When looking into and trying to design a Dynasty Sheet for venkelos's thread (fascinating idea, link to thread below), I got to thinking: What if, instead of the standard "We're authorized by the Imperium to become really wealthy," the group didn't have a Warrant of Trade but operated entirely as pirates? Obviously you wouldn't just fly into Port Wander on a whim (at least not if it was known you were a pirate), but no major adjustments would need to be made to the system in order to run the game. Perhaps the GM could be convinced to let the Voidmaster start with Peer (Pirates) instead of Peer (Imperial Navy), and the Navigator would almost have to be from a Renegade House. But other than these (I would consider) minor changes, what if any are the problems with this idea? And are there any people who'd be willing to run or play in such a game?

The link to venkelos's thread: Dynasty Sheets?

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=123&efcid=3&efidt=590736

There's essentially no problem with it as long as everyone in the group is up for it. The Expanse certainly has plenty of areas they can use to refit as needed, but there's an element of danger with any refit that you wouldn't have if they could use Imperial resources. Alternately, the Jericho Reach provides an opportunity for those looking for an anti-Imperial campaign as they could potentially use Tau aligned worlds for their refit.

That said, there's a definite undercurrent in the 40k fluff that the Imperium may be bad, but the alternatives are worse. Those who walk away from the Imperium all too often see their causes subverted by darker forces. Whether that theme has any relevance to your game is up to you, but it shouldn't be discarded. If the pirates are successful, agents of Chaos will undoubtedly attempt to win the PCs forces over to their side... one way or the other.

One eensie little wrinkle is the ship. Your party is given a ship to fly in, at the beginning of their adventures. This ship is either gifted by the High Lords of Terra, or by a greater portion of the standing Dynasty you have joined, and in either case, as a big event with much pomp and pizazz. If you aren't a Rogue Trader, at least at first, you will need to come up with a means of acquiring that first ship. Stealing an active one could be hard, as the crew quantity will be large, but you might "somehow" acquire a salvaged junker, and fix it up, or whatever.

A group who were RTs, and performed acts that got the Warrant revoked, but remain at large, on the other hand, could get past that hurdle. Also, I suppose it's possible that, like in other fictions, you might fly in a ship belonging to a greater criminal, working off the value, plus huge interest, and conducting piracy in both their name and your own.

Beyond that, I'm sure many of the people they encounter, being outside the Imperium, view them as pirates, anyway, so the concept isn't much of a stretch at all.

It's worth noting that a number of "legitimate" Rogue Traders act as pirates as a matter of course, as the average Warrant, Charter or Letter of Marque will provide at least a partial immunity from prosecution. Basically, they treat the legal and holy writs of the High Lords/Senatorum Imperialis as a "get-out-of-jail-free card", for when they go buccaneering inside Imperial space. Unless they get caught in the act by the Navy, Arbites, Inquisition or Astartes, they can get away with virtually anything short of Heresy and Chaos-worship.

Outside Imperial space, of course, no-one particularly cares what they get up to (or, more accurately, has the resources or jurisdiction to do anything about it), so long as they don't break any Imperial laws on the way back in.

There was a rather good discussion of the spectrum between the ideal of Rogue Traders and the various degrees of shadiness they get up to in Fanatic! Mag #2 (the first in the Privateer expansion articles for Battlefleet Gothic- I'll see if I can find it in my collection anywhere). Of those which fell short of the paragon, there were those which were more subtle about their subversion of the Lex Imperialis (yes, they broke it, even more than their Warrants permitted them to), and they were referred to as Rogue Traders-Apparent; while outright pirates hiding behind their Warrants were known as Pirates-Blatant.

I'm going to repeat the advice- make sure all the players are up for a pirate campaign, and don't do something in the run-up to turning pirate that would make it unwise- like persuade the Navy to loan them a number of ace fighter pilots (plus fighters, support staff, guards, etc.) and invite the Inquisition to plant a short battalion of heavily armed observers aboard. They were really looking forward to the buccaneer's life until I pointed out what they'd done... and that they were planning to launch their first pirate raid while orbiting Scintilla (a sector capital), in range of an IN cruiser squadron, and flying an Orion-class space-bordello...

Would be a very fun idea. Could even look at maybe using Inquity as a location for them to visit (detailed in Citadel of Skulls). The game could focus more on securing supplies, weapons, etc. Make them plan attacks and really stick to the 6-months rules for food/air/etc. This would force them to act.

As an idea for the "why" here are some ideas:

1) The crew and ship were part of a Rogue Trader dynasty that was put out. Perhaps snuffed out by the Inquisition, rival RT, etc. They were running another trade route or simply managed to escape. With no warrant and no recourse, they are forced to survive in the Expanse.

2) A Rogue Trader passes and there are issues with inheriting the Warrant. Perhaps the Administratum steps in and prevents it for whatever reason. Seeing their family leading toward ruin, the scion of the house flees with the flagship and loyal crew.

3) Similar to above, but the Warrant goes to another sibling. Upset and put out, one of the other children steal the ship and flee with loyal retainers. They exist as pirates in the Expanse, biding time until the child can step in once again and perhaps claim the Warrant rightfully. Of course, the original inheritor hunts them.

4) Mutiny. The current crew rose up against an oppressive captain/officers and took control of the ship. While throwing off their shackles, they are now forced to deal with surviving in the Expanse; and preventing such a thing from happening again.

It really wouldn't be too hard to do.

Also, Hostile Acquisitions came out today, perfect for this kind of game!

I had an idea of this calibre. Once the RT crew gets their hands on one other ship they make a hidden base somewhere in Expanse and from ther on the second ship act as Pirates and simply exchange or ae part of pirate community. In Calixis sector there is mention of long time missing Space Station that definitly was not destroyed but lost track and connection of it so in my WH40k I made it as mobile Space Station belonging to pirates and Logicians lots of work but satysfying. Warhammer 40000 gives realy lot of 'free hand' in world creation. And yes unless all players want it it would be bad, but as GM you make coincidences happen .