Dark Heresy. How to deal with issues of player-character authority within the game universe, as well as advice on creating wide-ranging threats and running long-term ascended campaigns are all discussed in detail.

Ascension also includes a complete adventure designed for ascended play. Murder comes to the great temple Aleph on Malfi during the investiture of a senior priest of the Ecclesiarchy. With power, wealth, and treachery in abundance, the Inquisitor and Throne Agents must find a way out of the maze of lies and blood. If they find the truth, do they let it be known—or substitute their own?

I’ve given you a pretty good overview of the book for this week, but don’t despair! I plan to go into more detail about the book in future designer diaries...and provide some tasty previews of the contents! I may even be able to provide some choice extras along the way...stay tuned!

The Next Step

Although I am very proud and excited to talk about Ascension, there are even more impressive books for the Dark Heresy line planned for the rest of this year and beyond! 2010 is going to be a good year for Dark Heresy, and I’m really looking forward to being able to tell you more about all the great books we are working on here at the Fantasy Flight Games RPG department. As always, keep checking the website for new information, and may the light of the Golden Throne guide your way!

Dark Heresy is a roleplaying game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, a setting in the grim darkness of the far future. Players take on the roles of Acolytes serving the Inquisition, rooting out heresy and corruption from within the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man.

linky


Sounding good.

[lorbaat]

Rogue Trader Captain Haarlock? Really?

[Dakkagor]

SQUEEE!

Sounds fantastic!

[Idaan]

Rogue Trader Captain Haarlock? Really?

Yup. Dark Heresy is like that and that's why I love it. Lots of cool winks and references to more or less known elements of pop culture. Sometimes it's quite obvious like with "the King in Rags and Tatters" who "wears no mask", sometimes it's quite obscure, like the Captain Harlock.

[ThousandPlateaus]

Huh? What I have missed; not sure I understand the reference.

[shabbadoo]

Is your Google broken?

[spaint2k]

I guess they mean this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Harlock

But I don't understand the reference to the King in Rags and Tatters, and Google seems to point to mostly Dark Heresy references. Anybody care to enlighten?

[ThousandPlateaus]

Is your Google broken?

Perhaps not quite so much as your manners; pity the day when asking questions on a discussion forum is derided.

[N0-1_H3r3]

I guess they mean this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Harlock

But I don't understand the reference to the King in Rags and Tatters, and Google seems to point to mostly Dark Heresy references. Anybody care to enlighten?

It is, if memory serves, a reference to The King in Yellow, more specifically, the character's appearances in the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Mike Mason, who was in charge of Dark Heresy up until Black Industries closed nearly two years ago, is a huge Call of Cthulhu fan (and is involved in the running of the Call of Cthulhu magazine "The Whisperer").

[Idaan]

Yes, Captain Harlock is an obscure anime series, one that I've never seen personally but heard mentioned a lot even before the reference in DH.

King in Rags and Tatters is a reference to "King in Yellow", an anthology of early horror stories by Robert W. Chambers. Chambers was a major influence on H.P. Lovecraft, and so the names from his writing pop up quite a lot in Lovecraft's stories. Dark Heresy designers seem to be quite fond of it too, as they've nicked the ancient deity called the King himself (described to be clad in tattered rags by Chambers), the names Cassilda (Inquisitor Cassilda Cognos), the constellation of Hyades where the action takes place (Lock of Hyades in Radical's Handbook), dim city of Carcosa (dread Carcos sector) and many, many more.

Then there are the Lovecraft overtones in really most of the Chaos and Xenos stuff, from the Silver Key in Disciples of the Dark Gods, "obscene chtonic idols" found in the Halo Stars, down to the quote on extinct race of Yu'vath saying "If it does not rot, if it can lie like that forever, is it truly dead?", being obvious paraphrase of "The Call of Cthulhu"'s "That is not dead which can eternal lie, with strange aeons even death may die".

DH designers really enjoy their job, and it's a good thing.

EDIT: ninja'd by a Dire Avenger. The Scorpions are the ninja aspect, dammit! :P

[N0-1_H3r3]

DH designers really enjoy their job, and it's a good thing.

Oh yes we do. It's actually difficult to think of it as a job...

[Gutzmek]

The Halo device is a reference to the movie Cronos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronos_(film)

[Loki73]

Sadly, while this new stuff is awesome looking, the DH group I was DMing just killed themselves by killing an Ork that was assaulting their chimera, blowing up his stock of grenades, defeating the Chimera's armor, and then rolled a 100 for the damage result, killing the entire party

OMG LOL! Cool. My group has been playin for over a year. I have a temple Calix Psker with a lathe forged force weapon. A series of lucky events conspired for me to make that.


Good news about the contest.

[Deus Mechanicus]

As a Rogue Trader player... i'll have a boring with a side order of boring with extra boring on. Lure of the Expanse? yay three adventures... please give me a Starship book or Monsterbook any day over that.

[N0-1_H3r3]

As a Rogue Trader player... i'll have a boring with a side order of boring with extra boring on. Lure of the Expanse? yay three adventures... please give me a Starship book or Monsterbook any day over that.

Patience. Remember, the first release after the Dark Heresy rulebook was a book with three adventures in it. Just because nothing else has been announced, doesn't mean nothing else is coming.

[Idaan]

As an aside, one of the shop networks in my neighbourhood gets all their shipping from a company called "Yellow King". I always get the chills when I see one of their yellow VW Transporters.

[Gutzmek]

As an aside, one of the shop networks in my neighbourhood gets all their shipping from a company called "Yellow King". I always get the chills when I see one of their yellow VW Transporters.

for Hastur free shipping, thats our thing
send with us, were Yellow King!

[Dangersaurus]

Not a fan of "everything you know is a lie" when "everything" refers to rules and GM information. Everything else sounds good, but I hate reworking my campaign (or worse from FFGs point of view, just not buying the new stuff) because the designers have moved on to other shinier things and try to wedge them into the old ruleset.