I’m betrayed by a colleague, I betray him in turn, and we’re subsequently embroiled in a cat-and-mouse campaign across the stars. There are only so many documents authorizing Rogue Traders to go around, and when I find myself in the running for one, I’m immediately thrust into a world of cutthroat politics. Rogue Trader is also an inherited title, and the various dynasties are endlessly vying for power, wealth, and influence.

They travel, trade, and brave the outskirts of the galaxy. These voidship sailors are privateers in service of the Imperium of Man, granted a far longer leash than their peers. Rogue Traders date back to the inception of Warhammer 40,000, and while they’re not as action-oriented or prominently featured as Space Marines, they are a core part of the setting. The story itself immediately proved intriguing. When asked for comment, a representative of Owlcat shared that “there will be MUCH more variety for customization of the character in every aspect including the portraits.” It’s disappointing to feel like I’m locked out of customization options, but this appears to be a byproduct of the incomplete beta. All of the available portraits, however, were of white characters - in a world where humanity has overcome bigotry of skin color or gender in favor of new, exciting xenophobia. I chose a noblewoman with an affinity for rifles, although I could have been a filthy criminal, dangerous psyker, or veteran of the Imperium’s long war. I had the chance to dress up my new character, picking her augments, home world, origin story, and specialties. The demo included a look at the main campaign, starting with character creation. I sampled a demo of Rogue Trader provided by Owlcat Games, and there’s quite a bit of choice to be had - but a few disappointing restrictions on player freedom.

Better yet, it’s one of the rare chances players have to actually go around a full star system and exercise freedom of choice. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a top-down RPG on Steam and Good Old Games set in the Warhammer 40K universe, and it’s one of the best games yet for granting the player a glimpse at the scope and scale of that universe.

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