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Or are the more like planetary governors, they have the ability to arm themselves with gadgets that make them hard to kill but they wouldn’t do well against a couple Boyz?

mrFickle wrote:
Or are the more like planetary governors, they have the ability to arm themselves with gadgets that make them hard to kill but they wouldn’t do well against a couple Boyz?

I imagine this is heavily variable. Some we know to be proficient fighters, like Elucidia Vhane or the rogue traders exploring the Blackstone fortress.

However it is quite easy to invisage rogue traders who are not particularly handy in a fight and rely on their retainers for protection. These are less likely to show up on the battlefield, of course.

Having said that with rogue traders being something akin to privateers roaming beyond the protection of the Imperium, I suspect they are more likely than not to invest in learning combat skills and acquiring powerful gear.

Some yes, others no.

They wield absolute authority over their forces and thanks to Imperial Hierarchy, don’t particularly need to worry about justifying or maintaining that position. Well, other than siblings wanting the top job I guess.

But there’s nothing stopping them personally being excellent warriors, if that’s what they want. But given the forces they might have at their disposal? There’s little need for them to ever be anywhere near the firing line.

Orelius from the Cain books is pretty handy in combat. I can't remember where the RT from the Calpurnia series would fit on the scale.

What MDG says

Star Trek style of ship command is not necessarily the best way to keep your senior officers alive.

Where would you place your expectations of a rogue trader on the scale of imperial commissar to inquisitor?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Where would you place your expectations of a rogue trader on the scale of imperial commissar to inquisitor?

Where do you place your apple on the scale of granite to anglerfish?

Some are quite skilled. Others are more ship captains or diplomats.

'Powerful' is a weird adjective for the context.

Keep in mind their role is to explore beyond the bounds of The Imperium. Find new worlds, expose nascent threats. If humans found, try to get them to sign up willingly.

Not every Rogue Trader has a fleet at their disposal. Some may have a single warp capable ship, making taking ground can be tricky. Unless they nip back to Imperium Space, prove their find, and then return with Imperial Forces in tow to force a compliance.

So you’ve a mix of Frontiersmen, Explorers, Colonisers, Statesmen, Traders and so on.

In some ways, they have more power than an Inquisitor. In other ways, they have absolutely no power outside of their own ship/fleet. Clout, yes, but no authority and limited power.

Rogue Traders are wealthy. If they have the inclination to become dangerous in a fight, they can afford some of the best teachers, equipment, and surgeries that money can buy.

But not every Rogue Trader *wants* to spend time and sweat becoming a good combatant, and RTs in general are a very diverse bunch.

tldr; They have the means to be as dangerous as a canoness or even an inquisitor if they want to be. But not all of them want to be.

An inquisitor is a good comparison. Inquisitors exist who are much more sherlock Holmes or even moriarty than they are warriors, and have no place on the battlefield.

As noted, rogue traders can be superb combatants if they want to be. And I think its fair that that's at least partially important to most, because assassination and inheritance wars are a thing, honour duels exist in imperial High society and - at least based on the Rogue Trader RPG, its not unheard of for claim warrants and the like to specify that the rogue trader him/herself must set foot on the potentially hostile ship/World in question, not just send down the minions....

 Wyldhunt wrote:
Rogue Traders are wealthy. If they have the inclination to become dangerous in a fight, they can afford some of the best teachers, equipment, and surgeries that money can buy.

But not every Rogue Trader *wants* to spend time and sweat becoming a good combatant, and RTs in general are a very diverse bunch.

tldr; They have the means to be as dangerous as a canoness or even an inquisitor if they want to be. But not all of them want to be.

It’s likely to be a parental decision too, if not outright family tradition.

Warrants of Trade, from which the Rogue Trader derived their authority to Pretty Much Do What They Want are inherited, passed down from parent to child or other relative.

Given its a life of literally unknowable danger (each time hoping the next warp jump will be the warp jump to bring them filthy lucre), I can see some lineages insisting their children are fully combat trained. Not just pewpews and fisticuffs, but how to wield an army. Some may ensure the most competent is the one to inherit the Warrant of Trade.

But it’s by no means necessary. Provided you’ve a solid, well maintained shield (Power Shield, Displaced Field, Conversion Field, Refractor Shield etc) and loyal muscle heads (loyalty that can only be bought with vast wealth and creature comforts otherwise unheard of to the common Imperium Citizen) you don’t need to be a John Wick.

There are some who are Cain level baddasses, and there are some who are slovenly pigs who run their ships on duct tape and caulking. The difference lays most often in which house they are alligned to. Some of the most noble houses can equip themselves with power armor, extensive augmetics, and bio enhancements. Take a look at the dude in the Eisenhorn books. He was so rich he literally made himself into the ship. Committed tech heresy. That's influence.

mrFickle wrote:
Or are the more like planetary governors, they have the ability to arm themselves with gadgets that make them hard to kill but they wouldn’t do well against a couple Boyz?

Incredibly dependent on who you're talking about.
Rogue Traders are an individualistic lot. There's no Rogue Trader academy where everyone receives standardized training and gear, it really depends on the individual.

So some traders are expert duelists and marksmen. Some are absolute slobs who can't fight off a small cat.
It really depends.

Any Rogue Trader who isn't personally proficient in combat will be heavily invested in personal protection. Bodyguards, gadgets, etc... And those who are proficient in combat will also be heavily invested in personal protection.

Many rogue traders are very much hands on when it comes to getting stuff done, especially the smaller ones with less in the way of assets. The more powerful ones will spend lots of time dealing with the bureaucracy of running their enterprise, but that doesn't mean they're going to be slouches. Rogue Traders are perhaps the most dangerous individuals in the Imperium besides Inquisitors. Moreso because they aren't necessarily beholden to strict Imperial law.

Think of Rogue Traders as a unique class of nobles, but ones who are tasked with exploring the dark recesses of a hostile galaxy. While also being given the ability to freely engage in commerce of any kind, including with aliens, with the goal of gaining intelligence. They're sort of spies/nobles/traders/pirates/warlords all at the same time.

That line of work would be highly variable, but no matter the variances it will produce dangerous individuals 100% of the time. The non-dangerous ones will be dead already.

We can also take into consideration they’re more likely to have Xenos tech in their armoury. Because compliance can be achieved in a variety ways.

There’s little stopping a Rogue Trader acting benevolent when they find a Xenos world. Play nice, make trade agreements. Find out as much as you can of their military capabilities, whether this is it for their holdings or part of a wider whole. If the latter is this the Homeworld? Trader-swapsies-play-nice….then once you know your new friends? Summon an attack fleet, your own or formal Imperial Assets and obliterate them.

I can highly recommend playing the Rogue Trader RPG, as you’ll soon see new horizons.

I'd imagine a Rogue Trader prioritizing many, many other skills besides just combat. For protection, deep pockets and access to xenos/heretek go a long way, no skills required.

OTOH these are people who have lived in ruthless surroundings, making places like King's Landing seem pleasant in comparison. So self defence is hardly an alien concept for them; yet do they use brawn, brain, stealth or cunning to survive, must depend on the individual.