Is retro the future? Thoughts on Rogue Trader

My next painting project, watch this space

Well, I'm back from the week of painting at the in-laws but still have no proper Internet wired in at home, I think I'm getting something close to withdrawal symptoms. In the brief moments I have been able to get online and read as many blogs as possible, I've noticed something in the air...

Maybe it's blatant to everyone and I've just noticed it. Maybe I've just been listening to a bit too much Joy Division and early Human League. Maybe it's because I've been reading a fair bit of JG Ballard lately (most recently, High Rise). Either way, there seems to be a lot of musings about and perhaps even a hankering for a return to the white heat, chaotic creativity and satire of the 40k of the 80s as embodied by Rogue Trader. A place where the word "Horus Heresy" meant nothing, Space Marines were psychopathic criminals charged with preventing the scourge of graffiti across the galaxy, anybody could buy power armour, and the Eldar were essentially New Romantic pirates. In space.

Forget Chaos, spray cans are the scourge of humanity

A few bloody brilliant posts have embodied this much better than I could. There's James' stuff over at Warp Signal, and this fantastic article over at The Coxomb.  Mordian7th has also recently featured Ambulls on his site, something that put a big grin on my face as I've been tinkering with an ambull-based scenario for 6th edition 40k.... In "researching" this post I've also just discovered a fantastic and newish blog by a chap called orlygg, that focuses on Rogue Trader and its history.There is also the (possibly) Old School Review created by Colonel Kane of Tales from the Maelstrom, and Porky very kindly featured a few of my posts under one of his OSR lists - a belated thanks!

Bowie's in space....

There has also been quite a few posts on a few forums recently where the love for Rogue Trader and the old school seems to be much more evident. Maybe it's becuase many of us old duffers don't link change, there always seems to be someone complaining about something or another (myself included). But change in itself isn't something I'm opposed to, change can be an arse ache, but in a game where strategy is involved it's easy to fall into a rut, so a bit of change is always good I think. On the whole I like 6th edition, and not just for the mechanics, but more so for the shift towards a narrative emphasis. I think much of the love for Rogue Trader has something to do with that. The rules were incredibly chaotic and creative (if a little heavy at times) there was no such thing as canon other than the poor spelling of a big metal tube for firing big metal things at people you don't get on too well with. The artwork, whilst being less naturalistic, seemed to have much more atmosphere and energy - something covered at length in the Coxomb post. Yes a lot of it was ridiculous, but there was some great stuff in there.The character names were ridiculous puns, but often satirical. There was something brilliantly irreverant about it.

When Titans were modelled on bull mastiffs - much scarier...

Rogue Trader, as Jams at Warp Signal covers much better, certainly seems to have come out of a British post-punk tradition that had little regard for authority, where DIY attitudes prevailed, and humour was essential.Perhaps with the economy and political decisions in the UK increasingly resembling those of Britain under Thatcher, maybe us wargamers are looking for similar things now as then. Maybe, as I said before, it's all in my imagination.

Either way I'd love to see more posts and reports about games using either the Rogue Trader rules, or even better, games using Rogue Trader fluff with either RT rules, or even those of 6th... I think there's a project looming on the horizon. Not again....

Barry, how do you steer these things?

Does anyone think there is something to this? What are your thoughts on the RT fluff and aesthetics? Answers on a postcard as this was meant to be the start of a discussion and not just me waffling.

Well, that's it for now. I have a few, hopefully interesting, posts lined up including the Spears of Mawdryn stuff I need to catch up with, a fluff post I promised Colonel Scipio and much more....