Only War RPG: Core Rulebook

by Andrew Fischer, Mack Martin, Sam Stewart

Only War is a Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of soldiers in the Imperial Guard, the galaxy-spanning armies of the God-Emperor. In the face of overwhelming opposition, Guardsmen fight against mankind's many enemies for the very survival of humanity and the continuation of the Imperium's dominance over space. Join the ranks of brave men and women inducted into the God-Emperor's armies, trained to fight and sent off to far-flung stars and systems to hold the line against the coming night. Despite overwhelming opposition, or perhaps because of it, these fearless soldiers are bound to each other by a code of brotherhood and honour. They are the thin line that protects the Imperium from complete and utter destruction. They are the Imperial Guard!

Genres: Role Playing Games, Science Fiction, 40k, Games, Horror

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2012

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the 40k universe, as dark and gritty as it is. I also love roleplaying games and have run a pretty successful long term Dark Heresy campaign for my gaming group. I read this book again in hopes of starting a game withing the next few months.
This book is a tool for playing the Imperial Guard, who are drawn up from tithes from the millions of world's of the Imperium of Mankind. They are the largest fighting force ever seen and 40,000 years in the future, they fight on multiple fronts in wars to save humanity lost to the xenos threat, the ever present heresy of the Ruinous Powers, and the greed or power hunger motivations of the base nobility of a planet, turning away from the Emperor.
This rulebook allows you to create your own Guard regiment, decide where they are from, how they fight and how they are organized. You build how they are supplied and what they start out with. Their specialties and motivations are also built. Harnessing devastating firepower and strategy, the regiment goes into action.
I really enjoyed digging into this roleplaying game a second time and am excited about running it soon for my friends. Fantasy Flight really outdid themselves with thus book and the others in the line. The production value is awesome, the art is amazing and the writing is superb. I can't say enough about the company and its offerings to rpg gamers.

Danny

[Gary Laporte · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive amount of info about the Imperial Guard and the WH40K universe have been compiled and ordered in this RPG rule book. The rules in themselves seem solid although I'll probably simplify them to have more of a narrative experience as my players and I are not into number-crunching.

All in all, a must have if you want to know a lot about imperial guard and the Imperium!

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next to Black Crusade, this got the least love of any of the Fantasy Flight-era 40K RPGs (if you count the 1st and 2nd editions of Dark Heresy as the same game), which is a shame because it's a lovely concept and includes some clever rules ideas. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues FFG's expansion of role-playing in the Warhammer 40k universe. In particular, it establishes a two-fold setting: primarily one in which the players are members of an Imperial Guard regiment, yet also a secondary one in which there is war. To the later, Deathwatch established a setting of war, yet it did not deeply explore the participation in war. Only War also continues the evolution of the core mechanics away from a rank / level scheme and toward an affinity based scheme, first seen in Black Crusade. My greatest concern is whether the rules system stays viable in the light of different party themes: command squad, infantry, and armored unit.