In The Grim Darkness of Mega-City One... 40kRPGs for Judge Dredd: Some Thoughts

So, like I posted about earlier in the week, I'd been wondering about writing up some rules for running Judge Dredd with the Dark Heresy system. Well, that thought went out the window pretty quickly - after all, Judges spend 15 years training before they get to hit the streets.

So, I instead turned my eye to Rogue Trader - and, lo and behold, it's a pretty good fit! It has competent characters, with a dash of lethality, lots of cool options for skills and gear, and a built-in way to handwave the problem of "Standard-Issue Gear" and spending money - the Profit Factor system.

First, it's no longer Profit Factor, but Renown (or Acquisition, or Respect or something similar) - a way to represent the pull and "power" a Judge has to requisition more bodies, vehicles or unusual gear. In all respects, it works the same, so we'll not fiddle it too much (for now).

The thing that makes these characters more competent than their DH counterparts is the Origin Path system - which gives you lumps of backstory, along with packages of Skills and Talents to make up 4,500xp (the remaining 500xp can be spent as you wish). This might need a few tweaks, but it shouldn't be too much work.

Skills will obviously have to change, but not by much - most of RT's (exhaustive) list of skills are fair, it's mainly the Knowledge skills which need to change. And similarly, most of the Talents will suit, with even the more setting-specific ones simply needing the serial numbers filed off.

For Careers, I can think of a few off the top of my head:

Street Judge (your common-or-garden Judge) - a "jack of all trades" career, might need to make a specific Advance chart for this one.
Tac-Judge (as in "tactical", a SWAT equivalent) - "The Heavy", most likely modify the Arch-Militant Career for this one.
Tek-Judge - I'll take more influence from the Explorator here, with more focus on Knowledge skills than becoming tough as all Hell.
Wally Squad (Undercover Judges) - something like DH's Scum - a Career based around lying, deceptions, and "criminal" skills and knowledge.
Psi-Judge - the Psyker and Astropath Careers are a little bit too setting-specific to be much use here, and Psi-Judges still have their Judge training to fall back on - I'll make a unique Advance Chart for this one too (most likely based off the Street Judge, with extra Psi-options in place of more generalist Advances).

The Psychic Power system will need some tweaking - and with so many options for how do model it, between DH and RT using different mechanics for Psy Rating, along with rules for Sorcery, I have plenty to work with. But, the one that's catching my eye as being similar enough to work would be the Navigator scheme. We'll see what sticks.

Rogue Trader - Alternate/Expanded Navigator Mutations Table

So, after seeing the huge list of other mutations, and Black Crusade's Gifts system, I felt a little underwhelmed by the Navigator Mutations Table. I understand that Navigators are meant to be a more stable mutation (almost Abhumans), but I feel that they should have a little bit more variety.

They're ripped off from inspired by Dune's Navigators, who are a pretty varied lot, mutated in various horrific ways by exposure to the Spice melange - I would assume that the Warp should have a far worse effect.

After all, many of the Navigator Houses are into genetic modification, and perform in-vitro gene therapy on their scions to enhance their abilities, so some oddness might not be too out of order. Plus, the current table means that many Navigators pick up the same mutations as they increase in power - but really, why would fucking about with The Warp result in anything being similar?

Roll 1d100!

01-09 Unusual Skin - your flesh takes on an unusual hue, reflective of your unnatural origins.
Roll  1d5:
1-3 Deathly Pale - much like a corpse that has been left in water, translucent and almost blue. A surprisingly common mutation for Navigators.
4 Yellowish Hue - like someone suffering terrible jaundice, you have an almost bruised appearance.
5 Pitch Black - like polished obsidian, pure dark and menacing.

09-13 Slender Frame - you grow dramatically in height, your limbs lengthening to eerie proportions. You lose 1d10 Toughness, but gain 1d10 Agility. You also gain the penalties of the Size (Hulking) Trait.

14-18 Inhuman Visage - the Empyrean changes your features, leaving you looking less than human - perhaps your nose is little more than a pair of slits, your mouth seamless enough to look non-existent, or your eyes are unblinking and a shade no natural being could achieve, shimmering with the roiling chaos of the Warp. You gain the Fear (1) Trait.

19-23 Teeth As Sharp As Needles -over the course of a few days, you teeth begin to fall out, replaced by hundreds of needle-like extrusions. These teeth regularly shed, but are replaced within a day or so. You gain the Natural Weapons Trait (1d5 Rending, Pen 1).

24-28 Marbled Veins - underneath your skin, your veins are a very obvious black - the seething corruption of your twisted birthright making itself known. You suffer -5 to all Fellowship tests.

29-33 Nictitating Membranes - you develop extra eyelids, that closes horizontally underneath your regular trio. You gain a +10 bonus to Toughness tests to resist being Blinded, and a +5 to any attempts to resist Warp-related phenomena (by slamming your Third Eye shut).

 

34-38 Disturbing Grace - your movements seem less real - as you see the winding paths of possibility unfolding before you, your body chooses its own path before the real world can catch up. You gain the Unnatural Agility (x2) Trait.

39-43 Warp-Fed - the energies of the Empyrean surge within you, providing sustenance where food cannot, and your physiology has been altered to the point where you need some small connection to the Warp to survive. You no longer need to eat or breathe - however, in the presence of a Null Rod or other anti-Warp phenomena, you must start taking Toughness tests to resist suffocation (as per the rules for drowning).

 

44-48 Unnatural Aura - you exude an aura of ill-feeling - animals are wary (as are people), you smell like ancient places best forgotten, or your sheer presence causes people to taste naught but ashes in their mouth - whatever the reason, all Fellowship rolls are made at -10, except those to intimidate or frighten - those gain +10.

49-53 Clawed Fingers - your nails become long,  dully shining like some ashen metal, or the bones of your fingers protrude past your skin. You gain the Natural Weapons Trait (1d5 Rending, Pen 1). If your roll this mutation twice, the claws become longer (Pen 2) but you suffer a -10 to any Characteristic Tests involving fine dexterity.

 

54-58 Gaunt Frame - you are little but flesh and bone. -1d10 Strength or Toughness, whichever is lowest. If you roll this mutation a second time, you lose another 5 points of Strength or Toughness.

59-63 Strange Vitality - your body is flushed with strange energies that help wounds heal, bones knit back together, and barely leave a trace of their passing. You gain the Regeneration (1) Trait.

 

64-68 Hairless -  you are unable to grow any form of bodily hair, and any you may have will fall out almost overnight - no eyebrows, eyelashes, or even protective nasal hairs. You suffer a -5 to Toughness Tests to resist inhaled toxins.

 

69-73 Unusual Pupils - whether square, like a goat, slitted like a reptile, or a widely variant colour (such as red, yellow, or blue), your pupils reflect the corruption of your soul. You gain a -5 penalty to any Perception checks.

 

74-78 Stout Frame - you become obese, almost overnight, and exercise shifts little of the flab. Gain +5 Toughness. If you roll this mutation twice, you gain another +5 Toughness, but lose the ability to Run. If you roll a third time, you can only move at your slowest speed increment without assistance, lose -2d10 Agility and gain the Size (Hulking) Trait. 

 

79-83 Warpsight - more and more, you rely on your Third Eye to guide you, until eventually, the Sight that the Navigator Gene grants you starts to leak over into your view of realspace. The souls of those around you shine like beacons, psykers are miniature infernos, and the creatures of the Warp linger around, sharks sniffing at the blood of those around you. You can see the souls of those around you - all Awareness Tests gain a +10 bonus; however, any Scrutiny Tests suffer a –10 penalty - you are less able to see such mundane things as facial expressions.

84-88 Weakness of The Flesh - your flesh is barely held on at the best of times, but under duress it seems to slough from you like wet paper. You lose one Wound permanently, and all Critical Damage rolls are treated as though they had rolled one higher. If you roll this mutation again, the effects stack up to three times (so, lose up to three wounds and treat Critical Damage as up to three points higher).

 

89-93 Twisted Frame - your flesh twists back on itself, and your bones curve in all the wrong places. You cannot Run and lose 1d10 Ag. If you roll this mutation twice, you cannot move unassisted, and lose another 1d10 Ag.

94-98 Disturbing Voice - screeching like nails down a chalkboard, or so low as to make bowels loosen, your voice is a horror to behold. You suffer a -10 penalty to any Fellowship tests involving speech, but gain +10 to any Intimidate tests involving speech.

99-00 Maddening Clarity - your senses have been altered by the Warp, extending out from your body and sensing things man was not meant to know - colours hold dark shades not fit for mortal eyes, sounds echo with the laughter of thirsting Gods, and every taste echoes with a thousand forbidden pleasures. When you open your Third Eye, the Warp seems even stranger than before... almost inviting. You gain the Unnatural Perception (x2) Trait, but also immediately gain 2d10 permanent Insanity Points, and 2d10 Corruption Points.

Should you roll the same mutation twice, reroll - unless otherwise stated in the mutation's description.

You are, of course, free to work any of these as you wish - like Unusual Pupils representing cat-like eyes, or milky cataracts, or just a strange colouration (even albinism). Some might work out kinda weirdly - like granting mutually exclusive bonuses or extras. A good example would be Stout Frame and Weakness of the Flesh - extra Toughness, but also a lot more vulnerable. GMs and players should discuss the best way to integrate both mutations (so, your physiology is tough, you resist poisons well, and your bodily integrity is sound - but some Empyrean rot has settled underneath your skin, letting it slough away at any opportunity, and once it gets past that outer layer of fat, there's nothing there), or, in the case of ones which are totally at odds with existing ones, re-roll - but don't let this be an excuse to get rid on undesirable rolls! Navigators must suffer the fruits of their cursed bloodline - it's all part of the GrimDark.

Legal Note: I have reproduced, without permission, items from a property owned by Fantasy Flight Games. I do not own any of the terms used (including Navigator, Mutation Table, any of the Characteristics, and the word "The"). I'm doing this as a non-profit gig, so please don't sue me. To be fair, FFG aren't  The Evil Empire sorry, Games Workshop, so I'm sure I'll be fine. Just saying.

What I Want To Run

I'm getting a hankering for GMing once again, so I'll post up what I fancy running in case I can direct a few people here to choose what they want to play.

Also, should anyone in the Glasgow area fancy one of these games... well, leave a comment and we'll see what we can do!

The Sacred Art of Stealing
This city is rotten. The Noble Families have wrought nothing but nepotism and corruption here - how often do the streets run red with the blood of innocents due to their personal, petty struggles?

The Guard has either fallen or joined their cause. They become more brash - practically criminals themselves, bar a dedicated few. There's no guilds, unions, or organisations left that haven't had the taint of their hand in their ranks.

Well, there is one... The Thieves Guild.

Players take the role of members of the Valerian's Reach Thieves Guild, the only organisation not infiltrated by the local Noble Families to be used in their wars over territory and personal squabbles. It's time they learned their lesson - the hard way.

• Mission-based, with sandbox elements (so, the players will receive specific orders from their superiors, but are free to pursue them as they see fit, as well as "downtime" between missions where they can follow personal plots and side-quests).
• Gritty, low-powered game - players should be able to think their way out of trouble, rather than rely on their combat abilities.
• Low Magic - magic items are rare (as in unpurchasable, for the most part), and access to spellcasting will be limited. There might be simple firearms (black powder weapons), depending on interest.
• Either 3.5 or Pathfinder, using the E6 variant and a few other tweaks.

What You Are In The Dark
Let me tell you something. The world isn't what it seems. Behind closed doors, under the cover of night... things stir and toil against humanity. Witches who cloud the minds of men. Beasts who take human form, to better prey on us. Creatures of the night who survive by killing us, devouring our souls to reproduce. Ancient entities that walked the Earth before life was truly born.

And we won't stand for it. Each of us... a candle against the unending night. We won't ever "win" - no one candle can light up the darkness. But enough of us together, we can push it back, even just a little.

And if we're lucky... well, it only takes one candle to start a wildfire.

Tool up. We're going hunting.

Players take the role of Hunters in the World of Darkness version of Glasgow - a bright, striving city by day, which hides a seedy underbelly of corruption, death, and the occult. Can you defend your homes, your families, the innocents of the city, with little more than your bare hands, your wits, and sheer determination?

• Hunter: The Vigil Chronicle (nWoD system) with a few of the Hacks from various sources.
• Somewhat more "heroic" than normal, but still deadly and grim.
• Sandbox - choose how and where you wish to protect, and be prepared for assaults from all sides.
• Players should expect a lot of investment in the setting - they'll be setting up relationships, creating NPCs and locales, maybe even helping to dictate the enemies they face.

The Fall of House VanDemarr
It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the Master of Mankind, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. Fortunately, you are not just a man - you're one of the richest men that humanity has ever seen. You are a Rogue Trader, and the uncharted depths of the galaxy are your playground. You and your closest advisors plumb the darkness, find lost human civilisations, dread xenos, The Witch, The Mutant, and The Heretic. And, most importantly, profit.

There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods. 

Strap on your most expensive hat, and wolf down this white truffle and caviar sandwich, Lord-Captain - we're going to Hell and back.

Players take the role of a Rogue Trader and his crew, plundering the stars for fame and profit. You'll face problems, enemies old and new, invasions, and the results of your own

• Total sandbox - I'll throw out a few plot hooks, but this is a game driven by the crew's thirst for profit.
• The tone will be skewed towards "grimdark" - an incredibly serious game, so serious it's totally ridiculous. Mainly though, it's pulpy action and adventure/investigation/whatever you get up to.
• I have a few systems in mind for this one. First, Risus - I laid the groundwork for such a game here. And, again, MiniSix40k has passed through my mind, too.
• There's an awesome Apocalypse World Hack here which is the most likely system.

MiniSix 40k Bestiary: Humanity

The Koronus Expanse is packed full of the sorts of right nasty fuckers you'd do better to avoid than fight. That being said, it's not always that possible. Although, sometimes the allure of more Thrones than they can shake a stick at might bring them over to your side - always try diplomacy first, failing that CASH MONEY, and failing both of those, the biggest gun you can find.

These guys are all modified from pre-existing sample characters in the MiniSix book, bar the Astartes.

Average Human * 

The common or garden Imperial subject.

Strength: 2D Intelligence: 2D

Agility: 2D Fellowship: 2D

Skills: Any three at +1D each

Gear: As needed by profession.
Static: Dodge 6, Soak 6

Adept - Int 2D+2, Common Lore 1D, Trade (Pick one) 1D, one other Skill (by Home World)
Entertainer - Fel 2D+2, Perform 1D, Charm 1D, one other Skill
Hired Gun - Agl 2D+2, Pistols 1D, Dodge 1D, Intimidate 1D, Laspistol or Hand Cannon, ballistic armour (+3)
Native Guide - Str 2D+1, Fellowship 2D+1, Tracking 1D, Navigation 1D, Blades 1D, Knife (+1D), Crossbow (3D), leather armour (+1)
Scum - Fel 2D+2, Charm 1D, Deceive 1D, Knives 1D (for a Cultist, add Forbidden Lore (pick one))
Voidfarer - Int 2D+1, Fel 1D+2, Navigation 1D, Ship Lore 1D, one other skill


Imperial Guardsman ***
The footsoldiers of the Imperium's war machine.
Strength: 3D+1 Intelligence: 2D
Agility: 2D+1 Fellowship: 2D
Skills: Dodge 3D+1, Rifles 4D+1
Gear: Flak Armour (+4), Lasgun, copy of The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer.Static: Dodge 10, Block 10, Soak 10(14)

Traitor Guard - Fel 1D, Forbidden Lore 2D

Adeptus Arbites ***

They ARE the law.

Strength: 4D Intelligence: 2D+1

Agility: 3D+1 Fellowship: 2D+1

Skills: Brawling 5D, Dodge 4D+1, Pistol 5D+1, Melee 4D+1

Gear: Carapace Armour (+6), Hand Cannon (4D) or Bolt Pistol (5D) or Combat Shotgun (4D+2), shock maul (+3D, stuns for 1d3 rounds)

Static: Dodge 13, Block 15, Parry 12, Soak 12(18) 

Adeptus Astartes ***** Scale: +2D/+6
The Emperor's Angels, His Will Incarnate
Strength: 6D Intelligence: 3D+2
Agility: 4D Fellowship: 3D
Skills: Melee 6D+1, Rifles 6D+1, Pistols 6D+1, Dodge 4D, Intimidate 3D
Perks: Space Marine, Black Carapace (removes Scale penalties, keeps bonuses)
Gear: Astartes Power Armour (+10, +1D Might), Chainsword (+6D) and Bolt Pistol (5D) or Boltgun (6D)
Static: Dodge 12, Block 19, Soak 18 (28)

MiniSix 40k: Weapons

Weapons are incredibly easy to convert over to MiniSix. Most are simply represented by their damage dice - not only is ammo not a problem for Rogue Trader characters (being that you can afford to buy a manufactorum to make all the ammo you'll ever need), but MiniSix's cinematic feel means that reloading isn't a massive concern.

Weapons are split into several "categories", each with its own Skill. Usually, possessing the appropriate Skill will allow a character to use that particular type of weapon, though GMs may over-rule this for certain types of weapons (Exotic ones in particular - while a pistol-shaped, pistol-like Archaeotech device may be usable under the Pistols Skill, an Eldar Shard Pistol might need a Skill dedicated to its use).

Notes

The damage ratings for each of these weapons correspond to firing either a single shot (for pistols, rifles, etc) or for firing a single burst (auto-weapons, stubbers etc). Weapons which can fire on fully automatic can fire multiple bursts, trading a die on the to-hit roll for a die of damage, to a maximum of 3 dice (so, an autogun can fire three bursts on "full auto", at -3D to hit, for an extra 3D damage).


Melee Weapons
Knife - +1D
Sword - +2D+2
Axe - +3D

Modifications
Chain - +1D
Power - +2D, has a 70% chance to break non-Powered weapons on a successful Parry (or automatically if the Wild Die shows 6).
Force - add half the user's Psy Rating (rounded up) to the dice total (so, a Psyker with Psy Rating 3 will wield a Force Sword as a +4D+2 weapon).


Pistols
Laspistol - 3D+2
Hellpistol - 4D+2, discard the lowest dice
Stub Gun - 3D
Hand Cannon - 4D
Autopistol - 3D+2
Shot-pistol - 4D+1
Bolt Pistol - 5D

Rifles
Lasgun - 4D
Hellgun - 5D, discard the lowest
Lascarbine - 3D+2, can be used one-handed
Long-las - 5D
Autogun - 5D
Shotgun - 4D+2
Boltgun - 6D

Heavy
Heavy Bolter - 4D, Scale +4D/+12
Lascannon - 5D, Scale +4D/+12
Autocannon - 5D, Scale +2D/6
Heavy Stubber - 6D

Melta + Plasma
Inferno Pistol - 7D
Meltagun - 7D, Scale +2D/+6
Thermal Lance - 7D+2, Scale +2D/+6
Multi-melta - 6D, Scale +4D/+12
Plasma pistol 7D
Plasmagun 8D
Plasma cannon - 4D, Scale +4D/+12

These numbers are mostly taken straight from Arkat's previous thread on RPG.net, so kudos to him for allowing me to reprint them here. Some might be changed after some playtesting.

MiniSix 40k: Availability

Weapons in Rogue Trader-level campaigns are partially defined by their Availability - a stat that represents both price and ubiquity.

The list below gives a rough idea of the levels of availability, along with the appropriate TN for Profit Factor tests to acquire them.

Common (Very Easy) - Lasgun, several dozen lesser items (like ration packs, lho-sticks, etc).
Scarce (Moderate) - Demolition Charge
Rare (Difficult) Krak Grenade
Extremely Rare (Very Difficult) Digital Weapon
Near-Unique (Heroic) -Tempest Bolt Shells

The Scale of an Acquisition may affect how easy it is to make the purchase. The smaller the purchase, the better the bonus to the Profit Factor Test. On the other hand, purchasing enough power armour to protect a full regiment of soldiers would be beyond all but the most affluent of Rogue Traders - such large purchases will receive a penalty to the Acquisition roll.

Negligible (+10) - Single item
Trivial - (+6) - Squad (3–5)
Minor - (+3) - Platoon (10–30)
Standard - (+0) - Company (50–100)
Major (-3) Regiment (500–1,000)
Significant (-6) Division (2,000–5,000)
Vast (-10) Army (10,000+)

Of course, the GM is the final arbiter of what items may be purchased, and in what quantities - while purchasing 10,000 packs of lho-sticks to keep your personal army happy might not even need a roll, equipping each of them with Power Swords and their own personal Archaeotech sidearm will be beyond even the capabilities of the most powerful people in the Expanse, regardless of what the dice say.

By the same token, the area an Acquisition is made plays a large role in how likely it is to succeed. GMs should use their common sense - while a Forge World might be able to sell you an army's worth of weapons, a planet barely out of the Dark Ages and using black powder weapons won't be able to make that many of their own weapons, let alone the standard-issue laspistol.

Rogue Trader: Ork Grotweed

The barbaric Orks grow many unusual forms of fungus, but Grotweed is one of the strangest. The cap resembles fine, frond-like leaves, with thicker leaves sprouting around the base. There is little variation in colour, most being a swampy brown-green shade. It can grow mostly anywhere, so long as there is some element of Orkoid ecosystem present. What makes it so valuable to the Orks is its ability to be smoked. Crude "cigz" can be formed by drying the leaves, shredding the finer fronds, and wrapping them in the thicker base leaves. The resulting cigar is lit and inhaled - similar to a lho-stick.

For Orks, the Grotweed has a pleasant (if acquired) taste. Many Warbosses and Big Meks (and the occasional Burna Boy) keep a supply of grotweed on hand for celebrating victories, keeping their cool in stressful situations, or when they need to buckle down and get thinkin'. For game purposes, treat these as lho-sticks, for Availability.

For Humans, however, the effects are somewhat different - when inhaled, Grotweed forces the Explorer to make a Hard (-20) Carouse Test (or Toughness Test, if using the BC rules). Failure gives 3 levels of Fatigue for one hour. Passing the Test leaves the Explorer high as all hell, hallucinating as if under the effects of a hallucinogen grenade for 3 rounds, and gives 1 level of fatigue. Passing with 2 or more degrees of success means that the hallucinogenic effect is ignored, but the Fatigue is still taken.

Humans who smoke these foul cigz in the presence of Orks will find a modicum of respect - gain a +20 to any Fellowship rolls (or similar) when dealing with those particular Orks.

MiniSix 40k: Races and Home Worlds

The populace of the Imperium is mostly Human. While there is the possibility of having Sanctioned Xenos operating under the watchful eye of a Rogue Trader, or perhaps Ordo Xenos Inquisitors of a more Radical bent, they are so rare as to be unknown by the common man.

Xenos and Abhumans

All Xenos are considered to be Unsanctioned unless they take the Sanctioned Xenos perk (see below).

Eldar (3) - your maximum Agility is raised to 5D. You naturally possess the Psyniscience skill. However, your alien nature makes people less likely to trust you - you suffer a -2 penalty to all Fellowship skills when used on a member of the Imperium.

Kroot (3) - depending on your Kindred and diet, you can raise one of your Stat caps to 5D, though you must drop another to 3D. For example, those who have battled Orks and eaten their flesh might gain added muscle mass, but find themselves unable to adapt to more refined social situations (5D Strength, 3D Fellowship). Or those who feed on Dark Eldar may find that their movement become almost preternaturally fast, but their inquisitive minds are dulled by vicious, almost animalistic dark instincts (5D Agility, 3D Intelligence). The GM is the final arbitrator of what is a suitable pairing.

Sanctioned Xenos (1) - while you are still hated, you are somewhat accepted amongst the Imperium. So long as you have your Sanctioning paperwork, and someone of suitable influence, you may enter Imperial space as a human, with some of the same rights. While many will still want you dead, the clout of Sanctioning and your powerful friend should help stay their hand. You lose the Unsanctioned Xenos Complication.
Far more common, especially in the theatre of war, are the Abhuman Races - offshoots of Humanity who have adapted to life on less Terra-like planets, and have seen their bodies change in response to environmental factors. While many are derided as mutants, most are "stable" mutations - developed over centuries, instead of the corrupt mutations shown by the followers of Chaos.

Ogryn (2) - you are one of the hulking Ogryn, massive Abhumans hailing from high-gravity worlds. Their natural strength is renowned, but many fall well below the normal intelligence curve of humanity. Your maximum Strength is increased to 5D, but your Intelligence cannot be raised higher than 3D. Note, an Ogryn with 3D in intelligence is still a mental giant amongst his race. You gain the Large Complication.

Ratling (2) - you are one of the tiny Ratlings, small, nimble Abhumans with a penchant for becoming snipers and cooks. Their small frame means that they are unable to fight as well in close combat as their squadmates, but their ability to sneak around unnoticed and plant a bullet in the eye of a fly from 50ft away more than makes up for it. Your maximum Agility is increased to 5D, but your Strength cannot be raised above 3D. You gain the Small Complication.

While not as pronounced as the changes seen in Abhumans, the variety of worlds the Imperium has colonised has led, through biology, psychology, and culture, to certain patterns in skill-sets of those from particular types of worlds. From the expert woodsmen of Feral Worlds to the edgy, fast-talking Hivers, these Home Worlds span the breadth of the Imperium - and will make a huge impact on a person's development.

Home Worlds

Home World options cost 2 Dice at character creation, and cannot be taken at any other time. The dice granted by these Perks can take starting Skill dice above the usual 2D. Characters without a Home World Perk are considered general Imperial Citizens, born on any number of "standard" Imperial planets.

Dark Heresy Home WorldsHive World - gain an extra die to the Streetwise Skill, and a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls.
Feral World - gain an extra die to the Survival Skill, and a +1 bonus to your Soak Value.
Void Born - start each session with an extra Hero Point, but receive a -2 penalty to all Fellowship Skills when used against non-Void Born.
Forge World - gain an extra die to the Tech-Use Skill, and a +1 bonus to any rolls to repair or maintain technology.
Schola Progenium - gain an extra die to the Command Skill, and a +1 bonus to any rolls to resist abilities that influence, control, or read thoughts and emotions.

Rogue Trader Home Worlds
Noble Born - gain an extra dice to the Diplomacy Skill, as well as a +1 to Fellowship rolls in high-society situations.
Death World - gain an extra dice to the Survival Skill, and a +1 bonus to all Strength rolls to resist poisons or harsh climates.
Frontier World - gain an extra dice to the Wrangling Skill, and a +1 bonus to all Strength rolls to resist the effects of fatigue.
Footfallen - gain an extra die to the Persuasion Skill, and a +1 bonus to all rolls to do with knowledge of the Koronus Expanse (its legends, lore, power groups, etc).
Fortress World - gain an extra die to either the Pistols or Rifles Skill, but gain a -1 penalty to all Fellowship Rolls regarding non-warfare topics.
Battlefleet - gain an extra die to the Pilot Skill, and gain a +1 bonus to all rolls related to commanding subordinates on a starship.
Penal World - gain an extra die to the Intimidate Skill, and gain a +1 bonus to all rolls relating to the criminal underworld.
Child of Dynasty - gain either an extra die to the group's Profit Factor, or an extra die to Starship Creation, and a +1 bonus to all interactions with high authorities.

Complications

Small - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this only by the Ratling Perk. Small characters receive a -5 penalty on all Might skill checks, Might based damage rolls, Block, and Parry. This penalty doesn’t apply to Stamina, healing, and resisting damage. This penalty doesn’t apply when fighting a Small or Tiny creature. Earn 1 bonus CP each session.

Large - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this by the Ogryn Perk or others. Large characters gain all the negatives of being Scale +2D, but no benefits (so, they are easier to hit and may find it harder to hit smaller creatures). They also require gear to be tailor-made to their bulk (such as the Ogryn Ripper Guns, or far larger armour than usual). They may also have trouble fitting into vehicles or other places sized for an average human. Earn 1 bonus CP each session.

Unsanctioned Xenos - This is a Racial Complication. Player Characters gain this only through the various Xenos Perks. You are a source of hatred within the Imperium - you suffer a -2 to all Fellowship skills against those who hold the Imperial Creed, and many people will want to shoot you on sight. Gain 1 bonus CP each session.

In The Works Preview: 40k MiniSix

As a man with my fingers in way too many pies, I'm always open to suggestions. And when one of my close friends wanted to try his hand at GMing for the first time, he wanted a system that could run a 40k game with a bit more action than the overly-lethal FFG RPGs. I offered to help convert MiniSix, by AntiPaladin Games, for his use.

So, MiniSix is yet another awesome, rules-light free RPG. This one is based of the old West End Games D6 System, most famously used as the basis of the old Star Wars line. Recently, however, the core of the system (D6 Adventure, D6 Space, and D6 Fantasy) have been made free to download and open-source, under a OGL-like stipulation. This means designers can use the system as they see fit - which is exactly what the guys at AntiPaladin Games have done.

MiniSix is an action RPG at its heart. It provides a fantastically light framework under which to build your own game, with as much (or as little) extra stuff as you want. The basic mechanic is rolling a pool of D6s, totalling them and checking against a Target Number. Nice and simple.

Characters are made up of a few vitals: Stats, Skills, Perks and Complications.

Stats and Skills are measured in Dice (similar to Risus) - and, to make the game more flexible, it suggests you name them as you see fit for your campaign. The standard stats are Might, Agility, Wits, and Charm.
Not only can you buy dice for each, but each die can be split into 3 "pips" - a static +1 or +2 (a +3 is a whole die). So, instead of having Fellowship at 2D, and Strength at 3D, you could have Fellowship at 2D+1, and Strength at 2D+2, for the same "price" at character creation.

Skills are tied to each stat, and the stats are the "default" number of dice for each. Say you have Might 3D. Any Might skills you have will automatically be considered to have 3 dice in them - and you can spend extra dice to bump them higher (so, spending 2D on the Brawling Skill will bring it up to 5D). While the designers provide a fair list of skills, GMs are encouraged to make up new ones as they see fit for their own setting, or to remove ones which are not suitable.

Perks represent special little extras you can buy, to make your character stand out more. Whether it's a non-human race, the ability to cast spells, or a character trait like a Daredevil or Smooth Talker, Perks help to reinforce the themes of the game, and to help players make the generic characters a bit more unique.

Complications, however, make life more difficult. Most don't have a solid mechanical effect - they represent things like being an Outcast, or Unlucky, or something else the GM can take advantage of to make a story more interesting. Every time they do so, your character earns a Character Point - the game's XP equivalent, used to buy more skills and Perks.
There are also Hero Points, which can be used to change die rolls, heal, make slight changes to the narrative, or used to "buy" clues from the GM.

Now: I've talked about my issues with the Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch/Black Crusade/Only War system(s) before. But MiniSix gives a great, action-adventure feel to the game - something that lets it replicate 40k literature down to a tee, where ordinary men tackle god-like monstrosities on a regular basis.

Reflecting the 40k RPGs, I'll be changing the stats to Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Fellowship. The Skills will mostly come from the RPG lines, although I might consider combining a few (frex, making Common Lore, Scholastic Lore and Forbidden Lore single skills, with Specialisations to reflect the variety of possible options). Arkat over at RPG.net did some conversion work already, which will be the backbone of the stuff I'm doing.

As my friend wishes to run a Penal Legionnaire campaign, I'll be adding some Perks and Complications to reflect it, such as:

• Home Worlds (grant a bonus die to a skill, plus another benefit)
• the Penal Legionnaire Complication, which nets you an extra CP whenever being a dead man walking becomes a problem (i.e. all the time)
• Specialisations (like Commisar, Shock Trooper, etc) to give some extra variety to the characters
• a Tech-Preist Perk ("free" bionics, the ability to use count Fellowship skills as Intelligence skills when communicating with other Tech-Priests)

... and a few others as I go.

Funny Accents: Boon or Bane?

So, I'm the kind of DM who uses accents for NPCs. I find that it can allow a unique NPC to have a little bit more character, and along with various tics and mannerisms, can help with immersion. But, on a large-scale, I'm not too much of a fan of giving racial accents.

There are certain exceptions - Goblins all sound kinda the same (a high-pitched growly voice), Kobolds have similar vocal descriptions ("like a crocodile impersonating a yappy dog"), etc.

However, I tend to go for it in a big way when doing Rogue Trader. You can imply a lot about someone's origin with an accent - and, when the galaxy is as large as it is in 40k, you need all the help you can get.

So, a quick guide to my 40k accents:

Catachan - put on a good, thick American accent, maybe with a hint of Germanic influence ("GET TO DE CHOPPAH!") - although Jayne sounds a bit more like a softer version of myself.

Death Worlds - my generic Death World accent has hints of Australian or Russian, depending on the climate.

Cadian - Cadians are Canadians! Although I have a hard time keeping up the accent. A relatively "plain" American accent works here as well. Fortress Worlds in general fit that theme.

Noble Worlds - always RP English, all the time! Unless they are French. Boaby generally sounds like my "work" voice - unnaccented, annunciated Scottish - an accent I kept for Hive World Nobles (Spyrers and the like).

Hive Worlds - well, there's a running joke that the Necromundan Hive Dialect is Glaswegian... but either a thicker Scottish twang or a Cockney accent will do.

Wilhelm has his own distinct voice. Generally quiet, deep, and English. Like Patrick Stewart after a night on the whiskey and heavy-tar cigarettes.

Captain Tiberius Krawkin has the most generic, growly English accent I could muster. Lots of drawn-out syllables and such, to show how eeeevill he is.
While none have been encountered in-game so far, Marines of the Salamanders Chapter all sound like James Earl Jones in my head (in other words, like Sexual Love Chocolate). Or Idris Elba. Any sufficiently sexy-voiced person of African descent will do.

The one Raven Guard who showed up whispered in an non-Cockney London accent at all times.

And the Space Wolf sounded like BRIAN BLESSED with a Scottish twang.

Rogue Trader: One-on-One: Part Fourteen: You Weren't Expecting US

The crew set their sights on this brave new world - Claudia was already planning investments as she travelled. However, during a brief re-entry into the Materium, she received an encoded vox/pict message.

A plain black screen.

"Lord-Captain Black - we will be with you shortly. Prepare yourself."

The voice sounded old, almost grandfatherly in tone. As soon as it was done, an image flashed onto the screen for a few seconds before the message ended.

The Universal Symbol For "You're Fucked"

The Lord-Captain's only response was, and I quote:

"AWWWWWW SHIT!"

Much running around ensued, trying to hide anything that might be construed as heresy (from the Xenos artifacts the Lord-Captain had acquired, to those she planned to sell on, right up to the "warded" servitor-AIs onboard the Champagne Room).

Eventually, a small ship appeared - clearly not Warp-capable (or only marginally so), pure black against the Void. It docked with the ship, and Claudia ensured she was first in line to welcome the Inquisitor when he entered.

The man who came down the ramp wasn't quite what she was expecting. He looked to be in his sixties, possibly seventies - his thinning white hair was plastered onto his head in a slight comb-over. He limped heavily, supported by an ornate cane (which the Lord-Captain identified as being Wraithbone, the psychic building blocks of most Eldar technology).

He smiled when he saw her, and greeted her warmly. He explained that he had worked alongside her mother on several occasions, and was amazed to see how much she'd grown since he last saw her. He introduced himself as Inquisitor Thaddeus Lethe, of the Ordo Xenos. He had come to pay his respects to Claudia's mother.

Behind him, another figure left the vessel. This one was tall, almost inhumanly thin, and moved with a practised grace that was almost unearthly. He wore simple armour, definitely Xenos in origin, and carried a sword of the finest craftsmanship.

Lethe introduced the figure as Ulthir, his "companion". The Lord-Captain knew that Ulthir was most definitely an Eldar, but he seemed to lack... something. Her newly-found psychic senses did not tingle the same way as they did when faced with the other Eldar. Lethe explained that Ulthir was a rarity amongst his kind - his natural psychic ability did not function, a "Blank" in human terms. Such Eldar are almost unheard of, and Ulthir was cast out from his Craftworld when he came of age. Lethe had found him plying his services as a mercenary, and eventually convinced him to travel with him, doing service for The Imperium.

Claudia had ensured that Inquisitor Lethe's stay would be as comfortable as possible - right through to a tour of the ship, to see how things had changed since her mother's death. He eventually broached the subject of her search for The Pearl - several of the other Rogue Traders who had managed to return empty-handed to Port Wander and Footfall suspected that Claudia was doing far better than themselves.

Reluctantly, she showed Lethe and Ulthir the Star Map - Lethe was fascinated, having never seen a working example of such closely-guarded Eldar tech. Ulthir, however, seemed a little edgy, and eventually excused himself after an argument in Eldar with Lethe. Turns out, he wasn't keen on humans interfering with his people's secrets - though it turned out he couldn't care less about the fate of the people that had abandoned him, but he did care about why the starmap had been broken and cast into the Warp. After some persuasion, he did help Claudia to analyse the starmap further, and to gain some knowledge into its workings, though he maintained a superior air throughout the length of his stay.

Lthe also asked questions of The Champagne Room, and even requested a small tour. He was most fascinated with it, but knew he would need to leave it in her hands - as a Human relic, it was somewhat outside his scope as a member of the Ordo Xenos. Claudia's insistence that she would return it to the Adeptus Mechanicus for study further cemented his trust in the new Scion of the Black Dynasty.

Claudia had began to tire of the Inquisitor's methods and secrecy, and decided on a decisive change of course - to the Halo Stars, just outside true Imperial Space. While she knew that the Inquisition held the highest power inside the Imperium's borders, outside she was the God-Emperor's Hand - and even Lethe could be held to her account.

In theory, at least. Warrants of Trade and Inquisitorial Rosettes are something akin to unstoppable forces and immovable objects - who knows what would happen when one tried to push against the other.

Forgoing her previous etiquette, she took Lethe aside and chewed him out - asking exactly why he was here. Lethe smiled, and told Claudia of all the ways she reminded him of her mother, her temper was the biggest.

He explained that both of them were in highly privileged positions - the Lords of Mankind, held above account to all but the God-Emperor himself. And, with that, there were certain temptations that might spring from answering to no-one. He simply arrived to quell his own personal concerns for the daughter of an old friend, and to ensure that she was still on the straight and narrow path of humanity's Manifest Destiny.

Claudia was unconvinced, but at least she believed his concerns - she simply knew he had other motives for his sudden appearance. Whether it was the Pearl, the Star Map itself, or to simply court her into the service of the Inquisition, she couldn't tell - but, she would find out. Soon enough.

Rogue Trader: One-on-One: Part Thirteen: FINALLY

So, Lord-Captain Claudia Black finally had the three pieces of the starmap she had sought so long - the Pearl was finally within her grasp!

Her "dreams" had been getting more and more vivid, and more and more frequently, she had been catching glimpses of her "other self" in reflective surfaces and by somewhat controlling the actions of the figure. She was almost certainly an Eldar - the armour she wore, the weapons she carried, and the long, almost asexual and totally alien reflection she saw confirmed it to her mind. The land she strode through also became clearer - the diamond-coated beaches of pure, white sand, the sweltering jungle environs, and that huge mountain, a sense of foreboding and yet hope when she saw it...

She had been taking enough carefully-balanced stimulants to keep her awake for almost a week at a time. Once she hit the "critical" level of sleep deprivation, she would take a few nights sleep using an obscura-derivative, for a deep, dreamless coma-like sleep. The crew had began to worry about her behaviour, and she continued to confide her worries with Allesaunder.

When the Medicae declared her fit to return to full duties, she began attempting to piece the starmap together. While the pieces seemed to fit together perfectly, they did nothing. They ended up resembling a large, two-tone coin - an outer ring, with the smaller disc nestled inside. Allesaunder detected residual amounts of psychic energy in the stones - moreso than when they were seperate.

Claudia called upon the skills of Blind Mag, her Chief Astropath, who in turn brought the full force of the ships' Astropathic Choir to try and activate the device. It took a lot of effort, but, finally, the wispy, delicate runes scratched into the surface of the strange, bone-like tablet began to glow, and the disc began to levitate, the two components spinning at different speeds and directions, like some twisted mockery of a gyroscope.

Allesaunder tried to read the energies given off by the tablet, but could not - he required the Lord-Captain's knowledge, implanted by the Witches, to fully access the information.

Again, she plunged herself into the Warp with Allesaunder, felt the force of raw emotion all around her, the laughter of thirsting Gods pulling at her mind, only banished by the tiny, twinkling light of the Astronomicon - The God-Emperor himself, watching over her.

Deep within the depths, like a submerged diamond, she caught sight of her prize - The Pearl! The Eldar's map guided her feet, letting her flow through the waters like she was water herself, until she could see the diamond beaches, the beautiful plantlife...

And the mountain. Burning red fire leaked from every inch of it, a hateful pyre against the darkness. She felt the rage of eons pressing in on her mind, pushing her until she could feel her soul about to crumble...

And she was out. She hit the floor, hard, and began vomiting. The experience had taken a lot out of her, but, before she was taken again to the Medicae, Allesaunder showed her the massive holo-projector of their star charts, with a new addition - floating in one area of peace amidst a roiling Warp storm.

They had a new heading - the Pearl.

STOP THE PRESSES: IT'S BACK

DiesIrae's legendary tale, Into The Maw: or, How I Became Incredibly Wealthy, has restarted over on RPG.net!

This, ladies and gents, is made me want to play Rogue Trader. It's writtn as the memoirs of one Laertes Geneso Olivares, Rogue Trader, Captain of the Imperial Cruiser His Invincible Will, Admiral of the First Conquering Fleet, Saviour of Idumea, Krakenslayer, Plunderer of Heaven, Untemptable, Commander of the Conventicle of the Expanse, God-Slayer, Bane of the Necrontyr, Tomb-Killer.

The name alone should give you an idea of the heroics involved! If you have a spare while, go an read it, and be enlightened.

IT'S FUCKING AWESOME.

Rogue Trader One-on-One: Part Twelve: There's Always a Plan B

So we left our intrepid Captain about to begin a game of Regicide, with an incredibly heretical board, with a Necron Lord.

Yes, I went a bit gonzo - but we're both loving it.

The Necrontyr proposed a stake, to make the game more interesting - if she won, she could take any item she wished from his collection. If he won, he got to keep one of her crew as a trophy, held eternally like the other "live" samples he had collected. Harry the Tech-Priest, to be exact. While Harry (being a massive coward) was none too keen on the idea, the thought that she might attain the final starmap piece without resorting to violence against this god-like creature was one that appealed to her greatly.

The Captain had a lot of experience with Regicide - at the Military Academy, she had used it as a way to both relax and hone her tactical skills, and could reliably beat most comers.

But not the Necrontyr.

He was pulling manuvers that would put Deep Blue to shame, with feints, set-ups, and bizarre choices that seemed to show he could read her every move, and somehow stay at least 5 moves ahead. She struggled her way through the game, until calling for a small break as he plotted his next move. Ever gracious, the Necron allowed her to speak to Jayne for a moment as he plotted. She dropped Jayne the verbal clue that everything had went to shit, and it was time for Plan B.

With Jayne, Plan B is always explosives.

She pulled something off of her belt, and tipped the Captain back out of her "chair", practically slinging her over her shoulder to carry her away as a great flash of blue light erupted behind her. Turns out Harry had "liberated" some fine technology from the Champagne Room, and was in the process of categorising and testing it when Jayne happened upon one of these beauties. He "gifted" it to her, for no small expense, for her personal collection.

Looking back, Claudia saw the Necrotyr frozen, his expression still what she assumed to be one of deep thought and planning - surrounded by a familiar blue glow. The Stasis Grenade would hold him in the frozen state for somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes, so they had to act fast. Asking Harry what the field did, he explained it was just like the ones on the ship - but much smaller, if just as effective. He was worried that the Necrotyr might not be affected, his technology far outstripping their own - but, as Claudia surmised, their lower-tech solution still had him stumped.

The crew ran into the back room, swiping up whatever loose items they could - most things which weren't once living were simply carefully placed, not held by arcane technologies. She also noted that the starmap piece, a disk the size of her torso, was floating free of the field - perhaps it only worked on living beings? She would need to make some notes when she got out...

If she got out. The crew, having grabbed everything they could, huddled around the massive set of golden armour, and she cried for a wide-range beam-up via the Teleportarium. The other Necrontyr had started to twig that something was wrong, and began pursuing the crew - swarms of scarabs and skeletal Warriors, somewhat lost without the Necron Lord's guidance, began firing wide shots at the crew. While travelling through the Warp is never a pleasant experience, teleporting out of the fields generated on the Necron ship nearly tore the crew apart.

It was a good few hours before the Captain awoke, safe in one of the Medicae bays, but she still held onto her prize - the final piece of her starmap.

UPDATES: What I'm Doing Now

So, I have a few wee projects on the go, so there might be some quiet times ahead. Here's what's up and coming...

• Converting the Binder class from 3.5 to Microlite20 (Binders are strange arcanists who bind the spirits of great heroes, dead gods, and eldritch abominations into themselves, to access a variety of abilities and powers. A very flexible, highly useful class, who can fill any given role in a party, but not as well as a specialist).
• A Dungeon for use in both the Risus Dungeon Crawl and OSRIC/OSR/AD&D games, with maps and new creatures and such. This one's gonna be posted as each individual floor, then collected and published as a PDF, maybe two - one without any system, and one specifically for OSR gaming.
• A new Goliath race for OSRIC.
• Those bloody Tau Careers for Rogue Trader.
• Some new Unknown Armies stuff (currently trying my hand at fiction once more, we'll see how it goes).
• A couple of reviews/"Let's Read" articles.

And, no doubt, a few more bits and pieces here and there.

Watch this space!

S is for Seneschal

When I first heard about Rogue Trader's Career system, I wasn't massively impressed.

I had seen the glut of Class-based systems, and wanted something a bit different. While I had heard of WFRP's Careers, wide and varied as they are, the whole "buying Advances, not automatically gaining new stuff" was a foreign concept to me.

For those of you who don't know: in your average Class-based game (like D&D), you gain Experience Points - once you reach a certain threshold, you gain a new Level. With that Level, you automatically gain new abilities (like new spells for Wizards, or Wildshape for Druids, or extra Sneak Attack Dice for Rogues, etc). While you can make some choices (like what spells to pick, or Feats in 3rd/4th Edition), your advancement is pretty linear. It leads to a "video-gamey" feel, in my opinion.

WFRP and the 40RP system, however, work by Rank and Advances.

So, you're Rank 1 - the lowest of the low. You have a list of Advances (whether new Talents, bonuses to Skills, whatever), and their XP costs. As you earn XP, you can "buy" these Advances - and you go up to the next Rank when you've spent a certain amount of XP, not earned it. To me, that makes it feel like more of an accomplishment - you made your character better, instead of watching them get better. It also allows you to buy any skill you want - at an extra cost. Such a system allows for a truly diverse set of characters, even using the same Careers.

And, the RT Careers are pretty cool. The Rogue Trader is aimed at the swashbuckling, order-screaming Captain, while the Arch-Militant is Death Incarnate (with some extra skills to fill out some other roles too), but none of them are as cool as the Seneschal.

A Ninja Spymaster Accountant.

Yep.

Rogue Traders generally end up with both more money and more possibilities than they know what to do with. The Seneschal is how the Rogue Trader deals with such things. A master of both trade and intelligence, the Seneschal acts to further the profits of his Dynasty. Whether it's collecting information on where they will get the best deal for their goods, being knowledgeable about the other Rogue Traders operating in the area (and whether or not they might be open to a temporary alliance, or at least parley), or knowing the actions and locations of the rest of the crew on board, the Seneschal will easily secure himself a great position of trust and power aboard the ship - mainly, because they have enough information to make any ignorant Lord-Captain's life a living Hell.

The Seneschal has something of a focus on Fellowship and Intelligence-based Skills - like Commerce, Barter, Charm, etc. They have a special ability to pass any Intelligence-based test once per session by spending a Fate Point - making them great at their job.

They also get quite a few good combat skills, mainly in the vein of being faster and shootier than most. All in, it gives them some of the flavour of the traditional "Fantasy Thief"-type classes, but with an extra element of intelligence-gathering and bartering out the wazoo.

It's one of my favourite Careers in the 40k RP books to date!

R is for Risus Rogue Trader

So, I switched our One-on-One Rogue Trader game to Risus to represent the climactic Chess Battle between the Lord-Captain and her Necron friend - I thought that straight Intelligence rolls were too boring, and neither of us was that great at chess. The "Combat That Isn't Combat" system allowed us to represent a far wider range of abilities and knowledge than we could otherwise, and let the the player take a very... non-standard way out.

So, I wanted to put down some basic rules for playing the 40k setting with Risus! Most of these are Optional Rules - as such, none of them need to be used, and feel free to add more yourself! Some parts do refer to the FFG 40kRP books, so they're handy to have about for a quick reference.

This list is also by no means complete - I will be adding to it in the future.

Character Creation
Depending on the "power level" you want to run, characters start with different amounts of dice and additional rules.

Dark Heresy/Everyman: 10 dice, no Funky Dice, no Hooks and Tales (though feel free to make backstory!). Optionally, you might want to keep the "grim and dark" feel of Dark Heresy by suggesting no starting Cliche can be higher than 4.

Rogue Trader/Heroic: 11 dice, Funky Dice optional, Hooks optional, Tales required (die from the Tale already factored in), plus one piece of gear granting a +1 dice to any Cliche (though note, this may be vetoed by the GM).

Deathwatch/Inquisitor/HERO OF THE IMPERIUM: 12 dice, Funky Dice optional, Hook and Tale required (dice from both already factored in), either 2 +1 die items, or one +2 dice item.

For the higher Power Levels, you might want to investigate the Option for changing the Scale of Target Numbers (for example, instead of 5 being a simple Task, and 10 being a decent challenge, you can make 3 simple, and 6 a decent challenge - for an ordinary man. For a Space Marine, it should be no bother).

For inspiration for Cliches, look no further than the Careers presented in the 40kRP books! These cover a wide range of abilities and relative levels of power (so, a Devastator Space Marine is more powerful than an Arch-Militant, who in turn is better than a Guardsman, and an Assassin might fall anywhere on the scale, even though they are all "shooty" Cliches).

Home Worlds also make a great way of personalising Cliches - a Noble World Guardsman would be something like the Vostroyan First Born - well equipped, lavishly decorated, etc, while a Feral World Guardsman might be covered in good-luck charms and the blood of his enemies, braided hair down to his shoulders, equipped with a basic Lasgun and whatever weapons he can make along the way.

Check the books for an idea of how each Home World can be used in a cliche (like a Hive Worlder can use it to operate simple machinery and spot trouble a mile off, or a Death Worlder can use his Cliche to resist poison or scavenge edible plants/usable weapons, etc.)

A Note: the Inappropriate Cliche Option might not suit all campaigns. Then again, it might allow a smart but weak character to use his Brains Over Brawn Cliche to outsmart and Ork (by no means a challenge), and other such 

Psykers

Should you choose to play a Psyker, you can use your Psyker Cliche to use a standard Psychic Power (listed across the 40kRP books). Or, you can make up something appropriate, depending on your knowledge of the system.

"Combat" powers can be used as part of the description of a Combat round - a bolt of psychic force, using telekinesis to lob someone across a room, etc. These are resisted/avoided as part of the standard Combat rules.

Outside of a fight, Powers should have a Target Number that needs to be beaten - say, TN10 for a Lesser Power (minor clarisentience, talking to animals, floating a small object like a gun across a room), maybe TN15 for bigger ones (bolts of psychic energy, astral projection, fleshcrafting, etc) and higher for even greater feats.

Greatly exceeding the Target Number (by over 10) means rolling on the Psychic Phenomena table.

Should you fail your roll dramatically enough (rolling under 5), either in or out of combat, you'll need to be rolling on the Perils of The Warp table - as well as suffering whatever consequences failing the roll might have (losing dice in a fight, failing to hold up the tank you're levitating, etc). The Table can be found in the 40kRP books - or you could make your own!

Special Rules Specifically for Rogue Trader

Ships

A Rogue Trader would be nothing without the ability to traverse the Void - starships are thus very important to the game.

As such, they are built as Characters, with Cliches, Hooks and Tales, Funky Dice for specialised functions, and a set of particular Cliches they should cover:

Armament: represents weapon systems, armour, and the skill of the crew at using them.
Speed: Represents speed (duh), manoeuvrability, and such.
Haulage: represents the ship's size, holding space, and general Scale.
Components: this represents one (or More) things the ship specialises in. Like, having a Nova Cannon, or a Teleportarium, or a particularly effective Gellar field.

Ship-to-Ship combat is done as a standard Combat, with each combatant using their Cliches in any way which makes sense. During combat, players with Appropriate Cliches (like Captains, Gunnery Officers, etc.) can form a Grunt Squad with their ship, providing ther skill to the ship's systems (in game terms, they roll their Cliche and the Ship's too - but only the player's 6s count towards the ship's roll).

Profit Factor
Profit Factor is a measure of your dynasty's accumulated wealth - it's not just money, but trading goods, liquidatable assets, and so on. So let's make it a Cliche. It can vary from 1 dice (Impoverished) up to 6 dice (God-Emperor-like Wealth). Most crews start at 3 dice. One dice of PF can be sacrificed to net an extra 2 dice for your ship.

For every big deal/trade route opened/whatever the GM decides, the group could earn a "point" of Profit Factor. 3 points adds +1 to your total roll, 6 points adds +2, and 10 points gives you an extra dice (resetting the points to 0). This should be the only way to raise profit factor. The max Profit Factor a group can achieve is 6 Dice + 2 - at this level, you can easily buy starships, planets, whatever you want.

PF Scale
0 - common items, daily necessities. An automatic success.
5 - high-quality common items, speciality foods and services, hiring retainers and decent-quality mercenaries.
10 - Outfitting your 10 personal guards with good-quality weapons and armour, or yourself with very good quality stuff.
15 - Outfitting 50 men with same, outfitting your team with the very-good-quality stuff, buying "trading levels" of supplies (like tons of food, or ammo for a small army,etc).
20 - Outfitting 10 men with some top-quality stuff, or yourself with Rare items, a single suit of Power Armour, a Power Weapon, etc.
25 - Outfitting 50 men with Power Armour, or yourself with weird and unique (or nearly so) items (Force Weapons, Personal Forcefields). Small space-worthy ships (but not Warp capable) and squadrons of military vehicles.
30 - Starships. Planets. Outfit an army in top-quality gear. Sky's the limit.

Of course, the GM is the final arbiter of what falls under each TN. If you have contacts in the Mechanicus, and you're buying a ship to go claim a world as a Forge World, you might get a discount (down to, say, 25).

As a Cliche, Profit Factor can be used in Conflicts - but mainly long, drawn out battles of resources (like running space battles between rival Dynasties, where it's all about who has the money to keep coming back and come out ahead). It might also lead to bizarre cases of players trying to form a Grunt Squad with their own Profit Factor, but hey - if their idea works, go for it!

Other
Forcefield technology, used variously across the Imperium (and by some Xenos) acts as "damage reduction" - say you buy a 2 Dice Force Field. In combat, you can elect to lose one of these dice instead of one of your Cliche Dice, so long as the damage comes from a physical source (so, you can't lose them during a battle of wits, but you certainly can when someone shoots you with a bolter). These are, however, stupid rare.

Power weapons can easily cleave through most every other "normal" weapon, barring other power weapons and force weapons. This makes a great end to a fight without killing someone. To chop a weapon/item outside of combat, it's automatic for normal materials, 5 for anything particularly strong, 10 for anything Warp-Tainted, and 25 for Power Fields/weird and wonderful archaeotech.

As Rogue Traders are masters of communication, their Tools of the Trade may involve their voice/speech. Thus, when a Rogue Trader tries to communicate with someone in a language they don't speak (or understand a little of), they can still use their Rogue Trader Cliche, but at half-dice. Learn new languages to compensate! Remember, Kroot requires a beak to speak properly, and Eldar could take you decades to learn to a level where Eldar won't talk to you like you're a child.

P is for Prestige

*Damn it, mixed up my letters!*

When players are divvying up their rewards, they expect a few things: cash money, new and exciting equipment, and perhaps the odd bit of magic. One thing I find (which can really add depth to a campaign) is to give some less tangible (but no less useful) rewards, just to mix things up.

Say you've been hired to clear out a Kobold warren by the King's advisor - many players would expect a dip from the King's funds to supplement their own wealth. But, it can get stale - too little, and it's not worth the hassle, too much, and suddenly the players are rolling about in cash they can't spend (and it can stretch disbelief that the King would hire adventurers at 500gp each, when that money could train and outfit a small group of guards to do the job).

So, instead, offer the players a Favour. It can be used at any point within reason - so, should they require a small battalion, the King might send a few well-trained men, or a larger number of lesser warriors, to help the party. Or perhaps the King's Mage will cast a spell for them, at some point, or they might get let off with a small offence (like causing a barfight, or getting into other small scrapes that would call for prison time). These sorts of Favours can be a lot handier than a +1 sword, and help immerse characters in the world they inhabit.

Or, for greater deeds, they might be granted Prestige. Prestige includes titles, lands, and positions of power and influence. Old-school D&D had these as part of the advancement scheme, with the building of fortresses, guilds and Towers. But, in newer games, it's all about the money and items - let's try and bring that back a bit.

Yes, being gifted a +5 Holy Avenger for services to your temple is pretty cool, but picture being granted the title of Chapter Master - you have control over a whole squad of Paladins (of lower level than yourself, of course). Yes, you might need to stop in and do some paperwork, but most smart players will hire a replacement or a secretary to handle the real paperwork while they are out adventuring.

Some are easier than others to maintain - while the Chapter Master has quite a few rules to follow, and work to do, being granted an honorary position in the College of Magic would have a lot of benefits - as well as the possibility of getting paid to go adventuring with your students in tow! Just call it a "field trip", and try and not kill too many of them, and you're off!

In my current Rogue Trader campaign, the player found an ancient starship - and decided to return it to the Adeptus Mechanicus, like a good God-Emperor-fearing Imperial citizen. As I simply couldn't fathom what type of monetary reward to grant her (money is such a non-issue in RT, there's a stat to determine how rich you are), I decided instead to have the AdMech hold a small parade in her honour, spreading word of her actions across the Expanse, and finally, grant her honorary Tech-Priest status - a practically a unique title. Thus, she unlocked a lot of interesting elements of the setting, as well as a guarantee that the AdMech would help take care of her.

Of course, she could still lose this privilege - it now gives her some extra rules and responsibilities. But, I can tie those back into the game, making it seem deeper, more real, and of course, more fun.

And that's what these sort of rewards do, when you do them right - add fun.

Rogue Trader One-on-One: Part Eleven: Let Me Please Introduce Myself...

The lumbering metal skeleton (remember, according to the FFG metaplot, the Necrons haven't been recognised yet, though many have met them - it's just that few live to tell the tale) stared impassively at them. Claudia was ready to draw should the figure level its horrendously destructive weapon at them. It stiffened, and, with an odd look, turned around and began walking.

Against their best wishes, the crew followed the metal abomination, until the reached a large doorway, patterned with hieroglyphs and runes, which opened before them to reveal a figure. Another metal skeleton, though a lot more fluid in its movements, draped in bizarre fineries. It kept the harsh, green glow the others exuded, lending it a palpable sense of menace.

It introduced itself in deep, heavily accented Gothic. It claimed its name was Trizen, The Collector. It made enquiries about the Captain and her crew, then offered them seats that resolved themselves from great clouds of insect-like creatures that flowed from the walls - Scarabs, he called them. They were incredibly uncomfortable, but he was trying. He talked of his Collection, and asked the Lord-Captain (as the leader of the group) if she wished to view it. Alone, of course.

While reluctant, she figured her days were numbered anyway, and this Xeno (maybe?) seemed to be at least polite. So, she accompanied him to the back of the hall, his skeletal form carried by an upsurge of scarabs, like some great horrid tidal wave. The walls themselves morphed and reshaped to form a doorway.

The first thing she faced off against was a huge, slavering beast - a Tyranid Carnifex, if she remembered her days on the Jericho Reach right. Her instinctual reaction was to reach for her laspistol - though, on closer inspection, it did not move. As she drew closer, she could see motes of dust, hanging perfectly still around about it - tiny drops of saliva and less savoury fluids coating the great beast, all still, some clinging to its great chitinous hide, some unsupported in the air. It seemed to be much like the Stasis Fields her ship could project, though not as "static" - if this had been Stasis tech, she could not have entered so close to the beast, hell, she could crawl under it, if she dared, and not disrupt the arcane energies that held it in place.

She asked Trizen if it was alive, or dead and preserved - he replied neither. It had simply been "stopped". With little further elaboration, he continued to walk, slowly, through the great hall.

She saw many weird and wonderful sights - a warrior of a race she did not recognise (squat, blue-skinned, wearing regal yellow-tan armour, wielding a weapon she had seen in the hands of various Kroot mercenaries), many more from a variety of sources, one of which stopped her in her tracks - a frozen tableau, two Orks, weapons raised, descending upon an Imperial Guardsman, ready to hack him to pieces. The look of sheer brute rage on their faces was bad enough, but the sheer look of desperation and fear on the Guardsman's face made her heart sink. She moved on after a few silent moments.

Another sight sent a tingle down her spine, and a shot of static through her mind - the final piece!

The third section of the starmap, gripped tightly in the hand of an Eldar Warrior, clad in armour similar to the Eldar who attacked her when she claimed the last piece - the teleportation device on its back, the monowire spool-gun at its side. Its helmet seemed much more regal than the others, with a large crest of hair and feathers along the top. She knew she had to get it - but how?

Lost in her frantic thoughts, she almost bumped into another exhibit, set beside the Eldar - a set of golden powered armour, clearly made for a Xeno of considerable size. As she looked, however, she recognised some of the engravings - Imperial symbols, skulls, a small representation of the Terran system... this armour would have drowned a normal human. Even a Space Marine would have struggled to fill the huge suit.

Another moment of realisation struck her.

... a Primarch's Armour?

She practically fell to her knees. She was in the presence of an artifact of such religious significance... but she had to keep her cool. Otherwise, the Xeno might catch on to her desires.

More sights, more curios - weapons she had never seen the likes of, a child's toy, a packet of lho-sticks. The creature in front of her had obviously had contact with most of the galaxy's races at some point, and had taken... souvenirs from all of them. Finally, the creature spoke again, enquiring whether she liked games. The Lord-Captain replied that she did, when she was a child, but had little time for them now.

"Oh, we have time here."

The creature may have smiled at that, though it was hard to tell. He told her that, while he had encountered humans, he had never had any come straight to him as he rested - and wished to use the opportunity to try out "a game". He walked her to a small, checkered board - clearly a Regicide board (40k's Chess equivalent). But it was the pieces which left her speechless, again.

On one side, stood the Emperor, the King - with his Children, the Primarchs filling the roles of the other pieces, and the Astartes the pawns.

On the other, Horus, with his Traitor brethren, and Chaos Legionnaires.

This was either old, or incredibly heretical.

She never got the chance to ask which, before the creature commanded the scarabs to carry the board out to the main hall, so her crew could watch as they played.

Rogue Trader One on One: Part Ten: The Deadliest Game

The screaming was sourced to the outskirts of the village that had sprung up around the drop-chapel - placed up on one of the large staffs bearing the Imperial Aquila and flags marking the end of their territory, was a figure. It had been flayed - the entirety of its skin removed, nowhere to be seen. There were no other markings, threats or calling cards - and tellingly, very little blood around the area. It seemed that the corpse had been abducted, skinned elsewhere, then placed upon the flagpole, all without calling the attention of the night watchmen or any of the locals.

It was eventually deduced to belong to one of the patrol guards - who had been on duty that night, on the perimeter. They began hearing more about the "steel ghosts" that had been spotted, and the Lord-Captain decided she would try and put a stop to this - once she had located the item she sought. Taking her entourage and a squad of guards with her, she loaded up two of her Land Raiders (purchased form the Mechanicus many years ago) and set off into the desert, resigned to the knowledge that, knowing her luck, these "ghosts" would have something to do with her last puzzle piece.

Scanners had shown that the area where the readings seemed to be emanating from was fraught with strangeness - odd auspex signatures, and some kind of "warp static", where Allesaunder could not accurately pinpoint the location of the starmap piece. So, Claudia did what every good explorer does - she got in their on foot and began searching. After a few hours, they located something - a large, black obelisk, flat-topped, buried into the sand. It seemed to be an area where the odd readings were most concentrated, and also where the "static" was strongest. She couldn't feel anything from it - curious, considering her oddly-burgeoning abilities. She ordered her men to begin digging out the obelisk, to get a better idea what they were facing.

As it approached nightfall, the item's true nature became somewhat apparent - it was big. Big. They had dug down about 20 feet, all in, and it showed no signs of stopping. It even seemed that part of it was a large, flat shell - like a roof. The obelisk was, a a guess, a corner-point, a miniature spire on some Cyclopean building, buried beneath the dunes of a dingy backwater planet. Perhaps due to some unknown trigger, the structure began to rise - slowly and implacably. The men on the flat "roof" dived off, sliding down the steep sides into the soft sand. Finally, it stopped, but not before unveiling a sphere, embedded in the side "wall" of the structure - composed of roughly the same material as the rest, though with a distinct greenish hue. After a few seconds, it began to stretch, ponderously forming itself into a long cylinder, topped with what was clearly a weapon. Despite the Lord-Captain's cries of warning, three of her men were lost when it opened fire - huge swathes of green, sickly energy, like thickened lightning, poured from the tip of the weapon, atomising chunks of the men as if in slow motion - stripped layer by layer until nothing was left.

As the weapon was around three feet in length, Claudia saw one course of action - charge the bloody thing. Their weapons (even the ones Jayne was carrying) couldn't scratch the "gun", so they had to get themselves out of its line-of-sight. Getting herself (and most of her men) inside it's ability to turn, they set up the strongest demo-charges they had to hand - meltabombs. A few of those seemed to make a decent hole in the side of the structure, disabling the weapon, and providing them with an entrance. An entrance which was slowly closing - the metal-like material the structure was composed of seemed to be

As they made their way in, the structure seemed almost catacomb-like - all tight corridors, with biomechanical wiring and strange glyphs patterned wherever they looked. Harry the Tech-Priest (a new staple of Claudia's retinue since his actions on The Champagen Room) began making a mental note of the layout, to allow them to (hopefully) find their way out.

As he mapped, he noted that, according to his measurements, the corridor must intersect with itself, though as far as they could tell, there was no run-through - the two corridors seemed to be occupying the same point in space. Harry didn't like any of this, one little bit, but he dutifully kept mapping.

After around half an hour of wandering, they spotted a figure in the distance - and it was armed, and staring right at them. However, it made no movements, nor seemed to acknowledge their presence.

It was a gaunt figure, perhaps dressed in armour. It wielded a gun the resembled a smaller version of the one they had seen on the outside of the structure - and Claudia had only just seen the destructive power it could reap, so she kept her eye on it at all times. As they got closer, they could make out more details of the figure - it was clearly taller than a man, though hunched. It was not wearing armour - its body seemed to be composed of a dull metal, perhaps the same as the structure itself. But its most distinguishing feature was its body - that of a skeleton, with a face like an elongated skull, showing no emotion, eyes glowing the same sickly green as the weapon it carried.

Achievement Unlocked: We'll Be Back
Discover the Necrontyr Race.

In the player's own words:

"Fuck you. It's Necrons. We're all going to die."