BL-91
BL-91 was once an ancient shrine world, the pinnacle of worship, religious pilgrimage, and sacred ceremony. It served as a place to bury and commune with the dead. The desert planet was home to countless temples, shrines, and intricate burial chambers. It also safeguarded many powerful artefacts, weapons, and forbidden knowledge, all locked away beneath its surface. Millions of travellers once descended upon the planet in search of prayer, peace, answers, and tradition.
That was over 10,000 years ago. BL-91 has long since been abandoned, its ancient race scattered and lost to time. Yet the secrets of the world remain, buried beneath the desert sands.
In the present day, the planet is rarely given a second glance — a mere speck of dust in a desolate region of space known as the Void-Steppe. Off-worlders visit occasionally for resource extraction or as a stopover point during long voyages through the cosmos. However, in recent years, rumours have spread of the treasures and power that await beneath the sands. Rogue Traders and more formal organisations have begun to turn their attention toward the world.
As word of the planet’s secrets spreads, factions and plunderers flock to BL-91 like moths to a flame, each vying for a chance at wealth or power. Inevitably, conflict brews, between rivals or against the planet’s natives. Yet, because of BL-91’s deep isolation, no faction dares to overextend itself, for all know that reinforcements are rare, if not entirely nonexistent.
Faction Prompts
A non-exhaustive list. Add to them. Take them away. Build your own.
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Rogue Trader and Entourage – Establishing operations on the planet in pursuit of wealth, power, and glory.
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Imperial Prospectors – An ad-hoc crew of geologists, gold diggers, and resource extraction experts.
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Bounty Hunters – Planet-hopping mercenaries in search of high-value targets.
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Natives (Urban) – The locals who run and manage the spaceport and trading hubs. Seeking either a way off this rock or the power to claim it for themselves.
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Natives (Nomadic) – BL-91’s traditionalists, wandering the deserts and striving to preserve the old ways. Superstitious and hostile toward trespassers.
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Raiders – Dark Eldar pirates, raiding, looting, and pillaging. Completely oblivious to the fact that BL-91 is one of their ancestral homelands.
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Corsairs – Highly advanced Eldar seeking to uncover the planet’s buried truths and forgotten power. Equally oblivious to the fact that BL-91 is among their ancestral worlds.
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Vault Dwellers / Mutants – Cosmic horror entities once locked away in the vaults beneath the tombs. Now freed, they hunt for victims.
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Inquisitors (Puritan / Radical) – Seeking power and ancient artefacts that might turn the tide in favor of the Imperium.
Editor Notes
My initial idea was to create a fun and different setting for engaging 28mm-scale skirmish and tabletop RPG systems. The concept draws inspiration from Planet28, Vastarian, Forbidden Psalm, the Inq28 community, and a wide range of other alternative and independent systems.
Because the setting is intentionally broad and open-ended, I hope players can use these ideas as a creative jumping-off point. The narrative cues are designed to encourage skirmish- and small-scale gameplay rather than massive battles with large miniature counts.
I imagine tense shootouts in the small spaceport and trading hub, survival mechanics as players struggle to cross the vast desert seas, and deep expeditions into ancient tombs and burial chambers — think sci-fi Indiana Jones — filled with traps, ancient enemies, and other unknown horrors.
Since the planet’s origin is tied to an ancient species, I want the setting to feature a compelling blend of mysticism and science fiction — where a well-crafted vibro-sword or knife is as common as a rifle or blaster. In my opinion, melee combat should still reign supreme.
