Brave New World
Now, if the Explorers were encouraged to just send out flunkies to do everything, the game wouldn't be nearly as much fun. Roleplaying wise, the Explorers have to lead the charge to gain Profit, as much of what they want to accomplish will hinge on reputation and wielding it well. To build Profit Factor even more quickly, the PCs can call on their crew but to do so, they have to let go of some of their own authority and take more risk.
There is also the chance of mutiny if the Explorers abuse their crew. Having several thousand angry sailors rise up wanting to hang you from the nearest plas-beam will give pause to even the most bloody-handed PC.
The rules also support having the Explorers explore. Most crews have a chance of success of around 30% to 40% with none of the tricky abilities the Explorers have. Simply put, the Explorers are better at their favored tasks than any average crewmember. And, of course, trusted crew can be sent off to generate additional Profit Factor for the dynasty, if the crew doesn't screw up.
Rogue Trader works really well for D20 fantasy gamers like me because the PCs don't start out weak and poor and build up from there. They start out large and in charge but still not the baddest of the bad. They are also fairly skilled at their chosen trade without being overwhelming. This change in beginning power is a welcome change of pace from farm boy grabs a sword and a year or two later becomes a raging cyclone of death and mayhem (although those campaigns are pretty cool too).
Rogue Trader at the Table
Just freaking awesome.
The game is fast and gripping. Every Explorer is drawn in to a range of challenges and conflicts and in many cases generate their own plots that add to the growing story.
The Explorers are generated using an origin path. A series of choices ranging from picking a homeworld to deciding on the first trip through the Void generates some roleplaying and rule information. Anytime the origin path of two different Explorers merge, the players of those Explorers can choose to write into their character backgrounds that both Explorers met at that time.
The ship is considered a character as well. It has a machine spirit and its own history and goals. I'll talk more about creating the ship (and generating starting Profit Factor) next month.
Once the game starts, the Explorers choose which Endeavours to pursue. As I discussed last month, Endeavours drive the whole game and the Explorers are completely in charge of picking and choosing them. The GM can throw in various complications like Misfortune and Upkeep tests (both of which can reduce Profit Factor) and Warp encounters to liven things up in addition to any specific adventure ideas the GM is running. Things never get boring in Rogue Trader and the GM is given many tools to assist him or her.
Because the Explorers have so many skills and resources, they possess a huge range of options to pick and choose from to accomplish their mission and grow their Profit. However, no group of Explorers can do it all. Some functions onboard ship will have to be handled by NPCs. This challenges the command skills of the players as well as their characters, which in my mind is a good thing.
For example, the Navigator in our campaign is an NPC. We didn't demand that a player take that career, in fact I encouraged everyone to play something that looked entertaining. To compensate for the NPC's base percentage of navigating the Warp being at 30% you can bet that the players are scrambling to find tech to boost that number up. This type of challenge creates adventures all on its own and gives even more control of the campaign over to the Explorers.
Finally, the Explorers may delegate pursuing some Profit to crew, especially if they own more than one ship. They may also dispatch trusted crew to deal with a Misfortune before it takes a bite out of Profit Factor. Again, the Explorers must carefully monitor their dynasty and the crew representing them to thrive.
My biggest piece of advice for new GMs and Explorers is: don't try to cover every possible in-game challenge with just your group of Explorers. You have a crew of tens of thousands and you will have to rely on them at some point. Play what you like and find crew to fill in the gaps. If they don't meet your expectations, well, welcome to command. It's lonely at the top and if you don't keep your eyes on everything you might wind up dead.
On the other hand, if you keep an eye on profit, improving your ship, and investing judiciously in your crew you may become a famous or infamous Rogue Trader whose name is writ large across the Imperium.
Yeah, I like this game.
Personal Combat
You don't need a grid which, again for me after playing a lot of D20, is a welcome change of pace. The game supports a cinematic approach: the more bullets you spray the more accurate your overall attack becomes.
The game encourages some common sense approaches such as finding cover to avoid getting shot, dodging and parrying attacks, and using suppressing fire to pin down enemies. Combat is fast and dangerous but with Fate Points available to Explorers they have an edge.
Overall, each career has several skills and talents that work in combat. In my experience, the arch-militant is great at ballistic combat (ranged) and the ork freebooter is a melee brute for those players looking for Explorers that excel in violent conflicts.
Ship Combat
I have a hard time finding the NPC Crew Ratings. If you do too, they are listed on page 214 right in the middle of the description of ship combat.
The default for ship combat is to use a grid, although narrative only rules are provided as well. I dispense with a grid and just use a ruler and ships purloined from my Buck Rogers boardgame flying around on the star background from Battlestations and ignoring the hexes. If I had the latest version of Twilight Imperium instead of the one with cardboard pieces I'd likely use those ships.
Ship combat is great for players who like some medium number crunching and have an interest in translating a handful of rules into a successful ship to ship beatdown. If your group doesn't work that way, I'd go with the narrative rules instead.
For my group, about half of the guys like the crunchiness and since ship combat doesn't come up all the time, I let them do it. It helps that I like the crunchiness every once in a while myself.
The most used skill in starship combat is likely Pilot (Space Craft). Having a high Ballistic Skill (a characteristic not a skill despite the name) comes in handy. Command, Scrutiny, and Tech-Use also see quite a bit of use with other Interaction skills and Medicae rounding things out. The Willpower characteristic may also be used in some battles.
A character will have something to do every round, even if not piloting or shooting. If no Explorer has a needed skill, a crew member can test (with an Explorer overseeing and commanding them).
When a ship is damaged the crew population and morale also take a hit. Repairs to the ship and building the crew back up can take place at a space port or populated planet which can lead to further adventures. If a ship is heavily damaged, some creative Tech-Use tests may be required before the ship can even enter the Warp again. Hopefully, those ad-hoc repairs to the Gellar field holdÖ.
Next Month
Overview of the Brave New Worlds adventure path for Rogue Trader including suggested rules and ideas on awarding Profit Factor. You can get started with Rogue Trader right away without writing your own in depth adventures. This adventure path, combined with Rogue Trader and a couple of free downloads, will get you detailing your own worlds and other locations for your Explorers to explore right away.
Charlie
