Revenants of greatness [rogue trader]

[elpresidente]

Hi all. I’ve been itching to run a rogue trader campaign for a while now, and having rediscovered ORP was wondering whether anybody would be interested?

Having run several RT games before around a table rather than online I feel that PbP would serve as an excellent medium to get the depth of description and detail that the system requires. Anyway less reasoning more setting:
First and foremost the setting would not be the Koronus expanse but one of my own devising called Macharius’s folly. The area beyond Imperial space conquered by the Macharian Crusades but subsequently squandered when after his death when his sub generals couldn’t decide which letter head they liked best and had a war over it (or something equally trivial).
As such the area is full of former human colonies and the filthy Xenos vultures that descended on the region in the ensuing power vacuum. The time would be concurrent with the actual 40k background rather than two centuries prior, that way nobody get their toes stepped on.

The Kind of players:
Hopefully I should already have a Rogue trader player, after that I’d be looking at anywhere from another two to four players although possibly more. Any cavernous gaps in party makeup can easily be covered through NPCs and I would probably expect this to be the case in some of the arguably less glamorous character paths such as brain-telephone-bolt-magnet and warp-mutant-wibble-periscope. I'd be happy to let anyone play anything within the Imperium that they can feasibly fit into the group (barring Astartes), the only real stipulation would be that I want proactive players who do things themselves rather that dispatching subordinates to do it for them. I don't mind people sending their indentured guardsmen to go investigate the space hulk but I will expect you to lead from the front and go with them.

The Kind of game:
The Rogue trader in mind is a war profiteer, which particularly suits the area of squalid little space empires. The setting is of course 40k and therefore unrelentingly grim so do expect inconceivably horrific monsters, in your face violence and back breaking oppression but with a Han Solo / Delboy / Nicholas Cage in “Lord of War” flavoring.

So any takers? …

[Solar]

I'm up for it

[Copper]

As unlikely as it is, would you consider a Sister of Battle (Blood of Martyrs version), provided justification could be made for her being attached to a Rogue Trader'a flotila?

[elpresidente]

@Solar: excellent that's the rogue trader sorted then.

@Copper: A sister would be fine, as I mentioned the rogue trader is a war profiteer and therefore an ordo militant companion could be expected rather than the standard missionary. She'd just start at the standard XP for a rogue trader character.

[Copper]

Okay. How would you want stats and things sorted? I can probably get a sheet sent tonight, since I have both Blood of Martyrs and the Cores to hand. Also, would it be worth myself and the Rogue Trader talking through origins, established relationship, etc?

[Copper]

Scratch that. I only have Deathwatch and Dark Heresy. This being the case, how much experience so I have, and what Rank will said expenditure put me at?

[elpresidente]

It would be 5000 xp I don't have the books to hand at the moment so I couldn't tell you what rank that is unfortunately.

As for Origins that sounds like a good plan, Solar is the Rogue trader so PM him about any background you would want to go through, from what I recall his char is from a feudal world and his family was granted a warrant of trade and the planet for service to the Imperium during the Macharian crusade.

Don't worry about rushing me a char sheet I won't be wanting to start until september (moving at the end of the month), and unless you choose otherwise consider your place secure.

[Copper]

Good to know. Thanks!

[Foxtrot]

Do you have room for a tech priest? Because the flesh is weak...

[Vortigern]

Never played any of the 40k games, but I have some pdfs, and love the 40k universe. I'd be interested in anything that fills a gap, but immediate interests are an Assassin-y/Rogue-ish type, or a Psyker.

[Copper]

If I recall correctly, the Battle Sister is immune to Demonic Presence, and has a good few other abilities that make her an excellent combatant. For that reason, she'd be well placed to fill the "fighter" group role, though I intent on building her out significantly to make her more than your standard Sororitas fodder.

[elpresidente]

Do you have room for a tech priest? Because the flesh is weak...
Always room for the Mechanicum contingent, personally I'd call them one of the key classes you actually need to fill rather than NPC as there is so much tech stuff to do on a ship, archeotech to find etc.

I'd be interested in anything that fills a gap, but immediate interests are an Assassin-y/Rogue-ish type, or a Psyker
If I could direct your attention to the Seneschal (probably spelled incorrectly) class in the Rogue trader book which is the sneaky bastard/spymaster/economist/"That man who suggested a trade embargo against you has mysteriously vanished my lord" class. Either that or an Astropath Transcendent would be more than welcome.

building her out significantly to make her more than your standard Sororitas fodder.
I can see a Sororitas being a good mix between arch militant and missionary, only thing I'd say about bringing DH characters through to rogue trader is that is is a must to spend the xp on putting up every stat to +5 as it rounds the character out more and makes them more comparable to the RT statline, otherwise they tend to naturally gravitate to min maxing, having some hideously weak stats in some places and powerful high end talents in others.

In RT every class has at least some fighting ability, but then again it's 40k and unless you're playing deathwatch being hit by anything much bigger that a lasgun puts a crimp on anyone's day and one bad dodge/good damage roll can often quite easily put the team fighter into crits, so I'm not too bothered about replication in the hitting stuff camp. It’s more sharing the load than stealing thunder, as fighter is another term for bodyguard and bodyguard is polite for bullet catcher.

[Foxtrot]

Great. I've never played Rogue Trader, but I've played and run Dark Heresy many times, and played the tabletop game for over a decade. Do not concern yourself over your ship, I will love and caress its machine spirit oh so tenderly with my gentle mechanical fingers.

[elpresidente]

Excellent, well based on the fact that I've had some interest I'll say this project is a go.

I've got a forum request and a character sheet template drafted so I shall probably put in for a forum tomorrow, I'm not intending on kicking off until the start of next month but with a forum up you can start putting up PC's and chatting amongst yourselves and I can start uploading the prodigious amounts of setting, get a bit of back story in and add more players when (if?) they come.

As for anybody making a character we're all reasonable human beings so you can do it on the dice roller if you like, or I trust you to roll your own dice. Pm me or email me the fruits of your labours if you can't wait till there is a forum.

[AbidingDude]

I'm a 40k fan, but have little experience with Space Marines (since they [mostly] have not interest in the Greater Good [<3 the little guard defectors] ).

That said, if there is room, I'd be very interested in playing, but will need to get myself the book(s?) first.

Edit: Have the core book now. (3 cheers for drive thru rpg. Also, are any of the other books especially pertinent?) If Vortigern decides to go with the spymaster/assassin, I'd like to run the Astropath. If Vortigern decides to run the Astropath, I will pick something else (after some more reading).

[elpresidente]

Glad to have you onboard.

I'll be using all the FFG source books for 40k RP for the most part you can easily make do with just the rogue trader rulebook, only other classes in the actual RT books are for playing Kroot or Ork characters which I'd be hesitant to actually let people play in a PbP game based on character interaction, and some prestige classes for later in play.

I'll accept characters "uplifted" from Dark heresy supplements but only if they'll fill a viable role in the campaign such as Copper's proposed sister who fulfills aspects from the arch militant and missionary classes quite nicely.

Deathwatch while stupidly cool is also right out as very little can unbalance combat more than by throwing in the emperor's finest. Outside of combat most have an extremely limited range of skills that do not come under the purview of bringing horrible death to lots of people.

[Solar]

Yeah even if you give the other characters the same amount of XP as a starting marine, which is more than twice what a Rogue Trader starting character gets and more than twenty times what a starting Dark Heresy character gets, you are still not going to be as good because they are a space marine and you are not.

[elpresidente]

Righty ho, party as it stands:

Solar: Rogue trader Zap Brannagan Tristan Aphesius Blayde
Copper: Gun Nun Sister
Vortigern: Seneschal (turns out spelling was right, net gain!)
Foxtrot: Cog boy Explorator
AbidingDude: Bolt magnet Astropath

Hopefully admins willing a forum will appear today.

EDIT: As I've mentioned to AbidingDude, roll your stats yourselves and assign any roll to any stat rather than in order as you're actually meant to be good at your intended rolls (no pun intended), rather than having Seneschals with no ability to talk to other human beings, or fighter pilots with crap agility. Also for those it applies to pick from wherever on the career path, as long as it makes sense and you can justify it, that's fine by me.

[AbidingDude]

Quick Rolls:
For determining Fate Points: [roll0]
For determining Wounds: [roll1]
For birthright "bonus": [roll2]
For Lure of the Void: [roll3]

[Copper]

Do you want the rolls here, in a Private Message, or can they be rolled anywhere?

[AbidingDude]

Hey Copper, you can't roll in a private message, or at least, I've tried and never been successful. Above, Elpresidente said we could roll anywhere (even our own dice privately).

[elpresidente]

Above, Elpresidente said we could roll anywhere (even our own dice privately).

Khorne cares not from where the dice are rolled, only that they are rolled!!!

Right forum is up, impressively without blackmailing any of the admins so stroll on over and enjoy.

[The Alcotroll]

Count me in Gazreth- though I'm still undecided about whether to go for the Militant or that other one you suggested, and I'm not sure when I'll get around to buying the book.

[elpresidente]

good good :)

[Foxtrot]

I have my RT book now and am making the character

[Foxtrot]

I am withdrawing from this game since I will be running my own for some friends shortly, and want my full attention on that. Cheers to all of you.