WarHammer 40k Stoof Goes Rogue

Stoof

=][= Ordo Grognardicus =][=
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Yak Comp 1st Place
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Jun 1, 2016
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During those long Lockdown evenings, I've been thumbing through my copy of Rogue Trader. No, not the kill team expansion. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Edicion Numero Uno. The beginning. Alpha. 272 pages that contains absolutely everything you need in a wonderous tongue-in-cheek hardback tome bedecked with the finest 1980's futurepunk artwork this side of Judge Dredd.


Whilst I've owned the book for years I've only actually played Rogue Trader a couple of times as a kid and I barely remember it... so I became ENTHUSED! Let's try out Rogue Trader, in its original insane vehicles-turn-by-radius and templates-scatter-then-you-still-need-to-roll-to-hit incarnation!

So, what will I be using for this?

I'm going to try to only use painted models... which means breaking out ye olde Imperial Guard army. I also have some Gorkamorka era Orks and I have a few Space Marines somewhere. There could be a lot of Guard-on-Guard action simply because it's what I've got. Luckily RT is very much a Skirmish-scale game, so I can make a lot of fairly reasonable forces by splitting what I've got in various ways. Lots of action will come from these two old boxes:

IMG_20200430_133529578~2.jpg


No, my late 90's/early 00's model transport solution was definitely not kind to paintwork.

So, what else do we need? Templates! From 1" (referred to as 1/2" - Mr Priestley did love using a radius) up to 4" (2"). Marked up as clock faces with 12 notches. I doubt I'll need a 6" (3") one. Dice of D4 to D12. Measuring implement. TribeMeet product placement pencil.

IMG_20200430_134931078~2.jpg


Yes, that is a round template marked "Flamer". No, that is not a mistake.

When will this all kick off? The weekend probably. I need to clear the table in the Spidercave to make way. Watch this spaaaaace!
 
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Have fun.

(Do you want some RT era Orks to go with that? I am sure I have some somewhere.)
 
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Have fun.

(Do you want some RT era Orks to go with that? I am sure I have some somewhere.)

Honestly I've just been scouring ebay desperately looking for some orks to boost the force so it doesn't stay IG vs IG! If you have any you don't mind selling/lending me that would be fantastic!
 
I will see what I have still got - be right back (unless the box pile falls on me.)
 
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It seems that I have 35 of THESE bad boys, with a few chainswords and power claws, and just about enough bolters, bolt pistols and plasma pistols to go around (but no power swords, plasma guns or heavy weapons.)

There is one missing a head that has had a new Ork head glued on (and I don't remember doing that...) and one that has a 2nd edition box set plastic Ork bolt pistol arm attached. Most are original, with very few accessories (although I am sure that I have some of the axes somewhere else.) A few of them have bad almost 30 year old paint jobs.)

Are they worth anything to you?
 
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Thanks for checking @sump dweller! As this is just a bit of fun I don’t want to be painting too much - I bought a set of old ork heavies on eBay which are stripped and some crudely painted warbikes. I’m not bothered how bad the paint jobs are really - they won’t likely be photographed up close.

If a fair portion of yours are painted then I’m interested. However, I don’t know how much those old geezers are reasonably worth (and don’t want to break the bank for a bit of a laugh). Someone’s trying to sell 29 of them (built but unpainted) on eBay for EIGHTY QUID at the moment. Yours are potentially “worth” about £100, and that’s way more than I’d like to spend on this venture!
 
I was thinking maybe a quid each (and if you want, I could give them all a quick paint job as they are.)
 
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I was thinking maybe a quid each (and if you want, I could give them all a quick paint job as they are.)

Can't argue with £35 for 35 orks! Pm me your PayPal address and what you reckon postage would be. No need to paint them, I'll need to do the heavies anyway and I don't want to inconvenience you on my behalf.
 
I've been busting to do a Rogue Trader campaign so will follow this with great interest. Thinking maybe using RT rules with Realm of Chaos warbands would make a cool skirmish game.
 
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I'll be running the first couple of battles pure RT rulebook. Depending on how far I get I may start introducing the rules changes from the battle manual etc as I go on, we'll see - after all, some of the rules in the core RT book are definitely daft as a brush (ref: almost everything regarding templates).

I've even prepared 1980's grade images to use when I come across special situations:

Bizarre Rule.PNG


NoRulesFound.PNG

It's definitely more of a skirmish game than a pitched battle game, my forces are likely to be a couple of squads with a vehicle or two and some kind of commander and that's about it!
 
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Mine's also an old original, given to me by my Uncle, complete with original loose pages & some that have been glued back in! It's otherwise in fantastic condition, just the binding was awful (RT hardbacks were renowned for being poorly bound). I have now got the PDFs of everything as well, but I do like playing with an actual book. I'll just have to be careful.

Perhaps I'll construct one of those V-shaped book supporters you see on history documentaries!
 
The Psycher twitched and writhed, screaming. Her attendants rushed over - some carrying parchment and quills, some vials of sedative, and one - the highest ranking - an ornate bolt pistol inlaid with gold filigree, safety disengaged and a bolt chambered... just in case.

Suddenly she stopped, straining rigid in her tangle of wires and feeding tubes, eyes wide and unsettlingly bright in the gloom. "Three..." she said, without moving her lips. "Seven... Four... Eight... Two... Point... Five... Nine..."

Three attendants jotted down as she spoke - afterwards they would compare to ensure they all heard the same. "Coordinates, they're coordinates" muttered one with a sedative injector.

"DANGER!" the psycher suddenly shouted, and slumped limply into her harness.

The scribes quickly compared notes - no difference. Definitely coordinates.

"Pass it on to the PDF command!" called the senior attendant, clicking the safety back on the bolt pistol.

"Sir, " called the one carefully putting the sedator back into its antique mahogany box, "there's an Imperial Guard prescence on he planet at the moment, should they be informed as well?"

The senior attendant glowered at him - he has ideas above his station, that one. But he also had a point.

"Inform the Guard commander as well, though gently as a matter of courtesy, we don't want them to think we can't handle our own defence here."

******

Grand High General of the Planetary Defence Force, Augustus Plagrus Assentia DeSederta, looked at the glowing green data on his screen. Without looking up, he told his secretary to send a small force to check it out - no more than 50 men needed. He then thought about the Mordian drill squad that the Guard had sent to make sure his troops were being trained to titheable standards. A right thorne in his arse they'd been. If there was anything to this babble of nonsense perhaps they'd be killed? "Send shose shiny-buttoned arseholes too - but make sure they understand they're under my Captain's command!"

******

Brigadier General AlDafir reviewed the report on a scrap of parchment handed to him by a communications Liutenant. He ignored the doodle of diamonds and squares in the corner - this had been a boring training trip, supposedly so that his primarily desert oriented detachment could gain experience in industrial centres before posting. So far that had meant dunes made of slag and ash rather than sand, and chemical rather than sun burns.

"Send two squads. Oh, and a couple of those light Sentinels that have just been repaired - get them shaken down."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PDF Force:
Command Squad:
Commander (Minor Hero), Boltgun, Sword, Mesh Armour
Trooper w/ Heavy Bolter
Trooper w/ Meltagun
2x Trooper w/ Lasgun

Mordian Squad:
Sergeant (Champion), Chainsword, Laspistol
Trooper w/ Grenade Launcher
Trooper w/ Lascannon
7x Troopers w/ Lasguns

Military Police Squad:
Sergeant (Champion), Chainsword, Bolt Pistol
Trooper w/Flamer
Trooper w/Heavy Bolter
7x Troopers w/Lasguns

All troopers have Flak armour.

Conscripts:
Commissar (Champion, costed up with +1 Ld), Axe (Hafted weapon), Flamer
Conscript (Trooper with BS of 2 and Ld of 6, no Armour), Flamer
15x Conscripts with Lasguns

1-Mordians.JPG


Tallarn Force:
Command Squad:
Commander (Minor Hero), Boltgun, Sword, Mesh Armour
Trooper w/ Plasma Gun
Trooper w/ Grenade Launcher
2x Troopers w/ Lasguns

Tallarn Squad:
Sergeant (Champion), Plasma Pistol, Sword
Trooper w/ Meltagun
Trooper w/ Autocannon
7x Troopers w/ Lasguns

Cadian Squad:
Sergeant (Champion), Chainsword, Bolt Pistol
Trooper w/Flamer
Trooper w/Heavy Bolter
7x Troopers w/Lasguns

2 x Sentinels (Costed cheap = T6, Dam 6, Sv 4+), Multilaser, Pilot (Trooper, Bolt Pistol).

All troopers & Sentinel pilots have Flak armour.

1-Tallarns.JPG


-------------------------------------------------------------

The coordinates pertain to an automated power generation complex on the distant outskirts of Graxis, an industrial city.

The PDF forces will approach through an access tunnel - beside the generator complex.

The Tallarn forces will arrive in the opposite corner.

1-Battlefield.JPG


Two Imperial forces - one of PDF, one of Guard, approaching the same site from different directions, both expecting trouble? What could possibly go wrong?!

VICTORY CONDITIONS:
PDF: Hold the power generator.
Talarn: Drive the PDF from the power generator.
GM: Don't get bored and give up without it being reasonably conclusive.

GM Note - The Tallarn fource is higher on points than the PDF force thanks to the Sentinels, but they also have to assaunt a defensive position (traditionally costly), so I handwaved the difference away.
 
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The PDF Force pours from the tunnel, their 18x18" deployment zone incorporating the power generator (they will head for the tunnel if routed). The command squad immediately occupies the lookout post outside the tunnel entrance with their heavy bolter, and the Mordians, cooly professional, situate themselves on the roof of the generation complex seeing a cooling tower on it as the ideal location to site their immaculate and gleaming lascannon (GM decision - someone up 1 storey of bulkhead is in the 2" coherance range as long as there is someone at the foot of the bulkhead as well).

Meanwhile a rabble of fresh conscripts are encouraged - violently if necessary - by a PDF trainer to head for barricades on one side of the complex and the Military Police unit heads for the other side with their heavy bolter being dragged along on its "suspensors" (aka wheels - Heavy weapons carry a movement penalty in RT. All heavy weapons in both forces have been fitted with Suspensors which negate the movement penalty, but do not remove the Slow characteristic - i.e. move-or-shoot to you and me).

2-Mordian Deployment.JPG


The Tallarns enter the field in their 18x18" deployment zone in Skirmish order - like the Mordians, they will head for this corner if Routed. The Sentinels advance deep to get a good look as the Cadians head up the East flank and Tallarns head West. The command squad remain central to see where their special weapon support may be most needed. The Tallarns hope to win the toss to get first turn, the Sentinels are right in front of what looks a lot like a very well maintained Lascannon barrel poking out from the top of a tower...

2-Tallarn Deployment.JPG


More coming sooooon!
 
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*guard salute*
Can I be one of the officer models please? 😁😇 (preferably one of the ones that are winning)

p.s. (just looked at the time) .....for the next game I mean! 😋
 
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TURN ONE

Unfortunately for the Tallarn forces, they lose the roll-off for first move. The Conscripts & Military Police at the power generator move towards the barricades. The only weapon with a target is the Mordian Lascannon - The crewman targets the lead Sentinel and fires... his aim is true although the Lascannon is capable of destroying a Sentinel with one shot (2D6 damage), it only inflicts 4 - but does cause serious damage - destroying the Multilaser!

Rules Focus: Vehicle Damage.
When a vehicle is hit, there is a chance serious damage is caused beyond just knocking damage points off - the standard is 1 in 6 chance for serious, and it adds another 1 to that for each point of damage beyond one - so 4 points inflicted meant serious damage was caused on 3+. A hit with something causing 6 points of damge will therefore automatically cause serious damage. The Serious Damage table is a 2D6 roll, and again the extra damage beyond 1 adds to your 2D6. Quite a neat little system.


No other PDF model has a target or is in range, so there's no further shooting. The Conscripts and MPs can therefore make a Reserve Move up to the main outer barrcades.

Rules Focus: Reserve Moves.
Units who are not close to enemies, have not fired in the shooting phase and are not in cover can move twice a turn.


3 Turn 1b - Reserve.JPG

PDF Forces Turn 1

TALLARN TURN 1:
Important things first - set the Plasma Gun of the Command Squad to charge! By the rules the Plasma Gun needs to charge before you use it, rather than recharging after. It seems nobody is quite bright enough to think to charge it to shoot before the battle starts!

Sentinel 1, its multilaser a smoldering melted ruin, heads directly for the Lascannon emplacement, the pilot drawing his Bolt Pistol.
Sentinel 2 loops around and accelerates to try and leave the Lascannon's 90° arc of fire, bringing its multilaser to bear on the Military Police unit approaching the barricades.
The Tallarn squad, heads West towards the barricades the MPs are at, whilst the Cadians and the Command Squad choose to head North, reckoning that the mob of Conscripts will be a harder nut to crack than the MPs.

The pilot of Sentinel 1 opens up with his Bolt Pistol, narrowly missing the lascannon crewman. Sentinel 2 has more luck - he can see a few members of the MP unit and sprays them with multilaser fire, killing the Sergeant and the flamer trooper in a blitz laser bolts!

Rules Focus: Following Fire.
Sustained or Rapid Fire weapons in RT are marked "F" for Following Fire. In order to shoot another target you have to have hit
and rolled a wound on the previous target.
Rule Focus - Following Fire.jpg


Much like the PDF forces, the infantry squads don't have viable targets, so they reserve move further towards their foes.

3 Turn 1c - Tallarn.JPG

Tallarn initial moves (sentinel taking lascannon hit shown).

3 Turn 1d - Tallarn.JPG

Tallarn shooting & Reserve move.
 
TURN TWO

The Conscripts & Military Police units reach their chosen barricades. The Conscripts Hide - they can see they don't have any viable targets for this turn, so can hunker down to make themselves invalid targets for the Tallarns! Sneaky!

Rule Focus - Hiding.jpg


The Lascannon fires at Sentinel 2, which is not quite out of its 90° arc of fire, hoping to repeat its success with Sentinel 1, but misses. In RT, there is no such thing as target priority - if a model can see another model in rage, they can choose to shoot it, regardless of if another enemy is bearing down on them (in this case, rootin-tootin-pistol-firin' Sentinel 1). The four Mordian troopers in range of the Sentinel 2 also shoot at it, managing to cause one point of damage but nothing serious.

The heavy bolters of the PDF Command Squad and the Miltary Police, along with several of their Troopers, can see sentinels 1 and 2 respectively, and open fire, failing to cause any damage.

4 Turn 2a - Mordian.JPG


TALLARN TURN 2
The Grenade Launcher of the Command Squad stays still whilst the rest of the squad follow the Cadians towards some ruined pipework - the Grenade Launcher is a Slow weapon and it's in range of that pesky Lascannon team...

The Tallarn squad heads towards a dump they'll use as a jumping off point to assault the barricades, whilst the Sentinels move closer in, Sentinel 1 effortlessly stepping over the barricades in its mad rush towards the power generator, its pilot waving his Bolt Pistol wildly - he fires, but doesn't hit.

Sentinel 2, however, successfully lights up the Military Police's Heavy Bolter with multilaser fire, putting it out of action. There are no other targets he can see within 4" though, so he can't capitalise on the Following Fire.

The Grenade launcher poonts a frag grenade high into the air towards the Mordian Lascannon... bringing us to the weird, weird world of RT template weapons.

4 Turn 2c - Tallarn.JPG


Rule Focus - Deviation.jpg


The shot Deviates 1 o'clock by 2" - still covering the Lascannon, one Trooper, the Mordian Sergeant and the Mordian Grenade Launcher... but I still need to roll to hit them. Things get fuzzy here - two of those targets are not valid for the firer of the grenade - do I make them 7+ shots? Do I shoot as if he was shooting from the centre of the blast? Do I still use the firer's BS? Did nobody playtest this? Eat your heart out, N17!

I decide to treat any target under the template as a valid target, shot at using the target's BS but applying the long range modifier of the grenade launcher (-1). The shot hits the Mordian Sergeant and a Trooper, killing both of them outright.

The Command Squad, having fired that grenade, now cannot Reserve Move, but the Cadians and Tallarns can, consolidating their positions in cover of the pipework and dump respectively.

4 Turn 2b - Tallarn.JPG


4 Turn 2d - Tallarn.JPG


Stay tuned as the carnage unfolds... tomorrow!!
 
*guard salute*
Can I be one of the officer models please? 😁😇 (preferably one of the ones that are winning)

p.s. (just looked at the time) .....for the next game I mean! 😋

This all happened on Saturday & Sunday evenings, it's just taken me a while to edit all the pics. As it turns out, one of these forces just so happens to have a new vacancy for a Captain... *hands @CaptainDangerous a burned and slightly bloodstained set of Captain's pips*. You might want to give them a quick wash though...
 
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