FAQ

This page provides answers to frequently asked questions, and useful information for new (and existing!) players of Death Unto Darkness. Got a useful question you think should be listed? Contact Us and we'll add it in!

Playing the Game

What should I play?

Are there any groups/character types that have a lot/not many players? And is it best to avoid them or dive into them?

Answer current as of July 2021 - always check in with the refs for the latest answer!

Well-Filled Roles

The majority of current player characters tend to come from upper class backgrounds with characters from poor socioeconomic backgrounds tending to be rarer - characters who used to be Nobles are more common then those from modest beginnings.
The majority of current military characters come from a background in Naval Service, with only a handful of characters who served in the Guard.
We have an abundance of career Inquisition characters with a decent number of characters identifying as Interrogators and other 'next in line to be an Inquisitor' roles - though some of those players have looked at directions transitioning away from that path.
We have a decent number of Mechanicus, primarily a group of Explorators, a group from Naximus Prime and a couple of independent Tech Priests.
We have a decent number of Arbites (four ish?)
Abhumans WERE an underepresented group but since we introduced rules for Raivans and Beastmen we have had a decent uptake of those from people in addition to those who were already playing them. * We're about 50/50 of the six-ish players playing abhumans between Raivans and Beastmen.

Notable Gaps

ROLES I AM SURPRISED NOBODY HAS POPULATED

Tempestus Scions/Stormtroopers are currently quite a rare commodity, we've got a few hellgunners around the player party but not what I would call dedicated ones.
We have very few ex-hired guns/bounty hunter types
We have very few witchfinders/redemptionists or overtly fanatical members of the Imperial Cult
We have no Crusader-archtypes. Aka the space Knights
We have no Death Cultists that I'm aware of.
We have no repentant heretics (we discourage characters who -need- a handler because it can be quite boring unless the handler is into that) - though we've had a few characters go through small versions of that arc we've not had someone from a low place
We have no sanctioned Penitent Mutants (represented by a unique trait).

ROLES I AM NOT SUPRISED ANYONE HAS POPULATED BUT THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER CHARACTERS FROM

We have greenlighted a single sanctioned Xenos, I would consider one or two more but my kit standard would be -quite- high.
We have no Navigators, we would greenlight one if it was sufficiently young enough and disenfranchised from its family to lack the political power of a true Navigator.

Please Don't

STUFF THE TEAM WOULD NOT ACCEPT AS CHARACTERS RIGHT NOW

Space Marines
Psykers (we've got enough) - I would consider a single Astropath per event.
Latent Psykers (we've done this arc it'd be samey to do it again this campaign)
Administratum - Administratum tabards are the way the Refs blend into the background on Imperial worlds. Ex-Administratum is fine.

Where do I sleep?

At each event, will we always be able to sleep in a proper bed (like a scout hut), rather than in a tent?

We generally aim for sites with bunks, but given the current COVID situation and restriction on LARP-friendly sites we can't guarantee it every time. There will never be any expectation that your sleeping area be IC, so you will always have the freedom to make yourself as comfortable in your sleeping quarters as you can manage.

Kit and Costume

How do I costume safely?

Some 40K props are delightfully nonsense and large - how's best to make them in a way that means they're safe to larp with (aka run around with and fall over on)?

If you're wearing hard/rigid kit, make sure the edges are padded.
If you're wearing heavy kit, make sure you're hydrating more. Consider building a hydration bladder (Camelbak) into the costume.
Weight carried HIGH on the body uses less energy than weight carried LOW on the body. Keep the weight off your feet/lower legs if you can. When building a "body rig", try to put most of the weight balanced between your hips and shoulders.
Wear practical, well-fitting boots with good ankle support. And do the laces up!
The sort of mass and inconvenience that you could easily put up with for a cosplay or a photoshoot is WAY too heavy for a weekend of active larping. Make everything as light as you can - for example out of soft EVA foam, ideally as hollow as possible.
In headgear, don't sacrifice visibility, audibility and comfort for cool.
If you're carrying a heavy weapon physrep, have a lighter sidearm you can switch to.
Make your kit modular both IC and OC if you possibly can - build in the ability to remove or swap out the heaviest/bulkiest components on-the-fly.
Props which are made to weapon safety standards are unlikely to do you or other players damage.
All electronics should be water resistant.
Thermal plastic is a good way of attaching things together while maintaining some flexibility and bring fixable on the fly (ish).
"Conduit Pipe" is a magical search term. The 10mm stuff is light and very flexible. The 25mm stuff is quite a lot stiffer. Either make great hydraulic lines, etc.
You can get more flexible 32mm by searching for vacuum cleaner hose, for which universal replacement is available at about £6.50 for a 1.5metre length.

Advice from Players

We asked existing players for a piece of advice for their younger selves, before their first DuD game. Here's a selection culled from what they told us:

Creating a Character

You can go your own way and do your own thing... but you'll have an easier time integrating, and the game team will be able to spin up more plot for you, if you have hooks into the game-world. That could be making sure you come from one of the setting planets and have a reason to care about it; or making sure you have background links with existing characters so you've got an immediate group to join goals with. People will be friendly and try and include you, but you'll have a busier and more exciting first game if you're not on your own.
The game focuses on the Prosperitas Sector - the more of the sector-specific material in your background, the more likely you are to care about stuff that comes up in play. Generic 40K tropes are great, but give them a Prosperitan spin if you can!
This is the place to do your crazy larger-than-life self-indulgent concept. It's 40K. You're not going to get many LARP settings more ridiculous than this. Just go for it.
Build your character around your OC preferences and limitations. If you enjoy a type of play, make sure your character steers you towards that play. If you're going to need a lot of rest, or not run very fast, make sure you aren't signing yourself up for those things by your IC background and attributes. Think about the things you always have to have on you (mug of tea? Reading glasses? Mobility aid?) and build them into an active part of your character.
Make yourself unique! There are plenty of ways in Character Creation to give yourself a unique ref-written trait or mechanic. Take advantage of them! They're your special jam!

Kit and Costume

Try not to worry about your appearance. Yes, we love fancy costumes, but it's a body-diverse game and nobody is here to police your shape or size when it comes to kit choice. Yes, you can pull that ridiculous, baroque, overblown look off, and this is the game to try it!
Check your kit! Whether it's power armour or a Rogue Trader ballgown, roll around in the mud and find out what bits fall off before you get to site. Walk, run, stand up, sit down and go to the loo in it. Spend time in it when it's hot and cold, and make sure you're comfortable - if you're miserable, you won't get the best out of the game, no matter how great you look.
Where are you going to carry stuff? You may need more pouches/pockets than you think.
Seriously, your kit is fine. Stop freaking out. You don't need to have movie-quality costume at your first game (or any subsequent game). There is no minimum costume spend to ride the DuD train. Some people are going to show up in hundreds of pounds or hundreds of hours of beautiful custom kit; they are enjoying themselves; you don't need to match them to have just as much fun.
Make sure you can be heard! If you're wearing a mask or visor, make sure you are audible, especially if your lips aren't visible.
Make sure your kneepads fit well! If you're not sure whether you need kneepads, you probably need kneepads.
Have a hydration solution. LARPing gets warmer than you think. Make sure you're carrying enough water and drink it!

Playing the Game

It's not going to be a sexist environment. Some 40K communities can be a bit of a boys' club; Death Unto Darkness isn't. Expect to encounter people of all genders in leadership and combat roles.
Yes, you can probably loot that prop IC. Try not to put it in an unpadded backpack and then immediately fall down a hill on it, though.
Poke the weird thing. Examine the troubling runes. Talk to the suspicious robed figure. You might not survive unscathed, but you'll have much more fun doing it if you fling yourself headlong into the risky stuff.
You can change your kit. Showing up with basic kit at a first event is a good thing - it means you can add more flourishes and finishing touches as your character evolves. You don't need to be the finished product on your first run-out!