Warhammer Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Fedora Master]

Wizards in WHF are divided in 8 colleges/winds. How psykers works in WH40k?

Shut the fuck up about magic

 

[Trithne]

Interesting. No cryomancy or shadowmancy?

What about weapons? Gaus rifles? laser weapons? weird radiation grenades?

It's not an exhaustive list, it's just what was written in the books we have. You want cryomancy, come up with it. I did a while back when I was playing DH2, pretty sure I've lost the files though.

Necron "gauss" weapons are just GW using a word. They're more like lightning guns. The closest any faction has shown to a magnetic rail/coil gun are the Tau.

Otherwise if you can think of it, the Imperium probably has it in a shed somewhere. There's a minor House on Necromunda that manufactures radiation cannons, purely for their own use.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Interesting. No cryomancy or shadowmancy?

What about weapons? Gaus rifles? laser weapons? weird radiation grenades?

It's not an exhaustive list, it's just what was written in the books we have. You want cryomancy, come up with it. I did a while back, pretty sure I've lost the files though.

Necron "gauss" weapons are just GW using a word. They're more like lightning guns. The closest any faction has shown to a magnetic rail/coil gun are the Tau.

Otherwise if you can think of it, the Imperium probably has it in a shed somewhere. There's a minor House on Necromunda that manufactures radiation cannons, purely for their own use.

I always figured that gauss weapons use magnetism to pull the molecules apart. They are described as "flaying" the target, after all.
Kind of like a reverse railgun, I guess; instead of using a magnetic field to launch matter forward, it uses a magnetic field to suck matter towards it.
But yes, Necron weaponry generally has a lightning motif.

 

[Storyfag]

Which makes the pre-retcon Necrons, in essence, renegade roombas

 

[Peachcurl]

Which makes the pre-retcon Necrons, in essence, renegade roombas

I never trusted those little shits!

*angry barks*

 

[Serus]

Is it explained why are only Humans so weak to Chaos? And should not Warp and Chaos have access to more than one galaxy? In theory you should be able to travel to other galaxies through warp and warp Gods should be powered by life forms from there as well!? Or did Tyranids already suck everything dry and only Milky Way is left?

I heard some theories, but don't quote me on it.
Tyranids were drawn to this galaxy because of the light emitted by the Astronomican. They also probably ate the whole fucking galaxy where they originated from...
The Chaos Gods are currently limited to influencing only this galaxy. Whether they will influence other galaxies when they grow in strength remains to be seen.
Yeah, Chaos is some scary shit when done by the right author and artists.

The entire Horus Heresy is a deconstruction of Lucifer's fall from grace and the weakness of humans to Chaos is likely a take on the concept of free will.

Yes but there no reason to claim that other races (say Eldars) don't have free will. Hell, i'd say Eldars are more in need of Jesus to save them from sin than humans.
It is a weakness of the setting that the universe is so human-centric. And i don't mean the playable stuff or on what books are centred on. You might want humans to be the centre for players (or readers). But that doesn't mean the the world building, the settng as a whole needs to be centred on humans. Galaxy where humans - despite all the enemies and perils - are dominant and their empire is the largest. I guess that's the issue with most "standard", derivative fantasy - other races are almost always the declining ones or small/new ones, humans are the main power. But maybe that's me who thinks it gets repetitive. I'd love more setting where, say some other strange race is in power and humans are just their servants/slaves - player or hero of the book tries to keep its freedom or make a living in such world or maybe choose to fight for other Humans. Stuff like that, it was just an example.

Focusing on marines was a mistake imo.
They make up less than 1% of the Imperium's population, but receive most of the attention and marketing.
The Imperial Guard should have been the focus. You know, actual humans instead of boring ubermensch with daddy issues.

That's one reason the Horus Heresy novels are (mostly) not that good.

There some books in HH series that are NOT centred on astartes and primarchs. Like that one where a group of assassins sent to kill Horus ends fighting a chaos thingy sent to kill the Emperor. Or there was a book of short stories centred on Mars and all those silly cyborg-people. But they are few and far in between. Some are also told from the perspective of non-astartes, at least partially. But overall, yes - the ones with astartes / primarch as main focus are often not that good. Especially the primarchs are very poorly portrayed, idiots and childs in short. It doesn't make for god books.

 

[NecroLord]

Especially the primarchs are very poorly portrayed, idiots and childs in short. It doesn't make for god books.

Primarchs were known to have massive egos, which makes sense, considering they were made to be demigods of conquest and being constantly revered as the Emperor's chosen warlords.
Of course there were humble and reasonable ones, like Vulkan, Sanguinius and Roboute.

 

[Reinhardt]

many of them already did what emprah did on the terra, before meeting their father - conquered and unified their world.

 

[Serus]

Especially the primarchs are very poorly portrayed, idiots and childs in short. It doesn't make for god books.

Primarchs were known to have massive egos, which makes sense, considering they were made to be demigods of conquest and being constantly revered as the Emperor's chosen warlords.
Of course there are humble and reasonable ones, like Vulkan, Sanguinius and Roboute.

One thing is ego, different thing is being stupid children - which also happen to have huge egos. Portraying powerful people with huge egos leading to tragedy can be interesting but if you also make most of them immature and often dumb - you probably made some boring and nonsensical characters. Even more so because the readers are forced to believe that they are supposed to be above human levels in almost every way - other than their characters which might be flawed.
The whole idea of primarchs makes Emperor look like an idiot too but we already had that conversation before - let's not go there. Emperor doesn't play a big role in the books anyway, paradoxically enough. At least in the first dozen or so that i've read.

 

[Camel]

Yes but there no reason to claim that other races (say Eldars) don't have free will. Hell, i'd say Eldars are more in need of Jesus to save them from sin than humans.
It is a weakness of the setting that the universe is so human-centric. And i don't mean the playable stuff or on what books are centred on. You might want humans to be the centre for players (or readers). But that doesn't mean the the world building, the settng as a whole needs to be centred on humans. Galaxy where humans - despite all the enemies and perils - are dominant and their empire is the largest. I guess that's the issue with most "standard", derivative fantasy - other races are almost always the declining ones or small/new ones, humans are the main power. But maybe that's me who thinks it gets repetitive. I'd love more setting where, say some other strange race is in power and humans are just their servants/slaves - player or hero of the book tries to keep its freedom or make a living in such world or maybe choose to fight for other Humans. Stuff like that, it was just an example.

Which is why I love Babylon 5. The mankind there is a middle of the pack race when the Minbari who aren't even the strongest race wiped the floor with the Earth Alliance. Not to mention the First ones. Almost all generic sci-fi and fantasy have the humans as the strongest player in the setting. At least in Wh40k setting the Imperium is powerful but in decay and plagued by inefficiency and corruption while under constant mortal threat of Failbaddon's Chaos.

 

[Serus]

Yes but there no reason to claim that other races (say Eldars) don't have free will. Hell, i'd say Eldars are more in need of Jesus to save them from sin than humans.
It is a weakness of the setting that the universe is so human-centric. And i don't mean the playable stuff or on what books are centred on. You might want humans to be the centre for players (or readers). But that doesn't mean the the world building, the settng as a whole needs to be centred on humans. Galaxy where humans - despite all the enemies and perils - are dominant and their empire is the largest. I guess that's the issue with most "standard", derivative fantasy - other races are almost always the declining ones or small/new ones, humans are the main power. But maybe that's me who thinks it gets repetitive. I'd love more setting where, say some other strange race is in power and humans are just their servants/slaves - player or hero of the book tries to keep its freedom or make a living in such world or maybe choose to fight for other Humans. Stuff like that, it was just an example.

Which is why I love Babylon 5. The mankind there is a middle of the pack race when the Minbari who aren't even the strongest race wiped the floor with the Earth Alliance. Not to mention the First ones. Almost all generic sci-fi and fantasy have the humans as the strongest player in the setting. At least in Wh40k setting the Imperium is powerful but in decay and plagued by inefficiency and corruption while under constant mortal threat of Failbaddon's Chaos.

Good point about B5, i like it a lot as well. Didn't think about it that way but you are correct. Humans are not the strongest there, just at best among several of the strongest races. In addition, even if most of the main characters of the series are humans, the race itself isn't even among the most important species of the story - or at least of one of the two main story arcs. They obviously are when it comes the other one, civil war within Earth Alliance but that's the local stuff.

 

[BrotherFrank]

Tbh I agree with Serus, the HH novels have thouroughly demystified the primarchs, not to mention the Emperor. If i recall the cannon updates for example, not only were the sm not even his own idea, but the primarches were not even scattered by chaos anymore but by the emprah's own waifu who is like him except better in every way and we never hear from her again in the ensuing 10k years of fuck ups because reasons.

Otherwise re human centrism, that's a common issue with most sci fi but this is one issue that isn't fair to apply 40k. Unlike most sci fi where humans are supposedly one of many yet are 95% of the characters you will see on screen, 40k has an inbuilt lore explanation for its human centrism, so it's just taking the blame for the failings of other sci fi franchises. this is a post humanity fuck yeah! story that turned horribly wrong due to space demons.

 

[Luka-boy]

Orks kind of have their own version of Khorne

Sure. But is it Gork or Mork?

Yes ROIGHT.

MADE IT PROPA FOR YA, YA GIT!

 

[NecroLord]

Emperor doesn't play a big role in the books anyway, paradoxically enough.

Emprah was busy with his Webway Project, not to mention he has been playing a game of chess with four Chaos deities with enormous power and influence for so long.

 

[Serus]

Emperor doesn't play a big role in the books anyway, paradoxically enough.

Emprah was busy with his Webway Project, not to mention he has been playing a game of chess with four Chaos deities with enormous power and influence for so long.

His project went nowhere because the moron was so paranoid that he wouldn't share it even with his smartest son. Son who was heavy into warp and "magic" stuff. But no - let him be kept in the dark, as all others primarchs for that matter, what could possibly go wrong? Son who - because why not - had the power to destroy Emperor's great work to save mankind from Chaos - by a f*****g accident. All because he was not informed. At least it is how the book about Magnus tell the story.
The point is, chronologically that happens at the very beginning of Horus chimpout and yet no Emperor in sight after that. Maybe he was too busy trying to use super-glue on the throne? The lore of wh40k (or "30k" in this case) is so weird sometimes.
As to the game of "chess" - i want to read about it. There a few appearances of the man(being?) in the books about primarchs but very few - at least so far. On the other hand, maybe it's better that way. Keep at least something - Emperor in this case - not completely explained.

 

[NecroLord]

Emperor doesn't play a big role in the books anyway, paradoxically enough.

Emprah was busy with his Webway Project, not to mention he has been playing a game of chess with four Chaos deities with enormous power and influence for so long.

His project went nowhere because the moron was so paranoid that he wouldn't share it even with his smartest son. Son who was heavy into warp and "magic" stuff. But no - let him be kept in the dark, as all others primarchs for that matter, what could possibly go wrong? Son who - because why not - had the power to destroy Emperor's great work to save mankind from Chaos - by a f*****g accident. All because he was not informed. At least it is how the book about Magnus tell the story.
The point is, chronologically that happens at the very beginning of Horus chimpout and yet no Emperor in sight after that. Maybe he was too busy trying to use super-glue on the throne? The lore of wh40k (or "30k" in this case) is so weird sometimes.
As to the game of "chess" - i want to read about it. There a few appearances of the man(being?) in the books about primarchs but very few - at least so far. On the other hand, maybe it's better that way. Keep at least something - Emperor in this case - not completely explained.

I agree. Magnus deserved so much more.
He deserved to know about it all. The Webway Project and the terrors of the Warp.
He was also meant to operate the Golden Throne.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Alright niggaz, I finaly finished the Kiava Gamma plotline.

Just before I set off, I was informed by a random Dark Eldar dude that a Succubus wants to take me over to her place and have rough sex with me.

Spirits were high as I exited the warp, obviously. I went to Kiava last of the three main planets of your empire, when I showed up I was welcome with a cool CYOA event of chaos tech-priests launching cybernetic attack at my ship - it turned out that the planet was already under chaos control. I wonder if you can get different beggining if you go there sooner (did someone try that?).

Anyway, unlike Janus (which had some social/investigative parts), Kiava turned out to be a large multilevel dungeon - the big boss welcomed me right at the start.

After exchanging some harsh language I proceeded to crawl through the industrial landscape, meeting and killing all kinds of interesting people and other forms of life.

For example there were Ruststalkers (known for example from Adeptus Mechanicus game) - fairly dangerous enemies, though I find the combat servitors to be somewhat more anoying with their AoE attacks.

There was also a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers - turns out that he is the one who turned the planet to Chaos worship in the first place - he wasnt all that tough though, despite his heavy bolter. Pasqal smacked his shit up pretty hard once he closed in.

Speaking of Pasqal, you may recall an earlier post in which I uncovered his sexual harassment of another techpriest. You will surely understand that in light of that previous experience, I was a bit anxious when my party came over a mostly naked techpriest.

This time Pasqal kept his mechanendrites to himself though, and simply took his head to be turned into servo skull. Good boy.

Turns out Pasqal is indeed a highly problematic dude though - there was a chaos worshipping techpriest who claimed to be his relative... wtf man?

The aleged brother or w/e took a melta blast to the face - Pasqal still insisted on taking his cyber brain for "further study" - the whole thing is sus AF tbh fam.


The boss fight seemed tough as fuck on turn 1. I talked some mad shit to the big boss, who responded by calling in a demon engine, plus there were some random dudes with small arms too.

Unfortunately for the enemy, I already met a demon engine in a wrecked ship quite some time ago and I know how to deal with one lol - tough shit Fabricator XDDDD

But it turns out this wasnt all and the most interesting stuff was yet to come.

Turns out that the chaos techpriests built a demon cogitator to calculate some highly heretical shit. Imagine my surprise when Heinrix - the guy who constantly talks shit about how everything is heresy and how he doesnt set your ass on fire only coz you are a Rogue Trader - jumps all over it and starts pulling levers and pushing buttons. You have several options what to do (some of which include killing Heinrix and yes, you can go full chaos in the game - it is obvious now) and the choices actually seem meaningful (of course it remains to be seen later on).

I chose to break the thing to pieces and Heinrix now doesnt like me lol. OK, Mr. Interrogator.

In other news, I tweaked around with Jae and managed to make her useful now - I run her with bolter and bolt pistol + hand flamer. I would say that Yrliet is still better, but the build I have now with Jae makes her somewhat respectable. I find it strange that she cannot learn to use xenos weapons though, since she is a cold trader and having an ability to use xenos weapons (of which you find plenty) would give her a clear niche. Oh well.

 

[Tyranicon]

If you start applying the logic stick to 40k, you'll end up with a bunch of questions. Like why did the Emperor spent most of humanity's history doing basically buttfuck nothing.

The setting is best enjoyed with parts of your brain shut off.

After all, A questioning mind betrays a treacherous soul.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Or why the Emperor has no descendants, other than his test subjects.
You mean a shape shifting psyker who lived for thousands of years didn't fuck his way through human history? Really? Is he even a man?

 

[Tyranicon]

Or why the Emperor has no descendants, other than his test subjects.
You mean a shape shifting psyker who lived for thousands of years didn't fuck his way through human history? Really? Is he even a man?

Whaddya mean, there's the Emperor's Children! /s

But there actually is a lore answer to this, or at least there was, before it got retconned. Big Emps fucked a lot. And some of his descendents (male-only) got some of his big dick energy.

https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sensei

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Or why the Emperor has no descendants, other than his test subjects.
You mean a shape shifting psyker who lived for thousands of years didn't fuck his way through human history? Really? Is he even a man?

Whaddya mean, there's the Emperor's Children! /s

But there actually is a lore answer to this, or at least there was, before it got retconned. Big Emps fucked a lot. And some of his descendents (male-only) got some of his big dick energy.

https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sensei

Oh yeah, I vaguely recall something about that. Pity GW got rid of that, it was a cool idea.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Alright niggaz, I finaly finished the Kiava Gamma plotline.

Just before I set off, I was informed by a random Dark Eldar dude that a Succubus wants to take me over to her place and have rough sex with me.

View attachment 32292

Spirits were high as I exited the warp, obviously. I went to Kiava last of the three main planets of your empire, when I showed up I was welcome with a cool CYOA event of chaos tech-priests launching cybernetic attack at my ship - it turned out that the planet was already under chaos control. I wonder if you can get different beggining if you go there sooner (did someone try that?).

Anyway, unlike Janus (which had some social/investigative parts), Kiava turned out to be a large multilevel dungeon - the big boss welcomed me right at the start.

View attachment 32293

After exchanging some harsh language I proceeded to crawl through the industrial landscape, meeting and killing all kinds of interesting people and other forms of life.

For example there were Ruststalkers (known for example from Adeptus Mechanicus game) - fairly dangerous enemies, though I find the combat servitors to be somewhat more anoying with their AoE attacks.
View attachment 32294


There was also a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers - turns out that he is the one who turned the planet to Chaos worship in the first place - he wasnt all that tough though, despite his heavy bolter. Pasqal smacked his shit up pretty hard once he closed in.

View attachment 32295

Speaking of Pasqal, you may recall an earlier post in which I uncovered his sexual harassment of another techpriest. You will surely understand that in light of that previous experience, I was a bit anxious when my party came over a mostly naked techpriest.

This time Pasqal kept his mechanendrites to himself though, and simply took his head to be turned into servo skull. Good boy.

View attachment 32296


Turns out Pasqal is indeed a highly problematic dude though - there was a chaos worshipping techpriest who claimed to be his relative... wtf man?
View attachment 32299
The aleged brother or w/e took a melta blast to the face - Pasqal still insisted on taking his cyber brain for "further study" - the whole thing is sus AF tbh fam.


The boss fight seemed tough as fuck on turn 1. I talked some mad shit to the big boss, who responded by calling in a demon engine, plus there were some random dudes with small arms too.
View attachment 32297

Unfortunately for the enemy, I already met a demon engine in a wrecked ship quite some time ago and I know how to deal with one lol - tough shit Fabricator XDDDD

View attachment 32298

But it turns out this wasnt all and the most interesting stuff was yet to come.
View attachment 32300

Turns out that the chaos techpriests built a demon cogitator to calculate some highly heretical shit. Imagine my surprise when Heinrix - the guy who constantly talks shit about how everything is heresy and how he doesnt set your ass on fire only coz you are a Rogue Trader - jumps all over it and starts pulling levers and pushing buttons. You have several options what to do (some of which include killing Heinrix and yes, you can go full chaos in the game - it is obvious now) and the choices actually seem meaningful (of course it remains to be seen later on).

I chose to break the thing to pieces and Heinrix now doesnt like me lol. OK, Mr. Interrogator.

In other news, I tweaked around with Jae and managed to make her useful now - I run her with bolter and bolt pistol + hand flamer. I would say that Yrliet is still better, but the build I have now with Jae makes her somewhat respectable. I find it strange that she cannot learn to use xenos weapons though, since she is a cold trader and having an ability to use xenos weapons (of which you find plenty) would give her a clear niche. Oh well.

How long is the Alpha so far?

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Alright niggaz, I finaly finished the Kiava Gamma plotline.

Just before I set off, I was informed by a random Dark Eldar dude that a Succubus wants to take me over to her place and have rough sex with me.

View attachment 32292

Spirits were high as I exited the warp, obviously. I went to Kiava last of the three main planets of your empire, when I showed up I was welcome with a cool CYOA event of chaos tech-priests launching cybernetic attack at my ship - it turned out that the planet was already under chaos control. I wonder if you can get different beggining if you go there sooner (did someone try that?).

Anyway, unlike Janus (which had some social/investigative parts), Kiava turned out to be a large multilevel dungeon - the big boss welcomed me right at the start.

View attachment 32293

After exchanging some harsh language I proceeded to crawl through the industrial landscape, meeting and killing all kinds of interesting people and other forms of life.

For example there were Ruststalkers (known for example from Adeptus Mechanicus game) - fairly dangerous enemies, though I find the combat servitors to be somewhat more anoying with their AoE attacks.
View attachment 32294


There was also a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers - turns out that he is the one who turned the planet to Chaos worship in the first place - he wasnt all that tough though, despite his heavy bolter. Pasqal smacked his shit up pretty hard once he closed in.

View attachment 32295

Speaking of Pasqal, you may recall an earlier post in which I uncovered his sexual harassment of another techpriest. You will surely understand that in light of that previous experience, I was a bit anxious when my party came over a mostly naked techpriest.

This time Pasqal kept his mechanendrites to himself though, and simply took his head to be turned into servo skull. Good boy.

View attachment 32296


Turns out Pasqal is indeed a highly problematic dude though - there was a chaos worshipping techpriest who claimed to be his relative... wtf man?
View attachment 32299
The aleged brother or w/e took a melta blast to the face - Pasqal still insisted on taking his cyber brain for "further study" - the whole thing is sus AF tbh fam.


The boss fight seemed tough as fuck on turn 1. I talked some mad shit to the big boss, who responded by calling in a demon engine, plus there were some random dudes with small arms too.
View attachment 32297

Unfortunately for the enemy, I already met a demon engine in a wrecked ship quite some time ago and I know how to deal with one lol - tough shit Fabricator XDDDD

View attachment 32298

But it turns out this wasnt all and the most interesting stuff was yet to come.
View attachment 32300

Turns out that the chaos techpriests built a demon cogitator to calculate some highly heretical shit. Imagine my surprise when Heinrix - the guy who constantly talks shit about how everything is heresy and how he doesnt set your ass on fire only coz you are a Rogue Trader - jumps all over it and starts pulling levers and pushing buttons. You have several options what to do (some of which include killing Heinrix and yes, you can go full chaos in the game - it is obvious now) and the choices actually seem meaningful (of course it remains to be seen later on).

I chose to break the thing to pieces and Heinrix now doesnt like me lol. OK, Mr. Interrogator.

In other news, I tweaked around with Jae and managed to make her useful now - I run her with bolter and bolt pistol + hand flamer. I would say that Yrliet is still better, but the build I have now with Jae makes her somewhat respectable. I find it strange that she cannot learn to use xenos weapons though, since she is a cold trader and having an ability to use xenos weapons (of which you find plenty) would give her a clear niche. Oh well.

How long is the Alpha so far?

I played for 37,5 hours so far and I am not at the end yet.

 

[NecroLord]

Or why the Emperor has no descendants, other than his test subjects.
You mean a shape shifting psyker who lived for thousands of years didn't fuck his way through human history? Really? Is he even a man?

This discussion might spiral into heretical slaaneshi territory...
Anyway, the Emperor was so far above humanity(in ability, intellect and philosophy) that it made him completely beyond any human comprehension(as Malcador told Jaghatai, the Emperor has so many problems to solve and battles to fight that he simply cannot invest so much time in human interaction). He did like his Custodes(I guess you can think of them as his children). The Primarchs were obviously his sons. Whether he truly loved them or not is a different story.
The Emperor is beyond puny human means of procreation. What womb could carry his progeny? Let's be serious.

 

[Serus]

But the issue is: what are the "many problems to solve". He doesn't care about empire's wars during Horus times. Same with day-to-day administration of empire. Earlier he was leading the great crusade, before that - the conquest of Earth. Also doing the soviet thing with religion. In the meantime, playing to create mini-emperors. And the throne fiasco. All that is done or gone, Horus is on the rampage and what the emperor does? Looks like nothing, certainly nothing sensible. But then, let's not apply logic to this setting, right?
"Intellect above humanity" - if that's what required then my ass has intellect above humanity.


Question to the our resident WH40k sages. Why other races didn't produce their own "emperors" once the chaos became a problem? And i mean a being as powerful not some puny "gods" or whatever. They can't into some dirty primitives doing "magic" stuff? Because that was the requirement on Earth.