Dark Heresy Campaign – Character Presentation and Session 1
Summary:
We have finally started the bi-weekly Dark Heresy campaign
we discussed on the Deployment Zone podcast.
The game kicked off very well and we are using Google Hangout and the www.roll20.net
website to play this campaign. While it
doesn’t replace the experience of a face to face tabletop roleplaying session,
it does allow players who normally would not have a chance to play with each
other to connect.
I started the Acolytes out at Rank 5 – since this campaign
is scripted to go all the way into the Ascension expansion at its
culmination. We also used a character
mapping exercise where you ask the players five questions and write down their
answers beside the question then you include a few important items such as in
this case their Inquisitor’s name, the Ordo Xenos, etc.. Each question you ask is designed to draw
upon a background element for their character such as “Name a rival within the
Ordo” or “Name someone who owes you a favor”, etc… Once all the questions have
been asked, you have each player one by one draw a line from the answer of one
of their questions to the answer of another players on the sheet.
Example: Roy draws
the answer from “Name a rival within Ordo” to Reuben’s “Name your greatest
accomplishment”. This line now links the
two background aspects of the characters and provides the GM with an
opportunity to create a plot line that centers on that relationship or it adds
further depth and notion between characters and players.
It’s a great tool to use in the first session as people
finish up their characters since it allows for immediate character development
and turns it into a group exercise that will help shape the campaign.
So with that said…
I present the Acolytes of Inquisitor Mavin DeOrc of the
Ordo Xenos:
Ben Aker – a Hive World Arbitrator played by Josh.
Voroll – a Forge World Tech Priest played by Roy.
Gregor Markoff – a Feral World Guardsman played by
Bryan
Khorodai – Feral World Scum played by Reuben
Gavrik Molenor – a Void born Imperial Pysker played by
Mike
Session 1 Summary:
The Errants of DeOrc – Chapter 1: Separation Anxiety.
The acolytes of Inquisitor Mavin DeOrc of the Ordo Xenos
have been called to assemble before him at the Inquisitor’s private
occlusiatorium in the Calixian Conclave in the Tricorn Palace of
Scintilla. The group arrives at the
Tricorn palace and immediately head towards the audience chambers to present
themselves before their Inquisitor. When
the acolytes arrive they notice that almost the entire network of Inquisitor
Mavin’s acolytes is present and assembled in the occlusiatorium. The Inquisitor himself rather than this Interrogator
Tomas addresses the group.
Inquisitor Mavin DeOrc of the Ordo Xenos, eradicator of
countless Xenos threats, signals for everyone to be silent and signals the
servitors at the end of the great doors of the chamber to seal the room. The Inquisitor addresses the group saying
that someone has broken into the Inquisitorial vaults in the Calixian Conclave
and stolen various xenos artifacts. The
Inquisitor knows it had to have been one of his staff since all the passcodes
require his identifier which his acolytes all possess. As the Inquisitor speaks, the massive doors
to the occlusiatorium close and six large combat servitors activate and march
out of their security pods located within the occlusiatorium’s walls. The combat servitors with their Mark III –
Mars Pattern autocannons surround the acolytes as the Inquisitor begins to rage
from his position at the podium on the raise dais.
The players did notice that the Inquisitors Inner Circle
acolytes were not present except for the Interrogator Tomas. The players failed to notice one of the
acolytes moving through the crowd and more importantly passing by each of them
during the Inquisitors rant.
The Inquisitor then
gives the acolytes who were responsible one last chance to come forward before
he reveals what was taken and then begins questioning each acolyte individually
under Inquisitorial arrest. When no one
comes forward, the Inquisitor begins to announce what was taken when each of
the players’ characters have a small beacon on their person begin to glow with
a red light. The players failed to
notice the glowing red light emanating from the logis matrix of each combat
servitor and as the Inquisitor opens his mouth to speak, an autocannon round
evaporates his head in a crimson mist.
As the Inquisitor’s headless body falls to the ground, chaos
erupts as the combat servitors begin firing into the crowd of acolytes. The gunfire only lasts 3-4 seconds but when
the smoke clears most everyone is either dead or on the ground with the
exception of the player characters who are untouched. A few moments pass then the great doors of
the occlusiatorium are flung open as a dozen inquisitorial Storm Troopers enter
the room and order immediate surrender.
Confused and alarmed, the acolytes begin to collect their
wits when one of the acolytes outside their group accuses them of controlling
the servitors and killing the Inquisitor.
The Storm Troopers are observed as being part of Inquisitor Leviticus
Hexx’s retinue and after receiving a message from the internal vox within his
helmet, tell the acolytes that they are being placed under Inquisitorial arrest
and they are to relinquish their weapons and get on the floor. After the Storm Trooper Sergeant bellows his
orders to the acolytes, the red beacons on the players begin to glow again as
do the combat servitors’ logis matrix. The
players and the acolyte that accused them tear off towards the exit on the
other side of the chamber as gunfire erupts once again from the other end of
the chamber, only this time the combat servitors are targeting them. The players recognize the acolyte that
accused them of slaying the Inquisitor as the Scum Voross. The players overtake, wound and capture
Voross during their escape to the hangar bay where they steal a shuttle and
break free of the Tri-corn palaces air space and that is where they 1st
session ended.
