Great rogue Resources

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1. Quadros says

   First I must confess that I haven’t played the game yet — my group and I have made characters, which many found quite fun and engaging, but I wanted to post a positive review for the book.

   Having stayed with RPGs now for a couple of decades, my point of view is that, recently, game books have become harder to read and burdened with byzantine rule systems. Case in point, Shadowrun (3rd/4th ed). I find the game extremely predictable and the rulebook a headache to wade through.

   Rogue Trader is a breath of fresh air. From the past. If that is possible. Overall, the character building system is straightforward and helps players immediately get plugged into the game’s backstory (even for GW newbies). The career path system I think is excellent because, as a player, they make backstory dovetail with your skillset and weaknesses. There are reasons why you are the way you are. And all of this is in the space of about 50 pages that don’t require you to read all the way through. On top of this, players can see the “intersections” of each other character’s career paths, which encourages unity and common purpose. This is rare in most games I’ve encountered (usually, the GM has to work hard to find ways to unite the player characters — here, it is done for you).

   I also see similarities with earlier games from the 80s, like the first editions of D&D. There are a lot of charts here. Whether you use them (the combat critical chart) or not, may be up to you, but I think they add a lot of flavor to the game without burdening the rules on specific rule subsets to handle certain combat permutations. Moreover, they are quite humorous.

   I was worried how RT would handle larger, mega events like starship combat. Again, I haven’t played with these rules yet, but what struck me is that even at this macro-level, every player gets a chance to do something cool aboard the ship, plus, these major events can be resolved in a timely manner, allowing the game to return to character-centered adventure.

   Lastly, with a few exceptions, the rules are written straightforward and nicely organized into chapters that make absorption of the rules and background possible in short doses. RT is one of the heaviest books I’ve purchased (really heavy — I need a stand to hold it up as I peruse: perhaps my only complaint). I think the $60 sticker price is sharp, but worth it. It’s a beautiful book, well written, well organized, and offers a different slant on space opera.

   December 26, 2009, 12:29 am
2. Balding says

   Rogue Trader is the next line of Warhammer 40k RPGs put out by Fantasy Flight, following Dark Heresy by a few years. The system has certainly benefited by the time that has gone by and the work done on the line. It operates with very similar concepts to its predecessor, including a d100 system, a system of spending experience to purchase skills and talents (special abilities) and leveling is based on experience spent, and an articulated character background system based on your homeworld and other background information. The largest changes come in the addition of space-ships and themes of the game.

   Chapters 2 and 3 are based around character creation and rules. This game makes use of an “origin path” system for generating a character background. This information has mechanical effects that give you special boons and disadvantages based on your character’s life thus far. The book and the Fantasy Flight web page provide a graph they encourage you to use for the entire group to develop pre-existing character relationships and shared interests/histories. This system is quite different form what was provided in Dark Heresy, but ends up with a more articulated and customized character. “Classes” only have one straight path of advancement, instead of the complicated routes of advancement in Dark Heresy. This takes away some customization, but it really is ok. You can still spend your experience to pick plenty of skills and talents. The classes made available include the Rogue Trader, Astropath Transcendent, Navigator (a second psycher), Exporator (Tech-priest), Arch-Militant (Fighter), Missionary, Seneschal (knowledge keeper), and Void Master (pilot).

   A chapter is dedicated to Astropaths and their disciplines/powers. It gives some rules for their use and their abilities, and is followed by a similar chapter for Navigators. Anyone playing either type of character will need to go through these sections at character creation. There is some additional background information to be dealt with here, that has a mechanical impact on your character.

   A major departure for this game comes in its monetary system. Rogue Trader creates an attribute not unlike strength or agility called Profit. This attribute is rolled like any other attribute to see if the character can acquire the new item. It is modified by rarity of the item and your location when trying to acquire it. This system is a major boon to the system since the game does stress how much money is actually flowing through your hands. It feeds the idea that you have people to keep the books for you. The rules are not exceptionally complex, and work well, but you might just not be able to get that new storm bolter even with a very high profit.

   The section provides some base templates to build from, and at character creation the number of build points you have for your ship is determined (there is a chart that gives you a starting profit and ship points in an inverse manner: the higher your starting profit, the fewer ship points you get). These build points let you get a bigger and better ship. The templates that are provided range from small merchant ships to navy cruisers.

   The information of background for this game is of similar design to what was in Dark Heresy. There is a chapter dedicated to detailing the universe in general and the Imperium of Man in specific. The following chapter gives great details on rogue traders and their place in the universe. These chapters can help players not familiar with the setting and have a desire to make their characters more connected to it. It would be a good idea for anyone to read through this of course, even if you are an old fan. There is always information of the Kronos Expanse (the actual setting of the game) that could be of use.

   The game is incredibly easy to set up and run as a one-shot game if you have nothing else to do (say your weekly game will be missing a player and you still want to play), and it can also benefit from campaigns. The character creation system is designed to be done as a group activity, and the game certainly expects players to operate as a team. The rules are fairly intuitive, but do require the book or print-offs on hand at all times (see below). Difficulty of tasks and rolling is handled well, where you roll a d100 and try to get under your attribute (which is modified by conditions and the difficulty of the task). The system is a great deal of funwhen you have all the information you need on hand. A lot of the art is beautiful, and evokes the feel of the game, especially in the early chapters. Character images are especially well done in the class chapter.

   What keeps this game from getting 5 stars is a problem that existed in Dark Heresy that continues on in Rogue Trader (and will likely not be fixed any time soon). You need to constantly be ready to reference a large number of charts to determine a number of issues, including difficulty modifiers to rolls, critical hit results, and so forth. This can severely slow a game down (especially in combat). You will need to have ready access to all these charts on a regular basis when playing the game. It also is in need of an errata, as there are a few typos (which is disappointing considering how long it took for the game to finally ship and how long it took to publish). Some of the art is not as sophisticated as would be expected. Ship images are especially disappointing. Considering the incredible gothic structures that act as ships in this universe, the seemingly poorly designed computer images of ships does not evoke the ancient and foreboding feel vessels of Warhammer 40k deserve. When you expect medieval gothic cathedral and get Babylon 5, you are bound to be disappointed. Other art that is not as pleasing still fits what has been done for Warhammer 40k, but still might not appeal to someone new to the setting.

   Overall, I can say I enjoy the game. It is an improvement from Dark Heresy, which was itself an excellent game. This seems more playable to someone new to the setting, and gives people an entrance to Warhammer 40k for people that have previously not been interested. It is certainly worth picking up, and can only get better with supplements, though none are really necessary to really get into this game. I could not ask for much more in a game.

   December 26, 2009, 12:19 pm
3. Berrio says

   This is the fourteenth installment in the “fictional” “Rogue Warrior” series by form Seal Richard Marcinko. This episode is built around the CIA making the astute observation that Demo Dick looks almost exactly like Cuban dictator Fidel Castro… minus a few years. The CIA comes up with the brainchild of having a video made of Dick after hair and makeup adjustments to film a speech of Marcinko/Castro making a last will and testament. Dick goes through the physical manifestations and then the CIA’s technical gurus will integrate the speech. Marcinko isn’t real cool on the idea… especially when the CIA also wants the author to go to Cuba to make the handoff of the bogus DVD to an agent who supposedly will swap the fake DVD for the real one(s) at fortified locations within Cuba. But… lo and behold the barber the CIA has at the filming is an elderly Cuban Roberto Traba who before fleeing Cuba cut Castro’s hair. Traba tells all of the personal trauma he and his family had gone through in Cuba before they exiled… and then sadly tells Marcinko and his team that his brother is still stuck in Cuba. Traba’s story steals the heart of Marcinko’s crew and that along with the CIA saying they’ll make sure Marcinko is paid for a prior mission that’s been held up in government red tape if he accepts the job… how could our cuddly trained killer… the one and only *ROGUE WARRIOR* say no to that?

   Dick introduces-re-introduces his motley crew and we’re on the way to Cuba. The crew member who gets the most entertaining role is “Shotgun” who is six-feet-eight-inches-tall and at least three-hundred-pounds. The world can be coming to an end and Shotgun will be laughing and eating innumerable species of junk food… especially Twinkies. After a harrowing (what other kind does the Rogue Warrior ever encounter) flight to Cuba that is overflowing with FUBAR… MR. MURPHY… GOAT-SEX ANALOGIES… and unlimited words of descriptive military “terms of endearment”… we have double agents… exploding cars… killed double agents… and alligator attacks. All of this is in the normal Rogue Warrior tongue in cheek manner. But since the DVD handoff goes awry… and this is where the book loses its five star rating… the team on its own has to break into multiple Castro secure locations. Including but not limited to: his bunker… his homes… political headquarters… hospitals… etc. Even in a fun fiction book the ease of this and the portrayal of terrible “Keystone-Cop-Like” Cuban security at every twist and turn… takes the luster off after awhile.

   While all this is going on… Dick gets forced by the same CIA to go to Panama and assist in putting a halt to a Venezuelan/Chinese criminal endeavor involving a submarine at the Panama Canal… OR… (believe me this is not a spoiler) they won’t assist the *ROGUE WARRIOR* in extricating a team member “left-behind”.

   If you’re a *ROGUE WARRIOR* fan this is an enjoyable book… but even the truest longtime hardcore admirer will want to say “please give me credit for some common sense” re: the difficulties of going to a foreign country and being able to break in to any building regardless of the situation.

   December 27, 2009, 12:51 am
4. Obremski says

   This book is inline with the ROGUE WARRIOR series. Dick continues to outdo himself yer in year out or should i say book in book out. If you like dick’s other rogue warriors then you will love thos one too.
   eddie sanders
   [...]

   December 27, 2009, 12:33 pm
5. Chopra says

   I read the first “Rogue Warrior” book (the actual autobiography) when I was in college and after the fictional series kicked off I continued to read the books with interest. One of the things that I enjoyed about was Mr. Marcinko’s attention to the details on how things were accomplished. If you read many of the early books the plot may have seemed to have been drawn from your average action movie but what set a lot of them apart for me was their attention to helping the reader get how the actual operation was done.

   Now I understand that certain specifics can’t and shouldn’t be released as they could comporomise actual operators in the field but there was just enough that the average reader could understand (and gain an appreciation) of just what elite warriors like Marcinko’s Navy SEALs actually do. A lot of his earlier books included those details which helped bring a sense of “this could happen” to the stories but as the series has progressed the details have dwindled and the “this couldn’t happen” factors have increased.

   I’m not spoiling anything by stating that one of the main plots in the book involves the fact that Marcinko bears an uncanny resemblence to Fidel Castro and what can happen when CIA attempts to use that to their advantage. Now if you’ll note, I did say “plots” which means there are a few others but unlike in some of the earlier books Marcinko doesn’t delve into too many details on his team. I think part of it is that by now he must know (or ASSume) that his readers are familiar enough with his style of writing and his usual cast of characters not to require any sort of background and though I profess to being one of those readers who doesn’t need all the details, it still wouldn’t hurt as it’s been a while since I read his last adventure.

   And speaking of adventures, although the main plot is not all that far fetched, it still lends itself to being picked apart simply because of what I mentioned earlier; a lack of details. Although part of the story occurs in Cuba there aren’t really enough details (which Marcinko and his co-authors have been good at providing in the past) and more focus on moving from one action scene to the next. I think that Marcinko can write some decent adventure books and has plenty more stories to tell us but I think he needs to pick up the pace just a bit after his last few outings. So if you’re looking for details on how to infiltrate a hospital or how to outfit a team ready to take down a bunker, don’t look here. At least not for the details.

   December 28, 2009, 12:50 am
6. Hogan says

   I was hoping Marcinko would return to write like the first books, were the action seemed real and he dealt with terrorist and anti terrorist tactics. But unfortunately I don’t think that will happen unless he collaborates again with John Weisman.
   This book, as the last four ones, reads more like a good adventure book, similar to those from Clive Cussler or Brad Thor. Dick keeps trying to be a international star, in a book he befriended the Las Vegas Major, in the last one, Koreas Kim Jong Il, here Fidel Castro. Why no go back to the realism of small anti terrorist units tactics of the origins? Besides what is the point to mix real world relatives with the story (Matthew Loring real world son and fictional one).
   All things considered, this is so far the best “Marcinko adventure” to date, if you consider only those written with Jim DeFelice.

   December 28, 2009, 12:19 pm
7. Flann says

   The books made it all the way to Iraq in great condition and well before i expected it to arrive.

   December 29, 2009, 12:01 am
8. Passow says

   Sorry Richard, but based on reading your book, you are far too stupid to be a military officer, and far too irresponsible and immature to be a SEAL team commander. SOME of the book may be true, but what parts? Certainly the vast majority of the text is pure fiction. So without a litmus test to gauge the truth from adolescent male fantasy, I just have to assume all of it is bogus. I can’t help but think about the fact that there are real American military specialists, operatives, soldiers and sailors who get the job done and do it with dignity for the military salary, and then there’s the goofball who writes a fantasy and sells it as non-fiction and in the process, cheapens the sacrifices of real American military heroes. Shame on you!

   December 29, 2009, 12:11 pm
9. Utsunomiya says

   A book that once read will always be remembered…A differant way to look at military life, war and politicans.

   December 30, 2009, 12:50 am
10. Flan says

    This was an exciting, inciteful and interesting book. Suspense and drama in a current timeframe. the condition of the book was as promised -good

    December 30, 2009, 12:30 pm
11. Needle says

    Demo Dick’s book is a classic. He’s an American hero. This nation needs more men like Dick Marcinko. For those of you under 40 who’s only Navy experiences are in that current coed, floating PC Romper Room, READ MARCINKO’S BOOK. This is what the Navy used to be like before it was delivering babies on board ships. For more reading, I recommend any of Marcinko’s novels which are above all else, hilarious. Signed, former 7th Cav trooper.

    December 31, 2009, 12:04 am