I would love a BRP-based 40K-game!

[dracopticon]

Why isn't there a BRP-based Warhammer 40K-game out there? Ok, sure there is obviously the copyright and perhaps other legal stuff to consider, but I would love to see atleast a monograph on the 40K-setting.

The system that exists for it now, FFG's overwrought pastiche on the original WFRP-system is just too much.

I'd rather see a BRP base for it. Would it be feasible? Thoughts?

Edited March 17, 2016 by dracopticon

[Baron]

Colin Brett has written up a guide. It may be hosted here.

[Paid a bod yn dwp]

I've often thought what a great fit BRP would be for warhammer fantasy roleplay, as there were so many apparent "inspirations" from RQ/ Stormbringer/ Cthulhu 

Both 40k and WFRP, would fit brilliantly with the system and the balance of simulation and gaming 

 

[sladethesniper]

Well, as for the lethality aspect of 40k, BRP models that very well.

[dracopticon]

1 hour ago, Baron said:

Colin Brett has written up a guide. It may be hosted here.

What? That sounds awesome. I have to find it.

[Baron]

It is hosted here. Also his Codex Xenos, bunch of 'monsters.'

[Dudemeister]

This is of great interest. My 40k group had much difficulty finding a proper system. We started with Fantasy Flight Games line of 40k products, but they are cumbersome. 

After modding other systems we were never satisfied with the result. (FATE, IKRPG, Dungeon Slayers, even a Skirmish Tabletop called Song of Baldes and Heroes)

This sound promising.

[dracopticon]

I downloaded Mr. Bretts fabulous pdf and was really amazed by the amount of work he had done on this. It IS Rogue Trader and I would've hoped it was some work done of Dark Heresy or Only War, but heck it's just a formality to change the focus. The rules are basically the same and with this BRP injection it's much more playable in my eyes.

Wonderful! And thanks Baron for your tip.

[colinabrett]

On 18/03/2016 at 11:16 AM, dracopticon said:

I downloaded Mr. Bretts fabulous pdf and was really amazed by the amount of work he had done on this. It IS Rogue Trader and I would've hoped it was some work done of Dark Heresy or Only War, but heck it's just a formality to change the focus. The rules are basically the same and with this BRP injection it's much more playable in my eyes.

Wonderful! And thanks Baron for your tip.

Thanks for the kind words, dracopticon and Baron. The rules are due a clean-up (definitely) and a rewrite (maybe) when BRP Essentials comes out. I'm thinking of using Clarence Redd's BRP Starships/BRP Space as the ship-to-ship combat system (I'll ask Clarence's permission before doing so). 

I have Dark Heresy 1.0 and Deathwatch and but not Only War or Black Crusade. Is there anything "missing" from my adaptation that you'd like to see in a future edition?

Regards,

Colin

[Baron]

Thanks for your work, Brett. I printed your stuff out and looked it over, but haven't got out the dice to try it out yet. I was going to use it with Rogue Trader, or maybe just as a more general party-based SF game. But any organizing/streamlining you do would be welcome. I'd be using this with young teens, and they won't have access to anything but your doc (and whatever I put together for them).

[dracopticon]

On 2016-03-20 at 10:44 AM, ColinBrett said:

Thanks for the kind words, dracopticon and Baron. The rules are due a clean-up (definitely) and a rewrite (maybe) when BRP Essentials comes out. I'm thinking of using Clarence Redd's BRP Starships/BRP Space as the ship-to-ship combat system (I'll ask Clarence's permission before doing so). 

I have Dark Heresy 1.0 and Deathwatch and but not Only War or Black Crusade. Is there anything "missing" from my adaptation that you'd like to see in a future edition?

Regards,

Colin

Sorry for my late reply. All praise is due to your great work Colin. When the 40K-setting is possible to see through the BRP mesh, it's for the first time really enjoyable I think. I also have 1st edition Dark Heresy, and also Deathwatch, Only War and Rogue Trader, but not Black Crusade. I have been playing table top wargaming on and off since the eighties. The goal for me is to have a rather long campaign either in Only War (as having the players playing the platoon of a regiment) or Dark Heresy. I just don't know what the changes are in the 2nd ed, and if there really are useful stuff there. My great inspiration is Dan Abnett's books.

[colinabrett]

Hi All,

I have just begun the project to revamp my 40K rules in an attempt to make it less Rogue Trader-centric. The following is what I have for character professions:

BRP describes the Power Level of a campaign as Normal, Heroic, Epic and Superhuman (BGB p.24). I'm thinking of ranking careers in much the same way, mostly from Normal to Epic with Superhuman characters treated as a further step in career progression.

a) Normal Characters 

Professional Skill Points: 250
Personal Skill Points: INT x 10

Heroic Characters

Professional Skill Points: 325
Personal Skill Points: INT x 15

c) Epic Characters

Professional Skill Points: 400
Personal Skill Points: INT x 20

d) Superhuman Characters

Professional Skill Points: 500
Personal Skill Points: INT x 25
 

===

Rather than create new professions, the following professions from the BGB can be used as written in a Normal power level campaign. Perhaps a low-level investigation of mysterious happenings (like CoC) attracts the attention of the Inquisition would make these characters viable.

Artist, Athlete, Beggar, Craftsman, Criminal, Entertainer, Farmer, Gambler, Hunter, Journalist, Labourer, Merchant, Noble, Pilot, Politician, Sailor, Scholar, Servant, Slave, Soldier, Spy, Student, Teacher, Thief, Tribesman, Warrior, Writer

Players are encouraged to rename these professions to something more "40K-esque", as in the examples below. The following professions from the BGB can be renamed and used as written:

Clerk to Scribe: Scribes copy reams of text and file it away to be forgotten.
Assassin to Hitman: Assassin is a title reserved for Officio Assassinorum killers
Computer Tech to Cogitator Technician: Cogitator is the Imperium's term for computers in M41
Cowboy to Range Rider: There is no guarantee the character will ride horses or even round up cattle. The player should be encouraged to choose the mount and herd.
Lawman to Arbites Patrolman: The basic beat-cop on Imperial worlds.
Detective to Arbites Senior: The CID / Detective Squad investigators on Imperial worlds
Scientist, Technician, Mechanic to Mechanicus Tertius: A low-ranked Adeptus Mechanicus serf, with appropriate specialisation.

The following professions from the BGB should be used with great care:

Occultist: may have knowledge considered heretical by the Imperium
Priest: unless associated with the Ecclesiarchy
Shaman, Wizard: While tribal shamans and mediaeval wizards may exist in primitive Imperial worlds, any unsanctioned use of BRP Powers (i.e. anything the Imperium deems as witchcraft, mutant or heretical) could rouse the ire of the Inquisition.

===

Starting at the Heroic Level, I will attempt to convert over the careers from Dark Heresy (1.0): Adept, Arbitrator, Assassin, Cleric, Guardsman, Imperial Psyker, Scum, Tech-Priest.

At the Epic Level, I see the characters I converted over for Rogue Trader being suitable and I'll add them to version 2 almost unchanged. 

At the Superhuman Level, characters become extremely powerful. These are the realms of Space Marine Chapter Masters, Imperial Guard Lords Militant, Lord Inquisitors, Adepta Sororitas Living Saints, Eldar Farseers, Ork Warlords. They might not be suitable as starting PC professions but they can be seen as mentors or sponsors or the long term goals of an ambitious player.

Obviously, this is quite a lot of work. If anyone fancies pitching in, I'd be grateful for the assistance. 

Regards,

Colin

[colinabrett]

Hi,

A slight necro on this thread but I have just uploaded a PDF of Part One of the revised 40K RPG rules. The formatting is still very rough but the file includes: character generation, homeworlds, pros and cons, abhumans and xenos characters, careers and skills. 

Still to do: Starships (in progress), Psionic Powers, Weapons and Equipment (particularly alien weapons) 

Any questions, comments, additions or amendments you'd like to see, please let me know either through this thread or a message.

Regards,

Colin

[colinabrett]

Going slightly off-topic here (but still relevant, I think) is a question regarding equipment rarity. Some items I'm converting over from the FFG games are extremely rare, sometimes unique, and I don't want PCs be able to acquire them "off the shelf". The FFG games do have a common/uncommon/rare/unique sort of classification for equipment.

Do we have a "rarity index" for BRP equipment ... or is it worth converting over the FFG system?

Regards,

Colin

[clarence]

Good question. I don't think I have seen one for BRP. It would be a good idea to port the system. Does it come with any rules or is it just a classification?

[K Peterson]

The closest to a 'rarity index for equipment' I've seen is some combination of the wealth level values for equipment and a character's Status skill. And potentially penalty modifiers to a Status skill roll to acquire the rare/unique equipment. And a drastic reduction of a character's wealth level if they buy an expensive item.

How do the FFG rules handle equipment rarity? Is it simply an extremely high cost? Or is there an extensive process to find and negotiate the purchase? 

With BRP, I could see a whole string of skill tests required to even find a rare or unique item. Leveraging Mental or Perception-type skills to track the item down, and a Communication skill test or two to purchase the item from a seller. Hell, the search for a unique item could be the basis for a campaign!

 

[clarence]

Yes, I think this could lead to some interesting quests. What does the rules in 40K look like, Colin?

[colinabrett]

First thoughts

The FFG system is very crunchy (11 levels of availability, 4 levels of population and timeframes ranging from 1 day to 1 year to acquire the item).
FFG uses Commerce and Inquiry tests. These are equivalent to the BRP Bargain and Research skills. 
BRP Wealth Levels are: Wealthy, Affluent, Average, Poor, Destitute
BRP Item Values are: Priceless, Expensive, Average, Inexpensive, Cheap
BRP Item properties: Free, Restricted
BRP Status Levels are setting dependent.
See: Chapter 8 BGB pp.237-240 and Status skill BGB p.p.79-80.

So, set five "Occurrence Levels": Everywhere, Common, Average, Rare, Unique
where
Everywhere (E): Everyday articles available in any locale at any time
Common (C): Everyday articles available in any locale, usually during business hours
Average (A): available in most locales and/or within broad time window
Rare (R): available in few locales and/or within a narrow time window
Unique (U): A single unique or near-unique item available in only one place and/or time

Then the character's Wealth level sets the skill roll (if any) and difficulty needed:

Wealthy: ECA None; R Normal; U Difficult
Affluent: EC None; A Normal; RU Difficult
Average: E Easy; CA Normal; R Difficult; U Critical
Poor: E Normal; CAR Difficult; U Critical
Destitute: E Normal; CA Difficult; RU Critical

(Sorry for the use of abbreviations in the above table.)

Items that are described as "free" use the table above. Items that are "restricted" shift one column right on the table. An average wealth character trying to buy a flashlight makes an Easy skill roll; the same character acquiring a knife (available everywhere but restricted by local laws) needs to make a Normal skill roll. A "Critical" requirement in the above table means the character makes a roll at full skill level but only a Critical success will find or acquire the item.

Use Research and relevant Knowledge skills to find the item. Status, Persuade, Etiquette, Insight and Command can be used as complementary skills (BRP p.50).

Then use Bargain to acquire the item. Status, Persuade, Command and Appraise can be used as complementary skills (BRP p.50)

For simple purchases, use the Status rules on BGB p.239 to obtain the item. For more complex deals, use CR's conflict resolution rules in the Game within a Game thread.
 

==

This is a first attempt at a rarity index (and obviously needs example items in each category, which are largely setting specific). Any suggestions to improve this basic idea?

Colin

[colinabrett]

I've just uploaded a semi-finished version of the BRP 40K crossover rules. The rules themselves are complete - barring edits and suggestions from BRP Central forumites - but I'm mucking around with formatting and layout to get away from the huge wall of text it is now.

Any questions, comments or amendments you'd like, please let me know.

Regards,

Colin 

[clarence]

Downloaded! I will check it out tomorrow. 

[colinabrett]

Request for clarification, if possible: what are the forum's rules for uploaded documents that have pictures cut from other publications (I'm thinking pics of GW miniatures and other snapshots from their 40K rulebooks). Purely for illustrative purposes. Baron points out up-thread that the group he might use these rules with will only have my document to go on, so I thought a few pictures would help. Of course, I don't want to get BRP Central into trouble (or me for that matter) if GW sends in the Inquisition and/or legal department.

Any advice, please?

Colin

[Simlasa]

I don't see why it would need such images, the internet is full of GW imagery if you need to show something to the players. Including anything from any of their publications in the BRP document is just going to be asking for trouble.

[colinabrett]

I've finally submitted the finished article as a better-formatted PDF with hypertext links. Can I or one of the moderators delete the old versions, please?

 

Colin

[clarence]

Good work. I will check it out. 

[Simlasa]

Thanks for all your hard work on this. It is truly appreciated!