# First time DM-ing, Deathwatch tips



## Greyskullscrusade (Jan 24, 2007)

Well, Im finally going to give Dm-ing a try. I have exp with DnD, a tiny bit of dark heresy and this will be out first time playing deathwatch. Our group really likes fighting, Ive mapped out a space hulk scenario. Our group consists of a DA devastator, BA assault, SW librarian, BT apothecary, and UM techmarine. Any tips or ideas?


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## Jack Jack (Nov 16, 2008)

Depends on how do you approach role playing games.

Do you know about the gamist/simulationist/narrativist theory?

Basically, there are 3 main reasons why people want to play RPGs.

Some approach it as a game, they are players out for in-game rewards. Send them of to find a long lost treasure (guarded by a powerful monster or any variation thereoff), no matter of filmsy the justification, they will be happy. However, you gotta make sure that the reward interest them to get them interested in your campaign. Those are the gamists. The campaign (adventure hook - reward ) is the most important thing for gamist.

Some approach it as a way to mimmick real life, but in a fantasy world. They will want to see a lot of fluff and realistic npc interactions. These guys want to feel they really are part of this world bigger than themselves, but you gotta make sure that they actually enjoy the world you set out for them to adventure in. These guys love freedom more than any other player archetype, so even if you have to plan the world in advance, you have to be able to improvise a lot and be flexible about what adventure hook they will take and which ones they won't. Those are the simulationnists. The world building is the most important thing for simulationnists.

A last but not least group approach rpgs as a story-telling medium. They will have fully fleshed out and complex characters with intricate backstory. They did not include all this backstory just for the fun of it thought, they expect you to actually use it. That guy is married and loves his wife? Well, the wife's better be an important character of the campaign or your player will be very disappointed. Maybe this guy plays a character out for revenge for the murder of his brother. Well, you gotta include revenge as a major theme of the story. These guys care less about realism than they care about drama. That underdog would never, in the real world, defeat the goliath? Who cares? If it's dramatic, include it in. Perhaps you will want to tweek fighting rules a bit to give characters more opportunity to rescue their comrades. (instead of separating the fighting into rounds, separate it into limelights, with a character's turn lasting until something interesting happens. Don't keep track of the time flow of combat, the whole point is that when a character gets in a tight spot, the other characters will always be able to attempt a rescue). Actual role play and a genuinely interesting plot is of paramount importance for these players.

The most important thing is to agree with your players on what you want from your rpg sessions. Enjoy a fun gaming night? build a fantasy world? tell a story? Those things require a very different kind of work on your part.

Talk to your player, let them on the inside, sometimes, you can even let them come up with their own ideas for the campaign/world building/story/characters. You could even let them roleplay some NPCs from time to time, especially if they are relevant to their character. ( I, for one, always let my players roleplay their character's relatives and their personnal ennemies : the player probably knows these characters more than the GM =P ).


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

I have to agree. What sort of party are they? Looks like a heavy combat set. Give them a puzzle that can be solved with liberal application of firepower. Make sure they neither roll over the enemies easily, nor feel overwhelmed. 

Make sure they know the Solo versus Team benefits and disadvantages. If this is their first outing, make sure it's fun. Space hulks are not really a Deathwatch thing. Make sure there's something in there at the end that fits. A nasty daemon, a warp rift. I would suggest the Hulk has a malfunctioning Gellar Field Generator, and it needs to be destroyed before it gates in Daemons. 

That's all I have to say.


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## Inquisitor Malaclypse (Dec 6, 2008)

can't comment on the group 'cos i don't know your mates, but after reading and re-reading the extent of the rules the Apothecary is potentially (IMO) the least useful of career paths a Marine could take as a PC.

you could do all the healer stuff for your group by having a NPC you run in the background of their home base.

you need more of the combat oriented PCs: Tactical and Assault Marines.

good luck on your GMing.


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## Greyskullscrusade (Jan 24, 2007)

Well, weve have one session so far, i think it went pretty well. Storyline is as goes

part 1 is a space hulk mission infested with nids, there is a cool demon fight on there too. Its broken down in to 5 parts.

part 2 is an investigation, something got off the hulk and made it to a nearby agri-planet, there the pcs will discover a beginning genestealer cult and destroy it, leading up to a hide and seek lictor battle. in the battle the inquisitor they are garrisoned under is badly wounded.

part 3 will take place on the inquisitors ship about a week later, he knows he has been tainted by the xenos, and in his delirious condition he makes a pact with the foul powers, the ship will be assaulted by chaos marines leading up to a battle with the inquisitor himself. He shall escape, leaving a foul taste in the kill teams mouth, as well as a new enemy of the imperium an hopefully a recurring enemy for the squad.

thats what i have planned for now, at the point our techmarine will take over dm ing for a bit. 

That way I can play my black Templar apothecary more vocally.

Sound good?


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## Jack Jack (Nov 16, 2008)

To me, it's too much video game-like : Go there, kill the monsters, get the treasure.

If it's good for your group, go for it, but the fact that you did not care to explain to us why each character is doing what, what are their motivations, makes me, as a player, would not want to play under you as a GM.


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## Greyskullscrusade (Jan 24, 2007)

None of us have ever played an RPG so in depth, how would I go about incorporating back stories?

As for motivations....

Dark angels-Capture the fallen
Space wolves-drink some more
Blood angels-cure the frenzy
Templar-burn the witch
storm wardens-not to sure yet
Ultramarines-find even more ways to be disliked

it seems to me that motivations are all the same to the space marines, Die for the Emperor. Any attempts at glory would be in vain in deathwatch since they take the vow of silence.

Ideas?


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## Jack Jack (Nov 16, 2008)

Then why did they took that vow in the first place?

Your game seems so unpersonnal. All your characters look rather generic if you ask me. How are these characters different than others of their kind? Sourcebooks give a stereotype for a given set of characters so that original characters become interesting by being different from the stereotype. This is why Dritzz Do'Urden is such a popular character. Of course, being a marty stu undermines that a bit, but anyway...


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## Wusword77 (Aug 11, 2008)

Jack Jack said:


> This is why Dritzz Do'Urden is such a popular character. Of course, being a marty stu undermines that a bit, but anyway...


Lols Drizzit is LAME. :laugh:

Anyway on topic.

If your group likes combat, I'd say you've got a good thing going with your current mission type. I'd play one or 2 more sessions before diving into a larger storyline type campaign.

I would say for your 3rd session I'd keep combat to a minimum and focus on the RPing aspect. Chaos offers way to many fun options you can use from an RP stand point to just hold on to a shoot out with some CSM.


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## Jack Jack (Nov 16, 2008)

Wusword77 said:


> Lols Drizzit is LAME. :laugh:


He's lame allright, doesn't change the fact that he is popular ( he has fans ). Original characters are good, as long as they don't become Mary Sues.


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## Greyskullscrusade (Jan 24, 2007)

Well, I think it would be cool if the rogue inquisitor could keep crossing paths with the team, but getting away. We had a guy like that in an old d and d campaign and his name still sets the guys on fire, like 5 years later. What csm chapter should I use? Corsairs I was thinking.


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## Inquisitor Malaclypse (Dec 6, 2008)

based on the idea of your Inquisitor, have a current (NPC) Inquisitor or Watch Captain show the characters old holo vids of your Evil NPC investigating a piece of xeno tech.

but for the sake of contrasts, don't start him out as evil in your holo vid scenes: make him likeable as you can.

as your players encounter him in the current time line of the game you could either play him off as:

1. truly evil and corrupted and wants to kill the players (predictable, thus boring, IMO)
2. truly evil and corrupted but wants to recruit the players to his cause
(if you have an good guy NPC your players like, have HIM turn to evil)
3. truly evil but yet friendly and wants to kill off the players but only to "save them" from Imperial oppression
4. truly evil but Daemonically possessed; the Imperial part of his psyche has been wanting to kill itself for 500+ years to stop the atrocities the entity is committing with his body.
5. or maybe this NPC NEVER turned evil, but rather your Watch Captain or Inquisitor the party works with has an irrational/secret agenda for killing off your Rogue Inquisitor. it's a bitter sense of irony when the like-able NPCs your players like turn out to be the rotten bastards of the game.

as for back story, what's his name? what's he look like? how does he dress? how did he become an Inquisitor? who was his master? is his master alive or did your NPC murder him? are there persons your group will meet up with that have a personal stake in killing off your NPC, or do they secretly wish for his apotheosis to Daemon Prince?

a good upper level villain has a supporting cast of lesser NPCs that will convey to your characters your main villain's back story. sure, you the GM could tell them, but to get what other people think of this villain role play it out, and don't do it all at once.

when you meet someone for the first time and starting hanging out around him/her you find out things about this person from his/her friends, but they don't line up to tell you at once and it's a very rare thing for one group of persons to absolutely love/hate, dislike/like one person.

good gaming.


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## eldath (May 13, 2011)

Greyskullscrusade said:


> it seems to me that motivations are all the same to the space marines, Die for the Emperor. Glory would be in vain in deathwatch since they take the vow of silence.


I am not sure where you got this from, Astartes have personalities and motivations of their own. Doing the Emperors will is high on the agenda but they can be much less two dimensional than that if represented well. Also nowhere does it state anything about vows of silence. Glory is less important than renown though, and they are different things though Space Wolves will likely be more inclined to be glory seekers.




Inquisitor Malaclypse said:


> can't comment on the group 'cos i don't know your ates, but after reading and re-reading the extent of the rules the Apothecary is potentially (IMO) the least useful of career paths a Marine could take as a PC.


I disagree, an Apothacary is extremely useful; although Astartes seem to be, and in some ways are, extremely tough, they can be hurt and quite badly. There have been several occasions in our games where having an Apothacary made the difference between mission success and failure. Trust be, go toe-to-toe with a Genestealer lol, just watch your wounds drop. Also facing Traitor Marines can get quite nasty.

As to plot for a Deathwatch game, if you are doing it as a short run shoot stuff game then you can get away with combat heavy games. Our current ref is an ex squaddie and tends toward that end. If you are planning a longer running game then remember that not everything is about bolter fire and chainswords, you can have rescue missions or explorations missions. My own campaign I am working on will start with them being given information relating to the location of a Primarch, they just need to figure it out and find him. Then things will get nasty.

E


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