Grading the Warhammer (40K, etc) System

[TheSword]

Your numbers are low.
Warhammer Fantasy - Old World Setting
WFRP 1e: Citadel, Flame, and Hogshead all produced material.
WFRP 2e: Green Ronin for Black Industries. Mechanics similar, but attribute list different, and skill system significantly different.
WFRP 3e: Fantasy Flight, using their Narrative Dice engine.
WFRP 4e: Cubicle 7. Looks like a revision of 2nd, but changing a lot of mechanics in some inobvious ways.
Note that 1, 2, and 4 have attributes in similar scale ranges, but have lots of other differences.

40K setting
Dark Heresy: Black Industries. Then migrated to Fantasy Flight Games (FFG).
Dark Heresy 2e, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, Only War, Black Crusade: all use the same core mechanics as Dark Heresy, but make some changes. All by FFG.
Wrath & Glory: Ulissies Spiele, then Cubical 7.
Imperium Maledictum: Cubicle 7

Age of Sigmar setting
Soulbound: Cubicle 7

Only the FFG games were written for intercompatibility.
8 Companies: Black Industries, Citadel, Cubicle 7, Fantasy Flight, Flame Publications, Green Ronin, Hogshead, Ulissies Spiele
3 Settings
8 different sets of mechanics, 11 discrete RPGs (6 intercompatible), 14 total editions.

The OP seemingly lacks sufficient knowledge to make the needed distinctions for meaningful results.

Schooled! Great post. I forgot that it was green ronin that did 2e. I got into it relatively late with the Hogshead reprints of enemy within.

It’s great IP. My aim with Imperial Maledictum will be to try and capture the dark heresy feel.

 

[MGibster]

Ok. Not enough alternatives for ya? Wizard, Witch Hunter, Warrior Priest, Roadwarden, Knight of the White Wolf?

In 2nd edition you're supposed to roll for your career and then your choices on where to go are limited based on that.

 

[TheSword]

In 2nd edition you're supposed to roll for your career and then your choices on where to go are limited based on that.

‘Supposed’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. You’re not going to force a person to play a character they don’t want to play right? Fundamentally that’s a DM choice not the game forcing that behaviour. There has always been the option to skip those rolls.

Incidentally in 4e Ratcatcher is a very good and effective career - particularly in a world with giant humanoid rat scientists.

 

[Crusadius]

I guess I just don’t see characters in the 40k universe being career fluid in the way that fantasy is. I don’t expect the 40k system being one where a street sweeper could become a master assassin.

Similarly Its never struck me as a setting for commoners. Commoners form the sweating masses, Can you honestly see administratum clerk, sewerjack, tatooist or shopkeeper being viable careers in 40k like they are in fantasy? I’ve always seen 40k story’s being more dramatic than that.

There can be ways to do it.

For IM they could use the WFRP 4E Career System and instead of "classes" have "factions" (Astra Militarum, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Infractionist, etc) and put restrictions on how one can jump between factions.

IM includes Adeptus Administratum as one its factions and Clerk as Duty. So at least IM does expect a lowly clerk to fight crime (just like WFRP expects a ratcatcher to step up and meet their destiny Doom with a deathgrip on their small and vicious dog).

Edit: But as I read IM again, the character creation system is starting to grow on me.

 

[aramis erak]

IM includes Adeptus Administratum as one its factions and Clerk as Duty. So at least IM does expect a lowly clerk to fight crime (just like WFRP expects a ratcatcher to step up and meet their destiny Doom with a deathgrip on their small and vicious dog).

If he's got a deathgrip on the dog, things have already gone sideways...

 

[Weiley31]

If he's got a deathgrip on the dog, things have already gone sideways...

Dat poor dog!