First Steps: Rogue Trader Campaign
A little more than a year ago, we released a campaign book called the Macharian Crusade. The local version of the campaign led to endless hours of fun and exploration at our local gaming store involving more than 30 players (and expanding the Imperium by hundreds of conquered new worlds).
In a very real way the Segmentum Pacificus became familiar to us. We knew our path along the stars and the dangers between our army group and those of our friends. Dozens of weekly battles really helped us define the Segmentum Pacificus during the time of Solar Macharius.
When we decided to give Rogue Trader a spin, one of the big hurdles we faced was a setting located just beyond the Segmentum Obscurus. There were all kinds of neat things there, but it lacked something. While planning out the next game, I pulled the old Macharian Cruade book off the shelf and thought, “wouldn’t be awesome if we could play Rogue Trader here?”. Then that rarely-heard good idea bell went off in my head. So I decided to abandon the default setting for one in the galactic Old West.
What excited us setting a campaign in the Segmentum Pacificus is now we get to explore has happened in the 1,000 since our last visit. Here are some of the questions we hope to answer:
1. What happened to the Crimson Guard after the defeat of the Orks of Calverna? Did they continue to experiment with their zygote program to rebuild their numbers? With Cathas destroyed and their enemies scattered, did they leave Calverna space for a new battleground?
2. The Il-Kathe has had 1,000 years to recover from the blow landed by Lord Solar and the Black Templar’s 745th Crusade Fleet. The Il-Kathe Craftworld was never found, so what has the High-Bonesinger Kheyladon been up to for the last ten centuries?
3. After his rival Matteus Wolf disappared near the Halo Stars, did Rogue Trader Ichabod Thrift create a lasting dynasty? Has anyone seen the lost Flying Duchess or the mysterious Sextant Pacificus?
4. Chem-Lord Maharana and Penal-Colonel Savoy almost certainly stayed behind to plunder the newly conquered Crusade worlds, but did any of the other generals stay behind to create their own segmentum fiefdoms?
5. To the woe of the Mechanicus, Lord Solar saw that the riches and technology of Adrantis were completely destroyed. Did anything (or anyone) survive the purge?
We are fortunate to walk the path of Lord Solar and the greatest heroes of the Imperium. We get to see the famous battlefields scattered with ships of legend. We get to stand beneath the monuments to the fallen and the victorious. We get to set foot on conquered worlds to find that flourished or failed. We get to see what new dangerous await in the Segmentum Pacificus.
How cool is that?
Here’s an early version of the campaign map. If you compare it to the campaign map, you’ll see we’re focusing on the south-west area of the segmentum, roughly centered on the missing location of Rogue Trader Matteus Wolf’s Flying Duchess.
Comments are welcome!
