I am a long time player of ICE Rolemaster SS, so when i was asked by my two friends to Gamemaster a Rouge-trader campaign I was hesitant at first but after reading the core rulebook, into the storm and black crusade i got excited.
So i've decided to share the my players stories and how i plan on running future games.
I only have two players so to fill up the roles we decided it was best if both of them played two characters each. I also play two npcs
NPCS
Arthur Red: Rouge Trader - Recently inherited a writ and an ancient star-ship fitted for war. The wealth of the Red Dynasty has been effectively rammed into the ground during the last decade by the incompetent fumbling of Arthur Red who is far to easily distracted by the spending of wealth vs the joys of making it. In a desperate bid to save his crumbling empire Arthur Red has refitted his Mighty Warship to carry goods and invested the entirety of this remaining wealth into an expedition though the Maw and into the Kronous Expanse. (If you are interested he bought a Archeo-tech Teraforming-esce style device that improves the out-put of crops, a Heap of different Agri-Tech and some luxuries to sell among the Expanse)
Darrius Ragina: Renegade Navigator: Highly skilled but has no credentials so was hired on the cheap by Arthur Red. Paranoid of the Inquisition , is quite smart and knows allot if the PCs ever bother to ask him anything.
PCs
Dante` Arch-Militant: From a Fortress World, but decided from actual Cadians . Has the whole purple eyed badarse thing going on. Was hired by Arthur Red to deal with any security threats, Running from the Imperium is a little disillusioned with the Anti-Human Machine cares about saving people.
Ral-Zeek Astropath: Leader of the Astropathic Choir (Ral and his two assistants who act as the Space-Phone) Ral understanding the lifespan of a Pskyer can be very short has pulled some strings and gotten himself posted with a rogue trader leaving the Imperium proper: Looking for excitement.
Porter Missionary: During his Youth ran into a little trouble with the Law, and after losing an Arm decided to straighten himself out and dedicate his life to the Glory the God-Emperor. After being granted his priesthood applied to become a missionary and the Ecclesiarchy’s light in the darkness of the Expanse. Due to his experience with the Law of the Imperium is more interested in the plight of Humanity then sustaining the machine of the Imperium.
Spencer: Explorator: former assistant to a great forge world master Mago has been assigned to the rank of Explorator after a fall from favour. Armed with cold Logic (and the pleasing of the Omnissiah) he seeks knowledge and discoveries that will put him back on a forge-world rather than gallivanting around the stars.
The players Mighty Warship now Poorly Adapted Trader is above a Hiveworld on their way to Port Wander and then onto the expanse. Everyone on this world has Mongolid appearances with darkish skin and flat faces, the world its self has very little modern function other than to supply its Tithe and a good number of inmates for Penal worlds(and legions) across the Galaxy., as a result it has a massive criminal underworld. Arthur Red has stopped here in order to make one final deal before leaving for the expance a Deal he say will make him very very rich. He descends into the under-hive alone with instructions for no-one to follow him. Later in the day an Inquisitor Ordo-Xenos-(which they should have known but both Characters with Forbidden Law (Inquisitor) failed their rolls) impounds the ship and tells the players that unless he sees Arthur Red sometime very soon they should consider looking for employment planet-side.
The Group decided the best course of action was to go into the under-hive and ask around for the incompetent fool with lots of money who was interested in buying something that’s most likely very Illegal.
The line of questioning paid of when they met a DrugLord in a very loud nightclub who knew someone of who matched that description (the Missionary almost got everyone filled with Las and Slug when he rolled 99 on an Intimidate check) The DrugLord told the players he would setup a meeting later that night. (In the meantime the players decided to make contacts in the underworld/blackmarket on this planet for which I granted them Xpos and APs. They are also jumped by a gang of Scum that tries and tech them a lesson for disrespecting their boss these goons are very quickly dispatched by (Chain sword, Bolt Gun and Las Fire)
The party comes to a massive warehouse style building in the under-hive to meet with the DrugLord and the people who supposedly know where Arthur Red are. When they enter the Druglords Scum are gunned down by a group of Men with Strange guns (No good roles in Forbidden Law Xeno to identify them as Eldar Shuriken Catapults) A jittery man demands to know why the Players and trying to find their leader, the players (to my surprise) mange to peacefully defuse the situation and explain to the Jitteryman (Nicknamed JitterBug) that they were simply looking for Arthur Red who may have been dealing with his leader. (I ran this a serious of Influence checks by both groups with the first group to 5 degrees of Success winning the interaction and a degree of failure giving taking away a degree of Success and granting one to the other side) .
Jitterbug leads the players to meeting area where they met the Xenographer whom Arthur Red was trying to trade with, The Xenographer tells the player he has sent Arthur Red into hiding until the Inquisitor has stopped looking for both the Xenographer and Arthur Red. The players decide rather than getting noticed by the Inquisition for helping them they’d rather help the Xenographer who promises to smuggle in Rare-Xeno Orgin weaponry and artefacts into the Expanse threw some back-way that won’t be hindered the maw (The navigator suspects the Webway or a Warp-Gate)
The Explorator manages to persuade the party that this is the best course of action.
After a long discussion the other characters agree.
An ambush is set (some very good Tatics rolls by the Arch-Militant) The group Voxs the Inquisitor saying they found Arthur Red lead him and his detachment of Storm-Troppers into a Crossfire of Full Auto Las Weaponry and Shuriken Catapults leave them looking like paste (I didn’t anticipate how much carnage full auto weaponry at close range with surprise would do)
The Xeno-Grapher leads the players to Arthur Red who is un-phased by the entire situation he then waves his wit around in a few people faces and without the Inqusitor around to countermand him customs lets him leave the planet. / End session
when onboard the players receive several messages when from the Crim-network they made contact with while planet side they want the players to go to an Agriworld and pick-up a shipment of obscurer (the pleasure Drug) and bring it back to the HiveWorld. This trip will lead them deeper into Imperial space.
The Xeno-Grapher has information that a strange "happening" is occurring at a junction of several warp-lanes he has no information about what is occurring but says if you leave now you should be able to beat his contacts 'boss' to the location. (he gives Darrus the co-ordinates)
It looks like the players are going to follow the Xeno-graphers lead and try and work out his vague message