I've started running a new rogue trader game with a few twists, firstly its set during the great crusade, I'm allowing space marine characters, have monkeyed around with character creation a little and in the first game something odd happens.

The game chronicles the maiden voyage of the LeBlanche Rogue Trader Dynasty. Since the corridor they are designated to use ahead of the forces of the great crusade is near where the expedition forces of the the Space Wolves, Thousand Sons and Alpha Legion a ten man squad of each of these Legions has been assigned to the ship under the command of Rogue Trader LeBlanche. The dynasty Warrant has been signed by the Emperor himself and the group began their adventures in dock at a space station making ready to go out beyond the ever expanding bounds of the Imperium in their Grand Cruiser "Voyage of Truth".

Representatives of both the Alpha Legion and the Thousand Sons both began making overtures to the Rogue Trader while the Space Wolves chose to stay in their area of the Barracks holding a feast, it seemed the Long Fangs knew well enough that their actions would speak well of them in the future. The Alpha Legion offered to set up a spy network on the ship to keep an eye on any criminal or seditious elements with the Lord Captain's approval, so they began working towards establishing two independent spy networks, one that the Lord Captain knows of and another secret one loyal only to them. The Lord Captain politely showed his political and social aptitude and skill in dealing with others in his dealings not only with the Alpha Legion but also by attending the feast of the Space Wolves, not invited but still and honoured guest. Their he drank not one but two steins of Astrates Ale impressing all their and earning the respect of the long fangs before his C.A.G and second in command had a message relayed to him that the gravitic deck plating on deck fourty two was on the frits... after which he politely left to get his stommach pumped and take other medical precautions. A young Librarian of the Thousand Sons discretely gave a display to both the Lord Captain and the Alpha Legion of his special abilities. The Lord Captain of course found time to charm the remembrancers onboard especially a female chellist called Rei.

As the ship left port into the inky void and breached the barrier between the real and the immaterial a roiling warp storm swept up around them, through skill and luck the ships navigator managed to steer them through the supernatural tempest but when given a chance to get his bearings he noted that the vessel was far off course but suggested that to accurately guage their exact location they should exit into realspace. After three days of scanning and cross referencing their own star charts they realised that they were somewhere deep in the Eastern Fringe far ahead of the Crusade. The navigator estimated that he would be able to reach borders of the Imperium in less than a decade if they took a direct route. The command crew and Atrates representatives began to consider what next should they do as the idea of more slowly conquering their way back would give the Imperium much greater knowledge of what lay ahead, seeing this as a boon. They realised that whatever their course of action that although their holds were full with supplies now the mammoth task ahead of them would require more resources. They identifies too possible useful nearby worlds, one with possibly high amounts of metal and the other with possible nutritious flaura and fauna. The possibility of building a plasma scoop to periodically refresh the ships energy supplies became a top priority for the Captain and although they knew it would take a long time even with their manufactorum they though this a prudent course of action. And so they set course to this potentially metal rich world.

The game started at 15,000xp with players being allowed to choose between playing Rogue Trader and Deathwatch characters but stating clearly that the Rogue Trader unless betraying the Imperium is in charge. Each character also got to pick a Dark Heresy class that wasn't a Psyker or Tech Priest and spend 1,500xp in it but not in stat advances. Scum was the most popular followed by sage and lastly one arbite. I felt that this would help flesh out the characters a bit more. Each character also got to make a roll on the Divinations table in Dark Heresy, this is always a fun table to use and we usually use it in our Rogue Trader games anyway. The Astrates Characters got all their standard gear except they got Maximus Power Armour without all the bonuses to Fellowship as it was the armour of the time and wouldn't be any extra inspiring to others. The reknown of the Astrates will go up and down depending on their deeds and actions and the profit factor of the Dynasty was at a nice high level to allow the ship to be suitably impressive. I also said don't go buying the space marines gear they have awesome stuff as is and can take gear out of their armoury with requisition points as it... that is sure buy a thunder hammer for yourself but if you buy one for the space marine this early on be prepared to be completely over shadowed! I've stated that I wont let the players buy multiples of BQ items but to offset this have made them more unique with so far a longlas with volatile trait and a thunderhammer with proven(3).

The characters are:

McVenner- A scum/voidmaster of small craft originally a small time car thief who was recruited by the Rogue Trader after stealing his hover car and leading the local law enforcement on one hell of a high speed chase. In the intervening years he has cooled somewhat and become a reliable if unconventional Command Crew officer

Anmur Aken- Adept/Librarian of the Thousand Sons is a scholar but comes from one of the more militant cults of the Thousand Sons.

Alpharius- Scum/Tactical Marine of the Alpha Legion came on board with nine other Alpha Legionaires in what was first thought to be a clerical error. He is determined that the Alpha Legion come out of any situation "smelling like roses" and is willing to adapt appropriately.

Sultan Iskar- Scum/Navigator seems like a very unusual character walking around with a top hat and seldom speeking, vissible beneath his coat seems to be an excessive amount of pistols.

Vlad LeBlanche- Arbite/Rogue Trader and first in the line of the newly created LeBlanche Dynasty he knows that he lives in a time when heroes are made and having met the Emperor (for about two minutes) he is full of conviction with regard to his place in the young Imperium. Ambitious, suave and social adept he seems like a sensible candidate for a Rogue Trader having already gained experience as an officer in the Imperial Army.

He of the currently missing character sheet- Adept/Devastator of the Space Wolves Legion this "Long Fang" may well have been chosen for his wisdom and cool head as much as his skills as a warrior. So far he has been nothing but polite to the Thousand Sons in their brief encounters.

My players are suggesting that maybe I've kicked them into the future, say about ten thousand or so years. I said that they are as likely to have gone back in time as much as forward by that warp storm or they may be give or take a few years around the same time they left port. They know where they are but aren't completely certain on when. Maybe they are in the future, but maybe say a hundred years, during or after the heresy? Maybe they are in the past, set to take part in the war between the Old Ones and the C'tan? Maybe they're in their own time? Time will tell sooner or later time will tell. The players may yet head back towards the Imperium or as I've pointed out they could always carve out an Empire here and wait for the Crusade to reach them and greet them with open arms with the local area reconned and supplies built up.