Warhammer Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader - turn-based Warhammer 40k RPG from Owlcat Games - now with Void Shadows DLC

[Yosharian]

IMO it's a huge downgrade from Woljif

JFC she must be fucking awful then

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Definition in literature? Impossible. I can tell you about my associations, though.

Slop literature is a continuation of what was called "littérature de la gare", then pulp (I specifically avoid this term because it has associations with a certain type of subject matter, and I am less interested in the general nature of this type of literature than in subject matter). Another, more apt name is "industrial literature", born in the industrial era and produced like an industry.

Slop is convenient, easy, simple, easy to replace. It gives quick pleasure, empty calories. It is something worse than ordinary entertainment literature, which preserves the proper features of a literary work (or at least it used to be distinguishable), by which I mean an appropriately high technical, psychological level and avoidance of infantilism.

In other words, literature assumes that a mature individual operates a craft appropriately. This is what distinguishes Chandler (a writer) from Hammett (a sloper with the makings of a writer). For example - Eisenhorn or Gorek & Felix. Both series have their moments, even some depth, but too quickly they fall into very gamey brawls, inability to lead the action in a sensible direction or plain childishness.

Just like Harlequins.

And yet Gotrek and Eisenhorn are the better ones (I can also add books by Newman and Watson, forgotten nowadays). And yet there is the edgelord Bowden and the really weak Goto and a lot of nameless slopers.

I expect it to be hard to define. It's a very subjective term. Which is exactly why it needs a definition or at least decent context / examples if you really want a sensible answer.

What do you think of:
- Pawns of Chaos
- Witchbringer
- Grim Repast
?

I haven't read any of those three, partly because two of them are from the modern Warhammer era. Why do you mention them? Has the level of GW books increased recently?

Because I think they are well written, and not so much focused on the typical tropes of space marine superhero novels and mil-scifi guard novels that have been covered ad nauseam already.

I don't think the level has increased at any rate. Just that the occasional great books are swimming in an ocean of mediocre (but imo still entertaining) books.

For me, the biggest problem with the Warhammer books was how uneven they were. Eisenhorn starts off great (for a fantasy thriller), but somewhere in the middle Abnett gives up trying and goes for a regular Warhammer brawl (Eisenhorn not fucking a willing telepath is censorship in the style of Marvel comics, where it's "adult" until it has to be shown).

In this respect the 2000AD related books (Judge Dredd and so on) were better.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

https://roguetrader.owlcat.games/news/en/41

To Become the Flagship's Blood​

---

The Imperium is founded upon death and bloodshed, and maintained only by the further sacrifices of Humanity. There are those for whom death is a way of life, and death cults of many types can be found on worlds across the Imperium. They revel in holy slaughter, dedicating their victims’ souls to Him, offering up blood sacrifices to the God-Emperor so that He might answer their prayers.

The practices of these Death Cults are dark and terrifying. Common folk maintain a superstitious fear of ruthless assassins who specialise in ritual murder, self-mutilation and bloody communion. Vague omens can make these zealots target seemingly innocent people just as easily as obvious enemies of the Imperium.

One such cult lurks within the bowels of the von Valancius flagship. For years, the ascetic and inscrutable servants of the Bloodspun Web have protected the dynasty from enemies aboard the vessel, stalking the threats hiding in lower decks and spraying the bulkheads with the blood of their victims.

Kibellah is a masterful assassin whose talent and fanatical devotion to the Undying Emperor has earned her the title of the Second Spinner of the Bloodspun Web. Since childhood, she has dedicated herself to rigorous training of mind and body, perfecting the art of the blade dance and mollifying her emotions. Kibellah has no desires, only duty; no fear, only purpose. She is the perfect instrument of death, and this undying servant of the Undying Emperor has left the shadows to become the Rogue Trader's personal bodyguard.

Her specialised blades and ritualistic arts are at the Lord Captain's service, as is her sophisticated mind. She recognises the signs sent by the Emperor, even through the veil of mundane reality. Her world is a realm of riddles and blood that interweave and resolve into momentous insight. To that end, she bears the greatest relic of the cult: a sacred deck of the Emperor’s Tarot. The cards speak the will of the Undying One and reveal the names of those who must depart. Every new reading reveals ever more clearly that the greatest moment of her life is at hand. The Immortal Emperor holds an exceptional destiny in store for His servant, who is now ready to step into the future.

 

[ArchAngel]

https://roguetrader.owlcat.games/news/en/41

To Become the Flagship's Blood​

---

The Imperium is founded upon death and bloodshed, and maintained only by the further sacrifices of Humanity. There are those for whom death is a way of life, and death cults of many types can be found on worlds across the Imperium. They revel in holy slaughter, dedicating their victims’ souls to Him, offering up blood sacrifices to the God-Emperor so that He might answer their prayers.

The practices of these Death Cults are dark and terrifying. Common folk maintain a superstitious fear of ruthless assassins who specialise in ritual murder, self-mutilation and bloody communion. Vague omens can make these zealots target seemingly innocent people just as easily as obvious enemies of the Imperium.

One such cult lurks within the bowels of the von Valancius flagship. For years, the ascetic and inscrutable servants of the Bloodspun Web have protected the dynasty from enemies aboard the vessel, stalking the threats hiding in lower decks and spraying the bulkheads with the blood of their victims.

Kibellah is a masterful assassin whose talent and fanatical devotion to the Undying Emperor has earned her the title of the Second Spinner of the Bloodspun Web. Since childhood, she has dedicated herself to rigorous training of mind and body, perfecting the art of the blade dance and mollifying her emotions. Kibellah has no desires, only duty; no fear, only purpose. She is the perfect instrument of death, and this undying servant of the Undying Emperor has left the shadows to become the Rogue Trader's personal bodyguard.

Her specialised blades and ritualistic arts are at the Lord Captain's service, as is her sophisticated mind. She recognises the signs sent by the Emperor, even through the veil of mundane reality. Her world is a realm of riddles and blood that interweave and resolve into momentous insight. To that end, she bears the greatest relic of the cult: a sacred deck of the Emperor’s Tarot. The cards speak the will of the Undying One and reveal the names of those who must depart. Every new reading reveals ever more clearly that the greatest moment of her life is at hand. The Immortal Emperor holds an exceptional destiny in store for His servant, who is now ready to step into the future.

Even SMs are afraid of these people.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

IMO it's a huge downgrade from Woljif

JFC she must be fucking awful then

She is fucking awful. I really dislike that trash weasel archetype and she fits right in. Thankfully

Spoiler

The first thing she does is lie to you to get you to do her dirty work and you have the option to just shoot her right after and leave her body in a toxic dump.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Even SMs are afraid of these people.

Can't wait to see Ulfar's reaction to her then.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2186680/view/4594323246557001114?l=english

Highlights from a Rogue Trader's journey through the Koronus Expanse
Lord Captain!

It's been over eight months since the game released. During this time, we've turned to you more than once for advice on how to make your journey more comfortable. The post-release survey was one such occasion. An astounding 15241 people took part in it, which, according to our esteemed Lexmechanics' calculations, took them a collective total of 335302 minutes to complete.

We immensely appreciate the effort you're putting into further improving the game. Based on the survey results, we've already fixed numerous “sore spots” such as the behaviour of the cargo interface in the game's third act, or the miscalculated difficulty levels in skill checks. As a thank you for the work you've done, we're going to share the most interesting community perspectives that were reflected in the survey results.

With a passion for all things precise, as is typical of any servant of the Omnissiah, our Lexmechanics have drawn up a report for you that is rich in intriguing correlations and captivating data tables:

Introductory Notes
Worth mentioning first is the fact that by four months after release, more than half of all survey participants had clocked over a hundred hours in the game. That might’ve been surprising if the player base didn't consist overwhelmingly of CRPG fans.

We knew that releasing a game in the Warhammer 40,000 universe meant submitting it to the scrutiny of demanding critics. A mere 7% had no or only cursory experience with the setting. We enjoy assuming the role of guides on the journey to the dark future, and we are proud to say that players trust us with the job: a whopping 96% of captains had their expectations of the setting's atmosphere met, to the incredible delight of the Warhammer fans among the game's creators. But enough bragging! On to the more fascinating facts, as well as some disconcerting ones.

Interface
Regardless of whether a Rogue Trader was a Dogmatic or followed one of the Radical paths, all of them equally disliked loot-related hassles, be it their ship's cargo management or their party's inventory. The organising, the sorting, the tedium of managing a huge number of items, and especially the situations where stolen loot would, upon recovery, return to a bag instead of where it had previously belonged, were things that frustrated our players a great deal. We've fixed some of those problems and are still working on others.

It's worth noting that while most Rogue Traders were torn between Puritanism and Radicalism, 89 among them preferred to altogether skip delving into the value system.

Ground Combat
While picking through loot was a mostly unrewarding experience, obtaining it was quite another matter. On average, players gave the ground-combat system 4.3 points out of five, which surpassed the Beta rating for this metric.

57% of participants thought the Lord Captain had been through just the right number of ordeals. Among the rest, opinions were split between those who'd prefer more ordeals and those who envisioned a more peaceful life for the protagonist. Luckily for the Rogue Trader, the well-wishers outnumbered the daredevils nearly two-to-one.

We'd always known that Warrants of Trade were granted only to Humanity's bravest. But this time, they showed themselves to be quite deft as well. Players who opted to skip the character-build part and go straight for the Story mode were satisfied with the challenges they faced. For their part, those who started the game on a higher difficulty level would’ve preferred to challenge yet fiercer foes than the ones they actually encountered. Indeed, the higher the difficulty a player selected, the likelier they were to report a dearth of worthy opponents. Worry not! Our latest major update has made significant changes to the balance of archetypes. Perhaps now the Imperium's enemies will present a serious hurdle in your path.

Speaking of archetypes, in the survey, we asked you lots of questions about your characters' combat abilities. These were the results: over 60% of survey participants got a taste of Exemplar, the third tier in a character's career. Other archetypes available earlier in the game saw yet greater use, with the top spots going to Soldier and Officer, which had some form of involvement in the Lord Captain's adventures in over 90% of cases.
Soldier and Officer also topped the list of audience-favourite archetypes. Great Strategist came bottom of that list, their difficult-to-execute stratagems earning many an indignant comment.

Notably, the special abilities players deemed to be the most powerful (and perhaps overpowered) were Arch-Militant's Wildfire, Soldier's Rapid Fire, and Assassin's Death Whisper. Operative's Intimidation was deemed the weakest.

When it came to key mechanics, Officer shone once again with their ability to grant an extra turn to an ally. You liked both the mechanics and the spirit of this archetype's abilities.

However, there'd be no point in any of those skills without someone to use them on, now would there? Who among the Rogue Trader and their retinue's opponents emerged as the most popular one, and who as the most detested? Alas, these questions cannot be answered without spoilers. But if you've conquered the Koronus Expanse before, you could probably make a guess, and it would probably be correct.





Interestingly, most of the negative combat experiences were caused by encounters that involved no bosses or named characters. Case in point, mid-flight battles.

Character Creation
Creating and customising a character is a key aspect of any role-playing game. To make sure no Rogue Trader lacked in individually tailored options, we added over 500 talents to the game! Many players hinted that we might have tried too hard there... Thus 37% of participants would have liked the options to be fewer. The same percentage said the number of options matched their expectations. There were also those who didn't find enough variety, but the former two outnumbered these four to one.

As for the Rogue Trader's Origin, the majority's preference leaned firmly toward Sanctioned Psyker. Voidborn Psyker was therefore the most popular combination, ahead by almost a third of the runner-up, Imperial World Noble.

Companions and NPCs
We've asked you before to share your first impressions of the companions, and the poll results were quite unambiguous: Argenta led in every category! Although she's still a favourite, the Lord Captain has by now had the opportunity to form a more comprehensive picture of their retinue's other members.

This time around, we looked at the following criteria in our companions: interesting story, dialogue, and interactions; mechanical efficiency; best romance; and most attractive. Let's go through these in order.

The Rogue Trader's loyal Seneschal emerged as their most interesting companion. This choice surprised us and would probably surprise Abelard himself! He'd most likely be flattered too.
Pasqal's
multifaceted
personality also got its fair share of attention.

Owing to her unique origin, Cassia came first in combat efficiency.

Her heart-stealing efficiency put her in the lead as well. And keep this document far from the Inquisition's eyes, for Yrliet and Marazhai were a very close second and third.

Naturally, these statistics would've been incomplete without Argenta taking at least one of the top spots. Her fervour in combat and her zealous smile won over many.

Now what about those who can only be observed from the sidelines? We left this as a free-form question so that participants could name whatever non-player character they wanted as their favourite. After meticulously sifting through over 5,000 comments, we had the following top ten: a Koronus Expanse All Stars according to the heir of House von Valancius.

There's a high likelihood that the vote results might have been altered by an organisation we've been unable to trace.

Conclusion
As the cogitators hum and the Lexmechanics rhythmically count off the figures, the time to part has crept unnoticed upon us. We truly hope you've found it interesting to see these survey results and to learn more about the way you play. We certainly have. Collecting and reading your responses for this article felt like discussing our favourite game with friends! We found it incredibly interesting to hear what aspects of the game you liked the most, where you spent the most time, and which moments delighted you the most. It was an interesting conversation with a lot of takeaways for us regarding the gameplay, your personal preferences, and ways we might improve the game.

As the Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader team, we'd like to say a big thank you to each and every one of you. Your responses, opinions, and ideas are genuinely important to us as we, too, are passionate fans. Seeing your engagement and enthusiasm is what inspires us day to day as we work to bring this universe to life.

That's all for now, but more is on the way: we're already preparing new updates and content which we're sure you're going to like. Follow the news and brace yourselves for more thrilling adventures in the Koronus Expanse. Thanks for being with us, and see you soon, friends!

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Still worth marrying tho.

 

[Camel]

Heinrix is less popular than Yrliet, 32% took the goddamn Dark Eldar in the retinue.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Jae and Idira manage to less liked, by quite a lot mind you, than Marazhai , a Drukhari that's basically the villain for act 2 , kidnaps you , tortures you and requires you to give him part of your crew to keep him sane. Also you only get him by Mid to late Act 3.

That's a feat.

Also unless i missing something but also the least liked characters in owlcat games are generaly black .. Seelah , Sosiel , Idira and Ekundayo.

 

[babayaga]

Jae and Idira manage to less liked, by quite a lot mind you, than Marazhai , a Drukhari that's basically the villain for act 2 , kidnaps you , tortures you and requires you to give him part of your crew to keep him sane. Also you only get him by Mid to late Act 3.

That's a feat.

Nobody likes the Indian whore/rapist Jae and the annoying mentally unstable redditor Idira.
They are the bane of my existence. I'm so happy you can get rid of them immediately.

 

[Camel]

Nobody likes the Indian whore/rapist Jae and the annoying mentally unstable redditor Idira.
They are the bane of my existence. I'm so happy you can get rid of them immediately.

I agonized over what to do with Idira, felt indebted to Theodora and her confidante psyker. Thankfully Argenta solved my problem.

 

[babayaga]

Nobody likes the Indian whore/rapist Jae and the annoying mentally unstable redditor Idira.
They are the bane of my existence. I'm so happy you can get rid of them immediately.

I agonized over what to do with Idira, felt indebted to Theodora and her confidante psyker. Thankfully Argenta solved my problem.

She is alive only because you, the rogue trader. To top it all off she is also a ticking bomb. Her snarkiness and know it all comments make me want to punch her. She deserves a beating.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I agonized over what to do with Idira

Idira, Yrliet and Marazhai belong with the Inquisition.

 

[Harthwain]

Jae and Idira manage to less liked, by quite a lot mind you, than Marazhai , a Drukhari that's basically the villain for act 2 , kidnaps you , tortures you and requires you to give him part of your crew to keep him sane. Also you only get him by Mid to late Act 3.

That's a feat.

It speaks volumes about how uninteresting Jae and Idira are.

Marazhai manages to be more interesting character by comparison. And I say that as someone who had no second thoughts about killing him in the Arena (as you said - he is the villain who kidnaps you, tortures you and wants to get you killed), so I didn't really get any interactions with him past that, only what little I saw on reddit (and most of it being some fan comics/drawings as these pop up easily as thumbnails). I bet a lot of people also like a BDSM-themed [Dark] Elf who can be either a dominant or a submissive.

 

[ga♥]

Idira is not bad honestly, story wise, or voice acting. People dislike her because "fugging idira spawned a bloodletter again -reload-".
Jae is terrible honestly, her story and quests are abysmal.

 

[babayaga]

Idira is not bad honestly, story wise, or voice acting. People dislike her because "fugging idira spawned a bloodletter again -reload-".
Jae is terrible honestly, her story and quests are abysmal.

They are both dumb bitches and heretics.
Suffer not the heretic. Give them to the inquisition.

 

[Harthwain]

Idira is not bad honestly, story wise, or voice acting.

Her voice is horrible.

 

[Anonymous Ranger]

I disliked Jae but I’m kind of surprised at the hate for Idira. I thought she was kind of a fun character and she has a couple of little things like convincing her to become friends with Argenta that at least make her ok.

 

[notpl]

Idira is not bad honestly, story wise, or voice acting. People dislike her because "fugging idira spawned a bloodletter again -reload-".
Jae is terrible honestly, her story and quests are abysmal.

The bureaucracy quest is maybe the best thing in the game.

 

[ChildInTime]

I bet a lot of people also like a BDSM-themed [Dark] Elf who can be either a dominant or a submissive.

It's a reverse Camellia situation - girls really liked that one, if the amount of fanart and fanfiction is any indication. Who needs another boring Carth clone, when you can murderfuck with a haughty dark elf.

Her voice is horrible.

I thought her voice was pretty good, especially in the prologue, the VA gave her all, even if Idira herself is a boring char. Voice acting in general is great.

 

[kangaxx]

"More than half of respondents completed the game", meaning about 51% of people made it past the first act and then 'sunk cost fallacy-ed' their way through the rest.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

"More than half of respondents completed the game", meaning about 51% of people made it past the first act and then 'sunk cost fallacy-ed' their way through the rest.

No because RT is a genuinely great game. Easily the best RPG of 2023.

 

[babayaga]

"More than half of respondents completed the game", meaning about 51% of people made it past the first act and then 'sunk cost fallacy-ed' their way through the rest.

No because RT is a genuinely great game. Easily the best RPG of 2023.

You are correct and the codex will hate you for being right