In April, Fantasy Flight Games announced Only War, a standalone Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of soldiers in the Imperial Guard, the galaxy-spanning armies of the God-Emperor. Today, we return to a series of previews examining the Only War play experience.

In our last preview, we read the insights of Andrew Fischer, Only War’s lead designer. Andrew shared his thoughts on the Imperial Guard, and the challenge of designing a game focused on this particular role in the Imperium. Today, we turn our attention to the game’s setting: The Spinward Front. Contributing writer Andy Hoare took time to offer his input on this war-ravaged front.

Enemies Abound

The Spinward Front is a region that will be both new and familiar to players of Dark Heresy. The warzone that forms the central setting for Only War is located just off of the Calixis Sector map players and game masters will know and love, taking as its basis the worlds on the edge of the Periphery Sub-Sector and expanding out into the inter-sector void beyond. Not one of these worlds is untouched by war, each claimed by one of the three major belligerents laying waste to the region.

The first of these combatants is of course the Imperium. Ordinarily, the worlds of the Emperor are able to draw upon numberless hosts, committing regiment after regiment to the relentless meat grinder of war. All is not well in the Spinward Front however, for the wars of the distant Jericho Reach take priority and draw ever more resources through the Jericho-Maw Warp Gate. The Imperium’s efforts are focused on the world of Kulth, but they extend for many light years along the inter-sector Warp routes to form the hellish warzones of the Spinward Front.

The second of the combatants are the Orks of Grimtoof Git-slaver. This barbarous greenskin horde has smashed into the outlying worlds just beyond the Periphery and is on the verge of entering the dreaded second stage of any Ork migration. Having unleashed unprecedented slaughter, Warlord Genghiz Git-slaver now seeks to consolidate his power. He has enslaved countless millions of humans and is laying the foundations of a new Ork stellar empire, right on the borders of the Calixis Sector.

The third of the major combatants are the forces of the Severan Dominate. The Dominate is headed by the bitter and twisted Severus the Thirteenth, a man whose line earned glory during the Angevin Crusade but whose rewards were overshadowed by the rise of Saint Drusus. Severus’ line has nurtured this hatred for generations, the invasion of Waaagh! Grimtoof affording him the long-waited excuse to secede from the Imperium and claim his birthright once and for all.

It is into this cauldron of bloodshed and betrayal that the men and women of the Imperial Guard are pitched. At first, player characters may care little for the intrigues of their superiors, fighting merely to stay alive against a warzone intent upon killing them in a myriad of unpleasant ways. Should they survive their first tour of duty however, the players will soon enough discover that the Spinward Front provides a wealth of opportunities to make war upon the foes of Mankind, or to die horribly in the attempt!

Thanks, Andy! Check back for more in the coming weeks, and look for Only War on store shelves later this quarter.

The Navis Primer, a supplement for Rogue Trader, is almost here! Last time, we heard from Max Brooke and Ross Watson regarding philosophy behind Rogue Trader’s use of maps. Today, Art Coordinator Mike Linnemann joins the discussion, delving into the process and psyche of the Navigator as he previews some of the art from The Navis Primer.

Rogue Traders make their fortune by traveling the cold gaps between the light of the stars. To do this, they require the assistance of Navigators, specialized, sanctioned mutants who use their pineal eye to guide vessels through the hostile Sea of Souls that is the Immaterium. Their ability is to see into the Warp, navigating giant ships across the universe for the Imperium. These practices are often too terrifying for most to even comprehend, let alone conduct without simply going mad. But the Emperor’s will shall be done, and the Navigators alone can make it happen. 

These men and women, though able to see and decipher the Warp directly, cannot simply lead a ship along a line to a destination. They need maps. Journeys can take months, years, decades, or even centuries with the best Navigators guiding a ship into and successfully out of the Warp. But their maps do not mark routes and destinations with linear distances or landmarks. Such things have no sway in the Warp.

The Warp is not like a highway, easily accessed from an onramp. It is not even like the Autobahn. Imagine it more like a stream. Imagine then, a Navigator guiding the ship through the current of Warp energy, fighting storms and undercurrents, and guiding the ship past the dread realms that swirl in the wake of the Chaos gods. Navigators cannot follow the canned instructions of a GPS past familiar landmarks; a Navigator must feel the planets within the Warp and knows that a storm is near, that a star has been passed, and that the ship is near its destination. Therefore the map needs to be emotional and turbulent, shifting and uncertain.

Art direction started with that foundational idea: one Navigator’s personal map.

This is not a painted representation; this is a living map, a thing that a navigator would paint and repaint dozens if not hundreds of times during a voyage, feeling the emotional tugs of relationships between celestial bodies. 

A Navigator’s Map of the Koronus Expanse

Click to enlarge.

Notice the vibrant color within the map. Planets are not circular masses but rather absences of Warp energy: holes in the fabric of the Immaterium. Through the hole, one can see the color of the paper that a Navigator is painting upon. Unlike on the maps in the first article, these planets are not presences in the darkness but are instead absences in the Warp. If you inspect the map closely, you will see the Navigator’s paint moving around these omissions, just as the Warp ebbs and flows around it.

Click to enlarge.

A Navigator does not see asteroid fields or massive storms. He or she sees the Warp disturbances that roil around the danger, like a section of rapids in a river. Something stirs the current into a churning frenzy from below and the Navigator, through practice, knows the difference between benign disturbances that arise around an asteroid field and rifts through which Daemons of the Chaos Gods can tear their way into reality, even through a Gellar Field. Through their training in the ways of the Warp, Navigators come to understand the emotional currents that flow through environments and organisms alike. When something lies beneath the surface, they simply know.

Thanks, Mike. Next week, navigate your way to your friendly local retailer; The Navis Primer is coming soon!

The Navis Primer, a supplement for Rogue Trader, is almost here! Last time, we heard from Max Brooke and Ross Watson regarding philosophy behind Rogue Trader’s use of maps. Today, Art Coordinator Mike Linnemann joins the discussion, delving into the process and psyche of the Navigator as he previews some of the art from The Navis Primer.

Rogue Traders make their fortune by traveling the cold gaps between the light of the stars. To do this, they require the assistance of Navigators, specialized, sanctioned mutants who use their pineal eye to guide vessels through the hostile Sea of Souls that is the Immaterium. Their ability is to see into the Warp, navigating giant ships across the universe for the Imperium. These practices are often too terrifying for most to even comprehend, let alone conduct without simply going mad. But the Emperor’s will shall be done, and the Navigators alone can make it happen. 

These men and women, though able to see and decipher the Warp directly, cannot simply lead a ship along a line to a destination. They need maps. Journeys can take months, years, decades, or even centuries with the best Navigators guiding a ship into and successfully out of the Warp. But their maps do not mark routes and destinations with linear distances or landmarks. Such things have no sway in the Warp.

The Warp is not like a highway, easily accessed from an onramp. It is not even like the Autobahn. Imagine it more like a stream. Imagine then, a Navigator guiding the ship through the current of Warp energy, fighting storms and undercurrents, and guiding the ship past the dread realms that swirl in the wake of the Chaos gods. Navigators cannot follow the canned instructions of a GPS past familiar landmarks; a Navigator must feel the planets within the Warp and knows that a storm is near, that a star has been passed, and that the ship is near its destination. Therefore the map needs to be emotional and turbulent, shifting and uncertain.

Art direction started with that foundational idea: one Navigator’s personal map.

This is not a painted representation; this is a living map, a thing that a navigator would paint and repaint dozens if not hundreds of times during a voyage, feeling the emotional tugs of relationships between celestial bodies. 

A Navigator’s Map of the Koronus Expanse

Click to enlarge.

Notice the vibrant color within the map. Planets are not circular masses but rather absences of Warp energy: holes in the fabric of the Immaterium. Through the hole, one can see the color of the paper that a Navigator is painting upon. Unlike on the maps in the first article, these planets are not presences in the darkness but are instead absences in the Warp. If you inspect the map closely, you will see the Navigator’s paint moving around these omissions, just as the Warp ebbs and flows around it.

Click to enlarge.

A Navigator does not see asteroid fields or massive storms. He or she sees the Warp disturbances that roil around the danger, like a section of rapids in a river. Something stirs the current into a churning frenzy from below and the Navigator, through practice, knows the difference between benign disturbances that arise around an asteroid field and rifts through which Daemons of the Chaos Gods can tear their way into reality, even through a Gellar Field. Through their training in the ways of the Warp, Navigators come to understand the emotional currents that flow through environments and organisms alike. When something lies beneath the surface, they simply know.

Thanks, Mike. Next week, navigate your way to your friendly local retailer; The Navis Primer is coming soon!

The Navis Primer, a supplement for Rogue Trader, is almost here! Last time, we heard from Max Brooke and Ross Watson regarding philosophy behind Rogue Trader’s use of maps. Today, Art Coordinator Mike Linnemann joins the discussion, delving into the process and psyche of the Navigator as he previews some of the art from The Navis Primer.

Rogue Traders make their fortune by traveling the cold gaps between the light of the stars. To do this, they require the assistance of Navigators, specialized, sanctioned mutants who use their pineal eye to guide vessels through the hostile Sea of Souls that is the Immaterium. Their ability is to see into the Warp, navigating giant ships across the universe for the Imperium. These practices are often too terrifying for most to even comprehend, let alone conduct without simply going mad. But the Emperor’s will shall be done, and the Navigators alone can make it happen. 

These men and women, though able to see and decipher the Warp directly, cannot simply lead a ship along a line to a destination. They need maps. Journeys can take months, years, decades, or even centuries with the best Navigators guiding a ship into and successfully out of the Warp. But their maps do not mark routes and destinations with linear distances or landmarks. Such things have no sway in the Warp.

The Warp is not like a highway, easily accessed from an onramp. It is not even like the Autobahn. Imagine it more like a stream. Imagine then, a Navigator guiding the ship through the current of Warp energy, fighting storms and undercurrents, and guiding the ship past the dread realms that swirl in the wake of the Chaos gods. Navigators cannot follow the canned instructions of a GPS past familiar landmarks; a Navigator must feel the planets within the Warp and knows that a storm is near, that a star has been passed, and that the ship is near its destination. Therefore the map needs to be emotional and turbulent, shifting and uncertain.

Art direction started with that foundational idea: one Navigator’s personal map.

This is not a painted representation; this is a living map, a thing that a navigator would paint and repaint dozens if not hundreds of times during a voyage, feeling the emotional tugs of relationships between celestial bodies. 

A Navigator’s Map of the Koronus Expanse

Click to enlarge.

Notice the vibrant color within the map. Planets are not circular masses but rather absences of Warp energy: holes in the fabric of the Immaterium. Through the hole, one can see the color of the paper that a Navigator is painting upon. Unlike on the maps in the first article, these planets are not presences in the darkness but are instead absences in the Warp. If you inspect the map closely, you will see the Navigator’s paint moving around these omissions, just as the Warp ebbs and flows around it.

Click to enlarge.

A Navigator does not see asteroid fields or massive storms. He or she sees the Warp disturbances that roil around the danger, like a section of rapids in a river. Something stirs the current into a churning frenzy from below and the Navigator, through practice, knows the difference between benign disturbances that arise around an asteroid field and rifts through which Daemons of the Chaos Gods can tear their way into reality, even through a Gellar Field. Through their training in the ways of the Warp, Navigators come to understand the emotional currents that flow through environments and organisms alike. When something lies beneath the surface, they simply know.

Thanks, Mike. Next week, navigate your way to your friendly local retailer; The Navis Primer is coming soon!

And when the final seal is broken, when the final star is aligned, when the final drop of blood is shed, then shall those who sleep the sleep of the dead yet dream not arise, and the death shall cover the void…”       –Disputed translation of runic text unearthed on the third moon of Freya IV

Something far older than the Imperium slumbers on the edges of the Jericho Reach, and when it awakens, it will cast humanity into eternal darkness. In the face of a threat more violent than Orks, more insidious than Tau, more sadistic than Dark Eldar, what hope exists for mankind? There is but one: the Deathwatch.

The Outer Reach, a supplement for Deathwatch, is now on sale at your local retailer and though our webstore! Revealing the secret dangers that lurk in the darkness between the stars, The Outer Reach gives players and GMs never-before-seen access to the enigmatic Dead Cabal, a mysterious circle of warrior-scholars who have devoted their lives to fathoming the unfathomable.

What’s more, this arcane tome presents the lost history of the arrogant and merciless Necrons of the Suhbekhar dynasty, and it offers the latest intelligence regarding their horrifically imminent return. All this, along with details on various Suhbekhar warriors, in-depth looks at the worlds beyond the reach of the Achilus Crusade, and scores of useful plot hooks, makes The Outer Reach an invaluable addition to any Deathwatch library.

Foes from Ages Past

For more on The Outer Reach, here’s a word from Deathwatch developer Tim Flanders:

Throughout the history of the Deathwatch line, we have gone to great lengths to make the Jericho Reach feel like a living, breathing setting in which players and Game Masters can play out their epic stories. With The Achilus Assault we brought readers into the history of the Achilus Crusade and set the stage for the setting's current timeline. Then, as our spiritual successor to that book, The Jericho Reach acted as a gazetteer for players and GMs to really sink their teeth into the events and conflicts that currently plague the setting. 

With The Outer Reach, we've taken things in a new direction. We've pulled away from the Achilus Crusade to explore the darker stretches of the Jericho Reach. The Outer Reach is all about mystery, dread, and the evils lurking in the shadows between the stars. This book will give Game Masters the tools necessary to create vivid story lines that showcase exploration, prophecy, and even a new foe who's arrival may spell doom for the Jericho Reach. Players, too, will find their curiosity piqued with hints of ancient mysteries and confrontations with foes from aeons long-forgotten. 

Do you dare face the encroaching darkness? Head to your local retailer to join the Dead Cabal, learn what secrets they keep, and uncover their shrouded history within the Deathwatch.

And when the final seal is broken, when the final star is aligned, when the final drop of blood is shed, then shall those who sleep the sleep of the dead yet dream not arise, and the death shall cover the void…”       –Disputed translation of runic text unearthed on the third moon of Freya IV

Something far older than the Imperium slumbers on the edges of the Jericho Reach, and when it awakens, it will cast humanity into eternal darkness. In the face of a threat more violent than Orks, more insidious than Tau, more sadistic than Dark Eldar, what hope exists for mankind? There is but one: the Deathwatch.

The Outer Reach, a supplement for Deathwatch, is now on sale at your local retailer and though our webstore! Revealing the secret dangers that lurk in the darkness between the stars, The Outer Reach gives players and GMs never-before-seen access to the enigmatic Dead Cabal, a mysterious circle of warrior-scholars who have devoted their lives to fathoming the unfathomable.

What’s more, this arcane tome presents the lost history of the arrogant and merciless Necrons of the Suhbekhar dynasty, and it offers the latest intelligence regarding their horrifically imminent return. All this, along with details on various Suhbekhar warriors, in-depth looks at the worlds beyond the reach of the Achilus Crusade, and scores of useful plot hooks, makes The Outer Reach an invaluable addition to any Deathwatch library.

Foes from Ages Past

For more on The Outer Reach, here’s a word from Deathwatch developer Tim Flanders:

Throughout the history of the Deathwatch line, we have gone to great lengths to make the Jericho Reach feel like a living, breathing setting in which players and Game Masters can play out their epic stories. With The Achilus Assault we brought readers into the history of the Achilus Crusade and set the stage for the setting's current timeline. Then, as our spiritual successor to that book, The Jericho Reach acted as a gazetteer for players and GMs to really sink their teeth into the events and conflicts that currently plague the setting. 

With The Outer Reach, we've taken things in a new direction. We've pulled away from the Achilus Crusade to explore the darker stretches of the Jericho Reach. The Outer Reach is all about mystery, dread, and the evils lurking in the shadows between the stars. This book will give Game Masters the tools necessary to create vivid story lines that showcase exploration, prophecy, and even a new foe who's arrival may spell doom for the Jericho Reach. Players, too, will find their curiosity piqued with hints of ancient mysteries and confrontations with foes from aeons long-forgotten. 

Do you dare face the encroaching darkness? Head to your local retailer to join the Dead Cabal, learn what secrets they keep, and uncover their shrouded history within the Deathwatch.

“The men and women of the Imperial Guard sacrifice more and gain less than perhaps any other arm of the Imperial Armed Forces.”      –Commissar Ibram Gaunt

In April, Fantasy Flight Games announced Only War, a standalone Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of soldiers in the Imperial Guard, the galaxy-spanning armies of the God-Emperor. Compatible with FFG’s other Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay titles, this comprehensive game system explores a previously unseen side of life in the Imperium of Man.

With Only War’s beta at an end and its core rulebook coming to store shelves in a matter of weeks, we’re pleased to present the first in a series of previews. In Only War, each player takes the role of a Guardsman, a member of the Imperial Guard and one of the countless billions of hardened conscripts constantly fighting on myriad fronts at the whim of the Adeptus Terra. Today, lead designer Andrew Fischer presents his insights into this unique play experience.

From the Designer

Imagine an army so vast that at any one time there is no exact record of its size, an army of such scale that the resources of millions of worlds must constantly feed it with fresh recruits and new weapons. This is the Imperial Guard, the human armies of the God-Emperor, and defenders of an empire that spans the entire galaxy. In Only War, you play as one of these Imperial Guardsmen, a soldier tasked with the defense of all humanity.

Capturing the feeling of being a guardsman was a unique challenge. Each individual soldier is just one amongst faceless billions, and yet without the individual contribution of every one of those men and women, the Imperium would be lost. Every soldier has a harrowing and exciting story to tell, and in designing Only War, we set out to explore those stories.

To better explore the unique lives of individual guardsmen, Only War does not focus on commanding massive regiments of troops in battle (after all, that’s what the table-top game is for!). Instead, it focuses on the struggles of individual soldiers and their squad, mere mortals forced to contend with the greatest threats of the 41st millennium. Throughout the course of a campaign, players in Only War will embark on critical missions, face seemingly insurmountable odds, and suffer tragic losses, but will triumph through their force of will and the strength of their camaraderie.

Assembling the Squad

When a group first starts a campaign in Only War, they are doing more than simply filling out individual character sheets, they are creating a unique squad with which to tackle the challenges to come. A squad can come from one of millions of worlds across the Imperium, be made up of fresh recruits or hardened veterans, and contain guardsmen with many different specialities. No two squads are the same, and the make-up of a group’s squad can help define their entire campaign. There are three primary elements that comprise the squad in Only War, and help make it such an integral part of the play experience.

First, every squad has a shared history and background, determined by their Regiment. This decides their focus in combat and where they may be assigned across a warfront. To decide on their Regiment, all of the players in the group work together, crafting common history for their characters. This shared history helps tie all of the characters together, and give them common ground as they face the harsh battlefields of the galaxy.

Second, each character within the squad has a unique Specialities. These Specialities determine the character’s role in the squad. From a field medic working in the trenches, to a Tech-Priest Enginseer helping to repair the Imperium’s war machines, each player serves a special role within their squad.

Lastly, each squad has a cast of supporting characters known as Comrades. Each of these characters helps out one of the players on the battlefield. Aiding him in his specific tasks and watching his back. Each Comrade has a distinct personality, and their interactions amongst themselves and the players can help strengthen the camaraderie in the squad, or create tension.

Thanks, Andrew! Check back for more in the coming weeks, and look for Only War on store shelves later this quarter.

“The men and women of the Imperial Guard sacrifice more and gain less than perhaps any other arm of the Imperial Armed Forces.”      –Commissar Ibram Gaunt

In April, Fantasy Flight Games announced Only War, a standalone Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of soldiers in the Imperial Guard, the galaxy-spanning armies of the God-Emperor. Compatible with FFG’s other Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay titles, this comprehensive game system explores a previously unseen side of life in the Imperium of Man.

With Only War’s beta at an end and its core rulebook coming to store shelves in a matter of weeks, we’re pleased to present the first in a series of previews. In Only War, each player takes the role of a Guardsman, a member of the Imperial Guard and one of the countless billions of hardened conscripts constantly fighting on myriad fronts at the whim of the Adeptus Terra. Today, lead designer Andrew Fischer presents his insights into this unique play experience.

From the Designer

Imagine an army so vast that at any one time there is no exact record of its size, an army of such scale that the resources of millions of worlds must constantly feed it with fresh recruits and new weapons. This is the Imperial Guard, the human armies of the God-Emperor, and defenders of an empire that spans the entire galaxy. In Only War, you play as one of these Imperial Guardsmen, a soldier tasked with the defense of all humanity.

Capturing the feeling of being a guardsman was a unique challenge. Each individual soldier is just one amongst faceless billions, and yet without the individual contribution of every one of those men and women, the Imperium would be lost. Every soldier has a harrowing and exciting story to tell, and in designing Only War, we set out to explore those stories.

To better explore the unique lives of individual guardsmen, Only War does not focus on commanding massive regiments of troops in battle (after all, that’s what the table-top game is for!). Instead, it focuses on the struggles of individual soldiers and their squad, mere mortals forced to contend with the greatest threats of the 41st millennium. Throughout the course of a campaign, players in Only War will embark on critical missions, face seemingly insurmountable odds, and suffer tragic losses, but will triumph through their force of will and the strength of their camaraderie.

Assembling the Squad

When a group first starts a campaign in Only War, they are doing more than simply filling out individual character sheets, they are creating a unique squad with which to tackle the challenges to come. A squad can come from one of millions of worlds across the Imperium, be made up of fresh recruits or hardened veterans, and contain guardsmen with many different specialities. No two squads are the same, and the make-up of a group’s squad can help define their entire campaign. There are three primary elements that comprise the squad in Only War, and help make it such an integral part of the play experience.

First, every squad has a shared history and background, determined by their Regiment. This decides their focus in combat and where they may be assigned across a warfront. To decide on their Regiment, all of the players in the group work together, crafting common history for their characters. This shared history helps tie all of the characters together, and give them common ground as they face the harsh battlefields of the galaxy.

Second, each character within the squad has a unique Specialities. These Specialities determine the character’s role in the squad. From a field medic working in the trenches, to a Tech-Priest Enginseer helping to repair the Imperium’s war machines, each player serves a special role within their squad.

Lastly, each squad has a cast of supporting characters known as Comrades. Each of these characters helps out one of the players on the battlefield. Aiding him in his specific tasks and watching his back. Each Comrade has a distinct personality, and their interactions amongst themselves and the players can help strengthen the camaraderie in the squad, or create tension.

Thanks, Andrew! Check back for more in the coming weeks, and look for Only War on store shelves later this quarter.

“Of course humanity was meant to cross the void between the stars. It is our destiny, and it is for this purpose, the God-Emperor has seen fit to grant us the power necessary to ply the roiling Warp. The Navigator guides us by His light. The Astropath carries His torch to the darkest corners of space. We go in His Name, by His Will, for His Glory. And, of course, for the tidy profit we earn for our efforts in his grandest of plans."       –Rogue Trader Raol Straud

The release of The Navis Primer, the upcoming supplement for Rogue Trader, is just two weeks away! This powerful volume reveals the secret history of the Koronus Expanse’s Navigator Houses, while unveiling the Astropath Voidfrost and Soul Ward Disciplines. Players can unleash the unpredictable might of the Waaagh! with the Ork Weirdboy Career Path, and uncover new Warp-touched powers, alternate career ranks, and elite advances for Explorers of all kinds. What’s more, The Navis Primer provides expanded rules for navigation and astrotelepathic communication, and presents terrifying new hazards and foes from the depths of the Expanse!

To prepare for its release, we’re pleased to present a two-part article series focusing on some of its artwork. For more, here’s a word from developer Max Brooke:

A Navigator's Perspective

When The Navis Primer was in early stages of development, we knew that it should have a new map of the Koronus Expanse, this time through the lens of the Navigators. These strange and esoteric individuals wield a power that not only allows a Rogue Trader’s vessel to make its daring leaps into the stuff of Chaos itself, but also gives them an incredibly different view of the universe around them, and we wanted to reflect one way that this unique perspective might manifest itself.

However, we would be remiss if we didn’t first trace our way back to the original maps for the Rogue Trader RPG, and so that is exactly what this first article will do. To get a sense of what the thought process behind these maps and their creation, I spoke to Ross Watson, Lead Developer of the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook.

Click to enlarge.

Ross described to me how both maps in the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook were designed to evoke ancient nautical maps. Though the stylized map that has dutifully appeared in every Rogue Trader volume does this more obviously, emblazoned as it is with compasses, calipers, and menacing creatures that represent mankind’s fear of the unknown, both maps depict a realm influenced by historical periods of exploration. The Koronus Expanse is a realm very different from Earth today, or even hundreds of years ago, of course, but it carries the echoes of eras in which maps depicted the world with far less certainty and far more trepidation. Describing the Koronus Expanse, Ross recounted to me a description he had used early on:

“Imagine a dark room with a door that opens into a bright hallway. The room is the Koronus Expanse, and the hallway is the Calixis Sector. You can see a few things in the room where the light touches, and that’s what’s on the map, but it eventually fades off into shadow.”

Click to enlarge.

Places of Shadow

These places of shadow include vast realms such as the Rifts of Hecaton, into which ships vanish, never to return. Besides the most imposing of unknown places, though there are many other wells of darkness surrounding the rare points of light, some named and others marked only by cryptic warnings such as “beware the Siren Star” or renderings of dread beasts that one hopes were merely the artist’s embellishments.

These maps give us two views into ways that the Koronus Expanse is organized and interpreted by Rogue Traders and their daring crews as they shuffle from star to star, skittering through patches of darkness with the hope that they will someday reach light again. To them, the Expanse is a grand unknown and an even grander opportunity—assuming, of course, that they do not disappear somewhere in the uncharted swathes, their fortune and fame overshadowed by the vastness of the Koronus Expanse.

But how might a Navigator, whose Warp Eye grant a truly unique perspective on the universe at large, see the Koronus Expanse? After all, for all the Rogue Trader’s flair or the helmsman’s skill, it is the Navigator alone who guides a vessel through the roiling dream-sea of the Warp. For that, you’ll have to wait for our next article; Mike Linnemann, Art Coordinator on The Navis Primer, will share his insights.

Keep checking back for more, and in just two weeks, unleash the power of the Warp in your Rogue Trader campaigns!

“Of course humanity was meant to cross the void between the stars. It is our destiny, and it is for this purpose, the God-Emperor has seen fit to grant us the power necessary to ply the roiling Warp. The Navigator guides us by His light. The Astropath carries His torch to the darkest corners of space. We go in His Name, by His Will, for His Glory. And, of course, for the tidy profit we earn for our efforts in his grandest of plans."       –Rogue Trader Raol Straud

The release of The Navis Primer, the upcoming supplement for Rogue Trader, is just two weeks away! This powerful volume reveals the secret history of the Koronus Expanse’s Navigator Houses, while unveiling the Astropath Voidfrost and Soul Ward Disciplines. Players can unleash the unpredictable might of the Waaagh! with the Ork Weirdboy Career Path, and uncover new Warp-touched powers, alternate career ranks, and elite advances for Explorers of all kinds. What’s more, The Navis Primer provides expanded rules for navigation and astrotelepathic communication, and presents terrifying new hazards and foes from the depths of the Expanse!

To prepare for its release, we’re pleased to present a two-part article series focusing on some of its artwork. For more, here’s a word from developer Max Brooke:

A Navigator's Perspective

When The Navis Primer was in early stages of development, we knew that it should have a new map of the Koronus Expanse, this time through the lens of the Navigators. These strange and esoteric individuals wield a power that not only allows a Rogue Trader’s vessel to make its daring leaps into the stuff of Chaos itself, but also gives them an incredibly different view of the universe around them, and we wanted to reflect one way that this unique perspective might manifest itself.

However, we would be remiss if we didn’t first trace our way back to the original maps for the Rogue Trader RPG, and so that is exactly what this first article will do. To get a sense of what the thought process behind these maps and their creation, I spoke to Ross Watson, Lead Developer of the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook.

Click to enlarge.

Ross described to me how both maps in the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook were designed to evoke ancient nautical maps. Though the stylized map that has dutifully appeared in every Rogue Trader volume does this more obviously, emblazoned as it is with compasses, calipers, and menacing creatures that represent mankind’s fear of the unknown, both maps depict a realm influenced by historical periods of exploration. The Koronus Expanse is a realm very different from Earth today, or even hundreds of years ago, of course, but it carries the echoes of eras in which maps depicted the world with far less certainty and far more trepidation. Describing the Koronus Expanse, Ross recounted to me a description he had used early on:

“Imagine a dark room with a door that opens into a bright hallway. The room is the Koronus Expanse, and the hallway is the Calixis Sector. You can see a few things in the room where the light touches, and that’s what’s on the map, but it eventually fades off into shadow.”

Click to enlarge.

Places of Shadow

These places of shadow include vast realms such as the Rifts of Hecaton, into which ships vanish, never to return. Besides the most imposing of unknown places, though there are many other wells of darkness surrounding the rare points of light, some named and others marked only by cryptic warnings such as “beware the Siren Star” or renderings of dread beasts that one hopes were merely the artist’s embellishments.

These maps give us two views into ways that the Koronus Expanse is organized and interpreted by Rogue Traders and their daring crews as they shuffle from star to star, skittering through patches of darkness with the hope that they will someday reach light again. To them, the Expanse is a grand unknown and an even grander opportunity—assuming, of course, that they do not disappear somewhere in the uncharted swathes, their fortune and fame overshadowed by the vastness of the Koronus Expanse.

But how might a Navigator, whose Warp Eye grant a truly unique perspective on the universe at large, see the Koronus Expanse? After all, for all the Rogue Trader’s flair or the helmsman’s skill, it is the Navigator alone who guides a vessel through the roiling dream-sea of the Warp. For that, you’ll have to wait for our next article; Mike Linnemann, Art Coordinator on The Navis Primer, will share his insights.

Keep checking back for more, and in just two weeks, unleash the power of the Warp in your Rogue Trader campaigns!

“Of course humanity was meant to cross the void between the stars. It is our destiny, and it is for this purpose, the God-Emperor has seen fit to grant us the power necessary to ply the roiling Warp. The Navigator guides us by His light. The Astropath carries His torch to the darkest corners of space. We go in His Name, by His Will, for His Glory. And, of course, for the tidy profit we earn for our efforts in his grandest of plans."       –Rogue Trader Raol Straud

The release of The Navis Primer, the upcoming supplement for Rogue Trader, is just two weeks away! This powerful volume reveals the secret history of the Koronus Expanse’s Navigator Houses, while unveiling the Astropath Voidfrost and Soul Ward Disciplines. Players can unleash the unpredictable might of the Waaagh! with the Ork Weirdboy Career Path, and uncover new Warp-touched powers, alternate career ranks, and elite advances for Explorers of all kinds. What’s more, The Navis Primer provides expanded rules for navigation and astrotelepathic communication, and presents terrifying new hazards and foes from the depths of the Expanse!

To prepare for its release, we’re pleased to present a two-part article series focusing on some of its artwork. For more, here’s a word from developer Max Brooke:

A Navigator's Perspective

When The Navis Primer was in early stages of development, we knew that it should have a new map of the Koronus Expanse, this time through the lens of the Navigators. These strange and esoteric individuals wield a power that not only allows a Rogue Trader’s vessel to make its daring leaps into the stuff of Chaos itself, but also gives them an incredibly different view of the universe around them, and we wanted to reflect one way that this unique perspective might manifest itself.

However, we would be remiss if we didn’t first trace our way back to the original maps for the Rogue Trader RPG, and so that is exactly what this first article will do. To get a sense of what the thought process behind these maps and their creation, I spoke to Ross Watson, Lead Developer of the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook.

Click to enlarge.

Ross described to me how both maps in the Rogue Trader Core Rulebook were designed to evoke ancient nautical maps. Though the stylized map that has dutifully appeared in every Rogue Trader volume does this more obviously, emblazoned as it is with compasses, calipers, and menacing creatures that represent mankind’s fear of the unknown, both maps depict a realm influenced by historical periods of exploration. The Koronus Expanse is a realm very different from Earth today, or even hundreds of years ago, of course, but it carries the echoes of eras in which maps depicted the world with far less certainty and far more trepidation. Describing the Koronus Expanse, Ross recounted to me a description he had used early on:

“Imagine a dark room with a door that opens into a bright hallway. The room is the Koronus Expanse, and the hallway is the Calixis Sector. You can see a few things in the room where the light touches, and that’s what’s on the map, but it eventually fades off into shadow.”

Click to enlarge.

Places of Shadow

These places of shadow include vast realms such as the Rifts of Hecaton, into which ships vanish, never to return. Besides the most imposing of unknown places, though there are many other wells of darkness surrounding the rare points of light, some named and others marked only by cryptic warnings such as “beware the Siren Star” or renderings of dread beasts that one hopes were merely the artist’s embellishments.

These maps give us two views into ways that the Koronus Expanse is organized and interpreted by Rogue Traders and their daring crews as they shuffle from star to star, skittering through patches of darkness with the hope that they will someday reach light again. To them, the Expanse is a grand unknown and an even grander opportunity—assuming, of course, that they do not disappear somewhere in the uncharted swathes, their fortune and fame overshadowed by the vastness of the Koronus Expanse.

But how might a Navigator, whose Warp Eye grant a truly unique perspective on the universe at large, see the Koronus Expanse? After all, for all the Rogue Trader’s flair or the helmsman’s skill, it is the Navigator alone who guides a vessel through the roiling dream-sea of the Warp. For that, you’ll have to wait for our next article; Mike Linnemann, Art Coordinator on The Navis Primer, will share his insights.

Keep checking back for more, and in just two weeks, unleash the power of the Warp in your Rogue Trader campaigns!

“These distant orbs of earth and fire, wind and water, provide us some insight into the greater design which lies just beyond our imagining. Let us pray that we might learn their secrets before it is too late”       –Prognosticator Renin Tri’el

In July, we announced the upcoming release of The Outer Reach, a supplement for Deathwatch. Revealing the secret dangers that lurk in the darkness between the stars, The Outer Reach gives players and GMs never-before-seen access to the enigmatic Dead Cabal, a mysterious circle of warrior-scholars who have devoted their lives to fathoming the unfathomable.

Now, with The Outer Reach coming to stores in just two more weeks, we’re pleased to present a glimpse into its disturbing mysteries!

Tainted Worlds

There are worlds throughout the Jericho Reach that have, for one reason or another, never been settled, terraformed, or colonized by Imperial forces. Many of these worlds bear the marks of past xenos occupation, while others are little more than dormant rocks, devoid of all life or even geological activity. These are not the typical proto-planets that are found in every stellar system, but instead show signs of artifice and manufacture on a planetary scale. No sound explanation has ever been provided for these worlds, no theories have been put forth by the Magos Siderea of the Calixian Mechanicus, the first Explorators sent through the Warp Gate in the early days of the Achilus Crusade. Other unique stellar bodies, such as the Slinnar Drift star cluster and the Black Reef, are present within the Jericho Reach, providing yet more unanswered questions.

These are the worlds to which the Dead Cabal turn their attention, to which they dispatch the Kill-teams under their command, in their search for answers. Chapter Two of The Outer Reach explores these worlds and phenomena, their past and their present, providing Game Masters with necessary information to build missions and campaigns centered around exploration into the lost and mysterious places in the Jericho Reach. Each world can be used as the setting for any number of Deathwatch missions, and numerous adventure seeds are included to provide GMs with ample fodder for their creativity.

The Lost Worlds (pdf, 4.1 MB)

One such world, the chaos-infested planet Belissar, has been badly contaminated and influenced by the Ruinous Powers. Learn more in the excerpt linked above, and prepare to unravel its Belissar’s terrifying mysteries; The Outer Reach will be available soon!

“These distant orbs of earth and fire, wind and water, provide us some insight into the greater design which lies just beyond our imagining. Let us pray that we might learn their secrets before it is too late”       –Prognosticator Renin Tri’el

In July, we announced the upcoming release of The Outer Reach, a supplement for Deathwatch. Revealing the secret dangers that lurk in the darkness between the stars, The Outer Reach gives players and GMs never-before-seen access to the enigmatic Dead Cabal, a mysterious circle of warrior-scholars who have devoted their lives to fathoming the unfathomable.

Now, with The Outer Reach coming to stores in just two more weeks, we’re pleased to present a glimpse into its disturbing mysteries!

Tainted Worlds

There are worlds throughout the Jericho Reach that have, for one reason or another, never been settled, terraformed, or colonized by Imperial forces. Many of these worlds bear the marks of past xenos occupation, while others are little more than dormant rocks, devoid of all life or even geological activity. These are not the typical proto-planets that are found in every stellar system, but instead show signs of artifice and manufacture on a planetary scale. No sound explanation has ever been provided for these worlds, no theories have been put forth by the Magos Siderea of the Calixian Mechanicus, the first Explorators sent through the Warp Gate in the early days of the Achilus Crusade. Other unique stellar bodies, such as the Slinnar Drift star cluster and the Black Reef, are present within the Jericho Reach, providing yet more unanswered questions.

These are the worlds to which the Dead Cabal turn their attention, to which they dispatch the Kill-teams under their command, in their search for answers. Chapter Two of The Outer Reach explores these worlds and phenomena, their past and their present, providing Game Masters with necessary information to build missions and campaigns centered around exploration into the lost and mysterious places in the Jericho Reach. Each world can be used as the setting for any number of Deathwatch missions, and numerous adventure seeds are included to provide GMs with ample fodder for their creativity.

The Lost Worlds (pdf, 4.1 MB)

One such world, the chaos-infested planet Belissar, has been badly contaminated and influenced by the Ruinous Powers. Learn more in the excerpt linked above, and prepare to unravel its Belissar’s terrifying mysteries; The Outer Reach will be available soon!

“In the end, only the Emperor can judge you. Only He is qualified to weigh acts of righteousness against deeds of vile treachery and find a verdict for your soul. It is merely my humble task to commend you to His final justice.”       –Lord Commissar Salieri

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Final Testament, a complete adventure for Only War! Set to arrive on store shelves just a few short months after the upcoming core rulebook, Final Testament takes players to the war-ravaged mining world of Hervara, where they must do battle at one of the Imperium’s most brutal fronts.

Throughout the course of Final Testament, the Guardsmen will experience the tragedy of war and the harsh consequences of their own actions. While fighting savagely against a variety of enemies, they will navigate debriefing and interrogation sessions that require them to tread carefully amidst powers beyond their reckoning. In Final Testament, the players will constantly be challenged to innovate and overcome unusual obstacles, even as they strive to uphold the honor of the Imperial Guard—and perhaps even survive!

The mining world of Hervara is beset by war, ravaged by the conflict between the Severan Dominate and the Imperium of Mankind. Final Testament draws players in, pitting them against new challenges in each of its three chapters:

• Planetfall—The squad’s arrival on Hervara is not a quiet one. However, the havoc of their landing uncovers an ancient secret capable of changing the fate of the war against the secessionists.
• The Night Path—Separated from their own regiment, the squad must learn to work alongside new allies as they execute a number of critical strikes for control of key assets on Hervara.
• The Horn of Mars—Beset on all sides by their foes, the squad’s only path to survival leads them to one of the grandest and most powerful Imperial weapons ever constructed: The Ordinatus.

A Word from the Developer

Developer Max Brooke took a moment to share his thoughts on Final Testament:

Final Testament is the first book-length adventure supplement for Only War. It drops the players into the action (literally) on the world of Hervara, where the men and women of the Imperial Guard struggle to retake this key mining world from the traitorous forces of the Severan Dominate and their separatist allies.

The course of the war in the Spinward Front hangs on wresting worlds like Hervara away from the Severan Dominate. However, even greater forces are at play here, and a deadly secret sleeps beneath the ash-choked wastes of Hervara's surface. Deep in the dark and rock heart of Hervara rests a cursed weapon of without peer: an Imperial Ordinatus. An ancient miracle of a forgotten age, this vast weapons platform is capable of scouring entire armies from the field and deciding the fate of the war on Hervara. If the Guardsmen can find a way to end up on the right end of the barrel, they can tip the outcome of the conflict in their favor—and they might even survive to tell of it!

I won't go into any more detail about the plot now, but I'm looking forward to hear how players handle the trials and dilemmas that their characters must face in this exciting adventure across a war-torn world in the Spinward Front!

Thanks, Max! Check back for more in the coming weeks (including previews of the Only War core rulebook), and look for Final Testament on store shelves early in 2013.

“In the end, only the Emperor can judge you. Only He is qualified to weigh acts of righteousness against deeds of vile treachery and find a verdict for your soul. It is merely my humble task to commend you to His final justice.”       –Lord Commissar Salieri

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Final Testament, a complete adventure for Only War! Set to arrive on store shelves just a few short months after the upcoming core rulebook, Final Testament takes players to the war-ravaged mining world of Hervara, where they must do battle at one of the Imperium’s most brutal fronts.

Throughout the course of Final Testament, the Guardsmen will experience the tragedy of war and the harsh consequences of their own actions. While fighting savagely against a variety of enemies, they will navigate debriefing and interrogation sessions that require them to tread carefully amidst powers beyond their reckoning. In Final Testament, the players will constantly be challenged to innovate and overcome unusual obstacles, even as they strive to uphold the honor of the Imperial Guard—and perhaps even survive!

The mining world of Hervara is beset by war, ravaged by the conflict between the Severan Dominate and the Imperium of Mankind. Final Testament draws players in, pitting them against new challenges in each of its three chapters:

• Planetfall—The squad’s arrival on Hervara is not a quiet one. However, the havoc of their landing uncovers an ancient secret capable of changing the fate of the war against the secessionists.
• The Night Path—Separated from their own regiment, the squad must learn to work alongside new allies as they execute a number of critical strikes for control of key assets on Hervara.
• The Horn of Mars—Beset on all sides by their foes, the squad’s only path to survival leads them to one of the grandest and most powerful Imperial weapons ever constructed: The Ordinatus.

A Word from the Developer

Developer Max Brooke took a moment to share his thoughts on Final Testament:

Final Testament is the first book-length adventure supplement for Only War. It drops the players into the action (literally) on the world of Hervara, where the men and women of the Imperial Guard struggle to retake this key mining world from the traitorous forces of the Severan Dominate and their separatist allies.

The course of the war in the Spinward Front hangs on wresting worlds like Hervara away from the Severan Dominate. However, even greater forces are at play here, and a deadly secret sleeps beneath the ash-choked wastes of Hervara's surface. Deep in the dark and rock heart of Hervara rests a cursed weapon of without peer: an Imperial Ordinatus. An ancient miracle of a forgotten age, this vast weapons platform is capable of scouring entire armies from the field and deciding the fate of the war on Hervara. If the Guardsmen can find a way to end up on the right end of the barrel, they can tip the outcome of the conflict in their favor—and they might even survive to tell of it!

I won't go into any more detail about the plot now, but I'm looking forward to hear how players handle the trials and dilemmas that their characters must face in this exciting adventure across a war-torn world in the Spinward Front!

Thanks, Max! Check back for more in the coming weeks (including previews of the Only War core rulebook), and look for Final Testament on store shelves early in 2013.

“For my house. For my father. For my vengeance, and death to that which cannot die.”       –Unknown vox transmission, intercepted near Mideal in M34

The Space Hulk Mortis Thule drifts silently through the void of the Jericho Reach, and with it comes devastation, ruin, and woe. Do you dare breach its hull and uncover its sanity-shattering secrets?

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Ark of Lost Souls, a supplement for Deathwatch! This unique tome is both a three-part adventure set onboard an infamous Space Hulk, and a Game Master’s guide to Space Hulks in general.

Told over thee gripping chapters, Ark of Lost Souls’ included adventure will take your Kill-team to the brink of both sanity and survival:

• Peril on the Horizon—En route to break a siege at a newly-founded Watch Station, the Kill-team is waylaid and met with a terrible fate.
• Survival—Stranded and alone, the Kill-team must find their way to salvation, locating unexpected allies along the way.
• Darkness at the Core—The Kill-team must overcome the horrors of the Mortis Thule and make their escape, but it may cost more than they are willing to sacrifice.

What’s more, GMs can use the included Space Hulk Generator to create unique adventures set in the forlorn corridors of their own cursed Space Hulks!

A Word from the Developer

For more on Ark of Lost Souls, here’s a brief word from developer Tim Flanders:

One of the most iconic images of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the Space Hulk. These floating masses of derelict ships, all conglomerated together by the insane energies of the Warp, have been a symbol of 40k for decades. In terms of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay, a Space Hulk really offers Game Masters an amazing opportunity for creativity in his adventure writing. For that reason, imagine my delight when we decided to make an adventure that took place entirely within the heart of the infamous Space Hulk, Mortis Thule!

Set aboard that drifting wreck, Ark of Lost Souls is the latest adventure supplement for Deathwatch. Players are in for quite a ride aboard the Mortis Thule! They will face all manner of threats and uncover secrets from ages past as they delve its haunted corridors and cursed catacombs. Ark of Lost Souls offers Game Masters more than just a narrative adventure, too; it provides them with all the tools they might need to create adventures of their own aboard a Space Hulk. Needless to say, I think Game Masters and players, both, will enjoy the missions provided within Ark of Lost Souls, so long as their Battle-Brothers have the resolve to make it out of Mortis Thule with their sanity...

Thanks, Tim! The madness and despair of the Mortis Thule is brought to life in Ark of Lost Souls. Look for it in early 2013, when a Warp Rift is opens in your friendly local game store.

“For my house. For my father. For my vengeance, and death to that which cannot die.”       –Unknown vox transmission, intercepted near Mideal in M34

The Space Hulk Mortis Thule drifts silently through the void of the Jericho Reach, and with it comes devastation, ruin, and woe. Do you dare breach its hull and uncover its sanity-shattering secrets?

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Ark of Lost Souls, a supplement for Deathwatch! This unique tome is both a three-part adventure set onboard an infamous Space Hulk, and a Game Master’s guide to Space Hulks in general.

Told over thee gripping chapters, Ark of Lost Souls’ included adventure will take your Kill-team to the brink of both sanity and survival:

• Peril on the Horizon—En route to break a siege at a newly-founded Watch Station, the Kill-team is waylaid and met with a terrible fate.
• Survival—Stranded and alone, the Kill-team must find their way to salvation, locating unexpected allies along the way.
• Darkness at the Core—The Kill-team must overcome the horrors of the Mortis Thule and make their escape, but it may cost more than they are willing to sacrifice.

What’s more, GMs can use the included Space Hulk Generator to create unique adventures set in the forlorn corridors of their own cursed Space Hulks!

A Word from the Developer

For more on Ark of Lost Souls, here’s a brief word from developer Tim Flanders:

One of the most iconic images of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the Space Hulk. These floating masses of derelict ships, all conglomerated together by the insane energies of the Warp, have been a symbol of 40k for decades. In terms of Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay, a Space Hulk really offers Game Masters an amazing opportunity for creativity in his adventure writing. For that reason, imagine my delight when we decided to make an adventure that took place entirely within the heart of the infamous Space Hulk, Mortis Thule!

Set aboard that drifting wreck, Ark of Lost Souls is the latest adventure supplement for Deathwatch. Players are in for quite a ride aboard the Mortis Thule! They will face all manner of threats and uncover secrets from ages past as they delve its haunted corridors and cursed catacombs. Ark of Lost Souls offers Game Masters more than just a narrative adventure, too; it provides them with all the tools they might need to create adventures of their own aboard a Space Hulk. Needless to say, I think Game Masters and players, both, will enjoy the missions provided within Ark of Lost Souls, so long as their Battle-Brothers have the resolve to make it out of Mortis Thule with their sanity...

Thanks, Tim! The madness and despair of the Mortis Thule is brought to life in Ark of Lost Souls. Look for it in early 2013, when a Warp Rift is opens in your friendly local game store.