Warhammer 40K: A Rogue Trader Styled Campaign Part 1: Overview and Character Creation

Yes.  You see with the recent cheap release of the Ultramarines CGI Blu Ray movie and my Gamma World game getting off to a rocky start I want to do SOMETHING campaign related but I also adore miniatures and like old school 40K even if Games Workshop is the buttiest butt that ever butted a butt.

So why not smoosh together some Rogue Trader and 2nd edition 40K stuff, print out the bits I like, and make a RPGish campaign ala my old Silent Death Star Wars TIE Fighter campaign?

I have all the minis one would need, I have all the books.  Being the GM means I can cut out all the stupid, the overcomplicated, and the cheesy from RT-2nd ed and make it a quick and fun RPG Lite experience!

Let's get the party started!

(Note this will be added to as I get around to bringing in more factions and as we possibly find what works and does not.)

Also currently the army lists are from the "Black Codex" that came in the 2nd edition box.  Cheap, balanced, fun, and portable.

Warhammer 40K RPG Battle Campaign

The Imperium is dying. A Daemon Lord known as “Gideon” attacked Holy Terra. While he was defeated and the most Blessed Emperor still guards Mankind upon his Golden Throne, foul Xeno forces used the battle as an excuse to all but vaporize everything else upon the planet.

Psykers screamed, reality warped, and many heretics say the galaxy is “back as it should be”.

The Imperium needs valiant units of Space Marines, Imperial Guardsmen, Adeptus Sororitas, Inquisitors, Assassins, and Arbites to protect the Imperium in our most desperate hour since the time the Emperor walked amongst us.

Rebellions need to be put down, ships retaken, the cleansing of taint throughout the galaxy.

Small teams will be formed and sent out. Capture lost and stolen technologies. Put the heretic, the mutant, the unclean to the cleansing fires of the Emperor's Will.

Basic Concepts:

This will be a quasi RPG miniatures campaign where players control at most 2-3 squads of 2^nd edition Warhammer 40K Black Codex Imperial (and optionally Squat & Eldar though with some tweaks it could even be used to run Ork or Chaos campaigns. For our initial purposes we are presuming Imperial however.) forces with a Champion level character as each player's avatar within the game, either in direct command of a squad, or as a separate character commanding his or her forces. (Allowing for such things as a Chaplain or Librarian.)

Rules will be a hybrid of 1^st (Rogue Trader) and 2^nd edition 40K with the odd thing nicked from later editions. The 40K universe will be closer to its original Rogue Trader era settings as the initial story concept basically says that when Terra was attacked reality subtly shifted though few people know about it.

Players will earn points to make their forces somewhat larger in size but in general each player will never have more than 500 points of 2^nd ed 40K forces. Their characters will potentially level up 5 times, 2 times into Minor and Major Hero statlines, and 3 more which will be options to gain special perks and equipment.

Characters will also have Destiny Points which will be used to survive otherwise fatal events, or which get removed upon failing missions.

Game Session Outline

Players will be given a mission to complete by the GM. They will then go do said mission. If successful they gain an Experience Point. If not they do not plus lose a Destiny Point. (Usually.) Upon winning if possible rolls are made to see what they recovered from the battlefield and what happened to their troopers who may have fallen in battle. After this Requisition Points may be spent to replace fallen troopers or to buy new ones up to the maximum level of Force Points that player has.

Character Generation:

In general each player has 330 2^nd edition 40K points to build his force. If a Champion class character is chosen it may be the upgrade or normal choice for a squad. If he or she is not the command upgrade for a squad, the purchased squad can NOT have the Champion upgrade.

No other characters may be purchased at creation. (So if you start out as a Veteran Sergeant in a Space Marine Scout squad you could not use your extra points for an Apothecary.)

Each player has 330 Force Points for the maximum size of their force in combat. Any additional points not spent or gained during play are part of your storage called Requisition Points. Force Points are the maximum you may bring INTO a battle. Requisition is how much you have to replace casualties or buy new units.

Force Points are increased through advancement.

Characters start with 3 Destiny Points.

Characters also gain 1 new Stat. Intelligence (INT). This stat is 5+1d6.

Maximum Force Size:  No Player may have more than 500 Force Points.

Marine Generation:

Legal Characters: Apothecary, Champion Chaplain, Techmarine, Librarian Lexicanian. Veteran Sergeant commanding a Tactical or Assault Squad.

Legal Squads: Tactical, Assault.

Legal Support: Rhino, Attack Bike, Marine Bike, Dreadnought, Razorback, Land Speeder.

Legal Wargear Cards: Armor Piercing Ammo, Aux. Grenade Launcher, Aegis Suit, Bionic Arm, Bionic Eye, Bionic Leg, Cameleoline, Combi-Weapon, Digital Lasers. Force Axe, Force Sword. Frenzon, Haywire Grenade, Immune, Master Crafted Bolt Pistol, Medi Pack, Refractor Field, Scanner, Seeking Ammo, Targeter, Teleport Jammer.

Legal Wargear: Terminator Armor, Refractor Field, All Assault and Special, All Heavy Weapons besides Multimelta, Terminator Heavy Flamer, All Scout Weapons, Frag, Krak, and Plasma Grenades plus Melta Bombs, Force Axe, and Force Sword.

Legal Vehicle Wargear Cards: Ablative Armor, Bulldozer Blade, Electro Hull, Grenade Cage, Heavy Flamer, Searchlight, Storm Bolter, Supercharged Engine.

Imperial Guard Generation:

Legal Characters: Commissar, Tech Priest Engineer, Command Section, Veteran Sergeant commanding a Tactical, Assault, or Rough Rider Squad.

Legal Squads: Tactical, Assault, Penal Legion, Rough Rider, Ogryn, Ratling.

Legal Support: Chimera, Sentinel, Leman Russ.

Legal Wargear Cards: Armor Piercing Ammo, Aux. Grenade Launcher, Aegis Suit, Bionic Arm, Bionic Eye, Bionic Leg, Cameleoline, Combi-Weapon, Digital Lasers. Force Axe, Force Sword. Frenzon, Haywire Grenade, Immune, Master Crafted Bolt Pistol, Medi Pack, Refractor Field, Scanner, Seeking Ammo, Targeter, Teleport Jammer.

Legal Wargear: Refractor Field, all Assault and Heavy Weapons, Frag Krak and Plasma Grenades plus Melta Bombs, All Special Weapons.

Legal Vehicle Wargear Cards: Ablative Armor, Bulldozer Blade, Electro Hull, Grenade Cage, Heavy Flamer, Searchlight, Storm Bolter, Supercharged Engine.