A History of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader in 5 Less Obvious Objects - Part Five - Robots, Robots, Robots!

What could be more SF than robots and how they have evolved in 40K is a great example of the strength of the game from its Rogue Trader days to now

This is the final part of a series of a 5-part series of posts inspired by a Grognard Files podcast episode that looked at the history of the RPG company Chaosium. In that episode Chaosium boss Rick Meints talked about 5 items from the companies history. Interestingly, Rick picked 5 less obvious objects and in the process made it a more interesting journey. I’m doing the same thing, so not going for the obvious things - e.g. the release of 40K Rogue Trader itself, RTB01, Realm of Chaos etc. The series of ‘A History of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader in 5 Less Obvious Objects’ can be found here.

Part Five - Robots!

This time it is the rise of the robots! It is not hard to think of memorable SF series with robots as key characters - Star Wars, Star Trek, The Matrix films, the Alien franchise, Blade Runner, Lost in Space, Terminator and so on. Often how they are composed, and reacted too, by the humans in the story is a core part of the narrative energy of the setting. So it is not a surprise upon opening the hallowed pages of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader (mostly pages 42-43 and 117-119) we also find references to them within (pg. 42);

Robots are a part of everyday life in human and alien society. Vehicles and any comparable machines can be effectively turned into robots by the installation of appropriate auto-systems (auto-drive, auto-aim and auto-fac). These auto-systems provide the equivalent of a human operator, and are fully capable of discriminating, making decisions and taking appropriate action. So, for example, a las-cannon with auto-aim can be fired just as if it had a crewman.

What we are interested in, is of course though is, not robot for driving along or factory work, but robots for war! (also pg.42)

The greater majority of robots are simple runarounds, workmen or toys, and have no place on the battlefield. Warrior robots, however. are different. They are machines created specifically for war as the soldiery by proxy for a living, biological race. In human space, the Emperor’s Tech-priests are continually experimenting with and Improving their dread warrior legions of robots - machines implanted with the will to slay and despoil.

(Image - A part picture, part schematics image of a war-robot holding a morning star weapon from the front and side. From page 42 of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader)

So early on we get robots and yes they are described akin to the robots of classical SF that would have influenced Rick and the other creators of early 40K, but we also get mentions of the ‘Emperor’s Tech-priests’ who would, in time, become the fully fledged faction of the Mechanicum. Rogue Trader pg. 132 sets the ball rolling:

The Adeptus Mechanicus are also known as the Tech-priests. They are the guardians of all the ancient arcane technology, the last remnants of what (in a more primitive age) would have been called science. Chief amongst their tasks is the servicing and maintaining of the machinery that gives the Emperor life.

(Image - An old Crusader Class Imperial robot miniature from Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader. Thanks to Matt ‘Wib’ Ward for permission to use the image - find out more about Snipe & Wib here.)

In Rogue Trader’s gameplay terms, Robots are a hybrid of standard warrior units and vehicle profiles with the stats block mostly akin to what a humans, Space Marines, Orks or even monsters have but with the ‘Wounds’ characteristic replaced with 'Damage Points and adding in vehicle-type malfunction outcomes from any damage taken.

So this may sound like an odd choice for a key object - as in Rogue Trader they are not central to the setting and don’t stand out much especially when compared with others like Space Marine, Ork or Eldar.

The reason I think Robots are a key alternative object is the journey: From Rogue Trader in 1987, the next iteration comes in White Dwarf 104 from August 1988. In a Chapter Approved we would see more references to the the Mechanicum using ritual and superstition as much as technical know-how and we would get units that now are composed and played quite differently. The rules for robots would become thier own thing, with build-points, systems and specialist options like bombot racks. Most interestingly robots are given ‘program instructions’ which forces them to play in accordance with pre-written rules of action.

(Image - A Bombot’s instruction program from page 22 of White Dwarf 104)

There are also hints as to the biological basis for intelligence that will replace the more classic assumed form of robots thus far.

(Image - A member of a Adeptus Mechanicus delves into the innards of a robot and its ‘bioplasic’ from White Dwarf 104, Page 22.)

So as Robots were developed in the setting the idea of the limitations of thier cognition grew. Those described in WD 104 can later be interpreted as deliberately hobbled automated simple systems that follow simple programs and can’t ‘think’ for themselves on the battlefield. Later, in WD 178 the Mechanicum would get a back-story that expanded and explained the strange mix of superstition and technology that drives them. While this article explains the faction’s past it is in service of the current Titan and Imperial Knight forces.

Later still the idea of how AI is portrayed in the setting is developed and robots become even more slaved to humans via Doctrina Wafers. Later added to this are the Tau drones, the Leagues of Votann’s Ancestor Cores, the Necons and the Men of Iron and more. The net result is robotic beings that are very much a 40K-thing. It is they journey that make robots - a classic of SF - a key item for 40K Rogue Trader.

Thanks for reading!

PS. A few links of note:

• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II details branching story, optional worlds

• Oh and why not check out the Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! demo?

• Speaking of robots - the new Skitarii heavies are dope.

• Also enjoyed the latest from Olden Demon.

Note! There is more about this project here. The direct chat for this project is here. You can comment here or find me on BlueSky.

Also note! This book project is a personal one and not affiliated with any company that, in my day job, I work with or partner with.

(Image - An old Cataphract Class Imperial robot miniature from Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader. Thanks to Matt ‘Wib’ Ward for permission to use the image - find out more about Snipe & Wib here.)