Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an isometric, turn-based, tactical role-playing game developed and published by Owlcat Games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The game was released for Windows PC, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 7 December 2023.
It is based upon the earlier tabletop role-playing game Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Rogue Trader published under license from Games Workshop in 2009 by Fantasy Flight Games.
Gameplay[]
Similar to prior Owlcat Games products (Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous), Rogue Trader is an isometric role-playing video game, heavily utilising the d100 combat and task resolution system originally developed for Fantasy Flight Games' tabletop role-playing game of the same name.
The player controls a party of six characters, including their own through ground combat and social interactions. The game features a turn-based combat system and an isometric perspective. One of the game's distinguishing features is its emphasis on realm-building, with the player's decisions as a Rogue Trader affecting the rest of the gameplay as they build their pocket stellar empire across the Koronus Expanse. Space combat is also present using the player Rogue Trader's flagship, which can be modified and enhanced as the game's story progresses. The game also supports a cooperative multiplayer mode.
Of note is the game's unusual alignment system, which allows the player to make "Dogmatic" choices that are typically merciless but in keeping with the Imperium of Man's fervent belief in the God-Emperor's Imperial Creed, "Iconoclastic" choices that challenge the Imperial status quo and might be considered "good" by twenty-first century ethical standards, or "Heretical" choices that are heavily Chaos-aligned and could be considered "evil." These choices radically alter conversation options and equipment availability.
Description[]
The player takes on the role of the eponymous Rogue Trader, the scion of House von Valancius, an ancient dynasty of daring privateers, that reign over their own interstellar merchant empire and explore the fringes of Imperial space with the blessing of the Emperor Himself. Thanks to their Warrant of Trade, the Rogue Trader is endowed with privileges and power beyond imagination as well as the task of expanding the borders of the Imperium. At their disposal is a gargantuan voidship of immense power and innumerable servants and personnel ready to do the bidding of their lord. Their adventures begin in the vast Koronus Expanse -- a treacherous region of unexplored frontier space at the very edge of Humanity's domain.
Exploration will bring the protagonist to mysterious lost and forgotten worlds as well as numerous planets claimed by Humanity -- from lush Agri-worlds to steel-clad Forge Worlds, all of them ready to be claimed for your burgeoning merchant empire or plundered for their riches. While travelling between the stars, get ready to come across potential allies and dangerous enemies of the Imperium, Chaos Cults and alien xenos counting among the most treacherous and deadly. The player will make fateful decisions that affect the lives of entire worlds. You will prove your strategic and tactical skills in high-impact, turn-based battles against powerful opponents.
No Rogue Trader travels alone: on this dangerous journey into the unknown, the player will meet faithful and sophisticated companions. Imagine fighting alongside a mighty power-armoured Space Marine, a lethal Aeldari Ranger, or even a courageous Sister of Battle armed with bolter and ardent prayer -- these characters and many others will join you. Become a Rogue Trader endowed with great authority, discover new worlds and shape the future of the Imperium!
Setting[]
Rogue Trader takes places in the Koronus Expanse, a little charted and unknown region of space in the Segmentum Obscurus, bordering the Calixis Sector. The player, the titular Rogue Trader, is an agent of the hegemonic Imperium of Man, given special permission by the Imperium to explore, trade, and conquer across the galactic frontier, all for the benefit of the Imperium and Mankind as a whole.
The player character, a distant relative of the famed Rogue Trader Theodora von Valancius, unexpectedly rises to power in the Koronus Expanse when Theodora is treacherously murdered and the player remains the only heir to take up the mantle of Rogue Trader of the von Valancius dynasty.
Reception[]
Rogue Trader received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun applauded the alignment system, citing that both the extremes and the middle of the road option had playable value. Leana Hafer from IGN described the game as an "ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat," though she criticized the presence of various software bugs.
Jody Macgregor from PC Gamer praised the game's tone and atmosphere, though he disliked the combat and the game's technical issues at launch.
Videos[]
External Links[]
Sources[]
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC Game)
- Metacritic - Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader's most intriguing aspect is the most boring part of other RPGs - the middle ground
- IGN - Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Review
- PC Gamer - Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Review