Blood Pact said:

I could see a Tau game. Expanding the Empire for the greater good. Different castes (almost different races). Kroot or other integrated people (even Imperial defectors). Basic RPG elements, if you ask me.

Alpha Chaos 13 said:

An Ork themed RPG might also work. Heck, it almost writes itself.

the title would also be the simplest of all the FFG 40k RPGs. WAAAGH! There, new RPG has a name, that's also a nob to the early days of table top 40k.

Though I could also see a Tau themed game before Eldar, as the tau are more understandable and have a lot of kew toys to play with. Eldar would take a bit of work to do right.

An Adeptus Mechanicus themed add on and or stand alone might also be fun. Players could be skitarii, Knight titan pilots, and Magos all working for the omnissiah's benefits. It's be similar to the Tau RPG, only it explores an even more mysterious and less well known part of the 40k universe.

Meh.  I doubt there will be a Tau one.  Or if there is, as a distant third.

And I'd  argue the Eldar write themselves.  they're already designed into 'splats' the way it is.  The only thing that might need to be dealt with is how mutable they get.

It would need to cover a few options:  Staying on a path with the Exarch/Farseer 'end point.'  Changing paths, with the possible Autarch endpoint.  And also the Wraithguard endpoint... since, well, death just means going into the infinity circuit.  My worry would be they end up done too one dimensional - because changing paths instead of being lost on them is a big part of the Eldar Way.  My worry is you'd have to play someone destined to be stuck on your path because it's the easy way to make the game.  So hopefully both options are possible, a mutable leaping between paths... perhaps with some sort of insanity/corruption mechanic to represent becoming 'lost' in your path, and ways to just be lost.  There'd obviously need to be some rules for what you take with you though, as once you're on a path, you're different.

I'd even hypothesize they will come before Orks.  If only because that's the only thing that makes their lack of inclusion in the Rogue Trader book make any sense.  Though I wouldn't be shocked if they come first because they might be easier.  (Though there's some craziness they need to take account of as well..  size, and the fact they need a natural one in charge)

Endless sub-games, each getting their own expensive corebook sounds like the worst way to go with the 40k rpg line to me.

Aren't the games that already exist robust enough for people to play Eldar? Or Tau, or whatever? If not, why not? This to me is madness. 

If by 'robust enough' you mean why not just a sourcebook?  I'd agree... I'd rather it be that way even.

Hell, even ideal.  Release a 'corebook size' supplement.  And have that much more room for splats and setting.  You could darn near combine a Rites of Battle style sourcebook with the 'group specific' rules in such a book.  since as is most of us are getting all the books (Except deathwatch, there's a lot who only get that).  So why buy the rules EVERY time.

I'll have to agree that a big book of optional campaigns for xenos, and other alternatives would be very desirable. However, if they went such a route, it'd likely end up being multiple smaller books in the vein of Blood of Martyrs, the upcoming Imperial Guard book or the gun and careers supplement each line gets. So one for all ork games, one for Tau empire games, etc.

I don't know.  I'd think it would need to be bigger than Blood.  Rites of Battle or Inquisitor's Handbook style minimum to do Orks or Eldar justice.  Especially Eldar with all their Aspects (And no doubt at least one FFG Craftworld Specific original Aspect)

xenos themed source-books would be a great idea, i have to agree on that i would happily buy an ork one and a eldar one, though i bought the into the storm book mainly for the ork stuff (planning a one-off ork adventure as a tester), i know silly :)

For Xenos expansions Eldar make the most sense.  That isn't to say that the others aren't doable but the Eldar have the most going for them.

1) Large fan base. 

2) Lots of cool gear, weapons, and psychic abilities.

3) They already have a built in rational.  The Outcast paths, which include Harlequins, pirates, rangers, and mercenaries already wander around the non-Eldar parts of the universe and get into trouble.  Add in requests from Farseers "these guys over here need to be taken out before things get bad for us" and you've got easy adventure construction with lots of variation in character types.

4) Warp gates are great from a GM point of view.  They allow easy transit from places the GM wants the players to be to places the GM wants the players to go.

Orks can wander around and get into trouble and the Tau can have a special trouble shooting team that gets sent to hot spots so yes, those games are doable but the Eldar already have a lot of game friendly material and big fan base.  Orks carry the burden of being the comic relief race and Tau are lightning rods.  Most people either like them or loath them and for a game you want as wide a customer base as possible.

I doubt there will be any games for individual xenos races, for a few reasons.

No. 1 - Orks already have rules in Rogue Trader, they won't then make an entire game for them when those rules suffice.

No. 2 - Eldar are sneaky, and no one knows what they are doing half the time. I don't see GW allowing FFG to write a fair chunk of the Eldar fluff for a stand-alone RPG. Rules in Rogue Trader for Eldar? That'd be more realistic an expectation.

No. 3 - 40k is pretty much all about the Imperium of Man. Chaos is doable because the Imperium is it's main opponent, it's the other side of the coin. That doesn't work as well when applied to a xenos stand-alone RPG.

I just don't see it, sorry

MILLANDSON said:

No.  they don't.  They suffice for one VERY small side of Orkdom.  Freebooters.  They don't allow anything even approaching the way Orks are as a whole.  It's like saying the Corebook of Dark Heresy's handling of the Guard was enough to allow an entire game for Imperial Guard PCs.   Maybe in such a hands off in need of multiple houserules matter it's not even funny.  But not even close to enough for a full game.

And Eldar are no less understandable than elves in any other game.

George Labour said:

Yeah but here's the thing, while all of those are great ideas, they're also extremely nichey ideas. Especially the Mechanicus one.

Look at Into the Storm. Between one career and two advanced ranks (and tribe and birth-specialty), you can pretty much make any type of Ork that you want. I'm not sure if that's something you could really take to make in to something that isn't just Rogue Trader with Orks.

I almost guarantee we'll get a "Blood of Martyrs" style Mechanicus book.  We're getting them for all the other DH splats... no reason that won't be coming.

Adam France said:

On the other side of the coin, if you had to buy the Rogue Trader book to play an Eldar, it'd be rather annoying, and espensive in its own way, wouldn't it? This is of course assuming that you weren't already going to buy RT anyway.

But to be clear, I'm speaking in terms of a whole book devoted to playing Eldar (or whatever), as opposed to something more like what we got in Into the Storm for Orks or Kroot, where it's not really built to support an all Ork/Kroot game (though nothing is stopping you).

Dulahan said:

Oh I'm sure we'll get something like that. Though I doubt we'll get a whole new line for just the Mechanicus.

 @Dulahan

No. they don't. They suffice for one VERY small side of Orkdom. Freebooters. They don't allow anything even approaching the way Orks are as a whole. It's like saying the Corebook of Dark Heresy's handling of the Guard was enough to allow an entire game for Imperial Guard PCs.

Technically, it was - or I don't know how we played two short campaigns of IG using DH.