Darth Smeg said:

They do respond

And no way I'm gonna play a new game. This one is like an addiction.

dvang said:

Okay.

Let's say you're a RT who wants to salvage a potentially dangerous derelict he can only send 5 people onto in the first (or only) wave. Which of these would have greater negative impact on his Profit and general wellbeing:

A) he sends 5 redshirts with a voxcaster to see if it's dangerous and they die

B) he goes with the rest of the top officers and they all get themselves killed

Hint: It's a trick question.

As for not trusting his crew enough that they won't keep treasures from him if he lets them salvage - well, they do have to haul their salvage back to his ship, don't they? What, are they going to hide immense treasures from him in their cavities if he meets them in the landing dock?

And a Rogue Trader letting some Administratum psyker poking around in his head, potentially stealing trade and family secrets? I don't think so.

Anyway, why should he report the completion of the writ? Is the Administratum going to put out an All Points Bulletin on his ship if they never hear from him again? And if he claims that he never got to actually pursue the hulk and got caught up in other business and has no clue who (if anyone) looted it finally? Is the Administratum going to set up a crime scene and a forensic lab on the hulk?

You know, for a guy with the free pass to go wherever he wants, this RT sure spends a lot of time to placate a bureaucratic body of administration that he has virtually nothing to do with 99% of the time. It's just pretty weird, imagining these guys spending most of their lives beyond the borders of the Empire, visiting pirate/smuggler/xeno trading stations to sell and buy and fly off to the uncharted space again - and then they bow and scrape to fulfill the obligations set by some planetbound clerk who has almost no jurisdiction over them.

I could be an Imperial-issued writ and as such subject to certain peculiarities, such as the captain having to be the first one on the ship. it could also be tradition and the 'Trader would be looked poorly upon by his crew (perhaps even having one of them snitch; a risky endeavor indeed!). The truth being revealed by a psyker's a very viable good idea and makes sense.

Remember as well Claven that the 40k universe is filled with unpleasant creatures that can literally do far worse than just kill you. Do you think 5 red shirts have anywhere near the knowledge and iniative to deal with: Genestealers, warp entities or aliens capable of possessing someone, Enslaver mind control, duplicates or xenos disease or infection to name but a few possibilities.

Heck the whole situation on the Bounty was caused by the RT and Navigator not being careful enough with a 'mere' xenos bauble. And these are individuals with knowledge and experience that still fatally slipped up, killing almost the entire crew.

Still looking so profitable to send 5 red shirts to investigate?

DivinatorVictus said:

Given that those 5 red shirts would be roughly equal to an starting team of Inquisitorial Acolytes, why not. If they're good enough for the Holy Inquisition why not for a Rogue Trader.

Cardinal Nicodemus said:

It's funny. What you call a problem, I'd call one of the games strengths. Unlike Dark Heresy, it's not grossly limited by the group being ordered out on a mission. The players get to choose their own direction and destiny. To my mind, that's a good thing.

Of course, just because the Rogue Trader can go virtually anywhere doesn't mean there is adventure, excitment and really wild things at every port. As a GM, what I would do is sketch out a few plot hooks like a derelict ship over here, rumors of ancient xenos ruins over there, a "treasure map" to a new group of worlds over there, an Inquisitor looking for passage, etc... having enough detail to sustain a single introduction session for each, see which one the players jump at. Then flesh out the rest of the adventure between sessions. Run that through to conclusion, hopefully a through few sessions of play. The conclusion of that adventure may even suggest a few more potential plot hooks. Lather, rinse, repeat.

LuciusT said:

As long as there's green ******* for the captain, it's all good!

Dark Heresy isn't limited to a group of players being ordered about on missions, though that is certainly what the rulebook assumes/recommends. There is no hard-coded mechanic that requires this. They could be a group of promising young individuals brought together by any sort of common threat or circumstance. The Acolyte business just provides a convenient excuse for them to be together and a set way to introduce scenarios, as well as provide them with a cool association and storyline. Same with Rogue Trader - these folks will just happen to be on a ship together. Unless their Writ is incredibly narrow (which may be the case) I do think it might be a problem to deal with where they want to go, or get them headed in the right direction without just having them end up in the right place no matter where they go.

>>Let's say you're a RT who wants to salvage a potentially dangerous derelict he can only send 5 people onto in the first (or only) wave. Which of these >>would have greater negative impact on his Profit and general wellbeing:

>>A) he sends 5 redshirts with a voxcaster to see if it's dangerous and they die

>>B) he goes with the rest of the top officers and they all get themselves killed

>>Hint: It's a trick question.

Why not B? Those 'officers' are probably going to be the best people qualified to determine if the derelict is even worth salvaging. Or, if it isn't operational, they're the best ones to figure out what needs to be done to get it working. What would be the use of sending 5 redshirts over, if once they get there all they can say is "yeah, we don't see anyone and the lighting is low. No idea, though, of how spaceworthy it is boss."

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>>And a Rogue Trader letting some Administratum psyker poking around in his head, potentially stealing trade and family secrets? I don't think so.

Then he doesn't officially complete the Writ, he doesn't own the salvage (i.e the Bounty) and cannot legally sell it. The Empire sends some navy cruisers around to take it off the RT's hands. Besides, I never said the Psyker roots around in the RTs head. It is quite plausible for there to be psykers that can just determine the truth (like lie detectors) without being a deep probing telepathy.

-------------------------
>>Anyway, why should he report the completion of the writ? Is the Administratum going to put out an All Points Bulletin on his ship if they never hear from him again? And if he claims that he never got to actually pursue the hulk and got caught up in other business and has no clue who (if anyone) looted it finally? Is the Administratum going to set up a crime scene and a forensic lab on the hulk?

Yes, they could indeed 'put out an all-points bulletin. The RT might not be able to show himself in any official Empire port without being arrested (or taken for questioning). Why not? While RTs do operate on the fringe of Empire space often, they usually still need(or do) return to Empire space to sell goods and get repairs. Don't forget, the Core Cogitator (of both ships) will have information regarding what happened, as well as most places where the RT could try to sell the salvaged ship. Speaking of this, where do you think the RT is going to sell the Bounty? While fairly independant, that doesn't mean RTs hate or ignore the Empire (usually). They wouldn't sell an Imperial Cruiser to a xenos, which leaves ... the Empire! I'm sure the Imperial Navy (or other branch of the Empire's government) is the usual purchaser for derelict craft for RTs (they're probably the only one who can afford it). Unless you sell the cruiser for pennies, they'll have a bugger of a time selling a 'hot' cruiser. Also, don't forget many RTs are families with several ships. If one pisses off the Empire, then other members might pay for it.

-----------------------

>>You know, for a guy with the free pass to go wherever he wants, this RT sure spends a lot of time to placate a bureaucratic body of administration that he has virtually nothing to do with 99% of the time. It's just pretty weird, imagining these guys spending most of their lives beyond the borders of the Empire, visiting pirate/smuggler/xeno trading stations to sell and buy and fly off to the uncharted space again - and then they bow and scrape to fulfill the obligations set by some planetbound clerk who has almost no jurisdiction over them.

I see RTs a bit different than you, apparently.
1) RTs don't usually have a 'free pass to go wherever they want' per se. Their charter for their vessel usually defines specific sectors or areas where they can operate. Granted, these are pretty large areas and sometimes expand out of Imperial controlled space.
2) The Empire is everywhere unless you're talking about a pirate base. Most RTs don't sell TO xenos, especially not sensitive imperial equipment. Most RTs grew up in the Empire, and are loyal to the Emperor and the Empire. They have a Charter allowing them use of their ships and to trade due to the Emperor and the Empire allowing them to do so. They sell salvage and goods to ports within the Empire. That means they are running into this bureaucracy you are talking about. That, really, is how RTs work. They are not as much the 'lone wolf pirate' type that you are thinking. That isn't to say they *can't* be on the fringe and deal primarily with xenos and pirates. Doing so, however, puts a black mark for having any dealings with the Empire. And the Empire is powerful and has a long reach.

------------------------
>>Given that those 5 red shirts would be roughly equal to an starting team of Inquisitorial Acolytes, why not. If they're good enough for the Holy Inquisition why not for a Rogue Trader.

Umm no. If you look, the redshirts in the FB booklet have a base 25 in every stat and auto/stub pistols. Those are your typical crewmen and redshirts. Not even starting Acolyte level. If you want to make some DH characters to represent mid-level officers for landing parties, you could probably do so. 90% or more of the crew, however, have stats of 25 and nearly no variety of skills.

Here'a a novel idea for you, play the game and have fun! A good GM can make any situation work and if you have good players there won't be many time that this happens. I've been GMing and DMing for over 25 years and I've had no problem keeping people interested or in line. When RT comes out I'm going to have the Trader be a NPC and have the players work under him. They'll be one of many salvage crews trying to prove their worht to the boss. Simple and easy.

A crew of 100'000 only provides a Security detail in the hundreds not thousands, with approximately 416 2/3rds (a Ratling perhaps) Security members. These guys are valuable. This isn't a warship (per se) but an armed Merchantman. Also whilst many of the crew are pressed these are the least valuable and trusted members, whilst many are skilled shipmen, whether hired on (terms could limit duties but probably don't) or assimilated from the press. Trusted crew are less likely to mutiny whilst still keeping the Security detail hoping (contraband, slacking off, goofing around, being drunk, being drunker still) and are likely to follow the direction of their (petty) officers...

1 Sec man per 240 personnel (taken from Medieval density's of watchmen/ guardsmen). It can feasibly be half lower or higher (i.e. from a density of 1 per 160 to 300 personnel.

Claven said:

Do you think he has much of a choice? His charter is only his because the Imperium says it is, and he's only allows to roam so freely because the Imperium gives him permission to.

Besides, it's just as likely to be a representative of the Inquisition as an adept of the Administratum - the Inquisition is often extremely interested in what Rogue Traders have encountered while out beyond the fringes of the Imperium, and will scrutinise their activities extensively to ensure that the trust of the Imperium is not misplaced.

Unknown said:

Almost no jurisdiction?

A Rogue Trader is, by the nature of the places he travels, free from the laws of the Imperium while outside its borders . As soon as he comes back into the Imperium, he is suddenly obliged to follow its laws once more, no different from any other extremely wealthy individual. Just because he owns a starship and is allowed to travel beyond the Imperium as he sees fit does not give him permission to ignore the authority of the Imperium, not least because of support issues (his ship may require repairs only possible in a Mechanicus-operated dry-dock, he may need to replace his Astropaths as the old ones burnt out from use, his Navigator may demand to return to Imperial space for some obscure familial obligations...).

The original Rogue Traders were empowered by the Emperor himself to travel beyond the fringes of the nascent Imperium to find human civilisations not yet brought into the fold, to explore the unexplored galaxy and help reunite humanity. What Rogue Traders found, the expedition fleets of the Legionnes Astartes and the Imperial Army would come to claim, whether through words or warfare... because that was what they were for. It remains the purpose of a great many Rogue Traders, especially those whose charters cover large areas of uncharted space - paving the way for Crusade fleets to conquer the region in decades or centuries yet to come.

All in all, with regards to the clause in the Write of Claim, I would have to fall in wit the folks that don't see this as being something a PC rouge trader absolutely has to fallow in the adventure.

As far as the Imperium double checking the story of who first set foot on the Bounty, i doubt they would use a psyker. Why would they be so concerned that such a clause was upheld (or suspect that it wasn't) as to warrant them interrogating the captain or crew under psyker supervision (with all the negative consequences that could arise from a psyker doing, well, anything)?

It's merely an overt mechanism to get the PC Rogue Trader aboard the vessel. It is obviously that, the various GM's can see it as such and the players will too. Granted, such machinations are needed in small intro scenarios which may be gotten by novice GM's, but because it exists doesn't mean you have to marry your self to it at the expense of believability. And really, if it's a plot device we wouldn't tolerate in a movie just to insure the plot's concept is realized despite common sense or logic, then why tolerate such in your games? It was needed for the writing on the adventure because it had to be short, to the point, and involve the characters, but that doesn't mean you have to abide by such a plot device if you know you can have a game without it and still have the players involved in a story.

If I ran FB, I could definitly see (almost count on) my players learning that their warrant dictated the Captain must be first to set foot aboard the ship and utterly disregarding it. They would have several landing boats (guncutters and otherwise) stocked up with salvage crew and a few security officers, and have them sail over. The whole time, the captain would state that, as they are but his vassals, where they step, he steps and as their feet shall be first aboard the ship, his feet shall be first. Any who disagree with him or point out any holes in his argument would probably end up with a face full of bolt shell. But I don't see a problem with it, just opportunity.

The boats would go over, reports of the massacre would be made (while one of the "red shirts" pockets the Halo Device as, in this instance, for story fun, the Navigator will be "used up"). Once the ship has been salvaged by what ever means the PC's wish to employ with suitable results based on those methods, that little bauble the salvager managed to palm would start making the rounds through the ratings and hired hands, perhaps exchanging hands in a drunken Heretic's wake game or what not. Rumors of it's existence would start to reach the captain's ears.

As the captain is launching investigations to find who has been holding out on him, the halo device eventually gets the attention of the Navigator or a crewmen who, unknown to everyone except his own nagging worry, a budding psyker. The "slug" being what it is, it instantly fascinates the psyker or navigator and begins taking control. The PC's may experience various snippets of this exchange, perhaps notice that the navigator's being stranger then usual or just through fallowing the baubles trail after several crewmen have been keel-hauled and added to the ship's prow. Maybe they might be able to stop what's to happen next, but it's unlikely.

Soon enough, the navigator (or psyker crewmen) is fused with the halo device and starts a reenactment of what occurred on the Emperors Bounty, only now the PC's are in the tick of it and have to think fast to save them selves and their ship. Needless to say, the negative effects of loosing half their crew to this device and the violence to come as well as losing a navigator will have profoundly negative effects on their profit margin. However, the PC's got to chose this happening and didn't have their course of actions dictated by an arbitrary clause that would be ludicrous to enforce (even if fallowing such a clause would have resulted in less losses and a better profit...)

Sure, the written scenario says things happen a certain way, but it doesn't take much imagination for a GM to run with the situation laied out and still have a fun story to play through without shoe-horning the PC's into certain courses of action. I thought that was one of the cornerstones of what RT was supposed to be about...

dvang said:

Apparently, our views differ a lot.

I don't see the Empire as the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent force that is where you go, knows whatever you're doing and will hound you to the end of the universe for some loot you're selling on the side (no, not even a navy cruiser that would have rotten in the warp anyway).

I see it as a colossus whose right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing most of the time, as a place where documents get lost for tens of years in the Administratum process, as a place where interplanetary communication is a problem most of the time, if it's not REALLY important and as a place where they don't have an Empire-wide criminal database that can be updated and queried within seconds.

Althought how you run your games is your business and your business only and if your players are having fun, more power to you, I don't want to play DH/RT as a Star Wars game with Space Marines. My view of the Empire as a place where it's relatively easy to get lost if you don't feel tied by the tradition and its laws has strong support in the DH supplements released so far and in loads of fluff, foremost being Dan Abbnett's Ravenor and Eisenhorn series (although, admittedly, he does take certain liberties with the canon). Read the part about Administratum in Disciples of the Dark Gods. Read something about the Calixis sector and Battlefleet Calixis. I don't think they have a few extra cruisers to spare for a wild goose chase after some Rogue Trader who didn't set his foot on the blasted hulk first.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

Yes, because his family got the Charter from the Emperor, High Lords of Terra, Lord Angevin or some other legendary luminary, he is now at the beck and call of any Administratum clerk. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. And the Inquisition will be tripping all over themselves to piss off a vastly influential, immensely rich and powerful family to conduct a lenghty investigation of whether this guy or that guy over there entered the hulk first.

Anyway, by your logic, since a Rogue Trader is free of the laws of the Imperium while outside its borders, why does he need a Writ of Claim for a hulk in the Maw (which is, from what I gathered, outside the borders of the Imperium - I might be wrong there though)?

While we're talking about all of this glacial bureaucracy, it's not far-fetched to imagine that in order to turn in an Imperial vessel for salvage, archaic rules have to be followed. Will they be? Not always of even most of the time, depending on the RT. But, rules are rules and it may be (as I've stated before) tradition for the RT, hell any salvager, to take the first step on a vessel in order to lay claim. It may be hard to be caught, but the penalties may be stiff if you are and for somebody who wants to bring his family's name back to prominence, he may want to dot every "I" and cross every "T".

Honor seems to be rather important in the Empire and you may not want to be known as the captain too afraid to plant his own flag. The beauty of the setting is the crushing and seemingly useless traditions that abound. So, why does a RT have to be the first one to set foot on the vessel? Because it's always been that way. Like I mentioned before, he may not want to risk crossing the line between RT and lying thief.

Personally, Graver, while your story sounds it would end up as a fun adventure, I don't see it as meshing with the plot as it stands in the FB booklet. You're making an entriely new adventure. Do you really think a bunch of redshirts with autopistols will be able to take out the number of puppets the Worm can send after them? Considering they need a single hit worth 15 points to permanently disable one and all they have are autoguns ... No, I expect any forces of redshirts or salvage crews sent over without the power of the PCs will merely get munched ... and then become more puppets for the worm to animate. The RT, sitting comfortably on his bridge, would end up losing all his crew that he sent over. Maybe with a few distress calls broken with screaming and then silence. Perhaps the Worm would be intelligent enough to send the guncutters back with puppets and try to take over the RT ship... I'm not sure how far the worm's powers of control would/could extend, not having really thought about it. I realize it was a plot device to get the PC to be present ... however, it also makes sense to me from a fluff perspective, as well as the best choice as far as the FB plot. Redshirts would not be able to handle the enemy encountered on the Bounty.

@Claven: We are not talking about the RT being at the beck and call of any Administratum flunky. We are saying that the RT is subject to the laws of the Empire as an Imperial citizen. The RT has the freedom he has because the Empire gave him that freedom. Most people don't. You need a charter from the Empire to own your own ship. In my view, the Empire takes a dim view of people blatantly disregarding rules, because they are all about control. Of course, you've twisted what I said and tried to force it into some sort of Star Wars metaphor. Whatever. RTs are closely watched, since they are exposed to xenos and heresy, while also having quite a bit of power by controlling a starship. The first steps towards corruption, in the Empire's mind, could easily be the disregard for rules and laws. Such events could indeed alarm the 'local' imperial government. They could reasonably send out messages that the Venture and Captain Trask (for example) are wanted to questioning... while notifying the Inquisition of their suspicious behavior. Or they could send a IN cruiser to escort them back for questioning on the matter. There are other options they could use, not all of them direct. Blacklisting them from selling at Imperial ports, for example, would cause quite a problem. Again, as I mentioned, where do you think that the RT is going to be able to sell the Bounty if not in Imperial space to an Imperial Agency? Maybe there could be a corrupt imperial governor that could find the cash to purchase a cruiser, and possibly some xenos or chaos (if they didn't just take it). In some cases the Empire can respond quickly, and in other cases slowly, but the Empire will react to someone (especially one that controls a starship) breaking the rules. It is possible that no one will check up on whether the RT was the first to set foot upon the derelict. Of course, the RT doesn't KNOW that. It's also quite possible there are Imperial or =I= agents/snitches amongst his crew, who are paid to report violations.

Honestly, you see RTs as free-wheeling pirates. I see RTs as representatives of the Empire, with a lot more latitude and more individualized vested interest. Rather than Star Wars, consider RT more like Star Trek ... only with Profit as the primary motive and a need to return to Empire space to sell their goods, etc (and a bit mor eoppressive govenment, of course). They boldly go forth, exploring new worlds and gathering exotic goods to sell. Sometimes contacting populace ... if they're human try to bring them back into the Empire (for a price, of course), and if they are xenos either take their stuff or trade with them and then report them so that the Empire will deal with them (making your goods from them more rare). Coming back around again ... where do you expect RTs to sell most of their goods? Pirate bases and Zenos outposts will be relatively few, which means the majority of the selling needs to be at Imperial worlds or bases. Thus, the RT will have a tougher time if they piss of the Empire.

If you want your PCs to play pirates, then by all means let them play pirates. Let them ignore the Empire's dictates and consort with Xenos and heretics freely. While the Empire might be slow to react in some cases, the Empire *should* take notice of an RT that is consorting with pirates, Xenos, and other enemies of the Empire. This could result in a fun campaign, I'm not saying RT can't be played this way. However, I don't believe this is the intent for the common RT. Perhaps I have played too much DH, but the eyes of the Empire and the Inquisition could be anywhere from what I can tell, and EVERYONE thinks this is the case, including RTs. So, people tend to follow the rules for the most part, especially when it isn't a big deal to do so. (like in the FB adventure. He could easily be the first to set foot, and then send redshirts into the rest of the ship ... obeying the letter of the Writ while also 'remaining safe', for example). You see the Empire as inefficient and uncaring, so a RT can do whatever they want without reprecussion. I see an Empire that, I agree doesn't always know what differnt portions of government are doing, but that takes heresy, and rulebreaking by those with power (such as those with starships) very seriously because of their controlling nature.

Just my opinion, though. There is obviously a large number of options for players in RT, as well as GMs.

We all have different views as to how RT should be, which is cool. I like having varying opinions to work with and it keeps the game from getting stale. I may see RT differently, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Claven said:

Half the charters given out by the High Lords of Terra exist only to distract or eliminate a political rival...

And nowhere did I say "any Administratum clerk". That's not the case - that would never be the case. However, the Administratum is amongst the largest and most powerful organisations within the Imperium, and does not consist entirely of desk-clerks and indentured scribes. A Rogue Trader would be dealing with a Prefect or similar, a high-ranking official within the Administratum whose authority can condemn a world to starvation and isolation with the stroke of a quill. A Bureaucrat, certainly, but not a petty one.

Beyond that... one of the most influential of the High Lords of Terra is the Master of the Administratum, and by merit of being subordinate to the Departmento Munitorum, luminaries such as Lord Angevin (who was a Warmaster leading a Crusade, and thus given his title and authority by the Munitorum) are within the remit of the Administratum as well.

They are not the kinds of people even a Rogue Trader should be inclined to antagonise...

Claven said:

Oh no, you misunderstand. An Inquisitor - bearing in mind that in general the organisations the Inquisition doesn't like to piss off are the Navis Nobilite, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Adeptus Astartes, each of which are galaxy-spanning institutions possessing sufficient resources to make even the wealthiest Rogue Trader look like an underhive scrap merchant - will be investigating a Rogue Trader for entirely different reasons... who knows what kinds of corruption or alien influence the Rogue Trader could have encountered out in the void? And who knows what else that investigation might turn up...

As stated in the Inquisitor rulebook:

"Rogue Traders usually return to Imperial space every few years, to unload their exotic wares and resupply, recruit and rest until their next foray into the darkness. During these periods they may have encounters with members of the Inquisition. Any Inquisitor who hears news of a Rogue Trader in his locality will more than likely seek him out to find out what he has discovered. Rogue Traders wield incredible power and it is easy for them to forget that once back within the Imperium they do not have free rein to act as they wish, and this will also draw attention from the Inquisition.

"Many Rogue Traders dispute the right of the Inquisition to persecute them, as they see it. As men who have wandered amongst alien stars and conversed with all manner of cultures, Rogue Traders are susceptible to all kinds of heresies, from wayward philosophies to infection by alien creatures or possession by warp entities that live in the darkness between stars. All these factors can lead to violent confrontation, particularly if the Rogue Trader has knowledge or an artefact that an Inquisitor is keen to get his hands on."

Claven said:

As soon as he gets back into the Imperium, the law applies once more... without legitimate claim to his discoveries, the Imperial Navy or Adeptus Mechanicus could sweep in and take that ancient, long-lost starship without so much as a thank you (the political force of a Rogue Trader is nothing compared to the might of the Adeptus Mechanicus, nor that of the Imperial Navy, and most officers in the Navy come from prestigious noble families with extensive connections within the Imperium that a Rogue Trader may lack).

A Rogue Trader is unlikely to be quite as influential as you believe. Afterall, if he spends decades at a time outside of the Imperium, how is he going to forge or maintain all the political alliances needed to become influential in the first place?

Well this has certainly been an interesting if convoluted debate. Personally, I have to side with dvang and No One Here on this one. A Rogue Trader is certainly not answerable to some lowly paper pusher trapped in the back of the Administratum's massive maze of offices, desks, and archives. On the other hand, he may be answerable to whoever that desk jockey reports to. After all, ticking off the personal scribe of some planetary governor may not be the best career move a RT captain can make, especially if it could be inferred that the RT thinks little of the scribe's master. And if said desk jockey is also an Adept in the employ of the Inquistion, he may hold more power over the RT's fate then either of them may realize ("Lord Inquistor, a Rogue Trader's aide stopped into my office today requesting a Writ of Salvage for a vessel lost to the Warp.")

Besides, there is nothing to say the Captain can't befriend a few key office jocks. When organized, peons have more power within an organization then people realize. Orders to blacklist an individual could find themselves "lost" while requests made by a favored drinking buddy may end up on the fast track to getting approved. The Imperium thrives on bueracracy, both sides of it. Rules and regulations are abound, but so are bribes.

I have no experience with any version of any warhammer RPG, so I picked this up on Free RPG Day and read through it a few times. I thought it looked pretty good, and so I got my group to agree to let me run it for them last Saturday. We played through the adventure in three and a half hours and considering that we are die hard D&D 3.5e players, I was pretty excited to hear them tell me that they would like to see the rules when the system is released and they would definitely play it again.

Obviously, there some minor problems, mostly associating with us not really knowing the terminology or how to interact with everything, but combats went smooth and I only killed one of the five players and he didn't go down till the last battle, so I thought that was pretty darn good. Fate points were used as they should have been, skill checks were made, and lots of bullets were fired. I like the possible rewards for clever thinking, and appreciate the opportunity to stack the deck in their favor at times in terms of making a skill check or whatever by using a bit of strategy to make the skill check easier.

Anyway, if the idea was to get people interested in Rogue Trader, you got at least one group that had no idea about it before interested.

Now, that's what it's about. Welcome to the Maw.

dvang said:

The Void, the perpetually penultimate frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Xenocide. It's eternal mission: to exploit strange new worlds, to wipe out new life forms and new civilisations, to go boldy where no one in their right mind would want to go.

Haha! Exactly!

It seems to me that the question of why the Rogue Trader wants to go handle so many excursions personally with a small number of assistants is a roleplaying limitation.

The rogue traders (like many 40K characters) are or aspire to be Nietzschean ubermench, and would never want to leave important business to under-men.