Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will be the first 40KRP game, allowing players to take on the role of an Inquisitor’s retinue. Their task is to uproot the taint of Chaos in Imperial society, to smash dark cults and foil sinister plots. It’s a game of investigation and will be an ideal introduction to the dark and gothic universe of the 41st Millennium. Dark Heresy is just the beginning, however. After this basic game, two further games released eighteen months apart will allow the players to progress and explore the universe first as Rogue Traders and alien pirates, and eventually experienced players will be able to roleplay the devastating warriors of the Adeptus Astartes Deathwatch.

All three games use the same game system, which is itself based in part upon the award-winning Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Players will be able to progress from one system to the next, as they gain experience and a measure of understanding of the vastly detailed universe of Warhammer 40,000. Each of the games will consist of a core rulebook accompanied by regular releases of sourcebooks and adventures.

Game design is being handled by Green Ronin, the team who helped create the sensational new version of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay so successfully in 2005, and much of the background is being handled by the Black Library’s team of writers.

Ten years ago I would have been wetting myself, now Mmmm buggerit. What I can say is well done Green Ronin, its a good thing that someone else is getting the credit too for once from GW.

I cannot believe that they are waiting eighteen months between core games , I understand that in that time period they can use it a playtext for the next core rules but still. I wish they went the way of Core rules followed by Game 1, Game 2 etc.

I also love this bit "...eventually experienced players will be able to roleplay the devastating warriors of the Adeptus Astartes Deathwatch."
What wankers, sorry for the out burst but its infering that by hanging in there and waiting out the three games and the splats you will be rewarded by getting to play Deathwatch!?! It could be just the wording but as a consumer and a gamer I feel slighted by that statment - "For your loyalty I will let you buy more stuff, but at the sametime make you feel as though I have giving you my first born."

I hope it goes smoothly for GR as they have been burnt in the past and know they will do a quility job on the book, plus they have a wealth of info to work with.

As I said before I would loved this to happen ten years ago but now I feel there are systems and world out there that do 40k and do it well. I know it will sell and RPGing is one of the only way they could have gone to keep the Name alive. They just could do another edition to reinvent the game yet again.

I wonder fill all the none rule books that are out there current will fade, to limited the source of information on the 40k world? This way a group will have to buy the game to get the infomation and not gleam it out of other text. On the other hand by removing other texts they can just copy and paste rules to prewritten articals.


As you can tell I have a mix bag of feelings on this one. I love the concept and it a joy to see what I have always want in the 40k world but at the same time I can see GW really haming it up.

Thanks Big Hara for the find.


Lord Abaddon of Wormwood

I couldn't agree more... I'm sure Green Ronin will produce a stellar product, and more power to them, but I still have trouble shaking the bitter taste I've carried concerning GW product, not just as a consumer, but as a former employee/orderer at a gaming shop. This is compounded by the vast amounts of time/money I invested in the system about 13 years ago, when we had a rather robust group of new GW players. The rules worked, everybody was painting/gaming/blasting away, and all was well, until what seemed to be a fundamental shift ocurred. GW blew up, and instead of concentrating on the core followers who nurtured the system, it became all sales or else. (same old story...) I don't think I'm alone in this sentiment, but the GW purchasing requirements, even through distributors, became draconian, and followers dropped off like flies, killing the GW market in smaller stores... I'd be interested to hear similar stories of former GW fanatics who still have field-ready Space Marine squads or Eldar on the their bookcase shelves, gathering dust since the latest editions. The force organization charts make sense on a tactical level, but seemed to force the hand of some gamers to purchase more and more units to round out their armies in order to field viable forces, regardless of size...