Fantasy Flight Games has published two different roleplaying games (RPGs) that take place in Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) universe: Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader. Fantasy Flight Games offers this introduction to the universe within the core rulebook for Dark Heresy:
“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 the master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies…”
Dark Heresy
In the first published roleplaying game, Dark Heresy, the gamemaster (GM) serves as an Inquisitor, while the players create characters that serve as acolytes of the Inquisition. As the title suggests, the setting is very dark and very violent. The Inquisition in Dark Heresy is a secretive religious organization that helps guard humankind from various forms of what it considers heresy: mutation, witchery, and Daemonic corruption.
Player characters (PCs) can choose from a wide variety of classes and backgrounds, but their purpose remains the same: upholding the order and fundamental values of the Inquisition. Some Dark Heresy players have jokingly described the characters in the setting as Catholic space Nazis who are the good guys only when compared to the other threats of the galaxy. This is a fairly accurate description, as player characters are expected to exterminate any aliens who have the audacity to not be human, any humans who defy the Imperial Creed, any people with psychic powers who have not been sanctioned by the Imperium, and anyone who has been corrupted by the forces of Chaos.
Investigation, intrigue, and bloody battles are all a part of an average Dark Heresy gaming session. While players may be used to more forgiving settings that try hard not to kill PCs, Dark Heresy is a very punishing game where characters often face grim fates and may end up horribly disfigured if not killed outright.
Rogue Trader
In the second published roleplaying game, Rogue Trader, the gamemaster does not necessarily have one central role as a non-player character (NPC). Players create characters who serve as the crew aboard a Rogue Trader vessel, where the leader of the ship, the Rogue Trader, may be played by a PC. There are many support roles among the crew, and any of those roles not chosen by players can be assumed by the GM. Rogue Traders are the 41st Millennium equivalent of pirates; though they receive a Warrant of Trade from the Imperium which grants them the right to conduct their business, they are often of a law unto themselves when exploring the vast reaches of space outside of Imperial control.
Player characters can choose from a wide variety of classes and backgrounds, but the scenarios are much more open ended than in Dark Heresy. Driven by a stat called Profit Factor, PCs can choose to expand their wealth and influence by doing vastly different things: colonizing planets, exploring to discover lost relics or forbidden technology, attacking rival Rogue Traders to lay claim to their holdings, shuttling valuable cargo, or even transporting important members of the Inquisition. Rogue Traders may consider bartering with alien species that members of the Inquisition would rather eliminate, as they are not bound to uphold the same morals when they are outside of Imperial control. Of course, players may find themselves hard-pressed to explain to an Inquisitor how they came into possession of forbidden Xenos artifacts when they return to Imperial space.
The Grim, Dark Future of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplaying
Fantasy Flight Games has created two very different RPGs with Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader. Some players may prefer the “kill everything that doesn’t agree with you” approach of Dark Heresy, while others may prefer the “do what you want to do” style of Rogue Trader. Some GMs and their players may even be interested in playing a hybrid game, possibly with two sets of characters for each player. The rules are compatible with some minor modifications. Both games, however, allow players to experience the very different factions within the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Christina Gleason - Christina Gleason is the founder of Phenomenal Content LLC, providing online copywriting services for Web content. She is a happily ...
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