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[HonkyPunch]

Alright, so my Uncle (a huge roleplaying nerd) recently gave to me a Dark Heresy role playing book. It's interesting, but I'm at a disadvantage.
1. I am not incredibly familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe, and amongst my group of friends the job of being DM almost always seems to fall on my shoulders.
2. The 40k universe seems incredibly grim-dark, which is as it should be, i am aware. This just simply makes it hard for me to write a campaign as I'm not entirely sure how to go about writing a story that gives the players some sense of fulfillment in such a grim setting.

Basically I want to ask, do any of you have any experience with this game, and if so, do you have any advice?
I AM SO LOST.

[Sneevil]

hmm i play the tabletop but the book you got portrays the horus heresy right?

[HonkyPunch]

No, I believe it is after the heresy as the Emperor is confined to his golden throne by this point.
Uh, as far as I know you are Acolytes of the inquisition and are to go about destroying heresy or whatever.
I've got a few ideas, but am still a bit in the dark.

[Digital Hellhound]

If you need to know anything about the setting, try Lexicanum.

[Sneevil]

well if you are playing as the inquisition prepare for a quite serious campaign because those guys are cruel.
and would suspect their brother of heresy if he looked funny at em.

[HonkyPunch]

I guess that's the part i'm having trouble with. I like the grimdark gothic fantasy sci-fi setting they have going on, but at the same time it's just so damned dark that I don't know what to do with it.  I'll probably do something that isn't related to the inquisition, perhaps clearing a derelict vessel of "BAD DUDES" or whatever, maybe attempting to stop it from crashing onto a hiveworld. Though, tbh, the Imperium would probably just shrug that off as it's not terribly important to them.

[Sneevil]

then there is the other thing as acolytes of the inquisition you are not on the same level as a lot of the warriors in 40k

[HonkyPunch]

I'm perfectly okay with that, tbh. I might just use the rules provided in my own setting, as I kind of feel constricted by the "lore" of the 40k universe. Maybe after playing some actual 40k i'd be more in a position to DM a game of Dark Heresy.

[Ephemeriis]

If they'll be playing Inquisitors, you'll really want to make things pretty black & white.  The heretics and mutants are the enemy.  There's no shades of grey.  Make them out to be evil incarnate.  Your players should be ready and willing to burn out the corruption wherever it may be.  Even if it turns out to be their best friend.

Just because it's an insanely dark setting, doesn't mean that your players cannot make a difference.  Sure, their actions will be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things...  You've got superpowers clashing over whole regions of the universe...  A few Inquisitors aren't going to change the course of the war...  But they can affect a city, or even a planet.

If you keep the scope relatively narrow - effectively giving your players tunnel-vision - you can actually make them feel pretty good about what they're doing.

And that can be a very effective way to emphasize the darkness of the setting as well...  Keep them focused on the task, keep them feeling good...  And then, at the end, once the campaign is over, pull off the blindfold and let them see just how little all their hard work has accomplished.

[Sneevil]

exterminatus anyone?

[Ghazkull]

But only after the innocent populace has been sterilized, confined into concentration camps and generally screwed up their lifes...

[Digital Hellhound]

But only after the innocent populace has been sterilized, confined into concentration camps and generally screwed up their lifes...

No, no, you're thinking about the Tau now.

[Sneevil]

we can make thousands of different versions of how a planet comes to its "unfortunate" end.

[Ghazkull]

@Digital: never read about the Armageddon wars? thats what they(the Imperium) did to them AFTER they defeated the Chaos on Armageddon, then they repopulated the planet...

[ExKirby]

Well, if we're gonna play, I recommend finding the Warhammer module for VASSAL.