I have three gaming stores I visit, one for RPGs, one for Minis, and one for Old and secondhand stuff

Of course your causing controversy (you always do, its just how you are :P)

well I don’t have time for it so its good that someone will.

the Compedium, Book of the Astronomicon, Vehicle book, ‘Ere We Go and Freebooterz

What I wouldn’t do for a copy of those.

Rogue Trader is a fuzzy term because when i think of that system to me its all 40k pre 2nd edition, something like a minimum of 7 or 8 books I believe (RT rulebook, the Compedium, Book of the Astronomicon, Vehicle book, the Chaos Duo of the Lost and the Damned and Slaves to Darkness, ‘Ere We Go and Freebooterz - I think). That is a ton of material, with a tone that is sorely lacking from the current GW line. Even just comparing the two rulebooks I own, in physical form, you can see a huge shift in feel to the game, from the Game Mastered form of the original rulebook to a more Army based version in the Compedium that provides the first Army lists.

Rules wise the early stuff definately shows how it drew a ton from the Roleplaying games of the era for the complexity. However I think too many people assume simple rules are elegent rules and vice versa. There are alot of rules in RT that are not elegant at all (the rules for Robot Maniples jumps to my mind since Bell of Lost Souls managed to create a superb modernday incarnation and trim page count, not counting counters by about half) however there are some rules I think are pretty elegant and fitting the fluff.

The ratio of vehicles and support weapons to Techmarines in a marine army was a nice limiter considering how powerful some of those pieces of equipment could be, you are forced to prioritze equipment just like a real world commander would. The prereqs in the Imperial Guard list fits a certain image that the fluff maintains too.

All said I think RTs real claim to fame, besides starting the juggernaut of 40k going, is planting ideas in other designers minds. While the execution of some ideas was sloppy the ideas themselves are pretty sweet.

Let’s get beyond nostalgia when listing the top 10 games.

Why? Isn’t the game that got you into the hobby always going to have a special place in your memory? It was a pretty generic question so I can only assume that people had a variety of reasons for their choices but Rogue Trader is always going to be a great game to my mind if only because it was the first miniature game I purchased. It got me into this hobby and while I didn’t vote for it, I always have positive memories of it.

I mean, I’d happily play Superfigs or Void or any of the better gamles of the past decade in the WH40K universe with GW miniatures, but RT or any edition of the WH40K rules?

People like what they like. No real way to argue against preference.

But enough about that. Let’s throw another heretical claim on the table: WH40K Rogue Trader is a pretty average game too. At least when it comes to rules design. Yes, there’s detail, but that isn’t what makes a set of rules great. You need innovative & elegant design for that. RT was never more than an a plain average, and therefore instantly recognizable, game. There’s nothing in it you didn’t find in plenty of other 80s games. What drew people in was the fluff, artwork & miniatures, as well as the DIY attitude it seemed to encourage. Not the ho-hum rules which may have reassured the unadventurous, but didn’t offer anything new or interesting.