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Simon Crowe
United Kingdom
Sheffield
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Sorry, but the title for this review just had to be done...
Amongst the Inquisition there are those who use the tools of the enemy against them, who use methods forbidden by the Imperial creed, who summon the dark arts in a misguided attempt to save humanity. They are radicals, and they get all the cool toys. The Radical's Handbook is, unsurprisingly, a guide to using radical Inquisitors and methods in Dark Heresy games, and it's a pretty indispensable one at that.
At almost 240 pages it's one of the more substantial Dark Heresy supplements. This being a Fantasy Flight product it obviously got high production values with full-colour illustrations throughout, and look at that awesome cover! It all looks great and gets across the horror and lure of radicalism in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. But yes I did notice a couple of minor typos here and there.
Chapter I: Darkness Visible
The book kicks off with a short tale about an assassin working for a radical Inquisitor. If you enjoy the in-character stories this is entertaining enough.
Chapter II: Falling From Grace
Following some definitions on radicalism, and the different ways an Inquisitor or his retinue might be consider radical, this chapter is mostly for the players with plenty of character options. There are new origins, my favourite being a tainted noble house that makes you incredibly devious but very much insane. Background packages include some powerful effects such as the ability to be an untouchable, who case no shadow in the warp.
Alternative career ranks are always fun. Of the ten here a few fall into the obvious category of 'like the normal version but corrupt', but there are enough interesting ones including the chance for a Guardsman to be a Penal Legionnaire which is a cool concept familiar to 40k fans. The Warp Dabbler rank meanwhile lets almost any character pick up a few minor psychic powers. There are also elite advance packages the GM can use such as having a player possessed by a daemon (and possibly exorcised afterwards).
Finally there are some alternate rules for corruption points the GM can use. Instead of players always gaining mutations through corruption, they could instead walk the path of damnation perhaps gaining psychic powers or resistance to fear. It's an interesting system, but one that will require more involvement by the GM than the current one.
Chapter III: Factions
This chapter is definitely a highlight of the book, with over 50 pages dedicated to describing the radical groups of the Inquisition and how they operate in the Dark Heresy setting of the Calixis Sector. There are three that may be familiar to those knowledgeable on 40k background (Istvaanians, who deliberately cause trouble in order to strengthen the Imperium, are always my favourite), but before you worry they are just repeating what you already know they show how these factions operate in the Sector including a number of conspiracies currently taking place. Instant, and interesting, plot hooks.
And then we get four factions specific to the Sector itself, who get the same level of detail and write ups. The Libricar for instance, are so puritan they've gone through the other side and become radicals, who believe in stopping any disruptive force at any cost, including other members of the Inquisition. Oblationists meanwhile hunt down all daemonic items, knowing it damns their souls but seeing it as a great sacrifice for the Emperor.
There are also other minor non-Inquisitorial radical factions given that PCs could get caught up with. It's a great chapter for both building on existing 40k lore and expanding past it, and a brilliant source of ideas for a GM.
Chapter IV: The Shadow War
This chapter is all about finding and using various criminal equipment and resources, starting with new rules for finding and using various heretical groups from crime families to Ork mercenaries. There are also rules for beasts and mounts – and though only two are listed, who wouldn't want to a giant centipede as a pet?
There are also rules for using some of the basic skills and talents in new and more questionable ways. Expanded use for interrogation and disguise for instance. Plus there are some new minor psychic powers. And of course there are plenty of new weapons and equipment including useful sneaky spy gear. Overall players are going to get a lot of ideas here.
Chapter V: The Dark Arts
Whereas players are often familiar with the more criminal aspects of radicalism, the use of Chaos may be little more extreme. But there's a lot here for any acolyte who has fallen over the edge. There are rules for Chaos rituals, which could have done with more than one example even if that one is for summoning a daemonic familiar to do your bidding. Rules for sorcery are a way of giving non-psychic characters a way of casting psychic powers, and are suitably Chaotic.
There are also a selection of Chaos artefacts that plots could be based around, and the rules for creating daemon weapons and daemon hosts. Finally there is a selection of Chaotic weapons and equipment including a way to speak to the dead. Overall this chapter is pretty packed and will probably be most used by GMs for crafting bad guys, but I can see some players getting use out of it too.
Chapter VI: The Lure of the Alien
There's all sorts of fun to be had with aliens in this chapter. If anything the disappointment comes from a lack of xenos tech, with only 10 pieces in all, that could easily have been expanded. At least the rest is an entertaining read – a look at dealing with xenos and descriptions of various planets and sites where alien artefacts may be found. This chapter seems a little lacking alongside the more criminal and chaotic sides of radicalism.
Chapter VII: The Radical Campaign
With all this information, how does a GM go about introducing and using radicalism in their games? This chapter gives all sorts of ideas. Perhaps the acolytes' own Inquisitor lead them down the radical path, or maybe the two come at odds over their methods. There's a discussion on themes and how to tempt players, plenty of adventure ideas, and how to determine if things have gone to far – and where the radical acolytes fate may lie. All useful stuff for a GM.
Chapter VIII: Calixian Radicals
Six powerful figures from the Calixis Sector are presented here, will they be a friend or foe to your players? No statistics are given, just a picture and short background, but this might be enough to inspire you.
Overall
I can't really find much to criticise about The Radical's Handbook. Maybe a lack of cool xenos tech? I feel like I'm just being picky, really this is one of the best Dark Heresy supplements out there. Both GMs and players are going to find a lot of use for it whether they side with the radicals or try to stop them.
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