Anyone tried it yet? Is it any good?
It's been sitting in my "to play" list for a while, but recently (with new expansion?) I've seen it come up more often in discussions and on YouTube and people liking it a lot.
Quote from: Syt on July 23, 2025, 01:09:03 AMIt's been sitting in my "to play" list for a while, but recently (with new expansion?) I've seen it come up more often in discussions and on YouTube and people liking it a lot.
its apparently quite good
Finished it about 7 months ago and now replaying it with the two DLC's.
It's fun, really shows the madness that is the 40k setting.
Hey bark. :)
It's in this month's bundle choice, but I wonder whether I'd rather wait for a sale where I can also get the DLCs. Are they "must have"?
Plenty of games to play in the meantine, but this pickes my interest given that it's the first W40K game that I feel it's in my weelhouse.
Quote from: celedhring on July 23, 2025, 09:57:22 AMIt's in this month's bundle choice, but I wonder whether I'd rather wait for a sale where I can also get the DLCs. Are they "must have"?
Plenty of games to play in the meantine, but this pickes my interest given that it's the first W40K game that I feel it's in my weelhouse.
Bundle has a way of dropping games I've bought like 1 or 2 months before. I suspect them of doing it on purpose
The DlCs are extra story stuff after the main game right?
Quote from: Josquius on July 23, 2025, 03:42:39 PMThe DlCs are extra story stuff after the main game right?
No, new companions and quests. Game end remains the same.
So would it best to wait for the 2026 DLC then unless one wants to play it at least twice? :unsure:
Fyi, Owlcat Games is pretty much run by the GRU. I would recommend :pirate: so as not to fund the russian military.
Oy vey, look what I found
https://fitgirl-repacks.site/warhammer-40000-rogue-trader/
I've been playing it a lot for the past few days. It really nails the Wh40k vibe.
My obsession with trying new characters will be the death of me, though.
Quote from: Zoupa on July 27, 2025, 03:21:59 PMFyi, Owlcat Games is pretty much run by the GRU. I would recommend :pirate: so as not to fund the russian military.
Oh really? That sucks.
Do you have any links where I can read up on that?
Nothing says legit like a Cyprus corporate HQ.
Quote from: Jacob on August 05, 2025, 01:43:48 PMQuote from: Zoupa on July 27, 2025, 03:21:59 PMFyi, Owlcat Games is pretty much run by the GRU. I would recommend :pirate: so as not to fund the russian military.
Oh really? That sucks.
Do you have any links where I can read up on that?
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1732114418723352896.html
Yeah, I backed their second Pathfinder game, and the developer videos showing a bunch of Russians with nationalist tattoos instantly made me regret it.
That's why I have been on the fence with Rogue Trader, and the Bundle Choice almost made me falter. Happily Zoupa has facilitated a way out of my moral quandary.
Ugh. :(
Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately I already bought it :(
A warhammer 40k game does make a lot of sense for putinists in a similar vein to those edge lords who don't get it's meant to be silly satire.
Quote from: Josquius on August 06, 2025, 12:18:55 AMA warhammer 40k game does make a lot of sense for putinists in a similar vein to those edge lords who don't get it's meant to be silly satire.
The game (or at least the writing) is done by people who understand the universe pretty well, or that's the impression I got.
I was looking forward to their Expanse game as well. :(
Is there a list somewhere of Russian or Russia-connected game companies?
Honestly, I just check Ukrainian twitter before any purchase. They're the most familiar with it.
It does raise questions on why that Russian Witcher was necessary then if there are already Russian studios doing well.
Interesting that Owlcat gets so many license deals with major Western companies. I guess ethics is a four-letter word.
I read another post from June this year on someone's Patreon blog - apparently Owlcat seem to have disentangled themselves from Russian investors. However, their co-founder seems still enmeshed in some Russian companies. Also, the folks who made problematic comments online (like the cinematic director who slurred Ukrainians) are still working there.
And of course it's the whole "We don't care about politics, we just want to make games", which is often a way of ignoring problems, though in the case of Russian staff is probably additionally motivated by staff not wanting to get in Russian state crosshairs or causing trouble for families back home.
Owlcat was owned by My.Games, which was owned by VK Company Limited. VK's CEO is Vladimir Kiriyenko. His father is First Deputy Kremlin Chief of Staff.
Supposedly Owlcat separated from My.Games in 2022 via an investment from investment firm Gem Capital.
Gem Capital deals directly with the russian mil-ind complex, most notably in the supply of critical minerals for missiles chips and aircraft turbines.
what I appreciate in the :pirate: site I linked above is that the hacker is also russian.
I saw that Owlcat made various claims of independence and divestments but there is no way to verify this. It is organized as a Cypriot limited company, i.e. not a PLC, and the reporting is relatively scant. The use of an LLC form is not unusual for an indie game studio but it does make the structure more opaque. Interestingly, other than Karpinsky, its only other listed director is a Cypriot lawyer - a solo practitioner - and the corporate secretary is a local company that provides administrative services. From a governance perspective, the studio is strictly a one man show. Obviously, the Cyprus registration and HQ raises certain red flags given the strong connection between the island and Russian money laundering operations.
Sucks because after putting time during the holidays, the game is really good. To their credit it's the first WH40K game I've played (it's a short list, mind!) that shows how profoundly dystopian the Imperium is, instead of just indulging in space marine power fantasy. You can still RP and revel in that dystopia (I'm having fun with a dogmatic asshole noble), but that's par for the course in RPGs.
Its biggest flaw so far, I'd say, is that the ruleset seems overly complicated and you're drowned in talent and skill choices that you really don't know the implications of until you're deep in the game. Furthermore, their respec system is very restrictive, so if you bust a build you're quite screwed. It's probably the only RPG where I dread levelling up.
Also, a bit too much "walk three steps, here's another uninteresting combat to pad out the game length", but it's not as egreggious as in Pathfinder, nor the worst offender in that category. Incidentally, that's another thing that Larian completely nailed in D:OS and then BG3, where combat is much sparser and nearly always feels compelling.
I really enjoyed the combat density in BG3. Most encounters feel bespoke and organic to the situation.
I bounced off Dragon Age: Origins originally, because the devs had filled many maps with enemies from start to finish - it became a slog, and it took out a lot of the tension. "What will I find if I go here? ... Of course, more enemies! Ugh."
Quote from: Syt on August 21, 2025, 02:22:46 AMI really enjoyed the combat density in BG3. Most encounters feel bespoke and organic to the situation.
I bounced off Dragon Age: Origins originally, because the devs had filled many maps with enemies from start to finish - it became a slog, and it took out a lot of the tension. "What will I find if I go here? ... Of course, more enemies! Ugh."
I really don't get the need to pad the length of games that already run 100 hours+ if you are a bit of a completionist. I'm enjoying RT but I see that a "do every quest" run takes 150 hours, I don't have 150 hours to play a game. I don't need narrative games to be that long.
Although I guess people will complain about "value" otherwise :rolleyes:
I remember liking Dragon Age Origins, but bounced right off its extension as it was just endless pointless combat.
I like exploring in games. And BG3 had the balance a lot better than DA:O, IMHO. in DA:O I would wind up cleaning the entire map before backtracking to see what loot/items/lore I would find.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that BG3 felt more like a game master throwing all kinds of encounters at you, some combat, some not, some either/or depending on your choices. DA:O and other felt like they used a brush to paint enemies onto maps a lot of the time. YMMV, obviously. (And BG3 sure had its share of enemy gauntlets, though I thought they felt more organic and often were determined by your choices and/or offered more tactical flexibility and options).
This is generally why in these games I just set the difficulty to easiest and plow through enemies. :P
Quote from: celedhring on August 05, 2025, 05:06:16 PMYeah, I backed their second Pathfinder game, and the developer videos showing a bunch of Russians with nationalist tattoos instantly made me regret it.
That's why I have been on the fence with Rogue Trader, and the Bundle Choice almost made me falter. Happily Zoupa has facilitated a way out of my moral quandary.
Very sorry to hear this, I was actually thinking of making this the first major game I've bought in a while.