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Do Rogue Traders stillexist in the 41st millennia?

Yep.

Why do you think still discover new planets and trade between Imperial ones?

Brother Coa wrote:Why do you think still discover new planets and trade between Imperial ones?

...and xenos ones*...

*On the sly

They do...and they're all descended from star faring families during the Great Crusade, since the Letters of Marque which grant them semi-autonomy cannot be given by the High Lords; apparently, semi-autonomy only be granted by the Emperor, or His automatic regents, the Primarchs. Only the Emperor and the Primarchs stand above the High Lords, both by law and religious dogma (the latter would irritate both).

Tadashi wrote:They do...and they're all descended from star faring families during the Great Crusade, since the Letters of Marque which grant them semi-autonomy cannot be given by the High Lords; apparently, semi-autonomy only be granted by the Emperor, or His automatic regents, the Primarchs. Only the Emperor and the Primarchs stand above the High Lords, both by law and religious dogma (the latter would irritate both).

Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but that is just wrong on lots of levels.

Rogue Traders have a Warrant of Trade, a Letter of Marque is a much more limited document. A WoT is hereditary, a LoM is not. LoM tend to have lots of stipulations compared to a true WoT, though that isn't a certainty.

Warrants of Trade have been handed out continuously since the heresy, though the newer ones tend to have more stipulations. Each one is a unique document with its own unique rules, stipulations, and powers granted, though generally they do give the RT full autonomy and power to represent the Imperium when outside of Imperial space. They can be granted by numerous agencies: the high lords, the inquisition, the ecclesiarchy, the administratum, etc. They can be granted for any number of reasons, as a reward, a bribe, or even a form of exile.

Rogue Traders are considered peers of, and have similar status to Chapter Masters and Inquisitors. Much like Chapter Masters they are not under the juristiction of the Inquisition, though (again much like CM) they will typically work with inquisitors as being declared excommunicatus can really cramp your style.

In the end, just as the Inquisition represents the world and will of the Emperor within Imperial space, Rogue Traders do so without. Their mission is to explore uncharted space, expand imperial boundries, bring lost worlds back to the fold, deal with xeno species (through diplomacy or was as they see fit), scout out and defend the Imperium from outside threats, and bring technology, trade, and treasure back to the Imperium of Man.

DeadlySquirrel wrote:Do Rogue Traders still exist in the 41st millennia?

Otherwise the 40k Rogue Trader RPG would be pretty pointless, right?

riplikash wrote:

Tadashi wrote:They do...and they're all descended from star faring families during the Great Crusade, since the Letters of Marque which grant them semi-autonomy cannot be given by the High Lords; apparently, semi-autonomy only be granted by the Emperor, or His automatic regents, the Primarchs. Only the Emperor and the Primarchs stand above the High Lords, both by law and religious dogma (the latter would irritate both).

Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but that is just wrong on lots of levels.

Rogue Traders have a Warrant of Trade, a Letter of Marque is a much more limited document. A WoT is hereditary, a LoM is not. LoM tend to have lots of stipulations compared to a true WoT, though that isn't a certainty.

Warrants of Trade have been handed out continuously since the heresy, though the newer ones tend to have more stipulations. Each one is a unique document with its own unique rules, stipulations, and powers granted, though generally they do give the RT full autonomy and power to represent the Imperium when outside of Imperial space. They can be granted by numerous agencies: the high lords, the inquisition, the ecclesiarchy, the administratum, etc. They can be granted for any number of reasons, as a reward, a bribe, or even a form of exile.

Rogue Traders are considered peers of, and have similar status to Chapter Masters and Inquisitors. Much like Chapter Masters they are not under the juristiction of the Inquisition, though (again much like CM) they will typically work with inquisitors as being declared excommunicatus can really cramp your style.

In the end, just as the Inquisition represents the world and will of the Emperor within Imperial space, Rogue Traders do so without. Their mission is to explore uncharted space, expand imperial boundries, bring lost worlds back to the fold, deal with xeno species (through diplomacy or was as they see fit), scout out and defend the Imperium from outside threats, and bring technology, trade, and treasure back to the Imperium of Man.

Whoops! Sorry about that. Mixed up the Warrant of Trade and the Letter of Marque. I meant that post-Heresy, with the Emperor incapacitated and the Primarchs missing, the Imperium stopped giving Warrants of Trade since no one had the authority to give the same degree of autonomy the Warrants had.

The original Rogue Trader rulebook of the 80's took place in M41. Nothing has changed.

Again, no. Any number of organizations Still isse warrants of trade, though obviously those issued by the emperor or his primarchs are revered and treasured.

Then why do they limit the "second generation" rogue traders with the Letter of Marque, unlike the Warrant of Trade, which gives autonomy rivaling the Astartes? Don't want to sound rude, but this method of communication is really cumbersome, if effective.

They don't limit the second generation RT to letters of marque. Both exist and are given out as the situation demands. Sometimes they don't want to create a new, permanent RT dynasty, they just need something done, or want to honor someone, so they give out a Letter of Marque.

Granting a Warrant of Trade is a big deal. Sometimes it is overkill.

So a Warrant is hereditary, but the Letter is not?

Yes, though descendants can apply for renewal. Also a LoM typically has many more restrictions. They may be limited to a certain area, required to perform certain duties, or accomplish certain goals. This can be true of a warrant as well, but typically the requirements on a letter are much more stringent.