Pen and Paper!

[Saskwach]

And again, while the armies of humanity are indeed varied, they are not exactly long lasting outside of the inquisitors, the spess mahreens, and the Sisters.

Even if that were true, long life is not important to a character for it to be playable.

And while it's sad that they haven't put a lot of support for xenos for some odd reason, it's a bit false to claim that you can only do it in the Calixis system with the core rule book. Core rule-book allows easily for primal worlds, hell, even non-inquisitorial games. I know a game that ran with the core book and inquisitor's handbook and was basically just guardsmen against heretics in the middle of a war. Though no, it's not very varied in terms of enemies since it's mostly just Ordo Hereticus and Mallus.

I linked to a podcast a page back that mentions this: the lead designer (I believe) of the Dark Heresy line at Fantasy Flight says in the interview (without actually saying, as he doesn't want to let anything slip) that Calixis is their little corner of the galaxy that they will be expanding, even to the point of ignoring things that couldn't be in that region. When answering a question about Tau he says (and I paraphrase) "I can't confirm or deny, but Tau are in the galactic east, they're stuck in their empire, and they have very slow warp travel - and this monster manual book we're making is for the Calixis sector." Which is as good a way as any to say that they're focusing on Calixis to the exclusion of all else.
As for a guard campaign: yes it's doable. There's even a Guardsman class. Guardsmen are fairly vanilla when it comes to humanity in the Imperium, though, so it's not hard to adapt them to Dark Heresy. The problem I've been saying isn't that it's impossible, but that the focus Dark Heresy places on Calixis and the Inquisition makes anything else harder than it has to be. Look at linchowlewly: he heard Tau weren't in and vehicles weren't in and he gave up. That's the kind of player Dark Heresy lost: the interested but not diehard.
I would disagree that the core rule book allows "easily" for primal worlds and others. To do that, I would expect some given monsters and aliens that might pop up in such a setting, and a creation system for more. I would also expect some material on likely planetary environments and such. Again, it's not that the game disallows a primal wold game, it's just that it doesn't at all help the DM out.
Oh, and I agree: here's to Rogue Trader and branching out. If any of the three books can do it (Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader and, as if they were searching for niches, Deathwatch. Not standard SM, Deathwatch.) it's Rogue Trader.

 

[linchowlewy]

And again, while the armies of humanity are indeed varied, they are not exactly long lasting outside of the inquisitors, the spess mahreens, and the Sisters.

Even if that were true, long life is not important to a character for it to be playable.

And while it's sad that they haven't put a lot of support for xenos for some odd reason, it's a bit false to claim that you can only do it in the Calixis system with the core rule book. Core rule-book allows easily for primal worlds, hell, even non-inquisitorial games. I know a game that ran with the core book and inquisitor's handbook and was basically just guardsmen against heretics in the middle of a war. Though no, it's not very varied in terms of enemies since it's mostly just Ordo Hereticus and Mallus.

I linked to a podcast a page back that mentions this: the lead designer (I believe) of the Dark Heresy line at Fantasy Flight says in the interview (without actually saying, as he doesn't want to let anything slip) that Calixis is their little corner of the galaxy that they will be expanding, even to the point of ignoring things that couldn't be in that region. When answering a question about Tau he says (and I paraphrase) "I can't confirm or deny, but Tau are in the galactic east, they're stuck in their empire, and they have very slow warp travel - and this monster manual book we're making is for the Calixis sector." Which is as good a way as any to say that they're focusing on Calixis to the exclusion of all else.
As for a guard campaign: yes it's doable. There's even a Guardsman class. Guardsmen are fairly vanilla when it comes to humanity in the Imperium, though, so it's not hard to adapt them to Dark Heresy. The problem I've been saying isn't that it's impossible, but that the focus Dark Heresy places on Calixis and the Inquisition makes anything else harder than it has to be. Look at linchowlewly: he heard Tau weren't in and vehicles weren't in and he gave up. That's the kind of player Dark Heresy lost: the interested but not diehard.

it's not the tau specifically that annoy me (don't want you to think i'm a fanboy) but i was looking forward to a whole universe where i could play as any one of the many alien species within 40k lore. but i'm now dissapointed because i'm limited to humans which i have in every other PnP RPG. also vehicles are an integral part of the 40k universe as well and thought they would be quite fun. finally i haven't given up it's just i don't have the time or money to get into it considering i'm already running two PnP things it'll be hard to find a group for it.

 

[Alex_P]

I think Dark Heresy is a solid, well-put-together WFRP derivative. When I first heard about the game (only about a month before release since I'm not an avid Warhammer fan) I kinda imagined a playing a game about Inquisitors and the big, awesome, weighty choices they have to make. And Dark Heresy isn't that game -- it's a game about their underlings, who do interesting stuff in their own right, but that stuff is pretty similar to the "adventuring" you see in many different pen-and-paper and video-game RPGs. Nothing about it actually seemed bad but nothing really set it apart, either, I guess.

(You xenos fans should probably look at Rogue Trader, a follow-up to Dark Heresy. It's supposed to have ships and aliens and such.)

-- Alex

 

[Copter400]

Say, are there any fans of Dragon Warriors or Beyond The Supernatural here?

Anyone?

 

[Saskwach]

it's not the tau specifically that annoy me (don't want you to think i'm a fanboy) but i was looking forward to a whole universe where i could play as any one of the many alien species within 40k lore. but i'm now dissapointed because i'm limited to humans which i have in every other PnP RPG. also vehicles are an integral part of the 40k universe as well and thought they would be quite fun. finally i haven't given up it's just i don't have the time or money to get into it considering i'm already running two PnP things it'll be hard to find a group for it.

That's cool. I figured that was about your position, but I used you to make my point: you were interested, and then you put the idea on the backburner when I pointed out it doesn't handle your idea well. Much of 40k's unique flavour just wasn't in Dark Heresy, and when you heard that you were a little underwhelmed. Am I putting words into your mouth or have I got your measure here?
PS: I'm beginning to sound like I hate the game which really isn't true. I just feel it disowned some really important aspects of 40k. So take my whining as me playing devil's advocate.
PPS: I'm still wondering about Traveller. Is there anyone here who happens to know?

 

[linchowlewy]

it's not the tau specifically that annoy me (don't want you to think i'm a fanboy) but i was looking forward to a whole universe where i could play as any one of the many alien species within 40k lore. but i'm now dissapointed because i'm limited to humans which i have in every other PnP RPG. also vehicles are an integral part of the 40k universe as well and thought they would be quite fun. finally i haven't given up it's just i don't have the time or money to get into it considering i'm already running two PnP things it'll be hard to find a group for it.

That's cool. I figured that was about your position, but I used you to make my point: you were interested, and then you put the idea on the backburner when I pointed out it doesn't handle your idea well. Much of 40k's unique flavour just wasn't in Dark Heresy, and when you heard that you were a little underwhelmed. Am I putting words into your mouth or have I got your measure here?
PS: I'm beginning to sound like I hate the game which really isn't true. I just feel it disowned some really important aspects of 40k. So take my whining as me playing devil's advocate.
PPS: I'm still wondering about Traveller. Is there anyone here who happens to know?

nope you pretty much summed up how i feel about this game perfectly. also if you want to know more on traveler go to mongoosepublishing.com

 

[Alex_P]

So do any other escapists play these relics of the past?

Come to think of it, none of the pen-and-paper games I want to play these days are really relics of the past. The oldest is from 2002.

-- Alex

 

[Copter400]

I'm still wondering about Traveller. Is there anyone here who happens to know?

I know of Traveller. My father has a few of the rule books.

 

[TomWhitbrook]

I'm still wondering about Traveller. Is there anyone here who happens to know?

I know of Traveller. My father has a few of the rule books.

I have the GURPS Traveller book they put out. Apparently it's a sort of alternate version of the continuity, but I can't comment so much because I don't know any other version. It was a good read, but I never ran or played it. I remember mining some concepts for something else I was doing, but Transhuman Space provided all the GURPS future adventures I needed.

At random, does anyone here like exalted? Because I don't, but often feel uncomfortably like I should.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

My personal favorite Pen and Paper at the moment is Hollow Earth Expedition, it's got a very simple system which narrows ALL your attack options into a single roll with multiple dice ala White Wolf.

Setting wise it is a lot of fun, Hollow Earth, Nazi's, Dinosaurs, Ancient Ruins, Mad Scientists, Secrets of Atlantis etc.

I live for this kind of stuff, it also has a good integration of Roleplaying and Gameplay that is sorely lacking from some other newer products (DnD 4e comes to mind)

 

[Vortigar]

Hhmmmm, we've put some characters together last week to start a Dork Hearsay (as it is apparently called) game tonight. The stuff I'm reading here is not making me all too happy. Wonder of the GM we got can wing all that stuff. Only one of the six of us has the book and its not one of the two steeped in 40K lore, though he's pretty well versed. This is leading up to become a pretty weird concerted effort it seems. Would've went out to buy the book myself in a flash if it weren't so darn expensive, feels kinda strange not being completely aware of all the stuff the game can throw at you (I've been playing DnD so long I know the critters and classes like the back of my hand by now).

We chose to go with a Xenos Inq. because we thought it would probably be easier to create a story around, but the opposite seems to be true? We could always switch it back. And hey, I get to play a Praetorian Guard (is Praetoria a shrine world? Well, NOW it is), so even if I get my head chopped off in the first session and we'll never play it again I will at least have done it with some darn style.

Still DnD3.5-ing along the way as well too.

 

[Joos]

This thread makes me say "GO BELKAR"!

 

[Alex_P]

At random, does anyone here like exalted? Because I don't, but often feel uncomfortably like I should.

I like the general idea but the execution leaves me cold. Much too fiddly and splatbook-happy for my taste.

-- Alex

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Similarly has anyone here ever played Secret of Ziran? The rules are a little heavy and I'm not sure whether it would be worth learning them.

 

[Saskwach]

At random, does anyone here like exalted? Because I don't, but often feel uncomfortably like I should.

Dicepools scare the bejeezus out of me, so no. Besides, what is this should you speak of? It's all taste.

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

Not only do I play tabletop RPGs, but I even verge into true unrepentant nerdity by running them as well.

Currently I run a Mage: the Ascension game and am looking to acquire more books for an Iron Kingdoms campaign.

 

[TomWhitbrook]

At random, does anyone here like exalted? Because I don't, but often feel uncomfortably like I should.

Dicepools scare the bejeezus out of me, so no. Besides, what is this should you speak of? It's all taste.

Everyone in the group is always saying "Man, you should try some Exalted, you'd love it" or "We should play Exalted next week, give it a another chance man", and I feel like I'm letting the side down by telling them I'd rather have rabid ferrets chewing on my testicles for the entire 5 hours instead.

Everyone's enjoying 4E at the moment though, despite the initial skepticism on the part of everyone who wasn't me, so I'm safe at least until I bring that campaign to a close. Since the ranger discovered twin strike the party is down to a mere three near death experiences in any given encounter, so I estimate that I've got a good while yet.

 

[Saskwach]

At random, does anyone here like exalted? Because I don't, but often feel uncomfortably like I should.

Dicepools scare the bejeezus out of me, so no. Besides, what is this should you speak of? It's all taste.

Everyone in the group is always saying "Man, you should try some Exalted, you'd love it" or "We should play Exalted next week, give it a another chance man", and I feel like I'm letting the side down by telling them I'd rather have rabid ferrets chewing on my testicles for the entire 5 hours instead.

Everyone's enjoying 4E at the moment though, despite the initial skepticism on the part of everyone who wasn't me, so I'm safe at least until I bring that campaign to a close. Since the ranger discovered twin strike the party is down to a mere three near death experiences in any given encounter, so I estimate that I've got a good while yet.

Assuming you a) won't play exalted, and b) don't want the shame, there is a solution. Never surrender the game suggestion momentum. As the campaign is looking like closing soon, begin launching your propaganda campaign. "Dude, I just bought Game X and I really think we should try it," becomes "Guys, I think I've got a good idea. You're gonna love it," becomes "Good news everyone. I'll be ready to run this next week," in the space of a few sessions. Layer the flaunting (you don't want to sell them so well they prematurely end your current campaign) but when the campaign is really winding down hit them hard. If done right no one will even think to mention Exalted.
As you can tell I really don't like dice pools.

 

[TomWhitbrook]

Assuming you a) won't play exalted, and b) don't want the shame, there is a solution. Never surrender the game suggestion momentum. As the campaign is looking like closing soon, begin launching your propaganda campaign. "Dude, I just bought Game X and I really think we should try it," becomes "Guys, I think I've got a good idea. You're gonna love it," becomes "Good news everyone. I'll be ready to run this next week," in the space of a few sessions. Layer the flaunting (you don't want to sell them so well they prematurely end your current campaign) but when the campaign is really winding down hit them hard. If done right no one will even think to mention Exalted.
As you can tell I really don't like dice pools.

Saskwach, did a particularly large dice pool crush a beloved childhood pet of yours once?
In all seriousness, I too cannot stand dicepools, which coincides neatly with my desire never to actually play in or run a White Wolf game. Which is a shame, because I enjoy reading their fluff no end sometimes.

 

[Saskwach]

Saskwach, did a particularly large dice pool crush a beloved childhood pet of yours once?

Dude, don't even joke about that...Lucky was never the same after his skull was half caved in by a tragic Shadowrun incident. The vet said putting him to sleep was the best way to go.
*muffled weeping*

In all seriousness, I too cannot stand dicepools, which coincides neatly with my desire never to actually play in or run a White Wolf game. Which is a shame, because I enjoy reading their fluff no end sometimes.

Same here. Much of the fluff is cool when it isn't overdone, but I wouldn't be caught dead with a dice pool in my hands.