A Kill-Team is sent to guard a VIP (Planetary Governor, Inquisitor, Lord General etc...) from repeated attempts on his/her life by undetermined Xenos threats. At first the Kill-Team have to play the hard angle of keeping the person safe while the person in question still fulfills their role, whatever that may be. The VIP's task is so vital that it cannot be stopped, and the VIP is the only or best person for the job. This would force the players to have to walk a fine line between security and practicality. If the Kill Team causes the VIP to fail in his/her task, it would be just as telling of a defeat as if the Xenos succeed in their schemes(or so they think).

However, as after a series of assassination attempts, the Kill-Team realise that the VIP isn't who or what they seem to be and the Xenos have logical reasons for attempting to gak the VIP. This leads to the discovery of a political conspiracy that forces the Kill-Team to use surgical precision or risk plunging a whole planet into turmoil. Perhaps the VIP is a sort of Xenos in disguise or affected by an artefact of Xenos or Chaos origin. The players may even have to pool resources with the Xenos in order to meet a mutually benificial goal. Using our favorite pointy-eared space elves as an example, maybe a Farseer is using the forces of the imperium to hide a Craftworld from the Tyranid threat and the VIP is seeking to remove the Imperium from power, which would naturally upset both the Eldar and the Imperium.

I don't actually own a copy of Deathwatch, but I thought I'd try my hand at mission building. Is that too far off?

Got the idea yesterday while I was walking home through the snow and some kiddies were aiming at me with their pocket laser toys or whatever it's called.

Basic idea? Cause an apparent threat, like suddenly seeing a laser targetter spot sweeping at them from behind, tempt the players to a rash action. The source of the apparent threat is really harmless in nature and it should, should the players act rash, end in the death of innocents, possibly a child.

How does the responsible marine deal with that? How do the other players deal with that, how do they react to him? Just another fatality amonst the billions? Or do they still have a humane side left?

Alex

"Head Hunted" in "Heroes of the Space Marines" is a perfect DW adventure - In fact its about a Deathwatch team sent on a one hour mission aboard a Space Hulk. With a specific objective with individual squad members having sub objectives.

 if your gonna screw the preacher just put a chaplin in and have him lead the congregation and watch the marine version of praying to granddad rather than god flow around the preacher.

Lucky_Strike said:

My thoughts exactly, as well.

Von Todkopf said:

The old ones are the best.

How about this as a set-piece on a mission:

The Deathwatch have boarded a space-hulk and realise that one of the ships in the hulk is a Traitor Marine battle barge and they are directing the hulk towards an inhabited planet in the system. The Imperial Navy is moving in to destroy the hulk but won't be able to compete with the unexpected firepower the battle barge is packing. It is obvious to the squad that boarding the battle barge is tantamount to suicide so they start to consider a) ways off the hulk (their shuttle was taken out after they were on board) and b) how to disable critical systems on the barge. They find a depowered and damaged teleportarium in one of the ships making up the hulk along with two teleport beacons, the tech-marine can cobble together enough power cells to hold a charge sufficient to teleport three people a short distance and he can provide it with sufficient charge each round to teleport one person, though it can't teleport whilst charging.

The squad know that they'll be overmatched on the bridge, but figure if they make a lightning raid (they are already inside the shields) they can cause sufficient disruption to give the Imperial Navy a fighting chance.

It opens up a lot of options about getting over, who goes first, when they are coming back, etc. that adds a puzzle element to the combat. Knowing that they only have to survive and cause some carnage for a few rounds lets you throw some nasty stuff at them as well. I had five fairly high ranking Chaos Marines on the bridge along with a very proficient psyker as captain and two Terminator bodyguards, plus a load of cultists and servitors operating the ship's systems. The PCs plan went off fairly well (aside from a couple of them ending up in a bad way) and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

Role-playing opportunity:

Now some people apparently belief that all the illustrations of Marines fighting without helmet on is imperial propaganda. So... truly the kill-team gets assigned a serf of the Blood Angels chapter who is a master painter. Not only do they have to protect them, he'll also instruct them on pose, lighting, facial expression, etc after a successful battle so he can make his sketches. The Watch Commander himself (remamber he's BA) expects full cooperation and to be returned the serf in one piece.

Neat one, eh?

Alex

ak-73 said:

As for the BA painter idea, I suppose he might also use a Pict Recorder and "creatively enhance" any pix taken. Still lighting and stance, etc should matter.

Anyway for a more sombre idea:

If the PCs are accompanied by some non-Astartes fellows (as with the Stormtroopers in Oblivion's Edge, for example) and one should get killed, don't let them die immediately. In their dying moments let them, while coughing blood, ask one of the Marines to remove their helmet (the nearest PC or determine randomly). The dying NPC just wants to see their face (they are the Emperor's angels after all). The NPC reaches out with one bloody hand as he tries to touch the marines face - 40% chance he'll die before he makes contact (unless the PC guides his hand). Then the NPC dies with the PC's face the last thing he sees in this world.

If the player plays along very well, award a temporary Fate Point for the remainder of the session.

Alex

PS Alternatively choose the PC with the least Fate Points (left) or most seriously injured.

The Tau are assaulting a world important to the Administratum.  The Deathwatch is assigned to retrieve A Noble Matriarch/Sanctioned Psycher, one with blood ties to a member of the Lords of Terra. Failure is never an option but doing so here could mean bad political fallout for the entire Deathwatch.

On nearing the System the team receives intel that the Matriarchs compound is currently surrounded by heavy artillery and anti aircraft weaponry. The Overlapping fields of  fire make it impossible to get a ship in or out. The KT will have to decide where to in and take out multiple positions in short order to have the time to get the Matriarch out before the Tau-scum reinforce their lost positions and set up the unbroken killing field again.

When the KT finally makes it into the compound the Matriarch is Furious. Top of the line AdMech implants thrumming with energy as she practically floats back in forth yelling at her guards, and the KT once she deigns to notice them. She's using a form of High Gothic that is so old and grammatically precise that even the KT needs to take the time to parse the meaning of her words.

It seems her son, Emperor curse his xenos loving soul, Has fallen prey to the Tau ideas of the Greater Good and absconded with her beloved Granddaughter. She's not setting a foot outside the compound until she gets her granddaughter back, and woe be it to anyone who tries to make her. She seems easily  dangerous enough to take down a Space Marine, possibly more if they are trying not to hurt her and just restrain her.

Last intel from the guards present shows that the son was heading towards the Tau  Command Post just outside of the city, most likely to use recognition of him and his granddaughter as a rally point to gain sway over more local PDF forces.  The Daughter must be returned unharmed, but the Matriarch does note that if it can be accomplished she would like something messy to happen to her son.

Oh, and there's the issue of the Reinforcements being sent to shore up the holes the KT made in the siege forces when they first tried to get into the compound.

While on a Hiveship (for example in OE): if a PC gets seriously wounded, let someone (preferably an NPC) notice that the Marine's blood is eating away at the organic floor (how is that as acid for blood?). Anyone present who is not familiar with Marine physiology will kneel down in awe and take this as a miracle, an auspicious sign, evidence of the holiness of the Adeptus Astartes.

Anybody who is familiar with Marine physiology will attribute it to the Haemastamen/Larraman's Organ implants and the interaction with a sensitive type of tyranid tissue.

Alex

This one's good if you have a kill team with a space wolf. You have a routine excursion by the Kill team. they're sent to re-enforce an imperial guard line defending a planet from an Eldar fleet. when they arrive, everyone's dead. Guard, Eldar, Local populace, even the inquisitor that requested the Team's presence. What they DO find is a full Contingent of Thousand Sons raiding the planet for... Something. who knows? They cant leave yet, so they decide to hunker down and take stock of the situation. some two days after planet fall, a Thousand Patrol finds them, around the same time a full company of Space Wolves arrive to save the Kill team. The wolf lord of the Company (ironically the company from which the DW Space wolf hails) claps the Wolf on the back, saying that Russ has delivered him at this time. The Thousand sons are looking for relics that will give Magnus the power to venture back into the Imperium under the Guise of a rank and file space marine. However, one of the relics he needs is the shoulder pauldron from Russ's armour. they invite the DW Wolf to join in the fight. however, the kill team's leader just got confirmation that a thunderhawk would be touching down in Wolf held territory to take them to another mission. What does the Space wolf do? Does he stay with his brothers? or does he side with the Inquistion?

This is a mission that i am helping my brother put together his 1st try at being a GM so his 1st misson

The Kill-Team are orded to evact a very important Tech- prist that has been working on a number of top secret project to help fight the Nids, The deathwatch do not know what the projects are about. He needs to be evected as the planet will soon be under attack from the nids.

By the time the kill-team rech the planet the hive ship is already there even tho intell said it should be weeks away. Kill team make there way planet side to where the tech prist has been working to find that it is under attack the defences are holding but will not for long,

As its his campain don't know to much more details but here are some more bits i know with talking through ideas

The ThunderHawk is takening out soon after Landing, How i am not sure. Once they have found the tech prist the soon found that he has been working very hard. You find in his under ground lab that he has found a race of Xenos that he has called the undieing and plans to use them to stop the nids.

This is as far as i can piece together, but because of the tech prist knowledge he got before going down the dark roots of tech hersey do the kill team try and keep him alive or kill him there. what if he don't want to leave and wants to make a stand with is undieing warriors can the kill team stop him and try and find away off the planet or help him as these metal men maybe the only way of stopping the nids.

This could work well if played right or go really badly as can see some poeple in the middle of a under ground city as the undieing waken. but having the 2 side fighting it out as the Kill team try and leave the planet as it will just be choas.

Mattman375 said:

Lictor On Board? Would make a nice bumper-sticker too...

Alex