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I was thinking of getting into rogue trader but was wondering a few things.
1. I don't really know much about it at all really except that its roleplaying with models.
2. Does anyone really play it anymore?
3. Is it easy to get into or are the rules complicated?

I'm assuming you're referring to "Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader", as opposed to the Fantasy Flight Games Roleplay (although that doesn't normally need models)...

... well, I can't comment on the complexity or whether it's still played - but in many ways, it does have a successor in the Inquisitor game, which does still get played here and there. And as the Inquisitor rules are free to download, you can assess it fairly easily for yourself (although they're not quite as complex as they appear at first glance) and you'll find it easier to cajole other players into joining you than if they have to try and eBay a rulebook.

Given the subject matter of this forum, it's more likely that he's referring to this.

I don't know about how many people play it, but the game was written as an RPG so you're going to be running a single guy and the rules are a little more complicated than necessary. It certainly helps if you've played Inquisitor or WFRP before since the basic principles of the system are the same.

Also, be warned, the Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch line is rather more lethal than most RPGs, you'll be rolling up new characters frequently.

AnomanderRake wrote:... the rules are a little more complicated than necessary....

Eh?

I take it you've never read the rules for the BattleTech RPG, where 'Art Appreciation' is a skill you can get, and during character creation your become eligible for skill point rebates. I'm not making this up.

40K RPG's complicated? Complex perhaps, but not complicated.

No, I really do think he's talking about WH40K:RT, which did include a lot of RPing elements (including a GM).
It's a guess, I admit, but with the descriptions "roleplaying with models" and "Does anyone really play it anymore?" it doesn't sound like he's referring to an in-print pen-and-paper RPG.

AnomanderRake wrote:It certainly helps if you've played Inquisitor or WFRP before since the basic principles of the system are the same.

As a fanatical player of both Inquisitor (will be running an event at WHW later this month) and the 40k RPGs (currently GMing a DH game and playing in an RT game), I have to say, I don't find the systems very similar at all.

The games have utterly different turn sequences and action systems, Inquisitor has far more complex injury rules, psykers are handled totally differently in both, the skill systems have been heavily expanded for the RPGs, there are completely different combat modifiers, fate points don't exist in Inquisitor, etc. Not to mention advance schemes, purchasing rules and all of the non-combat roleplay material in the RPs.
Occasionally scraps of equipment rules are similar and Inquisitor does very occasionally use a similar degrees of success/failure system (although it's not called that, it's usually phrased as "For each X points or part of X points passed/failed by", where X is not necessarily 10), but other than that and that the games are mostly D100 based, they're totally different beasts.

Most importantly, Inquisitor is designed as a PvP system, where as the RPGs are a PvE system. They don't work very well the other way around (and believe me, I've tried).

Marco is right I mean the 40k one from years ago. Im getting back into the 40k hobby scene after many years out and when I left rogue trader was kinda played but not popular (where I was at least). Really wanted to play it then but didn't have time and just don't know if it's still played or has any updated rules with in the last 7 years.

Soaponrope37 wrote:Really wanted to play it then but didn't have time and just don't know if it's still played or has any updated rules with in the last 7 years.

If you're not counting the later editions of 40k as an update, it's not been officially updated, and never will be. There's probably fan updates, but it's not GW's kind of thing any more.

The closest thing there really is to an official "Second Edition Rogue Trader" (as opposed to Second Edition 40k) is Inquisitor, which took the basics of "Roleplaying with models" and rebuilt it with fewer, but bigger (not that you're forced to use the 54mm range) models.

That's not officially updated any more either, although the basics of the material are at least available for free on the GW site - they no longer supply the other material they published ... although you shouldn't go to mediafire.com/MarcoSkoll if you want to find it, because it hasn't been uploaded there.