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

[Longes]

Heretek prestige class when?

 

[Vermillion]

Heretek prestige class when?

More likely than you think. Sounds like the Mechanicus companion is halfway there anyway. The predecessor seems less like the emperor feeling zealot day by day. Guarantee the reveal is she was a secret chaos cultist all along.

 

[lightbane]

Heretek prestige class when?

A certainty in like every PnP game of WH40k except the Sphees MAHRINES one, including Rogue Trader, which had 2 variants: The Arch-Heretek, aka someone who's an heretek and lived long enough to become an expert (an interesting class as it also allows non-Techpriests to use their exclusive toys too), and another one whose name escapes me now that is an Heretek AND an illegal psyker for extra heresy and chances to blow up horribly (quite a broken class too IIRC, as it scaled on INT which is the godstat for Techpriests).

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Latest concept art showing a void ship bridge:

 

[Anthedon]

Surely the concept art is a good indicator of the game's quality on release.

 

[Vermillion]

Day 1 DLC prediction: Starcraft Marine Space Dorf Companion.

 

[Shadenuat]

Vatans might be the most boring ass new shit release I've seen.

 

[Vermillion]

Vatans might be the most boring ass new shit release I've seen.

Please understand, GW is running out of novel content to steal.

 

[Cryomancer]

I hope my character can go down the path of psionic madness.

Me too. Doing crazy experiments mainly on mutants and nonhumans!!

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Servoskulls! I once GMed a Dark Heresy campaign where the characters ended up with like five of them following them aroud - wonder if you can do something like that here.

 

[Vermillion]

Servoskulls! I once GMed a Dark Heresy campaign where the characters ended up with like five of them following them aroud - wonder if you can do something like that here.

View attachment 28310

They'll probably be coded like the familiars/pets of Pathfinder, so we could end up with dozens of servos following us around.

 

[Tomas]

Mort's companion talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdKIJaBEA3s

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.techradar.com/features/...ure-less-of-an-adventurer-and-more-like-a-god

In Warhammer 40,000 RPG Rogue Trader, you’re 'less of an adventurer' and more 'like a god'​

All ahead full

(Image credit: Owlcat Games)

Despite being very strong entries in the CRPG genre, both Pathfinder: Kingmaker and its follow-up, Wrath of the Righteous, suffer from a similar set of flaws. While telling deep, engaging stories in the finest tradition of Baldur’s Gate, both games are buried beneath an overdesigned and distracting strategy layer.

What has held Owlcat Games back, however, may soon become a real asset as the developer puts together its newest project: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. In this new CRPG, slated to release in 2023, you’ll take on the role of an eponymous Rogue Trader – a privateer in Warhammer 40k’s dark galaxy. Plying the stars in a mighty voidship crewed by tens of thousands, you’ll be responsible not only for exploration and conquest but also for the management of your vast trade empire.

This management element is fundamental to a Rogue Trader’s job description. It seems likely, therefore, that the extraneous strategic elements which felt ill-fitting in Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous will feel right at home in Rogue Trader. In Warhammer 40k, Rogue Traders set out to carve mighty trade empires that’ll span generations. As such, a Rogue Trader is nothing if they can’t effectively manage their Dynasty.

Off the scale​

“We need to convey that you are not some commoner”, creative director Alexander Gusev says. As a Rogue Trader, “you have giant influence” and you “won’t be looking in trash cans for loot”.

This commitment to the epic scale and grandeur of Warhammer 40k is promising for fans of the setting. But it also speaks to Owlcat’s desire to integrate that scale into the core experience – rather than having it sit as an awkward ancillary to the main gameplay elements. For executive producer Anatoliy Shestov, the game is “not just about war”, but also “all the things around it”. He describes a “whole process” of “meta systems” designed to support the narrative and strategic sweep that the team considers necessary to do Rogue Trader justice.

Gusev is keen to emphasize that you start as the “heir to a dynasty” – and though “you won’t remain an heir for long”, even at the beginning of your journey you won’t be just another adventurer. Whether or not Owlcat succeeds in adopting the lofty perspective of the 40k setting will likely determine its game’s success.

Humble beginnings​

Rogue Trader is quite clearly inspired by the tabletop roleplaying game of the same name, by Fantasy Flight Games. Shestov spoke fondly of “over five years” of team sessions at Owlcat.

Though Owlcat does not intend to blindly borrow from the pen-and-paper classic, it clearly wants to do justice to a unique ethos. “It’s a game about searching through space, dealing with anomalies, and trading”, Shestov says – keen to impress upon us Rogue Trader’s unique ability to “deliver believable, diverse stories”. Folks who enjoy the TTRPG will also be happy to learn that the Owlcat game is set in the Koronus Expanse – a fan favorite region of space.

As a veteran of said game, I can confirm that Rogue Trader is at its best when storytellers lean into the sheer scope of the setting. You might be negotiating with an alien diplomat one minute, before rushing off to help your allies in a space battle the next. Perhaps this culminates with a dramatic duel on the bridge of your ship, or maybe a tense political stand-off.

In Owlcat’s game, you may “encounter some mighty figure who is asking for help” and decide, in a Machiavellian power move, to have them drop “to their knees” in supplication and beg for your assistance. The developer is keen to faithfully recreate the power and influence Rogue Traders hold in the tabletop game – assuring us that the CRPG’s player character is “less of an adventurer” and more “like a god.”

Stellar ambition​

40k isn’t “normal sci-fi” or “fantasy” – as Gusev, Shestov, or any long-time fan of the setting will tell you. The grim darkness of the 41st millennium occupies a unique place in the hearts of those who love it. As for Owlcat’s hearts – they’re in the right place. As a lifelong fan of both the tabletop miniatures game and the Rogue Trader TTRPG, I’m very excited to see what the studio produces with this unique opportunity. Though the final product will likely have its flaws, just like the Owlcat games before them, I’m certain that Rogue Trader is in a safe pair of hands.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Their concept art is absolutely top-tier. It reminds me of Ian Miller, who has always been my favourite Warhammer artist.

 

[Alienman]

So another mega epic storyline?

 

[Storyfag]

fine line between being cringeworthy and heretical

There is no line between the two.

 

[Vermillion]

So another mega epic storyline?

Kind of goes without saying. Fantasy Flight had your Rogue Trader fighting a Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer in a Chaos Corrupted Eldar Craftworld. If you wanted something less epic, you'd want Imperial Guard. Even Dark Heresy would take you off the rails of normalcy into a Dan Abnett story.

 

[Cryomancer]

So another mega epic storyline?

Probably. PF:WoTR is too epic even if compared with the other epic level CRPG adventures like HotU and MotB. Kingmaker was already one of the most epic pf modules and one of the highest level adventure paths.

Could we end this CRPG as God emperor of mankind?

 

[Storyfag]

Could we end this CRPG as God emperor of mankind?

No, but perhaps as a Living Saint?

Even Dark Heresy would take you off the rails of normalcy into a Dan Abnett story.

Well, seeing as how 40k normalcy tends to revolve around toiling in a manufactorum/mine/farm/administratum office until an early death, the abnormal parts are the preferred ones. Whether high nobility, rogue traders and inquisitorial minions or underhive scum.

 

[Fedora Master]

Good artwork has nothing to do with Owlcat and everything with the style guide that GW enforces.

 

[Mauman]

New artwork showing "living machine" that integrates former crewmembers, who are part of the ship now:

View attachment 27982

Neat. Now the companions who'll inevitably abandon me will get an ending slide! "And so Jarl Yiffmen added 4 GBs of ram to the The Indomitable's auxiliary Cogitator".

I guess filthy xenos will get to contribute after all.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Necrons!

Tech-priests!

Nigger Rogue Psyker!

... and your mum!

 

[Peachcurl]

... and your mum!

Wanted to mention this earlier. She's clearly inspired by:

 

[Infinitron]

In game development, you don't need to be a Bonesinger to forge a powerful Aeldari weapon – a lot of skill, effort, and time will suffice. Don’t believe us? See for yourselves!

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Heretics getting some street justice (featuring real 40K pitchforks):

A Demon Engine, though we have seen this one before: