Rogue Trader - Registration and Discussion Thread

[Montresor]

Just so everybody knows - I have a preliminary start date in mind for Monday the 23rd, November (I think that's a Sunday the 22nd for all of you folks living behind the times in the Northern Hemisphere).

The date may change depending on whether or not I get everythinbg set up the way I want before hand...the beauty of the setting, however, is that it's all explored as we go along.

I am only waiting for one more character to be finalised so that I can post the starting Profit Factor of the Dynasty.

[Stone Magnet]

And... just getting ready to post my personel file, and wow... Zarkov's post is just setting the bar pretty high. This will take some additional work, I think.

Kudos to you.

You flatter my ego, more so because you chose my format to post your own character details in. However I do not wish other players to feel restricted in how they present their backstories, after all, not all characters will HAVE records in the Amphael Archives, and even if they do they may not be in the "Employment Records". It just suited Zarkov's character to present his details in this strict, military fashion.

Also, some players may wish to PM Dorian some information pertinent to their characters rather than posting it, and of course RT Garrius has no reason to make his details available in this manner. It was not my intention to "set the bar", or restrict players in how to introduce their characters, but thanks for your complements, flattering aside.

While were on the subject, i'm infinitely glad that Montresor chose to generate the ship himself rather than let us collaborate, as the results are astounding.

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

Also, some players may wish to PM Dorian some information pertinent to their characters rather than posting it, and of course RT Garrius has no reason to make his details available in this manner.

I'm writing up a PM to Garrius now, to detail all the (data removed) sections of mine.

[Montresor]

I have decided to record both the Amphael Dynastic chronology and the Invictus's in the same thread. There was no realy need for two threads to exist, especially since we are reaching the current date (well, a little over a millenia away).

[Montresor]

Can players who wish to make an Acquisition attempt before the game begins please PM me what they wish to try for. Unfortunately for those without the book, I can't list the equipment options here. I would suggest trying to get a hold of a copy of RT or Dark Heresy to help your decisions.

Also, please note - for those players (excluding the Explorator) who wanted extra bionics but did not spend XP for them, if you do not make your Acquisition roll for the upgrade, the bionic will count as Poor Quality. Depending on party choices, it may be a long time before the chance to make another Acquisition for bionics will come about.

[Montresor]

Also, I just wanted to say for the record - the quality of posts by you guys is so far excellent. I have high hopes for this game.

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

I would suggest trying to get a hold of a copy of RT or Dark Heresy to help your decisions.

PM me, and I can help find a copy of the DH core book electronically for you.

Also, please note - for those players (excluding the Explorator) who wanted extra bionics but did not spend XP for them, if you do not make your Acquisition roll for the upgrade, the bionic will count as Poor Quality. Depending on party choices, it may be a long time before the chance to make another Acquisition for bionics will come about.

This part of the party will be choosing the things that she believes will make bionics accessible for future bionics Acquisitions.

[Montresor]

Just so everybody knows - The game's start date will now be Tuesday the 1st of December. The 1st to feed my unhly hunger for terrible symmetry, as well as to allow me to polish off some location and background details. This should give everyone enough time to make their Acquisition choices and submit any futher background info/stories.

Regarding acquisition - remember to submit your request via PM. Also, keep in mind the low Profit Factor of the Amphael Dynasty, so rare objects will be quite a challenge to acquire until the party manages to repair the family's fortunes.

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

Andrea's warm fuzzy feeling for the day:

I'm happy to once again be interacting with people who know what "nadir" means, and who would choose to use it in conversation. For too long, I've only conversed with people who spell "a lot" as one word. People for whom "education" means an M.B.A.

[Montresor]

And I only just noticed your sig. Nice touch

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

Lifted whole-hog from the Dynastic Archives thread. Because I lack imagination.

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

I been studyin' up on the 40k universe, and I had some questions. (Really, they're statements... I just require that people confirm / deny their veracity, and correct the false ones.)

Aside from the ones who are fed to the Emperor daily, and the ones who power the Astronomicon, there are three major types of human psyker:

1. Astropaths, who are the most common. They're mostly telepaths, and have no eyes, but can "see" anyway.

2. Imperial Psykers, as described in the Dark Heresy book. Less common than Astropaths, have eyes (though there was one random conditioning result that would give them cyber eyes) and need eyes to see.

3. Navigators, who are not only psykers, but also have the navigator gene, and manage their own succession. (e.g. - they don't fear being fed to the Emperor, because they're all members of the same few families, and everyone grows up knowing that they're part of the family)

My skimming of the books kind of made it sound like #1 and #2 were pretty much the same. Think they had the same powers, in general.
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Do dwarves exist? They're in Warhammer, but I haven't seen anything like them in 40k. Elves, orcs (and goblins, etc.) are there.

[Montresor]

Because I lack imagination.

Ha! That's clearly not true.

I been studyin' up on the 40k universe, and I had some questions. (Really, they're statements... I just require that people confirm / deny their veracity, and correct the false ones.)

Aside from the ones who are fed to the Emperor daily, and the ones who power the Astronomicon, there are three major types of human psyker:

1. Astropaths, who are the most common. They're mostly telepaths, and have no eyes, but can "see" anyway.

2. Imperial Psykers, as described in the Dark Heresy book. Less common than Astropaths, have eyes (though there was one random conditioning result that would give them cyber eyes) and need eyes to see.

3. Navigators, who are not only psykers, but also have the navigator gene, and manage their own succession. (e.g. - they don't fear being fed to the Emperor, because they're all members of the same few families, and everyone grows up knowing that they're part of the family)

My skimming of the books kind of made it sound like #1 and #2 were pretty much the same. Think they had the same powers, in general.
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Do dwarves exist? They're in Warhammer, but I haven't seen anything like them in 40k. Elves, orcs (and goblins, etc.) are there.

#2 are more often called Sanctioned Psykers. The main difference between #1 & #2 are that Astropaths function primarily as communicators, and they are soul-bonded to the Emperor, which gives them greater resistance to the horrors of the Warp in general.

Besides those you listed, the Imperium has numerous unsanctioned psykers and 'witches', who have not been discovered by the Black Ships and taken to Holy Terra. Most of these illegal psykers would be aggressively hunted down if discovered and, if not, they would most likely succumb to the corrupting influence of the powers they wield.

Dwarves were briefly in the early 40k setting, and they were known as Squats. Essentially, they were presented as space bikers, and were an option for an Imperial Guard army to use. It was a pretty silly idea (just like the Ratlings - space halflings) and GW decided that the Squat's home planets were consumed by a Tyranid Hive Fleet. Good riddance...

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

Because I lack imagination.

Ha! That's clearly not true.

Uh... let's go with the old line often attributed to the Greeks when I was studying Greek lit back in college: "The greatest form of flattery is plagarism." Well... when Greek lit was covered briefly in a Freshman lit class.

(Searching google for that same phrase, comes up with Charles Caleb Colton coining "Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I think 'plagiarism' is more apt for this, though.)

#2 are more often called Sanctioned Psykers. The main difference between #1 & #2 are that Astropaths function primarily as communicators, and they are soul-bonded to the Emperor, which gives them greater resistance to the horrors of the Warp in general.

So really, Astropaths are the "higher" form of psyker, of the two? DH vaguely implies that the Sanctioned psyker is above the astropath. Very vaguely.

Besides those you listed, the Imperium has numerous unsanctioned psykers and 'witches', who have not been discovered by the Black Ships and taken to Holy Terra. Most of these illegal psykers would be aggressively hunted down if discovered and, if not, they would most likely succumb to the corrupting influence of the powers they wield.

I was putting those in with the ones being fed to the emperor. Though, I guess a crafty hedge-witch could avoid detection for quite some time on a hive world. Or on a feral world, for that matter.

Dwarves were briefly in the early 40k setting, and they were known as Squats. Essentially, they were presented as space bikers, and were an option for an Imperial Guard army to use. It was a pretty silly idea (just like the Ratlings - space halflings) and GW decided that the Squat's home planets were consumed by a Tyranid Hive Fleet. Good riddance...

Are Squats abhumans? I saw Orgrym listed, and Ratlings, as abhumans. I think Warhammer pretends they're entirely different races, though. (Something that 40k would call Xenos, before introducing it to the business end of a melta gun.)

[Montresor]

Are Squats abhumans? I saw Orgrym listed, and Ratlings, as abhumans. I think Warhammer pretends they're entirely different races, though. (Something that 40k would call Xenos, before introducing it to the business end of a melta gun.)

They were abhumans.

Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 are not intended to exist in the same reality. Although there was an old Warhammer adventure in White Dwarf which had an Ambull being plucked from the 40k universe and ending up in a mine, it was really just intended as a joke. The two games are more like re-invisionings of one another. The common feature is Chaos as the main force of evil in the games (and that's really straight from Moorcock's Stormbringer), but that's as close as they come to being alike.

I would call Astropaths as being higher on the chain of psykers than Sanctioned Psykers, myself. Soul-bonding with the Emperor has got to count for something special, surely.

Oh, and regarding the Amphael family saying in the Dynastic Archives: be careful how often you quote it to people. Being said it probably wouldn't arouse anyone's suspicion, but if you look at it as written, it's potentially heretical.

[Stone Magnet]

Besides those you listed, the Imperium has numerous unsanctioned psykers and 'witches', who have not been discovered by the Black Ships and taken to Holy Terra. Most of these illegal psykers would be aggressively hunted down if discovered and, if not, they would most likely succumb to the corrupting influence of the powers they wield.

...sometimes becoming Chaos sorcerers, the most unhinged psyker out. Any one who can summon a Bloodthrister gets my vote. There are also Space Marine Librarians, which are obviously of higher status than any normal human psyker, but I doubt we'll be encountering one in the Koronus Expanse. Most of the Xenos races have psyker's or psyker equivalents, with the Eldar having a special emphasis on them.

[Stone Magnet]

Squats. Essentially, they were presented as space bikers...

God, please don't get started on the Squats again...

[Montresor]

God, please don't get started on the Squats again...

Have I ever told you about a rare kind which are blue . . .

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

Oh damn. The avatar change, to Grand Moff Tarken, sporting his "Hey little boy, why don't you come over here and let me inspect you." look.

Combined with the Schtrumff reference...

I must be chemically altered, right now.

[Dorian]

Squats were treated a wee bit differently than Abhumans due to being cut off from the imperium longer and having a stronger sense of their own culture.

They didn't worship the emperor like the imperium etc did. Sure they descended from humans, so can be defined as abhumans, but their culture was separate and apart from that of the imperium as a whole. So despite being abhuman could be considered a separate race, to a degree.

There is another race, the Demiurg, who have been introduced since the demise of the Squats, who are GW attempt at a rethink of the Squat. So there still are space dwarves, but they're far from a major race

As for psychers, astropaths are effectively living radios. Sanctioned psychers are living weapons. So which one is higher on the food chain really depends on your own personal priorities. To the imperial navy, a Astropath is far more valuable, whilst on the field of battle a Sanctioned Psycher can turn the tides.