# Day 14: Chapter Serf, Oremus "the Lung" tags: #articles/CharacterCreationChallenge/2026 #game/rpg/chapter-serf > [!quote] [[Character Creation Challenge 2026]] > > ![[Character Creation Challenge Image.png]] ## Game of Choice New day, new challenge. And today we are going to be dabbling in the world of *Warhammer 40K*. No, not that side of *Warhammer 40K*. A weird, almost parodic offshoot, which leans into what the author literally refers to as *grimderp*. Mechanically, it's simple and straightforward. It loves the D66, which I appreciate. It has a very structured round process, which is connected to the shift, laud, vespers, compline, or matins. Things are generally resolved with a single D20 roll. If you imagine something somewhere between *[[Paranoia]]* and 40K, I think you might be on the right path to understanding where we're going. ![[Chapter Serf (cover).jpg|400]] It's time to break out *Chapter Serf* and see what shenanigans we can get up to. I assure you those shenanigans will be simultaneously grim and mildly humorous despite ourselves. ## Acts of Creation The book starts off right up front, telling us about *Space Marines*, the *Angels of Death*, *They Who Know No Fear*, the *Emperor's Own*, the ***Astartes***, and that we aren't them. In fact, we're just a *Villein*, a random little guy in the Astartes chapter's fief. Our job is to serve. What are we serving on, you might ask? The *Warmask of Gloriana*, a Gladius-class frigate with 20,000 crew, which has experienced a successful warp translation en route, in-system, to deliver five *Space Marines* to the *Forge World Minos IV-4*, where they will extract the Emperor's Justice. Yes, it takes the population of a large town to carry five *Space Marines* around. Let's get stuck in to figuring out what's going on with us. ### Attributes Some people are going to appreciate this more than others. We have three attributes: Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower. We get three d6 to each attribute. Yes, it's a flat, straight-ahead roll—get what you get. | Attribute | Value | | --------- | ----: | | Strength | 9 | | Dexterity | 15 | | Willpower | 16 | Looks like the dice are giving me a break today, which is bizarre. Clearly, this is a sucker's game, and it's luring me in to deceive me later. ### Hit Protection We also get d6 hit protection. To suggest that we are squishy really understates the case. - **Hit Protection:** 4 You know, that wasn't a one. I'm kind of surprised. Now I'm really concerned. ### Equipment We start out here with **three mush-floss rations**, **robes**, a **vox bead**, and a **glow globe**. Don't worry, it gets very slightly better here in a minute. ### Duty Next up, we figure out what our duty on the ship was before the current moment. Things are about to get different. We retain the skills, tools, and supplies of what we used to do. This is my favorite table in the book, as it's a lovely D66 set of entries, which are literally spread across multiple pages because you get a full, if short, write-up on each duty along with its gear. If you hadn't noticed already, this is where you will pick up that the author really does have a gift for being simultaneously deeply sarcastic and expressive about the world in which you find yourself. > [2, 3] - **Duty** - **Chorister** - Our Lord OPHIRON has the “39 Psalms” sung for Him at compline; He CANNOT SLEEP elsewise. You do not have perfect pitch, and so COST our Lord His sleep. - **Gear** - Tuning staff (d4, bulky) - Book of battle hymns - Bag of lozenges - Booming baritone Did I mention that none of us are particularly good at what we do? I'm amused by this, and I have no objections. Also, the [29 Palms](https://www.29palms.marines.mil/) joke makes me giggle a bit, and I'm not afraid to say it. ## Exunt That's it. Character creation is done. Dust off your hands and get ready to play. You'll notice that we didn't actually put together a name, and I can't tell if that's an accidental oversight or a deliberate choice given this setting. I honestly don't know, which is part of what's hilarious about it. I'm going to go ahead and attach a name anyway, but hands in the air. - **Name:** Oremus "the Lung" | Attribute | Value | | -------------- | ----: | | Strength | 9 | | Dexterity | 15 | | Willpower | 16 | | Hit Protection | 4 | - **Duty** - **Chorister** - Our Lord OPHIRON has the “39 Psalms” sung for Him at compline; He CANNOT SLEEP elsewise. You do not have perfect pitch, and so COST our Lord His sleep. - **Gear** - Tuning staff (d4, bulky) - Book of battle hymns - Bag of lozenges - Booming baritone - Mush-floss rations (3x) - Robes - Vox bead - Glow globe Away we go. The game kicks off by being summoned to the Seneschal's Library with a group of other serfs and told that you now work directly for him as troubleshooters, effectively, and then gives you your first assignment, which kicks off a series of interactions with the rest of the crew, all of whom have their own secrets, rivalries, and reasons to try and backstab one another, with you as a little nobody in the middle of it. But there is hope. You could play them all off one another and work your way up, getting various advantages and affordances for your efforts. I don't know, there's just something about this game that makes me smile, and I'm sure that it's both intentional and unintentional. The parallel with *Paranoia* is just right there to put your hand on, which I can imagine being ridiculously fun with the right group. Simultaneously, this game is going to get right up the ass of those who want to take the Warhammer setting way too seriously. I like it. Like a lot of the things I've talked about this year, you can have this for free. Stick it in your pocket for one of those times you're between campaigns and just want to run something over a few sessions that goes in weird directions. Experimentation is a good thing. Tomorrow, we are off to the world of horror, which I'm sure will never have any sort of negative implications or uncomfortable overtones. Check it out then.