Inquisitor Ezekeel (First Character and Text Heavy)

[MarcoSkoll]

It would be worth having a word with your group.

As we've already said, 11 years of play have shown better grounded characters provide a more mutually rewarding and satisfying play experience - when actions aren't playing out 80%+ chances of hits and damage rolls likely to be in the 20s, encounters have far more potential to go either way rather than being dependent on who gets to take their turn first.

I would also say that it's shown the importance of the co-operative and considerate approach, but that really should be apparent from the start (although evidently often isn't). If you have complete freedom in character creation, "winning" because you were less restrained is completely unrewarding for all players involved and proves nothing.

On the note of Space Marines specifically - I absolutely believe that Space Marines should appear in Inquisitor.
They're a very iconic part of the 40k universe and a force which the Inquisition (or their enemies!) can resort to in times of need.

However, it should definitely be said that Space Marines are front line shock troopers - and utterly wasted on any role that lesser forces could achieve.

There are not enough Space Marines to spare that they can be dispatched for casual investigation (or go on a personal quest to atone for some past failure, which is probably in the top 10 of "Inquisitor character background clichés") - particularly seeing as walking around in bright blue armour tends to give anyone you're looking for advance warning you're in the area.

Exactly why is he playing a Space Marine? Is it because he has an interesting character idea which actually adds something to the narrative and will be fun for all involved?* Or is it because it's as hard as nails?

*Other than as a GM, I've played only one Space Marine in the last few years - his personality had the potential to clash interestingly with the other Marines in the Deathwatch based narrative that was running at the time. Sure, he was a badass - but that was a requirement rather than the point.

[Koval]

There was a fan-made revision of Space Marines a while ago that brought their stats in line with common sense -- they're still nails, and the various implants all do something different (which actually makes them more powerful), but the revision's designed so that their statline doesn't break the system in ways it's not meant to be broken.

[MarcoSkoll]

Pretty much what Koval said. The system really doesn't handle 100+ stats well, and the Dark Magenta rules do a lot to deal with that (even if their Strength values still tend to hang around S130 in power armour, that's at least less than 100 per arm). It works a lot better, even if as an end result they end up possibly more powerful than the rulebook. (What with the ability to ignore stunned results and the like).

That doesn't however really justify the validity of a Marine though. There needs to be, as with any character, valid reason for them to be present in the game.

[Dolnikan]

That is something with which I completely agree, Space Marines and the like have no place in this game, unfortunately however, the original rulebook did include them because they are seen as an essential part of the universe. This, combined with the very powerful characters presented in the rulebook, has led to the belief that characters should be of such a power level. And as a matter of fact, they have to be in many cases. The moment someone in a group takes characters of such a power level the other players are almost forced to follow, or there has to be a talk about it. It is a narrative game, yes, but most people don't really enjoy having their characters stomped into the ground by much more powerful beings.

The only way to stop this is to have a group-wide conversation with the aim of establishing a desired power level. The outcome of this can vary widely between groups. Here on the Conclave we have established a standard which is low and weak compared to the rulebook which is the result of years of experience with the game, and the belief that 'weaker' characters make for more interesting games.

[MarcoSkoll]

...because they are seen as an essential part of the universe.

Heck, I think they are. Where would the game be without the possibility of a Traitor Marine as the Big Bad or the Deathwatch/Grey Knight ready to aid the assault on the xeno/daemon cult?

I think Space Marines have a completely justified place in Inquisitor. However, it is a much narrower one than Inquisitors/Rogue Traders/Techpriests/etc and their henchmen enjoy.

[Dolnikan]

They are an essential part, but not as big as they are often seen to be. To many people it is almost a must to have a marine, it would have been better if the main rules had said something about them not being supposed to show up all that often.