Versatility in ChaosUsing Black Crusade with other Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay titles
“While vile mutants still draw breath, there can be no peace. While obscene heretics’ hearts still beat, there can be no respite. While faithless traitors still live, there can be no forgiveness."
– Verse I of XXV of the Silver Skulls Catechism of Hate
Although Black Crusade is an exciting game in its own right, it also exists amongst an entire collection of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay game lines. This puts Black Crusade in the unique position of being the only game amongst Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay that allows you to play the Imperium’s adversaries, making it an invaluable source of the deadliest adversaries the Imperium of Man could ever face.
With Black Crusade’s classless Human and Chaos Space Marine character generation system (based on earned experience points), GMs can build tailor-made opponents for their gaming groups. The GM can “scale” his adversaries to his players by matching the adversaries to his players’ experience, and can build Chaos Space Marine or Human adversaries depending on whether their group is playing Deathwatch, Rogue Trader, or Dark Heresy. GMs can even use the Archetypes presented in Black Crusade to create even more tailor-made opponents. A Dark Heresy Acolyte cell might respond well to a subversive Apostate as a nemesis, while a Deathwatch Kill-Team might be called on to hunt down a dangerous Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer.
In addition, Black Crusade provides scores of interesting powers, abilities, and equipment found nowhere else in Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay. From unique psychic powers with a Chaos theme to dangerous Daemon weapons, the GM has no end of choices when he wants to make a nemesis his players won’t soon forget.
Cross-Game Compatibility
The creation of powerful adversaries to use with other game lines is just one way that Black Crusade ties in with the other Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay game lines. In fact, when writing the game we came up with enough suggestions and tips that we decide to devote an entire section of the Game Master’s chapter in the core rulebook to that very topic.
One idea this section explores is that Black Crusade doesn’t just offer new material for the other Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay titles; the other titles have plenty to offer Black Crusade as well. Take Dark Heresy, for example. Books like The Radical’s Handbook and Disciples of the Dark Gods detail many plots by Chaos cults, subversive factions, and radical elements of the Inquisition. Now, by combining this information with Black Crusade, the players can take part in these adventures from the other side. They can help the Pale Throng overthrow the Ologarchs of Tranch, corrupt and bring down the radical Oblationists, and realize the convoluted plans of the Brotherhood of the Horned Darkness. Or if Rogue Trader is more a group’s style, merging the two books can be a perfect way to run a pirate warship out of the cursed world of Iniquity.
Finally, this section discusses the rules changes between Black Crusade and other game lines. Although the four games are still completely compatible, Black Crusade did make some adjustments and updates to the rules set. Some of these were to make the mechanics match the game’s theme, others were means of streamlining and improving gameplay. The Game Master chapter in Black Crusade outlines these changes clearly and concisely. That way when GMs and players are using different Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay game lines together, they know exactly what might be different. More importantly, the section discusses how to merge any differences between rules sets in simple and straightforward ways.
How will you combine your Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay campaign? Discuss below or on our forums, and look for Black Crusade on store shelves later this quarter!
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Versatility in Chaos
