Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader's titular Rogue Trader is quite unlike most RPG protagonists. "Rogue Trader" is a deceptively humble name for individuals vested with unfathomable wealth and influence in the Warhammer 40k setting, possessing entire star systems and deciding the fate of potentially trillions of lives. These free agents hold absolute authority over virtually everyone they meet thanks to the hereditary Warrant of Trade that represents the Emperor's endorsement.

Since the player begins Rogue Trader in a position of power and wealth far beyond the level of most RPG characters even in their endgames, Owlcat Games had to get creative in their approach to genre conventions like monetary systems. Speaking with Game ZXC, executive producer Anatoly Shestov and senior gameplay designer Leonid Talochenko weighed in on how the team approached various aspects of the game's design with the Rogue Trader's absurd power level in mind.

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The Rogue Trader Has No Need for Money

A core component of most RPG progression is some form of financial incentive. Players complete quests or kill monsters to earn loot that they can sell to buy more loot, with the most expensive items naturally becoming available as players tackle greater challenges with suitably greater rewards. Since the Rogue Trader's wallet is effectively bottomless, the game uses a "Profit Factor" system to represent the Trader's leverage and influence. Completing quests or carrying out certain deeds increases the Profit Factor level, making certain vendor rewards claimable at no real cost.

In Pathfin der games, you always start as a simple person. You find a sword and you're very happy because it costs like 80 gold coins. In Rogue Trader , you start incredibly powerful. You’re a multi-billionaire in Earth terms, so you don't care about many things. At the same time, you own really powerful weaponry and have very powerful companions.

At first, it affected the way we look at combat. For example, we had several big meetings where we discussed how Rogue Trader ’s combat should feel. We decided on many things, such as lots of weaker enemies so you're not killing three or five enemies, you're killing 50 in each battle and they're exploding into bits and pieces, blood is everywhere, and you are feeling powerful.

You also don't collect loot like in other games. You don't collect it to sell it to make some pocket money. Buying a tank in Rogue Trader is not about having money to buy a tank, it’s about finding a person who will sell you one. It's more about leverage. You will find the money. Maybe you’ll sell a factory somewhere to buy the tank. In general, you should feel power.

This is a clever solution because, in practice, the player is still engaged in a loop of completing side quests so that they can "purchase" increasingly powerful pieces of gear, only the context is shifted. Despite no immediate monetary gain for completing tasks, the Rogue Trader is still motivated to push onward in their adventure to raise their Profit Factor and access more desirable loot.

Combat, Dialogue, and Colony Management Help Sell the Rogue Trader Power Fantasy

It was also important for Owlcat to allow players to feel immersed in the power fantasy of being a Rogue Trader, and this often takes shape through dialogue. The Rogue Trader frequently has suitably grandiose dialogue choices that range from benevolent ruler to almost hilariously cruel tyrant, and the sense of power certainly kicks in when players order a companion to introduce them rather than even acknowledge a mere planetary governor.

It's not like you’re going to people and making them do what you want them to do. No, it's about you having input. We are using the momentum system in battle, the colony management system in exploration, and lots of additional special random encounters and interruptions in the narrative to facilitate that idea.

For example, when we finished our first internal version of the game, one of the main sentiments inside the studio was, “It's good, but I don't feel like a Rogue Trader, I feel like a regular person.” The “Abelard, introduce me” or “Kneel before me or I won't even speak with you” stuff was introduced as a separate additional layer of development.

The Rogue Trader's power is made apparent in other systems, too. The game's tactical turn-based combat tends to throw upward of 20 weaker enemies at the player's party in contrast to other CRPGs that stick to much smaller engagements, and having the opportunity to brutally obliterate five or six enemies every turn has an almost Diablo-like quality. Meanwhile, the game's Colony Management system–a natural evolution of Pathfinder's kingdom management and crusade management–lets players have input on decisions with entire planets at stake.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Owlcat's Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an isometric RPG with a turn-based combat system. Set in the Koronus Expanse, the game emphasizes player choice and party setup.