This is an Int check for a Rouge Trader Campaign that I want to see if I can run through the forum. I have yet to GM a Rouge Trader Campaign but have played through several campaigns as a player and been a GM for a few different rule systems. I wrote chunks of this campaign some time ago but none of the local clubs seem particularly keen on RT at the moment so I thought I would try it online.

It’s a fairly standard set up, with a new area of space opening up after a long warp storm known as the Mists suddenly develops a gap. The known history of the area will be patchy but the party would likely know that there were once Imperial colonies in the region and the area was cut off long, long ago. It’s your job to go in there and make both discoveries and filthy huge amounts of money. Don’t worry I have it all far more fleshed out than that, but the party would not know at this stage.

For those of you unfamiliar with Rouge Trader it takes place in the 40k universe and the basic set up is you are the senior crew of decent ship that is privately owned by a person known as a Rouge Trader. It is the Rouge Trader’s job to go out and make a profit for himself and his family but they are forced out to the edge of the Empire and beyond, the theory being that the new worlds, territory and technology they discover will be beneficial to the Empire as will the trade links and diplomatic links they provide. They are the very forefront of the Empire, part merchant, part explorer, part warlord and they have almost total freedom. The party can just as easily end up becoming criminal underworld pirates as they can merchant princes and anything and everything in between. You could even end up being the East India Company in space!

I will be putting this int check up in both the advanced and the table top sections to see where most of the interest comes from. If it comes largely from the advanced section I’ll be very soft with the rules, running most of it behind the scenes and focusing on the narrative and prose of it all far more. If it comes chiefly from the table top area I’ll stick to the rules of the game. But do not feel discouraged by not knowing the rules, I can handle everything on that front.

If you have any questions about rules, setting, potential plot or anything else that comes to mind please feel free to ask

I'd be interested in this. I have tabletopped Deathwatch before and am familiar with the setting/rules. I have never done forum RP before so really have no preference which direction this goes.

Tabletop GM of Rouge Trader here, I'd probably be interested if you were to start something up, though I am a bit full up with RPs at the moment.

I do wonder precisely how much you'd incorporate the rules, since they can make for some very one-sided combats, particularly in space combat.

I'm interested in both the Table-top based and non tabletop

Excellent, I’ll wait a tad longer before kicking everything off as we would have a small party as things currently stand but I can start drafting up the OOC now so we can get to work. As for how to incorporate space combat I think it will be easier to do that more normal skirmishes and fights as there is less terrain to work around. I can keep track of ships positions at my end with little maps and markers. As for the one sidedness of it I’m just going to have to be really careful with how I balance ships and equally you’re going to have to be careful about the fights you pick. Also the Battle Fleet Koronus rule expansion has some useful guidance on this topic.

I love the RT concept entirely, count me in,

What I found in space combat, in short, was that any ship the players face off against with crew skill of 40 or below is gonig to get absolutely taken to pieces.

I'd really prefer to run ground combat in the free-form manner that it usually is run as on the Guild. I feel like waiting for rolls and maps will slow things to crawl, not to mention it limits our creativity somewhat in this medium.

Anyone planning to be the Rogue Trader? It is a kinda important role...

I agree with Echo in that I generally prefer things freeform in this setting.

It is probably a good idea to have some concept of our rogue trader as well since everyone kind of builds off him.

I probably don't know enough lore to play the RT

Very very interested if this is still accepting people.

Is this still happening or what?

Sundered Echo said
Is this still happening or what?

Same question.

Awwww... came expecting some kind of ghetto make-up salesman on a foggy day.

Not to be the grammar police - but for an Advanced RP it might help to spell Rogue correctly in the title at least, even if there's little slip ups elsewhere.

Happy Writing :)