What Exactly Is A Rogue Trader in Warhammer 40,000?

There are several media outlets that feature Warhammer 40,000, including video games, books, and tabletop games. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which debuted in December 2023, introduced us to the Koronus Expanse, a region of the cosmos. However, what precisely is a Rogue Trader?

We shall address this query here and delve into the definition and origins of a rogue trader. This will cover Rogue Traders in general and Owlcat Games’s CRPG in particular, as well as Rogue Traders in other Warhammer 40k media.

Warhammer 40,000’s Rogue Traders: Rogue Trader

You play as a Rogue Trader in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, as would be anticipated. You may get a rather detailed explanation of what a Rogue Trader is in the game’s lexicon.

These are essentially freeborn aristocrats who can travel the world and accomplish almost anything they choose. This is made feasible via a Warrant of Trade, defined as a “document that affirms the pre-eminent rights of a Rogue Trader throughout the galaxy.”

Rogue Traders have the authority to interact with, destroy, or trade with other groups (pirates, mutants, or xenos) and can go outside the Imperium borders with a Warrant of Trade. It is often possible for Rogue Traders to be “masters of their own fates.”

Rogue Trader Theodora Von Valancius: Who Is She?

You are Theodora Von Valancius’s distant relative in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. We also discover that the Von Valancius line has been assisting the Imperium of Man for millennia in the game’s teaser trailer.

Theodora herself informs us in this teaser that the Emperor gave his most devoted subjects the Warrant of Trade, allowing them to discover new worlds and propagate the Imperium.

In the Warhammer franchise, who are Rogue Traders?

The 2023 game is not the first instance of Rogue Traders; they have been around since the 1980s. The original 1983 Warhammer game featured a mediaeval fantasy premise; however, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, a science fiction variant, was released in 1987. This board game served as the 40,000 universe’s launchpad.

The rulebook for this tabletop game defines Rogue Traders as independent explorers who work for the Imperium. These explorers received a ship and crew in exchange for being selected based on their allegiance.

In general, the term “Rogue Trader” describes obedient Imperium workers who have been given freedom to explore as the Emperor pleases.