Review: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Unlike my other reviews, this is for a fairly modern game. Buckle up, this will be long-winded.

So my primary hobby is table-top gaming, but obviously, I sometimes game on my PC as well. It took me 6 months to play through Rogue Trader. It was an on-and-off experience, sometimes a week of gaming, sometimes two weeks off. Those miniatures won't paint themselves. But this was, I think, the only game that ever kept me plugged in for this long. I credit the gameplay (XCom style TBS team tactics, which I enjoy), the RPG elements and the world of Warhammer 40k, rendered masterfully.

My favorite comic relief (not sure if intended, but that's how I took it) was all the Mechanicus characters. Their fake techno jargon always cracked me up.

I loved to explore this world, from the slums right up to the office of a planetary governor.

There are, of course, romance options. I picked Jae over the ever-brooding inquisitor, and let me tell you, she is FUN. A welcome break in the grimdark atmosphere.

Speaking of grimdark...

I got to fight a number of monsters and constructs from 40k lore. I don't think 5 baseline humans could ever kill a Forgefiend, but I enjoyed doing the deed nevertheless.

The elves, as always, look down on you. I played a well meaning everybody's friend type of character, but I came pretty close to throwing Yrliet out the airlock after this talk.

Managing planets is hard work, especially in this grimdark universe. This also cracked me up.

Never skip a drunken party.

Have I mentioned the elves looking down on humans?

Press X to talk.

Harlequins are even more annoying than regular elves.

Without spoilers, let's say that I fought a large number of Dark Eldar, and showed them who's boss. The sequence was terrifying, though.

Speaking of romance...

The main adversaries are the Word Bearers, which is what I play on the tabletop. I loved every moment of Chaos proselytizing. Even though in-game, I rejected it. But surely this Dark Apostle is the endgame big bad?

Ha! Not even close. Although I confess that destroying the Lord of Change was easier than the fight against multiple Chaos marines. But surely, this is the greatest challenge?

Ha! Try a C'than. Although by this point, Argenta was seriously overpowered, and the entire squad just worked together to give her as many extra turns and extra shooting attacks as possible. C'than-shm'than.

Finishing the game was extremely satisfying, although the ending sequence was a bit off, with some events narrated out-of-order. Many small decisions made along the road got their consequence shown. I watched the end credits twice.

Conclusion: if you are a fan of RPGs and of Warhammer, this game is a must!