Well, my want for a Rogue Trader game is definitely… Not normal for the game or setting, exactly.

I was thinking of one theme that isn't done much with 40k is a game that does something like, 'choose a goal for how to affect some sort of drastic change of the setting. Do your level best to make that change. Good luck!'

I'm thinking a highly-resourceful group using the Rogue Trader system (as it is best for people with the ability to maybe make a change), maybe with some things taken from the Ascension DH book, or other books, and all the player characters are designed to 'want to change something', would be interesting.

Take a setting that is very much designed to be stagnant (or at least very, very, very stable), and see if it is possible to actually affect change on it -- especially if that change was intended to brighten some of the darkness (!).

Or, they could fail miserably. But the point is, I have had an idea for a character who primarily exists in the Rogue Trader system, who has as his main desire, an interest in affecting change on the Imperium. What do you think of that theme?

I was choosing Rogue Trader as the primary (with imports as-needed from the other books), is that it inherently places you as a sort of person who might not love the Imperium exactly (but who could still plausibly love Humanity in general), who might be okay with committing some preeeettyyyy big heresies and crimes out in the Expanse past the Halo stars, because the idea for the character I wanted to play has… well, like I said, quite a lot of unique goals; I liked the idea of a character that would work best where they are all members of a Rogue Trader's ship who each want to change something big about the big, stagnant/stable/decaying Imperium, and everyone is working together to achieve the groups' mutual goals…

That said, for those of you interested in playing (and who like this theme!), if you had to make a character who had some 'big goal' regarding changing the Imperium, what sort of character would they be, and what would the goal be?

 Wanting to improve the lot of humanity can take many, many forms in RT, not all of them heretical or heretekal, but quite a number would be.

Personally? I would like to play an Illuminati member with access to the Black Library so that I can bring about the reincarnation of the Emperor.

Malakh said:

I feel that that might be beyond the scope of a RT game, at least as a starting character!  I stretched the scope, for sure… but it looks like you totally blew it away!  I just thought it would be interesting to play idealistic, overly informed Radical types.

Gavinfoxx said:

 Whooops.

There are several option in the Origins Path that actually allow you to do that, get radical-minded RT characters. I like the one that makes you a seeker of Archeotech.

Gavinfoxx said:

The major problem I have with pbp is not the format, but lack of continuity. People just stop posting. I don't think that will be much different with skype. I DO prefer skype, as I can do the voices and the progress when skyping is much greater. But online the problems arise with timezones and the like. I'm Norwegian and thus have european time, americans wake up about the time I get home from work for instance.

If people would be open to play post by post I'd be up for it, but I'd most likely take one of the premade adventures as a START just to see if people interact and stick to it and then after the "intro" go all out.

A game like you're talking about (try to change the sector / segmentum / Imperium) would be a lot more sandbox-styled; it would have to be to allow you (and the rest of the crew) to enact their plans. My fear with running a game like that is that as a GM I wouldn't be able to adequately prepare or represent the different encounters as you're imagining them.

Furthermore, to the effect of changing the Imperium I would recommend Ascension; a Rogue Trader can be written off or done away with - a task which is significantly harder against an Inquisitor.

The problem with PbP in my experience is it takes FOREVER for combat or even interactions to take place. I had a single combat in a D&D pbp take 3 months. Just totally lost interest after that.

Even just the RP, if you dont have a minion to circle jerk with, its usually waiting days for someone to respond to whatever. At least with a skype game (I am in one irc Black Crusade game, and one roll20 Rogue Trader game) everyone gets together, and you can rp and resolve combats, as everyone is together and on the same page.

While it can be difficult to maintain interest in a PbP game, there's also a lot less prep work on the part of the GM required. It balances out in my opinion.

Furthermore, it is specifically because of the smaller time commitment that I am willing to GM a PbP - I can't commit to a Skype game at this time.

 I'd be up for skype, unsure about GM'ing but maybe, with a kind crew! My main reservation is that I don't own too many of the books, I recently bought my first two supplements for RT and I'd feel like I was stiffling players with limited possibilites. Also, I have a knack for hating power play and encouraging making a personality and sticking to it.

Hating power play?

What if the player uses the system to get a solid, cohesive idea of what they want their concept to be, and happen to choose one of the more effective ways, numerically, to do the character's goals?

For example, the concept I had would likely involve lots of high level skill checks, and as little actual combat and dungeon crawls as possible.

"Powergaming" and "Making a concept and sticking to it" are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, they aren't really related at all.

So what if my socialite can start, at the beginning of the game, with an effective 91 Charm if he is talking to other nobles from the bridge of his ship??  So what if my Techpriest can have an effective 92 on Tech Use checks, IF he uses the Library on the ship and IF he is taking his time to use his Foresight?

Those things can most definitely be a core part of a character's personality! "Savant level capabilities in tech use, and an obsession over technology" can be a core concept of a character, as well as "Very sociable and charming, makes people around him feel relaxed, and feels especially at ease when at the helm of his ship" can be another core concept for a character.

Also, it should be noted?  That getting the numbers this high generally requires stacking bonuses.  Bonuses which won't be available in many situations, and which only work when the character can usually take their time and function in their area of comfort and with their best tools, and maybe go through some rituals appropriate to the task at hand (say, showing someone around the swank parts of their ship, or do a bit of meditating and planning before they start work on the technological whatsit).

 As noted, the bad part about PbPs is that players suddenly drop out, whether for good reasons or not. Chat-based games suffer from the need to coordinate international time zones. This is why I usually stick to, and prefer, tabletop gaming.

However, as there is little to no interest in my current group on Warhammer 40k RPGs I am forced to look elsewhere for a game. Speaking of which… I just sent in a request-to-join with an RT game that just opened on rpol.net - this one. It's perfect for me since even though I have several of the books I haven't really played a real game yet.

Good find!  Just sent a message to the GM.  Maybe we can get this crazy idea of mine to actually WORK!

 BTW, I just remembered something that would truly help mankind… the discovery of an intact and fully functional STC System.

Malakh said:

Your sarcasm… it is not helpful here…

Gavinfoxx said:

Maybe I expressed myself poorly. Not only powergaming in terms of stats and such, but yes that can get very dry in the long run when people min/max every character instead of going a bit outside the beaten path to make an INTERESTING character. I'm not saying I want people to make bad (as in perfoming poorly) characters but cookie cutters make me puke after awhile.

My major problem is when people don't picture what they want to make and tell me about it so we can work out how to make it viable if the rules as written doesn't really allow it. If your socialite wants to go all out on the noble look and gets a boltercane I'll do my best to make it viable by placing the party in a position where that cane can shine. Not every weapon of course. But when every ranged character goes for the same weapons and same for every melee the game becomes stale.

Power gaming is ALSO in terms of roleplaying. I'm not expecting a long explenation about a character, but I want them to have a certain personality. When I notice people always doing the most favourable response, and they're not a cold calculating bastard (and we're not talking about something requiring genuine emotions and compassion) it's not roleplay. It's powergaming to stack the advantages to your favour regardless of the character you made.

Hope I made myself more clear now? I'm not saying people shouldn't make characters that perform well, but I want them to be characters with personality and flair.