Idea for a 40k Game. An Imperial Guardsman Roguelike

[Erttheking]

Just had this idea for a 40k game. Being an Imperial Guardsman sucks. You get a t-shirt and a flashlight and you're expected to go and fight hordes of aliens, demons and rebels. You die en-mass, even if your commander is competent, and there's a good chance you might get stuck with one who just throws you at the enemy like you're a spare round to be fired, and odds are you'll die horribly. Even if you somehow survive, you'll just get shipped off to another battlefield to fight something even bigger and meaner. Odds are all the credit for your victory will go to the fething Space Marines anyway.

That got me thinking though. That's a good set up for a rogue like isn't it? You pick a character al-la Rogue Legacy and are thrown onto a massive battleground between the Guardsmen and whatever the local terror of the week is. You fight as long and as hard as you can but eventually you die and you have to pick another character to pick up where you left off. Your goal could be to help turn the tide of the battle, which is ongoing as you play, and the game ends when either you finally reach the enemy stronghold and wipe them out, or you yourself run out of reserves, then a fresh game starts.

Any thoughts? I'm kind of rambling here, so sorry if I'm not that clear.

 

[RariShyZealot]

That actually sounds great. Excellent for playing something like the Krieg, since you're going to be charging and charging and charging with no regard for your own life most of the time, just hoping to make an impact. I would definitely buy it. What kind of game would it be though? FPS? Third person? Side-scrolling platformer?

 

[Erttheking]

That actually sounds great. Excellent for playing something like the Krieg, since you're going to be charging and charging and charging with no regard for your own life most of the time, just hoping to make an impact. I would definitely buy it. What kind of game would it be though? FPS? Third person? Side-scrolling platformer?

I was thinking either FPS, third person, or some form of a turn based strategy game. Not entirely sure, just thought it up three minutes ago.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I've always thought a sandbox FPS would be awesome, extremely unforgiving difficulty, and you have to travel across a long but narrow front line with randomised enemies and allies spawning and fighting each other as you run along. Plenty of craters, shells of tanks etc. to hide in, you could scavenge guns off fallen space marines, although using any of the larger calibers has a chance of breaking your arm with recoil (which isn't good) Your lasgun can kill most enemies, but only if it hits them in exactly the right spot. For example most games have headshots as weak points of enemies. A Chaos Space Marine's weak point is not his whole head, just his eyes - so you have to be pretty damn accurate.

Imagine getting chased by a group of Orks, only to take shelter under the massive body of a Baneblade as it trundles along the trenches, being careful not to get sucked under the giant treads. The Baneblade is demolished by A Necron Tomb world, so you continue down the trenches on your own and see a group of Slannesh Daemonettes gutting a Imp. Guard troop. You hide in the ruins of a nearby burnt out Predator tank and find a discarded Space Marine Bolter. The Daemonettes sensed you and are on the prowl, you can hear them getting closer and closer, one enters the wreck and sees you, but you manage to shoot her right in the face with a bolter. The next comes in and you send another round into another head, dislocating your shoulder in the process, but your kill count is two for two. As you pop your shoulder back in place a third Daemonette has circled round behind you and springs through the open hatch, catching you while you are still disorientated from the shoulder injury, and running you through with her claws.
You made it 200m. Try again?

 

[Elfgore]

That actually sounds really cool. I've always thought a gritty shooter game would be perfect in the 40K setting. Actually if I may, I'd expand this further. Include some more races and just have a massive battle field with all sides going at it for some little plot of land in the middle. If a team takes it and holds it long enough, victory is theirs. I'd still be insanely happy if your idea came to be. We need a decent Warhammer 40k game.

 

[Erttheking]

That actually sounds really cool. I've always thought a gritty shooter game would be perfect in the 40K setting. Actually if I may, I'd expand this further. Include some more races and just have a massive battle field with all sides going at it for some little plot of land in the middle. If a team takes it and holds it long enough, victory is theirs. I'd still be insanely happy if your idea came to be. We need a decent Warhammer 40k game.

Well Eternal Crusade is aiming for something like this. Kind of like Planetside, just a big never ending battle (Just like the actual setting really). Apparently it can be F2P, but if you play for free you gain experience more slowly and you can only play as the Orks. I'm not sure how that is going to work, but I have to give the devs credit in that this will most likely make the Orks the biggest and most undisciplined faction. in other words it's gonna be totally in character.

 

[GabeZhul]

To be fair, the depiction of the Guard has been improving a lot over the years. While the stereotype of the meat-grinder is still there, companies like the 597th Valhallan from the Ciaphas Cain novels show that with proper tactics and leadership even those flashlights and mewthal bwhakses can repel invasions that even Spesh Mehreens would find challenging.

That is also the reason why I probably wouldn't like a Guard rogue-lite. I want those guys to actually succeed without hideous losses, you know?
Now, if you were playing as a chaos cultist, that would make more sense! It would also provide a lot more possibilities when it comes to setting up the game (you are the same cultist repeatedly resurrected by the Chaos Gods because of a bet or something), upgrades (different classes and upgrade paths depending on which chaos god favors you (Khorne gives favor for meelee kills and dealing damage in general, Slaanesh for receiving damage and for corrupting enemies, Nurgle for spreading disease on the battlefield and Tzeentch for using environmental kills and sorcery)) and fun factor (making a terrified guardsman rush into the grinder is not nearly as fun and satisfying as doing the same with a crazy cultist, who might even enjoy getting torn apart).

 

[Ushiromiya Battler]

2. A Valkyria chronicles st yle game with imperial guard, you could just transplant a Gaunt's ghost novel and it would be perfect.

Goddamnit, now I'm sad this doesn't exist T__T


OT:
I like your idea, it seems like a perfect setting for a roguelike.
The sense of hopelessness would be a glorious aspect to explore.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I'll say what I always say on these threads - gief me a survival horror set on a planet being invaded by the tyranids. Or exploring a Necron Tomb. Or in a base being invaded by the Dark Eldar. Holy shit can you imagine being chased by mandrakes? How creepy would that be?

But I'd take a 40k roguelike.

Now, if you were playing as a chaos cultist, that would make more sense! It would also provide a lot more possibilities when it comes to setting up the game (you are the same cultist repeatedly resurrected by the Chaos Gods because of a bet or something), upgrades (different classes and upgrade paths depending on which chaos god favors you (Khorne gives favor for meelee kills and dealing damage in general, Slaanesh for receiving damage and for corrupting enemies, Nurgle for spreading disease on the battlefield and Tzeentch for using environmental kills and sorcery)) and fun factor (making a terrified guardsman rush into the grinder is not nearly as fun and satisfying as doing the same with a crazy cultist, who might even enjoy getting torn apart).

I want it.

Shame that Games Workshop charge a bomb to use their IP, meaning no indie teams will likely be able to do something like this.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

All they need to do is make a streamlined turn based version of Epic 40K that uses a simple battle system, with the rest of the resources going to make it the most intense looking battlefield ever.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

So...Getting stomped on by a carnifex over and over? IM IN!

 

[IBlackKiteI]

A mod or something for Running With Rifles could be great for this, that game definitely has the whole 'expendable, vulnerable soldier in a limitless army' thing down. Basically its an isometric shooter where you control a single guy within a large army trying to capture something from another army, and when he bites it you immediately take control of another one...and another and another, until your force of little has taken the objective. Going through over a dozen player-controlled troops just to take the one hill is not uncommon, in addition to the many guys on both sides who'll be constantly getting killed left and right. Despite the quirky cartoony art-style its actually quite depressing, seeing so many little dispensable soldiers die so rapidly gives a bit of a 40k vibe already.

Sorta similar to what you described, while it'll probably never happen I reckon Tripwire Interactive could potentially make an awesome large-scale multiplayer hardcore-styled 40k FPS. I don't think any multiplayer shooter matches their Red Orchestra series in large-scale tense and brutal warfare, hell you could probably just replace the existing weapons, soldiers and maps with 40k equivalents and have something as violent and chaotic as it needs to be.
IG Death Korps of Krieg vs Chaos Lost and the Damned in a WWI-esque, trench ridden, bombed out wasteland in the shadow of a hive city? A guy can dream...

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

All they need to do is make a streamlined turn based version of Epic 40K that uses a simple battle system, with the rest of the resources going to make it the most intense looking battlefield ever.

You might have heard of this, but have you tried Final Liberation? It was made in 1997(ish) so "intense looking battlefield" is certainly not how I'd describe it, but it is 3rd ed Epic and simple to play.

 

[Batou667]

While playing World of Tanks recently my brother mentioned how good a 40K version potentially could be. With IG, Marines and Orks you'd have at least 3 factions, and the Forge World books and recent codices have demonstrated that there are more than enough Imperial vehicle variants to populate some tech trees. The tank battles could take place amongst massed ranks of cosmetic NPC soldiers, or perhaps ragged pockets of friendly resistance if you were doing badly.

Personally I think this has "success" written all over it, but then again so did Dawn of War, and they royally dropped the ball on that one.

 

[Cryselle]

I'm not so certain that this could be made both realistic (at least to the 40k universe) and fun. A typical game would go "You start! You meet a Carnifex! You die!"

Even roguelikes are built on the idea that at some point, given enough time and effort, you might actually make progress.

 

[zen5887]

Whoa that's a really clever idea, I'd be down for sure. I'd love to get attached to one little guardsmen and I become really protective of him, I could totally see this happening.

But I mean, lets be real. The only 40k game I want to see is a turn based strategy game that's as close to the tabletop game as possible.

 

[RariShyZealot]

An old idea for a 40k game I read about on 4chan sounded pretty good: You are a guardsman on a ship, daemons invade, try not to die. Like Amnesia but with guns. Except they tend not to work, explode in your face or even attract more daemons. Several ways to win the game, but only one "Works" each game. I.E. in one playthrough you run into some AdMech and help them fix the warp drive and Geller Field. In the next game you do that again only to find they are now traitors and are using you!

Sounds great for a roguelike horror.

 

[Greg White]

Honestly, I think a Rogue Trader style game would make a better Roguelike than one focused around the Guard.

There is so much potential for exploration, intrigue, and combat with that one. You can deal with the Inquisition, Space marines, Pirates, Xenos, and the Ecclesiarchy for the accomplishment of your goals. Hell, you could have adventures just on your ship since those things can be nations unto themselves with vastly different setups depending on how you decide to run things.

You'd still have the potential for combat, both on the ground and in space since Rogue Traders are known to be generals/admirals as well as being very hands-on in their other endeavors. There's also the fact that you can be as well equipped as you wish, though who you do jobs for can determine a great deal about what you can get, but on the plus side you do have the potential for getting Xeno crew and Xenotech weapons since you kinda do have a license for that sort of thing.

 

[Augustine]

Just had this idea for a 40k game. Being an Imperial Guardsman sucks. You get a t-shirt and a flashlight and you're expected to go and fight hordes of aliens, demons and rebels. You die en-mass, even if your commander is competent, and there's a good chance you might get stuck with one who just throws you at the enemy like you're a spare round to be fired, and odds are you'll die horribly. Even if you somehow survive, you'll just get shipped off to another battlefield to fight something even bigger and meaner. Odds are all the credit for your victory will go to the fething Space Marines anyway.

That got me thinking though. That's a good set up for a rogue like isn't it? You pick a character al-la Rogue Legacy and are thrown onto a massive battleground between the Guardsmen and whatever the local terror of the week is. You fight as long and as hard as you can but eventually you die and you have to pick another character to pick up where you left off. Your goal could be to help turn the tide of the battle, which is ongoing as you play, and the game ends when either you finally reach the enemy stronghold and wipe them out, or you yourself run out of reserves, then a fresh game starts.

Any thoughts? I'm kind of rambling here, so sorry if I'm not that clear.

I think the concept is fantastic! But with GW being GW, I doubt anything genuinely worthwhile will come anytime soon.

But speaking of Guardsmen... What you said about them is a common line, but I think in the scale of things in 40k, I dare say that as a Guardsman odds are good you will never see real combat at all. We just don't hear many tales of those who are stationed all their life on some planet upon which nothing happened cause that would be rather boring... And I think there are a lot of those in the vast Imperium of Men