Oh yes I definitely agree, the idea was that the players would be of a more clandestine nature, not overtly criminal or hostile to the Imperium.

it's one of the funny things I notice in Rogue Trader the amount that supposedly become pirates or indulge in other unsavoury activities. Seriously if you have something as valuable as a warrant of trade which gives much more freedom than almost any other Imperial citizen has as well as limitless profit making applications why would anyone risk it by taking part in piracy, which any man with a voidship can virtually do.......

Oh yes I definitely agree, the idea was that the players would be of a more clandestine nature, not overtly criminal or hostile to the Imperium.

it's one of the funny things I notice in Rogue Trader the amount that supposedly become pirates or indulge in other unsavoury activities. Seriously if you have something as valuable as a warrant of trade which gives much more freedom than almost any other Imperial citizen has as well as limitless profit making applications why would anyone risk it by taking part in piracy, which any man with a voidship can virtually do.......

I guess it somewhat depends on your definition of Piracy. Actions against Xenos or any other "unsanctioned" spacecraft would not technically be piracy. Even within the Imperium a Rogue trader is considered a fairly high level noble. Perhaps one step below a planetary governor or so. It's going to take more than a speeding ticket to put him in hot water with the law. (The rest of his staff however, are not so lucky!) What he is not immune to are higher level crimes such as Heresy and or Murder (At least of another noble.). I do agree though, With the virtually UNLIMITED power excersized by the Warrant outside of Imperial space I'm not sure why a Rogue trader would feel the need to engage in raiding commercial traffic (Which he may very well have a stake in!)

...one of the funny things I notice in Rogue Trader the amount that supposedly become pirates or indulge in other unsavoury activities. Seriously if you have something as valuable as a warrant of trade which gives much more freedom than almost any other Imperial citizen has as well as limitless profit making applications why would anyone risk it by taking part in piracy...

...with the virtually UNLIMITED power excersized by the Warrant outside of Imperial space I'm not sure why a Rogue trader would feel the need to engage in raiding commercial traffic (Which he may very well have a stake in!)

It's unlikely that a Rogue Trader would personally commit piracy in his flagship however he may send some of his fleet to disrupt the trade fleets or routes of a rival or as part of a contract with a trade baron or noble. If his ships come away with a decent haul that's just icing on the space cake.

Oh yes I definitely agree, the idea was that the players would be of a more clandestine nature, not overtly criminal or hostile to the Imperium.

it's one of the funny things I notice in Rogue Trader the amount that supposedly become pirates or indulge in other unsavoury activities. Seriously if you have something as valuable as a warrant of trade which gives much more freedom than almost any other Imperial citizen has as well as limitless profit making applications why would anyone risk it by taking part in piracy, which any man with a voidship can virtually do.......

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

-Lord Acton

I can see a few RT's resorting to piracy. Say you are slowly starting to lose your holdings, belongings, people, and contacts due to unsavory tactics, or even perfectly legal but downright dirty tactics, by adversaries. You once had all this power, and will soon have nothing. What will you do to prevent this when you were such a stand up guy doing right? Continue to do right and lose everything, or skirt the line a bit. And once you skirt the line, it gets easier to it again and again. And how far will you go next time when faced with someone like yourself? Or, do you even know there is a line there at all anymore?

Oh yes I definitely agree, the idea was that the players would be of a more clandestine nature, not overtly criminal or hostile to the Imperium.

it's one of the funny things I notice in Rogue Trader the amount that supposedly become pirates or indulge in other unsavoury activities. Seriously if you have something as valuable as a warrant of trade which gives much more freedom than almost any other Imperial citizen has as well as limitless profit making applications why would anyone risk it by taking part in piracy, which any man with a voidship can virtually do.......

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

-Lord Acton

I can see a few RT's resorting to piracy. Say you are slowly starting to lose your holdings, belongings, people, and contacts due to unsavory tactics, or even perfectly legal but downright dirty tactics, by adversaries. You once had all this power, and will soon have nothing. What will you do to prevent this when you were such a stand up guy doing right? Continue to do right and lose everything, or skirt the line a bit. And once you skirt the line, it gets easier to it again and again. And how far will you go next time when faced with someone like yourself? Or, do you even know there is a line there at all anymore?

While I will concede that this is possible I'm not sure it would be piracy. If both protaganists are outside imperial space then Piracy would largely be determined by the victor (If both were RT's). It's much the same as if two imperial nobles on the same planet go to war. As long as they both keep their obligations to the throne of Terra the Imperium probably won't care. They will view it as a "brushfire" and generally ignore it. If an Inquisitor gets involved they may not be so lucky though... The same is true of a Rogue trader. If an Inquisitor gets a wild hair and decides to pursue a RT on whatever charge than the RT has real problems. Not the least of which is that the Inquisitor can have his warrant revoked. (This is not easy, Especially with the more ancient warrants! But it can be done.) At that point the Rogue Trader WOULD be a pirate (And a Heretic until 'proven' innocent).

You're assuming that the incidents occurred in the Koronus Expanse (or another area outside of Imperial jurisdiction). Though this is 9/10 times the case, they may not have been or were made to look like they weren't. Several hypotheses are listed below.

1. RT1 raided a shipment of goods (equipment, supplies, etc) from RT2 in the Koronus Expanse. RT2 reported the goods as a legitimate Imperial Shipment, and filed the complaint with the local Imperial Organization. Imperial Organization then requested goods back from RT1, but RT1 claims he doesn't have them. RT2 shows proof through video footage, victim interviews, data records, etc, that RT1 did raid is ship and steal the goods. Imperial Organization now files petition of Piracy against RT1. RT2's forged paperwork only worked because he greased some palms, but no one cares because proof was shown that RT1 raided RT2 for source of goods. .... Or maybe the goods were a legitimate Imperial Shipment..... Who knows??

2. RT1 raided RT2 in Koronus Expanse. RT2 reported the attack as occurring in Imperial Space, and reported it to the local authorities with "proof". RT1 is to far away to appear before the summons or can't show proof that it didn't occur in Imperial Space, and is branded for Piracy.

3. RT2 has been sneaking in weapons/material at several Imperial Forge Worlds/Hive Worlds in Calaxis Sector to undercut RT1. RT1 is losing PF big time, and has tried all legal avenues to stop the shipments, to no avail. As a last ditch effort to save his illustrious houses dwindling fortune, RT1 has decided to nab the shipment while in transit. RT2 reports the incident to the local Imperial authority. RT1 branded for Piracy without question.

Anyhoot, I digress. This Topic is not about Warrants of Piracy. But to vent, I truly am perplexed as to why they would allow PC's to play "Pirates" without thoroughly discussing illegitimate PF holdings, Warrants, and issues arising of being a PC pirate. It all has to be house ruled. Grrrr....

You're assuming that the incidents occurred in the Koronus Expanse (or another area outside of Imperial jurisdiction). Though this is 9/10 times the case, they may not have been or were made to look like they weren't. Several hypotheses are listed below.

1. RT1 raided a shipment of goods (equipment, supplies, etc) from RT2 in the Koronus Expanse. RT2 reported the goods as a legitimate Imperial Shipment, and filed the complaint with the local Imperial Organization. Imperial Organization then requested goods back from RT1, but RT1 claims he doesn't have them. RT2 shows proof through video footage, victim interviews, data records, etc, that RT1 did raid is ship and steal the goods. Imperial Organization now files petition of Piracy against RT1. RT2's forged paperwork only worked because he greased some palms, but no one cares because proof was shown that RT1 raided RT2 for source of goods. .... Or maybe the goods were a legitimate Imperial Shipment..... Who knows??

2. RT1 raided RT2 in Koronus Expanse. RT2 reported the attack as occurring in Imperial Space, and reported it to the local authorities with "proof". RT1 is to far away to appear before the summons or can't show proof that it didn't occur in Imperial Space, and is branded for Piracy.

3. RT2 has been sneaking in weapons/material at several Imperial Forge Worlds/Hive Worlds in Calaxis Sector to undercut RT1. RT1 is losing PF big time, and has tried all legal avenues to stop the shipments, to no avail. As a last ditch effort to save his illustrious houses dwindling fortune, RT1 has decided to nab the shipment while in transit. RT2 reports the incident to the local Imperial authority. RT1 branded for Piracy without question.

Anyhoot, I digress. This Topic is not about Warrants of Piracy. But to vent, I truly am perplexed as to why they would allow PC's to play "Pirates" without thoroughly discussing illegitimate PF holdings, Warrants, and issues arising of being a PC pirate. It all has to be house ruled. Grrrr....

We actually agree. I was alluding to the fact that while someone could certainly contrive a scenario where a RT turns pirate it wouldn't be normal by any means! And what happens if he does? He certainly doesn't have access to to the wealth and prestige of the warrant since it has been revoked in all likelihood. (Or at least suspended pending review!) Can the RT even get his ship home without access to port facilities and supplies? If his warrant is under review sailing into an Imperial port is an invitation to arrest and Impounding of one's vessel! In order to clear his name (And his Warrant) he must be present for the review. If he fails to show at the appointed time his warrant would probably be revoked by forfeit! This would allow all of his former assets to be plundered by more 'legitimate' concerns. As a guideline I would shift the party over to the BC infamy mechanic (At starting lvl) until the situation can be resolved. Here's the conundrum: If you actually raise your Infamy to the point where you can support even a small raider or transport you have damned yourself as a heretic and pirate in the eyes of the Imperium. Being on the run from the Imperial Navy may sound romantic but it ain't gonna be fun in reality!

We actually agree. I was alluding to the fact that while someone could certainly contrive a scenario where a RT turns pirate it wouldn't be normal by any means! And what happens if he does? He certainly doesn't have access to to the wealth and prestige of the warrant since it has been revoked in all likelihood. (Or at least suspended pending review!) Can the RT even get his ship home without access to port facilities and supplies? If his warrant is under review sailing into an Imperial port is an invitation to arrest and Impounding of one's vessel! In order to clear his name (And his Warrant) he must be present for the review. If he fails to show at the appointed time his warrant would probably be revoked by forfeit! This would allow all of his former assets to be plundered by more 'legitimate' concerns. As a guideline I would shift the party over to the BC infamy mechanic (At starting lvl) until the situation can be resolved. Here's the conundrum: If you actually raise your Infamy to the point where you can support even a small raider or transport you have damned yourself as a heretic and pirate in the eyes of the Imperium. Being on the run from the Imperial Navy may sound romantic but it ain't gonna be fun in reality!

I totally agree. My apologies if I sounded argumentative or confrontational. That was not my intent at all. My statement of "9/10 times" was me agreeing with you also. My examples were just ideas for anyone that might of been confused with my theory, due to me not explaining everything up front in my initial post.

BC rules do sound like a better solution for a pirate in RT. Don't own the book though, but heard nothing but good things about it. Wish they would of implemented Eldar Corsairs or something in RT, rather than Dark Eldar. Seems more BC to me to be honest.

Off Topic: Do they allow you to play Dark Eldar in BC?

We actually agree. I was alluding to the fact that while someone could certainly contrive a scenario where a RT turns pirate it wouldn't be normal by any means! And what happens if he does? He certainly doesn't have access to to the wealth and prestige of the warrant since it has been revoked in all likelihood. (Or at least suspended pending review!) Can the RT even get his ship home without access to port facilities and supplies? If his warrant is under review sailing into an Imperial port is an invitation to arrest and Impounding of one's vessel! In order to clear his name (And his Warrant) he must be present for the review. If he fails to show at the appointed time his warrant would probably be revoked by forfeit! This would allow all of his former assets to be plundered by more 'legitimate' concerns. As a guideline I would shift the party over to the BC infamy mechanic (At starting lvl) until the situation can be resolved. Here's the conundrum: If you actually raise your Infamy to the point where you can support even a small raider or transport you have damned yourself as a heretic and pirate in the eyes of the Imperium. Being on the run from the Imperial Navy may sound romantic but it ain't gonna be fun in reality!

I totally agree. My apologies if I sounded argumentative or confrontational. That was not my intent at all. My statement of "9/10 times" was me agreeing with you also. My examples were just ideas for anyone that might of been confused with my theory, due to me not explaining everything up front in my initial post.

BC rules do sound like a better solution for a pirate in RT. Don't own the book though, but heard nothing but good things about it. Wish they would of implemented Eldar Corsairs or something in RT, rather than Dark Eldar. Seems more BC to me to be honest.

Off Topic: Do they allow you to play Dark Eldar in BC?

No prob. man! You didn't sound confrontational. I just thought I wasn't being clear enough. If you don't have it I would recommend the BC corebook. You can get it Online as a .PDF through this site. It's worthwhile even if only for the advanced game mechanics (They mirror OW which is the current standard.) and an excellent source for creating "Boss" bad guys that are truly terrifying. (Think: Enemy Chaos cruiser commanded by a Chaos Space marine champion and his retinue!). While the Dark Eldar are not playable in the RAW of BC there's no reason you couldn't 'port' one over using the RT rules in Soul Reaver.

The subject of Rogue Traders, crime and piracy is covered in some depth by the sourcebook "Hostile Aqcuisitions", which also deals with playing purely criminal games without the benefit of the warrant.

On the matter of Dark Eldar... I think it's a mistake to lump them in with Black Crusade. If nothing else, the Dark Eldar are deathly afraid of the corruption of Chaos and the servants of She Who Thirsts, as such things represent the greatest physical, spiritual and existential threat faced by the entire Eldar species. Consequently, many of the common themes of a Black Crusade campaign are contrary to the desires and nature of a Dark Eldar Kabalite Warrior, and some of the progression mechanics (Corruption and the acquisition of gifts, and devotion-related experience costs) in the game are completely inappropriate for such characters.

By comparison, the Dark Eldar are selfish and greedy; traits they share in common with a considerable proportion of Rogue Traders. They're unscrupulous, and lack any notion that a given action may be taboo - all things are fair game in the Dark City. Many Rogue Traders similarly have no compunction about doing things that're forbidden in the Imperium. The Dark Eldar are a decidedly mercenary breed, engaging in acts purely for their own gain, and that can often bring them in contact with all manner of people... some who are ripe for exploitation, some to bargain with... and some who could be either. Rogue Traders, being powerful, well-connected individuals who can go places that the Eldar cannot (Imperial travel through the Warp, while far less stable and reliable than the Webway, can reach places where the Webway is damaged, blocked or nonexistent). Ambitious, greedy, or desperate Dark Eldar could far more easily find cause to work with an unscrupulous Rogue Trader than they could with some devotee of the Ruinous Powers.

I now see the Dark Eldar in a new light, and stand corrected. And I do own HA, and even though I love the information contained therein, it never explicitly explains the concept how being a criminal effects PF when becoming a pira........ I stand corrected on this account too. It seems two little pages contain all the information I required. Pages 101 and 108. Odd how they never jumped out at me before. Thanks for the enlightenment N0-1 H3r3.

Playing Dark Eldar alongside BC characters could work, certainly neither would have any problems with the dirty low down tactics of the other, although they might tend to watch each other warily. Of course the Dark Eldar is going to have a different agenda and not be actively seeking corruption like his BC “comrades” none being insane enough to actively court having their souls devoured.

The Screaming Vortex would have plenty to offer the Dark Eldar as well whether it be a place for raiding from their most hated enemies, finding mercenary employment in the countless conflicts, seeking new and wondrous ways to fashion captured souls into unique items from Qsal or maybe a low status Dark Eldar not able to access a Humonculous would seek out a Flesh Shaper of Meloncholia to accomplish the same ends of perfection and immortality.

My RT received Warrant of Trade for retrieving an ancient vessel that suddenly emerged from the warp. The warrant of trade was part of that vessel's assets. What he doesn't know is that this process was set up by one of the High Ladies of Terra, Adrastia. She made Ordo Xenos spread news about it within the galaxy and hoped that it will result in war over the ship in which petty nobles will flush her decks with blood of their people... She wasn't disappointed. My RT gained the vessel through a genocide and by the way destroyed any evidence of High Lady's connection with Chaos which lied within it...

We all know the official channels for acquiring a Warrant of Trade but are there other ways? Is it viable to win a Warrant of Trade from someone else in a bout of gambling or to give away your Warrant of Trade? Any and all ideas, ideally cannon however all are welcome, would be appreciated. On a related note, does the holder of a Warrant of Trade have to be a Rogue Trader or could an Arch Militant, Missionary etc. hold one?

The core rulebook points out that if someone in a ship shows up and starts acting like a Rogue Trader people are likely to assume that he is one. Some will not dare to say no to someone who can bomb them from the orbit, others might be willing to do business with him if they feel they will benefit from it.

Furthermore, as far as Imperium is concidered, if that person acts like a RT and the Imperium benefits from his actions the officials might not even bother to check his background. (Depends on the faction of course. Arbites for example might be more interested in the legality of the RT's warrant, though as the RT is not likely to spend much time in Imperial space they might be able to avoid Arbites attention. The inquisition on the other hand is way more interested in the actions of the RT and their loyalty than the paperwork.)

Assuming a "Normal" person were to be able to take command of a Voidship somehow, Where would they get the assets to maintain it? On the other hand, If a Person did some suitably great, (And of course, BIG) deed for the Imperium, A Governor or Inquisitor could petition them to be granted a Warrant as a reward. Perhaps the character served (As an Acolyte) until just sort of "Ascension" honorably and wanted out of the whole Inquisitorial game. An Inquisitor might petition for that person for the warrant with the caveat that they have access to their former acolyte's ship when needed. Also an Excellent way to gain access to a powerful vessel is to have a RT actually IN one of your cells! The point is, There are a number of ways that a "Normal" person could be granted a Warrant of trade and supporting assets. None are easy or common, but it does happen!

Colonel Commissar Darrius Augustus Wolf received his Warrant of Trade after leading his Regiment through a campaign against a Chaos Lord of Tzeentch. His troops were the first to breach the station and they are known for single handedly cleaning it in mere minutes (warp shenanigans were involved).

For defeating the Lord and surviving it, he was granted the Warrant. He does not know why and it leaves a sour taste in his mouth as he doesn't feel qualified. Also, an Inquisitor forced him to take an Ork aboard his new Lunar class Cruiser for reasons unknown to him with only one order: "Take him into the Expanse and if he acts strange, inform me at once."

We all know the official channels for acquiring a Warrant of Trade but are there other ways? Is it viable to win a Warrant of Trade from someone else in a bout of gambling or to give away your Warrant of Trade? Any and all ideas, ideally cannon however all are welcome, would be appreciated. On a related note, does the holder of a Warrant of Trade have to be a Rogue Trader or could an Arch Militant, Missionary etc. hold one?

The core rulebook points out that if someone in a ship shows up and starts acting like a Rogue Trader people are likely to assume that he is one. Some will not dare to say no to someone who can bomb them from the orbit, others might be willing to do business with him if they feel they will benefit from it.

Furthermore, as far as Imperium is concidered, if that person acts like a RT and the Imperium benefits from his actions the officials might not even bother to check his background. (Depends on the faction of course. Arbites for example might be more interested in the legality of the RT's warrant, though as the RT is not likely to spend much time in Imperial space they might be able to avoid Arbites attention. The inquisition on the other hand is way more interested in the actions of the RT and their loyalty than the paperwork.)

I think you are making a fundamental mistake with this assumption. The Imperium of Man is not a permissive society in which ‘everything is allowed unless specifically prohibited’. It is an absolute bureaucracy in which ‘everything is prohibited unless specifically allowed’.

It also operates on a galaxy of paperwork. So there is no chance in hell (or the warp) that a merchant prince could show up within the Imperium and claim to be a Rogue Trader without having to prove it consistently with the correct paperwork/credentials/gene coded key/choir of adminstratum approved cherubs. Nor could huge amounts of goods or riches be funnelled into the Imperium without the proper paperwork. Let’s not forget that the setting constantly mentions billions of scribes/clerks working on… paperwork…

If anyone could impersonate a RT or an Inquisitor within the Imperium without too much trouble (although operating a void ship would be difficult without the necessary resources), quite a few people would be trying this as it allows for a much nicer life….nor would the actual Warrants of Trade be such a big thing.

Obviously you can run your game as you want it but I’d argue strongly against cheapening the impact of a Warrant of Trade. The game setting sets a very clear hierarchy of trade, from system trade ships to chartist captains to free captains etc. to finally rogue traders. That hierarchy shouldn’t be easily ignorable or capable of being side stepped, certainly not in the rigidly feudal and bureaucratic Imperium. And don't even get me started on rival RT's who'd be eager to ascertain the credentials of trade rivals and just what restrictions there are placed on their opponents's specific Warrant of Trade....

This raises an interesting point: verification of Warrants of Trade. How is this actually done in practice?

I would imagine that most citizens would have no idea how to go about spotting a fake Warrant of Trade. Not being an expert in these matters, I would struggle, for example, to spot a forged passport from my own country, let alone one from another country; and a passport is a relatively simple document.

Warrants of Trade in contrast are (often) incredibly complex documents. They can take a variety of forms from single sheets of fraying vellum to ancient decaying books kept in stasis to software kept on a ship's mainframe. They can be tiny, covering a couple of paragraphs, or vast, filling whole dataslates or libraries. They can also have been issued at any time in the last 10,000 years.

Given the scope and size of the Imperium, proving that someone is not a Rogue Trader when they say they are is actually a very difficult exercise, when you think about it.

Let's say you're an Inquisitor and an odd figure turns up in your area of operation within the Imperium. He claims to be a Rogue Trader. He claims his Dynasty is 5,700 years old, that a Warrant of Trade was issued in a different Segmentum under the authority of a long dead panel of High Lords of Terra. He says he has been operating for 100 years outside the Imperium, and that prior to this his dynasty has skipped along the Halo stars at the edge of yet another Segmentum trading and warring on behalf of the Imperium.

How do you go about proving/disproving all this? This would be a hugely involved detective exercise (quite a fun idea for a DH/RT crossover campaign, actually). It would involve research across a number of fleet registries, Astropathic communications to a number of Administratum worlds, messages to Terra...all of these requests for information may take years to be processed, given the speed at which the Imperium tends to deal with matters bureaucratic.

Perhaps there have been at different times attempts to create central registries of Rogue Traders? One imagines that these would be incomplete, damaged by war etc etc, as indeed are most Imperial libraries. Perhaps there are verification codes encoded into many warrants: I always imagined that the wax seal embossed on the special edition rogue trader warrants contained some kind of memory stick accessible by the Inquisition which contained the terms and history of the warrant. However, one imagines not all Rogue Traders' warrants would contain this kind of information.

Even if Warrants of Trade are verifiable by some kind of central database or techno arecane wax seal, who is capable of verifying them? Inquisitors, probably, but who else? Planetary Governors? Do they have wax seal readers? Or devices like passport officers which shine ultraviolet light on warrants of trade to look for hidden writing, allowing them to check for forgeries? Some might...equally, many may not. If someone turns up unannounced in the orbit of your poor frontier world piloting a massive Grand Cruiser and claiming to be a Rogue Trader from a dynasty you've never heard of, is it even a good idea to ask too many questions?

When you think it through, it's a wonder there aren't more fake Rogue Traders. Indeed, forged warrants of trade would seem to me to be a potentially very common problem.

Well, maybe it is. Think about it, if your great-great-grandfather pretended to be a rogue trader, and no one challenged him on it, how would his legacy be different from that of any other Rogue Trader dynasty? For all we know, a significant portion of dynasties might be false, but have existed for so long that they might as well be real.

Plus, the fluff implies that even when the Trader has the warrant on his person (unlikely) then it's effectively permanently sealed in stasis.

This raises an interesting point: verification of Warrants of Trade. How is this actually done in practice?

Indeed.

The most logical answer would be to put the burden of proof on the would-be rogue trader.

It´s not enough to appear at an Imperial world and claim rogue traderness….

One has to prove it with a sector-wide accepted document/gene-proofed key so each local planetary governor will be able to recognize it. Not with a crumbling document which might or might not have been signed by someone who once knew someone who slept in the same bed as the emperor or a reference to a document allegedly held in stasis on Terra (please direct all inquiries there…).

This way, rogue traders must first get the necessary ID’s from the sector authorities before being able to trade their ill-gotten loot in that sector (and face verification of their claims) and the local authorities get to have a handle on the RT (who is just an imperial citizen in their space, albeit a very privileged one). It also encourages RT’s to keep in touch with home base and stay updated on required documentation etc.

The huge issue that a fake Rogue Trader would run into would be this. When a rogue trader founds a colony that needs to be signed off on by the Adeptus Terra. So its one thing for a guy with a huge ship to run around doing awesome rogue tradery things in a shiny hat. But the very fact that the Adeptus Terra has to sign off on colony creation implies that they have a means to sign off on the legitimacy of the dynasties warrant of trade.

If your warrant was false, I think your reply would come back from the Imperium hand delivered by an inquisitor. Or perhaps with a friendly request (demand) that they present themselves to the authorities so that they can clear up an error with the application.

My guess as to the means of doing this is that there would be different places where Warrant records are stored, and that when you send the request to found a colony the admin checks with the referenced office for Warrant verification. So maybe you could do a DH campaign where you are trying to become a rogue trader. The have a mission where you actually have to infiltrate the warrant office and plant the records for your fake Warrant there. Then boom, you are essentially a rogue trader!

One has to prove it with a sector-wide accepted document/gene-proofed key so each local planetary governor will be able to recognize it. Not with a crumbling document which might or might not have been signed by someone who once knew someone who slept in the same bed as the emperor or a reference to a document allegedly held in stasis on Terra (please direct all inquiries there…).

This way, rogue traders must first get the necessary ID’s from the sector authorities before being able to trade their ill-gotten loot in that sector (and face verification of their claims) and the local authorities get to have a handle on the RT (who is just an imperial citizen in their space, albeit a very privileged one). It also encourages RT’s to keep in touch with home base and stay updated on required documentation etc.

The huge issue that a fake Rogue Trader would run into would be this. When a rogue trader founds a colony that needs to be signed off on by the Adeptus Terra. So its one thing for a guy with a huge ship to run around doing awesome rogue tradery things in a shiny hat. But the very fact that the Adeptus Terra has to sign off on colony creation implies that they have a means to sign off on the legitimacy of the dynasties warrant of trade.

If your warrant was false, I think your reply would come back from the Imperium hand delivered by an inquisitor. Or perhaps with a friendly request (demand) that they present themselves to the authorities so that they can clear up an error with the application.

My guess as to the means of doing this is that there would be different places where Warrant records are stored, and that when you send the request to found a colony the admin checks with the referenced office for Warrant verification.

I think you chaps are showing a touching faith in the efficiency of Imperial Bureacracy here...faith that isn't really borne out by the background! The setting is repeatedly shown to be one where regiments, worlds, whole sectors are lost because of administrative errors or lost files.

Ranoncles, a Sector wide procedure for identifying Rogue Traders is all very well, but what happens when they leave the Sector? Rogue Traders are highly mobile, and can conceivably move from Sector to Sector. In another thread I attempted to nail down how many Sectors there might be in the Imperium...and hit on an arbitrary non-canonical figure of 5,000-6,000 sectors. It's all well and good to have your papers in order in the Calixis Sector, but what happens when you want to move to the Ixaniad sector? Or do a bit of business in the Jericho Reach? Or what happens if your Sector falls to the forces of the archenemy - like the Sabbat worlds or the Jericho Reach? Does this invalidate your Warrant? I would argue no, as it's theoretically issued under the authority of the High Lords rather than a Sector Governor.Warrants last for thousands of years - indeed, many Rogue Trader dynasties active in the setting predate the Calixis Sector.

My point is that it seems unlikely to me that the procedure for ID'ing Rogue Traders would be a purely local, Sector wide operation. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that there may well be such local procedures, and local databases contaiing details of Rogue Traders...but these would only be Rogue Traders registered in the individual sector, not Imperium-wide. And searching them wouldn;t be much use if a Rogue Trader crops up from outside the Sector.

Rogal, you're right that a fake Rogue Trader would face difficulties if he tried to found colonies that he wanted to be supported by the Adeptus Terra. Equally though a real Rogue Trader might face the same problems given the apparant difficulties in proving one holds a genuine warrant. And the idea of a central registry of Rogue Traders is a nice idea...but I wonder if it survived the Horus Heresy? Or the Reign of Vandire (when it may well have moved to another worldif it had previously been based on Terra)? Or the Novus Terra Interregnum (when it was presumably split in two again)? Or what happened to the updating of that/those database/s during each of those periods? Could one really be confident that it contains all of the Rogue Trader Dynasties across the Imperium, given that Imperial records are generally so fragmentary and contradictory?

But founding colonies is not the only potential source of income for a theoretical fraudulent Rogue Trader, anyway; he need not ever have his bona fides checked by the Administratum. Piracy, fraud on an epic scale...all of these things will make money for a criminal bearing a forged warrant without ever potentially troubling the Adeptus Terra.

Like everything else in the setting, I suspect that there isn't a single, simple process for ID'ing Rogue Traders, and that in fact this leaves plenty of opportunities for interesting fraud and associated endeavours!

Actually, that is exactly my point. Stiffling bureaucracy getting in the way of making a quick buck.

The Warrant of Trade allows a RT to venture beyond the Imperium and trade. Why?

Because the Emperor wanted cheap, self-maintaining scouts and explorers to expand his borders. And they best way to acquire these was to appeal to their self-interests (and helping the imperial bottom line at the same time).

But the warrant is not a patent of great efficiency….RT’s still have to circumvent the Administratum when doing business in the Imperium. They don’t get to deal in 6,000 sectors without red-tape.

So expecting each RT to register within a sector he expects to do business (similar to ships being required to register with the sector fleet HQ so their profile can be recognised) is not farfetched IMO. It also prevents strangers showing up and trying to trade with imperial planets, thereby wrecking other feudal arrangements which had precedent.

In my view of the Imperium, their incredible inefficiency does not prevent the bureaucratic desire to have everything neatly arranged and ordered. Even if it takes a few centuries. The fluff seems to support this.

Fair enough. That makes sense. A desire on the part of local sector authorities to register Rogue Traders in their database/s is indeed plausible.

I think however that the underlying problem is still there: how do the Sector authorities satisfy themselves that they are actually dealing with a real Rogue Trader in the first place, assuming one they haven't previously registered turns up in their jurisdication?

The standards for granting Warrants of Trade / personnel who grant Warrants of Trade have likely changed so much over the millenia, the types of warrant are so different (often unique to each dynasty) and the "official" records are likely so fragmentary that it seems to me that the exercise is potentially a very difficult one.

What R anoncles is stating is in the fluff. Each Sector has some kind of mass data base/world/etc that has all the information of all the void ships, their routes, who last captained them, maybe who owns them, to include planets, the last known governor, last gave a tithe, etc etc. In one of the books ( I think it's in HA, though I could be wrong), it mentions how a ship that could not be identified through the correct transponder signal/code is immediately listed as hostile by the local authorities until it could be proven to be safe. Either through Navy Ships or PDF ships boarding actions or meeting the "Captain" in a regal manner, etc etc.

So, if a RT moves from Sector to Sector, someone need only to contact the Sector their Warrant was authorized in and verify it is who they say it is. Obviously, it's much more complicated than how I just made it sound, but therein lies the meat of the potato. It could be Warrant only allows them to travel with so many sectors. Or the Warrant allows them to travel to any sector. The Warrant will either explain these stipulations, or it won't.

As someone else mentioned, it’s the duty of the RT to prove that he/she is the heir of the warrant, or someone else will try to claim it sooner or later. One step of it is to get with the local administration in the sector and update the Warrant. This is also one of the misfortunes in the game.

Now of course, mistakes do happen. Files get deleted/omitted/corrupted (maybe on purpose), Sector capitals can be attacked/destroyed/under civil disobedience, or their ship was listed as a pirate ship in this new sector (because 1,000 years ago it was a pirate ship), and now they are under arrest until they can prove themselves not pirates. This is probably why in most of the fluff, when a ship scans another ship information is displayed on the classification of it, the "Captain," and possible faction alignment, etc etc.

Given that the Expanse or any outlying sectors do not have the capabilities to contact the Sector capital(s) and verify it is who they say they are, most will probably take a ship and his captain at their word (and actions).