Greetings Game Masters!

I'm running the scenario in the GMs kit for my players, and throughout the various chapters several Endeavour seeds are presented "to be fleshed out" by the GM. I am new to Rogue Trader, and am still trying to take in the scale of this game. Thus I would like some help and suggestions as to how to flesh out these Endeavours, and indeed how to run with the scenario.

Will these require completion before the showdown with the Whisperer, or can they be completed at the players leisure later? I thought at first that these Endeavours would fit into a greater Endeavour representing the entire scenario (as was the case with the intro scenario in the book), but that seems not to be the case here at all.

I humbly request your aid in this matter

They can technically be done after the removal of the Whisperer in most cases, but much of the challenge and tension would be removed from the equation. You'd have to either replace the antagonists with some other threat, or have the Whisperer's agents be driven mad by the loss of their guiding voice.

I had the same thoughts as you. "These endeavours look huge! Isn't it better to get rid of the Whisperer before trying to rebuild the local economy?"

To get the players to do them before defeating the Whisperer, one would have to say that the main planet (cant remember the name off the top of my head) is running out of resources. The players might be able to multitask a bit and arrange supplies while tracking down the whisperer.

I guess that the endeavours could be done after dealing with the whisperer, but I'd award less profit (the customers are no longer that desperate and will actually haggle or arrange things through other channels)

There is of course another option; make the battle against the Whisperer harder. Without freeing Cog, there is no Mechanicus support, nobody willing or able to enact the Rites of Reactivation upon the various system ships, which can be used as ablative armour and/or distractions for the Void Wasps while the players' ship soars in to deliver the killing stroke. Investigating the Witchroost uncovers system-wide communications arrays, while that moon with all the statues has the fevered research notes of the Magus who dwelled there, who had been working on a way to block out the signal of the Whisperer. Couple those together and you have a shield against the Whisperer, preventing it from taking over your crew or that of any others they bring in close to it. Impress upon the players the importance of accomplishing these tasks; each sub-objective they accomplish provides links to others that offer hints to make things easier for them.

Darth Smeg said:

The Plundering of the Hollow Moons (Lesser Endeavour)

Finding one of the hidden lairs of the refugees (Exploration)
Just because one does know that there must be a hideout on (or more precisely; inside of) one of the hollow moons one does not automatically find it. An Exploration Challenge (perhaps 9 success?) might be in order. Using the ship sensors would be a good idea, using Logic to determine possible locations for a hide-out, good ol ´Search test to find entrances on the surface. Common Lore (Tactic) to organize Search teams,…

The longer it takes, so, the more it becomes possible that the pc gain attention of the Whisperer and will thereby find themselves under attack of some Void-Wasps, there Search-Party under Attack by remaining Whisperers …or some of their Search-Teams –becoming- Whisperers themselves!

Plundering a lair (Exploration; Military)
Some Whisperers might still be alive, hold up and ready to lay an ambush. Traps will be in place as well, even if no survivors are left. Tech-Use tests might be in order to overcome some installed shots or similar security barriers while Security should be enough to deal with more mundane looks. Explosives might come handy as well. Woe to whom who uses these to liberately or relies on heavy weapons. Some tunnels might be very unstable. Code maps and messages might be left, pointing towards other lairs and stash-aways. The theme "servitor guardian(s) on duty long after the master is gone" is a main stable, as well

Selling the goods (Trade; Criminal)
While it won´t be much, whatever the RT manages to claim might score quiet a sum. As long as the system is suffering a shortage on goods due to the war, that is! It can be assumed that there are some legal regulations in place considering rationing and forbidding black marketeering. On the black market, the highest prices are offered, so.

[Perhaps this helps as an inspiration]

WARNING! Work in Progress

The hollowed moon of the Svard System became hideouts for refugees trying to escape the battle with the Whisperers. Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned (see p.16 RT GM Kit) and now the Supplies they stashed away became a valuable good the RT and his crew might try to lay hands upon.
(Lesser Endeavour; 900 Points; +1 Profit)

Learning about the refugees and the hidden lairs (Exploration;Criminal)(100 Points)
The pc can learn about the rumoured Hideouts from the Crystal Council. People tried to hide away and to escape. The pc will need to find somebody knowing about those people to get a better hint about where on the Hollow Moons they might be hiding. This is an extended test for Inquiry(+20), 5 success are needed. Each role stands for about a day of investigation. As soon as the test is passed, the pc will learn about a Recidivist, Smuggler and Privateer named Elisa Sarmanco. If the pc the pc need more then two day, an old enemy of Elisa (let´s call him Ricco Goddard) will learn bout the attempts of the Explorers and his men will start to shadow them (use stats for Oathsworn Bodyguard).

Elisa´s little criminal empire might be waning, but she has heard of the arrival of the RT and the Imperial Navy and decided to bet on change of the tide. As the pc ask around for her, they will be able to arrange a meeting with her through one of her associates. But they will have to met her at her own terms (which will include not her having more guards around then the pc). She did organized quit some “exodi” (how she calls them) and has no issues with selling the coordinates where she dropped some groups.

The pc can try to haggle with her for the information (Barter+0). Other avenues are open as well, but Intimidating her is a daunting task (-10), especially since she has more guns & muscle on the scene. Or so she thinks. If the pc had been shadowed, a group of Goddards men will try to storm the place to get rid of Elisa.

NPC-Suggestion: You might want to use the Free-Trader for Elisa and Oathsworn Bodyguard profiles for her men and those of Ricco Goddard.

Outcome: 100 Points if the pc obtain the information from Elisa. -25 Points if they lost the haggle and – another 25 points for every level of failure (which will lead to her demanding an immense sum). +25 Points for every to level of success on the barter test. -20 if the pc took good bodyguards with them and had high casualties.

Finding the hidden lairs (Exploration)(300 Points)
Once the pc know where to seek, they just have to go and find it. This is best simulated by an Exploration challenge (p.263 RT Core). The challenge starts with +0 and is taxing (6 success needed). Unless the Explorers did not obtain any information besides the general rumour. In that case challenge starts with (-10) and is Involved(12 success needed). The first role should be Scrutiny+Detection (for the ship sensors scanning the moon or moons). The whole thing will take a couple of days.

Outcome: 300 Points if the pc make it, but only 200 if they do not make it in time. +50 points if the pc make it in less then four roles (just a couple of days).

Securing the lair (Exploration; Military) (200 Points)
Work-in-progress

Selling the goods (Trade; Criminal) (300 Points)
Work in Progress

Overall Profit: All in all, this Lesser Endeavour should grant +1 Profit plus another +1 for every 100 excess Achievement Points

Securing the lair (Exploration; Military) (200 Points)
Once the Explorers where able to locate the correct tunnels which will lead to the underground shelters, they need to go on. A test for Scholastic Lore (Tacticae Imperialis)(+30) will tell the pc that it is best if they use small teams (7 to 12 man per team) and that they must have an eye for traps that might be left behind. Vox communication with the ship will be become a problem as the teams will have to operate deep under the ground.

As soon as the teams are on site, a test for Trade(?Prospector?)+20 will tell that the tunnels might cave in if heavy explosives/explosive weapons are used.

Even once they are inside, the teams have to comb through the networks of tunnels to find the shelters the refugees had build for themselves. A rather simple (5 success) Exploratory challenge would be my idea. The skills that come to my mind are: Common Lore (Imperial Army) (For tactical deployment/search teams); Awareness; Navigation(Land); Search; Tracking; perhaps Tech-Use (for the Operating of an Auspex). The whole affair will either take a couple of days or (if failed) a weak.

Once the shelters have been found, it´s Tech-Use/Security(+0). This is an extended test, but once 5 levels of failure are accumulated the pc has to give up. Explosive is a possible solution, but the test is (-10). If failed, everything comes crashing down!

Inside, the teams can start to plunder… as soon as they have dealt with some remaining close-combat servitors that will try to protect the area. Take about a dozen, make them Tough to combat inside the tunnels and/or add some remaining Whisperers.

After this cleansing, Search(+20) will tell if the teams do find all the good loot.

Outcome: -50 Points if the pc do not pass the Exploration challenge (lost time cuts into profits). -100 Points if a cave-in occurs (heavy gear ? heavy work ? cuts into profit). -50 points if they sustain heavy casualties. -50 points if they fail the final search test. +25 for every two levels of success they achieve on the final search test.

Final version provided for download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/453636399/Plundering_of_the_Hollow_Moons.pdf

@DarthSmeg

Your original post is now more then a week ago. Are you still in need of Endeavours? If so, for which of them? Or are your group and you already through with the whole affaire?

Our RT campaign has crashed, and I am uncertain as to how to pick up the pieces. As a group we struggled a bit getting the hang of RTs scope and mechanics, and the players found starship combat rather dull and "disconnected from the mail plot", whatever that is.

It seems they prefer Dark Heresy and the low-level nitty-gritty perspective on the Imperium. I hope to be able to get a "proper" RT campaign going at some point, and if I do we'll probably run through Whsipers on the Storm, so I do appreciate your fine input here, good sir!

Darth Smeg said:

Hi Darth,

sorry to here that. A GM always feels bad if the players cannot get intouch with what he provided. Happened to me as well. Do not worry, sometimes a game is not to everyones taste. An RT -is- different in regard of scope and approach.

Talking about rescuing the RT campaign: It will not rescue it, but how about allowing them to build Rank 5 DH characters and retcon that they are actually with the Imperial Navy Ship? Thereby they could go about some of the spots, as "imbedded agentes" in the operation. The would not choose where to follow but would be ordered by an NPC (a senior adept acolyth on board the navy ship) to accompany on this and that mission. "After all, you are the only one to scoop the mission and tell if this system needs and exterminatus or might still be rescueable". If they always go down with some squads of military or RT officiers, they would in addition have to influence said officiers to go the way they ...er.... the Imperium wants the things to go.

We already have a DH campaign going, and I'm thinking of letting them eventually end up on a mission to find the missing envoy, negotiating passage on a Navy Cruiser heading out in the same errand and finding themselves "taking over" the plot from their RT characters.

Perhaps even letting them see the spectacular destruction of their RT vessel with all hands in the process