I am going to run a Roleplaying Campaign using 3rd 40k

[Warmistress]

does anyone have any experience with campaign play? My gaming group back in the day was only into lame meat grinder missions and other, frankly, smelly boy missions. As a result my experience with campaigns for 40k is essentially nothing.

Recently, I developed interest in playing earlier editions of 40k as they are more RPG like, but I don't have any of those books in print and my usual method of producing prints isn't working for me. I do, however, have a copy of the Big Black Book I got from a friend ages ago. I might also have a mini rulebook for 5th, but the BBB include rudimentary army lists which is a plus.

I play on houseruling in some of the later editions improvments and some of the complexity of earlier editions.

In addition, I have been making paper minis at half the scale, I printed out and mounted said minis and a set of Space Hulk tiles to use for dungeon crawling.

any thoughts, anyone?

Also, I'd be glad to share my minis if anyone is interested in good looking paper proxies or in trying my "half scale" 40k.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

While the early editions of 40k had some RPG elements to them, 3rd edition is not really one that had - in fact 3rd is very much the edition that made 40k the game it became. What you need is a copy of 1st edition (Rogue Trader - not to be confused with the newer FFG game of the same name)

[Billiam Babble]

Like Mortis says, the orignal Rogue Trader is a real gem.
Without crossing over entirely into RPG games where you play a single character with lots of story or skills rules, there's interesting middle grounds (keeping to GW products).  I picked up the early Necromunda rulebook and Inquisitor because they both have extensive equipment lists, and are hit point and skills focussed in a way that resembles RPG gaming,  in terms of the freedom to modify unique characters or a gang (success, failure ... campaign development).  I am always drawn to the simpler systems but my background is more B/X D&D than wargaming.  As a crossover suggestion a player friend once asked if it was possible to run a 40k mission using the WHQ tiles - some sort of a temple with traps, essentially Space Hulk or Space Crusade with some RPG puzzle elements. It never happened, but one of the first things I would have done was introduced a wound system which allowed players to continue whilst technically incapacited  - > this of course might lead to increased hit points or special wounds modifier tables, which is perhaps how single player character gaming in RPGs evolved from tabletop wargaming.  Okay, I'm rambling now. :D