Resultado de búsqueda
In financial trading, a rogue trader is an employee authorized to make trades on behalf of their employer (subject to certain conditions) who makes unauthorized trades. It can also involve mismarking of securities.
NameCountryDate (s)LossParis, France2006–2008$6.9 billion (€4.9 billion)Tokyo, Japan1996$2.6 billionLondon, United Kingdom [12]2011$2.3 billionUnited Kingdom1995$1.3 billion (£827 million)- Overview
- History
- Imperial Legal Status
- Origins
- Warrant of Trade
- Rogue Trader Archetypes
- Trappings of Power
- Waging War
- Footfallen
- Rogue Trader Starships
Rogue Traders, originally called Rogue Traders Militant during the era of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, and bearing the ancient title of Lord Captain first granted by the Emperor Himself, are unique and powerful Human individuals who serve as a combination freelance explorer, conquistador and interstellar merchant for the Imperium of Man.
Every Rogue Trader is a hereditary Imperial servant and high-ranking noble, given a starship, a crew, and sometimes a contingent of Space Marines (in very rare cases) or troops of the Astra Militarum or mercenaries and carte blanche to roam those worlds of the galaxy that still lie beyond Imperial control or knowledge.
In their task of exploring and exploiting the still-uncharted regions of the galaxy for Mankind, Rogue Traders might come across worlds harbouring long-forgotten Human civilisations which will be later incorporated into the Imperium by official Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleets and expeditions of the Navis Imperialis and Astra Militarum. Other times they find empty or alien-dominated planets ripe for colonisation, conquest or exploitation by the Imperium -- and themselves.
The bearer of a sacred Warrant of Trade that empowers them to journey beyond the boundaries of the Imperium to trade, explore, and make war in the God-Emperor's name, a Rogue Trader is a unique figure in the grim darkness of the Imperium. They may be a newly entitled power on the rise or hail from a long, dynastic lineage of nobles and voidfarers, but all bear their titles with pride, striking out into the unknown in search of fortune and glory.
A Rogue Trader is a power unto themselves in the dark voids, master of all they survey -- at least as far as their force of arms and sharpness of wits can press the claim. A Rogue Trader can be many things but whether standing as diplomat before a planetary ruler, cutting a shadowed deal in a void station undercity, bellowing orders amidst an armed host set upon plunder, or striding the bridge of a mighty starship, they remain one thing above all -- free.
Often, Rogue Traders come from a dynasty of great leaders and visionary military commanders, with a renowned (or darkly infamous) lineage stretching back standard millennia. Other times, they are from younger, more dynamic families, often coming from the ranks of the Adeptus Terra, the Imperial Navy, or the Astra Militarum. Whatever their origins, all Rogue Traders are first and foremost masters of their own fates -- a rare thing in the Imperium of the 41st Millennium -- and upon their shoulders can rest the success or failure not only of their endeavours and their bloodlines, but of countless future generations and, often, the fortunes of entire worlds.
Origins
The Rogue Traders had their origins in the demands of the early days of the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium. Driven by the will of the Emperor, the first expeditionary fleets of the crusade pushed outwards into the galaxy. Preceding each great expeditionary fleet of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of vessels often ranged smaller contingents of independent flotillas led by a class of martial leader that would become known as the "Rogue Traders Militant." Many of these individuals were former rulers of the numerous realms the Emperor had cast down first during the Unification Wars on Terra and later, as the Great Crusade spread, formerly independent Human colony worlds. They were offered a stark choice -- bend the knee before the Emperor and swear service to the Great Crusade, or die by His hand. Though many set pride before what they regarded as slavery, others chose service and took up the Emperor's Warrant of Trade. There was a price, however. The Rogue Traders Militant were expected to scout ahead of the leading edge of the Great Crusade, accompanied by their own armies as well as whatever assets had been ceded them by the Emperor. Operating so far ahead of the Emperor's crusading armies, the Rogue Traders Militant could expect little or no aid should they encounter foes too powerful for them to overcome. After several solar decades penetrating the inky black of the void, Rogue Trader Militant fleets often appeared as ramshackle vagabonds, many of their starships taken from defeated enemies, sometimes including xenos vessels of entirely novel or esoteric form. They were forbidden to return to Terra, for in His wisdom the Emperor sought not to just rid Himself of powerful rivals, but to ensure that even in their deaths they might serve Mankind. Many vanished alone and unheralded; slain, consumed or enslaved by nameless xenos abominations far from the light of Terra.
Merchants, Scoundrels, Diplomats and Warriors
The Imperium of Man is a vast, scattered realm, extending over almost the entire galaxy, impinging itself upon the more compact areas of alien-settled space. The million or more Human-inhabited worlds the Imperium controls are but a tiny fraction of the galactic whole. Then there are the fringes and Halo Zones, remote areas where the Astronomican does not reach, and where the only Human settlers are Renegades or pioneering groups whose ancestors were forgotten by the Emperor's servants millennia ago. Most of the Milky Way Galaxy remains unexplored, unknown, and extremely dangerous, even in the 41st Millennium. The potential of new worlds, alien civilisations, and unimaginable resources made necessary a class of free-ranging Imperial agents known as Rogue Traders. Licensed and often equipped by the Adeptus Terra, the Rogue Trader is free to explore the far regions of the galaxy, the areas where the Astronomican does not reach, and those areas within its reach as yet unvisited by Humanity. Rogue Traders have even attempted to cross the great starless voids of intergalactic space, but over such distances even astropaths' powers of psychic communication are useless, and whether such missions have succeeded is unknown. Operating in isolation from the central authority of the Imperium, the Rogue Trader must decide for themselves how to react to alien cultures, new discoveries, and threats. If they judge an intelligent xenos race to be potentially dangerous, they may attempt to destroy it or to gather as much information as they can so that others may do so. If they decide a xenos race may be of use to Humanity, they may attempt to make contact and establish diplomatic and economic relations. If merely rich in technology or minerals, a planet may be plundered, and the Rogue Trader will return to Terra or their homeworld laden with the treasures of space -- alien artefacts, rare and precious minerals, and undreamed-of technologies. Needless to say, the Rogue Trader requires a considerable resource in voidcraft, troops and other staff if they are to complete their mission. Their total responsibility may extend to dozens of voidcraft, often huge, lumbering cargo vessels crammed with a small army, a full crew of technicians, and volunteer settlers to establish colonies on new worlds. Most important, however, are the fighting troops, for it is they who will have to deal with any potential threat. Many Rogue Traders are individuals who have reached a position of power within the Imperium's governing hierarchy. These individuals are often drawn from the ranks of the Adeptus Terra, the Navis Imperialis and Astra Militarum, or even the Inquisition. A few are influential civilians, amongst whom the Navigators are the most famous. Politics sometimes obliges this course, for free of Imperial command the Rogue Trader is also conveniently out of the way, beyond the centre of real power in the Emperor's realm. Rogue Traders have a reputation as outcasts; many are people whom the high-ranking officials of the Adeptus Terra's myriad branches deem better kept at a safe distance from the Throneworld. Operating beyond Imperial control, Rogue Traders are a law unto themselves. Some are highly pious individuals, bringing the God-Emperor's light beyond the edges of His rule; others are nothing more than glorified pirates and scoundrels. Many Rogue Traders exude confidence and are highly charismatic, often charming and roguish, skilled diplomats (some would say confidence tricksters) and hardened killers when the situation demands. Rogue Traders will often gather an entourage of hangers-on and companions, and this may contain alien warriors, mutants, and other undesirables unacceptable in polite Imperial society. Many Puritans in the Inquisition would take to marking the Rogue Trader out as a Heretic. Many Rogue Traders have highly unstable personalities: some destroy worlds on a whim or experiment with alien species out of macabre curiosity. All Rogue Traders are highly exceptional individuals who are driven to success beyond the dreams of the ordinary men and women of the Imperium even though these exceptional people often have extreme character quirks themselves; some destroy entire worlds for the slightest reason, or include alien warriors and mutants among their entourage in direct violation of Imperial orthodoxy. Some are highly pious servants of the God-Emperor while others are no more than legitimised pirates. The most infamous Rogue Trader was Jan van Yastobaal, who became little more than an officially-sanctioned desperado, plundering whatever world he came upon. Rogue Traders are often flamboyant individuals, commonly dressed in the most extravagant finery they can acquire. However, each Rogue Trader is a unique individual from a particular background. Some newly-created Rogue Traders come from origins in the Astra Militarum, the Navis Imperialis, the Merchant Fleets, the Administratum or even the Imperial Inquisition where they will have developed unique outlooks, skills and approaches to different situations. Some Rogue Traders are relatively poor, possessing a single ancient and dilapidated starship. Others are incredibly wealthy and powerful and have whole fleets of warships and entire private armies at their disposal. Certain favoured individuals may even call upon detachments of Space Marines, having entered mutually beneficial pacts with individual Chapters. Some Rogue Traders operate as mercenaries, renting the service of their ship(s) to the highest bidder, including pirates, other Rogue Traders or an Imperial organisation like the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Astra Militarum or the Inquisition.
Era Indomitus
In the wake of the birth of the Great Rift, nearly one hundred Rogue Traders were invited to Macragge for an emergency symposium. The summons bore the seal of Roboute Guilliman, the resurrected primarch of the Ultramarines, lord commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent, and thus was an honour no one in the Imperium could refuse. From this magnificent beginning would stem a truly hellish journey. It had been many thousands of Terran years since so many Rogue Traders were gathered in one location. It was rare enough for a handful to meet. Many of the assembled Rogue Traders had guessed the purpose of the quorum by the time they had arrived, for Ultramar had been ravaged by war. The sovereign domain of the Ultramarines Chapter -- once thought inviolable given its peerless infrastructure and many-layered defences -- had been broken open and brought to ruin on a dozen fronts by the Daemon Primarch Mortarion and his Death Guard during the conflicts known as the Plague Wars. Though Guilliman had returned following the end of the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade in securing the Imperium Sanctus to lead a masterful defence of his realm, the aftermath would take solar decades, if not standard centuries, to resolve. Many of the Rogue Traders genuflected as the primarch entered the halls, but Guilliman bid them stand. He spoke to them as equals, as was his way. The primarch claimed that the Imperium was not just being invaded, but locked in a struggle for its spirit as much as its body. The Realm of Ultramar had been afflicted with plagues, each supernatural in origin and voracious in its spread. Before the invading forces of Chaos had been driven back to the Scourge Stars, a trio of conquered Imperial star systems, many of the moons and planets under Guilliman's rule had been wracked by the spoor of Nurgle -- the Dark God that Mortarion and his fallen Traitor Legion called lord and master. During the Indomitus Crusade, Guilliman had travelled across the war-riven galaxy and seen his father's empire in flames. He knew every resource would be needed to save Mankind, and even as he took the fight to Humanity's enemies, his statesman-like mind dwelled on how the Imperium would recover from its losses. To this end, he knew the Rogue Traders would be vital. The Rogue Traders that Guilliman had selected were to fight for the Imperium's future -- not as warriors or bureaucrats, but as pioneers. The front line upon which they would face their destiny was not that of the battlefield, but of deep and uncharted space. They were to find new worlds to conquer in the name of the Emperor, fresh lands upon which Mankind could settle and thrive. While Warp storms had cut off much of the galaxy in the wake of the Cicatrix Maledictum's birth, they had also opened up never before explored Warp routes upon the fringes of Imperial space. There could be found opportunity, hope -- and such danger that meant many of the Rogue Traders would never return. Guilliman gave those gathered at the symposium on Macragge the opportunity to leave, to walk away without a stain on their honour, for it was a perilous task he proposed -- since the opening of the Great Rift, the Astronomican had been occluded more than ever, and the creatures of the Warp seemed to haunt every space lane and distant moon. Yet not one of those assembled took a backward step. Some remained out of pride, some out of duty, some out of a sense of adventure -- but all were to find themselves set on a new path that would see them meet either victory or inglorious damnation. Within solar days, the fleets of the Rogue Traders had left the Realm of Ultramar, bound for the yawning reaches of space beyond the Eastern Fringe and the extremities of the Ultima Segmentum's spiral arm. Most carried in their holds large populations of Ultramaran colonists kept in cryogenic hyper-freeze seeking a new and better life somewhere else. Out there were the youngest stars in the galaxy -- those most likely to have untouched planets in their orbits, and therefore most likely to have habitable lands. That all hoped to find territories unspoilt by the ravages of Chaos was an unspoken truth. Each Rogue Trader fleet took a different heading, their Navigators guiding them through the Warp towards destinations unknown. They all underwent challenges upon the way, and some found nothing but cruel and violent ends.
The most valuable possession of a Rogue Trader is his or her Imperial Warrant of Trade; an ancient legal document which describes and sanctions the accepted limits of a Rogue Trader and his descendants' operations across the galaxy within the framework of Imperial law.
These charters are hereditary and thus create an entire Rogue Trader dynasty when they are issued. These dynasties are granted a personal coat of arms identifying their members amongst the Imperial nobility. Rogue Traders are empowered with the authority by the High Lords of Terra to travel freely within the Imperium and beyond.
This allows them to legally interact with cultures which normal Imperial citizens are forbidden contact with because they are non-Imperial Human worlds or xenos-controlled planets. Not only that, but Rogue Traders are granted the permission and freedom to deal with these cultures as they see fit, so long as it is judged to be in the interests of the Imperium.
Having said that, it can be assumed that a Renegade Rogue Trader guilty of heresy or treason will be severely prosecuted by the Inquisition if discovered and captured. Their punishment will be that much more severe if they are deemed undeserving of the Emperor's extraordinary trust in their family.
Rogue Traders usually return within the boundaries of Imperial space every few Terran years, to unload their exotic wares and re-supply, recruit, and rest until their next foray into the darkness of unknown space. During these periods they may come into conflict with members of the Adeptus Terra or the Inquisition based on their activities during their most recent expedition.
Rogue Traders wield incredible political, economic and military power beyond the Imperium's frontiers, and it is easy for them to forget that once back within the borders of the Imperium, they do not have free rein to act as they wish. This strident attitude will draw attention from the authorities.
Navis Imperialis
A great many Rogue Traders have served in the Navis Imperialis, the Imperial Navy. This is hardly surprising, as they are expected to command entire armadas of voidships, and few would wish to delegate such responsibility to a subordinate. As a consequence, many Rogue Traders are exceptionally skilled captains of their vessels and admirals of their fleets, able, even keen, to take on enemies the likes of which may never have been encountered by the Imperium, and emerge victorious. Many would have been considered mavericks by their contemporaries in the Imperial Navy, for their methods and tactics might run contrary to the doctrines of space combat taught at the Segmentum Fortresses. Those whose ideas genuinely are too extreme tend not to survive long, though the manner of their death might form the basis of legend and rumour for many Terran centuries to come. Those with a genuine talent, even one based on ideas the Imperial Navy could never fully endorse, might go on to achieve great things once released from the service of the notoriously conservative Imperial military establishment. Many Rogue Traders who once served in the Imperial Navy maintain a network of contacts across the sector in whose battlefleet they served, and beyond. As such, they might be able to call upon old friends, perhaps individuals they served beside as officer cadets. Such contacts can provide all manner of aid when really needed, from emergency supplies to official Imperial help against pirate or alien attack. Most Rogue Traders prefer to get by on their own skills and only call in such favours when things get desperate. Many prefer not to call in a favour from an old contact recently made a commodore when that same individual might one day be a high admiral and therefore able to provide even greater aid. Rogue Traders from a naval background often maintain the trappings of their former rank, ornamented with all manner of additional finery. Thus, a Rogue Trader might wear a formal dress coat similar to that worn by a high admiral (even if he had never attained such rank himself), complete with rows of medals and awards, gold-braided epaulettes, and metres of elaborate piping. Yet, he might wear his hair braided in the fashion of some Feral World tribe, or facial tattoos in the style of an anarchic hive city gang. Alongside a treasured Imperial Navy cutlass he might carry a sword of unknown, yet unmistakably xenos manufacture, or bear other weapons traded with or stolen from any one of a hundred bizarre societies.
Astra Militarum
The Astra Militarum is another Imperial military institution from which Rogue Traders may be drawn. Those who have risen above service in a single regiment to lead the vast, diverse armies of the Imperial Guard might be granted a Warrant of Trade to take their crusade beyond the borders of the Imperium's space and out into the great unknown. These individuals are not only masters of ground-based combat, but gifted in the arts of strategy. Some become great admirals as well as great generals, while others have the foresight to delegate command of their vessels to underlings, concentrating their own prodigious skills on the bigger strategic picture. Rogue Traders from such a background often amass huge ground forces and use their fleets to bring these to bear in devastating planetary assaults. Beyond the reach of the Imperium, such individuals will be forced to husband their forces in a manner they may be unused to, lest they exhaust their finite resources with little or no hope of recruiting fresh troops. Should their ground forces suffer high losses, the Rogue Trader will be forced to recruit from those worlds they have already conquered or colonised. In the case of Human societies re-discovered after generations of isolation from the broader galaxy, they may establish a system of feudal duty, whereby the planet is required to send its warriors to serve in the Rogue Trader's fleets, or they may be forced to demand or coerce service in their armies. Some Rogue Traders have even resorted to recruiting the services of alien mercenaries or auxiliaries, a practice highly frowned upon by the authorities of the Imperium. Out beyond the fringes, however, Rogue Traders are a power entirely unto themselves -- who knows what bizarre forces roam the Halo Zones ostensibly in the service of the Imperium? In appearance, these militant Rogue Traders vary hugely. Many wear the trappings of the regiment from which they were originally drawn, which, unlike the formalised uniforms of the Imperial Navy, is often specific to the culture of the regimental homeworld. They may also wear elements of the uniforms of the Imperial General Staff, including a long, elaborate coat, or peaked cap. The many who prefer to lead their conquests from the frontline mix such dress in a manner more appropriate to their warrior background, combining a dress uniform with Carapace Armour or even power armour modified to fit a normal-sized Human. As with other types of Rogue Trader, these individuals carry all manner of unusual weaponry, including exotic sensor and force field devices normally only available to the upper echelons of the Inquisition or Officio Assassinorum. While the weapons carried by a Rogue Trader of an Imperial Navy background might be considered for show, those carried by one from an Astra Militarum origin are generally more practical and far more devastating, having been hand-crafted for them and covered in elegant engravings, or recovered from the body of a defeated foe and kept not only as a trophy but valued for some uniquely destructive capability it possesses.
Adeptus Administratum
Through their long and varied careers, some adepts of the Adeptus Administratum might amass considerable personal power, holding sway over a small empire of divisions and departments with responsibilities across dozens of planetary systems. Invariably, these men and women will be ruthless, calculating individuals who have worked their way to the very top of the Imperium's massive bureaucracy by any means possible, crushing their foes and thwarting endless assassination attempts to stay in power. Many of these officials will have been assigned to such tasks as the suppression of a rebellious sector, or enforcing the Imperium's rule on Human colonies recently re-discovered and brought back into the Emperor's fold. These individuals will be masters in the precise application of political and bureaucratic power, able to bring to bear any weapon at their disposal, from the military might of the Space Marines to the secret arts of political manipulation. As such, some make ideal Rogue Trader material. An Imperial administrator given command of a Rogue Trader fleet will be a politician first and a leader second, though the most successful will combine both roles or switch between the two with masterful skill. They will amass their resources and appoint leadership of the various arms of their fleet to those they not only trust, but can also destroy should they challenge the Rogue Trader in any way. They will keep their underlings in perpetual competition against one another, encouraging them to seek their patronage and approval at the expense of their rivals. Unlike Rogue Traders of a more martial background, these men and women rarely engage in overt displays of their personal combat prowess, preferring instead to exert their power by way of an assassin's knife in the dark rather than crass displays of military might. In appearance, these Machiavellian princelings often prefer to remain comparatively inconspicuous. They might wear the vestments of their former positions, such as the monkish robes of the scribe and the adept. Others wear more ornate dress, but keep the colours dark and subdued, lending them a brooding, menacing aspect and hinting at the foolishness of crossing them. They tend not to wear conspicuous weaponry, yet only a fool would assume that such an individual would be unable to defend themselves. These Rogue Traders always carry small, yet deadly weapons such as digital-lasers or concealed power blades, and invariably some form of personal force field generator that will protect from the attacks of an enemy in battle or a treacherous underling at court.
It should be noted that although Rogue Traders are shipmasters who travel the vastness of space, their authority to do so comes not from a Merchant Charter as usually granted by the Administratum to the Chartist Captains of the Imperial Merchant Fleets, but rather a letter of appointment known as a Warrant of Trade that elevates them to a level of Imperial authority and status equaling that held by Space Marine Chapter Masters, Inquisitors and Imperial planetary governors.
Some of the more ancient Warrants are dated from the very beginnings of the Imperium, and some were even signed by the Emperor Himself. Others were signed by the primarchs or other leaders of the Great Crusade. These charters are very valuable and give their owners great leeway. They are tailor-made and unique. A Rogue Trader's authority cannot be appealed since it comes directly from the Emperor, as according to Imperial law and the religious dogma of the Imperial Creed no one is empowered to overrule those persons who have received the God-Emperor's direct, divine sanction.
Certain powerful lords of the Adeptus Terra offer Warrants of Trade as a bribe to their rivals. The rival simply walks away into a life of adventure and wealth and no longer causes trouble for their political opponents in the various Imperial organisations.
Letters of Marque are similar documents to Warrants of Trade that have been issued more recently by the Imperium to less powerful individuals, though their bearers are still called Rogue Traders. The Letters of Marque are rather restricted in some aspects and controlled more effectively by Imperial authorities. These restrictions may be of an astrogeographical nature (e.g.: the Rogue Trader is restricted to operating in a single sector) or something similar. The more recent Letters of Marque are also not hereditary; hopeful heirs must return and reapply to the High Lords of Terra through the Administratum for a new charter.
Though a Warrant of Trade or a Letter of Marque grants extraordinary freedoms within the Imperium, they also invariably contain particular conditions; sometimes Rogue Traders will be required to make regular visits to certain troublesome Imperial worlds, or sent to enact military action on worlds which do not require the full force of the Imperial Navy's segmentum and sector battlefleets.
More often, however, Rogue Traders will be required to travel outside the established territories of the Imperium in the name of settlement or exploration of new worlds that do not yet know the blessings of the God-Emperor.
Whatever the background of any given Rogue Trader, he or she will be possessed of a quite exceptional drive to succeed and to prosper. These men and women stand above the teeming masses of the Imperium, the sheer force of their personality propelling them to achieve great things in service to the Emperor and themselves.
Often these personality tropes are intrinsically linked to the Rogue Trader's background, but not always. Sometimes a Rogue Trader will transcend their roots, defying their background and only displaying their true nature once out amongst the unexplored regions of space.
Along with the warrant to act outside of the Imperium's laws, the Warrant of Trade often comes with a great many trappings attached to it. While many Rogue Traders have significant resources of their own to call upon, they are usually given command over an entire fleet and ground forces to aid them in their mission beyond the fringes. If they are not already in possession of a voidship by dint of current rank, a newly appointed Rogue Trader may be given a flagship, often a cruiser.
Every vessel in the Imperial Fleet's registry is a precious asset and capital ships are not squandered, for they take solar decades, even entire Terran centuries to construct in the Adeptus Mechanicus' orbital shipyards and can tie up the equivalent of many standard years' worth of planetary industrial output. Nonetheless, the appointment of a Rogue Trader is an event of great import, and the Imperial authorities would not (or not often) wish a new recipient of the Warrant to fall to pirate attack the instant he or she sets out. The Imperium expects great things of its Rogue Traders and will make every effort to ensure that they are equipped for the dangerous missions they will face.
Alongside their flagship, a Rogue Trader may be accompanied by frigates and other escorts, as well as a multitude of cargo vessels, tenders, processing or refining vessels, and many more auxiliaries. If the Rogue Trader is not already versed in the skills needed to command a fleet and has not appointed a servant who is, then the authorities will find one qualified to handle the day-to-day running of the flotilla. Most Rogue Traders are the sort of people who want to take total, personal command of their fleets, and will soon learn the skills needed to do so. Those who do not tend not to live very long in the perilous regions of the galaxy beyond the fringes of Imperial rule.
Other significant assets gifted to a Rogue Trader may include ground troops. Entire Astra Militarum regiments may be seconded to them, along with all the auxiliary support units needed to maintain them and advisors to aid in their use and deployment. Though such gifts are considered temporary attachments, in reality it is likely to prove permanent.
Rogue Traders are expected to meet any threat that waits in the dark, and the Imperial Guard is often at the sharp end of such conflicts and so unlikely to be returned to serve elsewhere even if the soldiers survive such service. Some Rogue Traders issue such troops uniforms of their own design, and it is not uncommon for attached Imperial Guard units to wear a tabard or sash over their regular uniforms, bearing the colours and heraldry of their new lord and master.
In addition to military forces, a Rogue Trader may be provided with a vast army of bureaucrats, administrators, clerks, artisans, and advisors drawn from the ranks of the Adeptus Administratum. These are intended to serve the needs of administrating any worlds conquered in the course of the fleet's travels.
The ability to successfully wage war is crucial to the survival of a Rogue Trader as surely as are their skills in business, diplomacy, and voidfaring. It is the strong arm and the implicit threat of violence that lend weight to an individual's words in the Imperium. Indeed, in a place as lawless and God-Emperor-forsaken as the Koronus Expanse, a Rogue Trader's martial prowess is often the only measure by which others judge them.
Knowing this, a wise Rogue Trader studies war with the same fervour as they study markets and currencies. They know the value of war to the nearest throne, understanding that the true cost of war is reflected in more than banking ledgers and casualty lists. A Rogue Trader must be able to weigh every factor in war, from costs and benefits to the social and political ramifications. This is what sets a Rogue Trader apart from a common Chartist Captain or business concern. They have the ability to raise an army and a fleet of voidships to carry it, and the legal, moral, and ethical backing of the Adeptus Administratum that allows them to use them as they see fit. This makes them unique among their noble peers.
Unique and dangerous, for the rights and responsibilities granted in a Warrant of Trade, especially those pertaining to waging war in the name of the God-Emperor, can be so easily, and so tragically, misused. Warfare is an intricate dance full of ever-shifting alliances and uncertain futures, and is not to be entered into lightly. When committed, a Rogue Trader must pursue it with all of the strength, courage, and violence that they can muster. Only then will they see the fruits of their violent labours.
Taking part in a war, whether as a belligerent or simply an interested party, is expensive, risky, deadly, and has brought ruin to more Rogue Trader houses than can be counted. Why, then, do so many pursue it? The answers to these questions are as varied, and as telling, as the men and women who give them. There is no constant, no prescribed list of conditions that can decide when waging a war is prudent or not.
The term "Footfallen" refers to those Humans who hail from the settlements of the Koronus Expanse -- especially places like Footfall. The people who live on these worlds and settlements truck with all manner of blasphemers, from Renegade psykers and xenos, to Heretics and Chaos Cultists. A Footfallen lives in a den of iniquity, and has learned to be cunning, and devious, organising deals and a web of contacts across the Expanse.
In the Koronus Expanse, the few waystations and habitations established by Humans have become hubs for exploration. They also serve as critical connections that link the scattered Human settlements and enterprises in the greater Koronus Expanse beyond. There are many such outposts, but the most famous is the void station of Footfall, which has in turn given those who live in such places their name: the Footfallen.
The Footfallen are often referred to as "the true children of the Expanse." These men and women, descended from the settlers and Rogue Trader vassals who came to this region long ago, have spent the majority of their lives interacting with all manner of denizens within the Koronus Expanse. Whatever their birthplace, they all tend to have similar outlooks and mannerisms, and are used to dealing with all manner of individuals: religious fanatics, cultists, recidivists, spies, assassins, narco-tribesmen, nomads, fugitives from Imperial justice, merchants, xenos, renegade psykers, Rogue Traders and their crew, and even worshipers of the Ruinous Powers. These worlds are giant melting pots of cultures and beliefs, and only through them can one get useful information on the Koronus Expanse.
Recently, there is something else that sets the Footfallen apart, even from other denizens of the Koronus Expanse who have grown up in the same circumstances. Over the last few solar decades, a disturbing trend has emerged amongst some of those born in the Expanse. A number of them have been known to exhibit a strange "sixth-sense" which, while not a true psychic ability, quite possibly stems from the Warp.
To a Rogue Trader, nothing is more important or valuable than their starship. True, their Warrant of Trade provides them with unmatched authority, their resources give them power, and their matchless ambition equips them with the drive to accomplish true greatness. However, without a starship, a Rogue Trader is no more powerful than a planetary governor or general in the Astra Militarum.
With it, though, a Rogue Trader can travel beyond the bounds of the Imperium, explore the unknown, and exploit it for their profit. At a starship's helm, they can smite their foes with the fury of their macrobatteries and even invade entire planets. With their starship, a Rogue Trader can wield more power than any other single individual, save those in the highest strata of the Imperium.
The void-faring vessels of the Imperium are far more than simple vehicles. With the smallest more than a kilometre in length, a voidship bears a striking resemblance to an Imperial hive city in miniature, with a population to match. There are the low-decks pressmen and servitors responsible for brute labour, the gunnery teams who man the ship's weaponry, and the armsmen who keep order amongst the crew. However, there are also galley-masters, artisans of all types, chirurgeons, and mech-wrights, for a voidship must be self-sufficient in all respects. Then there are those whose ties to the vessel are more...complicated.
The tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus keep the enginarium as their stronghold but roam throughout the vessel to tend to its myriad devices. The priests of the Adeptus Ministorum wander the vessel as well -- to keep the souls of the crew free from corruption. Finally there are the Navigators, aloof within their sanctum towers. Though they obey the orders of the ship's captain, he is not their master. Over all this presides the Lord Captain, sole master and commander of their vessel. Small wonder that a Rogue Trader often sees their flagship not as a collection of tech-systems, but as a living, breathing community of their sworn servants.
Those who serve aboard a starship see themselves set apart from the rest of the Imperium. Even the lowest press-ganged crew-scum will have the chance to travel to different worlds -- a privilege most Imperial citizens do not even know exists -- and they make that journey aboard a mighty vessel. When a master gunner fires a single broadside, he is unleashing city-destroying firepower, and the tech-priests of the enginarium control energies of unimaginable potency.
It is little surprise that when a ship's crewman finds themself on the surface of a distant world, they are apt to treat those they encounters with condescension, if not outright contempt. After all, they will never leave their planet of birth. The crewman, on the other hand, has seen something of the wider universe and has a measure of some of its marvels -- and perils. It is also unsurprising that after many standard years aboard a voidship, a crewman finds it more familiar than the world he left behind.
Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Made in a close partnership with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a story-rich classical RPG from Owlcat Games, developers of the critically acclaimed game, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Recent Reviews: Mostly Positive (546)
- (11.9K)
- Dec 7, 2023
- Owlcat Games
- Mostly Positive
6 de dic. de 2023 · Es un subgrupo dentro del vasto mundo de Warhammer 40K, formado por nobles y sirvientes imperiales hereditarios a los que se les otorga una nave espacial, una tripulación y, en casos raros,...
29 de abr. de 2022 · A rogue trader is a trader who acts recklessly and independently of others, usually to the detriment of the institution that employs the trader and perhaps clients. Rogue traders...
19 de jun. de 2024 · A Rogue Trader is a combination of freelance explorer, conquistador and merchant. They are Imperial servants, given a ship, a crew, a contingent of marines or Guardsmen and carte blanche to roam the worlds beyond Imperial control. [!b]
