Brave New Worlds, a Rogue Trader adventure path, uses three Rogue Trader books and three free downloads to create a long-running campaign. Tips from actual play are also included.

This month covers the Explorer's Log to track your campaign, the adventure Dark Frontier, and a fully statted ship for use in your campaign.

The Explorer's Log

You can use the Explorer's Log to keep track of the shifting legends about your Explorers' dynasty as they grow and develop their unique story.

I record the following on the log:

1. Dates and recent transmissions
Real world date and date in the Koronus Expanse. Recent transmissions lists things going on elsewhere. I foreshadow future Endeavours by hinting at them here.

2. The Explorers, their dynasty, and their ship
I list the PCs who attended the adventure and who were off duty. Any changes to the dynasty and/or ship are also noted here.

3. The log
A synopsis of the latest adventure played. Can be in the form of a log of an NPC or just a recap.

4. Next stop
The next adventure.

5. Current Endeavours
Open endeavours.

6. Endeavours completed
Completed accomplishments.

7. XP (Experience Points), Ranks, and FP (Fate Points)
I list it as: XP awarded (9350 XP total). 10,000 XP for Rank 3. FP added +0.

8. Objectives and AP (Achievement Points)
For ongoing tracking I list last session: 600 AP total and this session: AP 600 (1200 AP total).

9. Ship Building and PF (Profit Factor)
I list Profit Factor as 53 PF. And any recent upgrades to the Explorers' ship(s).

10. Bringing the awesome
Anything great or exciting that happened in the adventure. Big accomplishments, great roleplaying, ingenious problem solving, awesome crits etc.

11. Rule reminders
Optional, a list of rules we missed or forgot or that I think could benefit the Explorers. Examples might include how to spend Fate or using Achievement Points while working an Endeavour.

Dark Frontier

Dark Frontier (DF) can be run as is directly from the free PDF. I recommend one change to Profit, one addition of a space battle, and suggest keeping something in mind about the Worm and the ship.

Objectives in Place of Profit

First, the Profit awards on page 12 don't list Achievement Points and the total Profit is much too high. I don't believe that Dark Frontier should have an Endeavour at all as it is something bad that happens to the Explorers. However, I do think they should be able to turn misfortune into Achievement Points with hard work, so I would include four Objectives for Explorers to pursue that they can then turn in for extra Profit while working on Lure of the Expanse.

Objective: Scavenging the system's space hulks
Conditions: A careful scan and transport of found materials to the Explorer's own ship.
Traits: Exploration.
Achievement Points: +25

Objective: Prevent any mutants in Martek's Survivors from making it back to the Imperium
Conditions: By themselves, Martek's Survivors are useful for replenishing lost crew not for gaining future Profit. If word of cleansing or marooning of Martek's mutant population spreads, however, the dynasty will see increased revenue from religious fanatics' support.
Traits: Creed.
Achievement Points: +25

Objective: Bringing the Brotherhood back to the Imperium
Conditions: Palar may irritate the Explorers who are not of a religious bent. But he and his people will bring rewards to the dynasty that returns them safely to Imperial space.
Traits: Creed.
Achievement Points: +25

Objective: Recovering any Yu'vath artefacts to sell or pass on to the Inquisition
Conditions: Recover crystal shards, broken shardspiders, anything xeno not nailed down, and/or the warp-shard crown.
Traits: Criminal (sell) or Creed (destroy).
Achievement Points: +25

Live Play Feedback: Spacing Pilgrims and Murdering Mutants

Explorers come across many Objectives that garner Achievement Points that in turn become Profit. Any action the Explorers take that generates Profit will also create a legend about their dynasty that will ripple throughout space.

For example, if the Explorers space some pilgrims to get more Profit from their ship, that action will affect future interactions with the the Ecclesiarchy or Inquisition. The Explorers might repair anger with religious authorities by completing many Creed objectives.

If instead, they rescue the pilgrims they may get some goodwill from religious types but other Rogue Traders may see them as weak prey.

The same could apply to Martek's mutants. Rescuing them amounts to heresy, and although the Explorers will not likely be executed such a rescue will speak volumes about who they are to other powerful factions. Killing or marooning the mutants will be popular with the rest of the Imperium but would make any future negotiations with other mutants extremely difficult.

Space Combat

If you have Into the Storm, I suggest running the space battle. The gun-cutter stats are on page 183 and I'm including stats for the Penance of Iocanthos (stationary for this fight) in this column. The Void Wasps can use stats for the Aquila Lander found on page 180.

Consider the skills of your Explorers; if they like a good space battle you could likely include three Landers as foes and if they fall too easily add one more in as a last line of defense that the Penance of Iocanthos can't target with weapons. If space battle is not your Explorers' forte, use only two Landers and if things get too rough have the Penance knock one down while leaving the other to the Explorers to handle.

The Pyscharus Worm and the Ship

This xeno artifact quits working at the end of the adventure. However, it could be used by the Explorers as part of the cost to get into the Foretelling in the Lure of the Expanse. Consider dropping some hints about possible future value of keeping the Worm versus the danger of it either becoming active again or drawing the attention of the Inquisition. If one of the Explorers have the Ecclesiarchy or Inquisition as enemies, possession of the Worm could come back to haunt them as a future Misfortune or roleplaying opportunity.

The Penance of Iocanthos represents a huge opportunity for the Explorers, the chance to add a new ship to their fledgling dynasty. If they favorably impress Captain Lynara Cobolt she may even ask to join the dynasty or agree to do so if asked.

I assigned a cost of 1 Profit to buy out the Penance's contract. I then asked Chad, one of the players, to stat up a first draft of the newly acquired ship.

Penance of Iocanthos Core Rulebook Only Stats

Here is a write-up of the Penance of Iocanthos created by Chad, who plays the void-master in our campaign. I asked Chad to design the first draft of the ship, as he is a rules expert.

I really liked the inclusion of the Temple Shrine, as it fit with the description of the ship, crew, and her captain. From this first draft, I pulled out the Trophy Room (as it didn't seem to fit the Captain's personality) and the Observation Dome (to allow for future growth). I noted that Captain Lynara Cobolt really wants to add a Crystal Dome next to impress passengers (especially religious ones).

Penance of Iocanthos
Hull: Transport
Class: Vagabond-class merchant trader
Dimensions: 2 km long, 0.4 km abeam approx.
Mass: 8 megatonnes approx.
Crew: 18000 crew, approx.
Accel: 2.1 gravities max acceleration

This Vagabond is a small, multi-purpose merchant vessel able to transport a wide variety of cargos and passengers. A popular design amongst poorer Chartist captains, this ship is unassuming but reliable. The Penance is battered but resolute: it has been rebuilt from a space hulk to working order when she first started service and recently became disabled and had to once again be rebuilt with parts from a space hulk to return to duty.

Speed: 4 (4+1-1) ; Manoeuvrability: -2 (-5+3)
Detection: +8 (10-2) ; Armour: 14 (13+1)
Void Shields: 1 ; Hull Integrity: 43 (40+3)
Space: 40 (Used: 3739) ; Power: 40 (Used: 3940)
Turret Rating: 1 ; Weapon Capacity: Dorsal 1, Prow 1
SP Total Cost: 2628 ; Morale: +0 (-3+3)

Essential Components (Power/Space/SP)
Lathe Pattern Class 1 Drive (+40/12/1), Strelov 1 Warp Engine (10/10/0), Geller Field (1/0/0),Void Shield (5/1/0), Commerce Bridge (1/1/0) (+50 trade), Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer (4/2/0), Voidsmen's Quarters (1/3/0), R-50 Auspex Multi-Band Auger Array (4/0/0) (+5 manoeuver to avoid celestial phenomena, -2 detect, +50 exploration)

Supplemental Components (Power/Space/SP)
Main Cargo Hold (2/0/0 first only) (+125 trade), Luxury Passenger Quarters (2/1/1) (+100 trade, +100 crime, +100 creed, -3 morale), Temple Shrine to the God Emperor (1/1/1) (+3 morale, +100 creed), [Pulled out the next two components for now:] Trophy Room (1/1/1) (+50 exploration, +50 trade, +50 criminal), Observation Dome (0/1/1) (+50 exploration, +1 morale)

Complications

• Resolute (-1 spd, +3 Hull): +10 to all Repair Tests
• Wrested from a Space Hulk (+1 armor, +1 spd, +3 manoeuver): every time the crew suffers a Misfortune, the GM rolls twice and chooses the worse of the two.

Weapons Prow, Dorsal (Power/Space/SP)

• Dorsal: Thunderstrike Macrocannons [Strength: 3, Damage: 1d10+1, Crit Rating: 6, Range: 4](2/2/1).
  
• Prow: Starbreaker Lance Weapon [Strength: 1, Damage: 1d10+2, Crit Rating: 3, Range: 5] (6/4/2); ignores armor.

Achievement Bonuses:
Creed +200 (+100+100), Crime +100 changed from +150 (+100+50), Explore +50 changed from +150 (+50+50+50), Trade +275 changed from +325 (+125+100+50).

Upcoming Columns

Penance of Iocanthos fully statted out using all the Rogue Trader books. More ideas on using Into the Storm in this adventure path and in your campaign. And the adventure path continues with Lure of the Expanse.

Safe Journey,
Charlie