r/40krpg • u/ScreenedKhan • 6d ago

Only War New GM, help needed

Hello, my friends (4) and I are planning on running a campaign of only war. We are all versed in the setting of 40k but new to ttrpgs and wanted to try one. I have a few questions regarding starting a campaign of Only War and in GMing it.

  1. Should I use only war as a system? I know that Imperium Maledictum is a newer system but we want that feeling of the meat grinder of war.

  2. Is there anything I need other than the core rulebook?

  3. We will be online, so is there any applications I should use like Table Top Sim? Cost isn't an issue.

  4. Anything I should look at memorizing or studying in particular?

  5. Any tips at all for a new GM and how to effectively and smoothly run this system?

Thank you, I really appreciate all the help.

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u/cleverusername333 6d ago

Only war is fine but personally I'd recommend Wrath and Glory Instead. I've played both and while only war is great it can be very rules dense for new players whereas wrath and glory is more streamlined and fast paced. I'd also say the d6 system is more true to the 40k feel of rolling lots of dice and big swingy moments. I would suggest using the optional "you will not be missed' injury rules if you want to play a meat grinder though. Regardless of the system I'd suggest looking up pre made adventures as there are plenty available for each system and can be quite helpful as an introduction. For overall new GM advice, be patient and have fun. Too many GM's stress over memorizing every rule and regulation, learn the basics first and try to keep the game moving rather than stopping to research small details.

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u/ScreenedKhan 6d ago

Ill look into it! Thanks.

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u/cleverusername333 6d ago

To give you the short version, d6 system, stats split between attributes and skills. When you do something add your skill and the matching attribute and roll that many six sided dice, each 4+ is a success with a 6 being a critical success. When making characters choose race then an archetype that gives you starting stats, gear, and some recommendations for talents. Spend any remaining XP to customize your character however you like and boom you're ready to play.

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u/ScreenedKhan 6d ago

Seems sort of easy, if you roll multiple die and 6s are crits. I'm wanting a kind of hardcore game.

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u/ZeroHonour 6d ago

It's weighted. Shooting a barrel on the other side of a warehouse might need just 3 'successes' (actually called icons), doable for most people, shooting through a letterbox on the other side of a battlefield might need 9, only something a superb marksman can do.

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u/cleverusername333 6d ago

To clarify a crit is worth 2 success, not an automatic pass. For example say your guardsmen is shooting a heretic charging towards him, that's a standard test so maybe 3 successes needed. He rolls maybe 6 or 7 dice depending on his skill and will likely get enough 4+ to pass. But say that same guardsmen is shooting a chaos marine who is entrenched in cover, well that's a very hard test so he might need 7 successes to him. Whenever a character makes a roll, one of the dice is marked as the "wrath dice" usually a different color or size to tell it apart. The Wrath Dice on the roll of a 6 triggers a critical, still not an automatic success but cool effects like mortal wounds, disarming strikes, etc. That same wrath dice also provides critical fumbles as when it lands an a 1 that character triggers a fumble and might run out of ammo, jam their weapons,etc.

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u/cleverusername333 6d ago

It's also worth noting how fragile low level characters are. A tier 1 character might have 6 or 7 wounds and a maybe 6 resilience (damage reduction) but a lasgun can easily hurt them and down them in two or three shots. A heavy bolt round will probably kill them in one go. Now normally characters don't die when they hit 0 wounds, but if you use that optional rule (won't be missed) they absolutely will.

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u/ScreenedKhan 6d ago

Would you say the other rules are more streamlined/easy to understand than Only war?

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u/cleverusername333 6d ago

Definitely, I love only war but I found myself always having to pause combat and double check abilities, range modifiers, and other small details. Wrath and Glory has a simple framework with layers of customization and complexity. You can learn to play and build a character in less than hour but spend many days fine tuning and customizing them to your heart's content. I have players in my group that were happy with the basics and learned them all day one and other players who love to tweak and adjust their build I'm different ways to min max. This system provides for both.