Rogue Trader was the first release of the Warhammer 40K tabletop game back in 1987. It’s fundamentally quite a different game to play when compared to the modern editions, being more oriented towards roleplay than massed battles on the tabletop. The rulebook itself is chock full of lore, worldbuilding and drawings.
A number of expansion books were released over the life of the first edition, including the Realm of Chaos books Slaves To Darkness and The Lost And The Damned. There were regular White Dwarf articles relating to Rogue Trader, which were compiled in the Chapter Approved – Book of the Astronomican, Warhammer 40,000 Compendium and the Warhammer 40,000 Compilation.
Later (1992) books included the Battle Manual and Vehicle Manual, which stepped the rules closer to that of 2nd. Edition which would be released in 1993.
Of note – in the Dec 1987 White Dwarf (#96) it was stated that Citadel were selling over a million miniatures a month, prior to 40K taking off. Could explain why there are still so many of the Rogue Trader-era miniatures floating around…
