Rogue Trader: Lure of the Expanse Review

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(More customer reviews)Lure of the Expanse is an important product for the Rogue Trader line because it serves to set the stage for GMs who read the core rulebook and then wonder how to write adventures for their players in this setting. Rogue Trader isn't quite the same as other RPGs, the power level of characters is higher and the stakes required in adventures must scale accordingly. This is quite different from the "player characters as lackeys" that is pretty common in other RPGs where it is fairly easy to start small and grow the conflicts as the player characters gain wealth and power. In Rogue Trader they already have more wealth and power than 99% of humanity so the trick is finding out how to make sessions fun and challenging and that is where this book serves as both a guide and set of examples.
The three adventures contained inside highlight most of the various rules outlined in the core book so you can expect ship-to-ship space combat, exploration and political maneuvering galore. There is plenty of conflict and the normal gritty 40k vibe comes through loudly both in how the stories are presented and the tasks they set forth for the players. The missions are not black and white, good versus bad, so there is ample opportunity for players to delve into moral equivalence and personal corruption as they solve the problems they are presented with in true 40k fashion.

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Lure of the Expanse, the latest book for Rogue Trader, features three adventures set amongst the unexplored stars beyond the Imperium. Wealth and glory await those with the courage to venture into the farthest reaches of space. In "Eye of the Needle," your Explorers will travel to the perilous port of Footfall to learn of a dark prophecy of long-lost riches. In "The Heathen Trail," the Explorers find themselves on the path of uncountable riches... but they must cross the wild tracts of the Heathen Stars. Threats abound, but can the Explorers transform danger into rewards? Finally, in "The World Beyond," the Explorers discover the location of the legendary treasure world. Now, can they prevail against a host of enemies?

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Rogue Trader: The Game Master's Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)The first thing I noticed about this GM screen is that it is made of the same materials and in the same fashion as FFG's great game boards. Each of the 4 panels is about the thickness of a hardcover book and wrapped with the familiar textured paper that contains the artwork and game tables. The center two panels are a wide view of the same image from the Rogue Trader Rulebook and the side 2 panels each contain 2 pieces of setting appropriate artwork. The GM side of the screen is typical in that it is about 75% tables and 25% short rule summaries.
The booklet that accompanies the screen is full color on slick paper with lots of artwork including several map/schematic layouts of locations. It is made in the same fashion as the rule booklets that accompany FFG's board games like Arkham Horror, so if you own any of their games you know basically what it looks and feels like. The adventure it contains looks to be well done with multiple locations to explore and includes several GM aids to modify it to suit your players. The last 4-5 pages of the booklet include a star system generator and an NPC ship generator which are basically a few tables to roll up quick results.
Overall the GM kit is of great physical quality, which is pretty normal from FFG, and the actual contents of it look very helpful.

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This Game Master's Kit includes a screen for the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Rogue Trader RPG which features useful charts and tables, as well as a sourcebook that includes a starship construction guide, NPC starship vessel generator, and Starship Combat summary sheet, plus the exciting adventure, "Whispers on the Storm."

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Rogue Trader: Into the Storm (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay) Review

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Into the Storm basically adds a whole host of options for Rogue Trader characters. The biggest addition is two new races: Ork and the Kroot. These races are styled as independent Career Paths where the advances that you take define how your character becomes specialized. There is no Origin Path and you are basically locked into being either a Kroot Mercenary or Ork Freebooter. The options for Orks are quite varied from having a squig companion to developing psychic abilities ala a MadBoy. Kroot have similar advances that reflect their races talents within the 40K universe. Similar to the Orks, Kroot can gain a Kroot hound and they have a racial ability that allows them to track prey and consume bodies to regain hit points.
In addition game masters are given advice on how to incorporate these characters within the rigid xenophobic society that is the Imperium of Man. One option is a mark similar to an Imperial psykers that allows the xeno to be sanctioned with access to human settlements.
In addition to these races there are extended options for the Origin Path from the main rules. These allow for a greater variety to character backgrounds with certain bonuses which can be purchased with XP. Overall I really liked the original Origin Path, I am not sure the added complication to new characters is worth the greater variation in character background, I will have to see this in action. There are also rules for Alternate Career ranks similar to the Dark Heresy rules, basically you take these ranks in place of a rank in your normal career path.
Another chapter expands on starship options. From different hull types, ship weapons and ship builds most of the Imperium type ships can now be represented in Rogue Trader. There are additional ship responsibilites that can be added to certain Careers. These seem to flesh out the space faring part of Rogue Trader quite well. I haven't had a chance to peruse them but there is also expanded psychic powers section for Navigators and Astropaths.
Finally there is a section on new equipment and vehicles. Tau pulse rifles and Kroot weapons, Ork weapons and armor, even info on APC's like the Rhino and smaller ships like the gun cutter are given stats.
All in all the book is crammed with new rules and options for Rogue Traders, most seem to fit nicely into the existing rules and most seem to be well balanced. I took off a star for some editing typos and reuse of exisisting 40K artwork but overall, even for an expensive hard cover, the book gives quite a bit of bang for the number of bucks. Another quibble you might have is how much variation in Kroot and Ork characters there could possibly be with no Origin Path and one set of tables, I don't think this is much of an issue unless a GM allows more than one of each race which seems less Rogue Trader and more "Ork Freebooter RPG"; which I doubt is the designers intent.

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Many a foolhardy Rogue Trader has passed through the Maw, never to be seen again. Avoid their fate! Equip yourselves with the tools and abilities any worthy Rogue Trader needs to survive. Into the Storm offers a host of new character options, allowing for increased personalization with the new expanded Origin Path and Alternate Career Ranks. Plus, play as a character from beyond the Imperium with two all-new xenos Careers! Vehicle rules add a new dimension to gameplay and expand possibilities for adventure. Explore uncharted worlds in a Rhino Armoured Personnel Carrier or dominate your foes from the cockpit of a Fury starfighter. You can even gain access to an extensive new armoury of weapons, armour, and gear wrested from alien races or rediscovered from humanity's dark past, or augment yourself with new psychic powers for Astropaths and Navigators.

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