+ To the roots of heresy: Rogue Trader +
+ Why do we collect and paint miniatures at all? For me, it's the sheer joy and fascination with opening a window into other realms, and exploring those with other people. +
+ The original Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (RT) did that very well for me; really opening my eyes to science fiction and fantasy in general. I think I'm fairly unusual in engaging with RT prior to other fantasy/sci-fi media – like Dune, 2000AD, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars/Trek etc. For that reason, I've got a lot of nostalgic affection for the sheer oddness and breadth of the setting. +
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| Glam and deadly Rogue Trader flanked by burly loyal retainers.. |
+ Importantly, it was empty and open. That was the critical thing that always struck me when comparing it with later properties. The Imperium, described in what seemed like huge detail, was simultaneously revealed to be a fragile cobweb of isolated worlds. +
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| Why yes, this is a cyberpunk-samurai, space-navy officer, creepy eyeless wizard and a dog. Do they go together? Absolutely. |
+ That sense of empty, threatening, lonely voids – and the opportunity to dive into them and create my own worlds, characters and forces – has stuck with me; even if most of my modelling and painting has revolved around replication of existing groups. +
+ With that in mind, I thought I'd dig through all the cool models that I've picked up on a whim and just start getting them painted. Not necessarily to fit in with anything, but more to just enjoy painting one-off models and small groups. These'll likely share a basing scheme, but not necessarily. Beyond that, I want the group to look as unusual, varied and motley as possible. +
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| Senior Princeps (out of his tub for a walk), Moderati and Princeps. |
+ These'll all likely find places in my Alien Wars setting, alongside the ongoing Augustine Crusade. And if they don't? Well, then I'll just enjoy painting and having another little window into a future I'm in no hurry to visit! +
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| Armsmen? Mercenaries? Imperial Guardsmen? Planetary defence force? All of the above. |
4 comments:
Going through old bits and models during the quarantine has been a surprisingly enjoyable journey into modelling past. It sounds like your introduction to Rogue Trader mirrors my own in that I also found RT before really delving into what other SF was out there. Except for Star Wars - that's been a lifelong love affair from the beginning.
Looking forward to seeing these painted up.
I'm painting a grab bag of models from small companies who are going to be having a tough time of it at the moment in the hope that I encourage an extra purchase or two. I really should go through the various cases I've got lying around and see what small stuff like this will be a good break from that.
Some characterful crews you have there!
I missed Rogue Trader early days of 40K but I definitely understand what you mean by the appeal of both the wide openness and detail of the setting. That combined with the ability to seemingly merge just about any fantasy detail with any sci-fi detail in a setting that seemed visually and psychologically much more likely than either Star Trek or Star Wars. I enjoyed both Star settings growing up in the 1970s but I was never interested in learning more about either setting even though they had their breadcrumbs to follow and have been expanded well beyond the movies and TV shows they sprang from. Maybe that's what sets 40K apart from those two is that comes from a more book based, RPG origin that first appearing as movie or TV show to be consumed?
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