Historicon 2016

Ok, not Oldhammer or Rogue Trader, but I will be running a game set around a sally during the Siege of Derry in 1689 known as the Battle of Pennyburn Mill. The rules will be Beneath the Lily Banners and for those who don't know, I am half of the creative team for that ruleset (along with Republic to Empire and Donnybrook). My partner in these endeavors, Barry Hilton (if you ever read Wargames Illustrated you know who he is) is making the journey from Scotland to join me. A good thing too as I am TERRIBLE at remembering rules! I'm liable to just tell you to throw some dice, pretend to figure in modifiers, and judge the results by the number of 1's and 6's I see (just kidding... well, mostly).

The shot above shows about half of the 4x8' table I built specifically for the event. The trees in the upper right corner don't go there. There is a low wall and a camp near that spot, but I was too lazy to dig those bits out and the trees looked good for the photo. If this is the first you are hearing of this, there are months of posts, WiP shots of the table, features on the unit and more at the League of Augsburg blog (of which I am also partially in charge of). There's a 'Historicon 2016' tag is you scroll down to labels - currently at 22 posts and maybe a few more over the next couple of weeks...

The game is small for BLB with 87 models for the attackers (plus a small ship with two guns on the side of the board you can't see here) and 113 models for the defenders (coming on in waves - they are terribly outnumbered initially). Most of the models are painted my me, though we have some detachments of single models that Barry commissioned as neither of us had the time to paint the additional models needed. I'm in the process of basing them all know so they will fit in well with the rest of the collection. I kept the scenario small to allow for a conclusion to be reached during the four hour session which will also include time for teaching the basics of the rules). The game is designed for three players per side, but if all of the games are full and extra people show up and want to get in on the action, we'll figure out what to do with them!

I know from Facebook and several other forums and blogs that several Oldhammerers (?) and Rogue Traders will be there and trying to get in some games. I regret that I don't think I'll be up for more games after eight hours plus set up and take down every day (don't think it will be safe to leave everything in the venue for long), but I'll try to stop by a game or two and bring some models to show off. I guess we'll figure out how to meet up somehow - maybe on the Oldhammer in the New World Facebook page? Certainly I hope everyone gets the change to come by the League of Augsburg/Quindia Studios game. I'll be the guy with the ponytail. If you introduce yourself and I look at you funny, try your blogger name - then I'll know who you are!

I am seriously looking forward to this! I'll be back to some proper wargame projects after Historicon...

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Ten

Point Values
There were no army lists when Rogue Trader was initially published. In a normal game it was largely up to the Game Master to balance the forces in a given scenario. The point values system was designed to allow two players to build balanced forces without the need for a GM.

The human profile formed the basis for all point values and was given a base value of 5 points:

To work out base costs for other characters and creatures, the following modifiers (per point of difference to the above profile) were applied.

These could be applied as penalties as well so models with lower than average stats had their basic point cost reduced.

Values worked out from the formula given above tend to undervalue larger creatures. To compensate for this a modifier is applied to any creature whose point value works out to greater than 10. This done before adding weapons and equipment!

11-15 multiply by 1.5
16-20 multiply by 2
21-30 multiply by 3
31-40 multiply by 4
and so on...

Flying creatures are subject to an additional +5 points or +10% which ever is greater.

Creatures with innate armour saves cost +1/2 point per 'pip', before the multiplier is applied.

Every piece of gear in the game is given a point cost. Power gamers would have a field day here. For instance, such a player would always choose autoguns over lasguns because they cost the same, but autoguns have a longer range. There are other things on the lists that don't make sense. A Jokaero Digital weapon costs 50 points for what is essentially a +1 attack (valued at 4 points above) with a pistol of some sort. You can also have something else in the same hand as a Jokaero weapon, so that's something, but not 50 points worth.

There are also methods for working out dreadnoughts, vehicles, robots, and psykers. Finally there is a chart showing the basic cost for each race (basic, minor hero, and major hero) and creature in the Rogue Trader book to save you a little time calculating common troops.

That concludes the Combat chapter of the Rogue Trader book (whew), but there are still over 200 pages to go! Some of these I will gloss over quickly as they are merely extensions of some of what I've already covered, but there are some really characterful chapters ahead and I'm looking forward to presenting them, especially since some of seem to have never played the 1st edition of Warhammer 40k!

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Eight

Next up is a couple of pages on Personalities, a section of the book I don't think I ever took notice of before, but since reading it I've been eager to post it. The minutia of rules and weapons changes is not what draws me Rogue Trader. Indeed, I found some of the old rules quite cumbersome. These two pages are simply oozing with character (both literally and figuratively)...

There are a couple of paragraphs on character models joining units, psychology effects (characters gain the psychological traits of a unit they join AND impart their own to the troops!), and the standard modifiers to basic profiles for Champions, Minor Heroes, and Major Heroes.

Using this as a quick guide you can easily upgrade any standard profile.

Maximum Characteristics
No characteristic, apart from wounds and attacks, can ever increase to more than 10. No creature can ever have a fighting characteristic score greater than indicated for a major hero of it's race. Personal characteristics may be increased to 10, but a character must have psychic powers to increase beyond the levels indicated for a major hero.

What came after was something I have never, ever, used...

Variable Heroes
Included here are several variable systems (again, the GM decides) for advancing the stat profiles in a manner different from the standard. Each character level is assigned a set number (or a random number) of stat increases and the player may place these where he likes, up to the maximum for the race.

Champion - 4 points or 1D6 points
Minor Hero - 14 points or 4D6 points
Major Hero - 23 points or 7D6 points

Another system assigns a pool of points that may be divided across as many characters as the player wishes (or the GM allows). The book suggests that the GM place a maximum on the number of characters allowed "otherwise the player may feel tempted to create a mass of weak, but rather annoying, personalities." (sounds like real life game experience).

Rather than simply allow players to place points where they like, there is also a way to generate profiles with the aid of a d20. Models start with the basic profile and gain a number of increases as above. Roll on the following chart to assign the increases:

Generating Characters for Campaigns
Finally there are a few paragraphs on setting up RPG style table top games, more on the scale of Necromunda, designed to 'represent the players as idealistic, young, inexperienced adventurers.' Again it is envisioned that a Game Master will be present and the players will all be on one side. The players may also control additional models as henchmen, employees, troops under their command, etc. The character is generated by choosing a basic profile and adding 1D6-2 characteristic increases, distributed at random as above. A player who rolls a 1 or 2 simply begins with the basic profile.

In a campaign, the Player Character may increase one of his characteristics after each game (presumably, of course, if he survives). At the end of each game, the player may receive one point to add to any characteristic he desires, up to the maximum for the race. A character who is unworthy of the advance in the eyes of GM may not gain any experience, although there is no advice on what this constitutes... possibly cowering at the back for the whole game?

To me this seems a very simple, but almost elegant method of handling such things. I can see potential of abuse among power gamers, but I wouldn't attempt such a thing with those types of players anyway. It was among the surprise gems I've found since starting to read the book cover to cover. I'm sure I was aware of these rules at one time, but I know I've never used them.

Next week we'll look at psionics and mutations...

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Seven

Still in the Combat chapter (told you it was long)!

Buildings
This section is pretty basic and includes lots of 'the GM shall decide' type of language. There are rules for destroying buildings, hacking through walls, and breaking down doors.

Vehicles
"There are no specific model vehicles available for the Warhammer 40,000 game at the time of writing."

Yep. That monster below was scratch built! The next paragraph is about taking other kits available on the market and converting them for use in your games. Man is that different from the game today!

This section covers moving, boarding and leaving vehicles, and combat. Vehicles are basically treated as any other model when targeted by shooting with Toughness, Wounds (called Damage for vehicles), and Armour Saves. In addition, when a vehicle suffers damage, roll a d6 - on the result of a '6' you roll a d10 on the special damage chart that may result in reduced speed, loss of weapons, loss of control, or outright destruction. Each point of damage adds +1 to the roll, increasing the likelihood of more serious results.

The section also includes Dreadnought Suits and Robots which are treated in a similar manner. Dreads and Robots have all of the characteristics of a normal model, including WS, BS, Attacks, etc. Dreads have the personal characteristics of their pilot and are subject to all normal leadership and cool tests. Robots have additional rules to govern their behavior. Depending on the tech level and intelligence of the robot, players may need to write down their orders for several turns in advance. There is also the chance that a robot might shoot a friendly if they are in their fire arc and nearer than an enemy target (robot must pass a 2d6 Intelligence check or shoot the friend) so you need to be very careful deploying them!

There is another interesting optional rule (the GM may decide) that paints robots (and 40k technology in general) as quirky and unreliable and that is the Robotic Malfunction rule. This is a chance (1 in whatever-sided die the GM decides - seriously) that the robot suffers special damage just as if it had taken damage in combat. It might loose functionality, go berserk, or simply explode! I KNOW many players would hate this, this I just love as much chaos in my game as possible.

Finally there is some of the humor that I love from this book tucked away in the Dreadnought special damage chart...

10. Control Loss - The suit goes berserk, moving out of control, firing and moving in an amusing manner randomly determined by the GM.

Profiles for general types of vehicles, dreadnoughts, and robots are included in the equipment chapter, as well as rules to randomly generate profiles for each!

Aerial Movement and Combat
Finally there are fairly extensive rules for aerial movement and combat. I've never used these (or really the modern rules for flyers in 40k) so I don't really have an opinion on them beyond loving the fact that there are rules for dropping things which may include 'stones, bricks, and other improvised items as well as grenades'. I keep picturing the movie Road Warrior and dropping a sack with a rattlesnake in it...

The Rest of the Rogue Trader Crew

Thought I'd post the stats of the other members of the team, including the fearless leader...

That makes my Rogue Trader faction 585 points...

Salvage Robot Team

For the Rogue Trader scenario I'm working on, I needed four non-combat robots.

These models are very old Gamma World miniatures by Grenadier. They appealed to me because they are from the same era as my other models and fit in very well stylistically. They were essentially identical with separate left arms. I set about converting a few to add variety and create a narrative. The tracked robot has a servo-claw from a tech-priest model... no idea what the track bit was from! The command robot has a comm pack from the Imperial Guard Cadian sprue.

In my scenario, these robots are tasked with the recovery of valuable (?) cargo that may have survived the crash of an Aquila Lander fleeing from an Imperial patrol in orbit. Conditions on the planet play hell with comms so I'm going to limit the ability of the robot tech to change their orders - he must be within 12". However, he may relay orders an additional 12" from the command robot (the spiffy yellow guy), increasing the possible range up to 24". If anything happens to Hart, Marko Steelknife may broadcast a recall command that will order the robots to return to Natasha's Luck, but that is the only command he can issue.

Point Values were calculated using the rules on page 58 of the Rogue Trader rule book. As non-combat robots, they are not armed with range weapons but may be ordered to charge (if Tech Hart is in range) and they will automatically defend themselves in close combat if attacked. The Fusion Torches equipped on the red robots are treated (and priced) as Power Swords.

I'm full steam ahead on this project and the next few weeks will be mostly dedicated to the models I need to complete this scenario!

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Six

Still in the Combat chapter...

Rout and Pursuit

A unit must make a rout test in the following situations.

1. The unit just lost a round of hand to hand combat.

2. The unit suffers casualties of 1/3 or more of its current numerical strength to shooting and/or psychic attack during a single turn.

3. As indicated elsewhere in the rules. For example, while breaking away from hand to hand combat.

4. Anytime at the GM's discretion.

That last bit is why I went through them all. Again, Rogue Trader assumes that having a Game Master adjudicating the game is the default. Of course Leadership is the characteristic used for Rout Tests, but there is an interesting note. The test is made on leader of the unit's characteristic - even if it is lower than the unit! It's hard to see when this would apply, but I could see designing a scenario where a unit is burdened by a less than heroic officer.

A unit failing its Leadership Test is immediately moved 4" (apparently regardless of the movement characteristic of the unit) away from the fight. In subsequent turns, routers are moved at double their normal rate during the movement phase. The victors will pursue to remain in contact unless the pass a Leadership Test not to do so. If their movement is sufficient to keep up with the routers, they will attack again in the hand to hand phase, and the routers are treated as WS1! If pursuers follow routers off the table, they may return on the roll of a 4+ in the same spot on subsequent turns.

Reserves

As mentioned in an earlier post, models which have not fired and are not with 4" of an enemy model may make a reserve move. Again, I think it is probably better to simply allow a double move in the Movement phase under these same conditions. However, it is interesting to note that Routing troops within 4" of allies also prevent them making reserve moves.

Psychology

Rogue Trader has four psychological conditions that affect troops - Confusion, Frenzy, Fear, and Hatred. All tests against these conditions are made using the Cool characteristic. These effects may be built into profiles of races or creatures and some weapons and equipment may trigger these as well. The results of a failed test can create quite a list of effects. For instance, units suffering from confusion have a -1 to hit with shooting and hand to hand, may not use psychic powers, move at half rate, may not be split, AND ignores further psychology tests.

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Five

Close Combat
Again, for the most part close combat is similar to the other editions - roll to hit, roll to wound, roll to save. The declaration of the charge occurs in the movement phase and allows a double move, but it is interesting to note that the actually fighting comes after the shooting phase. A model being charged may Stand and Fire with a -1 to hit or Run Away at double their move speed. Targets with Slow weapons may not Stand and Fire.

What is really strange and makes this section a complete mess is the fact that models are treated as individuals rather than units! If a charge is declared, not all of the models in the unit need to charge. If they can maintain unit coherency (stay with 2" of at least one model in their unit), they can move at a normal pace and fire during the shooting phase. The target of the charge may elect to have some models run away while others stand and fire! If a charger's target flees, he may continue to move and attempt to reach another model. Units defeated in close combat are pushed back 2" and winners will follow up unless they pass a leadership test not to do so. Interestingly, models involved in that combat who kill their target, do NOT follow up and stay where they were. There is a relatively long section on resolving the fate and position of these scattered models. Again, not awful for a skirmish game with 10-20 models per side, but I must say I do prefer the close combat rules of 7th edition to 1st. When I get around to playing some games, I will probably need to house rule how some of these things are handled.

Combat is resolved in order of initiative. As with Shooting there are more modifiers than newer versions: +1 to hit if charging, +1 to hit if uphill (higher ground, stairs, rampart), -1 to hit crossing a defended obstacle, etc.

A specific pair of modifiers deserves a closer look. There is a -1 to hit if using more than one weapon and an additional -1 to hit for the weapon in the off hand. However, models with two weapons DOUBLE their number of attacks so a character with 2 attacks actually rolls four dice (-1 on the primary weapon and -2 on the secondary). Normally the more dice you roll the better, but it may be more advantageous to settle on a single weapon, especially considering the last little nugget...

... and I think is huge... even Weapon Skill requires a 5+ to hit rather than a 4+ as later editions. You are only 50/50 if your WS is one higher than your target. In general, it is harder to hit in close combat and again it may mean a higher rate of survivability and more models on the table during the later rounds of a game.

Next week we'll look at the morale rules.

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Four

Continuing with the Combat chapter, let's look at... errr... combat or more specifically, shooting!

Shooting
As I mentioned covering movement last week, the facing of your models matters. In Rogue Trader, you have a 90-degree fire arc to the front of your model and cannot choose targets outside of that arc. Targets behind you are safe. Choosing the center of this arc can be problematic with some models and once again the book mentions that if there is doubt, the GM must decide if a target may be fired upon. As a simple rule of thumb, I make the center of the arc the direction a weapon is pointing. For models without firearms or weapons at ease, use the direction they are looking in. Line of sight is similar for the most part to the modern game which is basically the model's eye view, though woods block line of sight unless the target or shooter is within 2" of the edge, regardless of whether or not you can actually see models between the trees (remember these areas are representative and assume more trees and undergrowth than we can actually cram onto the base).

Something else missing from modern versions of the game is the ability to hide... not just go to ground for a cover save, but completely remove models from the danger of being fired upon (except by dropping templates on the area they are hiding in). The model must have some sort of cover - a wall, a building, a crater, etc. - and may not fire a weapon during it's turn or it will give away it's position. A hiding model may also not make a reserve move during it's turn.

Beyond these things, the familiar triad of roll to hit, roll to wound, and armour saves are pretty much the same with a few exceptions. There are more modifiers to hit (+1 to hit large targets over 3m high, -1 to hit small creatures under 30cm, -1 firing from a moving surface, -1 to hit target per 10" of movement last turn, etc.), including specific weapon mods for range...

Las Pistol +2 short range, -1 long range
Bolt Pistol +2 short range, no mod long range
Bolt Gun +1 short range, no mod long range

Another mod that stands is a -1 to hit if wounded, so multi-wound character models will find their effectiveness reduced after taking their first wound. There is also a -1 to hit when throwing 'stones, bricks, pottery and other impromtu missiles'. I don't know what I like more - the vision of an Inquisitor lobbing a potted plant at a foe or the use of 'impromtu'.

Also targets in cover are -1 to be hit in soft cover and -2 to be hit in hard cover rather than the modern cover save.

I think the modifiers may increase survivabilty of models, at least long range, which might be different from the modern game where armies seem decimated by turn three and the end of the game sees a dozen figures left per side. The number of modifiers doesn't seem prohibitive even for larger games.

Tales From the Maelstrom
As an aside, Andy Hoare from Tales of the Maelstrom has a great interview with Rick Priestly that touches on many points regarding the presence of a GM in games of Warhammer 40k. If you haven't read it you should go do it now (Quick! Run!). Besides being a great read, it may put some of my rambling into perspective for those who aren't as familiar with what I'm on about. Besides the interview, there are lots of posts on the site very much within the spirit of what I'm doing with my own collection and it's well worth some of your web time!

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Three

Moving on with the Combat chapter of my review of Rogue Trader...

Movement
These rules are a bit fiddly for my tastes, with 1/2" movement penalties, encumbrance, and facing considerations. These rules would not be bad with a dozen models on the table (perfectly acceptable in Rogue Trader), but will bog down the game with 30-40 models per side.

I am not against the encumbrance idea, but most armies had access to Suspensors, mini anti-grav generators that removed these penalties. Armour could cause encumbrance penalties as well, but these were some of the 1/2" penalties mentioned above that could make measuring a bit of a pain.


Turning
Facing of individual models was also an issue. Models could be turned up to 90 degrees before, after, or during their move. Any additional turns cost 1/2" of movement. The Example is tortured...

Example: A Space Marine is being pursued by his foes. He is facing them, and must make a 180 degree turn to face in the opposite direction ( a 1/2" penalty - the first 90 degree turn is free). The player moves the model a further 2 1/2" and turns 180 degrees to face his enemies once more (a 1" penalty). Total 1/2 + 2 1/2 + 1 = a move of 4 inches.

Arrgh! First of all why bother to get a whole 2 1/2" farther away when your enemies can probably advance 4" toward you without turning? Second, The game will run a lot slower, both because of the additional calculations and slower effective movement rates. Third, even though Space Marines lack the 'And They Shall Know No Fear' rule in Rogue Trader, MY Space Marines don't retreat voluntarily.

There is one rule I miss from this chapter and will certainly use when I get some games on the table...

Splitting Units
If a player wishes, part of a unit may be split off into one or more smaller units of as few as one model. These sub-units must be given specific tasks such as 'hold the ravine and give cover' or 'scout to the ridge and report enemy activity'. The new unit must obey the instructions AS INTERPRETED BY THE GM (see part one of this series if you missed it). The only action the sub unit could take beyond their orders was to move to rejoin it's parent unit (and would automatically do so if forced from their task). I could see ordering the guy with the Slow weapon (move or fire) to take a static position and cover the advance of the rest of the unit.

The inability to change a sub-unit's orders after they are deployed gives me the impression that the average soldier's personal comms weren't very advanced. I think that fits in perfectly with my vision of the Rogue Trader universe. This one of those forgotten rules that added a lot of character without being overly complicated (like the turning rules above). I'm sure there are goofy ways to take unfair advantage with this, but I don't play that way (yeah, I lose a lot).

Reserve Moves
Basically the same as the modern game in the fact that models that do not shoot may move double their normal speed. In Rogue Trader it was just split into two phases. Again, not a problem for small games and I like the tactical aspect of it, but moving 100 orks twice per turn could be a pain! The second round of movement takes place after the Close Combat phase.

Next time, Shooting!

Reading Rogue Trader, Part Two

The first and maybe longest part of the Rogue Trader book is called Combat and contains most of the rules. Ironically, it is also probably the weakest part of 1st edition. Don't get me wrong, the core of the rules presented is strong and largely the same as the game today - roll to hit, armour save, roll to wound, test morale. Dead simple and maybe even elegant. It is when you start delving into the details, maybe again with an eye toward the modern game, that you find the mess that NEEDS a GM (see part one of this series). I'm not going to point out every flaw (remember, I LIKE this version of the game) and I'm not going to cover every section, but I will go through a few problems as well highlight some of the elements I like that are missing from the modern game. As the chapter is so long I will spread this look at the first chapter across several posts.

Personal Characteristics
Models in 1st edition had all of the normal stats still present (Move, Weapon Skill, etc) but they also had four 'Personal Characteristics' - Leadership, Intelligence, Cool, and Willpower. There was a lot of role playing influences in Rogue Trader and these characteristics lent more... err... character to the models. Later versions of the game dispensed with these and rolled them all into Leadership.

Leadership - This was a model's ability to command and follow commands. This stat was used for morale tests in combat.

Intelligence - The main use for this stat was to limit access to advanced equipment. In Rogue Trader all weapons and gear had a tech level and a creature required an Intelligence equal to or greater than the tech level of an item to be able to use it properly.

Cool - This stat was used to measure a model's ability to handle psychological conditions - fear, frenzy, etc.

Willpower - This stat was used to make or defend against psionics.

Now in skimming the book, most creatures had the same rank in Leadership, Cool, and Willpower, with some exceptions (for instance a genestealer had a Leadership and Cool of 10, but a Willpower of only 8). There are rules later in the chapter for generating random characters and you could get some asymmetric stat lines that way. Again, these were gone by 2nd edition (as were tech levels) so it's not hard to see why later versions of the game combined all of these into Leadership.

Models for the Game
This small section contains the obligatory "Citadel Miniatures manufactures a large and comprehensive range of Warhammer 40,0000 metal models". However, the majority of the two paragraphs in this section go on to encourage you design your own content, ending with "If you want to invent your own races, or create your own flora and fauna - then do it!"

You can certainly do this in friendly games in the modern versions of 40k, but it's not encouraged in the rules. The best you can usually get away with set in stone army lists is 'Counts As' armies and some venues won't allow even those. To be fair though, the ability to field 'unbound' lists in 7th edition (choose anything you want) can lead to some more creative armies.


Bases
Another oddity from Rogue Trader - the size and shape of the base was not considered critical and players were allowed to use any method they chose as long as it didn't look 'ridiculous'. Most of the combat examples in the book use hex bases, though almost all of the infantry models that appear in photographs are on round bases and large models (like dreadnoughts) are on square bases.

More next time...

Reading Rogue Trader, Part One

I've been playing Warhammer 40k since it was first released and I've played games in every edition. I've long felt that the 1st edition was my favorite, but recently someone asked me why. I'm sure a big part of the answer is simply nostalgia. I have very fond memories of simply throwing whatever models were in my collection on the table and forging a narrative around them. Points didn't really matter (the point system wasn't great anyway - more on that in future posts). They didn't even have to be painted (horror)! A simple fact of the matter was I didn't have tons of models. The nearest store to really stock a comprehensive selection was an hour and a half away and in the dark days before the internet and online shopping it wasn't easy to simply choose optimal builds. After that drive I usually just bought whatever looked the coolest!

My 'good guys' were a mix of Space Marines, Imperial Guards, Adventurers, and Eldar (including Harlequins) and these fought against the 'bad guys' of Orks, Chaos Renegades, Adventurers (sometimes the same characters who were notorious for switching sides), and Genestealer Cult forces. The games were usually small with 20-30 models per side (sometimes unpainted, did I mention that before? Shudder!) with limited vehicles - I had a rhino, a landspeeder, an Eldar Warwalker, several Ork buggies, an Ork dreadnought, a Chaos dreadnought, and a couple of robots.

But I digress. To answer the question why 1st edition was my favorite (and to get ready to play some more games with this edition), I decided to read the book cover to cover, which is something I haven't done in decades. This is the first in a series of articles on my observations. I know from skimming through there are some surprising things I'd forgotten that are much different than the game 40k has become. I'm going to take these articles one chapter at a time and I'll highlight things as I go.

On the first page of the book (well, page 6, but the first page of text) I might have found the answer to why the 1st edition was my favorite...

GAMEMASTER

    To fight a Warhammer 40,000 game you will need an extra person called the gamemaster, usually referred to simply as the GM. He will act as the umpire or referee, and it is his task to enforce the rules of the game; interpreting them where necessary. The GM should make sure that the players have sufficent dice, pencils, paper and any other items needed during play.

    It is possible to fight a game without a GM, so long as players are willing to cooperate a little, adopt a reasonable attitude and are honest in their record keeping. It is also possible to fight games where all of the players are on the same side against a side controlled directly by the GM. Of course, this does rely on the GM to make the game as fair as possible. One-sided games against the GM should be conducted with the aim of finding how well the players preform, rather than by aiming to defeat them.

How different is this than modern 40k (or Warmachine or Bolt Action or... etc.)!? Throughout the original Rogue Trader book, many of the rules are presented with the idea that there will be a GM to adjudicate situations and interpret the rules as a neutral observer (and I love that one of the GM's duties was to make sure every one had pencils and paper). The book often seems like more of an RPG than a wargame. Now, I played plenty of games without a GM, but the narrative seemed far more important back then than seeking advantages in the Rules As Written, fielding the optimum model to point ratio, or even winning the game.

This aspect of the game was missing from the 2nd edition forward. Certainly you could play with a GM, but that element was not written as part of the game. Again, I'll get into specifics as I sort through the chapters, but as far as what made it my favorite, I can probably stop now!