Wrath and Glory: Plot twist

We spent about 1 - 1.5 hours to guide everyone through their tier advancement. Just as they were left with their shiny new upgraded characters, I told them to forget all about that, and pick other characters.

Wrath and Glory: Saint Martika's fate

The agents returned to the shrine just in time for the following ceremony. The people of the camp allowed them to pass through without incident, giving them a wide berth. A fearsome reputation is sometimes quite handy![1]

Wrath and Glory: Indecision

The agents touched down in their rickety Aquila lander[1] and were met by the local enforcer, an older woman called Rashida. She brought them up to speed on the local state of affairs[2] and they witnessed the evening's feeding time - the refugees crowding outside the wall, and the villagers throwing them some scraps. They quickly identified two gangs that stood out: the Water Bringers (who are said to be harboring the Saint) and the Deluge (who Rashida knows to be the most violent gangers in the shanty town). I expected the agents to jump into the action, but they had other ideas.

Graveyard Shift: The end. Transition to Rain of Mercy

The session started off with the agents as rather passive spectators, as the scene of battle wound down. The interrogator shut down the last remaining arco-flagellant, then sedated Sister Palmulata and sealed her wound. The agents gathered her (and her arm) and placed her on a makeshift bed. As the interrogator went to check on the pilot servitors, the agents rummaged around the ship for healing supplies and regrouped to recover their wounds.

Graveyard Shift: Daemons and heresy

The agents started off in the still burning chamber below the mausoleum. After some debate whether to rest there[1], they opened the door into the true crypt. There they found scenes of unimaginable heresy: the walls were carved with reliefs of humans trading with xenos. They looked around with hate and disgust, and could barely ward off the corruption emanating from the room.[2] Thrakus kicked the sarcophagus in frustration, only to reveal a rotten corpse holding the Revelator.

Graveyard Shift: Patient assault

 The pace of this session slowed down, as the agents analyzed a hundred different ways of entering the dark chamber.

Graveyard Shift: Travel montage

 The agents started off towards their goal, expecting half a day of leisurely travel. Hah! In the 42nd millenium? Not a chance. Not to mention heavy rains in monsoon season.

Graveyard Shift: Investigation

The agents decided not to commit high-grade heresy by stealing a holy relic, instead visiting the Jolly Undertaker to meet Diomedes.

Graveyard Shift: Interlude

The session started with the players brainstorming what to do, as their characters continued to put on their wargear. It was fun to listen to for a bit, but I soon started a 10-minute timer, and announced that sirens were blaring all over the place. Warder peaked out and assessed the situation quite astutely, but was also sighted by the military personnel running to contain the situation: 5 Sisters of Battle, 10 Skitarii and 20 Guardsmen.

Wrapping up Dark Tides:Descent and transition to Graveyard Shift

The session started with wrapping up the previous adventure. Thrakus kept Gerrit held down until arriving at the train station, while the other agents - left on the slower train with a pile of corpses - looked through the Prophet's belongings. Plenty of evidence to tie him to the murders.

Dark Tides: the Cult of Luxury

The session started off at the marketplace, with the agents preparing for their trek into the underhive wastelands. The cult was to be found in a nice sounding place called the Sump Pits.

Dark Tides: Into the Underhive

The session started off with the interrogation scene. With both the psychic power Compel and the spinal column of his brother there as good reasons to talk, Ivill Kreet buckled and gave the agents every information they asked for. It wasn't much to go on, but he confessed to running a smuggling ring. The agents thought they identified the killer in one of the hooded clients smuggled at exactly the right times for the murders to happen. Ivill also turned out to be the one to hack the servitors. 

Dark Tides: Audience with the Adeptus Mechanicus

Report to the Rogue Trader

The players started off by summarizing the last session's investigation in reasonable detail, so I had their pagers beep and request their presence at the dropship. They received a request to report to their boss-man, Rogue Trader Varonius himself. They spent some time with back-and-forth communication, but they could not dig out any reasonable lead to follow. At last, Tass the Skitarius mentioned wanting to contact the local Adeptus Mechanicus, to which Varonius assented, and they were on their way.

Wrath and Glory: Dark Tides

After the practice session, we dug into the singular campaign-level published adventure: Dark Tides.

Wrath and Glory: Practice session

After the original attempt at Wrath and Glory, I decided to dig in by purchasing the digital rulebook and assembling a second party. This time, we started with custom made characters at Tier 2[1].

Wrath and Glory: Blessings Unheralded

Introduction

I had my eyes on Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Wrath and Glory for some time. With my gaming nights reduced to a minimum thanks to the COVID-19 self isolation protocols, I decided to dive in with an online session. I assembled a crew of loyal Imperial citizens, created an account on Roll20, and bought a short published adventure: Blessings Unheralded.