Death Striking!

The Winter War is only a week away! I'm proud to say that I have selected my Drop Pod Sternguard list. I'm pretty pumped and am looking forward to it. I've played about 4 games with the DPS list and think I won't embarrass myself (to much).

This weekend I'm going to DM my first every Deathwatch game. I have 6 players and Kill Team Omega-Maximus-2  is going to have their hands full! I'm really pleased with the Deathwatch system so far. The Character creation is in depth but leaves a lot of room for imagination. I like the fact Space Marines are beyond awesome right out of the gate. They should be. I really hate RPG's that start characters off as bumbling idiots for the sake of "realism."  This doesn't mean I don't want them to be a challenge, but I just don't want my character(s) to be a little bitch ether.

This is where the challenge of being a DM comes into play. How do you make your players feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time? The answer isn't simple but hopefully I can help.



I make the entire world they are on one giant dangerous place. The settings is the most important area of a RPG and therefore should be something that can kill you dead. Whats more terrifying to a mighty space marine; A group of guardsmen with a las-cannon that can be ambushed, out fought and gunned down; or a tiny bridge over a river of liquid nitrogen. I can make the player roll a agility test for every 5 meters of bridge they cover, maybe if I am luckey one will fall and the entire kill team will have to work to rescue their Battle Brother! That's exciting for the players, a hurdle to over come they probably didn't expect. Something they can ether soldier through or find a work-around.  By making the entire setting dangerous you can make use of every stat and skill they have. You want your players to know that at no time they are safe. But you also want them succeed, you should be making the world dangerous but not at the expense of characters lives. So as a DM practice encounters and hazards! At least run the math. Make sure you aren't going to auto-kill then entire party on the first encounter!