Thumbnail to the map handout I'm giving my players for our upcoming Rogue Trader sandbox sessions. Also here so I can link to it when I get there in the storyline.
Questions, comments, all appreciated.
Oh the easy stuff to head people off. The first number after each system name is the number of planets in the system, the second is the vertical height on 1-20 ascending. Systems with a box in them are the set jump points to go to other subsectors.
thanx,
SRO
A handy little tool for you players no doubt (I really should make one for mine, to be honest).
Couple of points: -
What does 'vertical height' mean in this context (the 2nd number on each system)? Sorry if this is a really silly question.
How complete is this map meant to be when your PCs get it? Is this meant to be a really wild bit of space for them to discover and explore, or a fairly well mapped out part? If the latter, adding approximate travel times etc might be good, as well as colour coded worlds etc (I would just use the colour coding from the maps in the rulebook) (green=agri world, that kind of thing).
I assume the lines are warp routes - is that the case? Is it therefore impossible to go directly (for example) from Fan Cove to Junon, and one has to follow the lines all the way around via Karan et al? I would imagine a more direct route should be possible, unless the warp storms are very bad. If I were a half-way decent navigator I would be want to scoot between the narrowest points, unless there was a very good reason not to.
Oh, and the second 'u' in each of your 'rumored' systems seems to have got lost in the warp…
…only teasing…
It looks fun, and I would be curious to know what purpose you are hoping to put it to.
Best of luck with the campaign anyway,
All best,
David.
No silly questions there, lesse what I can say without spoilering.
Imagine this map was a 3 dimensional box instead of a flat piece of paper, screen, etc and imagine the box had twenty levels from top to bottom. The second number is what level the system is on vertically. The vertical component of the map was needed for travel times back when this was a BFG campaign map instead of a RT rpg map. Note that Ristan and Eppal are far closer together than Ristan and Karan, even though they're a similar distance horizontally.
This is the level of the map when the party gets it. Their seneschal got hold of every bit of information he could(NPC seneschal), scribbled some warnings on it where he heard there were problems, like the interdiction zone and the orkoid space, then handed it over. The players themselves will have to fill in what they can until they get back to their seneschal(who they're leaving with their crew) who will have more then(stealth small team missions, gotta love em).
The systems will be a bit more fleshed out than FFG tends to though.
This is a snippet of how I put together systems:
{
New Solom: 5 planets, 1 imperial world, Dead, Dead, Death, Dead, Dead
The crash of a great universe class colony vessel on a moon of the third planet has led to their defenders, a third of the Celestial Wrath space marine chapter, taking up home on that moon and carving out a thriving but harsh colony on the death world below. The colony's hardy residents supply new recruits and the colony ship has been converted to a massive fortress monestary. That combined with the bevy of system vessels and space marine fleet stationed here makes the system, while obstensively imperial something the collonial government always decides to either over look or deal with later, much later.
Montorei: 3 planets, 1 habitable, Dead/Agri/Dead
Though rarely visited by anyone without ties to the place Montorei is a thriving if someone off the beaten path agri world that supplies many of the coreward collonial systems with food.
Brack: 4 planets, none habitable, Dead, Dead, Gas, Gas
Mostly used as a jump point for people traveling between Alpha IV and Portage or Teldies, to recalibrate their astro navigation systems. Considered somewhat of a dangerous place to travel into, with a number of asteroid fields. The system is constantly partroled by free collonial warships, who see occasional action against eldar and pirate factions.
}
As for warp routes, those are there for good reason. One of the centerpieces of the sector they've found themselves in, and a general mcguffin if I'm using the word correctly, is Death, an unnatural singularity listed on the map that badly calms the warp in this and a number of neighboring subsectors and blanks out the astronomicon. Without a navigator specifically experienced in traversing the warp in this area(there are a few VERY pricey houses) you've got that wonderful -60 for plotting courses. To make this a bit easier there are set travel paths marked out with astronavigational bouys at set distances which allow slow but functional travel between the systems without a navigator, if you know exactly where the path entrance is. Note that since each group in the area came to this decision seperately and uses convergent but dissimilar technology to achieve these ends, none of the great factions can easily use each other's pathways.
I know the FFG system tends to use full sector maps but BFG used mostly subsector maps, which is why I have much smaller subsector areas mapped out and travel points for getting in between them.
Anything else catch someone's eye?
thanx,
SRO
Two new maps the characters are earning soon. Triton links to Madre. Moesby links to Junon
Working on those "what this system contains" infos, but they're not quite needed yet. As of now only I as GM know what's in each system anyway.
Oh btw, just because, four years later, I realized I didn't link the final product... dhurrrrrr!
Beware the full sized. It's gi-freaking-gantic.