The spiritual successor to Warhammer 40K’s Dark Heresy is Cubicle 7’s Imperium Maldedictum. The core rules are out, available for a quick purchase at DriveThruRPG, and there is more on the way.
It’s a grimdark future in Warhammer 40K, and the slightly younger RPG Wrath & Glory is a different kind of darkness to Imperium Maledictum. In Wrath & Glory, the characters are a motley crew of can-do kick-down-doors and blast’em, achievers. Imperium Maledictum is a much lower level, step carefully, and the ‘shadows are (sometimes) where you need to be style’ of RPG.
In a setting like that, with secrets and betrayal, it makes sense that the scary arm of the Emperor’s will, the Inquisition, is Cubicle 7’s next focus. Two books have already been confirmed, and after a session led by Cubicle 7 boss Dominic McDowell at UK Games Expo this week, Geek Native can reveal a little more.
The first Inquisition book is GM-focused and will include helps and tips for anyone trying to run a game in the Macharian Sector. There will be a whole campaign.
The second Inquisition book for Imperium Maledictum will be the Players’ Guide. As the name or description McDowell gave it, at least, implies, this supplement will be player focused with more character options.
An essential element in Imperium Maledictum is the group’s patron. The patron is an influential figure who pulls the characters together and sometimes tasks them. What this means for a game heavy into the Inquisition remains to be seen, but it is intriguing!
Imperium Maledictum: Adeptus Mechanicus
In a last-minute answer to the audience’s question, Cubicle 7’s boss also mentioned that after the Inquisition, the next faction to get Imperium Maledictum material would be the Adeptus Mechanicus.
We didn’t get timelines, but it sounds like there’s just one design wrinkle to iron out. Cubicle 7 are working through how the Noosphere could work in a tabletop RPG.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, also known as the Cult Mechanicus or Cult of the Machine, is a technological organization based on Mars. They are the official Imperial source for scientists, engineers, and technicians. The tech-adepts of the Mechanicus are the primary keepers of what is viewed as sacred knowledge, a privileged caste of Tech-priests who jealously guard the knowledge required to maintain and construct much of the Imperium’s advanced technology.
The Noosphere is a vast cybernetic information and communication technology network developed by the Mechanicum during the closing years of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium. It is an extensive network of datalinks, cogitators, and other devices that allows the Mechanicum to communicate and share information across vast distances. The Noosphere is essential to the Mechanicum’s operations, and it allows them to coordinate their efforts and maintain their vast technological infrastructure.
Quick Links
- Download: Imperium Maledictum RPG
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