Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta: Update # 1News From the Developers of the Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta
Hello Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta testers!
It has been over a week since the launch of the Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta and your response has been fantastic! The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay Team appreciates all of your forum discussions and emails, and we have already started using your feedback to help us make the new edition of Dark Heresy the best game possible.
Every Wednesday, we will post a weekly update to keep you informed about the progress of the beta. This post will include any big news involving the beta, guidance on where we would like you to focus your attention in the coming week, and a PDF update to the beta document to keep you informed of the most recent tweaks and changes to the Dark Heresy Second Edition core rules. This week’s update (pdf, 6.6 MB) can be found on the beta support page. Additionally, there is a dedicated thread in the Game Mechanics 
forum in which you can discuss any feedback directly related to this week’s update.
A Weekly Process
As mentioned above, each week we will concentrate on a certain aspect of the Dark Heresy rules that we would like you to focus on testing in that week. This will allow us to take a deeper look at individual features, and help facilitate more in-depth discussions. Keep in mind, however, that these topics are just the focus for the week, and you are welcome to continue testing whatever aspect of the rules you wish at your own pace. Any and all feedback is welcome at any time.
Now that many of you have had time in this first week to look through the Beta and get acclimated, we would like to dedicate this next week to testing the Core Game Mechanics (found in chapter 1) and Character Creation (found in Chapter II). Try out lots of different character combinations, mixing Home Worlds, Backgrounds, and Roles along with Elite Advances. Also try the web supplement with additional character development options, such as physical attributes and mementos. Think about:
- Did the game mechanics feel natural to use?
- How did Character Creation go overall? Was it easy and fun to use? If not, what got in the way?
- In Character Creation, are there certain combinations you would choose every time for mechanical reasons? If so, what particular aspects of these combinations made them so powerful?
- Are there certain combinations you would never choose for mechanical reasons? If so, what particular aspects of these combinations made them so unappealing?
- Once your starting group has been assembled, do any specific combinations feel too powerful to begin with? Too weak? How do they combine with the three Elite Advances?
- Was it clear how Elite Advances function, and how characters go about acquiring them? If not, what was the cause of the confusion?
- Were there any Elite Advances that unbalanced the game from a rules standpoint?
- Were any Elite Advances completely unappealing mechanically? If so, why specifically?
- How would you change the character sheets to best capture your character’s information for easy use when playing? Were any important elements missing from them?
- Were there difficulties in spending experience points or acquiring additional equipment? Were there items or options that you would always take for gameplay reasons, or would probably never take?
- Did the “Give the Character Life” section feel thematic and useful for completing your character?
We look forward to your thoughts and opinions as this beta progresses. Thank you all for your invaluable feedback and insight during this process!
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Source:
Dark Heresy Second Edition Beta: Update # 1
