Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay is a role-playing game system with multiple source books set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The first game using the system, Dark Heresy, was created by Black Industries, which closed soon after the initial release. Official support by Fantasy Flight Games was discontinued in September 2016. The license was later acquired by Ulisses Spiele, who published a new game, Wrath & Glory, in 2018.
For Fantasy Flight developed material, the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay system is explained and used with small differences in a series of five independently playable games. Each has a different, narrow focus and multiple supporting books of its own:
- In Dark Heresy (2008), the player characters are agents of the Inquisition.
- In Rogue Trader (2009), the player characters are important members of ship crews in interstellar trade and exploration, often encountering xenos.
- Deathwatch (2010), has a martial focus. The player characters are loyalist Space Marines.
- Black Crusade (2011), has a martial focus. The player characters are followers of Chaos (not necessarily soldiers).
- Only War (2012), has a martial focus. The player characters are Imperial Guardsmen.
When the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay license was transitioned to Ulisses, the system was re-designed. The first campaign under the new developer is Wrath & Glory, which allows player characters of many different races and backgrounds, and implements a card deck system that is used alongside traditional dice rolling.
