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, Penance of Iocanthos fully statted out using all the Rogue Trader books. And the adventure path finishes with Lure of the Expanse.

Penance of Icocanthos

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. He turned in this second draft using all of the Rogue Trader rulebooks.

I really liked the inclusion of the Temple Shrine and Auto Temple, as both fit with the description of the ship, crew, and her captain. I also like the idea of the Auto Temple descending from space to a planet surface. From this draft, I pulled out the Trophy Room (as it didnít seem to fit the Captainís personality) and the Observation Dome (to allow for future growth). I noted that Captain Lynara Cobolt really wants to add an Observation Dome next to impress passengers (especially religious ones).

I changed the M-1/r Life sustainer and Pressed-crew quarters to a Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer (4/2/0) and Voidsmen's Quarters (1/3/0)as I didnít see the captain wanting guests to be uncomfortable or being that ruthless with crew.

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: 5 (4+1-1+1); Manoeuvrability: +1 (-5+3+3)
Detection: 8 (10-2); Armour: 14 (13+1)
Void Shields: 1; Hull Integrity: 43 (40+3)
Space: 40 (Used: 36 down from 38); Power: 40 (Used: 40)
Turret Rating: 1; Weapon Capacity: Dorsal 1, Prow 1
SP Total Cost: 27; Morale: -1 down from +0 (-3+3)

Essential Components (Power/Space/SP)
Lathe Pattern Class 2a Drive (+40/14/2)(Its156, spd+1, maneuver +3), Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine (8/10/0) (warp duration Ω, roll warp encounter every 3 days rather than 5, BFK31), Geller Field (1/0/0),Void Shield (5/1/0), Commerce Bridge (1/1/0) (+50 trade), R-50 Auspex Multi-Band Auger Array (4/0/0) (+5 manoeuver to avoid celestial phenomena, -2 detect, +50 exploration)

Added: Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer (4/2/0), Voidsmen's Quarters (1/3/0) Replaced: M-1/r Life sustainer (3/1/0) (increase all moral loss by 1), Pressed-crew quarters (1/2/0) (decrease moral by 2)

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 to the God Emperor (1/1/1)(+100 creed, +3 moral), Auto Temple (1/1/0) (+2 morale, +150 creed, HA72),
Pulled out of ship design: 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 armour, +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)
Prow: Starbreaker Lance Weapon [Strength: 1, Damage: 1d10+2, Crit Rating: 3, Range: 5] (6/4/2); ignores armor.
Dorsal: Disruption macrocannons [Strength: 3, Damage: 1d10+1, Crit Rating: -, Range: 5] (4/2/2); (BFK34, No hull damage, 1 random unpowered component/ 5 damage, ignores armor)

Achievement Bonuses:†
Trade + 275 down from +325 (+125+100+50), Crime +100 down from +150 (+100+50), Creed + 350 (+150+100+100), Explore +50 down from +150 (+50+50+50)†

References
Its — Into the Storm
HA — Hostile Acquisitions
BFK — Battlefleet Koronus
Unlabeled page — Core Rulebook

The Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine doesnít make sense on a religious ship. However, since this ship lost its warp engines and had to put in new ones to get underway those are the engines that would work (according to the Explorers) and are now installed. The near-heretical tech will likely make religious dignitaries uncomfortable and embarrass the captain.

With little weapons it has little chance of penetrating armor, but instead it uses a lance and the disruption which both ignore armor. One to do damage and one to mess with the ship, that way the other ship backs off or maybe it messes with the ships shields, engine, power, or best auger and the Penance is able to escape.

Captain Lynara Cobolt really wants to add an Observation Dome next to impress passengers (especially religious ones).

Lure of the Expanse

Lure of the Expanse is divided into three chapters. The first and last chapters are linear and have clear goals: learn where the Dread Pearl treasure planet is and plunder the Dread Pearl respectively.

The second chapter also has a goal: get enough of the six possible Nexus Point readings to find the Dread Pearl. The GM decides how many of the points are needed. I used all six (five from the book and the free download).

I also let the Explorers go in any order. This decision meant I had to have a thorough knowledge of all six locations to start. It was worth it, as it gave the players a huge sandbox to explore as they wished in any order they wanted to tackle the planets.

Overall, this adventure is interesting, well written, logically organized, and a gem to run. There are not real notes on what each rival Rogue Trader is doing as the details are left up to the GM. Donít forgot to make these decisions before you run each session.

Lure of the Expanse Notes

The Explorers should make some allies with their rivals. They will likely make an enemy or two as well.

In my session, the Explorers befriended two Rogue Traders and made alliances and angered two other Rogue Traders. Lord Bastille remained a dangerous neutral and the Eldar were out to kill everyone.

I took the time to copy and paste the Talent descriptions for NPCs and xenos from my Rogue Trader PDF since the descriptions donít spell them out. I found it too difficult to try to look up each Talent during the actual session.

I needed to brush up quite thoroughly on ship combat, especially in the third chapter.

I added notes to the beginning of each planet of which rival or allied Rogue Trader might show up or have beaten the Explorers to a Nexus Point. I had one enemy reach a Nexus Point first and blow it up, forcing the Explorers to scramble to get the reading some other way. I also had the Eldar ambush the PCs once.

Some notes on some missing pieces:

• Dweller in the Heights has the Trait Amorphous which is not defined. I used Strange Physiology instead.
• Gun-Master has the Talent Arms Master which is not defined. I used Combat Master instead.
• Ark of the Forsaken says no Achievement Points but each section has rewards listed. I would use these, as the Explorers paid a lot of Profit to even get started on the adventure.

Lure of the Expanse Wrap-Up

Your players' Explorers will reach Rank 4 if they survive Lure of the Expanse. The characters will be quite competent and the combat brutes more difficult to challenge without getting the other Explorers killed. Overall, the system continues to work well with Rank 4 Explorers.

From this point, the Brave New Worlds Adventure Path ends. If you want to continue, Fantasy Flight Games has other modules for sale or you can start creating your own.

Continuing Your Campaign

If your Explorers' ship ended up like the one in my campaign, it is full of holes and broken components. The planet Damaris has a repair facility that can really help out. The Explorers donít even need to be aware of the Ork fleet bearing down on the planet as detailed in The Frozen Reaches. They will find out soon enough.

What I like best about opening a new adventure this way is that no convoluted explanations are needed as to why the Explorers go to Damaris or want to defend it. They are there and need to defend themselves.

If some rival Rogue Traders survived the Dread Pearl, they likely head there as well. Some interesting tension may exist if any of these captains are rivals. Do the Explorers work with a hated enemy against an even worse enemy? Or do they risk facing a war on two fronts?

Safe Journey,
Charlie