1) I have a deep-seeded drive to share the experiences that I have had playing Inquisitor with you, my dice brethren in hopes that you might make an informed decision about adding it to your gaming group's fare,
2) I like free stuff, and
3) Unless it's this game, since I already paid for it and you won't have to.
Yeah, you read right; I have just used the word "free" to describe a GW game. Watch for the sky to darken and four dudes on horseback to appear on your street real soon.
And yet, this really shouldn't be a surprise. Games Workshop has been quietly posting free copies of some of their game rules for years now. Blood Bowl, Inquisitor, Mordheim, Epic & Necromunda - all are offered for free as PDF copies of the original rules from the website, along with updates and supplements. In fact, there are rules committees for some of these games that meeting periodically to update and improve upon the rulesets. While most of the games on the site require miniatures, special dice and the like, Inquisitor is unique in that it really can be run as a decent stand alone RPG with nothing other than a copy of the rules, pencil and dice - in other words, its 81 pages of free RPG that goes along with a VERY detailed background setting in Warhammer 40K.
So why haven't we heard more about the system being played? Well, first of all, it was advertised as an RPG requiring the use of the GW large scale range of Inquisitor miniatures. These were very nice looking (keeping with the quality that GW is known for), but given the 50+MM scale, this led to a need for larger scale terrain and really hurt the system as a RPG in a way, since it's hard to buy lots of large scale bad guys for your Inquisitor and retinue to fight against. The vision of a RPG needing a small number of models is part of the problem. As other reviews have mentioned, some players use the smaller and much more common 28mm Warhammer 40K miniatures to great success, as this allows for the use of a wider range of models that many players already have. The background is that the players are Inquisitors or their henchmen doing the work of the Emperor in rooting out evil within the Imperium...sometimes by attacking fellow inquisitors and their well-sculpted retinue who have fallen to evil. Sounds cool so far, and the 40K universe provides a very rich background for this. However, that's just a minor issue, and most gamers could have gotten around this easily; so what's the real issue with the game (if there IS a real issue with the game).
There are two slight issues, all right, and the first one is called "math". Now I'm up for counting and averaging as much as the next role player, but when the special edition of the rulebook came with a calculator (the limited Amish edition was shipped with a small abacus with little Inquisitor "I" symbols on the beads)...well, that was a hint. The rules when it comes to this have gotten a lot of flak from reviewers, but I don't think anyone has actually explained the reason for this percentile angst. Therefore, I am going to be a trendsetter and actually go through the motions of one player's turn so that you can judge for yourself.
Sandy the Radical Inquisitor Lord has determined that the underhive gang leader C.W. Richeson has been tainted by chaos, and must be convinced of the error of his ways by a good solid shot purging. Sandy has an initative of 70 and so goes before C.W., who has a lowly 63 initative. Sandy has a speed of 5 (determined by dividing his initiative value by 20, rounding up and then adding 1), and so wants to run up to C.W., aim and then and shoot him with his bolt pistol to make sure he gets the hint. Sandy rolls 5 dice and gets a 4 and two 5s. Sandy runs up, aims, and takes a shot.
The running is -12% to the shot. Sandy aims, which gives him a +20% to the shot. C.W. is over 11 yards away, which as we cross-reference the type of the weapon (J) to the range band, we see will give an additional -10% to the roll. Sandy is shooting the bolt pistol on semi-auto, which gives him two shots at C.W., but confers a -10% per shot taken to a total of -20% for each shot. Sandy's Ballistic Skill (BS) is a 70, so he's above average at shooting. After all modifiers are added up, Sandy needs a 48 or less on percentiles to hit C.W. twice. He rolls a 73 and a 26, so a miss and a hit. He rolls for hit location and gets a 34 - the groin. Sandy rolls the 2D10 + 4 damage from the shot and rolls a 15 total. C.W. has a toughness of 66, so his base injury value is a 7. For every 7 points of damage done takes C.W. into another level of damage, so he goes from light, to heavy and a point into serious. Dividing C.W.'s toughness by 5 gives us his System Shock value, which is a 12. Since he has taken more than his System Shock value, C.W. must take a toughness test or go Out of Action. He rolls a 79 - over his toughness - and falls to the ground, clutching his twig and berries.
And so there you have it. Before you say "heck, that's not a big deal at all", keep in mind that I just did ONE turn without using armor, cover or obstacles, target size or any other actions. Is it the worst use of number-crunching ever in a RPG? Nope, not by a long shot. It could just be a lot more streamlined, is all. Couple this with the other issue of the game - player/GM set stats (so you can determine what your stats are with no sliding scale, negatives or side effects at all), and you have the makings of a crazy time.
Does all of this mean that Inquisitor is not a good game? Also, not by a long shot. It just suffers from being a child of distantly related parents - part RPG, part miniature game - with subsequent identity issues. The honest truth is, just like most other RPGs, it's takes some getting used to. The problem is, many players may find that there are better games out there to spend their time learning before this one - being open to munchkin power gaming is often a turn off to some players who LIKE structure and more rules on character creation. However, the background on Inquisitor is really well set with a huge line of books, games and the like, and the weapons and psychic abilities and settings will be familiar friends to 40K players. The game really can be a lot of fun with the right player group (especially with the 40K scale minis), and the fact that it is free, with more than a few supplements and articles makes it a good addition to RPG libraries or hard drives. It's worth downloading in any case (and if you haven't been yet, DEFINITELY check out the Specialist Games site for the other free rulebooks and supplemental materials - its a great deal and the PDF files are duplicates of the printed books, right down to the cool artwork). Until the upcoming 40K RPGs come out later this year or early next, this is a good way for Warhammer 40K players to get their RPG fix on.
