Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader stands as a beacon in the dark tapestry of the Warhammer 40K universe, a realm ripe with stories waiting to be told. Owlcat Games, known for their work on the Pathfinder series, has undertaken a daunting challenge with this title – to craft a full-fledged RPG within the intricate and foreboding lore of Warhammer 40,000. In a sea of Warhammer games, Rogue Trader emerges as a solid cRPG with tactical turn-based combat, rooted in the classic Rogue Trader ruleset. For fans of the genre, it’s a step away from being an absolute must-play.
The core premise of Rogue Trader is compelling. Players assume the role of a Rogue Trader, a revered figure in the Imperium of Man entrusted with expanding its influence by exploring and colonizing areas beyond its grasp, such as the treacherous Koronus Expanse. However, at the game’s outset, your custom character is merely a potential heir to Theodora Von Valacius. Invited to her voidship, you make the acquaintance of Theodora, her crew, and other potential heirs. Little do you know that Theodora’s demise at the hands of Chaos forces will thrust you into the role of the new Rogue Trader, destined for a higher purpose. Your actions will reverberate through the uncharted Koronus Expanse and perhaps even the Imperium of Man, as you face an encroaching evil.
The game strives to accommodate both novices and Warhammer fanatics. While it bombards players with a multitude of terms and concepts from the start, Owlcat Games makes commendable efforts to ensure accessibility. A contextual glossary provides quick explanations, and the Corpus Valancius serves as a comprehensive repository, complete with tutorials explaining archetypes and gameplay mechanics. Thus, vital information about the Warhammer 40,000 universe is readily available within the game.
The narrative unfolds into a captivating tale, entangling the Rogue Trader in various exploits, from quelling heretical rebellions to witnessing celestial phenomena. While the story may exhibit a hint of repetitiveness, as if no planet in the Koronus Expanse can resolve its issues without the Rogue Trader’s intervention, it introduces players to unexplored corners of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
As is customary in RPGs, the narrative is influenced by the Rogue Trader’s reactions to events. Choices dictate the character’s Conviction – Dogmatic, Heretical, or Iconoclast. This choice not only shapes the narrative but also influences available skills. While all Convictions present intriguing story developments, the Heretical path, regrettably, lacks the nuance one might expect in the grimdark universe. It occasionally veers into straightforward, cartoonish evil, somewhat jarring against the backdrop of Warhammer 40K’s intricately developed setting.
The companions accompanying the Rogue Trader are a highlight of the experience. From Seneschal Abelard to Sister of Battle Argenta, each character is meticulously developed. Many companions join the Rogue Trader within the initial four hours of the campaign, providing ample time for their narratives to unfold. The interactivity between companions is excellent, with disagreements and arguments among them sometimes yielding significant consequences. Companions not only contribute to the narrative but also enhance the player’s immersion, boasting personal histories, individual questlines, and unique epilogues. The level of detail bestowed upon companions surpasses that found in many other RPGs, especially when considering the possible combinations with Convictions.
Rogue Trader’s gameplay aligns with Owlcat’s tactical RPG roots, incorporating familiar elements while introducing unique twists that resonate with the Warhammer 40,000 setting. Controlling a party of up to six members, players navigate through a variety of locations in a top-down view. The exploration system employs a menu-based interface, involving scanning for routes on a vast map, interacting with objects, passing skill checks, conversing with NPCs, and engaging in tactical turn-based combat. While the level design offers complexity with multiple paths, items to collect, and enemies to confront, Rogue Trader falls short of the expansive world responsiveness seen in some other RPGs.
The combat system, at its core, follows a cover-based experience akin to other titles. Yet, it introduces a unique twist – the Momentum system. As players deal damage, they accumulate Momentum, reaching a threshold that enables the unleashing of powerful abilities, termed Heroic Acts. Conversely, dropping below a specific Momentum threshold allows for the deployment of Desperate Measures, retaining the effects of Heroic Acts but with an added debuff. These mechanics inject dynamism into battles, preventing combat from becoming monotonous throughout the game.
The class system, a pivotal aspect of Rogue Trader, ensures a constant sense of progression and variety. Comprising four Tier I classes, eight Tier II classes, and a final Tier III class called Exemplar, the Archetype system allows extensive customization possibilities within each class. The origin of specific characters further expands these possibilities, with distinct abilities and skills tied to their background. This customization extends even to characters of the same Archetype, as demonstrated by the varied builds of the Rogue Trader and Seneschal Abelard. This versatility, while a strength, comes at the cost of complexity, overwhelming newcomers initially. However, the game counterbalances this with extensive tutorials, making the learning curve manageable.
Rogue Trader extends its gameplay beyond ground combat, introducing space combat from Chapter 2 onward. Retaining the turn-based aspects of ground combat, space combat incorporates additional intricacies such as voidship movement, shield depletion mechanics, and specific weapon ranges. While the customization options for voidships mirror the depth available for playable characters, space combat can feel somewhat cumbersome, slowing down the overall pace of battles, even against smaller opponents.
As a hallmark of Owlcat’s titles, Rogue Trader incorporates management mechanics involving colony development. Players must develop and manage colonies, ensuring a steady supply of resources to enhance their renown and facilitate trade with NPCs. Resource extraction becomes a crucial element of the game’s space exploration mechanics, offering a relatively straightforward yet integral layer to the overall experience.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, despite not catering to the broad appeal of Baldur’s Gate 3, manages to captivate even those with a limited affinity for the Warhammer 40,000 setting. It drew me into its immersive world, combining solid RPG elements with the tactical turn-based combat Owlcat Games is known for. While the lack of polish and some mechanical quirks, particularly in space combat, may deter perfectionists, Rogue Trader stands as a testament to the grimdark essence of Warhammer 40K, beckoning both veterans and newcomers to explore its unforgiving universe.
