We are located in AUSTRALIA and provide access to a range of Black Library novels and the Dark heresy RPG sourcebooks (Our aim - however unlikely - is to make Dark Heresy the #1 RPG in Australia) We are not associated with, nor endorsed by Fantasy Flight Games, Black Library or Games Workshop (And no...we do not carry the miniature game though perhaps one day in the far flung future this might change, don't go holding your breath)
Rogue Trader Core Rulebook
 In Rogue Trader, you take on the role of a Rogue Trader and his most trusted counsellors, empowered by an ancient warrant of trade to seek out profit and plunder amongst unexplored regions of space. Your ship will take you to new worlds and uncharted reaches of the void, where you will encounter rivals, pirates, aliens, and possibly even creatures of the warp. You will acquire and spend great wealth and riches, and fame or infamy will follow. You will discover ancient and forgotten mysteries and search out the unknown to find lost human worlds or never before seen celestial phenomena. You must survive the dangers of space, for beyond the threat of vacuum and deadly radiation lurk things Man was never meant to find. To be part of a Rogue Trader’s crew is to stand on the threshold of nearly unlimited opportunity. Vast profits await for you and your fellow Explorers to find and claim. Fame and fortune reward the bold, but the unwary find only an anonymous death. - Fast character creation to get you into the game quickly, including a lifetime of possibilities with an expanded origin path system.
- Dynamic rules for all eventualities that let you handle everything from social interaction to deadly fast-paced combat, starships and psychic powers to a system of profit and influence.
- Comprehensive background on Rogue Traders, written by Warhammer 40,000 novelist and GW Design Studio member Andy Hoare.
- Build your own starship or begin play with one of the six pre-generated vessels.
Begin your players’ path to wealth and glory with a complete starting adventure that puts the Explorers right into the middle of the action. The Rogue Trader core rulebook contains everything you need to start your adventure in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. AUGUST RELEASE |
NEWS
AUGUST 2009: Fantasy Flight Games plans to release the next big step in the Warhammer 40,000 RPG line. That's right...ROGUE TRADER is going to exist!
24th MARCH 2009: Fantasy Flight Games gives EDGE OF DARKNESS (For the Dark heresy RPG) a new look. The free introductory adventure has had a face-lift and is ready to shine so what are you waiting for, there is a download to get.
22 February 08: Fantasy Flight Games to Exclusively Publish Board Games, Card Games, and Roleplaying Games based on Games Workshop properties. Roseville, Minnesota (February 22, 2008) – Fantasy Flight Games (“FFG”) and Games Workshop (“GW”) jointly announced today that they have reached an agreement for Fantasy Flight Games to become the exclusive publisher of board games, card games (including collectible card games), and roleplaying games based on Games Workshop’s family of renowned intellectual properties including Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000. Additionally, the deal will grant FFG the exclusive rights to publish new versions of the classic board and card games titles published by Games Workshop over the last 25 years.
OLD NEWS
SUCCESS = CANCELLATIONGames Workshop's publishing arm, BL Publishing, has announced that Dark Heresy: Disciple of the Dark Gods, which is due out in September, will be the final release from the Black Industries line of RPG and board games that was announced in 2004 For those curious about print runs and the like...Initial print run of Dark heresy was I believe 6,000 copies, while the initial print run of the novels was initially around the 5,000-10,000 mark, Descent of Angels is a 35,000 copy initial print run (and Armour of Contempt 20,000 copies). Inquisitors handbook is supposed to have an initial print run of about 7,000+ copies. How all this will work out now that the game is being cancelled, who knows. But with the Dark Heresy based novel Scourge the Heretic having a 20,000 initial print run, you can see the direction they figured on. The novel basis for sales would be factored by the existing sales of novels to wargamers...as compared to pure Roleplayers such as myself who are attracted to Dark Heresy for a good solid SF RPG (ie expectation of print run for none core RPG books as compared to the existing growth of the novel market)
Release Schedule (This is it folks)
- February 2008
- Dark Heresy: Innocence Proves Nothing
- Dark Heresy: Character Record
- Dark Heresy: Game Master's Kit
- Scourge the Heretic (Novel)
- March 2008
- Purge the Unclean
Scenario anthology written by TS Luikart. Three very different adventures. The scenarios can be played separately or as a continuation from Shattered Hope and Illumination. One adventure features a Space Marine
- May 2008
- The Inquisitor's Handbook
quite simply an essential purchase. This book (256 pages) builds on the core rulebook, offering alternative PC orgins, home worlds and optional Career Ranks for all Careers. In addition, you will find chapters covering hive, forge, feral, feudal and war worlds, not forgetting the void and frontier planets. Each of these includes a range of new weapons, armour and gear (just wait till you see the war zone stuff!) Oh and a chapter on the Holy Ordos, again including some special devices employed by the agents of the Inquisition. Plus Life as an Acolyte, Religion and advanced Skills. No player, let alone GM should be without this one.
- September 2008
- Disciples of the Dark Gods
if you liked the Edge of Darkness scenario (free on the BI website) then you'll love this book as the majority of it has been written by Alan Bligh and John French. Secrets, mysteries and dark dangers of the Calixis Sector lie within. Includes in depth detail on numerous cults (be they heretics, xenos or Daemonic) as well as discussing some of the internal strife within Calixis and the Inquisition itself. You may also find a few surprises and a few "old friends" too.
 MARCH 14 2006 (Nottingham, England) 2007 will mark the 20th anniversary of the first publication of Games Workshop’s legendary Warhammer 40,000 game system. It’s no coincidence that March 2007 will also see one of the most eagerly awaited events in gaming history – the release of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay (40KRP)! Rumours have been circulating in the roleplay community for many years about such a game. Now Black Industries, fresh from the success of the revamped Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, can reveal that it really will be happening, and in a way no one is expecting. Because there won’t be one 40KRP game, but three!
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.
For more information as it becomes available keep an Inquisitorial eye on www.blackindustries.com. But remember, heretic: innocence proves nothing. [ Q&A ]
Known Release Schedule:
- Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay Dark Heresy Rulebook
Combining the grim darkness of the far future with award-winning games design, the Dark Heresy rulebook allows players to take on the role of an Inquisitor’s retinue as they fight against the corrupt agents of Chaos. Within this awesome full colour rulebook, players will find all the information they need to play as agents of the Imperial Inquisition. It’s packed with evocative background, detailed rules, details of equipment and an adventure to get players started. Search out the traitor, the heretic, the mutant, and remember – innocence proves nothing.
February 2008 • 320pp • Hardcover
UK £35.00 • US $49.99 • Can $64.99
- Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Dark Heresy Games Master’s Screen
This lavish Games Master’s screen is just what every GM needs to help keep their Inquisitorial secrets safe. Behind the sturdy screen the GM can hide his dice rolls or simply keep his players from reading his notes. Printed on the GM's side are loads of handy quick reference charts that make running the game that much easier, whilst on the player’s side are evocative pieces of art from the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
February 2008 • Screen/booklet
UK £12.00 • US $19.99 • Can $25.99
- Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Dark Heresy Character Record Pack
In the service of the Emperor you are expected to give your all – heart, mind and soul. Working for the Inquisition you could soon loose all three. Players can now make sure their achievements do not go unrecorded with this deluxe Character Sheet. With 24 pages of luxury parchment, players can record their character’s statistics, equipment, companions and a whole lot more! No player will want to go without one of their own!
February 2008 • 24pp • Booklet
- Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Purge the Unclean
Step straight into the world of the Imperial Inquisition with this amazing adventure anthology. Packed with amazing scenarios, Games Masters can test fledgling investigators to the limits with all manner of arcane plots and twisted horrors. Perfect for beginners and veterans alike, there is sure to be something to interest all playing styles. Explore the horrors of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe from the ground level up!
March 2008 • 144pp • Softcover
UK £20.00 • US $34.99 • Can $44.99
Q&A Direct From the Official Forums (The following information is sourced from Black Industries Official Forum and the Questions were asked by Forum members and finally answered by BI...You want to know more? Go to the Official Forum and ask becuase the Heresy is just around the corner (Fall 2007))
- Q - Are you intending to stick with the careers system and if so will you have more tiered careers (along the lines of Apprentice Wizard, Journeyman Wizard etc)?
- A - Dark heresy will have a skill based advancement system like WFRP, but the careers won’t work in exactly the same way as they do in WFRP. For those not in the know, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay has a system where you start in one career, collect all the abilities the career grants (known collectively as ‘advances’) and then move onto another career and work towards completing that one. So, you might have a Rat Catcher, who becomes a Thief, and then moves on to become a Tomb Robber and so on. While this is fine for the gritty medieval world of Warhammer, this sort of social progress doesn’t really work for 40k. You don’t start off as an Imperial Guardsman, become a tech priest and then decide to become a psyker. The 41st Millennium is oddly much more feudal in it’s approach- you tend to do one thing until you die.
The way it will work is that you have a ‘career path’ which is a strongly themed set of advances that you can choose between. So, you might be a Guardsman who decided to learn medic skills for example- becoming a Field Medic. In character, you’re still a Guardsman- you’ve just decided to specialise. Instead of becoming a medic, you might decide you want to blow stuff up real good- so you learn to be a Sapper. Again, you’re still a Guardsman, but this time you’ve chosen to learn about explosives and demolition.
We’re going to have a few core paths or archetypes for you to follow- Guardsman, Sanctioned Psyker, Tech Priest and so on, but you’ll be able to customise your character in all sorts of ways using the options available in that path.
- Q - While you start as part of an Inquisitors retinue is there the possibility of becoming an Inquisitor?
- A - Yes, there is, but this is something you can only earn through play. It takes blood, sweat and tears to become an Inquisitor- sometimes even your own. Every character is potentially an ‘Inquisitor in Training’ but it will take you many many game sessions, blindingly good Roleplay and your GM’s permission to become a fully fledged Inquisitor. Of course, once you do become an Inquisitor, the conspiracy only deepens…
- Q - Will the careers system and rules be technically compatible with the WFRP? (To the extent that you could, theoretically, present the Fantasy world as being an isolated, backwards planet in the 40K universe?)
- A - This is not one of our design goals for Dark Heresy. We’re much more interested in thinking ‘if you’re part of an Inquisitor’s retinue, where in the 40k universe have you come from, where will you be going and what will you be doing?”
Some of the stats will work in a different way as well, so they won’t slot together seamlessly.
- Q - Will the game setting be urban based, or offer lots of possibilities for urbanised, dark sci-fi?
- A - Well at the moment, the locations for the first four adventures are two hive cities, a space hulk and a hellish mining complex. Plenty of dark and a fair bit of urban there.
- Q - Is it going to go into more detail about the Inquisition than "Inquisitor" does?
- A - Oh, you bet your syn-skin. We’re planning to detail each of the factions of the Inquisition at some length. Your character may not be aware of the factions to start with, but as the game goes on, you will be more and more affected by your Inquisitor and his beliefs. If you work for a puritan, you might end up hunting other acolytes and Inquisitors down, whilst if you work for a radical, you might end up pretending to use orthodox methods, but actually employ daemons.
The irony of an acolyte’s life is that whilst fighting to hold back the darkness, he might end up becoming corrupted by the very thing he is trying to prevent. Hence the title refers to both what you hunt out, and what you might commit.
- Q - What is the Emperor's favourite colour?
- A - He’s not said. He’s been a bit quiet recently.
- Q - Will assassins (temple or otherwise) be available as a career?
- A - Yes, in fact we’re going to feature one on the front cover. They’ll get some nice crazy weapon toys too.
- Q - Will the book be presented from a certain perspective (outsider looking in, insider's view, or maybe view from a certain Ordo's point of view) or will be it be "objective" on its presentation? Basically, is it "This is how things 'might' be or is it This is how things 'are'?
- A - The tone is very much, ‘this is how things are here’ We are creating a sector specially for Dark Heresy- one that is a microcosm of the macrocosm- which will allow us to present the GM and players with enough solid, detailed ground to get them started, but also allow them enough room to create their own stuff.
When we’re referring to the Imperium in general, we’re going to be quite broad. After all, the Imperium is so huge that it’s difficult to find much common ground between all the planets. So this will be things like “There is an Emperor, he lives on Earth” “There are Space Marines, they’re pretty tough you know”
When we’re referring to something from our sector, we will be authoritative in tone “This is this, that is always that and it’s up to you how you expand the other”
We will present ‘point of view’ quotes, but these will not form the main body of the text.
- Q - Will antagonists/monsters/aliens/daemons/etc. be included in Rule Book or will game masters be forced to come up with their own?
- A - Well, we’d be hard pressed to fit everything in, but yes, from Hive Scum to cultists and Eldar pirates, there will be antagonists galore.
- Q - Will the book be littered with story-hooks? Or will it largely be "factual"?
- A - We’re all about the story hooks- this is a game to be played after all. The entire setting will ooze with plot hooks.
- Q - Are world supplements planned or system sourcebooks to help plan adventures?
- A - We are planning to do an Adventure anthology (Purge the Unclean) straight off the bat. Supporting the GM is vital.
- Q - Are the statistics similar enough to WFRP that the monsters and Daemons from the Old World Bestiary and Tome of Corruption can be used without extensive conversion?
- A - Not really. You could take the concepts if you wanted to, but you’d have to restat. That said, someone on the internet somewhere will probably do a conversion table…
- Q - Are we going to see any info on alien races such as the Hrud, the K'nib or the Demiurg?
- A - Hmm, maybe the Hrud… Jury is still out on that one.
- Q - Is it all on schedule? Will it be released any earlier/later or is the schedule concrete?
- A - The schedule is concrete. We decided to move the release to Fall 07 because we knew we could hit that date and make it good.
- Q - Will it feature a planet called Zweihan's world?
- A - Maybe…if you’re very good.
- Q - Are you guys feeling positive about the development, or is the weight of everyone’s expectations bearing down on you starting to crush your souls? Bwahahahah!
- A - Are we positive? Yes. Are we incredibly busy- you bet. Are really bizarre things we didn’t expect assuming mighty importance? Ooh yeah. Things like money, vehicle combat, Bolt Guns and Alien races are causing all manner of unexpected hoo ha. We’ve found ourselves listening to ‘The Imperial March’ and the theme from ‘Zulu’ quite obsessively. Which is kind of worrying when you think about it. Anyway, onto the next question…
- Q - A number of novel suggestions have been made by many of the more common posters on this forum with regards to the development and support of 40kRP. Are these falling on deaf ears, or are BI and hence GW (etc.), thinking of using any of these?
- A - As far as BI goes, we read the forums all the time. Sometimes this is really useful, other times it is not. It’s difficult to give an average of how much effect they have. It all goes into the creative mix- just like any sci-fi book we read, TV program, game we play or conversation we have. We have found posting really specific questions is useful, as is sitting down to answer your Q&A.
- Q - Will the game become so focused on one theme, that it will be hard work trying to change it to support another theme?
- A - Well, the dark and moody nature of the game will be reflected in the art work and page designs, so it will be difficult to move away from that. In terms of rules, if you were to ignore the corruption rules, and tweak the careers you could probably do what you liked with it.
Really, what we’re trying to do is evoke the dark, gothic, brooding medievalism of 40k, along with superstition, mistrust and war. If you don’t like those themes, then a Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game isn’t going to be for you.
- Q - Will the game be geared toward current WFRP players or to new, incoming players?
- A - Dark Heresy is geared towards anyone who likes to roleplay in the 41st Millennium. That means roleplayers who like WFRP, roleplayers who don’t, people who like 40k but have never role-played, and folks who just love the artwork and fluff.
The system is certainly accessible to first time roleplayers- just as WFRP is. If you want to complicate things, you can.
- Q - How "flexible" will Dark Heresy be? In other words, can you play something other than an Inquisitorial retinue (such as a hive gang, a Guard squad, bounty hunters, etc.) using just the Dark Heresy rules and a little creativity?
- A - As long as you don’t mind making up adventures and tweaking some careers, you could do what you liked with it. The Dark Heresy rules and a little creativity can get you a long way…
- Q - I would also like to know if the game is "broad" or "focused"?
- A - Both. It has broad themes- personal corruption, investigation, mystery, war and conspiracy- but also a focused background. The central idea of working for an inquisitor is very focused, however the way that this is realised could be very wide indeed. From deep cover to kicking asp for the Emperor, a very broad selection of play styles can be catered to.
FAN SITES:
- Schola Progenium
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