40K Retro: Inside the Covers of 1987’s Rogue Trader
Welcome to the BoLS Retro Corner, where we take you on a time machine to the era of early tabletop awesomeness. This week, the origin of the Grimdark. Rick Priestley’s 1987 masterpiece: Rogue Trader – get ready for 1st Edition gamers!
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, sometimes just referred to as Rogue Trader, was the first core rule book for the Warhammer 40,000 game.
General Structure
The first rule book for the Warhammer 40,000 game, Rogue Trader was published in 1987 and written by Rick Priestley, and was quite different to future versions of the game. Largely a cross between Role Playing Games and Table Top Battle Games, rather than an out and out Table Top Battle Game, Rogue Trader contained much more background on the wider universe, races and technology found in the Warhammer 40k universe than later editions did, and for this reason is considered a prized collectors’ piece.
The book is considered much less imperio-centric than later editions, as it employed a much broader spectrum of views within the narration than was common in future versions and proactively encouraged mixed faction forces.
Contents
Rogue Trader had six sections –
- Rules for combat
- A scenario featuring Crimson Fist space marines against Orks on Rynn’s World
- A section detailing equipment
- A section on the backround
- Special rules for advanced gamers
- A summary including all of the charts in the book.
