I was really stoked about getting this especially after Dark Heresy, but if I had one complaint in DH it was the lack of xenos, (being that their influence can be a major source of Heresy) Happily the Anathema fixed this by adding Orcs and Eldar, With Rouge Trader, I was hoping to see the Tau finally (Yeah I play Tau, big whoop wanna fight about it?!) After all Rouge traders may be a xenophobic as the rest of the empire, but they undertand the importance of dealing with those you may not like, and I think a book with info on roleplaying/ NPCing the other Castes of the Tau could be pretty interesting, yet in this book we have Kroot BUT NO TAU!?!? don't get me wrong Kroot will make a fun combat encounter but I would think Tau might make for interesting roleplaing foils. any chance we will see them in an upcoming supplement? and while I'm asking anyone else got anything they would like to see in future supplements for RT/DH

The Kronos expanse and calaxis sector are on the wrong side of the galaxy for players to encounter the Tau. While you could set your game nearer to Tau space, I wouldn't expect FFG to help you.

There are kroot, at least. Rejoice.

Yeah. I can understand wanting to include them, but they're way out from the setting. If there was a DH version of Dragon Magazine, they'd probably be in that, but this is a smaller game. The DH GM Kit xeno generator could probably be used to make some Tau of various castes, though.

Here's what I came up with using the generator and some touches. I'm no Tau expert, so modify at will:

Type: Race

Form: Bipedal

Size: Average

Classification: Warlike (Two Combat Talents, likely to be well-armed and protected.)

Features: Fast, Nimble.

Tau Fire Warrior

WS BS S T Ag Int Per WP Fel Wounds
36 42 30 27 42 35 34 32 22 13

Move: 4/8/12/28

Skills: Dodge (Ag) +10, Drive (Tau Military Vehicles) (Ag) +10, Speak Language (Tau, Low Gothic) (Int), Forbidden Lore (Xenos- Tau) (Int), Pilot (Tau Military Craft, Battlesuits) (Ag), Tech-Use (Int) +10.

Talents: Catfall, Deadeye Shot, Exotic Weapon Training (Tau Pulse Rifle), Heightened Senses (Sight),* Step Aside.

Traits: Dark Sight.*

*From Advanced Helmet System.

Armor: Tau Battle Carapace (7 All), Advanced Helmet System (microbead, auto-senses, preysense).

Weapons: Tau Pulse Rifle (Basic, Plasma, Exotic) (150 m, S/2/-, 1d10+4 E, Pen. 5, Clip 60, Rld. Full, Accurate, Reliable), 2 Plasma Grenades or 2 Blind Grenades.

Other: MIU system (compatible with all Tau technology, effectively adds +10 BS when used with a Tau Pulse Rifle).

Taking into account that the Tau are on the opposite side of the galaxy, and that the Kroot have been seen all over the galaxy because 1) they have warp drives, and 2) They're mercenaries, it makes sense that they'd have stats and Tau wouldn't.

Hodgepodge said:

They're not, thought. In 40k, they're Initiative 2, the same as Orks, which generally translates to a fairly low Agility (and consequently a low movement).

I'd be more inclined towards something like this, as basic Fire Warriors line up fairly closely with Guardsman, being somewhat less physically able but much better equipped. Adjusted from what you posted:

Tau Fire Warrior (Shas'la - basic Fire Caste Warrior)

WS BS S T Ag Int Per WP Fel Wounds
28 38 30 27 31 35 34 32 22 11

Move: 3/9/9/18

Skills: Drive (Skimmer) (Ag) +10, Speak Language (Tau) (Int), Forbidden Lore (Xenos- Tau) (Int), Literacy (Int), Medicae (Int), Survival (Int), Tech-Use (Int).

Talents: Deadeye Shot, Exotic Weapon Training (Tau Pulse Rifle, Tau Pulse Carbine), Rapid Reload, Heightened Senses (Smell)

Traits: Dark Sight.*

*From Advanced Helmet System.

Armor: Tau Battle Carapace (6 All), Advanced Helmet System (microbead, auto-senses, preysense, immune to the effects of photon flash grenades).

Weapons: Tau Pulse Rifle (Basic, Exotic) (150 m, S/2/-, 1d10+6 E, Pen. 5, Clip 80, Rld. 2Full, Reliable) or Tau Pulse Carbine (70m; S/2/-; 1d10+6 E; Pen 5; Clip 80; Rld 2Full; Reliable, includes underslung grenade launcher 70m; S/-/-; no damage, no pen; clip 8; Rld 3Full, reliable, loaded with Photon Flash Grenades), 2 Photon Flash grenades, Xeno-craft medi-kit, Ta'lissera Bonding Knife (+10 to WP tests to resist Fear and Pinning when accompanied by one or more other Tau who participated in his Bonding Ritual - that is, his squadmates)

Other: MIU system (compatible with all Tau technology, effectively adds +10 BS when used with a Tau Pulse Rifle).

Tau Fire Warriors don't get trained in the use of battlesuits until they reach the rank of Shas'ui (equivalent to Sergeant, essentially), so that would come later, but they are proficient in the use of their vehicles (all of which are skimmers - true aircraft are only piloted by Air Caste pilots), well-equipped (solid armour, powerful weapons), and quite well-educated by Imperial standards.

Ah, cool. Works for me. Is the Pulse Rifle that close to Imperial weapons in outright power? From what I read (wiki fluff), it's more accurate and reliable, but significantly less powerful. On the other hand, Accurate on a Basic Weapon in DH/RT terms is a rather large damage boost.

Hodgepodge said:

In 40k, the pulse rifle has 6" of range and +1 strength over the bolter. It's an extremely good basic weapon. The estimate in my previous post is, perhaps, a slightly low conversion of the damage (1d10+7 might be more appropriate, or even 2d10), but it's close enough for now. They aren't really plasma weapons, so that comparison doesn't quite work (Tau plasma rifles are more reliable, but less powerful than an Imperial Plasma Gun, but that's a different item to a pulse rifle)

Ah, cool. The fluff stuff said (correctly or not) that basically they were technically a form of Plasma weapon but worked quite differently, but I wasn't sure if that would translate into using the Plasma rules.

I seem to remember reading that the Tau had poor depth perception compared to humans, but this was corrected on the battlefield thanks to the advanced sighting systems in their helmets.

Perhaps an adjustment to Per is needed?

DW

Traveller61 said:

If memory serves, a Tau eye struggles to focus on fast-moving objects as quickly as a human eye does, particularly when dealing with those moving quickly towards or away from the Tau. However, they can see further into the infra-red and ultra-violet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum than humans can, which in overall terms does make them still quite adept at spotting things.

I would like to see rules for Eldar Farseers and Warlocks - heck just about anything Eldar related. Expanded rules for Genestealer cults. Rules for the Dark Eldar and some of the Tyranids.

Well,

The Koronus Expanse is known to include:
- Kroot
- Eldar Corsairs and perhaps even Dark Eldar
- Necrons (atleast several very strong indications
- Orks

I would like to have:
- Rules for Abhumans
- Rules for Tau
- Expanded rules for Eldar
- Rules for Necrons

And most of all:
- More information and ships for the Slaught!!!

Santiago said:

I suppose we should start working on that ourselves, since I don't think we are going to see another Rogue Trader Book for a long fraking while (except the GM screen stuff).

sinkarna said:

Santiago said:

Let's see... I've done Abhumans, I just need to make some additions and alterations so they work smoothly with both Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader. I'm working on Eldar, but it'll take a while as it's a big project. Personally, I feel that the Tau would be best-served by detailing a new region on the fringes of Imperial and Tau space - giving them a context, rather than just a set of rules (I tried to do similar with The Great Devourer, using the sections depicting a Tyranid invasion to give the Tyranids a place rather than just being a set of numbers). The Necrons should, IMO, be approached with a light touch - per the 'current' 40kRP timeline (815.M41), the first recorded contact with Necron forces isn't due to happen for another 85 years, so their appearance within the Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader setting should be one shrouded in mystery, uncertainty and befuddling horror...

Santiago said:

Indeed considering the location of the Setting, Tau seems to be out of the picture. That been said I would love to see the rules for Tau Water Caste (The merchant and diplomat) rather then the Fire caste (Warriors) since they would fit well in a Rogue trader setting and allow us to relocate it elsewhere in the Uiverse.

I fully agree with your idea of rules for Abhumans, expended rules for Eldar (and Orks) and for necrons. On top of that I would love to see:

• Rules for Genestealers (Patriarch, Hybrid, Brood Brothers, Purestrain and Magus) to include Genestealer cult in the game;
• Basic rules for Imperium (Marines, both Hunter, Assassin and Guards) ;
• Maybe some minor Xenos, like the Hurd or the Tarellian Dog-Soldier.

There is a Genestealer Cults fanplement by my hand on Dark Reign and No1_H3r3 wrote an excellent fanplement on Tyranid in general called the Great Devourer.
Both are worth considering.

Santiago said:

I couldn't agree more, on all parts (but especially the last). though I doupt that we will see officiel information on Necrons as Necrons have yet to be discovered at the time Rogue Trader takes place, or at least as "Necrons" we might hear about them as Yungir, their Eldar-name.

Tetragon Tanebrae said:

Minor point - the Yngir is actually the Eldar term for the C'Tan, not the Necrons.

Now, while true Imperial first contact with the Necrons is not due to happen until 987.M41 (the destruction of Sanctuary 101), because they've been around for millions of years, they are still very much present all across the galaxy. There is, in the current timeline, at least one example of the Eldar moving to destroy a dormant force of Necrons before the Imperium stumble onto the tomb-world and accidentally awaken them. Their ancient and slumbering nature gives them interesting potential as a hidden threat with an unknown nature, particularly if used carefully.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the rules for Necron ships in Armada indicate that the Imperium has been having contact with Necron space craft for the last few centuries already.

Dabat said:

Entirely possible, and given the sensor-resistant nature of Necron craft (as well as their ability to travel interstellar distances swiftly without Warp Travel, and their ability to simply 'phase out' leaving no trace of their passage), likely to have been happening for a good while without the Imperium getting any worthwhile information from those encounters. The first Imperial Navy encounter with a Necron raiding fleet (Yuctan system, Ultima Segmentum, 666.M41) saw only a single Cobra-class Destroyer survive (of a patrol group consisting of the Dauntless-class Light Cruiser Farsight and a dozen escort craft), and the sudden disappearance of an entire planetary population - hardly the kind of thing that allows for conclusive evidence of a foe's nature, though more substantial than the unexplained disappearances without apparent aggressor that had been recorded before that event.

What distinguishes the 'first contact' is that the aggressors were conclusively identified as Necrons in a context that provides the Imperium with the information needed to classify and categorise them as a distinct adversary (which in turn would have allowed greater insight into past encounters that were, at the time, recorded as being with Unknown Xenos ). When dealing with previously-unknown Xenos species, particularly such elusive ones as Necron raiding forces, there might well be dozens or hundreds of discrete encounters before enough evidence is gathered to classify them as anything other than 'Unknown'.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

About the name I do not want a fight about it or anything but I am pretty **** sure that Yungir is the name for Necrons, there seem to be some contradiction in the fluff about it.

"Eldar moving to destroy a dormant force of Necrons before the Imperium stumble onto the tomb-world and accidentally awaken them" if memory serves the Eldar attacked the Humans not the Necrons.

What I wanted across was that we likely arn't given official information about necrons in RT at least as necrons since they haven't been identified by the Imperium.

I seem to recall that the first Necron contact occured in 666.M41. Nevertheless, that's not a reason for Necrons not be turning up in Koronus -just that the Necrons are very good at covering thier tracks.

Oh, and I REALLY hope that the Tau don't turn up in Koronus. They're on the Eastern Fringe, for heaven's sake. Unless they've invented a hyperdrive in thier last Codex, they're just too far away ... honestly, even the Kroot are a bit of a stretch, but I'll probably be told off for being a killjoy if I complain aout that

EDIT - ah, the 666 incident was mentioned

Personal Wishlist for RT in general:

- Rules for creating Xeno PCs, particularly Eldar and Tau (despite the latter not being anywhere near the canon setting.)

- Rules for Slaughts as they are arguably one of the most awesome things added to the 40k lore in my memory/opinion.

- More ship classes and hull types.

- More starship components.

- Rules for owning/administering planets and all of the other things high-tier RTs are supposed to have their fingers in.

Other then the Tau, FFG is probably going to have something on these in later books. The Tau... I'm half-tempted to work on a fan supplement for them in my own time except I'm too busy working on other things more likely to see the light of day. Still, a Tau supplement could segway into a conversion mod for AT-43...