New Game

So the transition to a new Sci-Fi felt a bit off to some folks, and I suggested a rolemaster fantasy game.
So with no further ado we have kicked off Rolemaster in Sanctuary.

As a side note, I am playing Diablo 3 and Tera and have stopped playing Eve. This may have had an impact.. :p

Rolemaster Played Again

I've just finished my second Rolemaster game as a player. I like the basic mechanics, but it does seem very tactics light. One thing that struck me in character generation however was that it certainly could be a grim &/or gritty rules set.

I had a certain amount of success using rolemaster for 40k in the past, however it suffered from a "sameness" of enemies and a lack of tactical complexity. 

So my goal would be to add a bit of tactical variation to Rolemaster without burdening the rules. Some weapons are going to bounce off armour, others are going to penetrate it, some are going to do immediate damage, others are simply going to slow or encumber their target. In some ways the critical system with it's bleeds, stuns and on-going penalties is good. 

What I'm not so sure about is the "it always hits" aspect of the charts. I think the spread is too large, I would prefer charts with a narrower band of success, perhaps using damage multipliers rather than adding bonuses to charts. I think the mechanics of the system are such that +15 material bonus is the most that can be used before serious change to the distribution occurs. This actually has good synergy with 40k- decrepit or poorly manufactured gear should have minuses, higher breakage numbers etc. High bonus gear should be really rare in 40k

Characters

This is a synopsis of the characters played in the Dark Heresy Campaign as it stands so far..

The % ratings are a general indication of the involvement or power in that aspect. 50% is the moderate baseline except for insanity and corruption which start at 0.

Feel free to make comment and I will adjust these ratings

Captain Mac (Rogue Trader, Glimpse from Beyond)
Xenophile 80%
Radical 5%
Heretic 5%
Insanity 25
Corruption 0
Melee 50%
Ranged 25%
Stealth 75%
Social 100%
Technology 55%
Psychic 50%

Kali (Death Cult Assassin, Moriat Reaper)

Xenophile 75%

Radical 5%

Heretic 1%

Insanity 25

Corruption 0

Melee 100%

Ranged 0%

Stealth 100%

Social 51%

Technology 50%

Psychic 50%

Holt (Vindicare Assasin, Null)

Xenophile 70%

Radical 75%

Heretic 50%

Insanity 25

Corruption 0

Melee 65%

Ranged 95%

Stealth 95%

Social 5%

Technology 55%

Psychic 0%

Lyra (Astropath Transcendent -> Primus Psyker)

Xenophile 30%
Radical 70%
Heretic 30%
Insanity 19
Corruption 0
Melee 20%
Ranged 40%
Stealth 30%
Social 30%
Technology 50%
Psychic 85%

Tassa (Explorator -> Sage)

Xenophile 30%
Radical 70%
Heretic 50%
Insanity 72
Corruption 6
Melee 40%
Ranged 80%
Stealth 20%
Social 30%
Technology 90%
Psychic 5%

June 18, 2011 3:57 PM

Dark Heresy Game Log 22_5_2011: Subdual of the Sigard System

At the request of the Carcharadons, Captain Mac and Holt as the carrier of Inquisitorial Seal, investigate the Sigard System. Their cause was to establish if there were areas of sympathy or resistance to the Imperium, what military resistance would be encountered, what forces might be brought to bear against the Carcharadons if they attempted to subdue the system and return it to Imperial control.

They performed a distant survey of the system and announced themselves using standard Rogue Trader protocols. They observed 3 asteroid citadels and 3 major belt colonies and half a dozen ship colonies. Two system ships , heavily armed and in astral claws livery responded and ordered them to heave to. The "Cunning Plan" was actively scanned with intrusive sensorium beams. They were then escorted to the nearest asteroid citadel.

Various automated defence platforms were observed guarding the port. Negotiations with the port authorities and local traders revealed the Astral Claws subsuming local planetary defence and naval forces into their structure, including auxiliary troops with integrated space marine troops.

The trader's guild hall was supplied with a noticeably musky air.

Agents Wanted

Inquisitors Frain, Marr and Aquirre seek suitable Agents of the Throne for classified work in the Badab Sector
Pure citizens prepared to sacrifice all in the name of the Emperor apply in comments:
Special consideration given to Judges, Crusaders, Hierophants, Seneschal and Adeptus Astartes




1 or 2 RolePlayers wanted for Ascension level Dark Heresy game held every 2nd Sunday Afternoon, Brisbane North
Some adult themes, familiarity with 40k universe useful, no knowledge of rules required
Combination of action, trading, conspiracy and Grim-Dark craziness
Game uses Dark Heresy Ascension in combination with Rogue Trader and Deathwatch, fairly large scale

Yes, I'm looking for a spare player or 2 to push my group to 5 or 6 players- the rules are fast, the game heaps of fun but if I lose a player to other commitments (which is cool) I tend to lose a session- an extra player will solve this and also make some of the interactions more... complicated :))
And the mechanics are quite fast enough to allow 6 players at least, I reckon

The post I just put up on RPG.net..

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?574207-Brisbane-QLD-Oz-Dark-Heresy-Ascension-GM-Recruiting-1-or-2-more&p=13861365#post13861365

Brisbane QLD Oz - Dark Heresy Ascension- GM - Recruiting 1 or 2 more

Play Location/Method: North Brisbane Queensland Australia (my favorite console is a table and chairs)
Game/System: Dark Heresy style with Ascension, Rogue Trader and Deathwatch rules
I'm the GM in this campaign
Time/Frequency: Alternate Sundays 1400 to 2100hrs ish
Genre: Science-Fantasy, 40k with Inquisition and Rogue Trader Houses
Current needs: Additional player or two
Accept Drop-In Players? Yes with notice
Accept Spectators? contact first, not really the idea but maybe try before you buy
Short description of the setting/campaign:
PCs are Throne agents and currently center or radical. They are trading for wealth and hunting heretics in Koronos Expanse, Badab and the Imperium in general. The Scale is large- 25000 crew ships, 400 man assassins's guilds, landing barges, 4 month journeys for trade. The rules are light.
The fantastic, warped and psionic are common if hidden from the common man. Xenos pirates, factions of the Inquisition, factions of the Adeptus Mechanicus and other houses are the setting's "enemies".

Come get some! I mean, ..eerr for the Emperor! 

Culexus issues and the cult

One of the issues with the various temple assassins is the level of control exercised from a central authority. The advantage from a player perspective to being a member of an autonomous death cult or mafia like organisation is that you aren't beholden to some huge organisation that has some galaxy wide super-headquarters.
Of course, if you are interested in the politics of such a galaxy wide organisation, then a temple assasin is a good choice. If you want to choose your own missions, not so..

An issue with the Eversor and Culexus is that they are strongly anti-social. A fully fledged Eversor has a fear rating of 2. That's Tyrannosaurus Rex scary. The Culexus is worse. A Culexus does a range of things to those around him including lowering "leadership". I'd call that Fellowship and Willpower. By 25%. That's not a penalty on folks he's trying charm.. That's an effect on the orc warboss howling at his gretchin up to 25 meters away. That's causing traitor Black Legion space marines to think twice about following Abaddon's last command. It's dropping Eldrad Uthran, a millennia old farseer's chance of getting a spell off. This is some fairly serious mojo. And you can't turn it off, because you don't like it. Only folks like Noise Marines, Daemons and Tyranid Synapse creatures are immune and even they have their psychic powers dampened if not their resolve.

Of course this doesn't mean that you can't play one, just that it might not be allowed out a lot...

So when I say "Null Projection" what do I mean? well.

1. Soulless: -20, -25 or -30 to Fellowship in a radius equal to twice your willpower bonus in meters

2. Psychic Abomination: Fear rating 1, 2 or 3 to Psykers

3. Etherium: Any person wishing to target you must make a willpower test or choose a different target

4. Animus Speculum: 25 meter range psychic attack using the capacitive charge caused by the absence of connection to the warp. Like lightning it originates where it appears to strike. Willpower test to fire, Ballistic skill to hit, ignores armour, (is affected by fields) 1d10 for every success+twice willpower bonus. Firing is a half action and a free action for every psyker in range.

5. Life Drain: touch range, melee skill to hit (more like just getting really close), opposed willpower test, causes 1d10 wounds to the psyker irrespective of armour or toughness.

and then there is the psykout grenade and the psyocculum (counts as a mind impulse unit red dot scope for psykers ie +20 to hit)