2008-05-13 Great as a Sourcebook, very poor as an RPG

Before we sat down to play this, I would have rated it at a full 5 stars. It is big, looks fantastic and is full of great detail and atmosphere; the Misericord and the Tyrant Star being particular high points. If you have any interest in the 40K universe you will enjoy this read. If you intend to run a game using this as source material in a different game engine, you will enjoy this read.

Actually play the game as written and the cracks begin to show. It is based of WHFRP, if that means anything to you, except it is split into 8 classes with their own advancement paths which extend farther than the career steps in WHFRP so you start lower and can get higher, through smaller step if you get what I mean. The problem is you start off poorly skilled and the difficulty mods are too small for the size of the d%. For example, let's say you come up with a clever plan, and the GM awards you by making a task to difficulty levels easier, you have average skill scores and minimum skill points devoted to a skill. In Gurps you will be rolling under 16 on 3d6, with the bell curve that is almost certain success, in d20 with even a single skill rank you need a 4 on a d20, in Dark Heresy you are at 61%. Without a bell curve a d% means you will fail at easy tasks too often and it quickly become frustrating; begins to feel like what you do has far less effect than the dice roll. The party begins to "spam" checks as the rest of the party tries after the specialist has failed. The face man hacks the computer security the tech-priest couldn't, the cybernetic freak earns trust the priest or con-man fails to earn. The entire party misses the limping mutant at point blank range on full auto (bonuses max out at +30%, penalties also max at -30, so when you are firing at long range, in total darkness, go for a headshot).

When your character cannot do what he was built to do and others fluke it anyway you begin to loose immersion and suspension of disbelief. The tech-priest who cannot be relied upon to be a tech priest is what? When 3/4 of the party fall and hurt themselves for running in a dark alley with damp rubbish (one of whom is nearly killed by a rat) it is very hard to believe the characters were chosen by the inquisition as useful tools. Worst of all a table of rabid 40K fans gave up, not because it was challenging, but because we were bored to tears.

Call of Cthulhu has a worse system granted, but only because it doesn't have difficulty mods. Call of Cthulhu is more fun however as your expert can have 70% or 80% in his skill of choice and will only last as long as the first monster or book reading anyway. In Dark Heresy you are meant to keep your characters for a while.

If you are not a roleplayer, the above won't mean much and let me reassure you, as a book, it rocks, full 5 stars. The presentation and substance are top notch. As a game system it barely rates a 1. It could work as a game but you will have to bend over backwards and house rule to make it work. As it is sold as an RPG, I split the difference at 3 stars.