A surge of interest in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, sparked by an animated short and a deep dive into the Horus Heresy novels, has led one writer to explore Owlcat Games' CRPG, Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. Initially skeptical about playing as a human scion rather than an Adeptus Astartes, the game quickly exceeded expectations.
The top-down CRPG, described as a less dense take on Baldur's Gate III, features a combat system where characters use movement and action points each turn. The player character is a Commissar, embracing a role with perks like "One for the enemies, two for the traitors."
The game's prologue immediately impressed, presenting a scenario where the player character is on a voidship to train as a successor to a distant relative, Theodora von Valancius. An attack by heretics and a betrayal lead to the player being infested with a nascent chaos entity. Faced with jets of flame and an apparition offering power, the player is given a choice: accept the apparition's aid, believe in the Emperor, or retreat. This moment resonated with the writer's recent reading of "Galaxy in Flames," the third book in "The Horus Heresy," prompting a choice to walk through the flame by faith, a nod to the source material that proved effective.
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader also facilitates a shift in player behavior, allowing for a more antagonistic approach without immediate negative consequences. Typically favoring paragon options in RPGs, the grim dark future necessitates a tougher stance. A decision point involving orphans of deceased voidship workers presented a choice between comforting words, outright dismissal with candy, or tough love. Embracing the Warhammer ethos, the "tough love" option was chosen, emphasizing resilience and self-improvement in the face of hardship. This aligns with the player's chosen Commissar class, which allows for actions that can indirectly benefit allies.
Despite the initial draw being the epic conflict of the Adeptus Astartes civil war, the writer finds the broader Warhammer universe engrossing in Rogue Trader. The game is described as a blast a few major quests in, with a particular anticipation for future titles like Space Marine II.