MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus loves the world of Warhammer. Only one thing bothers him, especially about 40,000: the constant focus on the Space Marines. Because Warhammer actually offers so much more. Now he is playing Rogue Trader on Steam and is completely thrilled by a world that consists of more than just perfect bred soldiers.
I’ve said it before: in a perfect world, we would play World of Warhammer today. And I still stand by that. The Warhammer universe offers with its completely crazy ideas something that no other franchise has.
However, Warhammer has two big problems:
- on the one hand, Games Workshop squanders the license for video games, so a lot of junk is produced that simply has Warhammer written on it
- on the other hand, the few good games that exist are simply full of Space Marines and I have really seen enough of that
Seriously, Warhammer offers so much more than literally bred men who are 2.50 tall, have multiple hearts and organs, and can slam you into the ground with their fists. Literally. That’s why I was already glad that Pariah Nexus refrained from that.
Now Rogue Trader has been released on PC, Xbox, and PS5, a new CRPG in the Warhammer universe – and it was well received right away. I already pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition a year ago and: by the Emperor! The game is awesome.
Against Heresy, Witchcraft and Mutation!
What Rogue Trader does better than almost every other game in Warhammer 40k is the focus and the possibilities. Sure, we still play “only” an Imperial, but there are always different approaches:
- Do you follow the Emperor faithfully? Then you can condemn every Xenos and any hint of heresy directly as a Dogmatist – if in doubt, with execution.
- Are you trying to make the world a better place? Iconoclasts advocate for the freedom of all humans and a coexistence of all righteous ones, even (friendly) Xenos.
- Do you prefer to be evil? Become a heretic and completely fall into chaos – that’s possible too.
Spoilers for potential companions
If you want, you can even recruit Xenos. An Aeldari and a Drukhari are available as potential companions and even romance options.
There’s no set path. As in Baldur’s Gate 3, you have the freedom to take all possible routes. Only the creative variety is not so large. For that, you are in a special position as a free trader in which you can even change the galaxy.
Essentially, you are the law. What you say will be done and those who do not comply end up in jail or on the gallows, unless you execute them yourself. An excellent glimpse into the truly dark world of Warhammer 40k, where there is no “good”, but only different shades of bleak.
That’s exactly what makes Warhammer, from my point of view: not Space Marines or Karl Franz, but a world at war with all its dirty side effects. Whether an act is justified always depends on how you evaluate it.
An RPG without “classes”, but with a lot of looting and leveling
In addition, Rogue Trader does one thing very differently than I know from conventional role-playing games. There are no classes. Or… not so directly at least. Character creation is much more extensive than you might know from Baldur’s Gate 3, even though you can’t customize your genitalia:
- The world you come from indicates your character’s pros and cons.
- Your profession in the past grants characteristic abilities and NPCs even react to that.
- “Doctrines” replace classes: you initially choose one of four, which can then develop into 3 different ones. This allows for more variance, even if the same “class” is in the party multiple times.
Moreover, you don’t just level up to level 20 or even only to level 12, but up to 56 – at least as far as I can see, and if nothing else is hidden. This means: you’re leveling up constantly and can choose new abilities, further develop your character.
There’s also loot in abundance along with a trading system where you don’t even need money. You simply take what you want, as long as the traders trust you enough.
Nice bonus: with the spaceship, I can fly through different planetary systems, establish and manage colonies, and shoot down pirates. Great variety when the XCOM-like combat system becomes tedious.
Warhammer 40k can do so much more than just Space Marines
In just the first week since release, I’ve invested over 60 hours into the game. Admittedly, because I was down with corona and couldn’t do much other than play. Otherwise, it would probably have been significantly fewer hours.
Nevertheless, Rogue Trader finally shows me again why I love what Warhammer has to offer, and that even Warhammer 40,000 can keep up with my favorite Warhammer Fantasy. Because what always annoys me are Space Marines.
If you don’t know them: Space Marines are genetically altered humans who have been bred through the “Gene-seed” of semi-divine Primarchs. That’s great for shooters without much sense, but seeing them in every game is tiring.
Moreover, almost all 40k games always use Nurgle as an enemy. Why? Because he, as the lord of decay and diseases, is particularly disgusting, but the most boring of the 4 chaos gods. Rogue Trader also explores a little of what happens when one has trouble with Slaanesh and Tzeentch. Refreshingly different.
If I am currently babbling strange nerd stuff to you: many players think Rogue Trader is the perfect entry point into Warhammer for them. I can only recommend it. Furthermore, I will have to talk with colleague Marie Friske. The fact that Rogue Trader is not directly on our list of the 10 best RPGs on Steam is bordering on heresy! And now excuse me, there’s a heretical world in Exterminatus range.
