Reading – Dark Heresy Character Folio

NOTE: I originally wrote this review back in 2008. It is posted here as part of my effort to collect my earlier writings in a single location.

An unnecessary accessory for the Dark Heresy* roleplaying game (now published by Fantasy Flight Games), the Character Folio follows the same basic format and concept as the previously published Character Folio for use with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay*. Weighing in at 24-pages, this small (roughly 6”x8.5”) booklet gives players a place to record all of the details about a single character, from game statistics to character history all of the way to the character’s death.

Looking at the Pages

24-pages in length, with forms on the inside covers, the Dark Heresy* Character Folio includes a total of 26-pages that break down as follows:

• A single page devoted to campaign information, including the GM’s name, campaign starting date, and room to note important events during the campaign.
• Four pages for jotting down the character’s personality, sketching an illustration of the character, making any personality notes, and recording the character’s homeworld and history information.
• Two pages specifically geared toward the inquisitor that the character works for, including space to list other members of the inquisitor’s retinue and any information that you’ve managed to gather about your inquisitor’s past.
• Three pages for career path information, two of which are solely used for noting rank advancements.
• A single page that lists available actions (attack, move, and miscellaneous actions). This is the same list that appears on p. 189 of the rulebook and on the GM Screen*.
• One page for recording any cybernetics that the character may possess. This page is primarily dominated by a single illustration (the same one that appears on pp. 154-155 of the Dark Heresy* rulebook).
• Two pages for the character’s combat information, including statistics, wound and fatigue tracking, and weapon and armor information. A small block at the bottom of the second page points players to the critical tables in the rulebook.
• Two pages listing skills (basic and advanced).
• Two pages for listing the character’s talents and any special abilities.
• One page for assorted gear, divided into clothing, items carried, and items owned. A fourth box on the page is used to record personal wealth.
• One page for the character’s henchmen, mounts, and vehicles.
• Two pages for psychic information, including any powers or disciplines the character may possess.
• One page for tracking insanity, corruption, and any dark pact that the character may have entered into.
• Two pages for the character’s journal and notes.
• A partial page (the inside back cover) reserved specifically for writing down details about the character’s death. This includes space for tracking used fate points. The rest of the page is covered with copyright information.

Closing the Review

Overall, this is a fairly basic product that will prove useful for Dark Heresy* players who want something a little flashier than a basic character sheet (or loose sheets of paper) to record character information. The one significant problem with the product – a problem that makes it less useful than it should be – is that the paper used in the booklet doesn’t work well with pencil. A slightly smaller problem, especially for those of you with less than perfect handwriting, is the small size of the product, since that leaves little room to write on each page. One approach that solves both of these problems is to photocopy each page of the booklet, enlarging the pages to roughly full 8.5”x11” size. The added benefit to the photocopy method is that some of the pages that could fill up quickly (some players, for example, will fill their journal page in a single session) can be copied multiple times. Sticking all of the copied pages into a single binder makes for a sturdier, more useful character record than just using this booklet as presented.

Currently, this product can be difficult to find (I’ve seen some sites selling this small booklet for over $50). Whatever you do, don’t bother spending more than $8 or $10 for the booklet. It’s a nice accessory, but it’s certainly not worth some of the prices that I’ve seen online. Obviously, I can’t guarantee that Fantasy Flight Games will reprint this product, but it’s such a simple project that I suspect the idea has been discussed and they may decide it’s worth at least a short run.