In The Grim Darkness of Mega-City One... 40kRPGs for Judge Dredd: Some Thoughts

So, like I posted about earlier in the week, I'd been wondering about writing up some rules for running Judge Dredd with the Dark Heresy system. Well, that thought went out the window pretty quickly - after all, Judges spend 15 years training before they get to hit the streets.

So, I instead turned my eye to Rogue Trader - and, lo and behold, it's a pretty good fit! It has competent characters, with a dash of lethality, lots of cool options for skills and gear, and a built-in way to handwave the problem of "Standard-Issue Gear" and spending money - the Profit Factor system.

First, it's no longer Profit Factor, but Renown (or Acquisition, or Respect or something similar) - a way to represent the pull and "power" a Judge has to requisition more bodies, vehicles or unusual gear. In all respects, it works the same, so we'll not fiddle it too much (for now).

The thing that makes these characters more competent than their DH counterparts is the Origin Path system - which gives you lumps of backstory, along with packages of Skills and Talents to make up 4,500xp (the remaining 500xp can be spent as you wish). This might need a few tweaks, but it shouldn't be too much work.

Skills will obviously have to change, but not by much - most of RT's (exhaustive) list of skills are fair, it's mainly the Knowledge skills which need to change. And similarly, most of the Talents will suit, with even the more setting-specific ones simply needing the serial numbers filed off.

For Careers, I can think of a few off the top of my head:

Street Judge (your common-or-garden Judge) - a "jack of all trades" career, might need to make a specific Advance chart for this one.
Tac-Judge (as in "tactical", a SWAT equivalent) - "The Heavy", most likely modify the Arch-Militant Career for this one.
Tek-Judge - I'll take more influence from the Explorator here, with more focus on Knowledge skills than becoming tough as all Hell.
Wally Squad (Undercover Judges) - something like DH's Scum - a Career based around lying, deceptions, and "criminal" skills and knowledge.
Psi-Judge - the Psyker and Astropath Careers are a little bit too setting-specific to be much use here, and Psi-Judges still have their Judge training to fall back on - I'll make a unique Advance Chart for this one too (most likely based off the Street Judge, with extra Psi-options in place of more generalist Advances).

The Psychic Power system will need some tweaking - and with so many options for how do model it, between DH and RT using different mechanics for Psy Rating, along with rules for Sorcery, I have plenty to work with. But, the one that's catching my eye as being similar enough to work would be the Navigator scheme. We'll see what sticks.

Dredd: How To Game It

Pictured: THE LAW

So, because I was ill as fuck over the weekend, the girlfriend's flatmate picked me up a copy of Dredd on DVD to cheer me up.

I loved the movie. It managed to perfectly recreate the look of the comics - I wasn't all that convinced by the choice of South Africa, at first, but it turns out that Cape Town pretty much looks exactly like Mega-City One. It mixes ultra-modern, sleek aesthetics with junker vans and slums, and even has those wonderful mixes (like the futuristic flyover built from concrete, cutting through a regular "Americanised" street, with shanty houses on one side). It's awesome!

The casting was good - Olivia Thirlby makes a slightly younger-than-usual Psi-Judge Anderson, but pulls off the "badass rookie" pretty well, and Urban nails it. Lena Heady was a little take-it-or-leave-it as Ma-Ma - I can think of a lot of female actresses out there who could have brought more to the role. But, she wasn't terrible. Plus, movie-geek rage happened when her scar make-up couldn't stay consistent between shots.

The SFX were well-realised - they added to the scenes, rather than dominating them (a common problem in bigger-budget movies). Practical effects are used for most of the movie, with the real exceptions being the scenes powered by the perception-altering drug Slo-Mo - thus adding to the feeling of unreality (and, in theatres, most of the 3D elements were Slo-Mo scenes as well!).

But, the thing that stuck in my head was how much fun it might be to run a game in the setting.

The first thought was a skirmish-style game, as I've been wanting to try a little bit more wargaming recently. Necromunda is pretty much already a hab-riot on the tabletop, but the rules for playing as a smaller, elite force (like the Arbites) as versus a larger gang are a bit wonky. Plus, the Arbites in a campaign game have a few issues (like the system of replacements and hiring).

Inquisitor28 could be a good fit, particularly inspired by this post. A small group of Judges/Arbites, controlled by one player, and the inhabitants by another player (or multiple players). You could have simple survival as the goal, but it's always more fun to have a clear objective in Inquisitor (perhaps, similar to the movie, the Arbites have to protect a witness/perp, and the other gangs need to make sure they don't get out alive/they're the ones who kill the witness/they steal the witness away for their own nefarious purposes). I'd maybe consider modifying the rules to reflect ammo (even just price up clips, etc), and track wounds a little more "realistically" for the Arbites. Building a multi-level environment might pose a problem, but it surely can be done!

There is also a new Judge Dredd miniatures line and Skirmish Game from Mongoose Publishing, which are both pretty top-notch. The rules are a free download, for one thing, and the miniatures are sculpted suspiciously similar to the Wargames Foundry 2000AD Miniatures, and their Street Violence Range as well - meaning that you have a lot of options for this one.

I'll pop up a quick review of the rules soon.

I also thought about full-on roleplay in the setting. While there is a Judge Dredd system out there, I was never a fan. So, searching about, I thought MiniSix could make a good starting point. But, then I thought - really, the Warhammer 40k setting has borrowed so much from the Dredd setting, that it's time to give something back...

I'll pop up some conversion ideas for running Dredd in the WH40kRPG system this week - stay tuned!

MiniSix 40k: Races and Home Worlds

The populace of the Imperium is mostly Human. While there is the possibility of having Sanctioned Xenos operating under the watchful eye of a Rogue Trader, or perhaps Ordo Xenos Inquisitors of a more Radical bent, they are so rare as to be unknown by the common man.

Xenos and Abhumans

All Xenos are considered to be Unsanctioned unless they take the Sanctioned Xenos perk (see below).

Eldar (3) - your maximum Agility is raised to 5D. You naturally possess the Psyniscience skill. However, your alien nature makes people less likely to trust you - you suffer a -2 penalty to all Fellowship skills when used on a member of the Imperium.

Kroot (3) - depending on your Kindred and diet, you can raise one of your Stat caps to 5D, though you must drop another to 3D. For example, those who have battled Orks and eaten their flesh might gain added muscle mass, but find themselves unable to adapt to more refined social situations (5D Strength, 3D Fellowship). Or those who feed on Dark Eldar may find that their movement become almost preternaturally fast, but their inquisitive minds are dulled by vicious, almost animalistic dark instincts (5D Agility, 3D Intelligence). The GM is the final arbitrator of what is a suitable pairing.

Sanctioned Xenos (1) - while you are still hated, you are somewhat accepted amongst the Imperium. So long as you have your Sanctioning paperwork, and someone of suitable influence, you may enter Imperial space as a human, with some of the same rights. While many will still want you dead, the clout of Sanctioning and your powerful friend should help stay their hand. You lose the Unsanctioned Xenos Complication.
Far more common, especially in the theatre of war, are the Abhuman Races - offshoots of Humanity who have adapted to life on less Terra-like planets, and have seen their bodies change in response to environmental factors. While many are derided as mutants, most are "stable" mutations - developed over centuries, instead of the corrupt mutations shown by the followers of Chaos.

Ogryn (2) - you are one of the hulking Ogryn, massive Abhumans hailing from high-gravity worlds. Their natural strength is renowned, but many fall well below the normal intelligence curve of humanity. Your maximum Strength is increased to 5D, but your Intelligence cannot be raised higher than 3D. Note, an Ogryn with 3D in intelligence is still a mental giant amongst his race. You gain the Large Complication.

Ratling (2) - you are one of the tiny Ratlings, small, nimble Abhumans with a penchant for becoming snipers and cooks. Their small frame means that they are unable to fight as well in close combat as their squadmates, but their ability to sneak around unnoticed and plant a bullet in the eye of a fly from 50ft away more than makes up for it. Your maximum Agility is increased to 5D, but your Strength cannot be raised above 3D. You gain the Small Complication.

While not as pronounced as the changes seen in Abhumans, the variety of worlds the Imperium has colonised has led, through biology, psychology, and culture, to certain patterns in skill-sets of those from particular types of worlds. From the expert woodsmen of Feral Worlds to the edgy, fast-talking Hivers, these Home Worlds span the breadth of the Imperium - and will make a huge impact on a person's development.

Home Worlds

Home World options cost 2 Dice at character creation, and cannot be taken at any other time. The dice granted by these Perks can take starting Skill dice above the usual 2D. Characters without a Home World Perk are considered general Imperial Citizens, born on any number of "standard" Imperial planets.

Dark Heresy Home WorldsHive World - gain an extra die to the Streetwise Skill, and a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls.
Feral World - gain an extra die to the Survival Skill, and a +1 bonus to your Soak Value.
Void Born - start each session with an extra Hero Point, but receive a -2 penalty to all Fellowship Skills when used against non-Void Born.
Forge World - gain an extra die to the Tech-Use Skill, and a +1 bonus to any rolls to repair or maintain technology.
Schola Progenium - gain an extra die to the Command Skill, and a +1 bonus to any rolls to resist abilities that influence, control, or read thoughts and emotions.

Rogue Trader Home Worlds
Noble Born - gain an extra dice to the Diplomacy Skill, as well as a +1 to Fellowship rolls in high-society situations.
Death World - gain an extra dice to the Survival Skill, and a +1 bonus to all Strength rolls to resist poisons or harsh climates.
Frontier World - gain an extra dice to the Wrangling Skill, and a +1 bonus to all Strength rolls to resist the effects of fatigue.
Footfallen - gain an extra die to the Persuasion Skill, and a +1 bonus to all rolls to do with knowledge of the Koronus Expanse (its legends, lore, power groups, etc).
Fortress World - gain an extra die to either the Pistols or Rifles Skill, but gain a -1 penalty to all Fellowship Rolls regarding non-warfare topics.
Battlefleet - gain an extra die to the Pilot Skill, and gain a +1 bonus to all rolls related to commanding subordinates on a starship.
Penal World - gain an extra die to the Intimidate Skill, and gain a +1 bonus to all rolls relating to the criminal underworld.
Child of Dynasty - gain either an extra die to the group's Profit Factor, or an extra die to Starship Creation, and a +1 bonus to all interactions with high authorities.

Complications

Small - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this only by the Ratling Perk. Small characters receive a -5 penalty on all Might skill checks, Might based damage rolls, Block, and Parry. This penalty doesn’t apply to Stamina, healing, and resisting damage. This penalty doesn’t apply when fighting a Small or Tiny creature. Earn 1 bonus CP each session.

Large - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this by the Ogryn Perk or others. Large characters gain all the negatives of being Scale +2D, but no benefits (so, they are easier to hit and may find it harder to hit smaller creatures). They also require gear to be tailor-made to their bulk (such as the Ogryn Ripper Guns, or far larger armour than usual). They may also have trouble fitting into vehicles or other places sized for an average human. Earn 1 bonus CP each session.

Unsanctioned Xenos - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this only through the various Xenos Perks. You are a source of hatred within the Imperium - you suffer a -2 to all Fellowship skills against those who hold the Imperial Creed, and many people will want to shoot you on sight. Gain 1 bonus CP each session.