Inquisitor



"You have been told of the Inquisition; that shadowy organisation which defends Mankind and the Emperor from the perils of heresy, possession, alien dominance and rebellion. You have been told the Inquisition are the ultimate defence against the phantoms of fear and terror which lurk in the darkness between the stars. You have been told the Inquisition are the bright saviours in an eclipse of evil; purest and most devoted warriors of the Emperor. You have been told the Inquisition is united in its cause to rid the galaxy of any threat, from without or within. Everything you have been told is a lie!"

A Gaiden Game set in the Warhammer 40000 universe. Inquisitor focuses on the details of the Emperor's Most Holy Inquisition, specifically the ideological schisms and factional infighting that plague that organization, and the problems that arise when two loyal Imperial servants with unlimited authority have a disagreement with each other. It's notable for providing the first real insight into the workings of the Inquisition, which was portrayed in most previous materials as being monolithic, inscrutable, and united in the face of mankind's enemies.

Inquisitor is a "narrative wargame," designed more around telling stories than providing fair and balanced competition between two players, and in many ways could be considered the spiritual forefather to the first true 40k roleplaying game, Dark Heresy. It also served as the inspiration for the Eisenhorn series of novels by Dan Abnett. The game is also notable for its miniatures, which (at 54mm scale) are approximately twice as large as a normal 40k miniature, with a correspondingly increased level of detail. Although Games Workshop no longer actively supports Inquisitor, the miniatures remain available through the company's Specialist Games division, and the rulebooks and other supplementary material are available for download on the GW website.

See also Warhammer 40000, Eisenhorn, and Ravenor.

The game provides examples of:
"Character is dead, dead, dead!"
 * A God I Am: The GM is the final arbiter of everything, as is usual in an RPG.
 * Blown Across the Room and Punched Across the Room: Characters have a "Knockback" value equal to 1/10th their Strength. If you get hit with something that does at least that much damage, you go flying or (just as often) get knocked down.
 * Character Alignment: "Puritan" Inquisitors are essentially Lawful and "Radicals" are Chaotic, but whether they're Good or Evil rather depends on where you're standing. This is only a characterisation device, though, with no game mechanic to represent it -- two Puritans with conflicting agendas could perfectly easily find themselves fighting, although each would probably claim the other is Radical.
 * Chunky Salsa Rule: To quote the rulebook regarding "crippling" head damage -


 * Drop the Hammer: Sample character Preacher Josef is armed with a great big honkin' warhammer as his primary weapon.
 * Gaiden Game: Of Warhammer 40000.
 * Groin Attack: The groin is a targetable hit location, complete with its own set of health levels. Getting hit in the groin tends to leave characters temporarily stunned from the pain, in addition to any other ill effects they may suffer.
 * Guns Akimbo: The gunslinger 'Slick' Devlan. Also a general special ability.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: All veteran Inquisitors run the risk of falling into this; Inquisitor Eisenhorn is the example given in the book.
 * Hypocrite: Nearly everyone. It's something of a theme.
 * Implausible Fencing Powers: The Deflect Shot talent.
 * Knight Templar: The Monodominant faction of the Inquisition and the Cult of the Red Redemption, represented by sample characters Inquisitor Tyrus and Devotee Malicant respectively.
 * Non-Human Sidekick: A few sample characters demonstrate how to include Xenos in your retinue. Official models available include a Tau Diplomat and a Bounty Hunter of some obscure alien species.
 * Right Hand Versus Left Hand: The fundamental concept behind the game.
 * Talking Is a Free Action: Averted during normal game-play: As with most actions, you must spend an action point to talk. You can only "say", per action, what you'd be able to say in 2-3 seconds in real life; lots of talking means more of actions spent. (For reference, most characters are allowed 3-4 actions per turn.) On the other hand, one may talk and perform another actions at the same time, albeit with a reduced chance of success for the other action. May be played with during what amounts to a Cutscene.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist: Inquisitor Covenant (by Inquisition standards, anyway).