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View Full Version : Running Rogue Trader: Advice for a Newbie?



StoryKeeper
2011-12-24, 05:28 PM
Hello there, everyone. I'm going to be running a game of Rogue Trader in the near future, and I was just hoping to get some tips on things to watch out for or general experiences with the game. I've run things before (mostly D&D/Pathfinder), but this is somewhat different.

I ran a few practice combats and found that the game seems to be rather lethal (cover will be important), and I get the impression that there should be a lot of red shirts running around. Like I said, I'm looking for general experiences and tips, though I do have a few specific questions:

* How do you handle having lots of NPCs running around with the PCs when they go planet-side (or do you ignore them?)
* Do you ever have trouble rationalizing sending the PCs (typically important members of the ship's staff) onto a planet?
* How frequent is player death?
* Do you find that everyone has something meaningful to do during ship-to-ship combat?

DaedalusMkV
2011-12-24, 06:48 PM
Hello there, everyone. I'm going to be running a game of Rogue Trader in the near future, and I was just hoping to get some tips on things to watch out for or general experiences with the game. I've run things before (mostly D&D/Pathfinder), but this is somewhat different.

Good luck! I think Rogue Trader is a fantastic system with at least as much, if not more potential than Dark Heresy. It's also a lot more similar to your areas of experience than the other 40k RPGs, being focused as it is on exploration, adventure and the development of personal wealth and power.


I ran a few practice combats and found that the game seems to be rather lethal (cover will be important), and I get the impression that there should be a lot of red shirts running around. Like I said, I'm looking for general experiences and tips, though I do have a few specific questions:

Lethality depends on a number of factors, most importantly what gear your PCs decided to take. The game is decidedly less lethal than it might appear at first glance as long as PCs take the proper precautions and you don't throw anything overly rediculous at them. Proper cover, good armour and a decent investment in Dodge and Parry should negate most of the worst of it. Redshirts are very much a part of the theme, but don't feel the need to make rolls for each and every one of the thirty people involved in a bigger-scale combat.


* How do you handle having lots of NPCs running around with the PCs when they go planet-side (or do you ignore them?)

Depends on the NPC and their role. Advisors or specialists should speak up when dealing with matters within their area of expertise, but the bodyguards, valets and assorted servants should only be seen or heard if the players want them to. Try to make sure that you don't wind up in too many heated discussions with yourself.

In combat, I prefer to just pair-off any retaininers the PCs brought with them against a similar number (or combat strength, in the case of vastly superior or infer of enemies, declare that they're "keeping each other busy" and run the combat as the PCs against the remainder of the enemy force, with the occasional injury or death among the NPCs to keep it tense or interesting. This way the players feel like they're getting a benefit out of their underlings, but combat isn't bogged down by dozens or hundreds of GM rolls.


* Do you ever have trouble rationalizing sending the PCs (typically important members of the ship's staff) onto a planet?
* How frequent is player death?

Not really and not often. The PCs should be adventurous, lead-from-the-front types. Who wants to play a Navigator that spends all day in his quarters or a Voidmaster that's hard-wired into his navigational controls, and you should be throwing situations at them that require the presence of the most competent individuals anyways. As far as PC death goes, Fate Points (remember: permanently 'burning' one turns death into a managable injury automatically) and the aforementioned good precautions should keep death at bay for at least a few adventures. It's not like Dark Heresy in that respect. I admittedly didn't get too far into my RT game, but nobody was in terrible danger of dying at any point, though Critical Injuries happened a few times.


* Do you find that everyone has something meaningful to do during ship-to-ship combat?
This is an area the players should really work on while designing their characters. Every Career (except maybe Ork Freebooters) has something to do in ship-to-ship, but players should coordinate and decide before the game what role they'll fill. For example, if you've got an Arch-militant on board, you probably want your Void Master to be a pilot, not a gunnery specialist, and so on.

I hope some of that helps, and good luck with the game.

king.com
2011-12-27, 09:39 AM
* How do you handle having lots of NPCs running around with the PCs when they go planet-side (or do you ignore them?)


Assign Section Heads for your ship, the head Techpriest Magos of the ship, the Head of Security, Head of Personnel etc, have the players interact with their crew through these people. The Head of Security is the only one running combat with the players, his/her team that was brought down with the players can like mentioned before deal with other mobs but they can also be used the meatshield they are supposed to be, run their combat behind the screen in a minimalist manner and have them instead take some wounds for the player.

Make sure to treat them like the weak humans they should be, if things look bad and the captain hasnt been the best to them, make the soldiers break and run.



* Do you ever have trouble rationalizing sending the PCs (typically important members of the ship's staff) onto a planet?


Not really, the crew are designed to be the personal advisors of the captain/rogue trader. The Arch-Militant while theoraticlly can be the Head of Security is more likely to be played as the weapon specialist/military tactics specialist that sticks to the captain should they need it. The Astropath is the captains telephone, the voidmaster is the personal pilot/getaway man, the explorator is the middleman between the rogue trader and any technology/mechanicum presence etc

These people are in the positions they are BECAUSE the captain wants them close.



* How frequent is player death?


Combat should be very lethal, it should be extremely dangerous, players running and desperately fighting for their lives, the difference between this game and Dark Heresy is twofold, the first is that the players are rich enough to have a buffer between themselves and death be it the human shields they hire or the nice shiny armour and guns they can acquire. The second is that characters always have atleast 2 fate points up their sleeves potentially 4 or 5 which almost never happens in Dark Heresy.

Players should be force to burn fate points if they dont do everything they can so save themselves. Remember, this is the 41st millenium a universe where genetically engineered super soldiers are regularly cut to pieces by things far more dangerous than themselves and your players a mere humans.



* Do you find that everyone has something meaningful to do during ship-to-ship combat?

Assuming people dont double up people normally have a role. If you ever double up on something, tell the other player to get perception based skills so they can operate the ships sensors instead.

The alien classes honestly have the least to do but its a different sort of game entirely if you are including them at all.

Rogue Trader/Seneshal/Missionary = leadership bonuses
Arch Militant/Void Master/anyone with high BS = Gunnery
Void Master = Pilot
Techpriest = Aid the Machine Spirit/Emergency Repairs
Navigator/Astropath = Sensors/special scenario