Orcs in Space! Role-playing campaigns in Games

Workshop�s WARHAMMER� 40,000 universe

©1989 by Ken Rolston

Illustrations by Tim Wright

he Emperor Who Was a Manand Is Now a God abides in thesolitude of the Imperial Palace.For 10,000 years he has ruled.

Now a withered husk, sustained in aneternal living death by the vast biome-chanisms of the Imperial Throne, thisghost in the machinery works his willupon a galactic empire 100,000 light yearsacross.

Mankind is evolving into a race of beingswith great psychic powers. However, to

32 SEPTEMBER 1989

protect mankind from void entities thatwould prey on a naive and immaturepsychic race, the Empire must ruthlesslycontrol and suppress those having emerg-ing psychic powers. The rule of the Impe-rium is harsh and brutal. The power ofthe Emperor is absolute, and the loyalty ofhis servants unquestionable. It is an age ofdarkness, ignorance, and unimaginablecruelty. To save Man, the Imperium mustcrush the precious joys and freedomsmost cherished by Man. This tragedy

might weigh heavily on the conscience ofthe Emperor�if, indeed, that unique amal-gam of man and machine still recalls suchan ancient relic of his humanity.

But where there is life, there is hope.Where there is duty, there is honor.Where there is the enemy, there is cour-age and heroism.

This is the universe of Games Work-shop�s WARHAMMER� 40,000: ROGUETRADER game.

Future fantasyThe WARHAMMER 40,000: ROGUE

TRADER game (herein called WH40K) is ascience-fantasy game for tabletop minia-tures, set in the distant future. The cam-paign setting of WH40K has more incommon with fantasy role-playing thanwith most other science-fiction games.Sure, there are spaceships, lasers, andplasma guns, but in WH40K these marvelsare treated more like fantasy magicaldevices than like plausible developmentsof modern technology. And the WH40Kuniverse is populated with races familiarto any fantasy role-player-such as Orks,Squats (dwarves), Stunties (halflings), andEldar (elves)�as well as with bizarre alienraces commonly found in science-fictiongames.

This choice of a future-fantasy themehas two appealing features as a role-playing setting. First, a future fantasyfrees the game master (GM) from thechallenging task of moderating and main-taining a plausible science-fictional uni-verse. Only veteran game designers andGMs of science-fiction RPGs can properlyappreciate how difficult that is. In WH40K,you can have the entertaining trappings ofhigh technology�robots, powered armor,and death rays�without the obligation ofrationalizing them with elaborate pseudo-scientific gobbledygook.

The other major virtue of a future fan-tasy setting is that you can borrow liber-ally from the trappings and conventions oftwo popular adventure genres�medievalfantasy and science fiction�to create afantasy campaign with its own peculiarand distinctive flavor. An Eldar Harlequinmercenary, wearing carapace armor witha conversion field and armed with achainsword and a neuro disruptor, isprobably not much different in gameterms from an elven fighter/magic-user inplate mail +3 with a long sword +2 and awand of paralyzation, but the charm andnovelty of these high-tech trappings has aspecial appeal for fans of bug-eyed mon-sters and lurid space opera.

However, GMs hot to set up a WH40Krole-playing campaign face one tiny prob-lem: WH40K is a set of tabletop miniaturesrules, not a role-playing game. A role-playing version of WH40K is currentlyunder development but isn�t likely to beavailable for at least 6-12 months, andmaybe longer.

This article offers some rough-and-readystrategies for adapting the miniaturesskirmish rules for role-playing, and sug-gests some models for the kinds of role-playing campaigns particularly suited tothe WH40K future-fantasy setting.

PC rolesThe archetypal WH40K character role is

that of a Space Marine of the LegionesAstartes. Ironically, while ideally suited fortabletop miniatures combat, the SpaceMarine is poorly suited as a role-playingcharacter. A Space Marine can do only two

things: kill and wait around until he cankill some more. Such goals are ideal in atabletop war game but too one-dimension-al in a role-playing adventure. Further,Space Marines are indoctrinated to mind-lessly follow orders�again, a virtue intabletop troops but not much fun in role-playing, where independence of thoughtand action is the essence of an appealingPC role.

Below are some WH40K character rolesmore suitable to role-playing. Also in- cluded are some strategies for adaptingotherwise unsuitable PC types, like theSpace Marines, to role-playing campaigns.

The Adeptus Arbites: The Adeptus Arbi-tes; or �Judges,� are the judicial and policearm of the Adeptus Terra, the administra-tive bureaucracy of the Imperium. Judgesand their staffs are accorded extraordi-nary independence in their actions, eachhaving the authority to act as policeman,judge, jury, and executioner. With suchbroad powers and discretion, they mighteasily fit into any sort of role-playingparty, since most activities a role-playingparty might pursue could conceivably berationalized to include the crusading con-cerns of an independent agent of theImperium.

The Inquisition: The primary duties ofthe Inquisition are to identify psykers andmutants, and to either indoctrinate or

eliminate them in the interests of thesecurity of the Imperium. The Inquisitionis also given broad powers to investigateany threat to humanity or the Imperium,and to employ whatever means aredeemed appropriate to eliminating suchthreats. Inquisitors and their staffs thushave the freedom of action and broadlydefined interests and motivations thatmake a flexible and independent PC role.

Navigators: Each Navigator has a single,exclusive genetic mutation that allows himto navigate through warp space. Thisstable mutation makes Navigators preciousresources of the Imperium, and Navigatorsform a privileged aristocratic class in theservice of the Emperor. As such, Naviga-tors have a certain independence as aresult of their exalted status, and theyfunction in a role-playing setting as edu-cated, elitest nobles with limited combatabilities, broad general backgrounds, andsnobbish personalities.

Astropaths: Astropaths offer a uniquecharacter role, closest to an FRPG spell-caster or psychic in abilities but withdistinctive differences. For one, all Astro-paths are blind, an unavoidable byproductof the soul-binding ritual that assures theirloyalty to the Emperor. In compensation,they have a peculiar �near-sense� thatpermits them to perceive the features oftheir environment within 20 meters. In

DRAGON 33

the campaign, Astropaths are supposed tobe rigidly controlled by the Imperial Bu-reaucracy (the Adeptus Terra), but theirsingular charm as a character role justifiesconsiderable GM improvisation of ration-ales for including them in any given PCparty.

Rogue Traders: This is the most promis-ing and flexible PC type for WH40K role-playing. Rogue Traders are licensed andequipped by the Adeptus Terra to explorethe frontiers beyond the control of theImperium. Rogue Traders come from avariety of backgrounds, and they are oftenselected from outcasts and politicallysuspect individuals who are consideredtoo useful to eliminate but best kept at asafe distance from the workings of theImperial power structure�for example,officers of the Space Marines and ImperialArmy with distressingly independentpersonalities, or Inquisitors who havedemonstrated a too-fastidious attitudetoward swift and brutal execution of justice.

Space Marines and Imperial Army per-sonnel: Since soldiers in the Space Marinesand Imperial Army are inducted for lifeservice, it�s hard to rationalize a class ofex-Marine or ex-Army veterans as PCs�desirable as such character roles might be.Here are a few excuses for creating SpaceMarine or Imperial Army veterans as PCs:

1. Psychological and dishonorable dis-charges: A good Space Marine or Army

34 SEPTEMBER 1989

soldier never leaves his service, but adefective one might be discharged for anynumber of reasons, such as cowardice,insubordination, insanity, political unreli-ability, and so on. Such rejects might stillhave substantial combat skills and theadditional added charm of colorful back-grounds.

2. Renegades and deserters: Such mightbe particularly common in the ImperialArmy, whose soldiers are drafted for lifeand swept away from home, friends, andfamily to fight in the remote reaches ofthe galaxy. Many might turn up as merce-naries in the private armies of planetarygovernors or on the staffs of Judges, In-quisitors, or Rogue Traders.

3. Detached agents and observers onspecial assignments: Judges, Inquisitors,Rogue Traders, and other powerful ser-vants of the Imperium have unrestrictedpower to requisition manpower wheneverthey need it. A trooper might thus beseparated from his unit and enlisted as aguard, scout, or military agent in the serv-ice of the Emperor.

PC partiesThe PC party is an established conven-

tion of role-playing. The trick to having asuccessful PC party is to provide justenough common motivation for groupcohesion without unnecessarily limitingthe personal expressions of the personality

and motivations of the individual charac-ters. Here are several sample rationalesfor PC parties in WH40K:

1. The staff of an Imperial Agent.Judges, Inquisitors, and Rogue Traders aredefined as having the broad authority toassemble their own staffs and to draft orcommandeer personnel for temporaryassignments. Such a staff is likely to bemade up of a variety of skilled specialistsand may often be dispatched on an ex-tended mission with considerable freedomof action. Such a mixed party of PCs mightform the core of a role-playing party, withnew or temporary additions to the rosterbeing made according to the needs of aspecific mission.

2. Ambitious adventurers hired (orshanghaied) by a Rogue Trader. RogueTraders recruit their troops, scouts, andvolunteer settlers from frontier planets,where the citizens have been less spoiledby the civilized comforts of the Imperium.A odd assortment of friends and compan-ions might be hired from a backwaterplanet and constituted as a small combat,scouting, or exploration unit for anoutward-bound Rogue Trader expedition.

3. Rebels, renegades, and pirates. So far,the Imperium has been presented as thegood guys, at least in the sense that theEmperor and Imperium are trying toprotect humanity against evil races ofalien beings intent on subjugating anddevouring mankind. It is also easy to imag-ine casting the PC as rebels against a bru-tal and repressive Imperium. (Say, do Ihear the Star Wars theme in the back-ground?) In this case, the Emperor, theAdeptus Terra, and the Space Marines arecast as most formidable adversaries, whilethe PC party might start as resistancefighters on a frontier planet occupied bythe Imperial Army, or as pirates raidingthe fleet of a Rogue Trader expedition thatis attempting to absorb an independentplanet under the ever-expanding domina-tion of the Imperium.

Role-playing mechanicsThe following modest alterations and

additions to the WH40K rules should per-mit GMs and players to experiment with arole-playing adventure or campaign in theImperium. Here are the objectives I had inmind as I designed these modifications:

1. Stay as close to the miniatures rules aspossible. This keeps the design task man-ageable and encourages tabletop gamersto add secondary role-playing elements totheir regular tabletop warfare sessions.

2. Use the most primitive and universalmodels of role-playing rules as standardsfor a successful design. There�s no pointtrying to achieve the sophisticated ele-gance of systems like Chaosium�s KINGARTHUR PENDRAGON or Steve JacksonGames� GURPS® game in a short article. Amore practical goal is to aim for a rela-tively simple and popular design: the origi-nal 1975 boxed edition of the DUNGEONS& DRAGONS® game. The original D&D®

game was an undeniably successful role-playing design, as witnessed by its incredi-ble popularity and innumerable hosts ofsuccessors. It is also a logical model foradapting WH40K, since the original D&Dgame itself was a direct modification of atabletop miniatures system: CHAINMAIL,the ancestor of all fantasy role-playinggames. Thus, if role-playing with the modi-fications proposed here is no less satisfac-tory than role-playing with the originalD&D rules, I judge the proposed design tobe a success.

Characteristic profilesOne universal convention of role-playing

is the personal characteristic and thecharacteristic test (e.g., �Roll your intelli-gence or less on 1d20�). WH40K charac-ters have something called a characteristicprofile, which will serve as a PC�s personalcharacteristics. Beginning WH40K PCssimply begin with standard profiles asdefined for the individual character typesin the WH40K rules. (More ambitious GMsmay devise systems by which players canroll up their basic characteristics.)

The following WH40K characteristicsare tested against a 1d6 roll trolling thecharacteristic or less is considered suc-cess): Strength, Toughness (similar to con-stitution), and Initiative (similar todexterity, agility, or quickness�the abilityto act faster than your opponent).

The following WH40K characteristicsare tested against a 2d6 roll (rolling thecharacteristic or less is considered suc-cess): Leadership (similar to charisma),Intelligence, Cool (a morale stat), and WillPower (most commonly used as a savingthrow against magic or psychic attacks).

Skills and abilitiesMost WH40K characters have only two

skills: Weapon Skill (for melee weapons)and Ballistic Skill (for ranged weapons).This should suffice for cheap-and-cheerfulRPG combat. Some WH40K charactersmay have psionic abilities, as per thestandard WH40K rules.

To judge a character�s success in anynoncombat or nonpsionic action, test themost appropriate personal characteristic.If the action requires thought or personalexperience, check Intelligence; if theaction tests physical agility or a drilled orpracticed physical activity, test Initiative.

Ambitious GMs might improvise a rough-and-ready skill system on the model of thecharacteristics tests, as long as they re-member that some characteristics test on1d6 while others test on 2d6. For example,a character may be assigned a First Aidskill rating in a range of 2-12, based on thenotion that First Aid is a mental skill re-lated to Intelligence.

Character advancement

36 SEPTEMBER 1989

Veteran players of GDW�s TRAVELLER®game know that character advancement isnot strictly necessary for successful role-playing. Alternatively, since the WH40Kminiatures rules already offer a crudeform of character advancement, the GMcan honor that practice. Review the rulesprovided in �Improving a Character�sProfile in a Campaign� (in the WH40K rulebook, page 47), which essentially allowsthe PC to add one point to the characteris-tic of his choice for each adventure sessionhe survives, with no characteristic toexceed limits as defined by the major heroprofile of that race.

Wounds and healingThis is the trickiest part of a miniatures

system to adapt to role-playing. In theWH40K rules, most characters have onlyone wound point. If they get wounded,they are out of the game for the rest ofthe session. This is fine for tabletop com-bat but won�t do for role-playing.

For role-playing purposes, consult theInjuries table in this article when the PChas at least one wound point before hereceives a wound. The character has asubstantial chance of suffering only atemporary penalty without the loss of awound point. Consult the Critical Hitstable when the PC has been reduced tozero wound points in a previous combatturn before receiving a new wound. A PCwho receives a wound after being reducedto zero wound points has a substantialchance of dying if he is not treatedpromptly.

Review �Injury statuses� (Table 1) and�Medical treatment and healing� (Table 2).Note that the medipack functions some-thing like the magical healing of D&Dgame clerics, but it can be used only onceper character per combat. GMs who pre-fer a style of fantasy combat more like theD&D game, with half-dead characterspopping back into the fray after a quick,refreshing touch from the cleric, mightconsider easing the one-use-per-day re-striction to two-, three-, or unlimited-uses-per-day.

For important NPC allies and opponents,GMs may use these charts at their discre-tion. For all those other one-wound-pointNPCs, when they take one wound, they�redead. Most NPCs are just cannon fodder,anyway; the faster and simpler they falldown, the better.

Dramatic toneThe following notes may help GM and

players appreciate the spirit implied in thecharts and rules modifications suggestedabove for WH40K role-playing combat:

1. WH40K combat is closer to World WarII movie combat than to typical FRPGcombat. Almost all characters have accessto deadly ranged weapons. Many combatsbegin at long or medium range, with bothsides immediately seeking available cover.A wounded character may thus moreeasily be rescued and dragged to cover,

Table 1Injuries

1d10001-4041-7071-9596-00

Injury EffectSuperficial wound Stunned for one turn; no wound lossLight wound Knocked down; no wound lossSerious wound Knocked down; lose one wound pointCritical wound Lose one wound point; roll on Critical Hits table

If a character has one or more wound points before being wounded, roll 1d100 andconsult this table. If more than one wound is received in a single round, add + 30 tothe 1d100 roll for each additional wound received.

Injury statusesStunned: No attacks possible; no other penalties or restrictions.Knocked down: Move, Weapon Skill, and Ballistic Skill are reduced by two until the

victim can stand. Roll Toughness or less on 1d6 to stand during Movement Phase.

Table 2Critical Hits

1d100 Injury Effect01-50 Severe injury Test 1d6 vs. Toughness or become unconscious. If the

victim remains conscious, his actions are limited to speechand feeble gestures. His injuries are not life threatening.

51-80 Critical injury As for severe injury, but injuries are life threatening, withdeath occurring in 2d6 turns. A successful First Aid appli-cation reduces the victim to severe injury status and saveshim from death.

81-95 Fatal injury The victim is automatically unconscious with life-threatening injuries. He will die in 1d6 turns. A successfulFirst Aid application reduces the victim to severe injurystatus, saving him from death.

96-00 Killed outright The victim is Really Dead. Kiss the character good-bye.

If a character has no wound points at all before being wounded, roll 1d100 andconsult this table. If more than one wound is received in a single round, add + 30 tothe 1d100 roll for each additional wound received.

Medical treatment and healing First Aid: Any character can perform First Aid by spending 1d6 -2 turns treating a

victim (minimum of one turn), then testing Intelligence. A successful test meansthe victim is saved. If the test is failed, another character can attempt First Aid,but no more than one character at a time can perform First Aid on a victim.

Medipack: This item restores one wound point when applied to a victim, but itcannot raise the number of wound points above the victim�s original maximum.This application removes all of a victim�s current penalties and restrictions (i.e.,stunned, knocked down, unconscious, coma, etc.). This works on any livingcharacter, but it can only be applied once per day per character; subsequent usesof the medipack have no effect (see the WH40K hardbound rule book, page 123).

Stimulant: This restores a severe injury victim to consciousness for 2d6 turns. If thecharacter chooses to make a heroic effort (see below), the wound-point test isautomatically successful; otherwise, the victim is conscious but unable to per-form any action other than speech and feeble physical gestures.

Heroic effort: A severe or critical injury victim may choose to make a heroic effortif he can roll his wound-point score on 2d6 +2. The character remains consciousfor a single turn, taking actions for that turn at a -3 penalty on all characteristictests and having his Move reduced by two. In the turn following a heroic effort,the character falls unconscious and 1d100 is rolled on the Critical Hits table with+ 50 to the roll.

Unconsciousness: An unconscious character can be brought to consciousness for2d6 turns with a stimulant or with the successful use of First Aid (testing Intelli-gence). Thereafter, the victim cannot regain consciousness for 2d6 hours.

Character healing: Without medipack treatment, a character heals naturally at arate of one wound �point per week.

38 SEPTEMBER 1989

unlike victims of fantasy melees, wheremost participants are locked in hand-to-hand or close combat.

2. Engagements initiated at long or me-dium range should often permit prudentovermatched or battered PC parties towithdraw from combat. In fantasy, run-ning from combat is unheroic�and oftenimpractical. In WH40K, a successful es-cape from a dangerous enemy should beconsidered a moral victory at least.

3. The charts have been designed toproduce numerous casualties that requirea party member to rescue a wounded anddisabled companion, to treat his injuriesbefore they prove fatal, and to remove theinjured companion from the risk of fur-ther wounds. This reflects my personaltaste for heroic activities of this nature.Like most gamers, I like heroic combatsthat result in dispatching evil opponents,but my role-playing soul is most stirred byheroic rescues under fire.

4. The influence of psionic abilities andexotic weaponry on combat in WH40K iscomplex and unpredictable. Familiarizeyourself with the rules and powers con-cerning these game elements�and stillexpect to be surprised at their dramaticeffects in a combat engagement.

Designing a campaignGMs familiar with the WH40K universe

shouldn�t have any trouble coming up withcharacters, settings, and plots for role-playing campaigns. However, here aresome suggestions for particularly promis-ing campaign material.

Good guys and bad guys: As was dis-cussed elsewhere, the obvious choice ofthe good-guy team is the Imperium and itsloyal agents and citizens, struggling des-perately to preserve civilization against theCreatures from the Void and the numer-ous pirates, renegades, traitors, and hid-eous alien menaces of the galaxy. However,given the brutal nature of the Emperor�srule, the Imperium could just as easily becast as the villains, with the PCs as plucky,independent frontier settlers or part of asmall but dedicated Rebel Alliance.

For villains, here are some choices:l Warp entities: These are soul-suckingdemons from beyond space and time;l Eldar: Space elves are a particularlynasty, psychotic breed in WH40K.l Tyranids and the Hive, Fleets: These cutelittle six-legged horrors and their biologi-cally engineered slave race, the Zoats, arepowerful, destructive, and ruthless on alarge enough scale to challenge mankinditself for possession of the galaxy.l Orks: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Orcs inspacesuits, with lasers and everything! Myabsolutely favoritest all-time fantasy mon-sters! Need I say more?

Recommended Settings: Three types ofsettings seem particularly appropriate:l Frontier planets: Here the power of theImperial bureaucracy and military isweakest, and renegades, pirates, evil in-vaders, and alien beasts are strongest.

Ideally, the setting of your current fantasyrole-playing campaign might be a planetopenly (or secretly) visited or invaded bythe Imperium or one of its enemies.l Isolated backwaters: The vagaries ofweather in warp space often cut certainplanets off from the Imperium for years ata time. Such planets must be independent�and undisciplined�enough to provideplenty of excitement for their citizens. (Seethe WH40K rule book, pages 224-228, fora treatment of Logan�s World, just such anisolated backwater.)l Uncharted space: PCs in the service ofan exploring Rogue Trader might be setdown in a new and exciting planetarysetting for each game session, or mightlabor for months to make a wild planetsuitable for settlement.

Sample campaign plotsGMs looking for an exhaustive list of

appropriate campaign plots and sub-plotsshould review the �Plot Generator,� in theWH40K rule book, pages 240-248�a list ofover 100 adventure and campaign ideassuitable for role-playing in the Imperium.However, the following are three samplenarrative frameworks that seem particu-larly well-suited for a WH40K role-playingcampaign.

The Lost Legion: The Eyes of Fire chap-ter, Legiones Astartes, was dispatched tothe frontier world of Niederlage, out ofcontact with the Imperium for a decadedue to inclement warp weather and nolonger answering to communications viathe astropaths of Adeptus Astra Tele-pathica. What the Eyes of Fire found wasan ambush set by the Tyranids of the HiveFleets. Surrounded by disciplined, well-equipped units of Zoats and other Tyranidslave races, and cut off from evacuationby the destruction of his spacecraft, theChapter Commander ordered a final trans-mission sent via astropath: �Avenge ourfate! Long live the Emperor!� Since thattransmission, no further word has comefrom Niederlage. The region has beenassumed to have fallen under Tyraniddomination, and Adeptus Terra has deter-mined that no more units must be exposedthere to further risk of ambush.

However, two members of the Eyes ofFire, marines who had remained at thechapter�s home base to recover from train-ing injuries, avoided the fate of their com-rades. They have successfully petitionedthe Emperor for permission to recruit asmall unit of veterans and specialists tovoyage in secret to Niederlage and learnthe fate of the Lost Legion. They are de-termined to rescue any Marine captiveswho might endure unspeakable horrors atthe hands of Tyranid interrogators. If, as is likely, there were no survivors, theyhope to recover the chapter banner of theEyes of Fire, so that the legion may beresurrected and the stain upon its honorremoved.

Blows Against the Empire: Mona Magan,a garden planet with a stable medieval

technology lying just beyond the bounda-ries of the Imperium, had been visitedseveral times by trade ships but hadeluded the grasp of Imperial domination�until the discovery of valuable mineraldeposits on its surface. Adeptus Terra hasdetermined that the Empire must havethese resources and has dispatched aRogue Trader, supported by a corps of theImperial Army, to subdue the local popula-tion and protect mining operations.

A peculiar alliance of three interestgroups now resists the Imperial Army ofOccupation. Two deserters from an earlierRogue Trader visit, a Squat mercenary anda Stuntie mechtech, have settled on MonaMagan and have come to love its peaceand independence. They provide resist-ance forces with military and technologi-cal know-how. A ruthless andunprincipled band of Eldar pirates, basedin a nearby star system, regard expansionof Imperial influence in the region to be abad thing, so the Eldar are providing therebels with advisors and material assist-ance. And a powerful sorcerer�s guild,painfully aware of the Empire�s ruthlesspolices toward psykers, provides arcane abilities and resources unfamiliar to theImperial forces. (Note: While initially thiscampaign would be confined to the sur-

I have assembled a mixed support teamfrom volunteers among the Imperial per-sonnel, brig’s crew, and passengers. Theloyalty and combat prowess of CaptainHarrack and his troopers are unquestiona-ble, but the subtlety and discrimination ofSpace Marine tactics might prove inade-quate to the challenges facing them. Assoon as my team is assembled, it will fol-face of Mona Magan, the rebels might

soon come in contact with other rebel low the captain into the warp distortion.groups from nearby star systems through I must repeat my strong protest against

Player introductionTranscript of vidifax report:

Ad: TechPriest Phidius Quirus, StarFleetOPsEx: Lord Lucinius ap Moryd, brig MoritoriCapellus

At 17:40, Inquisitor Polo and his PsykerInterrogation staff were discovered miss-ing from their quarters. Captain Harrackof the Marine Chapter Spacewolves, 10troopers, and myself responded immedi-ately Astropath Forus, two Psyketechaides, and Prefect Dwalinnarius had pre-ceded us, searched the site, and estab-lished that Polo and his staff had indeedsimply vanished.

Astropath Forus directed a scan forpsykeforce traces or signs of warp intru-sions, revealing an unsealed warp distor-tion at the site of the disappearance.Captain Harrack accompanied his platooninto the warp distortion in pursuit of themissing Inquisitor and his staff

or through contacts with the Eldar pirates.)the psionic powers of the sorcerer�s guild

Orcs in Space: An assortment of charac-ters gathers around the blaring brass andchattering drums of an Imperial Army

recruitment mission. �Join the ImperialArmy! Travel to far-off, exotic planets!Earn a fabulous salary AND a special re-cruitment bonus! Show your loyalty to theEmperor, and drive the heathen Orks fromthe Imperium! Step right up! Just signright here. . . .� After a whirlwind regimeof boot camp training and psyke-hypnoticindoctrination, the small party is uncere-moniously dumped on a small planet inthe center of the Ork Domains and isgiven the assignment of acting as advisorsand scouts to a courageous but patheti-cally untrained and inadequately outfittedguerilla army (consisting of several dozenwretched Stunties who have labored un-der the harsh rule of the Orks for dec-ades). Between the bizarre and horrificlocal lifeforms, the aggressive pacificationcampaigns of the nearby Ork garrisons,and the energetic, well-intentioned, and ill-advised heroics of the Stuntie partisans,the PCs should have plenty to keep thembusy for a couple of sessions.

The Warrens BeneathWarpSpace

Finally, here�s a short example of a role-playing scenario outline for WH40K, witha sample PC roster to show how a varietyof characters could be assembled as atypical RPG party of adventurers.

DRAGON 39

your policy of keeping these incidentssecret. This is the seventh such event inmy sector this month, all involving Psyke-tech staff of the Inquisition. As yet, noneof the measures you’ve suggested haveapparently lessened the likelihood of fur-ther incidents.

I can only hope Captain Harrack and thevolunteer support team may be morefortunate than those who pursuedthrough the Warp Gates in the previoussix incidents.

PC roster1. Lieutenant Gradus, Imperial Army

Intelligence: A standard-profile ImperialArmy human with superior marksmanship(BS 4), leadership (LD 8), and intelligence(Int 8). Unfortunately, Gradus has no com-bat experience (Cool 5). Gradus has aninflated estimate of his abilities and iseager to impress his superiors with hisinitiative in rescuing Inquisitor Polo.

2. Sergeant Boorik, Security (brig crew):A standard-profile Imperial Army humanwith limited ambition and extensive com-bat experience (Init 2, WS 4, Cool 9).Boorik is more concerned about returningalive with the men in his command thanwith rescuing Inquisitor Polo.

3. Trooper Pallindacus, Weapons Special-ist (brig crew): A standard-profile ImperialArmy human with extensive heavy-weapon training (BS 4). Pallindacus israted for all heavy weapons, but he pre-fers his heavy plasma gun, which he car-ries. �Shoot first and forget the questions!�is Pallindacus�s motto.

4. Crewman �Stumpy� Grocwis, Power-Mech Operator (brig crew): A standard-profile Squat�bright but with no interestin responsibility or status (LD 7, Int 9).�Stumpy� knows robots and auto-drivesystems inside and out, and he has thetypical Squat gift for complex machinery(which may come in handy if alien technol-ogy is encountered).

5. Astropath Forus, Adeptus Astra Tele-pathica: A standard Adeptus Astra Tele-pathica profile with the Mental Blow, StealMind, Telepathy, Astrotelepathy, LocateWarp Gate/Portal, and Resist Psychic At-tack psychic abilities, and a Psychic Mas-tery Level 1. Like all Astropaths, Forus isblind, not a warrior (WS 1, BS 2), andconsequently concerned for his physicalsafety (Cool 4). Forus has no interest inthis mission whatsoever and is followingorders only because his loyalty to theEmperor has been burned deeply into hismind through soul-binding. Regardless,Forus will always discover excellent rea-sons to pack up and go home where it�ssafe and warm.

6. PsykeTech Chamos, Psyke Sensitive: Astandard Psyker profile with Psyke MasterLevel 2 and the following abilities: CureInjury, Telekinesis I, Teleport I, Jinx, andTeleport II. Chamos is on Forus�s staff and remains with Forus to act as his eyes.Chamos carries an auto-pistol, but he can�thit the broad side of a starship with it (BS

2) and has no taste for physical rough-house (WS 2, Cool 4).

7. Passenger Dondi Fredar, BioMedTech:A cute little standard Halfling profile withsurprising durability (Tough 4). He is toohard-headed to feel psychic attacks (WP 9).Dondi is a cheerful volunteer for thismission, probably because he hasn�t gottoo firm a grip on reality, but he did getbasic Home Guard training on his homeplanet.

8. Passenger Elrohir Flamelocks, Trader:A standard Eldar profile, Elrohir is anoperative for a licensed Rogue Trader intransit to a recruiting conference on GadesBase. Outwardly a quiet, cultivated charac-ter, Elrohir is actually rather bloodyminded, arrogant in the typical Eldarfashion, and looking forward to a pleasantfirefight.

The scenario plotWarp uglies have abducted Inquisitor

Polo and his staff for mind-tapping. Thevictims are being held captive in a vastunderground warren dug by monstrouspals of the Warp creatures. The Warp guysare presently sucking their victims dry ofhigh-clearance secrets about Imperialantipsyke defenses. Captain Harrack andhis two squads of Marines cheerfully doveinto the monster nest and stirred up amess of trouble. They waded confidentlyinto combat but were chewed up intosmaller groups that have lost contact withone other, completely failing to locate themissing Inquisitor and his staff. Thoughthey made a lot of noise, killed monsters,and wrecked things, the captain is nowdead and his squad has disintegrated as aunit. The Space Marines have had a halfhour to get chopped up and dispersedbefore the PC party arrives.

Now, in a central warren chamber, agiant queen monster sits with a pulsing,exposed brain, and poor Inquisitor Poloand his staff lie under its vast bulk gettingtheir souls sucked out as the nasty Warpvillains stand around, wringing theirhands and cackling fiendishly.

The PC lieutenant and his makeshiftteam must travel through the Warp portalinto the equivalent of a science-fictiondungeon, with lots of spider robots andtrained attack beetles running around inelaborately trapped tunnel passages.Laser-toting monsters of various specieswander these tunnels and shoot it outwith anyone they encounter. The PC vol-unteers could possibly achieve some or allof the following goals:

1. Locate and rescue isolated SpaceMarine survivors, then unite them into acoherent force.

2. Investigate various tactics for butcher-ing monsters, like using medical suppliesfor poisons or stealing control of the localrobots.

3. Look around for secret doors, ofwhich there are skillions and behindwhich are all sorts of useful and danger-ous things, including weapons, more ro-

bots, friendly prisoners�and, of course,the Lair of the Monster Queen.

4. Mount an assault on the Lair of theMonster Queen, attempting to rescue theInquisitor from the Queen, her body-guard, and the nefarious Agents of theWarp Madness that planned this caper.

5. And, if they can handle the above, thePCs might get back to the brig through thewarp, with the rescued Inquisitor andstaff, surviving Marines, and a report onthe nasty boojums that been abducting thePsykestaff of the Inquisition.

The dungeon could be a tabletop layoutlike those used for miniatures warfare,either revealed bit by bit as the playersexplore or designed as a standard abstractor small-scale map as typically used forRPG adventures. The monster opponentscould be based on WH40K alien horrors(Orks, Tyrannids, Zoats, Ambulls, forexample) or on the GM�s favorite fantasyor science-fiction monsters (orcs, lizard-men, demons, beastmen, dragons, dino-saurs, robots, etc.). My suggestion is tobuy a $2 bag of plastic dinosaurs, spiders,or whatever at your local toy store anduse them for table layouts. (I used a bag of80 tiny black flies�loads of fun for memaking �buzz-buzz� noises as I belaboredthe hapless PCs.)

A product disclaimerDon�t be fooled by the graceful presenta-

tion of this make-shift adaptation ofWH40K for role-playing. I have cheerfullyignored lots of major problems, which areleft as exercises for clever students. A fewexamples:l What do things cost? Can a PC buy aplasma cannon?l Do weapons and devices break down?How can they be repaired?l What about game balance? Aren�t cer-tain PC types going to be more powerfulthan others? Some PC types start out withhigher profiles than others, and some canreceive some pretty powerful weapons ifthey are outfitted according to the rules.

Without attempting to minimize theimportance of these problems, I confi-dently assert that experienced role-playingGMs can improvise their way around themfor the first few sessions�at least for longenough to decide whether they like theWH40K universe enough to put someextra work into adapting the rules to fittheir expectations. And for tabletop GMsjust interested in fooling around with a bitof role-playing in their miniature cam-paigns, such esoteric role-playing ques-tions aren�t likely to bother them at all.

DRAGON 41