So why are these guys basically ignored? Outside of the now-defunct RPG and a few BL books...

I always felt that strict "allies" were a lazy idea for GW, and mercenaries were a better way to rebalance. It's one thing to give Riptides to Eldar, but it's another to let an Imperial commander hire Kroot trackers to guide his men through dense forests.

Personally I want an RT army for the potential in expanding mercenary fluff in 40k. Basically Dogs of War for 40k. Various human mercenaries, radical Techpriests, Knight Freeblades, Ork Blood Axes, Eldar Corsairs, Kroot, Tau, the possibilities are nearly endless and Rogue Traders are the only faction in 40k able to do it in a fluffy way.

>the only faction in 40k able to do it in a fluffy way.
Well, there is always the tau.

My favorite thing about this image is how the standard is basically the Captain's facial hair.

You and I both know that GW has long forgotten "The tau are a coalition of smaller species banding together for the Greater Good" in favor of "The tau are a young, ambitious race who HAVE GIANT ROBOTS. CHICKS. DIG. GIANT. ROBOTS."

I thought Tau only uses auxiliaries that have joined the Empire, not mercenaries. Greater Good or Die etc etc.

Hey, if sister fans still... well exist, I think I can find the willpower to keep my own dream alive.
Auxiliaries kits soon!

This was basically Rogue Trader: The Movie, right? Yes, I know it's a retelling of Treasure Island.

Under appreciated gem you have there lad!

BEST DISNEY FILM

One of my all-time favorite animated films. They put a really creative spin on such an old story. I even liked the annoying robot.

No, this is Rogue Trader: The Movie and a great object lesson in why you don't leave the Arch-Militant in charge of the ship.

Another under-appreciated gem.

It was so good

And then they got to Atlantis

No, this is. Even down to random skulls and an elven waif

It really should have been at least two movies.

Officially, yes. Unofficial the Kroot lol at this and go on doing what they do

Got this movie is such eye candy. Say what you will about the plot but fuck it's gorgeous

Technically Harlock is a corsair/pirate since he's actually an outlaw of the earth government. The aesthetic is spot on though

Space Pirates are an awesome concept that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Fuck Pirates of the Caribbean, how about spending over $200m on some space pirates instead?

>This is how I rogue trader
youtube.com/watch?v=OwtH9A8oErI

yes and no.
Auxillaries a lot of the time just do whatever the fuck they want it seems.

Why did I ignore this show?

Because you're a dolt.

both good movies, but it's weird how hard they tanked

I think it's because of how far afield they were compared to other disney movies at the time.

;_;7 Titan AE

Hollywood has vapor for brains

VALERIAN SOON, BROTHER.

Titan AE is shit, though.

That's an opinion I find quite unpopular.

I did not realise how much I wanted that before you said it.

That movie was great

They only survived into the setting at all because GW came up with the name first. I'm willing to believe that, when they originally started making a scifi game, the name 'Rogue Trader' made sense for it, but by the time the setting of 40k is built, the traders themselves have to be snuck in by the back door just so the name makes any sense at all.
And sadly, most people, rather then put in the work to make creative things cool, prefer to take the lazy way out (see also - taking the time to actually define 'sorcery' versus 'psychic powers', or just going 'hurr durr it's all the same Nikea makes no fucking sense now'.) So, rather then do anything interesting with the Rogue Traders ever, they're just kinda left there, except for an rpg that we'll never see again.

I'm very worried with the lead valerian, that puffy guy has to be a veeery good actor, because he doesn't look like Valerian at all.

He's alright from the roles i've seen him in.

But Valerian is no space pirate. He is a space and time cop.

Well yeah, fun tho'

A corsair is a legalized pirate though and a rogue trader is a corsair

The hell is the difference between a corsair and a privateer then?

>imperial guard main army
>allied squad of sororitas/or allied squad of ork freebootas
>allied squad of skitarii
>switch the pilgrim hat on an inquisitor for a pirate one for HQ

There, RT army.
Not sure how viable it would be on the table but I would play a couple of games with it for shits and giggles.

youtube.com/watch?v=uOTgoqy5rO0

I believe they are two terms with the same meaning, corsair was just used by french since their letter of marque was called lettre of course hence corsair

Lettre de course* sorry

> A sub-sector in verge of annihilation by tyranids
> A stubborn and flamboyant Rogue trader determined to plunder what can be before the tides come
> A noble and cruel eldar corsair
> No less flamboyant ork freebootas
> Maybe a senile necron lord for the spooky part
> And the T'au Enterprise, the straight man trying to reason all those fools to cooperate for a mutually beneficial good against the greater threat
> Only to be resolutely ignored

Because everyone will be quick to scream "Star Wars rip-off!" at the slightest hint of anything remotely similar to Star Wars. Apparently, Star Wars is the only franchise allowed to do what it does.

Because you're not going to spin an entire new miniature range out of it. They're hardly a unified faction with a unified look, and most aren't able to field proper armies.

They're perfect for passion projects, but you can't do much with them when it comes to a battalion scale tabletop wargame.

This, an RT army will be at best.
Though they could have done RT mini for an event or something, that would have been cool.

Never forget, Veeky Forums made a rogue trader codex.
It's attached, and it's fucking rad as hell.

it needs an update

for an update i suggest going the Deathwatch route because it's the simplest and most consistent: if you buy an entourage member with special ability X, the whole unit gains that ability

Holy shit

Because they're boring.

I love you, user.

Believe me I'd write the shit out of a RT book if GW would by it from me. Especially now with Pappa-Smurf awake and the rift dividing the galaxy. A daring band of adventures seeking lost treasure to save the galaxy all the while perused by ancient alien horrors practically writes itself. Throw in some strange tribal cargo-cultures, a deathworld, and a big ass spacebattle. If GW wants it to advertise models you just have the RT be in with the Imperial Guard and have dark eldar persue him.

Harlock is LITTERALY the name of a Rogue Trader in the FFG games, so yes.

>morally ambiguous
>good

Can you people mature past the 90's already?

Moral ambiguity not grimderp enuf for ya? Cause the grimderp is even derpier 90's shit.

Lawfully ambiguous probably describes them better, since their shtick has less to do with good or evil and more to do with being able to get away with things that would get the average Imperial citizen executed for heresy, eg negotiate with Xenos.

Lawfully ambiguous probably describes them better, since their shtick has less to do with good or evil and more to do with being able to get away with things that would get the average Imperial citizen executed for heresy, eg negotiate with Xenos.

>switch the pilgrim hat
Leave it and say it's Kobras Aquairre
Better switch it with a Morrion

I guess because they arent the kind of guys you would run as 40k Armies, Rogue Traders lack the Manpower to be a Thing that fights Space Marines or Daemons. And if you would want to create your small Warband the models already exist mostly

This is bullshit, powerful Rogue Traders literally conquer worlds using fleets of ships and armies composed of anything they want, including Imperial Guard, Space Marines, SoB, Skitarii, and a variety of "Sanctioned" xenos mercenaries.

They have the manpower to do anything they want, in some ways they're more powerful than some Inquisitors.

Your mom is boring.

Can they sell codices and models?

No?

Then fuck them.

Remember goy, only showing things that have a model is the only way to protect the IP!

This.
Rogue Traders were originally the de facto leaders of your figs. 40k tt players are all Rogue Traders. Or were, until the grimderp happened.

>Why is GW ignoring one of the most compelling parts of their fluff?

You must be new to GW.

Kroot are mercs user

If they ever make a multi-option Inquisitor model I hope they include a Rogue Trader head and bits.

Yup

I know, right?

Can't blame me for using that thing for a standard. Look at it. It's magnificent.

Wait, WHAT?
It....it does NOT say that in Rogue Trader.
...does it?

The chances of Inquisitors getting a new kit are the same as Rogue Traders getting their own kit. They won't.

back in 3rd edition there was a Chapter Approved article that was a Kroot Codex. It even had rules for including these kroot in other armies, back in a time before allies were a thing.

Alright, let's try to update it:

Rogue Trader

M 6"
WS 2+
BS 3+
S 3
T 3
W 4
A 4
Ld 10
Sv 4+

A Rogue Trader is a single model armed with a bolt pistol and a chainsword.

WARGEAR OPTIONS
This model may replace its bolt pistol with an item from the Rogue Trader Pistol list, the Rogue Trader Ranged Weapon list, the Xeno Pistol list or the Xeno Ranged Weapon list.
This model may replace its chainsword with item from Rogue Trader Melee Weapons list or the Xeno Weapons list.
This mode may take a special issue armor. If it does, its Save characteristic is improved to 3+.

ABILITIES
Suffer The Alien To Live (army-wide rule that basically gives certain xeno units the faction keyword)

Exceptional Leader: All friendly models can re-roll either any failed hit rolls or any failed wound rolls (choose per model before rolling to hit) whilst they are within 6" of this model.

Paymaster: All friendly units within 6" of this model can use the Rogue Trader's Leadership instead of their own.

FACTION KEYWORDS
IMPERIUM, ADEPTUS TERRA,

KEYWORDS
INFANTRY, CHARACTER, ROGUE TRADER

The basic idea for this army in my mind has to revolve around the concept of
>high risk, high reward
because... com'on we're dealing with pirates here.

I would introduce this high risk, high reward via xeno weaponry. Shoplift weapons from xeno codices and put them into the Xeno weapon lists. Now since the Rogue Trader models have never received proper training with these Xeno weapons, they have a tendency to blow up in their faces, similar to plasma (and/or kill other models in the unit). maybe on a 1 they get d3 mortal wounds, 1 of which must go to the bearer of the weapon.

This can be mitigated by being near the Rogue Trader with his special ability, of course.

Also I would make them generally low Ld (morale is low), mitigated by having the RT or other characters nearby.

Maybe make paymaster reduce the CP cost to auto-pass a morale check.

So while they have shitty morale as long as you keep throwing dosh at the problem they'll keep fighting.

well, that will have to be fine-tuned once the entire army composition is done. so which human units do we need? i suggest an entourage (mixed unit that is deathwatch army style but with RT RPG characters), crewmen, mercenaries, slaves. The rest can be filled in with either Imperial or the occasional Xeno unit.
entourage should work like a bodyguard retinue (think lychguard or honor guard) except unreliably so. only take over wounds on a 4+ or something like that.

as for xeno weapons, alternatively, instead of blowing up, all xeno weapons are -1 to hit. so your human BS 4+ models basically got some of the best weapons in the galaxy but hit like orks.

These weapon lists give a good set of options to choose from, each having their own strengths and weaknesses:

XENO PISTOLS
Shuriken pistol
Particle caster
Splinter pistol
Rokkit pistol (*single)

XENO RANGED
Shuriken catapult
Gauss flayer
Tesla carbine
Haywire blaster
Hexrifle
Splinter rifle
Dragon's breath flamer
Kroot rifle

Yeah. I was reading the new rule book at it took a while to spot the tiny, tiny illustration of the Fire Warrior in their pages just filled with battlesuits.

Much as it was a completely bizarre clusterfuck of a 'campaign', the Haarlock Saga for DH had some incredible concepts, and was an amazing homage to the roots of 40k. The entire thing could've been serialized in 2000 AD without a single tweak.

Fetishization of verisimilitude in modern western culture (especially America and especially nerd culture) is pretty much the entire reason. Unambiguously.

Star Wars is, in no way, shape or form Science Fiction. There are no 'what ifs', there are no exploration of new ideas, no contemplation of the human condition, nothing. It's space fantasy, pure and simple. But! It's pretty internally consistent, and it doesn't fuck with anything your average lay person knows about physics, it's got lasers and it's in space! Science Fiction, and therefor less cringe worthy or uncomfortable than literal space-faring tallships.

that's probably because it was a reference to the 1977 manga

It's because both were bad/mediocre movies

Well, the masses are shit then. It's drab to look at, villains aren't interesting and tone goes all over the place

I love the movie, but honestly this. I think as a kid I was able to overlook most of the shit parts, and now I just rewatch it out of nostalgia.

yeppers

Well, I don't think it specifically spells it out; but, given the title and the method of creating your army (i.e. randomly), yep. We wuz Rogue Traders, once.

Yes, meine schnitzel

I love Rogue Trader the RPG, but as a tabletop army they just wouldn't be that interesting or new.

Since a Rogue Trader's army are his "personal soldiers", special officers (sorta the type that your PC's are in the RPG), and any Imperial Guard or Space Marines that were attached to his fleet... Basically you'd be playing an Inquisitorial Retinue, except with more xenos equipment options, maybe the ability to take Xenos units as mercs (likely with the stipulation that you couldn't take Space Marines at the same time).

They only have that authority outside of the Imperium. Try sailing around an established sector and conquering planets and you're going to get the whole Imperialis Armada up your ass in a hurry. Not to mention that some of the things in their armies are acquired with strings other than money/