Warhammer 40K: Deathwatch, Dark Heresy, and Rogue Trader...

[Treebore]

While I like Warhammer fantasy, 2E version, I have never been attracted to 40K. Don't own a single book for it. Any of you think I should change my mind and buy into it? If so, why?

Whats different about Dark Heresy versus Rogue Trader versus Deathwatch, and anything else I am missing or forgetting?

[Warwulf]

I've only played Deathwatch and Black Crusade, which are two sides of the same "super-soldiers blast hundreds of rounds of mass-reactive ammo at each other before closing with swords drawn game," so I can't comment on DH or RT. However, it's the same basic set of mechanics, so characters from the various games can cross over and play together with only a little rejiggering
I like the deep background that Fantasy Flight has written into Deathwatch, the mechanics of a small band of warriors facing untold thousands of enemies, and the interpersonal dynamics of Deathwatch's "marines from different chapters/cultures coming together to defeat a great evil" setting. The game itself is overpowered, over-the-top and overly heavy on the plus/minus aspect once your character starts buying upgrades. It can be a lot fun with the right group of players (as in, people who enjoy a 70/30 combat/problem solving games, with about 10% of problems being solvable by the heroic sacrifice of your marine and a belt of grenades). Black Crusade is essentially the same but with players as bad guys, so they're even more overpowered. Their lives are somehow shorter despite that.
I don't know if the space marine games are balanced (I don't really care, either), but they feel like a fine-tooled, better balanced version of Rifts played by a team of Coalition Combat 'Borgs and middle-aged Dragons -- but only when everybody knows what they're doing and why they're playing. If you haven't played Rifts, picture a game of C+C with a party of fighters, barbarians & paladins plus one wizard, and everybody starts at 15th level.
One big drawback right now is that many of the Deathwatch books are awaiting reprints. You can find them at online retailers and your FLGS, but the online outlets sometimes jack up the price because of their print status.

[Treebore]

I've only played Deathwatch and Black Crusade, which are two sides of the same "super-soldiers blast hundreds of rounds of mass-reactive ammo at each other before closing with swords drawn game," so I can't comment on DH or RT. However, it's the same basic set of mechanics, so characters from the various games can cross over and play together with only a little rejiggering
I like the deep background that Fantasy Flight has written into Deathwatch, the mechanics of a small band of warriors facing untold thousands of enemies, and the interpersonal dynamics of Deathwatch's "marines from different chapters/cultures coming together to defeat a great evil" setting. The game itself is overpowered, over-the-top and overly heavy on the plus/minus aspect once your character starts buying upgrades. It can be a lot fun with the right group of players (as in, people who enjoy a 70/30 combat/problem solving games, with about 10% of problems being solvable by the heroic sacrifice of your marine and a belt of grenades). Black Crusade is essentially the same but with players as bad guys, so they're even more overpowered. Their lives are somehow shorter despite that.
I don't know if the space marine games are balanced (I don't really care, either), but they feel like a fine-tooled, better balanced version of Rifts played by a team of Coalition Combat 'Borgs and middle-aged Dragons -- but only when everybody knows what they're doing and why they're playing. If you haven't played Rifts, picture a game of C+C with a party of fighters, barbarians & paladins plus one wizard, and everybody starts at 15th level.
One big drawback right now is that many of the Deathwatch books are awaiting reprints. You can find them at online retailers and your FLGS, but the online outlets sometimes jack up the price because of their print status.

Thanks! What prompted me to ask is one of my online resources has a BUNCH of these on sale for 60% or more off. Plus several of the 3rd edition Warhammer fantasy products.