Deathwatch (role-playing game)
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Deathwatch is a role-playing game published in 2010 by Fantasy Flight Games, that is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and uses the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay system.
Gameplay
The player characters in Deathwatch are loyalist Space Marines, surgically and biologically enhanced super soldiers. The game has a martial focus, as opposed to complex intrigue or detailed representation of a setting.
In Deathwatch the players take the role of Space Marines as they perform various combat missions. These individuals are recruited from their native Chapters (fighting units of approximately 1,000 men that are broadly inspired by medieval knightly orders) to serve in squads as part of the eponymous Deathwatch, a military arm of the Inquisition, which is a vast organization composed of religious zealots with far-reaching authority, inspired by portrayals of the real-life Spanish inqusition and similar religious authorities. The role of the Deathwatch is to fight against particularly dangerous heretics and alien lifeforms.[1]
Career paths
In Deathwatch, Space Marines are divided into groups based upon their individual abilities. In most campaigns the Squad Leader is either chosen by one of the players or is an NPC controlled by the GM.
- Apothecary - Combat medic of Space Marine forces, equipped for fighting primarily in close combat, tasked with first aid, and also with recovering the material necessary for the creation of more super soldiers from the bodies of fallen Space Marines.
- Assault Marine - Close combat expert usually equipped with a jump pack, close-range and melee weapons.
- Devastator Marine - Heavy weapons expert. Normally armed with a weapon like a lascannon or heavy bolter.
- Librarian - Space Marine psyker, a specialist with mental powers that function similarly to magic in a fantasy universe. These powers are grouped into areas such as divination, pyromancy or telepathy and Librarians from some Chapters can also have access to unique powers.
- Tactical Marine - Veteran Space Marine, who is typically in charge of the squad. Has the potential to hone his squad leadership abilities.
- Techmarine - Space Marine who learned technological knowledge from the Adeptus Mechanicus and is thus trained in using rare weapons and speciality equipment. The Techmarine is also responsible for maintaining all equipment within the Deathwatch, including Dreadnoughts, powered armour, Terminator armour, and weapons.