And as for the style itself? It is cool, it is flexible, it does well in melee AND ranged, even with just ambi (pistol out of melee, sword while in melee)

The main issue with that approach is that as long as you're not going to use them both in melee, sword+rifle w. recoil glove is still better than sword+pistol.

Except that you can't use basic class weapons while in close combat (denying yourself two weapon fighting) and you have to buy a recoil glove. But that entire discussion is fairly off topic when it was more about solo combat centric characters.

Except that you can't use basic class weapons while in close combat (denying yourself two weapon fighting) and you have to buy a recoil glove. But that entire discussion is fairly off topic when it was more about solo combat centric characters.

A question: does a spear count as a two-handed weapon in Rogue Trader? I ask because you could put a bayonet on the Basic-class weapon to use in close combat.

Except that you can't use basic class weapons while in close combat (denying yourself two weapon fighting) and you have to buy a recoil glove. But that entire discussion is fairly off topic when it was more about solo combat centric characters.

My statement was in reply to 'it does well in melee AND ranged, even with just ambi (pistol out of melee, sword while in melee)'. If you don't plan to TWF but just give yourself a melee option and a ranged option, sword+basic with recoil golve beats sword+pistol. In the end, whatever you try to do with sword+pistol, there's something else that does it significantly better

Drop a rok on them.

If that doesn't work, drop TWO roks on them.

Speaking of limited roles. The navigator has little reason to leave the ship and risk death on an away mission on some uncharted world. The explorator has a similar reason, except theirs is keeping the ship running. Astropaths would also stay onboard, too valuable to lose and the RT can have someone carry a long range Vox. First Mate will also be managing things onboard, as well as the Seneschal has figures to go over.

That leaves the RT (if they feel like risking it), the "Bodyguard" and maybe a missionary. Granted there are exceptions to the roles listed above, but if we act like the RT has no reason for a trusted retainer who will do anything to save him, we may as well not let the vital crew of the ship jump deep into danger.

I still an Arch-Militant should embrace at least part of the role of a commander. Training the personal squad of the RT, leading some boardings or repulsing enemy boarders. They still have an important role to keep the "boss man" alive.

Speaking of limited roles. The navigator has little reason to leave the ship and risk death on an away mission on some uncharted world. The explorator has a similar reason, except theirs is keeping the ship running. Astropaths would also stay onboard, too valuable to lose and the RT can have someone carry a long range Vox. First Mate will also be managing things onboard, as well as the Seneschal has figures to go over.

This is why so much of my campaigns are ship-focussed, I think.

Speaking of limited roles. The navigator has little reason to leave the ship and risk death on an away mission on some uncharted world. The explorator has a similar reason, except theirs is keeping the ship running. Astropaths would also stay onboard, too valuable to lose and the RT can have someone carry a long range Vox. First Mate will also be managing things onboard, as well as the Seneschal has figures to go over.

Well in all those cases there's something to be said for going hands on.

The Explorator

To put it in the words of Mordin "Someone else might have gotten it wrong" leaving potential discoveries to some underling is a good way to get usurped as king **** of technocracy. Worse yet if they **** it upside down so hard it goes to double hell and wrecks the universe people are going to ask "and where were you while this was happening?"

The Senescha l

Kind of a similar thing, if you aren't there to be THE Gordon Gecko then someone else is going to be. Besides you had those hundred days of warp transit to go over those figures and a hundred more to go over them again on the way back. You need to be there to notice possible opportunities or answer the boss's questions when he wants to know which beads the primitive xenos will accept in return for the mineral rights of their planet. If you aren't some other ******* might be, uh oh office politics.

The Navigator

C'mon dontcha wanna live a little before you spend the next six hundred years being a monster, nothing but a biological sliderule in some forgotten corner of the ship ******* your second cousin for the sake of the dynasty? Make some memories now you have a long sh*tty life ahead of you.

The Navigator

C'mon dontcha wanna live a little before you spend the next six hundred years being a monster, nothing but a biological sliderule in some forgotten corner of the ship ******* your second cousin for the sake of the dynasty? Make some memories now you have a long sh*tty life ahead of you.

This is my PC Navigator's point of view. He also makes reference to his much less capable and confident cousin who's just off-screen that he repeatedly tries to mentor and improve, so that when he dies on an away mission the ship is not entirely screwed over.

It is nice how each role can be so varied though. looking at the extremes of PCs who won't leave the ship to ones eager to get off. Just as Arch-Militants can be commanders of a guard, gunners on the ship, leader of the ship troops all the way to the smartly dressed bodyguard with his favorite gun...