The Inquisition Player’s Guide for Warhammer 40k RPG Imperium Maledictum went up for pre-order on Thursday, and thanks to an early sample from Cubicle 7 I’ve had access to it for a few days. I’m surprised and pleased by how useful the contents will be for any kind of campaign, not just ones focused on the Inquisition – and Rogue Traders are particularly well served.
In the Warhammer 40k universe, Rogue Traders are hereditary dynasts with a charter to expand the borders of the Imperium, striking out into the unknown in void ships the size of cities. The excellent Warhammer 40k game Rogue Trader has no doubt made them a lot more popular since it released last year, but at the moment there isn’t much support for tabletop roleplaying as a Rogue Trader or their crew.
Rogue Trader was actually based on a pen-and-paper Warhammer 40k RPG of the same name, but it’s long out of print. The spiritual successor to that game, Imperium Maledictum, does allow you to build a party working for a Rogue Trader Patron, but they’re one lightly supported Warhammer 40k faction among eight in the core book.
The Inquisition Player’s Guide is IM’s first expansion, and it’s obvious where its focus is. There are lore summaries about different Inquisitorial philosophies and the state of the Inquisition in the Macharian sector, and even a whole system for tracking the Subtlety of your operations, with bonuses or penalties for different kinds of actions depending on how secretive you’ve been.
But every other page I found a new rule, or feature, that made me think “this will work perfectly for Rogue Traders”. Rogue Traders often operate beyond the bounds of Imperial authority and are able to acquire all sorts of things they really shouldn’t, which overlaps perfectly with the naughty things that radical Inquisitors get up to.
So for example, the new Patron Boon ‘Arms of the Alien’ gives you access to a supply of Xenos weapons. You can get a Jokaero Technician – a non-verbal techno-savant space orangutan – to join your crew, either as a Patron Boon or using the new Familiar system. Dubious Allies can represent any number of insalubrious acquaintances a Rogue Trader might call on for support.
There’s lots of stuff for creating more varied characters to really reflect a Rogue Trader’s interstellar inner circle. The Death World Veteran origin lets you create a rare modified Gland Warrior, or the Sole Survivor of a doomed regiment. The Subtle Mutation Talent could let you create a malformed native from the bilge decks of the ship, or a valuable oddity the Rogue Trader collected on their travels. And if you’ve just played the new DLC for Rogue Trader, you’ll be pleased to discover the new Assassin role, which does exactly what it says on the tin.
There’s more gear and equipment too: those deliciously tempting Xenos weapons, of course, plus new custom ammo, and that Crusader Stormshield you’ve always wanted, to name a few choice items.
Obviously, to really get the full Rogue Trader experience we’re going to have to wait for a dedicated supplement. There’s nothing in here about governing a void ship, ship-to-ship combat, business deals, and so on. But for a book that seemed to promise nothing for Rogue Trader fans, this is surprisingly stocked.
Want to play in a Warhammer 40k RPG where you can stomp around as Space Marines? You’re looking for Wrath and Glory. Although Imperium Maledictum has a spot on our guide to the best tabletop RPGs, that doesn’t mean Wrath and Glory is bad by any stretch – we’re just suckers for D100 systems.
Source: Wargamer
