Multiplat Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader CRPG (Dec 7). 2023 only gets better!

[GtehMVP]

Man, what a freaking year for games, bookened by one of my most anticipated titles, 40k Rogue Trader.

It's coming out Dec 7 on Steam, PS5 and Xbox.



Owlcat studios aren't quite Larian, but they are right behind them in the expansive CRPG realm. They are best known for adapting the Pathfinder tabletop game, much like Baldur's Gate 1 to 3 are based off of various versions of D&D.

We've never had a 40k RPG, and with one of the best RPG devs in the biz making one, I have high expectations.

The lore is ridiculously rich, and using Rogue Traders as a vehicle is brilliant. Being explorers where charisma and dialogue strengths are just as important as combat readiness, along with being comprised of diverse crew members, they can take us to all kinds of places/scenarios other factions couldn't.

The goat of 40k lore, IMO, Luetin09, did a lore video on Rogue Traders 4 years ago and this was one of the most popular comments.

@RebelInTheF.D.G
4 years ago
Imagine it... Warp Effect: Rogue Trader. I mean seriously, a Rogue Trader is arguably the ideal protagonist of a 3rd person sci fi/action/horror rpg along the lines of Mass Effect. It could be beautiful. Won't ever happen though...

While I wish this was 3rd person like Dragon Age or ME, it's the next best thing. Being multiplat means the PC version should have controller support, another Steam Deck gem in the making!

I really hope this does well. 40k has a huge fanbase, so this should draw a ton more eyeballs for Owlcat like Baldur's Gate 3 did for Larian. I'd like to see them step up their production like Larian has too, and this could give them the funds to do so.

 

[AngryWeasel]

Now out !



Seems like the fights are a bit clunky plus a few bugs here and there but the RPG / universe side are on point

I'm actually acquiring it ... Should arrive in a few hours !

 

[GtehMVP]

Now out !



Seems like the fights are a bit clunky plus a few bugs here and there but the RPG / universe side are on point

I'm actually acquiring it ... Should arrive in a few hours !

I tried searching for this thread yesterday but couldn't find it. I forgot I started it lol

How you liking it? I finished the prologue on Saturday, and got a few hours past it, really enjoyed it. I'm a huge 40k lore fan, so it's nice to finally play a proper/modern RPG in this world. The writing, music, and attention to detail pulls you right in. They have a lot of NPC's where they should be, so despite their limited budget compared to BG3, it still feels as grandiose as 40K should be. The voice acting they do have is excellent too.

I never played any of the table top games, so I didn't know much about the lore of Rogue Traders before this game. I love how you're leading an all-star cast of different factions in a region of space not under full control of the Imperium.

I'm glad I haven't touched Baldur's Gate 3 since Starfield came out, as it does so many things I wish Owlcat could, especially binging the characters to life visually. Regardless, the writing (and there's plenty) does a great job of fleshing out the world and characters.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I can't imagine a worse time for a CRPG to have launched than the day after BG3 was awarded 6 GOTY awards, including best game, and it launched on XBox.

This game's sales are truly fucked.

 

[AngryWeasel]

I tried searching for this thread yesterday but couldn't find it. I forgot I started it lol

How you liking it? I finished the prologue on Saturday, and got a few hours past it, really enjoyed it. I'm a huge 40k lore fan, so it's nice to finally play a proper/modern RPG in this world. The writing, music, and attention to detail pulls you right in. They have a lot of NPC's where they should be, so despite their limited budget compared to BG3, it still feels as grandiose as 40K should be. The voice acting they do have is excellent too.

I never played any of the table top games, so I didn't know much about the lore of Rogue Traders before this game. I love how you're leading an all-star cast of different factions in a region of space not under full control of the Imperium.

I'm glad I haven't touched Baldur's Gate 3 since Starfield came out, as it does so many things I wish Owlcat could, especially binging the characters to life visually. Regardless, the writing (and there's plenty) does a great job of fleshing out the world and characters.

Didn't played it at the moment, still downloading it.

Rogue traders are indeed cool, as they are on of the few actors in this universe able to cross between the massive scale battles the tabletop use and the more close-on approach of regular rpg's (freebooterz, eldar corsairs and chaos/renagade warbands being the other ones).

Happy to see that's it's well written and acted, will def play it in Shakespeare's language

 

[AngryWeasel]

I can't imagine a worse time for a CRPG to have launched than the day after BG3 was awarded 6 GOTY awards, including best game, and it launched on XBox.

This game's sales are truly fucked.

Bad timing indeed. I didn't bother with BG3 in the end so ...

(Plus I'm on a 40k reading spree)

 

[GtehMVP]

I can't imagine a worse time for a CRPG to have launched than the day after BG3 was awarded 6 GOTY awards, including best game, and it launched on XBox.

This game's sales are truly fucked.

I don't think it will hurt sales at all for those who like these types of games. If anything it might help them with the new players thanks to the notoriety BG3 brought to this genre. I guess we'll find out.

People on the Xbox platform only are definitely a different scenario though, luckily for Owlcat they aren't many . They couldn't have predicted BG3's Xbox launch date, poor Owlcat lol

Anyone coming from BG3 not familiar with classic CRPG's will definitely be disappointed in the step back in production values though, especially console players.

This is why BG3 was never considered a threat by the likes of M$/Bethesda, as CRPG's are usually far more niche. Games like BG3 and Dragon Age Origins were able to reach wider audiences with those superior production values.

Owlcat has a devoted audience, present company included, but with the massive 40K fanbase, and BG3 bringing more eyes to the genre, hopefully it does well. Owlcat is notorious for bugs at launch/early months, but so far I haven't experienced any. Mortismal said there were several, but no game breaking ones, unlike previous titles, a good sign!

 

[AngryWeasel]

I don't think it will hurt sales at all for those who like these types of games. If anything it might help them with the new players thanks to the notoriety BG3 brought to this genre. I guess we'll find out.

People on the Xbox platform only are definitely a different scenario though, luckily for Owlcat they aren't many . They couldn't have predicted BG3's Xbox launch date, poor Owlcat lol

Anyone coming from BG3 not familiar with classic CRPG's will definitely be disappointed in the step back in production values though, especially console players.

This is why BG3 was never considered a threat by the likes of M$/Bethesda, as CRPG's are usually far more niche. Games like BG3 and Dragon Age Origins were able to reach wider audiences with those superior production values.

Owlcat has a devoted audience, present company included, but with the massive 40K fanbase, and BG3 bringing more eyes to the genre, hopefully it does well. Owlcat is notorious for bugs at launch/early months, but so far I haven't experienced any. Mortismal said there were several, but no game breaking ones, unlike previous titles, a good sign!

Plus good crpg tend to have a long life, both in-game and irl.

 

[GtehMVP]

Plus good crpg tend to have a long life, both in-game and irl.

Exactly. Owlcat is well known for supporting their games too, though they had to lol. I treat every new release as an early access beta you can actually play to completion, or at least keep using the same save file while they patch it. I tend to restart these kind of games a few times anyway while finding the right class. By the time the game is firing on most cylinders, I've found the class I want to play to completion. I put about 130 hours into BG3, with 20 of that probably being restarting. There are some things you couldn't respec when I was playing. Not sure how respec works here yet.

There are around 2300 reviews on Steam already, with 82% positive. Most of the thumbs down I've seen regard bugs, along the lines of "game is good, wait for patches". That's pretty damn good for Owlcat!

 

[GearSolidMetal]

 

[MidgardSerpent]

Wrath of the Righteous was my first Owlcat game, they are super legit. They're clearly hardcore nerds that live for this shit.

Got my butt kicked in the game and missed so many attacks, really had to immerse myself in the material to gain some traction. There are also an overwhelming amount of builds, overall it has a pretty steep learning threshold. BG3 surprisingly felt a bit lightweight in comparison when it comes to difficulty, levelling options, different builds, and gameplay mechanics, although it obviously has superior production values.

Rogue Trader looks good, the backgrounds look badass. Looking forward and at the same time kind of dreading having to learn the mechanics and trying to handle the lore dump. Too bad it has a lack of voiced text like WOTR though. Don't know whether I should wait half a year for this game to be cooked more, play Alan Wake 2, or finish my playthrough of Jagged Alliance 3, we'll see.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I can't imagine a worse time for a CRPG to have launched than the day after BG3 was awarded 6 GOTY awards, including best game, and it launched on XBox.

This game's sales are truly fucked.

I'd like to clarify that this post was in no way throwing shade on the game, or doubt it was going to sell well.

CRPG/Tactical games have been a genre I've only become familiar with recently, and they're become some if my recent favorites.

Hope Rogue Trader does well, not only because its a CRPG, but also its optimizes for modern consoles, and because its a 40K game... and there's so few good ones.

 

[GtehMVP]

I'd like to clarify that this post was in no way throwing shade on the game, or doubt it was going to sell well.

CRPG/Tactical games have been a genre I've only become familiar with recently, and they're become some if my recent favorites.

Hope Rogue Trader does well, not only because its a CRPG, but also its optimizes for modern consoles, and because its a 40K game... and there's so few good ones.

I love a good classic CRPG, whether it's real time with pause, or tactical turn based, It's generally the writing/world building that really pulls me in.

Tech/resources were limited with what you could do graphically and voiced back in the day, but you could go wild with text. They were always like a good novel mixed with choose your own adventure stories, in a D&D-like (or exact) environment you could play by yourself.

As more RPG's became fully voiced, you lost a lot of the extra details those classic CRPG's had in all the text. Devs had to scale things back in the writing department, giving us less dialogue options/choices.

That's what made Baldur's Gate 3 so special. It was as good/better than anything graphically/cinematically, while not sacrificing anything that made the OG CRPG goats so great. It's crazy how many voiced characters/lines they have. The narrator was a great touch too, adding so much to the world building, and her voice/delivery is stellar. I also loved the mocap for the characters you spoke with, it brought all the NPC's to life. Even all the bugs I had in Act 3 couldn't shake my admiration for what they achieved.

I'm loving this game so far. It doesn't have BG3's pizzazz, but it has everything I love about those classic CRPG's. It only helps that the 40K universe is the best untapped IP out there. There are loads of 40K games out there, but most are shit, and few barely even tap into the expansive/intriguing lore.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

So I've checked out a few reviews & it sounds intriguing but I have a big question I haven't seen an answer to in the reviews....

What's it about?

I mean, you're a Rogue Trader and have a major influence over worlds.... to do what?

I hear its story-driven but I haven't heard any specifics of the story itself.

 

[GtehMVP]

So I've checked out a few reviews & it sounds intriguing but I have a big question I haven't seen an answer to in the reviews....

What's it about?

I mean, you're a Rogue Trader and have a major influence over worlds.... to do what?

I hear its story-driven but I haven't heard any specifics of the story itself.

I'm really early in things, but here's the set up with a bit of backstory. The latter is what you'll learn early in game, and throughout, as I think they do a pretty good job giving you enough info of what's going on in the universe, and what it's all about.

Your goal as a Rogue Trader is to influence new territories is the furthest reaches of uncharted space to acquire resources, alliances, technologies, or reunite lost civilizations tied to earth (Holy Terra as its called in 40K) all to benefit the Imperium ultimately.

Your character is one of two heirs to a major Rogue trader household, a "corporation" so to speak. Shit goes bad quickly (big betrayal) and you take control of the business all within the opening prologue. Your early goal is to take care of the betrayal while furthering the purpose of the business. Where it it goes from here I can't wait to find out.

Rogue Traders are powerful and incredibly wealthy, having numerous planets/systems under their umbrella, but what they have that's most coveted is freedom, via a "Warrant of Trade". The Imperium of Man has either settled of annexed a million planets, with trillions of citizens under its control. Most of the population exists to serve the military, as humanity is at constant war with outside factions/horrors. It's our military industrial complex on a billion Ubereem supplements. There are entire planets dedicated to war production called Forge Worlds. It's an oppressive grim and dark future for most.


A brief backstory super condensed:
Thousands of years from our (present earth) timeline, and thousands of years before the 40k era, humanity has colonized so much of the galaxy. It's basically Star Trek Federation style but with technological marvels even more Ubereemed. Thanks to the discovery of the Warp (or immaterium/immaterial universe) humans can travel vast distances quickly. Like Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels, this allowed us to have worlds completely reliant on food production, and every other need, from planets in other solar systems.

The Warp is like hyperspace in Star Wars, only in that realm Lovecraftian-like entities exist than can reek havoc on anyone traveling within in it, and through them and other means, affecting us in our material world. They are demon-like gods, with endless minions. Shit got really bad in there and humanity couldn't use the warp for a long time, stranding unknowable worlds into starvation and total anarchy, earth being one of them. This lasted thousands of years, collapsing/regressing our once great interstellar civilization into barbarism in many places.

Most of the advancements/info from that golden age of technology have been lost forever. Around the year 30 thousand, the Emperor, who's basically Highlander but extra Ubereemed, is probably the only human/living being those godlike Warp entities feared. Uniting earth under one banner, he helped create 20 superhumans (his sons/Primarchs) using DNA from his superior genetics to create leaders in various disciplines. Using the DNA from them, he created Romanesque super legions (Space Marines) in their image, to set off on a space crusade to reunite the lost worlds of humanity. They could either join willingly, be forced to, or be destroyed.

Things were looking up for our new Gothic/Roman-like space empire, before those warp entities corrupted some of his sons and their legions. A destructive civil war ensued, leaving the Emperor trapped on his Golden Throne, the only device keeping those Warp entities from engulfing our universe in total chaos.


Rogue Traders operate beyond where the Emperor and his forces reached, where lost tech from the golden age, settlements from old earth colonized ventures, and dangerous enemies, in the material and immaterial universe, can be found. It's the wild Lovecratian west basically.

The Imperirum has several members from unique factions that are part of your entourage. To name a few, you have a Space marine, sister of battle, tech enhanced Mechanicum, and a Psyker, the latter who can use the warp to unleash magic-like attacks, among other abilities.

There are numerous enemies outside the warp demons we could face. Aliens-like creatures, LOTR-like Orcs, advanced tech-centric near equals (Tau), and even Elven-like civilizations far older and advanced than humanity, though depleted/scattered. I hear even one of the Dark Elves can become part of your team.

Owlcat worked closely with Games Workshop and are clearly big fans of the source material. How lovely is it to have a studio actual be faithful to lore, rather than jam modern audience nonsense into it. Being in uncharted settings, fresh new lore can be added to the canon of the 40K Universe. I don't know where it’s going yet, but I guess I'll find out. So far so freaking good lol.


edit, holy shit that was long. It's not easy to surmise this world lol

 

[GearSolidMetal]

 

[GtehMVP]

Got any cliffs? I can't stand this windbag, he loves his own voice.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Just fired it up tonight. It took me like an hour to make a new character lol. Looks pretty cool

 

[GtehMVP]

Anyone ever see Event Horizon?

I felt like some thing Warhammer-ish and watched it last night for the first time in ages. It still holds up really well, especially with the 4k HDR Blu-ray

Anyway, looking up 40K-like films, this was at the top of the suggested in many places, as it's pretty much a 40K prequel, and a perfect example of what the Warp can be like.



btw, pro tip from an idiot; something that should have been noticed immediately by me/anyone, so not really a spoiler.

I only just realized that using psychic abilities from our "unsanctioned" Psyker Idira can draw out tough warp spawn enemies on the first attack. The more she uses it, the more chance more/tougher enemies will spawn. You get this cool spooky effect too as the warp starts to leak in, apparitions, tentacles etc.... I thought it was happening regardless, or that enemies were spawning them.

Unsanctioned Psykers are warp magnets, while sanctioned ones are trained to hold it back, so to speak. I knew this, but wasn't paying attention.

Put a rifle on her until you can strengthen the veil that holds them back with Cassia.

Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader - Perils Of The Warp, Explained

Veil Degradation and Perils of the Warp can occur as Psykers use their powers in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader. Here's everything you need to know.

www.thegamer.com

 

[Halge]

Yeah, this game rocks. I'm only a short bit into it yet, but I can already tell it's going to be whole lot of fun. It's kinda like Shadowrun, except they skimped out on virtually nothing. Not even writing, which is surprising. Just wish playing the game wouldn't make my hard drive turn into a hot stove.