Hi folks. Me again asking silly questions. My group is attempting to mount an assault on Iniquity the pirate strong hold. For the fame and glory and warm fuzzy feelings that the Navy will have towards us. My GM suggested we gather up some RTs to do a combined assault as 3 ships won't really cut it. Even if those 3 ships are a Universe and 2 Repulsives.

So between that and the Winterscale vs Chorda thread that went way off course I got to wondering: have any groups out there encountered other named NPC RTs? Specifically outside of written adventures?

We've only encounter Haradak Fel, whom we most likely killed as his ship was crippled when it got sucked into the warp... So not my fault. I have people to take the fault. Anyway I think there are enough named RTs that you could potentially do fun things with alliances and intrigue and rivalries etc.

They've run into a bunch of Rogue Traders, though mostly outside of written adventures. They like to have sit downs and bragging competitions between crews. Probably their single greatest achievement was daring Krawkin Feckward to eating sauteed warp eel, causing horrific mutation and pain that resulted in vomitting, completely embarrassing him at Liege's Court.

I have some Rogue Traders that I also came up with on my own. My favourite so far has been Maximus Caughran, who has a minor Marque granted by the Calixis Sector to find Archeotech, which he proceeded to completely ignore and throw increasing elaborate parties and celebrations for the minorest of causes because he had a mid-life crisis. Out of character, everyone in my group is convinced - correctly - that he's fallen to Slaanesh, but in character they love when he shows up because his parties are fantastic.

Also everyone who my party has had sucked into the Warp got sent to the Processional of the Damned, That came back to haunt them.

Yeah. I don't use written adventures, enemies statted out in books, or any of FFG's NPCs. I have a list of the ten most prominent dynasties in my Expanse, their rogue traders, important relatives and their command crews. Aside from those, my players encountered around a half-dozen minor rogue traders during our last campaign.

Or were you referring specifically to FFG's rogue trader characters?

Well, we encountered and partnered with Lady Elizabeth Orleans and Jeremiah Blitz during the Frozen Reaches campaign.

My group wanted to take their ships, and the GM relented, if we could come up with a way to get assassins on board. So, since my RT was in charge of ship deployment, they were left exposed numerous times. They took on new crew, and it was easy for the others to sneak their loyal minions aboard.

We killed them but couldn't keep the ships. We couldn't even really afford to maintain the vessels but it was nice seeing my group come together to plot the murders of our allies.

Since then, my GM has used non-canon Rogue Traders.

Yeah. I don't use written adventures, enemies statted out in books, or any of FFG's NPCs. I have a list of the ten most prominent dynasties in my Expanse, their rogue traders, important relatives and their command crews. Aside from those, my players encountered around a half-dozen minor rogue traders during our last campaign.

Or were you referring specifically to FFG's rogue trader characters?

Either or. We've just not run into any other RTs so far. But the Expanse is big and you got to be out there if you want to make some PF.

I am rather fond of the various Rogue Traders listed in both Lure of the Expanse and Edge of the Abyss, only whining that they are mostly all written up assuming your crew just finished the mission at the back of the core book, or something similar, so their stats are often rather lackluster, then I remember that I can easily mod those, if I care, and stop whining.

As for me, I have invented two Rogue Traders, and some various retinues for each, partly because I on-again off-again write story stuff, and partly to have if I were ever to get my friends to want to play Rogue Trader; a plan that has, to this point, failed. Being as I talk about my various stuff way to often here, already, and in way to much detail, I won't ramble on here, too. If I ever do get to run the game, the players will either get to start as lieutenants for, and fly under Edric "Boss" Korvallus, master of the Silver Ravens, or they'll at least hear of, and possibly go meet him; he's a happier version of Wrath Umbolt now, for the most part. Maybe they can even find out why. My other Rogue Trader is Aedan Qel-Drake, a very Gambit-meets-Pirates of the Caribbean lady's man of a Lord-Captain. he could be a fun ally, or a very cheerful adversary.

There was a list I posted recently, of all RTs listed in the FFG books. It was pretty complete.

Here's another list...of the Hosts of Iniquity.

The Wolfpack of Karrad Vall, aside from the numerous raiders he can all upon, sports the Optimus Nemesis, his flagship, a Hades-class heavy cruiser. There's also the Debaser and Excruciator , both cruisers of unnamed class(es). Then there's the Mortis Ex Astra, a Carnage-class cruiser, and the Promise of Sedition, a Murder-class cruiser.

Independent capital ships include the Hellbringer and Subjugator , both light cruisers kitted out as planetary assault vessels. The Retaliator is one of only 2 Grand Cruisers named in the sources as pirate ships. There's also the Pestilaan, a light cruiser, and the Eternal Lament , a Slaughter-class cruiser.

Other groups or factions that seem to base out of Iniquity include the Children of the Pattern, the Crimson Skulls, the Covenant Outriders, Talon Squadron, the Stygian Reavers, and the Saynay Clan. That last one possesses the other grand cruiser in the Expanse, the Monarch of Whispers.

The system is laid out in one of the books. It's one of those systems you don't really want to navigate through, let alone fight a war through. I'm sure all this, and the hundred or so Iconoclasts and Wolfpack raiders based out of here are a chief reason why Winterscale, with his martial bent, and a half dozen other RTs, haven't joined forces to drive them away.

Sooooo. Have fun assaulting the castle!

There was a list I posted recently, of all RTs listed in the FFG books. It was pretty complete.

Here's another list...of the Hosts of Iniquity.

The Wolfpack of Karrad Vall, aside from the numerous raiders he can all upon, sports the Optimus Nemesis, his flagship, a Hades-class heavy cruiser. There's also the Debaser and Excruciator , both cruisers of unnamed class(es). Then there's the Mortis Ex Astra, a Carnage-class cruiser, and the Promise of Sedition, a Murder-class cruiser.

Independent capital ships include the Hellbringer and Subjugator , both light cruisers kitted out as planetary assault vessels. The Retaliator is one of only 2 Grand Cruisers named in the sources as pirate ships. There's also the Pestilaan, a light cruiser, and the Eternal Lament , a Slaughter-class cruiser.

Other groups or factions that seem to base out of Iniquity include the Children of the Pattern, the Crimson Skulls, the Covenant Outriders, Talon Squadron, the Stygian Reavers, and the Saynay Clan. That last one possesses the other grand cruiser in the Expanse, the Monarch of Whispers.

The system is laid out in one of the books. It's one of those systems you don't really want to navigate through, let alone fight a war through. I'm sure all this, and the hundred or so Iconoclasts and Wolfpack raiders based out of here are a chief reason why Winterscale, with his martial bent, and a half dozen other RTs, haven't joined forces to drive them away.

Sooooo. Have fun assaulting the castle!

I saw that list in the Winterscale and Chorda thread. And then went and wrote up my own adding in quick notes on some of their personalities so I have a quick reference should we ever run into any of them. Still need to complete that...

And clearly I must succeed where others have failed. I do have a giant in my crew and a wheel barrel and a big ass cloak. And maybe I can get a discount miracle just to be safe. Thanks to the random treasure generator I managed to find a SM relic which I returned so they owe me a favor.

A chance to talk about my NPCs? Woot! I wanted to go with a strong theme for each of my notable dynasties, which is why their circumstances are often incredibly contrived. I don't pretend that any of this is genius world building - it was more of an extended exercise in justifying nonstandard rogue traders and adding some surprise to the Expanse.

Kind of like FFG, I went with two staggeringly huge dynasties to rule the Expanse, each pretty much untouchable without powerful allies or a hell of a lot of powuh. The first was the Mode dynasty, whose thing was handing out letters of marque like they were candy, tying a number of smaller houses to themselves and utilizing their individual specialties for the betterment of house Mode. Counting the achievements of their sub-contractors as their own, they had a history of growing like a cancer and taking over more territory than any other house. It was ruled by lady Anastasia Mode and her retinue of the best and brightest from favoured dynasties, from her mobile luxury space station, The Benevolent Indifference. The players declined offers to join her on several occasions.

The second was the Golden Hand, a vast network of Mechanicus cultists supposedly led by a once tech-priest who was sent out into the Expanse during the earliest period of its discovery. The exact details of his identity - as well as the location of their main base - seems to be a mystery to everyone, but the Golden Hand has research stations and space docks in places most people don't even know exist, and act as an inofficial extension of the Adeptus Mechanicus inside the Expanse, repairing and maintaining technology at exhorbitant rates for those who don't want to take the time or the risk of going through the Maw. Many dynasties make use of their services, and hardly anyone knows exactly what kind of power they truly wield, but their reputation alone makes them one of the most powerful groups in Koronus. Ruled by [redacted] from the good ship [redacted, meme-virus released, have a good day].

But there's more. House Kulfi was a house of navigators with an Indian theme. Once in ancient history, their house had produced the Paternova, and the Paternoval Envoy had contrived for them to receive a Warrant basically just for the hell of it, in case they wanted to use it. They had fallen from grace somewhat since those days, but members of their family would still use the Warrant every few generations, traveling to rogue trader hotspots and increase their fortune through the sales of exclusive maps - and through the service of keeping those maps exclusive.

House von Scythus, headed by a Transubstantial Initiate (and Darth Vader expy) whose skill and fervor had accidentally gained him a cult of personality - the reason for his Warrant, as he was getting in the way of the local administration - represented the suicidally fanatic puritans of the Expanse. Hideously gifted in the area of brute force, they were poor in ambition and made few enemies, acting more like an easily redirected tidal wave than a shrewd opponent to be bested. Their ships included such notables as The First Stone, The Divine Ministration and The Latin Proverb.

To this day, I still don't know why I love talking about stuff I made up.

If you have any of the Game of Thrones books, in the back is a list of all the characters, main and not. I've decided just switching some names around (or not changing some so the PC's can watch a spoiled brat noble named Joffrey Baratheon die from drinking poison during a formal meeting), is less work than trying to make up names. Haven't used any yet, only because I'm OCONUS.

Yes. Most of the named ones in the pre-written adventures have turned up in several occasions.

The powerful ones - like Winterscale or Sun Lee - also get represented by an agent, factor or relative at key locations; one way of showing off the power of especially large dynasties is that they have people everywhere.

Other Rogue Traders are, ultimately, the players' most important allies rivals friends foes threats customers victims suppliers targets contacts

Ever since I made this image as a 5-min photoshop during a friend's Deathwatch game to explain how medicae worked on Astartes, the Johnson and Johnson Rogue Trader dynasty has become a force to be reckoned with in my RT galaxy.They are rival dynasties to the dynasty of my PC Rogue Trader, Lord Captain Alexander Londor. As such, they have started a wacky children's TV show entitled "The Adventures of Jason Londor" to make a mockery out of his dynasty and piss off the current warrant holder.