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I posted a thread the other day about running a game for my friends who know nothing about 40k where they'd be playing imperial guardsmen.
I was originally going to do it freeform but I realized that was a terrible idea so I'm running it in only war.
During chargen I'm going to get them to read excerpts from the infantaryman's uplifting primer.
They're going to be drafted into a newly formed regiment from a planet that's of similar technology levels to earth that has not had contact with the imperium in a long time.
They do sort of know about the astartes so I was wondering how I could fit that in fluffwise, do space marines ever go on none combat missions maybe to boost morale?
I was thinking of not letting them pick a specialization after they'd rolled a character, and instead assigning it to them myself based on their attributes while in training en route to their first mission.
I'm also going to have a GMPC to prevent them committing too much naive heresy, but I'm undecided as to whether this is a sergeant or a commissar, I'm not sure it'd make sense for such a new squad to have a commissar assigned directly to them.
I was thinking their first assignment would be against either some hive gangers, but maybe that'd be too minor a thing for the guard to deal with, or it'd be quelling a rebellion on a planet that is trying to secede from the imperium.
Either way I'm planning on the BBEG being a not very powerful psyker, I'm planning on the whole thing being really easy in order to lull them into a false sense of security.
Their next assignment will be to cull an ork raiding party that has crash landed on an agri world, for their first battle there I'm going to have them fight gretchen but present them as orks in order to boost their confidence even more, after that I'm planning on hitting them with a serious ork raiding party, this battle is going to result in the death of the GMPC and serious injury to the players.
>>46629066
Would you play it /tg/?
>>46629066
Instead of them fighting some heretics and such directly, how about they are a part of a supply convoy on a planet, and then they get ambushed by cultists/Orks/Kroots/etc
https://youtu.be/iUkyAt6CJgU
>>46629066
That actually all sounds pretty solid mate. Give them a sergeant, don't want to drop a commissar on them too early, especially with the whole "summary execution" thing. Sounds based, good luck OP.
>>46630539
Oh yeah, and hive scum aren't a bad shout for a first mission, especially if they're PDF or new recruits. There was some fluff in the 5th edition codex that said guardsmen actually mostly fight minor insurrections and shit rather than xenos and full blown Chaos.
>>46630581
Maybe a big riot of mostly civillians on a world with an inept PDF?
>>46629066
If your players are unfamiliar with both the setting details and the system, I'd recommend running a one-shot with disposable pre-made characters as your first session. Drop them into a larger overall battle against Orks, cultists, or rebels, let them get a feel for the general lethality and learn about the consequences of cowardice/heretical sentiments without losing characters they're invested in.
Then at the end, presumably after most of them are dead, have the Space Marine drop pods come in to perform the real attack. Hell, if you're up for it you could even let the players power-trip by controlling the marines for a few rounds before the one-shot ends.
>>46630725
I did think of doing that but I'd really like to keep the ignorance of a newly formed regiment, at first I want them to feel like the toughest things in the galaxy.
>>46630887
Ah, then you're going to want to make sure that their first enemies are either gretchen or humans equipped at WW2 tech levels or below. The lethality factor of OW and DH is means that even reasonably armed gangers are going to lead to fatalities.
Also, as an alternative to gangers, have them put down a slave rebellion on the under-levels their transport ship. That gives you a nice excuse for why they'd be brought in, as well as explaining why the enemy would be under-equipped.
The suggestion about having them defending a supply depot or convoy is a good one too. It's a lot more likely to run into low-level trouble while on guard duty.
As for your question about why marines would be around: I don't think morale-building would fit, but they might be there as observers, or as specialists on reserve in case shit goes super south, or as personal protection for someone their chapter owes a debt, or they might be investigating rumors of chapter relics in the area.
>>46630623
Also works.
>>46630725
Isn't a bad shout either.
>>46629066
>do space marines ever go on none combat missions maybe to boost morale?
No, but this is quite a good opportunity to have marines drop out of warp near earth and for politicians and the rumour mill to start asking weather they are here to secure the rediscovered planet or because they have knowledge of some other threat. Leads to much paranoia, which is a good prelude to grimdark.
I say do it.
It might also help if the marines have some quite unusual practicises like the Raptors, to enhance the feeling of seperation from normal society.
>I was thinking of not letting them pick a specialization after they'd rolled a character, and instead assigning it to them myself based on their attributes while in training en route to their first mission.
Humm, that probably wont be fun for them. But you could do it the way i did and have their regiment attributes determined largly by their play style. For example; if the officer in charge, say Sgt or Commissar is a maverik then they get the maverik commanding officer, and the talents associated. If however they are cowardly they get circumspect, or if they are munchkins then they get sanguin and the die hard talent etc.
>>46631064
Putting down a slave rebellion on the transport ship would be an excellent way to ease them into the combat rules as well that's an excellent idea.
How are you defining reasonably equipped gangers? Would it be possible to run it if they had maybe a poor condition las pistol between about 3 of them?
>>46631151
I was defining "reasonably equipped" as everyone having either a pistol or a melee weapon, with a few hand cannons and shotguns mixed in. (I'm used a game style where any human enemy with less than that would just run or hide from us, so that skews my definition a little)
I'm sure your guys could easily mop up a few groups of gangers as you defined them without too much risk (bad rolls can still require fate points or be fatal though, the d10 range on most weapons is tricky). Watch out for melee fights btw, if your players are normal guardsmen they'll have a lot easier time gunning enemies down at range than dealing with a group jumping them in melee.
>>46631441
I'll probably go for them being under equipped by your definition though, though maybe being manipulated by a psyker so they don't run away, I'll make sure to get through to them IC that they're better off engaging at range.
I did a similar style game, with a similar group of people. My players had fun, but i failed to provide enough action for them, and it feel apart. Live and learn.
Back on topic, sounds like a fun game to me. If they want space marines, throw is a 5 man squad of them maybe, just to show up every once in a while to lay down pain, or help when things look bleak.
I would go for gangers or cultists. Shooting slaves isint the most noble mission. But then again, my players always wanted to be good guys, so that's just my experience. (It made running black crusade... interesting, to say the least)
>>46629066
Look up the disco marines, they take care of all moral related issues.
