Dastardly Abul Goldberg Strikes Again!

If you flick to the rear pages of the Rogue Trader rulebook to browse the scenario generator, you may find your eye drawn to a name which keeps cropping up.

"Abdul Goldberg stole your ship off you - the poker game was rigged and you're sure he put something in your drink."

"The authorities chased you all the way to the spaceport where Abdul Goldberg was waiting with the getaway ship, however the double-dealing rat had done a bunk..."

You get the idea. Abdul Goldberg is a mysterious antagonist who is repeatedly used as a plot point for scenarios. This underhand, double-crossing swine appears to be a mix of crime lord and smuggler, undertaking nefarious deals on the wrong side of the law.

Happily, the Emporium of Rogue Dreams Facebook group embraces just such characters, and has run a competition to create a version of Abdul for use on the tabletop. As no images exist of the villain, this has allowed folks to delve into their creativity and produce their own, very personal version.

I started with the head. I wanted my incarnation of Abdul to be characterfully someone you shouldn't trust. After playing around with some options, I dug out an old Citadel Corsair of Umbar who had the requisite look. I then went off-piste and turned up the militaristic Traitor General from Citadel's 2000AD/Rogue Trooper line. With the addition of a small pet, this was the resulting conversion:

My Abdul is not an all action gunslinger, but a wily, aging smuggler. He doesn't get his hands dirty, but operates a network of fixers, and hires muscle for the inevitable enforcement work.

The business activities and financial affairs of Abdul Goldberg remain under constant surveillance. At face value, it would appear that the dealer in rare goods and exotic creatures operates a legitimate and successful business, in spite of a penchant for socialising with known smugglers and other criminals. Goldberg also appears to have the ear and patronage of numerous high-ranking Imperial officials and nobles, including several planetary Governors.

To date, numerous minor associates have been incarcerated for a range of illegalities, including extortion, bribery, money laundering, significant bodily harm, drugs trafficking, slavery, handling of stolen goods, burglary and murder. No links to Goldberg have yet been proven.

It is only a matter of time before the suspected crime lord overreaches himself, and evidence is obtained to permit enforcement actions to be undertaken.

I gave Abdul a khaki outfit to reinforce the militaristic feel, but then offset that with the less formal blue hood.

His little pet armadillo is an attempt to individualise Abdul further. The little creature was from Foundry and I went for a bright pink carapace to contrast with Abdul's outfit.

 

I suspect Abdul will be seeing action as an NPC in some game or other in the near future!

 



Abdul Goldberg personally strikes a deal with an inter-stellar trader for a consignment of latinum ingots. Low price, no questions asked.