If your group only had 4 players and a GM, what do you consider the perfect party mix?

I find the Missionary, Arch-Militant, and Seneschal easiest to dispense with.

The RT's +10 bonus to anyone is hard to go without, not to mention all those Fellowship Talents. And who's going to be used to drive the plot forward?

You can do without an Astropath, but then again they can take the place of the Voidmaster operating the Augur Array.

Many parties have a NPC Navigator, but not the parties I've GMed before, and they're absolutely necessary if the GM uses travel from the Navis Primer.

Voidmasters in the positions of pilot and master gunner are hard to do without, too. All the Voidmaster specializations rock, but which are absolutely necessary?

And, what are you going to do with all those archeotech components you're hoping to find without an Explorator on board?

I would pick Rogue Trader, Seneschal, Voidmaster, Explorator. PC Navigator isn't necessary for Navis Primer, you can let the PCs roll in turn against the Crew Rating modified by the test modifiers.

Alex

Um...Navis Primer RAW will eat a ship and its crew with tests of skill ranges 30-60. Try a voyage anywhere but Winterscale's Realm for a test drive.

Then again, maybe that's the ticket. If you want to go anywhere but Winterscale's Realm, you need a PC Navigator.

For the sole reason that a rating 50 Navigator still hasn't Fate. With Touched by the Fates(2), it's doable. It's advised that the ship only travels when and where the Astronomican is visible though. And ideally gets some basic charts.

For the really tough places a standard NPC Navigator won't do, you're right.

Alex

I would say the best combo would be a Rogue Trader, Navigator, Exploritor, and a Voidmaster.

The first three are no brainers for me...

Experienced GMs (with noob players) frequently underestimate the Arch Militant because the player is hardly ever doing his real job when they get this char.

Instead of just being a glorified bodyguard/gunner (in the rare cases people don't create melee AMs), these guys should be training special troops in the barracks and handling all sorts of security "fail-safes" (so the RT is not sniped, or so another RT is sniped by 10 stormtroopers simultaneously) - essentially creating new arch-militants and commanding them!

Tell me the last time you saw an AM roll Tactica Imperiallis or commanding a battalion in a large-scale battle!

A true AM is key for cost-efficient Military Endeavors.

these guys should be training special troops in the barracks and handling all sorts of security "fail-safes" (so the RT is not sniped, or so another RT is sniped by 10 stormtroopers simultaneously) - essentially creating new arch-militants and commanding them!

I don't think players are doing it wrong simply because their games don't implement the same house rules you do.

For a perfect party, I would GM the game and have four copies of myself as players. The rest is irrelevant. =D

these guys should be training special troops in the barracks and handling all sorts of security "fail-safes" (so the RT is not sniped, or so another RT is sniped by 10 stormtroopers simultaneously) - essentially creating new arch-militants and commanding them!

I don't think players are doing it wrong simply because their games don't implement the same house rules you do.

For a perfect party, I would GM the game and have four copies of myself as players. The rest is irrelevant. =D

I have to say...if this were true not only would it be the most organized game ever in terms of dossiers and files, but everyone would also be completely blackout drunk on Amasec (Scotch) two hours in!

In fact I have been lobbying to give a bonus to the degree of difficulty of social endeavors if the player is drinking the appropriate drink for the occasion!

these guys should be training special troops in the barracks and handling all sorts of security "fail-safes" (so the RT is not sniped, or so another RT is sniped by 10 stormtroopers simultaneously) - essentially creating new arch-militants and commanding them!

I don't think players are doing it wrong simply because their games don't implement the same house rules you do.

For a perfect party, I would GM the game and have four copies of myself as players. The rest is irrelevant. =D

I have to say...if this were true not only would it be the most organized game ever in terms of dossiers and files, but everyone would also be completely blackout drunk on Amasec (Scotch) two hours in!

In fact I have been lobbying to give a bonus to the degree of difficulty of social endeavors if the player is drinking the appropriate drink for the occasion!

Last time I drunk my bourbon while GMing, the group's RT got infected by Nurgle's Rot while fighting the Death Guard for the possession of the Light of Terra. That night was fun. Everyone loved it (and I was the only drunk).

And there is no house-rule in my conception of an Arch Militant.

I think the perfect party for a GM revolves around the kind of story you want to tell. GMs all have different stories they want to tell and ways to go about telling them. For that reason... I would really like it if my players stop having Rogue Traders in their group, because it gets really difficult to railroad them into missions. Thus my ideal party - which isn't one that I think is necessary balanced - is as follows! I also gave each of these character classes the Alternate Rank that best identifies the role in which I want them to fit.

• Seneschal (Acquisitionist) - Someone who can and does carry the weight of the Rogue Trader's profit factor and invstigation throughout the Expanse, as well as possessing more than ample social skills and tricks in order to get through a situation. However they don't possess true independence, and would be expected to at least nominally investigate the issue their Rogue Trader would like them to.
• Void Master (Arch-Heretek) - This fulfills the absolutely essential role of "Person who can actually handle Tech matters and fly the ship" as well as open up a lot of really interesting roleplaying options because of it. I realise Intelligence is a terrible advance for a Void Master, but the path of heresy is not an easy one.
• Missionary (Red Consecrator) - Based on the general attitude on the boards towards them, I think that Missionaries really are an underrated class. I don't find them a general pigeon-holed Emperor worshipping class, but a group where there area a lot of people with backgrounds and reasons for why they worship the Emperor (many heretical) and are an important part of 40K Lore. My ideal one is the one who looks at enemies and inspires bloody murder. Also I like having someone who specialises in Weapons combat.
• Navigator (House Scion) - The Navigator houses are essential for any vessel, and they're a great foil for a Rogue Trader presence since they represent an organisation almost certainly more powerful than any Dynasty. Very useful as an ally that you have to keep in mind may have an ulterior motive, and one that's not technically under anyone's direct control.