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

[Halge]

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

And then you can make mercenaries....

 

[Bob Gray]

So what are people's thoughts on the game? From the reviews it seems like it's in a bit of a rough state but can be patched up.

Also seems like the stats and percentages are ridiculously granular while offering little actual boosts.

 

[Halge]

So what are people's thoughts on the game? From the reviews it seems like it's in a bit of a rough state but can be patched up.

Also seems like the stats and percentages are ridiculously granular while offering little actual boosts.

Haven't noticed any bugs at all yet. Haven't played for long though*.

Most systems in the game are kinda messy**. Not bad, just somewhat hard to figure out. Personally I like that they aren't all cookie cutter for the genre. But I'm sure there's a bit of superfluous stuff, or stuff that simply doesn't make a whole lot of difference***. The combat system in general doesn't seem very tactical - it's more about flair. Which is in line with the 40k brand of overkill. You're never bored during combat.
So far, melee characters seem overpowered to me. The psykers, shooters and support characters have a hard time keeping up with a sword-wielder who can Cleave three enemies at the beginning of his turn, then end the turn by charging and killing a fourth, and tank just about any incoming damage. If any enemies manage to stay out of reach, the melee character can just carry a pistol in his off-hand and shoot them instead - pistols are pretty much better than most rifles anyway, at least at the outset of the game.
But again, the game is about flair. All characters have apocalyptic abilities they can use under the right circumstances, it's just about positioning them where the abilities can be used.

*Streamers and reviewers always seem to whine about buggy launches.

**The trading system in particular is confusing. But I don't think it's broken or anything - I'm sure it will make sense eventually. I think (I'm not sure) that it borrows some aspects from the pen-and-paper rpg the game is based off of. Particularly the Only War spin-off. So maybe fans of those games have an easier time understanding it.

***Although I don't think it's that builds don't make a difference. I think it's moreso that you can still successfully play the game without min-maxing.

 

[Blayt7hh]

The trading system in particular is confusing. But I don't think it's broken or anything - I'm sure it will make sense eventually. I think (I'm not sure) that it borrows some aspects from the pen-and-paper rpg the game is based off of. Particularly the Only War spin-off. So maybe fans of those games have an easier time understanding it.

I don’t think there was ever a pen paper version. Rogue Trader was the game that eventually became Warhammer 40k. You just took a little army and battled out a board without continuity. They did have two other rpg like games, Necromundo and Inquisitor. I don’t think they had any trading system though

 

[Halge]

I don’t think there was ever a pen paper version. Rogue Trader was the game that eventually became Warhammer 40k. You just took a little army and battled out a board without continuity. They did have two other rpg like games, Necromundo and Inquisitor. I don’t think they had any trading system though

Lol. You went a bit too far back. In the 21st century, Fantasy Flight Games had the rights to developing and expanding a roleplaying game (i.e not tabletop wargame) based on the 40k IP for a good long while. 2008 to Feb 2017, if I'm reading the Internet sources right.

They published a whole bunch of sourcebooks, including Rogue Trader (i.e not the original Games Workshop game with the same name) in 2009. I've never played them myself, but I used to browse the sourcebooks a lot back in the day. I know the rules system was fairly well-received, as was the lore FFG developed for the game. Seems a lot of it has more or less been adopted as official canon by GW since*. The Koronus Expanse, which is the setting for the 2023 crpg, is all FFG's creation, for example. So I think it's quite likely the game mechanics borrows from the FFG pen-and-paper as well. Plus the sheer scope of the rules system for the crpg indicates it wasn't developed from scratch by Owlcat.


*Don't ask me how the creative rights for that works. But if it is in line with GWs usual business practices, that means GW now probably owns every scrap of Warhammer-related IP ever developed by FFG. Plus the developer team's cars, houses and firstborn children.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Lol. You went a bit too far back. In the 21st century, Fantasy Flight Games had the rights to developing and expanding a roleplaying game (i.e not tabletop wargame) based on the 40k IP for a good long while. 2008 to Feb 2017, if I'm reading the Internet sources right.

They published a whole bunch of sourcebooks, including Rogue Trader (i.e not the original Games Workshop game with the same name) in 2009. I've never played them myself, but I used to browse the sourcebooks a lot back in the day. I know the rules system was fairly well-received, as was the lore FFG developed for the game. Seems a lot of it has more or less been adopted as official canon by GW since*. The Koronus Expanse, which is the setting for the 2023 crpg, is all FFG's creation, for example. So I think it's quite likely the game mechanics borrows from the FFG pen-and-paper as well. Plus the sheer scope of the rules system for the crpg indicates it wasn't developed from scratch by Owlcat.


*Don't ask me how the creative rights for that works. But if it is in line with GWs usual business practices, that means GW now probably owns every scrap of Warhammer-related IP ever developed by FFG. Plus the developer team's cars, houses and firstborn children.

Oh I never saw that before but that is around the time I stopped playing table top games. I did play inquisitor back in the day and it was pretty good

 

[elreece]

So what are people's thoughts on the game? From the reviews it seems like it's in a bit of a rough state but can be patched up.

Also seems like the stats and percentages are ridiculously granular while offering little actual boosts.

Its a very typical Owl Cat game release, in a roughish state but fully playable and is getting quick patches fixing the big issues.

If you played the pathfinder games and like them, this will be for you.

If you have never touch WH40K but have a slight interest in the genre (this was me) then I can recommend it. No idea how it stacks up to a WH40K purest but as a novice it is interesting.

 

[Rozko]

The gameplay is solid and if you are a fan of 40k there is a lot of love and respect shown by Owl Cat to the lore of 40k. I love how being the good guy in 40k makes you look like monster. They nailed it.

 

[GtehMVP]

Haven't noticed any bugs at all yet. Haven't played for long though*.

Most systems in the game are kinda messy**. Not bad, just somewhat hard to figure out. Personally I like that they aren't all cookie cutter for the genre. But I'm sure there's a bit of superfluous stuff, or stuff that simply doesn't make a whole lot of difference***. The combat system in general doesn't seem very tactical - it's more about flair. Which is in line with the 40k brand of overkill. You're never bored during combat.
So far, melee characters seem overpowered to me. The psykers, shooters and support characters have a hard time keeping up with a sword-wielder who can Cleave three enemies at the beginning of his turn, then end the turn by charging and killing a fourth, and tank just about any incoming damage. If any enemies manage to stay out of reach, the melee character can just carry a pistol in his off-hand and shoot them instead - pistols are pretty much better than most rifles anyway, at least at the outset of the game.
But again, the game is about flair. All characters have apocalyptic abilities they can use under the right circumstances, it's just about positioning them where the abilities can be used.

*Streamers and reviewers always seem to whine about buggy launches.

**The trading system in particular is confusing. But I don't think it's broken or anything - I'm sure it will make sense eventually. I think (I'm not sure) that it borrows some aspects from the pen-and-paper rpg the game is based off of. Particularly the Only War spin-off. So maybe fans of those games have an easier time understanding it.

***Although I don't think it's that builds don't make a difference. I think it's moreso that you can still successfully play the game without min-maxing.

I played for about 20 to 30 hours close to launch.

I was loving it buy it was buggy.

I was getting pretty burnt out on TBS games after Baldur's Gate 3 and 40k as well (was on a big Horus Heresy/Siege of Terra books run) so I put it down for longer than planned.

I jumped back in last night and I find it so much more polished, not to mention the first story expansion just came out too.

I'm not sure if recent updates or the DLC added more crew mates to my bridge that I could interact with, but I was able to bang someone as soon as I took command. Servants were bringing me food in my bath as well. The new lord captain has arrived!

I love that we can make our custom character portraits too. I photoshopped my head on a Ciaphas Cain book cover, cracks me up every time



Anyway, starting a new character isn't as daunting as it feels, as like you said, you don't need to min max to do well. Every class is viable,

There's a lot of room for crazy builds if you want to though.

I spent about 3 hours at work today looking them over lol

Melee is very powerful early, especially with a buffer.

Psykers are the real op once you hit act 2, at least from my experience.


Anyway, for anyone wanting a great CRPG, look no further, Rogue Trader is jn a great spot now and the second DLC comes out in Dec.

You don't habe to be a Warhammer fan to enjoy it, but the way they lovingly put care into everthing, especially the dialogue/lore, you will be!


edit* btw, I'm playing on PC with a controller, just so it's easier to play on Steam Deck when I'm at "work". For console players, controller support is excellent.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Saw this video about the new expansion & free update.

Still planning on picking it up when both of the planned expansions are out.

My main reasons for not picking it up now are that its still buggy, though the recent update apparently has made numerous improvements on the bugs, and I'm hoping they'll expand the voiceacting for the game so its much closer to 100%.

RPGs have been completely voiceacted for 20+ years now, without it they feel both incomplete.

 

[GtehMVP]

Saw this video about the new expansion & free update.

Still planning on picking it up when both of the planned expansions are out.

My main reasons for not picking it up now are that its still buggy, though the recent update apparently has made numerous improvements on the bugs, and I'm hoping they'll expand the voiceacting for the game so its much closer to 100%.

RPGs have been completely voiceacted for 20+ years now, without it they feel both incomplete.

You can see the improved review scores/discourse on Steam since the update. It's high 80's % now.

Coming so close off of Baldur's Gate, I was more sensitive to the lack of voice acting and lesser productions values. BG3 really set the bar high. It wasn't what deterred me though. It was buggy but I was mainly burnt out on the genre. TB CRPG's can be mentally exhausting lol

Everything is so well written here, and easy to read with the interface they went with. I wouldn't expect much more voiced lines, as there's so much they'd have to record, and they don't have near the budget Larian had, but here's hoping.

Hopefully they do a follow up and step up their production. I can't believe it took this long for a proper 40k CRPG.

Regardless, the lore of 40k is ridiculously rich and they go far beyond the extra mile with details to pull you into the universe.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Everything is so well written here, and easy to read with the interface they went with. I wouldn't expect much more voiced lines, as there's so much they'd have to record, and they don't have near the budget Larian had, but here's hoping.

I'm not expecting every CRPGs to now have Mass Effect-like dialogue conversations now just because BG3 had it, and I get they don't have a super-giant budget, but I also get that voiceacting isn't expensive in comparison to other aspects of development.

Regardless, the lore of 40k is ridiculously rich and they go far beyond the extra mile with details to pull you into the universe.

Between Rogue Trader & Space Marine 2 selling well I'd say the future of 40K in the gaming world is quite bright.

Lets hope they don't do anything stupid like have Ubisoft make a game.

 

[Cole train]

Someone sell rights to wh40 to CD red so we can get cyberpunk hive city or witcher the rogue trader or sell it to obsidian for fallout new terra

Just no ea ubisoft or bioware

 

[GtehMVP]

I'm not expecting every CRPGs to now have Mass Effect-like dialogue conversations now just because BG3 had it, and I get they don't have a super-giant budget, but I also get that voiceacting isn't expensive in comparison to other aspects of development.


Between Rogue Trader & Space Marine 2 selling well I'd say the future of 40K in the gaming world is quite bright.

Lets hope they don't do anything stupid like have Ubisoft make a game.

Yeah man, good 40k games are few, and great ones even less so. I haven't played Space marine 2 yet, but I will eventually.

If you like retro shooters, Boltgun is another recent must play. I pirated it, beat it, then bought it just to support the devs

Someone sell rights to wh40 to CD red so we can get cyberpunk hive city or witcher the rogue trader or sell it to obsidian for fallout new terra

Just no ea ubisoft or bioware

Games Worskshop seems like they'd give out a license to just about anyone lol.

I'd love an open world RPG hive city game though, there's so much potential for storytelling! Hopefully the super positive attention the IP is getting from Space marine 2 will see more prominent dev teams take up the mantle!

I really want a new Dawn of War game like the first one, or a total war 40k style too.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Saw this video about the new expansion & free update.

Still planning on picking it up when both of the planned expansions are out.

My main reasons for not picking it up now are that its still buggy, though the recent update apparently has made numerous improvements on the bugs, and I'm hoping they'll expand the voiceacting for the game so its much closer to 100%.

RPGs have been completely voiceacted for 20+ years now, without it they feel both incomplete.

I finally started playing it for real a few weeks ago. It’s really good in some ways. The stories and the role playing elements are all excellent and very old school grim dark 40K. It’s very well written.

It’s very slow paced though. There’s a ton of reading. The absolute worse part is traveling around the map of the universe. You keep getting bogged down in these random encounters trying to travel from one solar system to another. It’s very frustrating actually.

As for the new DLC, I just got that character. She’s insanely OP. Like, makes my previously OP fighter look tame.

 

[A_bomb47]

Just learned about this game and have put around 10 hours into it. Really like it and not a single bug so far.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

When is the final expansion targeted to be released?

 

[GtehMVP]

When is the final expansion targeted to be released?

I'm seeing spring 2025. They delayed the first one, which turned out incredible. They'll take their times with this one. Hopefully they do a few more, as the first one is a banger.

It has a compelling questline that's integrated so well into the game, and the party member you get is one of my favs, Kibellah, a death cult assassin (the death cult operates in the shadows of of your ship, keeping order). I won't spoil any of it.

I'm about 70 hours into this playthrough, and I'm still learning systems, and only in act 2 (5 acts total I believe). It's freaking bananas how much content is in here.

I love the elements either on board your ship, or through traveling with it. As you progress through the story, or travel to new systems, new areas on your ship open up to you. Like the death cult assassins, there are all kinds of factions on board that have their own duties, and have served on board for generations with their families. Issues often arise requiring your intervention. I especially love how you can always be a total psychopath (sometimes being ruthless is the best option for everyone), something I'll explore more in future playthroughs.

The planetary systems you travel to operate like ME3, where you can move your ship on a two dimensional plain, visiting planets/moons or other points of interest, but with far more things you can do.

You have to travel through the warp to get to new systems. Random events can happen for the negative and positive when you jump from system to system.

Because you travel through the volatile warp there's always a risk, but through "Insight" you can make travel more safe, but it's a limited resources making exploration a fun risk/reward element.

You scan each planetary body and get some resource for it, but you can set up extractors for the more valuable resources you find. There are lots of little stories/combat encounters that can unfold from points of interest in space, or on planets, whether through text, or physically traveling there with your party.

Your ship has its own upgrade tree for travel and combat. You unlock skills/weapons upgrades through leveling your ship, but also by doing projects on the colonies you own.

I highly recommend this guy's channel for tips, as there's so much to learn about the game's various systems/classes.

cRPG Bro

Welcome to my place to talk everything there is to know about my favorite genre of gaming, cRPGs. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, VTMB, Pathfinder, Pillars of Eternity and more! Other RPGs also welcome, though! See you soon, friends.

www.youtube.com

 

[GtehMVP]

Anyone else playing this crazy game?

The billing I saw and had reiterated by other players was the game being around 130-ish hours.

Steam says 118 for me. I Restarted it once and have had it running in the bg a few times while looking up build guides. I have also save scummed from time to time to see different choices, but nothing like BG3.

I'd say I have an honest 100-ish hours in this run and I'm only just about to end act 2. There are 5 acts from what I hear, so wtf lol. It's not like I die that much either.

I'm exploring every inch of every location to get loot and trying to chart as many systems/scan as many planets as possible while doing every quest I get, so I'm constantly going to new places.

Is anyone close to finishing or has finished?

I'm giving this a solid 8.5/9 out of 10 thus far. I'm probably extra biased because I love 40k lore, but I think I'd love it regardless.

 

[Fraz]

This game has consumed me for a few days now, very addictive, i dont have much experience with crpgs so its a bit of a learning curve.

Recently got into 40k lore etc so im loving the feel of the universe. Seems like theyve done a great job.