Warhammer 40k: Black Crusade

[Life on Mars]

No longer looking for more applicants! Thanks for looking, if this goes well I hope to do more in the future!

It is the 41st Millennium...
For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

Yet in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the Daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomicon, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor’s will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to name but a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants, and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget, the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

Yet there are those who rise above the teeming masses, rejecting the conformity and servility of mankind. The ignorant call them traitors, heretics, lost, and damned—but they know themselves as the Disciples of the Dark Gods.

Hello and allow me to introduce myself. I am Life on Mars and I shall be your GM of Chaos this evening. I am offering to run a Warhammer 40k game using the Black Crusade rulebook and set within the Screaming Vortex. Anyone who enjoys the Warhammer setting and wants to pledge themselves to the Dark Gods is welcome to join though I work best with about 4-5 players.

For the beginning the players will be answering an invitation by the Oracle Copax, of the Temple of Lies, far off on the planet of Kymerus. They know naught what they will find there only knowing that "the future of the Screaming Vortex depends on it" as the invitation said.
This is the introductory adventure included in the core book and a good starter adventure. If you've already played it I don't mind if you join, just don't use occ knowledge. If EVERYONE has played this already I will run a different introduction to the game.

Characters will be made using the alternative point system included in the rulebook so everyone can make what they want. DO NOT, however, post characters here. Once we have all the players I find it's better they discuss their character ideas first so the party has good synergy.  I also own the supplemental "Tomes" for the chaos gods (including the recently released Tome of Decay for Nurgle, which is awesome) so if people wanted to use appropriate rules from them, such as the Legacy Weapons from Tome of Blood or the expanded minions from Tome of Excess, they will be welcome to.

Because this game focuses on disciples of chaos, some of whom might be sexy cultists of Slaanesh*, sex could totally happen in this game. Violent, surprising sex (Sisters of Battle won't corrupt themselves after all) With that in mind I aim to put it in the Extreme section so there is plenty of leeway, but I don't plan on having sex the main focus of the game.

*remember kids: Slaanesh isn't just about sex! There are plenty of other vices to try, like drugs or eating people!

This is my first time running a group game on this site (I have run play-by-post before though) so any advice is appreciated!

Anyone interested?

[TheGlyphstone]

Definitely interested.

[deadmanshand]

I just promised myself that I wouldn't join any new games until my health was a little more stable - and then you post this. Fuck. *reluctantly raises hand* Interested.

[Life on Mars]

Great to hear! Forgot to mention, and I'll add it to the first post,  that I also own the supplemental "Tomes" for the chaos gods (including hte recently released Tome of Decay for Nurgle, which is awesome) so if people wanted to use appropriate rules from them, such as the Legacy Weapons from Tome of Blood or the expanded minions from Tome of Excess, they will be welcome to.

[Jaded]

I'm interested, though will have to go over the rulebook as have read it but never played it. 

[HairyHeretic]

Interested. Looking to play my Night Lord.

[Life on Mars]

Interested. Looking to play my Night Lord.

Like the specific archetype of Night Lord found in the tomes, or just as your backstory? I was planning on starting people off at normal xp levels.

[TheGlyphstone]

I'm eyeballing the two psykers from Tome of Fate - Magisterus Immaterial, and Thousand Sons Sorcerer - with copious glee.


Do you plan on suggesting/pressuring for an all-Marine or all-Heretic group, presumably whichever the players prefer? It's something the BC book seems to recommend for balance purposes.

[Beorning]

I would like to play! As long as someone helps me to create a character, as I don't have any of the books...

[Pumpkin Seeds]

:: raises hand for interest::

[HairyHeretic]

Like the specific archetype of Night Lord found in the tomes, or just as your backstory? I was planning on starting people off at normal xp levels.

If I can use that archtype, then I would. Otherwise it will be background, and I'll try to build the character to match a scaled down (points wise) version of that.

[Jaded]

I'd kind of like to play a (fallen) Adepta Sororitas or a Psyker.  (or maybe combine the two concepts).  Though I don't mind dropping the Psyker idea if that will overlap with TheGlyphstone's concept. 

I take it the advanced archetypes from the Tomes all have a large bonus of XP to them?

[TheGlyphstone]

You can never have too many Psykers. Having two Tzeentchian devotees might get a little crowded, but a Slaaneshi sorceress would be a good ally, and a Nurgle-aligned psyker would make for great interparty conflict.

The Aligned archetypes don't appear to start with any actual XP bonuses, just different options for spending their starting allotment.

[Jaded]

I'd probably go a Slaanesh leaning Psyker.  Nurgle could be fun too though, hmm, I hadn't looked at him much yet.

I found the rule after I asked (in a weird place) at the start of the Chapter it says:

The Chaos Space Marine veterans introduced in
this chapter are roughly equivalent to a beginning
Chaos Space Marine character with an additional
3600 experience points. The Human characters
are both roughly equivalent to a beginning Human
Disciple of Chaos with an additional 4600 experience
points.

[TheGlyphstone]

I'd probably go a Slaanesh leaning Psyker.  Nurgle could be fun too though, hmm, I hadn't looked at him much yet.

I found the rule after I asked (in a weird place) at the start of the Chapter it says:

Well crap, you're right. I found that text too, I had just assumed they would be balanced against the starting Archetypes.

Looks like it's just an ordinary Psyker or Sorcerer for me, then.

[Life on Mars]

Yeah, all the advanced archtypes in the Tomes are considered to have already spent an extra amount of XP on all their talents and special abilites as Jaded posted. I'm going to start people off at the starting xp, a group of heretics just starting to carve a bloody name for themselves in the Screaming Vortex, always more fun to have goals to work towards.

But like I mentioned before if people want to use things like the legacy weapon rules from Khorn that will be allowed.

I'll write up those specifics tomorrow after I get some sleep. Spent all day working followed by a night of 2nd Edition Dark Heresy. Fun times!

Do you plan on suggesting/pressuring for an all-Marine or all-Heretic group, presumably whichever the players prefer? It's something the BC book seems to recommend for balance purposes.

I've run Black Crusade with mixed groups before and it isn't as extreme as all that. The important thing to remember is to have something for everyone to do which is why I always have people design characters together instead of just turning in sheets. Better synergy. We'll have some time to work any kinks out.

I would like to play! As long as someone helps me to create a character, as I don't have any of the books...

I've love to have you join but having access to the rules is kind of important. If you can get hold of a copy that would certainly make things easier.

I'd kind of like to play a (fallen) Adepta Sororitas or a Psyker.  (or maybe combine the two concepts).  Though I don't mind dropping the Psyker idea if that will overlap with TheGlyphstone's concept. 

I'm not super knowledgeable about all the lore but I don't think the Adepta Sororitas has any psykers. But that could tototally be a reason why you fell, perhaps developing psyker traits as a result of some event in your past. Either is cool.

I won't lie though. Nurgle is the best chaos god for me. Fallen Sister Hospitaller devoted to Nurgle was my favorite character.

Looks like we have enough people for a good game, and at a number I'm comfortable running with as well.

[Jaded]

My initial thoughts were basically.

Born into a noble family, corruption common.  Patriarch of the family snaps (or gives himself to Khorne or Nurgle, or something) and murders the bulk of the family.  The character and one other (a Slaanesh or unaligned cultist) survive.  Character is still a babe, sent to grow up in the care of the Adepta Sororitis.  She is very vain, starts to doubt her choices after seeing disfiguring wounds in combat.  Finally snaps when a family heirloom (a blade that has been in the family for centuries, and was used to murder her family) is delivered.

That was the non-psyker version.  Could the heirloom potentially be corrupted or otherwise trigger her to become a psyker?  I'm not familiar enough with the lore to know if that is possible. 

EDIT:  After glancing at the rules more, if I went Psyker I doubt she'd have a legacy weapon, but she might have a Beguiling Gem if allowed (as part of an amulet worn by various corrupt members of her family) that would serve the same purpose but better.

[HairyHeretic]

I'm thinking Night Lords Chosen. With the GMs permission, I'd like to trade out the Chosens special ability of Cold Killer for the ones from the Night Lords archtype, Spectral Haunter and Terror Tactics. I'd also like to create a Legacy weapon, a stalker patern Bolter.

[deadmanshand]

Cutting out the adavanced archetypes does narrow down the options significantly. That eliminates the Fleshshaper of Melancholia and Sorcerer-King of the Writhing World from my potentials list. Sounds like there will be a couple of potential psykers too. Hmmm.. what ideas to consider then...

Also, Life on Mars, I have a friend in the process of joining Elliquiy who is basically joining just to try and play in this game. Experienced pbp player, knowledgeable about 40k, and has the rules. He is currently in Introductions under ArcherCC.

[Life on Mars]

My initial thoughts were basically.

Born into a noble family, corruption common.  Patriarch of the family snaps (or gives himself to Khorne or Nurgle, or something) and murders the bulk of the family.  The character and one other (a Slaanesh or unaligned cultist) survive.  Character is still a babe, sent to grow up in the care of the Adepta Sororitis.  She is very vain, starts to doubt her choices after seeing disfiguring wounds in combat.  Finally snaps when a family heirloom (a blade that has been in the family for centuries, and was used to murder her family) is delivered.

That was the non-psyker version.  Could the heirloom potentially be corrupted or otherwise trigger her to become a psyker?  I'm not familiar enough with the lore to know if that is possible. 

EDIT:  After glancing at the rules more, if I went Psyker I doubt she'd have a legacy weapon, but she might have a Beguiling Gem if allowed (as part of an amulet worn by various corrupt members of her family) that would serve the same purpose but better.

That's pretty cool. If you're going to focus on melee it would be easier to take the renegade archtype rather than psyker, but melee psykers are always awesome. Looking at the Beguiling Gem it looks like you could take one as part of your starting equipment. As described on page 82 of the core rulebook you can make a number of free acquisitions equal to your starting infamy bonus as long as they are no more than a -10 modifier. Beguiling Gem would work out to that (very rare -20, Common Craft 0, Single +10). You can add whatever back-story you like to it.

I'm thinking Night Lords Chosen. With the GMs permission, I'd like to trade out the Chosens special ability of Cold Killer for the ones from the Night Lords archtype, Spectral Haunter and Terror Tactics. I'd also like to create a Legacy weapon, a stalker patern Bolter.

Yes you can switch those out. And stalker bolter, is that in one of the other books? Can't seem to find it.

Oh, and be sure to remember legacy weapons are cool but part of their requirement is you use it to the exclusion of all other weapons.

Cutting out the adavanced archetypes does narrow down the options significantly. That eliminates the Fleshshaper of Melancholia and Sorcerer-King of the Writhing World from my potentials list. Sounds like there will be a couple of potential psykers too. Hmmm.. what ideas to consider then...

Also, Life on Mars, I have a friend in the process of joining Elliquiy who is basically joining just to try and play in this game. Experienced pbp player, knowledgeable about 40k, and has the rules. He is currently in Introductions under ArcherCC.

I have gotten enough interest by now that I'm not sure I can take on any more people,  5-6 is like my limit, so we would have to see.

[Terian]

I'm usually interested, I just find most of the games I sign up on either die out or never happen :(

Still, I could run a Heretek, Renegade, or Psyker without any problems.

[TheGlyphstone]

FWIW, my planned Psyker is going to be very Interaction-oriented; Charm+Deceive, Telepathy powers, and gear to boost Interaction tests (Tarnor Mimic-Mask and Pheremone Generator). Plus Doombolt, but he's built primarily to be a 'Face' role. That should help narrow down potential conceptual overlap for anyone else still brainstorming.

[HairyHeretic]

Yes you can switch those out. And stalker bolter, is that in one of the other books? Can't seem to find it.

I took the rules from Deathwatch. Stats are the same as a regular bolter except range is doubled, it becomes single shot only and gains the Accurate trait.

Oh, and be sure to remember legacy weapons are cool but part of their requirement is you use it to the exclusion of all other weapons.

That's not an issue. I had the weapon written into the character background from the Heresy onwards :)

[Life on Mars]

I took the rules from Deathwatch. Stats are the same as a regular bolter except range is doubled, it becomes single shot only and gains the Accurate trait.

That's not an issue. I had the weapon written into the character background from the Heresy onwards :)

Ah ok, that sounds reasonable. I know that stalker rounds act as a silencer. Are you going to combine the two?

I'm usually interested, I just find most of the games I sign up on either die out or never happen :(

Still, I could run a Heretek, Renegade, or Psyker without any problems.

I'm pretty sure I'm full up on people now but if anyone drops I'll let you know!

[Beorning]

When it comes to me, I could play a fallen Sororitas... or another kind of female soldier!