so i am running a campaign and i had designed it to be more purely a human campaign like normal. thing is, one new player decided it would be interesting to run a Dark Eldar character. i am having trouble accommodating towards this character. it sounds like an awesome idea, but it is just making it difficult because nearly all the other characters want to kill him for being a xeno. really doesnt help that one player is a member of the Inquisition. and what also doesn't help is that, further in to the campaign, ANYTHING xeno is considered a major threat. is there any tips anyone can give me?

Just say no. If he is a good player (both IC and OOC) he will understand and come up with another cool and interesting concept. Playing a Xenos character in an Imperial game is never a right, but at most a request one can make at the GM and the other players, as it has the potential to cause massive disruption in the campaign and within the group dynamics.

It really only works if everyone is on board with it and tries to accomodate the character - which, by your words, isn't the case. I'd suggest discussing it with all players present and involved.

I'd say if the fact that they are a xenos isn't, itself, important to the story planned, try to convince them not to play it. Rogue Traders have a great deal of autonomy, and can flout the laws of the Imperium in ways few others would dare, but some things are still just trouble they shouldn't court, and if this Rogue Trader isn't actively benefiting from having a Dark Eldar, an Ork, a Kroot, or what have you (you have an alliance with the organization, and they are the envoy overseeing its interests, for instance), their presence is likely just detrimental, and a player wanting to play the "weird character"; its presence will not be of benefit enough to off put its complications.

If he's aTrueborn, and the offspring of an Archon you are in league with, or the promising prospect of a Haemonculus, who wants you to take him along, to check something for them, that's one thing, but if he's just a Kabalite you happen to have, and the only Dark Eldar you have any partnership with, I'd say no; the RT has power, but many other groups can still choose not to deal with him, on account of his "friends".

It really only works if everyone is on board with it and tries to accomodate the character - which, by your words, isn't the case. I'd suggest discussing it with all players present and involved.

This.

Due to the unique setting that is 40k and how Xenophobic it is, playing a Xenos is hard at best. It will cause the group complications, the player cannot go to some places in Imperial space than that others can so will be left twiddling their thumbs (and hopefully figuring out something to do).

It will dramatically affect thePC's relationships with groups if they see an Eldar (doesn't matter what kind as most don't understand the difference).

Dark Eldar have a bit of a need to cause pain so She Who Thirsts doesn't come for their soul.

Just sit and talk to the player about it, explaining that its not really a viable option in RT. Also point out why playing a Tau an Ork and a Kroot is basically the same. The group itself is against it and its not hard to come up with some very cool ideas, and given that there are several splatts with alternate careers they have plenty of options to be different.

Also point out just because they wont be playing an Eldar, doesn't mean they cannot get their hands on all their toys and be a self styled Striking Scorpion or ranger etc.

Ultimately it's your campaign and you have the right to decline any character concept which is going to be a problem for any reason.

Talk to the player, ask them what was so appealing about playing a Dark Eldar, and see if you can come up with a workable human concept which still embodies whatever they were going for. Hopefully, they won't just say "Because humans are boring" (*cringe*).

Ultimately it's your campaign and you have the right to decline any character concept which is going to be a problem for any reason.

Word of advice: Don't flaunt that perceived right. You have it exactly as long as the players are on board with it, and it's rare that you are going to actually solve an issue by doing so.

I'd say if the fact that they are a xenos isn't, itself, important to the story planned, try to convince them not to play it. Rogue Traders have a great deal of autonomy, and can flout the laws of the Imperium in ways few others would dare, but some things are still just trouble they shouldn't court, and if this Rogue Trader isn't actively benefiting from having a Dark Eldar, an Ork, a Kroot, or what have you (you have an alliance with the organization, and they are the envoy overseeing its interests, for instance), their presence is likely just detrimental, and a player wanting to play the "weird character"; its presence will not be of benefit enough to off put its complications.

If he's aTrueborn, and the offspring of an Archon you are in league with, or the promising prospect of a Haemonculus, who wants you to take him along, to check something for them, that's one thing, but if he's just a Kabalite you happen to have, and the only Dark Eldar you have any partnership with, I'd say no; the RT has power, but many other groups can still choose not to deal with him, on account of his "friends".

That just cracks me up Venk. "If you're going full metal cheese, then it's okay. But, if you're just toying with a Velveeta topping, forget it."

That's the key to a lot of rogue trader characters, though.

The primary driver for why any of the character matter should at some level be the politics of their allies (Mechanicus, Ecclesiarchy, the crew of the ship, the Dynasty, and any Inquisitorial or Xenos allies of convenience).

A xenos character is only going to be tolerated for a good reason - because:

1. The rogue trader owes him something personally or feels close to him personally (the DH2.0 'ranger saved my life' example)
2. The rogue trader needs him personally for something specific (most likely a Haemonculus if he has some sort of exotic xenos medical condition he can't exactly ask for help openly with)
3. The rogue trader needs him to deal with an important group (like a Kabal) on his behalf

If he can't fit his backstory into one of those three, you can't really explain his presence on the ship.

A Navigator, for example, can be (in character) an unlikeable, unpersonable [insert swearwords here], but your ship has to have a Warp Guide or it ain't going anywhere, and whilst he's not the house Paterfamilias, Navigators do look after their own, and if the house does feel the need to make a point it can buy the average Rogue Trader dynasty out of pocket change.

Pretty much. Though I'd add "Hire a really good mercenary" to the list, as evidenced by the Kroot. Charlabelle Armelan comes to mind.

But even there - it's not quite the same as having one of them on your command crew. And if the character isn't on your command crew, it might get uninteresting for the player mighty quick.

I'd say if the fact that they are a xenos isn't, itself, important to the story planned, try to convince them not to play it. Rogue Traders have a great deal of autonomy, and can flout the laws of the Imperium in ways few others would dare, but some things are still just trouble they shouldn't court, and if this Rogue Trader isn't actively benefiting from having a Dark Eldar, an Ork, a Kroot, or what have you (you have an alliance with the organization, and they are the envoy overseeing its interests, for instance), their presence is likely just detrimental, and a player wanting to play the "weird character"; its presence will not be of benefit enough to off put its complications.

If he's aTrueborn, and the offspring of an Archon you are in league with, or the promising prospect of a Haemonculus, who wants you to take him along, to check something for them, that's one thing, but if he's just a Kabalite you happen to have, and the only Dark Eldar you have any partnership with, I'd say no; the RT has power, but many other groups can still choose not to deal with him, on account of his "friends".

That just cracks me up Venk. "If you're going full metal cheese, then it's okay. But, if you're just toying with a Velveeta topping, forget it."

Well, I wasn't trying to be silly with it. The game, on its base, isn't really set up to have PC Eldar, Orks, Kroot, or the like, and many of the groups you might run into, who are Imperial, will question why you have them, and perhaps even refuse to work with/for you. If you, as a Rogue Trader, are going to tolerate the problems having a Dark Eldar following you around, and talking like he's not a prisoner, should bring about, if the GM is playing the typical Imperium, there had better be a better reason than "well, Steve, here, wants to play a Dark Eldar, because they are "different"." Your position might keep you from getting arrested/trepaned with a bolter, for associating with a xeno, but it does nothing to force tolerance out of the AdMech, the Navy, the Guard, or whoever else will whisper about your strange friends. Now, granted, in the Expanse, a lot of this racism is diminished, so my point loses some steam, if you never go back to Calixis.

Sorry, I'm not honestly sure if that was a jab at me, or not, as I do have my own flare for the cheese. In 40k, though, I try to accept that the world, as a whole, is intolerant of the sources that cheese can com from, so I can more easily be negative toward it, where in other games, I fight for the power of cheese. The Eldar are my favorite 40k race, and I do wish that they had character rules in the system, rather than their BDSM cousins, or even alongside them, but whatever, but I accept that 40k isn't a good game to play a Space Elf. Elves are my go-to race in gaming, but in Dark Sun D&D, for instance, I wouldn't want to play one, dodging all the child-stealing, terror-laced fluff that goes with Athas' own pointy-eared immortals; in that system, it's more trouble than its worth.

I suppose, to make it a post of mine, I'll say "I wouldn't allow it, in this case, unless the story has a vested interest in that one xeno being around, with the party, but if you DO decide to allow it, don't be afraid to make the player(s) upset by portraying the eider universe as very unimpressed with their choice; Rogue Traders CAN associate with xenos, but bringing them along, and parading them around, in front of God-Emperor fearing faithful, should close some doors to them, and raise the tolls on some other bridges; it's the Imperium, after all.

It wasn't a jab, Venk, just a playful poke. You've always been up front about your fondness for cheese.

I honestly don't know why they included D.Eldar in the game as playable characters. As mentioned, it is a logistical nightmare to even justify their presence.

That being said... an all D.Eldar command crew using combined RT/That awesome homebrew Eldar codex rules to pillage their way through an Imperial Sector sounds like fun.

I knew when I started my RT campaign that at least one of the players would want to play a xeno; so I made the NPC Rogue Trader that they work for very open-minded (and a little nuts) and I keep the campaign confined to places where the Imperium has little-to-no influence. Ultimately, it's really just a matter of what you have in mind for your campaign.

Given how 'accurate' your players are in their roleplay, certain xenos are easier to justify than others. Kroot and Orks are far more likely to be willing to take Sanctioned Xenos so they can be passed off in Imperial space with much less of a problem. D.Eldar, though, I would think far less likely to place themselves under the Imperial yoke, even if it is just for show. I've found that that race in particular changes RT playstyle because it almost forces you to have an open minded RT, little to no Ecclesiarchal presence, and to avoid interactions with the Imperium. That says nothing of how you handle the penchant for torture among your own crew...

That being said, an all D.Eldar crew makes for some fun, if slightly narrow, campaigns.

Or an all Ork crew. Not sure how long such a campaign would last, but I am sure it would ensure some hilarious moments.

Or an all Ork crew. Not sure how long such a campaign would last, but I am sure it would ensure some hilarious moments.

We're actually planning to do this soon. Waaaggh! Trada is hilarious. Especially when playing proper freebootaz and occasionally signing on to 'help' Imperial forces.

The nice thing about Orks is that you can make a full 'capable' krew - Mekboy as explorator, Evil Sunz Driva as helmsman, Goff commander, Wierdboy as combined astropath/navigator, etc, etc, and the raiders and kroozas are 'multipart' ships that you can produce a unique one for them to command.

Don't forget the Painboy. No good crew is complete without a good MadDoc.