Part 6, I think?
& we're back with the last and final chapter of the award-seeking Retro Review series!
After covering such gripping and completely necessary topics as 'Plant chart 3' and 'Rippy Fish from the death world of Lost Hope' Rogue Trader gives us our first peek at a detailed setting.
Logan's World is a lost world on the edge of the Eye of Terror (again I am AMAZED how many elements of the setting appear in this book!).
From time to time the eye 'blinks' and it is possible to reach these lost world and for a time bring them the brutal order of the Imperium. If only for a few days.
With some great art, in just a few pages Rogue Trader brings the world to life detailing the bus gangs who provide the only safe transport across the wastelands, the water sellers who everyone must deal with and of course the slaver gangs.
Who are so obviously riding around in Robotech toys with the torso cut off it isn't even funny.
The book ends with a hodgepodge of rules clarifications, suggestions and of course great fluff.
There's nine pages of random charts for creating scenarios and subplots including such gems as "Prior to the outbreak of hostilities the area was visited by Dr Gostello's Amazing Intergalactic Psycho-circus. The circus has now got caught up in the fight..."
Wow.
I want to write a novel just plotting it using these charts.
And to no one's surprise there's a section on buying models.
Yep.
"Citadel Miniatures have long been known as the foremost producer of metal gaming miniatues..."
There's a reason this game is still making money while Star Frontiers ain't.
I don't which I love more, the terrain (cardboard tubes with construction paper wrapped around them) or that guy's hair.
Just again to show how much lighting in a bottle this book had, here's a 2 page spread, with just 4 paragraphs to give it context, that led to a whole army being created 10+ years later.
I have no idea what is going on here, Is that space ship landing on a building? It seems decayed, is it some old hulk a city grew around? Who's shooting at the Space Marines? What's that flying platform?
I don't know the answers, but I'd love to find out.
And then we have this...
OK the Perry twins are easy to pick out, anyone care to
ID the rest?
And finally the book ends with a handy cardboard section with pull out charts and, oh, these guys.
Everything you need to play Battle in the Farm.
I am so tempted to clip them out, add in the cardboard dreadnaught from 2nd edition and show up at a
GW store.
So tempted.
Anyway some closing thoughts...
Wow this book is a hot mess. All sorts of granular details for a wargame, but at the same time it assumes a
GM to run all sorts of
NPCs and scenario rules. It supposed to be a mini game, but your models' equipment is determined randomly. It covers everything from robots to dinosaurs to fighter planes to interdimensional demons in one book.
It spends 10 pages on the Imperium's bureaucracy!
It's sort of a wargame, sort of an
RPG and sort of a fluff bible for would-be writers.
Yet somehow it paints such a compelling and interesting fictional universe people, like me, keep coming back to it despite the rules.
I would say that Rogue Trader is really a case of getting everything (except the rules) right. The design, the art, the attitude, the shameless Tolkien meets Herbert for drinks at Lovecraft's house... This book is just awesome. Add in the two Realms of Chaos books and I think you have some of the best gaming materials ever created. No wonder they're still mining it 30 years later!
And of course while I criticize
GW for not knowing what sort of game they were writing, that may be a strength. Consider later books, they don't have sections on carnivorous plants or Imperial clerks, because they don't need them. They offer up soldiers and more soldiers. And that makes the game poorer.
If you don't have a copy of Rogue Trader, think about getting it. Prices don't seem to be too crazy, I see it on ebay now for 10UKP.
And if you get the chance lobby
GW for putting out PDFs of this and other classic books. They are gorgeous, they are interesting and they should be back in print.
Anyway thanks everyone for the kind words, I will be doing more of these, my next one will probably be my favorite White Dwarf issue of all time. One that's already cost me a few hundred dollars. So stay tuned.
If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay 
Ultramarines, 3rd Co. and friends, 16k+ 
4k 
4k Points
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