Hello Rogue Trader fans!

This week I’d like to take some time to talk about Lure of the Expanse , specifically the book’s grand endeavour: Conquering the Dread Pearl.

So far, most of the endeavours in Rogue Trader adventures have been presented as profit-earning opportunities the players may look into in the course of their adventures. While tied into the plot of an adventure, they are not central to completing that adventure. Instead, they are independent opportunities the players can pursue on their own time. (Or possibly have their lackeys handle for them!)

Lure of the Expanse and Conquering the Dread Pearl go in an entirely different direction. Instead of multiple endeavours that are kept somewhat independent of the central storyline, all three adventures are linked by this overarching grand endeavour. As the players navigate the treacherous landscape of Footfall, strike bargains with the Priest-Kings of Vaporius, duel in the void against the ships of the Twilight Corsairs, or even bombard war-torn Zayth, each of their actions contributes to the success of the overall endeavour (and by extension, Lure of the Expanse as a whole). If, like true Rogue Traders, they turn each situation into an opportunity for profit, completing Lure will leave them wealthy and powerful, forces to be reckoned with in the Expanse. However, a wrong move can drain a Rogue Trader’s coffers instead, making it that much harder to turn their quest for the Dread Pearl into a profit-making venture.

To help Game Masters keep track of their players’ successes (and failures), Lure of the Expanse includes an Achievement Point Tracker. The image above depicts the Tracker, with some of the juicier details blurred out. We don't want to spoil the adventure before the book's released, after all!

While completing the three adventures in Lure of the Expanse , the players will have numerous opportunities to earn (and lose!) Achievement Points. There is more information about how Achievement Points work in the Core Rulebook, but suffice to say, the players will need to earn a certain amount for the endeavour to be successful. The Achievement Point Tracker not only lets the GM keep track of how many Achievement Points his party earns throughout the Adventures, when the group finishes Lure the GM can show them the Tracker and the group can see where in the adventure they were wildly successful, and where they failed.

On the Track above, the group is about half-way through the three adventures. They have mostly been successful (although not nearly as successful as they could be). However, their most recent adventure turned out very badly for them, and they will have to work even harder to make up for it.

However, the grand endeavour does not lock a group into playing through all three adventures, nor is its use mandatory. Lure of the Expanse explains how to use each of the book’s three adventures separately, and many of the objectives in the book can be turned into endeavours of their own right, with a minimum of conversion work. However, for groups who want a truly epic three-part adventure where every choice has an impact on their bottom line, Lure of the Expanse provides. 

Rogue Trader is a roleplaying game set in dark gothic far future of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe. Players take on the roles of explorers aboard a Rogue Trader's ship, searching for profit and adventure while discovering new alien cultures and threats in the uncharted regions of space.

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