Living Rules Compromise Document

Here's what I have so far, a document that helps smooth out some of the rough edges...

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader Rules Supplement

A listing of rules issues and possible solutions to facilitate play

This document is meant to help players of 1^st Edition Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader (WH40KRT) enjoy playing an out of print and at time contentious game.  Rules that are discussed here might impact the game in different ways ranging from enjoyment to model/material availability.  The default position of this document is to play by the rules as written.  This document offers compromises and suggestions as exceptions to the rules.  This document assumes players will be using the WH40KRT Rulebook, Compendium, and Compilation.

Negative Play Experience:  Possibly the most difficult issue to address in miniatures games because there is a winner and a loser.  There are, however, rules within the games that might increase feelings of NPE.  Outlined below are some rules that should probably be discussed before creating an army and playing a game.

Vortex, Virus, and Rad Grenades are an upgrade for many models in the game.  Rad Grenades can be loaded into OGL’s carried by the Imperial Guard and can destroy an entire enemy army.  Vortex and Virus grenades are less plentiful but no less deadly.

Therefore, limiting these grenades or eliminating them from lists altogether might be considered.  Of the three, the Vortex grenade has the smallest potential for NPE, but it is still essentially a Silver Bullet in that it can bypass most defenses that players incorporate into their lists. 

Suggestions: 

• No Virus, Vortex or Rad Grenades are allowed to be taken in any army list unless they appear as Basic or Standard Equipment.
• Limit Vortex and Rad Grenades to Personality models only.  Limit Virus Grenades to one per army.

Winning the Game:  While not a negative play experience, there aren’t any real victory conditions in WH40KRT.  This can lead to games taking a very long time to complete with a player having only a handful (or less) of models left constantly running away from a much larger force.  Turn limits were added to the 2^nd edition of the game to help with this, as well as victory points.

Suggestions:

• Enforce a turn limit between 4 to 8 turns of play.  The player with the most Victory Points is the winner.  Victory Points are equal to 10% of a Personality Model/Squad/Vehicle’s point cost, rounding normally.
• Enforce a Victory Point limit equal to 50% of the total game size.  If the game is 2000 points, then the first player to earn 100 Victory Points is the winner regardless of turn length.

Vehicle Rules:  Vehicles are a rather complicated issue with WH40KRT.  A template was added for shooting at vehicles, but this item is difficult to find or duplicate, and data sheets for vehicles are likewise difficult to find.  Additionally, the cost of many vehicles were reduced after the fact.  Reasons given for the cost reduction were mainly due to balancing the use of vehicles.  The updated rules for vehicles were released in a book, much like the Compilation or Compendium, which included data sheet for all the vehicles.  Players owning this book and the requisite targeting template should use them.  Players without those items may wish to compromise.

Suggestions:

• Utilize the rules found within the rulebook for vehicles.
• Utilize the cost decreases (if the players have access to White Dwarf 135).

Space Marine Army List:  The Space Marines Army list has a few rules issues that impact the game in terms of the availability of models.  Essentially for Squads, any upgrades must be universal for each squad type.  Additionally, a Techmarine is required for each vehicle taken in a list.  Because RT Era models aren’t readily available for purchase, these two rules can impede actually building an army to play with.

Suggestions:

• Allow each squad to be outfitted individually.  This should allow players freedom to field models they might not otherwise be able to.
• Ignore “What you see is what you get” for Squads, and indicate in writing what the models actually carry.
• Increase the cost of each vehicle that requires a Techmarine by the cost of a Techmarine (who pilots the vehicle).  If the vehicle is destroyed, so is the Techmarine.  The Techmarine may only repair the vehicle he is assigned to.

Imperial Guard Army List:  The Imperial Guard Army list has several issues that are impacted by model availability and NPE.  Specifically Command Sections and the minimum number of Tactical Guardsman Squads needed to field an army.  The rules indicate that a squad must have a model within12” of a member of a Command Section.  Additionally, a minimum of four Tactical Squads was required to even play an Imperial Guard Army, and this number had to be met before adding any other squad types.

Suggestions:

• Change Command Sections to “must have a model within Line of Sight of (or to) a model in the Command Section”.
• Change the minimum number of Squads to either 2, 1, or 0.