As the title of the topic says.

A starting RT starts off with just one vessel.

Also, no offence, but couldn't you condense all your questions into a single thread, rather than one thread per question? It'd make it easier for people to reply to you, and it'd look a bit less "spammy".

MILLANDSON said:

Thats funny. Considering this thread was started 3 days after Miss Dee's last thread, hardly seems like a spam.

Ive seen far worse, hell Ive done far worse.

Back to the OP. You could have more then one ship to start with if you had lots of Ship Points, they would both just suck and be very very plain.

Alternately, they could have quite a few transports and what not in their fleet and have them simply represented as a part of the PC's profit factor. Usually these ships preform the inglorious jobs within the dynasty such as maintaining transport of goods to a colony the PC's established, plying trade routs the PC's set up, patrolling a planet for the next 10 years for pirates ready to call the PC's in if there is too much pirate activity, etc. Such ships would be treated, game wise, as the mooks of the ship world so stats and ship sheets really aren't needed. They'd be more of a story and narrative tool as well as just anouther in-game representation of the characters PF and dynasty.

Since we are talking about ships I think I'll just lump my question here.

In my interpretation of the reading of the rulebook (specially in ship to ship combat) it seems to be hinted at that a rogue trader's vessel contain a lot of little ships. Much like an aircraft carrier would contain a lot fighter jets. Why is there no stats for these? Are they free and just considered part of the ships arsenal?

I know it seems a moot point when it comes to combat since the boarding rule is quite effective and doesn't bog down the game with to much accounting on the GM's part. But I'm more interested on those stats on those small ships since it would be important in exploration scenarios since I doubt that a ship would land on a planet. More likely the ship would remain in orbit while transport will be sent down below.

newo said:

It is stated in "Emperor's Bounty" that the Rogue Trader's Vessel had a Guncutter aboard but that is about it, if you are looking for rules for fighters and bombers and the like they will likely appear in later supplements.

Besides that the starship probably has a shuutle or two to get the Rogue Trader and his/her retinue down to the planets and back up.

A small fleet of shuttles is taken as given, most starships aren't designed to simply land. Without a dock, your best case scenario is a tidy crash. The guncutters on the other hand land, load and launch quite easily and it's the standard way of getting things on and off of a ship.

But, as has been said, it takes a lot more effort to maintain an airforce. Fighters, bombers and other combat craft sound like they'd be optional extras, details to be released in the highly anticipated ships book.

A typical guncutter does have a statline, in the first (and only?) Dark Heresy Apocrypha. Also included are a few of your favourite tanks, smaller vehicles and riding beasts. I've forgotten where to acquire it from though...

Since I didnt get the book untill this morning....

Beginning RT's start with 1 Ship see page 33 for the ship points and starting profit modifier. Note that with 70 ship points you can buy two cheap vessels instead of a cruiser if you prefer). During their endeavers they will undoubtly add a few and loose a few.

If we talk about small vessels, like shuttles and the like, they will have dozens of them. Transport shuttles to carry cargo With huge cargo holds you want a few shuttles to get it loaded quickly, shuttles for pasengers and replacement crew, the already mentioned guncutter and probably a few assault shuttles for those hit and run tactics during combat. Not to mention escape pods and the like.

i find it odd that every one thinks that all rogue traders share profit factor, although it does seem that the game intended for one rogue trader and 2 or more specialists. as far as multiple ships goes, that will also fall under more than one rogue trader each with their own PF. as for how many it all will rest with the group it's self.

Jarrion_Zukov said:

Well, Rogue Traders from different dynasties could pool their resources if they wanted through contracts, marriages, and other true and tried forms of beneficial mergers, but you are right. For the most part, a Rogue Trader dynasty will rise and fall on it's own merits with little financial help from without unless they can arrange a merger with anouther dynasty.

However, the bulk of this thread and Profit Sharing is referring to a single Rogue Trader dynasty which can, it's self, have a massive fleet of ships (just look at the Winterscales). While they have multiple ships, the fate of the dynasty and the dynasties power is still represented as one Profit Factor. likewise, not every ship in the fleet will have a Captain with his hands on a Warrant of Trade. Most all of them will be vassals of the dynasty's head or others who in one form or anouther owe fealty to the head of the dynasty, the one who actually holds the Warrant of Trade, the Rogue Trader. Unless special circumstances exist, each dynasty only ever has one Rogue Trader at a time as, usually, the Warrant of Trade can only belong to one individual -much like a monarchy can only have one monarch at a time. The dynasty, however, can have multiple ships operating under hired Free Captains, Vassal Captains, scions of the dynasty waiting to inherit the Warrant of Trade, and Chartist Captains helping them maintain their wealth and power.

Actually, one rogue trader can own many ships, crewed by his/her theoretically loyal servants.

In the book it does speak of the Imperial navy reacting very poorly when a Rogue Trader fleet turned up unannounced! presumably it would have been a LARGE fleet to give the Navy concern.

Ironically, it goes on to state that defeating the navy is grounds for loss of warrent. So it must have been quite the fleet indeed.

Well it's one thing to let a bunch of merchants have guns - another thing to be beaten by them!! The Navy has a certain level that needs to be maintained!

"I hear the first Fenksworldian Scout Fleet was defeated by a Rogue trader with a battleship."

"Have the survivors shot, and take away the Rogue trader's warrant. We want him for the Navy."

Problem is if the RT has a battleship... they tend to not go quietly into the night. It's the kind of weapon of war that gives you an equal vote **** near everything and people tend to call you "sir" and "lord" a lot

...it was a joke... not that Rogue Traders don't have battleships (One's even named in the History of the Koronus Expanse)... but was not ment to be a serious statement (you don't actually need a battleship to beat, say, some SDF boatds or a couple Dauntlesses)

There is no reason why an NPC couldn't have a battleship - perhaps it could be the home fortress of a Navigator Clan?

BaronIveagh said:

That would certainly make for an interesting adventure hook. Now the Rogue Trader has to decide if he wants to fight for his Warrant of Trade (cue political intrigue and calling-in of favors, with the Seneschal paying many midnight visits to friends and associates), or play the long game of dancing to Battlefleet Calixis' tune and hoping for a Planetary Governorship somewhere out in the Koronus Expanse. Either way will result in profit and glory, just not in the equal amounts the Rogue Trader might otherwise want.

the point i was trying to get across is that each individual rogue trader has his own profit factor. well, as far as my group goes anyway. each rogue trader roles for his own ship points and profit factor. as far a game mechanics goes. but i guess that option would be left to the GM.