Im assuming that by now the main overriding element of being a Rogue Trader is, as stated many times in the source material so far:

BOUNDLESS AMBITION.

I know that there has been a discussion on films so far to evoke the 40k/Rogue Trader theme. I would like to go futher and examine what are the elements of an individual who personifies this kind of ambition. What are the limits to this

Is it a case of sheer determination? A devil may care attitude to risk? A excellent capacity to delegate tasks and resources?

Is it due to extrinsic factors (i.e Money) or Intrinsic (my name written in history etc...), Where do rogue traders sit on this spectrum, or are some of them borderline psycopaths, in the same way that say the character batman has boundless drive which borders on unhealthy obsession.

Many of the complaints about Rogue Trader were about the PC being given too much power, but isnt this exactly waht the game explores: Is your ambition limited to the warrant of trade or the brass nuts and determination you possess?

Also what do people on this forum are good historical or fictional examples of people who personify 'boundless ambition', or are parrelels with real life and or other fiction just too difficult to make?

Ideas- Just a general discussion. May throw up some good ideas or tropes for your Games...

Great swathes of Shakespeare relfect this, and I feel it's very eerily and eloquently stated in Ran and Throne of Blood , both of which look long and hard at the price of ambition.

Also, real-life figures with boundless ambition? There are too many to choose from! Maybe Napoleon would be a good example to start with.

Cecil Rhodes

This quote from Wikipedia just about sums it up:

"To think of these stars that you see overhead at night, these vast worlds which we can never reach. I would annex the planets if I could; I often think of that. It makes me sad to see them so clear and yet so far."

Moby **** provides a great example of ambition.

Also A Hunger in the Sou l by Mike Resnick comes to mind.

Those are two of the sources I think of most when I think of a Rogue Trader.

I don't think the kind of people who make excellent Rogue Trader characters can be further narrowed down from "clinically ambitious" to some smaller motive behind their ambition, because any motive is good as long as your ambition is grand enough. Hoarding wealth beyond mortal ken, immortalizing your name for good or ill, restoring your family to honor, championing the Imperium of Man, exacting horrible revenge on your rival - anything you can think of qualifies if it motivates the character to reach for the impossible.

The only common element I see in the background of all RT characters is their disassociation from the Imperial society at large. Descriptions of all Careers in the core book make it painfully clear that RT retinues comprise of people who don't really fit in the Empire of Man. From Astropaths who find the silence of the Void appealing rather than appalling to Explorators used to operate outside the strict hierarchy and orthodoxy of the Machine Cult to Missionaries who can stomach beliefs that would make any other priest cry heresy and open fire, these people are unlike anyone else in the 41st Millenium. While necessary for the jobs they perform, this must also make them feel alienated from the common men. And if I were to search for any underlying cause behind the boundless ambition, I'd point to this sense of alienation. Rogue Traders and their retinues exist outside the bounds of normal society, unable to really make a connection with anyone without their outlook. Thus, they cling to people like themselves, their substitute society. In this society, wealth and daring exploits are the measure of man, so if nothing else, peer pressure is going to cultivate the "reach for the stars" attitude.

Then, there's the "power corrupts" theme. Being an actual free man in a world of tightly knit, byzantine social hierarchy, and holding great sway despite this freedom can't be good for your mental health. Surely everyone knows how spoiled the rich and influential people can get, from ancient noble houses to contemporary billionaires and celebrities. It's the same for Rogue Traders, only worse, because the nobility of old times had their feudal obligations and today's celebrities are still bound by law, whereas the Rogue Trader is virtually untouchable to anyone save for the Inquisition, and I believe even the =][= can't keep them in check all the time. When you get so much literally handed to you on a golden plate, it's easy to develop a taste for more and understandable that you won't take "no" for an answer.

For literary examples, look no further than the Greek mythology - it's chock full of people with larger than life ambitions and little accountability. Both gods and heroes apply here.

When I explained RT to my players, I decribed Rogue Traders as being part Hernan Cortes, part James T. Kirk and part Roman von Ungern-Sternberg .

I am very much enjoying this thread.

As for boundless ambition, Rogue Traders literally conquer worlds. The more powerful ones might have multiple worlds under their dominion. They are not like lesser men.

A sense of entitlement, absolute disdain for obstacles and a natural assumption of leadership all must define a rogue trader. Think Napolean, Genghis Khan, Alexander the great even Hitler. These men were all mass murderers who thought big. They saw what they wanted and reached out their hand to take it, no matter how impossible. Massive egos drove these kind of men. The modern day has little to compare to them (thankfully) but you might look at the most powerful and connected billionaires such as the Russian Oligarchs or people like Rupert Murdoch who has so little shame about his backroom deals, political partisanship and business practices. A lack of human empathy and conscience would be required by successful rogue traders.

I agree entirely with the sentiment that these people don't fit into Imperial society. Much like Inquisitors, who are often exemplars of the things imperial society professes to disdain (intellectuals, curiousity driven, free thinkers, independant). Rogue traders are one of the great sources of wealth and power in the imperium but they exist mostly outside it, they are the highest of nobility but being much more mobile tend not to get involved in the bitter local politics that rule the nobility of places like Malfi.

A rogue trader above all must think big, dare to face the odds, without necessarily knowing what those odds are, have utter self confidence and an iron will.

Just sort of grab a copy of Dune, back end it with some Tolkien critters for some example "species of exploitation", find a horribe planet out the middle of nowhere full of magic space crack the universe can't function without and sell it to the masses. Just don't sas the emperor in public until you're in a position of total annexation, purged all potential opposition and effectively a god yourself. 4. Profit... Oh, if some old geezer in a robe with a young fella turns up, get the money up front because they're bound to be trouble later on. Also, if someone offers to rule the galaxy together claiming to be your dad, just say yes until you can get around to capping his ass and ruling it by yourself... sharing is for losers.