Warhammer 40,000 - Only War, Core Rulebook

402 Pages·2012·84.44 MB·English

by  coll.

CORE RULEBOOK

®
®

TM

™

ROLEPLAYING IN THE GRIM DARKNESS
OF THE 41ST MILLENNIUM

TM

2

Credits

CREDITS

Fantasy Flight Games

Only War Designed By
Andrew Fischer
with additional concepts by Mack Martin and Sam Stewart

Lead Developer
Andrew Fischer

Writing and Development
Owen Barnes, Max Brooke, Nathan Dowdell, John Dunn,
Matthew “HBMC” Eustace, Tim Flanders, Ian Hardin,
Andy Hoare, Jason Marker, Mack Martin, Charles May,
Brandon Rospond, and Sam Stewart

Based on Dark Heresy, Designed By
Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, and Mike Mason

Editing and Proofreading
Graham Davey, Alex Davy,
Matt Harkrader, and David Johnson

Graphic Design
Edge Studios, David Ardila with WiL Springer

Cover Art
Sam Wood

Interior Art
A.L. Ashbaugh, Alberto Bontempi, Matt Bradbury, Sam
Burley, Jon Cave, Mauro Dal Bo, Javier G. Ureña, Diego
Gisbert Llorens, Zach Graves, Ilich Henriquez, Nikolaus
Ingeneri, Michal Ivan, Jason Juta, Anton Kokarev, Mathias
Kollros, Sam Lamont, Simon Lissaman, Jorge Maese, Marco,
Morte, Sean Andrew Murray, Ameen Naksewee, David
Auden Nash, and Mark W. Smith

Managing Art Director
Andrew Navaro

Art Direction
Andy Christensen

Production Management
Eric Knight

Licensing and Development Coordinator
Deb Beck

Executive Game Designer
Corey Konieczka

Executive Producer
Michael Hurley

Publisher
Christian T. Petersen

Games Workshop

Licensing Manager
John French, Andy Hall, and Owen Rees

Head of Licensing
Jon Gillard

Head of Licensing, Legal and
Strategic Projects
Andy Jones

Head of Intellectual Property
Alan Merrett

FANTASY
FLIGHT
GAMES

Fantasy Flight Games
1975 West County Road B2
Roseville, MN 55113
USA

Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2012. Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000 Role Play, Only War, the foregoing marks’
respective logos, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons,
units and unit insignia, characters, products and illustrations from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and the Only War game setting are either ®,
™, and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2012, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. This edition published under
license to Fantasy Flight Publishing Inc. Fantasy Flight Games and the Fantasy Flight Games logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fantasy
Flight Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved to their respective owners. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

ISBN: 978-1-61661-469-0 Product Code: IG01 Print ID: 1405NOV12

Printed in China

For more information about the ONLY WAR line, free downloads, answers to
rule queries, or just to pass on greetings, visit us online at
www.FantasyFlightGames.com

Special Thanks to the Playtesters
See page 397 for a full list.

3

Contents

Chapter III: Character Creation
Creating a Guardsman .........................................................72
Stage 1: Generate Characteristics .......................................74
Stage 2: Choose Speciality ..................................................75
Heavy Gunner ......................................................................76
Medic .....................................................................................78
Operator ................................................................................80
Sergeant .................................................................................82
Weapon Specialist ................................................................84
Commissar ............................................................................86
Ministorum Priest ................................................................88
Ogryn ....................................................................................90
Ratling ...................................................................................92
Sanctioned Psyker ................................................................94
Storm Trooper ......................................................................96
Tech-Priest Enginseer ..........................................................98
Stage 3: Wounds, Fate, and Spending Experience .........100
Wounds ................................................................................100
Fate Points ...........................................................................100
Starting Experience ............................................................100
Aptitudes .............................................................................100
Characteristic Advances .....................................................102
Skill Advances.....................................................................102
Talent Advances ..............................................................103
Stage 4: Giving Characters Life ..................................104
Stage 5: Generate Comrades .....................................110
Creating a Comrade ................................................110
Losing and Replacing Comrades ....................... 110

Contents
Foreword ..................................................................................6
Introduction
War Without End ....................................................................8
Blood-soaked Stars and Broken Worlds............................ 10
Worlds at War ....................................................................... 13
The Calixis Sector and Spinward Front ............................ 13
Hammer of the Emperor ..................................................... 14
Born in Battle ....................................................................... 14
Chain of Command ............................................................. 15
The God-Emperor’s Armoury ............................................. 18
Mobilisation for War ........................................................... 19
Auxiliaries and Support Forces ........................................... 21
Anatomy of a Regiment ...................................................... 24
Chapter I: Playing the Game
Game Dice ............................................................................ 28
Characteristics ...................................................................... 28
Characteristics and Characteristic Bonuses....................... 29
Tests ....................................................................................... 29
The Core Mechanic ............................................................. 29
Skill Tests .............................................................................. 30
Characteristic Tests .............................................................. 30
Degrees of Success and Failure .......................................... 30
Extended Tests...................................................................... 31
Opposed Tests ...................................................................... 31
Test Difficulty ....................................................................... 32
The Role of Fate................................................................... 33
Using Fate Points ................................................................. 33
Burning Fate ......................................................................... 33
Gaining Additional Fate Points .......................................... 33
Movement ............................................................................. 33
Structured and Narrative Time ........................................... 33
Climbing ............................................................................... 34
Jumping and Leaping .......................................................... 35
Swimming ............................................................................. 36
Carrying, Lifting, and Pushing Objects ............................ 36
Lighting ................................................................................. 37
Flying..................................................................................... 38
The Effects of Gravity ......................................................... 38
Chapter II: Regiment Creation
Anatomy of a Regiment ...................................................... 40
Choosing a Regiment .......................................................... 41
Cadian Shock Troops .......................................................... 42
Catachan Jungle Fighters .................................................... 44
Death Korps of Krieg .......................................................... 46
Elysian Drop Troops ............................................................ 48
Maccabian Janissaries ........................................................... 50
Mordian Iron Guard ............................................................ 52
Tallarn Desert Raiders ......................................................... 54
Vostroyan Firstborn .............................................................. 56
Regiment Creation Rules .................................................... 58
Creating a Regiment ............................................................ 58
Choosing a Home World or Origin .................................. 59
Commanding Officer ........................................................... 63
Training and Doctrines ....................................................... 64
Standard Regimental Guardsman Kit ................................ 68
Finishing Touches ................................................................ 70

4

Contents

Low-Tech Weapons ...........................................................181
Launchers ............................................................................182
Grenades, Missiles, and Rounds .......................................182
Exotic Weapons ..................................................................184
Melee Weapons ..................................................................185
Chain Weapons ..................................................................185
Power Weapons ..................................................................186
Force Weapons....................................................................186
Low-tech Weapons.............................................................187
Weapon Upgrades ..............................................................188
Weapon Customisation ......................................................190
Ammunition ........................................................................192
Unusual Ammunition .........................................................193
Artillery Shells ....................................................................194
Armour ................................................................................195
Force Fields .........................................................................196
Wargear ...............................................................................197
Clothing and Worn Gear ..................................................197
Drugs and Consumables....................................................198
Tools ....................................................................................200
Cybernetics .........................................................................204
Bionic Replacement Limbs and Body Parts ...................204
Implant Systems .................................................................205
Imperial Guard Vehicles ....................................................210
Vehicle Types ......................................................................210
Vehicle Speeds ....................................................................210
Vehicle Traits ......................................................................212
Imperial Guard Vehicles ....................................................215

Chapter IV: Skills
Using Skills .........................................................................112
Skill Tests ............................................................................112
Untrained Skill Use ............................................................113
Specialist Skills ...................................................................113
Skill Descriptors .................................................................114
Gaining Skills .....................................................................114
Skill Descriptions ...............................................................116
Chapter V: Talents and Traits
Using Talents ......................................................................136
Gaining Talents ..................................................................136
Talents .................................................................................140
Traits ....................................................................................154
Trait Descriptions ...............................................................154
Chapter VI: Armoury
Regimental Logistics ..........................................................161
Logistics ..............................................................................161
Standard Regimental Guardsman Kit ..............................163
Mission Assignment Gear .................................................165
Equipment Craftsmanship .................................................166
Weapons ..............................................................................168
Weapon Special Qualities ..................................................169
Las Weapons .....................................................................175
Solid Projectile Weapons ............................................177
Bolt Weapons ...........................................................179
Melta Weapons .....................................................179
Plasma Weapons ...............................................180
Flame Weapons .............................................180

5

Contents

Campaigns ..........................................................................299
Designing a Campaign ......................................................299
Running Massive Battles ...................................................301
Interaction ...........................................................................303
Interaction Skills ................................................................303
Dispositions ........................................................................303
Interaction and Groups......................................................303
Fear and Damnation ..........................................................304
Insanity and Corruption Points ........................................304
Fear ......................................................................................305
Insanity ................................................................................305
Corruption ..........................................................................308
Using Only War with Other Games ................................310
Conversion Rules ...............................................................312
Chapter X: A Galaxy of War
The Imperium of Man .......................................................315
The Masters of Mankind ...................................................316
The Emperor’s Wars ...........................................................318
The Calixis Sector ..............................................................322
The Koronus Expanse ........................................................324
The Jericho Reach ..............................................................326
The Screaming Vortex .......................................................328
The Spinward Front ...........................................................330
Sins of the Fathers .............................................................330
The Green Tide Rises ........................................................335
Total War .............................................................................335
Worlds of the Spinward Front ..........................................336
The Periphery Sub-Sector .................................................336
Kulth ....................................................................................336
Ganf Magna ........................................................................340
Sisk.......................................................................................340
Sinophia ..............................................................................341
Cyclopea ..............................................................................342
Kalf .....................................................................................342
Waaagh! Grimtoof ..............................................................343
Avitohol ...............................................................................344
The Severan Dominate ......................................................346
Chapter XI: Adversaries & NPCs
Chaos ...................................................................................350
Chaos Vehicles....................................................................354
Dark Eldar...........................................................................356
Dark Eldar Vehicles ...........................................................361
Orks .....................................................................................363
Ork Vehicles .......................................................................370
NPCs ...................................................................................371
Chapter XII: Against the Savages
Adventure Background ......................................................376
Adventure Summary ..........................................................377
Skrynne Gazetteer..............................................................378
Arrival ..................................................................................381
Meetings and Assignment .................................................383
Through the Jungle ............................................................386
At the Refinery ...................................................................388
Holding the Facility .........................................................391
Wrap-Up .........................................................................392
NPC Appendix ............................................................393
Index ..........................................................................394
Character Sheet ..................................................... 399

Chapter VII: Psychic Powers
Psykers in the Imperial Guard ..........................................222
Psychic Powers in Only War ............................................223
Psy Ratings .........................................................................223
Using Psychic Powers ........................................................223
Psychic Strength .................................................................223
Focus Power Test ................................................................225
Psychic Bolts .......................................................................226
Psychic Phenomena ...........................................................226
Psychic Powers ...................................................................229
Power Format .....................................................................229
Biomancy ............................................................................230
Divination ...........................................................................231
Pyromancy ..........................................................................233
Telekinesis ...........................................................................234
Telepathy .............................................................................237
Chapter VIII: Combat
Narrative Time vs Structured Time ..................................240
Narrative Time ....................................................................240
Structured Time ..................................................................240
Combat Overview ..............................................................240
Using Actions .....................................................................242
The Attack ..........................................................................249
Unarmed Combat ...............................................................251
Two-Weapon Fighting ......................................................252
Combat Circumstances ......................................................253
Injury ...................................................................................256
Wounds ................................................................................256
Fatigue .................................................................................257
Characteristic Damage .......................................................257
Conditions and Special Damage ......................................266
Healing ................................................................................268
Comrades in Combat .........................................................269
Cohesion .............................................................................269
Performing Orders .............................................................270
Comrades Being Attacked ................................................271
Vehicles ................................................................................272
Driving a Vehicle ...............................................................272
Vehicle Combat ..................................................................274
Damage & Repair ...............................................................281
Repairing Vehicles .............................................................281
Chapter IX: The Game Master
The Role of the GM ..........................................................288
The Basics ...........................................................................289
Running an Only War Game ............................................290
Themes in Only War .........................................................290
Styles of Play ......................................................................291
Non-Player Characters ......................................................292
Rewards ...............................................................................292
Experience Points ...............................................................292
Fate Points ...........................................................................294
Medals and Honours .........................................................294
Missions ...............................................................................296
Briefing ................................................................................296
Objectives............................................................................296
Mission Archetypes ............................................................297
Mission Complications ......................................................297
Debriefing ...........................................................................298

6

Foreword

hard to fight. In BLACK CRUSADE, players broke free of the
bonds of the Imperium, and searched out a glorious destiny
amongst the broken stars of the Screaming Vortex. For the
first time, BLACK CRUSADE allows players to take on the roles
of characters of a variety of different power levels. Heretics
and sorcerers fought alongside mighty Chaos Space Marines,
all for the same goal of launching a devastating Black Crusade
against the Imperium of Man.
Each of these games in turn raised the stakes for what
the players were capable of in the Warhammer 40K universe,
taking them from inquisitorial acolytes to power-armoured
super-soldiers empowered by the Dark Gods. It was at this
point that we decided to take a step back. Many of the
game lines gave players power far beyond that of mortal
men; whether it be influence, technology, or unimaginable
psychic abilities, players had the power to bend the universe
to their will. Instead, we wanted players to experience what it
would be like to be a normal human in the Warhammer 40K
universe, thrust up against the same horrors Space Marines
face every day, but with nothing but their wits, their lasgun,
and their compatriots to survive to see the next day. To this
end we began development on ONLY WAR, a book entirely
devoted to the Imperial Guard.
ONLY WAR originally started as a DARK HERESY
supplement. As the most gritty, brutal, and low power level of
our game lines, it seemed like the perfect place to integrate the
Imperial Guard. However, the more we worked on the book,
the more we realized there were simply too many awesome
elements to explore in a single supplement. As ONLY WAR
grew into the core rulebook it is today, we worked to craft a
system that captures the feel of being a mere mortal, forced
to contend with the greatest threats of the 41st millennium,
yet maintaining hope and camaraderie, even in the face of
seemingly insurmountable odds.
So strap on your helmet and grab your lasgun, soldier. It’s
time to take the fight to the enemies of the Imperium!

Happy Gaming,
The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay Team

Foreword
I

n 1987 Games Workshop released a sci-fi miniatures
rulebook called Rogue Trader, and captured the imagination
of gamers across the world with their depiction of a
grim, dark future among the stars. For two decades, fans of
Warhammer 40,000 clamoured for a roleplaying experience
set in this deep and engaging setting. Then, five years ago,
Games Workshop delivered DARK HERESY, the first of what
would become a full line of roleplaying games set in the
Warhammer 40,000 universe.
DARK HERESY allowed players to assume the roles of Acolytes
in the service of powerful Inquisitors. With unhindered authority,
Acolytes explored the deepest, darkest corners of the Imperium
of Man, rooting out heresy from the bowels of monumental hive
cities to the spires of glorious shrine worlds.
After the release of DARK HERESY and its first few
supplements, the Warhammer 40K Roleplay line was licensed
to Fantasy Flight Games. We picked up right where it left
off, and took the next big step with the release of a new
core rulebook in the line: ROGUE TRADER. This game gave
the players complete freedom to explore the 40K universe
as they wanted. Empowered by their Warrant of Trade, the
players set off into the dark void to explore, fight, and even
steal their way to great success and profit.
The third game line to be released for Warhammer 40K
Roleplay took on the challenge of encapsulating one of the
most iconic aspects of Warhammer: the Adeptus Astartes. In
DEATHWATCH, the players embark on dangerous missions as
members of an elite group of xenos-hunting Space Marines.
Empowered by genetic implants, elite training, and the best
equipment the Imperium has to offer, the players fought
vicious enemies to decide the fate of not only entire worlds,
but entire sectors of space.
After DEATHWATCH, we decided to take Warhammer 40K
Roleplay in a bold new direction, allowing players to take
on the roles of the very heretics they have been working so

7

Introduction

7

Introduction

It is the 41st Millennium...

For more than a hundred centuries, the Emperor has sat immobile
on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by
the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might
of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing
invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is
the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are
sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

Yet in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal
vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the Daemon-infested miasma
of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit
by the Astronomicon, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor’s
will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds.
Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the
Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades
in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary
defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-Priests
of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to name but a few. But for all their
multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present
threat from aliens, heretics, mutants—and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It
is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. These
are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and
science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned.
Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the
grim, dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the
stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter
of thirsting gods.

8

Introduction

War Without
End
W

ar is the fire upon which the Imperium of Man
burns and the madness from which it was born.
On a million, million worlds across thousands
of light years of space, man fights endlessly for his survival
against aliens, heretics, and Daemons so that humanity may
continue to exist. From the blood-drenched mud of frontier
worlds to the cold depths of space, humans are at constant war
with the galaxy, fighting threats from without, from within,
and from beyond. Numbering untold billions upon billions
of souls, the Imperium of Man sprawls across the stars under
the watchful eye of its God-Emperor, its worlds unstable and
its glory days long gone. It has sunken into a long twilight
from which it may never emerge. Powerful alien empires
strike at the Imperium from all sides, those that would claim
the galaxy as their own, or are merely bent on mankind’s
annihilation. Man has no place in his realm for such races, and
to be alien is to be counted
as an enemy of humanity
and another foe to be
destroyed. Within the
Imperium, man turns upon
man and thousands of civil
wars rage constantly, as the
armies of the God-Emperor
work endlessly to stamp
out sedition and heresy from
within its own worlds. Yet still
men and women turn against
the Imperium, either through
discontentment and rebellion against
oppressive overlords or because they
have been tainted with impure ideas and
vile alien philosophies.
Beyond the Imperium lurks the Warp, the
otherworldly realm of madness and Chaos that
ships must use to cross the vast distances of space
and which psykers use to draw power for their
unholy gifts. From this eldritch realm, monsters
and Daemons emerge, forcing themselves
through rents in the fabric of reality to bring ruin
and death to the living inhabitants of whole worlds.
Only through endless conflict, brutal struggle, and
the lives of countless soldiers does the Imperium
of Man endure at all. It is the blood price for an
empire which is ten millennia old, created at a
time when man’s light was waning, poised on
the edge of the abyss and the eternal darkness
of the void.
Never in its existence has the
Imperium known peace. From the dark
days of its inception, when entire
sectors of space made war upon
each other, to its grim and
dark present, the Imperium
has always been aflame with

conflict. While individual worlds and systems may often
know times of relative safety and stability, this is only at the
cost of thousands more teetering on the brink of oblivion,
their populations sacrificed to preserve the greater domain of
mankind and the rule of the God-Emperor. With such danger
and so many terrible foes besetting mankind, only the most
brutal and disciplined of empires could hope to survive. The
God-Emperor sits at the apex of such a realm, His teeming
hordes of servants and His vast armies enforcing His will upon
the inhabitants of the Imperium, ensuring their obedience
and their loyalty. This is what holds the Imperium together
and keeps it alive when an open mind and a weaker soul
would invite utter destruction from enemies which live only
to feast on the bones of men. Only its size and ancient power
prevent the Imperium’s complete destruction; that it may lose
a hundred systems or a world of a billion faithful citizens and
continue to fight on. Even so, it is slowly dying—the God-
Emperor’s armies clinging desperately to
what is left, as systems crumble

its glory days long gone. It has sunken into a long twilight
from which it may never emerge. Powerful alien empires
strike at the Imperium from all sides, those that would claim
the galaxy as their own, or are merely bent on mankind’s
annihilation. Man has no place in his realm for such races, and
to be alien is to be counted
as an enemy of humanity

and another foe to be
destroyed. Within the

Imperium, man turns upon
man and thousands of civil
wars rage constantly, as the
armies of the God-Emperor
work endlessly to stamp
out sedition and heresy from
within its own worlds. Yet still
men and women turn against
the Imperium, either through
discontentment and rebellion against
oppressive overlords or because they
have been tainted with impure ideas and
vile alien philosophies.

Beyond the Imperium lurks the Warp, the

otherworldly realm of madness and Chaos that
ships must use to cross the vast distances of space
and which psykers use to draw power for their
unholy gifts. From this eldritch realm, monsters
and Daemons emerge, forcing themselves
through rents in the fabric of reality to bring ruin
and death to the living inhabitants of whole worlds.
Only through endless conflict, brutal struggle, and
the lives of countless soldiers does the Imperium
of Man endure at all. It is the blood price for an
empire which is ten millennia old, created at a
time when man’s light was waning, poised on
the edge of the abyss and the eternal darkness

Never in its existence has the

Imperium known peace. From the dark

days of its inception, when entire

sectors of space made war upon

each other, to its grim and

dark present, the Imperium

has always been aflame with

continue to fight on. Even so, it is slowly dying—the God-

Emperor’s armies clinging desperately to

what is left, as systems crumble

9

Introduction

thin line which protects the Imperium from complete and
utter destruction; they are the Imperial Guard.
It is the duty of every world in the Imperium to provide
men and women for the Imperial Guard, in essence recruiting
the armies which protect not just their own planet but the
vast galactic empire to which they belong. To be a member of
the Imperial Guard is to be plucked from your home world,
often barely into adulthood, and thrust into a life of harsh
discipline, endless drilling, and constant mobilisation for war.
“Lucky” Guardsmen may have the chance to fight on their
own worlds or in their own star systems if they are in a state
of war; likely raised with the spectre of destruction hanging
over their heads from birth and the knowledge that soon it
would be their turn to march off to fight like their fathers and
brothers before them. More often, a Guardsman will leave his
world behind, never to set eyes upon it again, and make the
terrifying journey across the void to a far off battlefield where
he will fight in the name of the God-Emperor. The Imperial
Guard is a vast bureaucratic and logistical machine with
Guardsmen endlessly being raised on practically every world
within the Imperium and funnelled into warzones, some near,
some far, on a scale which can barely be comprehended by
the human mind. It is an undeniable truth that an individual
in the Imperial Guard is but a grain of sand on a blood-soaked
beach and when he inevitably dies, alongside thousands of
his brothers in arms on a nameless battlefield, he will not be
missed. Though in his death, the Imperium will continue
to exist, even if just for a few seconds more, making his
sacrifice necessary in the minds of his commanders and
glorious in the eyes of the God-Emperor.

from around its edges and the slow rot of sedition and heresy
eat away at it from inside. Though it may be ten thousand
more years before its death, the Imperium is in decline and
every battle its armies win, every enemy it vanquishes or
wipes from existence is but a single sandbag placed in front
of a rising flood of death and decay.
Those that live in such times live with the knowledge that
the galaxy is a dangerous and unwelcoming place. They look
up to the stars and see only the darkness between them which
hides hungry alien raiders and warp-spawned monsters eager
for the souls of men. For most, this means keeping their
eyes fixed firmly on the dirt beneath their feet and going
about their lives not daring to think about anything beyond
their devotion to the God-Emperor and the endless toil of
their lives, content in the belief that prayer and hard work
will keep them safe. For some, though, the defence of the
Imperium becomes their personal duty. Either through choice
or chance, these men and women are inducted into the God-
Emperor’s armies, trained to fight and sent off to far-flung
stars and systems to hold the line against the coming night.
Though they come from a million different worlds, each with
its own unique superstitions, beliefs, and cultures, they are
united against the enemies of mankind by the God-Emperor;
a devotion to a far off monarch who they will never meet and
a duty to an Imperium of which only a tiny fraction they will
ever see. Still though they fight; they fight for the honour
of their world, they fight for their sense of duty to the cause
or even humanity itself, they fight simply because they like
to, or they fight because they have no choice and killing the
enemies of man means another day of life for them. Whatever
their origins, whatever their reasons or training, they are the

WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?

In a roleplaying game (or RPG), you create an alter ego, a fictional character that is your avatar within the game world.
Perhaps you create a honourable warrior, a cunning sorcerer, or a leader who inspires loyalty through dark magnificence.
Next, you and your friends direct your characters through a series of adventures. Imagine reading a fantasy novel,
watching an action movie, or following a television series—except instead of passively watching or reading the story
unfold, you control one of the characters, making his decisions, selecting his actions, and even speaking for him. Instead
of waiting to see how the story unfolds, you directly affect and even determine the outcome of the story.
How can you affect these events? How do you decide what happens? That is the role of the game itself. Roleplaying
games such as ONLY WAR provide a framework of rules that describe how to design your character and have him interact
with the world within the game. Rules cover situations like gun fights, delicate negotiations, or infiltrating an enemy
stronghold to destroy it. Often, the rules require you to roll dice when performing an action, with some results indicating
success and others indicating failure. While the rules provide structure and guidelines to the game, dice add the element
of chance. After all, success would not be so sweet if you had no chance of failing!
At first, RPGs like ONLY WAR seem like they have a lot of rules. However, as you read the book you will soon see
that the rules are actually quite simple, easy to remember, and even intuitive. ONLY WAR is built on a simple set of base
mechanics. Once you grasp the basic mechanics, the rest is easily understood.
To adjudicate these rules, each game has a Game Master (or GM). The GM is you, or one of your friends, chosen by
consensus of your group. Unlike everyone else, the GM does not control a single character. Instead, the GM runs the
game, presenting the story and the myriad of situations that come with it. He controls the people your character meets in
the game, controls the encounters and strange occurrences that shape your decisions as to your actions, and is basically
both the game’s narrator and the referee.
All of the other players control characters within the world, around which the story resolves. These characters are
known as the Player Characters (also referred to as the PCs). During the game, the players describe the intentions and
actions of their characters to the GM, who then decides (based on the rules) whether those actions succeed or fail, and
how their words and deeds affect the story.

10
10

Introduction

and dominance endured. Across thousands of light years, the
Imperium maintains a tenuous hold over millions of worlds
and counts every domain of men as its own, whether they
bow to the God-Emperor on far away Terra or not. Vast
armies of men and warships struggle every day to keep the
God-Emperor’s realm alive and keep the myriad of mankind’s
foes at bay. However, ten thousand years is a very long time,
and as the centuries have slipped by, the Imperium’s borders
have continued to crumble—many of its worlds have broken
away or been destroyed, and potent alien empires have begun
to gnaw away at its insides. Perhaps if the God-Emperor had
had more time to finish His great work in uniting the galaxy,
or perhaps if the nature of men did not so easily turn to
destruction, the Imperium would not be so wracked with war
and conflict; or perhaps after ten thousand years, it is just the
Imperium’s time to slip away into the abyss.
Against this backdrop of carnage and chaos, it is the role of
the Imperial Guard to protect and defend the Imperium. Even
in its faded glory, the Imperium still covers the majority of the
galaxy, comprising millions of worlds and countless billions
of humans. Its ponderous size is both the source of its greatest
strength and its greatest weakness: its size means it can suffer
the loss of worlds and lives with little immediate effect on
the greater Imperium, but it also makes it extremely difficult
to defend. The logistics of an army which must cover the
entire galaxy and protect an empire without distinct borders
against dozens of foes at once is barely comprehensible to
the mind of man. Even the Administratum, the Imperium’s
vast bureaucratic network tasked with recording and keeping
a tally of the armies of the God-Emperor, has no real idea
of the exact numbers of men and women serving in the

Blood-soaked
Stars and
Broken Worlds

“Nothing of any worth was ever won without paying a price in blood.”

–Commander Tyras Cor, Scintillan 73rd Light Infantry
I

t is the 41st Millennium and the galaxy teeters on the
brink of annihilation. Humanity has spread out across
the stars and, for thousands of years, settled worlds and
spread their domain deep within the void. Ages of Man have
passed since the first colony ships left ancient Terra and the
fortunes of mankind have waxed and waned as an uncaring
galaxy and hostile alien races have fought against him. Ten
thousand years ago, after a time of unequalled darkness and
ruin, the God-Emperor arose and united mankind once
more. In a grand crusade that lasted many years, His armies
gathered together the scattered tribes of men and created
what was to become the Imperium of Man. Tragically, before
he could finish His great work, he was betrayed by His most
faithful servant, Horus, and thrust into a civil war that almost
destroyed everything he had worked to achieve. In a battle
against Horus, the Emperor was mortally wounded and
is now interred in the Golden Throne; where ancient
technologies keep him alive to this day. However,
despite His wounds, His armies had triumphed
against the betrayers and His dream of unification

Blood-soaked
Blood-soaked

I still can’t believe my luck. that my number
should be drawn of all the members of my house
shows that the God-Emperor must be watching
over us just like they say. I’d only just joined
our hive strata’s Fabricators Guild when I got
the news: I’m part of the founding, I’m going
to be one of those chosen to serve the Emperor
and our lords out there beyond the steel skies.
It still seems too strange to be true, a base
born lad like me chosen for such a task, even
though I hear they take just as many from
the other hives, especially those near the chem
seas; something to do with all the people
they have there and the training they get
working the great stacks and outflows. I also
know I’m not alone; Drayn, Helson, and even
Torsh were all called too, us fabricator boys all
giving up the work of our fathers and brothers to
take up the rifle. They told me no one from our house
has served in the Guard since my old great uncle
Nert, some three or four generations back. I
just hope I can do half as well as him and
make my house and hab masters proud!

11
11

Introduction

Imperial Guard regiment has suffered such a fate, ambushed
from the shadows and cut down before they knew they were
at war with these treacherous aliens.
Tyranids are terrifying, monstrous aliens from beyond the
edge of the galaxy itself, intent on consuming all life to feed
their vast bio-fleets and hive ships. As the endless advances of
the Tyranids pour into the galaxy from the eastern fringe, the
Imperial Guard must form a break wall against the alien tide.
Like two great hammers smashing into each other, the Tyranids
and their swarms of alien horrors and bizarre monstrosities slam
into the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard and its millions
of men. The result is a horrific and bloody war of attrition,
in which every Guardsman slaughtered screaming to feed the
hive mind makes the Tyranids stronger and the Imperium
weaker. Yet there is no choice for the Imperial Guard, lest the
Tyranids overrun their defences and plunge even deeper into
the Imperium; and so more and more regiments are fed into the
alien meat-grinder.
The Tau are a young and idealistic race of blue-skinned
humanoids, with only a small empire under their control but
with command of advanced and innovative technology. Against
the Imperium’s history, which is measured in millennia, the Tau
are only recently risen to power, their race but a few thousand
years removed from their primitive ancestors. Yet they have
made an impact on their region of space, spreading rapidly
and forging alliances with numerous minor alien races to create
a potent empire which presses in against Imperial borders. As
dangerous as their advanced weapons and void ships are, their
philosophies of unity and collective endeavour with other races
are even more so. Centred upon a belief in the “Greater Good”
and a common goal of balance and equality, many humans have
been seduced by these alien lies. As the Tau empire continues
to encroach on Imperium space, they have placed an increasing
drain on the Imperium’s already dwindling resources and
become an increasing threat.
Xenos are not the only foes the Imperial Guard must hold
back to preserve the blessed Imperium of Man and defend
its most holy God-Emperor. Of equal danger to the Orks,
Eldar, Tyranids, and Tau are the human renegades, traitors
and heretics which turn away from the Imperium and seek
to subvert it with their treachery. In its most simple form,
this can mean worlds led astray by seditious planetary
governors, choosing to break away from the Imperium and
claim independence. With so many worlds and such vast
distances between them, a planet and its people may forget
the Imperium exists or come to believe its reach cannot
touch them so far are they from ancient Terra and the God-
Emperor. These are false beliefs, of course, and in time the
Imperium’s wrath will fall on any human world which rejects
the mastery of the God-Emperor and chooses to either refuse
to pay its tithes or proclaim itself independent. Thus the
Imperial Guard is often tasked with dealing with such rebels,
crushing all resistance and destroying the leadership which
brought them to such a place, leaving behind a battered and
war ravaged world with a heavy debt to be repaid to the
Administratum and the threat of complete annihilation
should they transgress again.
Not all rebels are treated with such leniency as those
which merely try to secede. Sometimes humans will

Imperial Guard at any one time. Nearly every world within
the Imperium maintains its own standing planetary defence
forces, though against a determined invasion or uprising,
these limited forces often prove inadequate. It then falls to
nearby regiments of the Imperial Guard, made up of soldiers
raised from dozens of worlds, either near or far, to respond.
Finding such regiments and then moving them to a warzone
can take many months or even years to execute, and regiments
may arrive in a warzone to discover the world they were sent
to rescue has long since fallen to its foes. As a result, the
regiments of the Imperial Guard are constantly fighting or
in transit to warzones, its soldiers either huddled in trenches
and foxholes on battle scarred planets or awaiting their fates
in the holds of transp...