So once our current Deathwatch campaign is wrapped up I plan to run a Rogue Trader game with my 3 core players. However all of them have their hearts set on their current character ideas, a Seneschal, an Ork Freebooter (eventually becoming a Big Mek) and a Dark Eldar warrior (once the Soul Reaver comes out); now I think this could be interesting and I don't have a problem with it but it does bring up an obvious problem, the Rogue Trader will have to be an NPC.

This presents me with an odd issues; preventing the commander of the operation from stealing the spotlight from the PCs. I'm thinking of leaving the RT physically crippled at one point (I won't have him start that way, he will gain Exp at the same rate as the party and it makes little sense for a RT to start a career while he's physically unwell) and thus relegated to ship command and mission control so to speak. However this still leaves the fact that an NPC will be giving the main orders (players will obviously have their own side agendas and get control of HOW they go about their missions, plus I am characterizing the RT as a man who is willing to delegate when its called for) in a game where I feel that the appeal is the freedom to go out into a huge sandbox and make your own fortune.

In a nutshell my question is; how do I keep the Rogue Trader relevant to the story without having him (and thus me as the GM) have total control and assume a role similar to a Inquisitor/Watch Captain/etc in other games? I'm basically trying to avoid making this into "Deathwatch/Dark Heresy with space battle mechanics" in that player characters are given orders that propel the plot rather than opportunites to seize; because in the end its the Rogue Trader (normally a PC who would consult out of character with the rest of the party) who makes the final decision.

I guess I could take the easy route and make him a push over but I doubt my players would find that compelling or believable.

The Explorers are all "equals." Sure the Rogue Trader holds the warrant and the eventual authority over everything that goes on, but he's gathered a highly talented group around him and it would be extremely stupid to ignore their advice and wishes. Basically run it exactly the same way you would with a player being the RT, and just have the RT NPC agree with the consensus, and/or impose his will upon the group when the time is right. It could actually end up being a very good thing.

- The RT is a monomaniac : for instance, a big game hunter, or a botanist, a dandy, whatever. The kind of RT who is basically saying "I have minions for work, I'll do interesting things instead."
- The Warrant Holder is dead, the Seneshal is the Regent while the next of kin is still raised somewhere on Scintilla or wherever.
- The Warrant Holder got many ships, your team is in charge of one, with Carte Blanche from the RT to devellop his interests in this sector, in his name.

@ Mordechai - Good ideas.

Maybe the RT has become obsessed with his ship and is in the process of becoming hard wired to the command throne, so he can become one with his beloved.

You can also have an RT who has a warrant but doesn't have a legitimate claim to it.

This is what I mean by it. Several corrupt officials petition to get one of their lackey's to get a Warrant, to further their endeavors in an outlying sector full of hidden xeno items, items considered heresy in nature, archaeotech, etc. They don't have much backing, but they do have a certain clause in the Warrant that the lackey didn't know about. It states something along this line,

"That I can state anyone I choose to be the claiment of my Warrant upon my untimely death, whether of blood or nay of blood. In-so-course that I fail to name a heir, anyone that finds this Warrant under true character upon my death, with the backing of the supporters signed on this warrant or in acting in their voice, shall then be the bearer of this Warrant."

Meaning that if a lackey isn't doing what they want him to do, they can kill him, take the Warrant and give it to another person. Also, if that person gets caught conducting heresy, then they can wash their hands and say they had no part of it, all the while able to name another bearer stating he was false in character to claim the Warrant with their backing. What's this have to do with the Xeno PC's?……. Not sure yet, but I will get back to you. It sounded good in my head though.

Ah Ha! Thought of it.

The Xeno PC's are part of the supporters circle of Cold Traders, and if the RT doesn't please the xeno PC's, then the PC's can tell the supporters to replace him (in according with the clause, hehehe). Hence, equal footing, in a certain aspect. I knew I was going somewhere with it, but was distracted by my kids.

I once led a game where the RT had been injuried in a firefight, and had lost most of its limbs. To survive, he had been put in a dreatnought-like sarcophage on the bridge. He could still contoll the ship, but he depended ont the PC for all the action outside his ship.

Larkin said:

Yep. The RT is a pirate captain. In that, he is in charge only so long as his crew allows it.

Mordechai Von Razgriz said:

These have some good promise. I like the second one most, but the third is much of what I was originally planning to do with one of my game ideas. My RT was going to be an oversight-type NPC, and the party would be a distant, empowered group, sort of like Abel Gerrit, and they would be required just to accomplish so much, making their own calls how. That way, they didn't feel that one PC was the boss. Behind the scenes, the RT, who is getting up in years, was observing his groups, looking to see which one might prove worthy of inheriting the Silver Ravens Warrant. If they could meet his various quotas, he would send them on the mission he never finished, and if they succeeded, surpassing him, they'd get the Warrant.

ItsUncertainWho said:

It certainly isn't how this game was rigged to work, but I don't see why you should have a problem. If a Rogue Trader can have a small fleet of ships, and have some of these doing stuff in the background, there's no reason why the game couldn't focus on one such ship, rather than the RT's own.

If worse came to worst, the most you might have to do is say "to hell with the Rogue Trader PROGRESSION!" and give the Seneshal the Warrant, but use the Seneshal's progression. Many of the things one needs, the other has, and then it wouldn't be too weird.

Another point to make is that the Warrant holder need not actually follow the Rogue Trader Career Path. Thuogh in your case taht leaves only the seneschal as the possible warrant holder, I personally would never let my PCs play a Xenos.

HeavensThunderHammer said:

I like the kroot careers. And I love the idea of a dark eldar pc but the whole idea of being an ork is stupid. It makes no sense.

Also the seneschal should be the rogue trader.

ieatdeadpeople2 said:

Ork Freebootas being hired by humans, especially rogue traders, to fight as hired muscle has been in the Warhammer Background pretty much since it was first written with the original "Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader" rules.

I see far more justification for an Ork to be part of the crew than a Dark Eldar.

UberMutant said:

I agree. Though I abhor the concept of spores coming form Orks. I still use it mind you, because why change something that has a massive impact on the whole 40k universe fluff. Although playing 'Whack a Snotling' would be vastly entertaining, now that I think of it.

I love orks but their not good characters. Their uninteresting and just cause it's been in the background for a while doesn't mean its not stupid that they will work for humans. Their supposed to be violent and unruly and have no respect for authority if it ain't big green and mean.

Dark Eldar and Kroot are good for PC's to play because their similar enough to humans that they could actually work along side us as opposed to a PC that just constantly wants to fight which is what Ork's are supposed to do.

And it's cool that players will be able to be a Dark Eldar in past 40k rpg's you could only be a ranger or a craftworld pirate.

Can't you find a fourth player anyways? I find four people is usally the best in most rpg's so why don't you find someone who is willing to play and put them as a rouge trader? The other ingame solutions are cool and all, but having a rouge trader PC makes everything easier. Plus it's more fun for the PC'S to have the RT as someone they know. I ran through this before once and my campaign went horrible. RT is just an important PC, and the game is just much more fun for everyone to have it there.

The Rogue Trader is dead and without an heir.

Their Warrant will be revoked if the truth of this is discovered, so the crew keep up the act that he is always in his private quarters, or taking His Most Holy of Dumps, or what have you.

The RT is…highly unstable. Give each player a number, then roll a d3 (depending on party size), the number that comes up, that's the player who's 'playing' the RT (as well as their own PC) for that session only, roll again next session. Or, roll again every hour to make things particularly random.

Other options; the RT is daemonically possessed, or poisoned/critically wounded and seconds from death but stealed in a Stasis chamber, Guilleman style. Control of the Dynasty devolves to whoever produces the best forged signature that week - meaning it could occassionally be an NPC crewman.

Plasmafest said:

The RT's player in our campaign only shows up at about one session in three, and frequently falls asleep when he does show up. We don't mind. I just portray him as a morose drunk usually stoned out of his mind by the medications the seneschal has him on. Of course, given what his crew get up to, I'm not surprised he's a morose drunk usually stoned out of his mind.

What our GM did is that the RT is in a Life-Support machine in his quarters and can't leave the vessel. Because of this, he has declared the PCs his stand ins and whatever they say goes. He still knows about nearly everything that happens, but he is content to let us steer the dynasty, although he will give us ideas and advice from time to time.

Sarvus von Blod said:

In line with this, I have actually read a w40k book (can't remember which right now) where the captain of a ship was merged into the captain chair on the bridge. He had been the captain of the ship for several hundred years and had essentially merged with the ship - giving him exceptional control of the ship. But for all other matters needed he needed proxies/agents.

-the rogue trader is a child onboard. still in charge somehow but still learning from and giving control to seneschal

-the rogue trader is captive or dead thanks to the PCs who now extort his power. until found out…

The Rogue Trader could also be an incredible coward: weak, indecisive and completely out of his/her depth. Too scared to tell his/her family that they don't want to be a Rogue Trader, and so happy to let the crew run things.

You could play this in different ways. It could be obvious 'I'm going to hide in my room and watch holo-DVDs, just do whatever it takes to keep this show on the road', or more subtle: 'I've called this war council to discuss the way forward… what do you all think about this problem? Oh, good idea - that's what I was going to say, let's do that'.

The Rogue Trader could then be an interesting NPC, with a developed character, but one that wouldn't actually take charge of the story.

The PCs could either go along with this because of their honour / duty to the dynasty, or out of self interest (we'll never have this good an opportunity to run a trading empire as we've got now).

There are several possibilities.

1. They are one ship in a fleet acting upon their RT's interests and they command said ship even if only a smaller part of a larger body.
2. One of the non-RT crewmates inheritated a warrent.
or what I think is the most obvious:
3. You have an Ork and Dark Eldar on the ship, even needing a warrant almost seems pointless, make them much more piratey / black market, makes more sense with a crew that has 2 extremely dangerous xenos species as high ranking officials anyways.