As Matt Berry, You Can Play Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader<br>

I recently learned that Matt Berry, star of What We Do In the Shadows, sounds a lot like one of the voice actors for your protagonist in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Now that my world has fallen apart, you have to follow me as I set out to build a Rogue Trader in the style of the well-known British comedian (notice the ‘u’).

I don’t know why you clicked on this story if you don’t know who Matt Berry is. In addition, I’m not sure where you’ve been spending the last few years. He first gained popularity in the cult comedy scene in the ’00s with films such as Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, The Mighty Boosh, and The IT Crowd. Since then, he has flourished, first starring in Toast of London as the title character and then gaining international recognition for his portrayal of the eccentric vampire Laszlo Cravensworth in What We Do In The Shadows.

Matt Berry’s uniqueness sets him apart from other comedians. He just talks funny; he’s not into smart remarks or witty one-liners. Berry’s outrageous pronunciations of commonplace words or phrases just make you laugh, much like Rowan Atkinson’s ability to control his mouth muscles to the point where he can make terms like “egg” and “Bob” intrinsically funny. You’re onto a winner when you combine that with the excellent writing he has contributed.

To put it another way, Matt Berry would be an ideal Rogue Trader. While millions of people envisioned Henry Cavill as Gregor Eisenhorn, I prefer Berry to be granted a Warrant of Trade and allowed to travel through the Warp. Fortunately, that desire can come true with Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.


Choosing the correct voice is the most crucial step in developing Rogue Trader Berry. The male “bold” option is the one that most closely resembles the flamboyant tone of the English actor; the other options are up to the actor’s imagination. I want to combine his personas as a bad employer, an oddball nobleman, and a struggling voice actor. We’ll get to that final one.

To look at it, my Berry build is not meant for fighting. I found an image of the most haughty-looking old money Rogue Trader online, visualized some mutton chops, and that’s how I came up with my character. It seems obvious that the trader’s lore would have an Imperial World and that the support character would have a Noble origin. But Berry can still land a powerful blow when needed, even as he’s barding his way through the warp and strengthening his comrades along the way.


There isn’t a baseball bat—or, to be more fitting for an English gentleman, a cricket bat—to swing at the filthy offspring of Chaos because this isn’t a zombie game, but what is a Thunder Hammer if not an exceptionally heavy bat? Whatever you would call it, I exclaim, “BAT!Before each swing, I try to say “at the top of my lungs to go Full Berry.”

It’s remarkable how seamlessly individuals like Laszlo Cravensworth and Steven Toast mesh into the 41st century. This is a world of extravagant parodies and tyrannical rulers eager to display their boundless magnificence. Rogue Traders can play a wide range of roles; you might just as easily picture Zendaya as an upcoming smooth operator or Sean Bean as an aged Cadia veteran.

An adage from the 40th millenium reads, “Drive me closer so I can hit them with my sword!” Consider Matt Berry reading that now.

But Matt Berry is especially effective, largely because “male bold” pays respect to his voice, whether on purpose or not. It also helps that over his illustrious career, he has provided his genuine voice for many voice parts—no, I’m not counting the voiceovers he did for Clem Fandango. Berry has provided his voice to a variety of characters and media, including Spongebob, Asterix and Obelix, and the reading of the Luton Town FC team sheets at Kenilworth Road in 2014. Hearing a rough rendition of his voice as a virtual Rogue Trader seems appropriate.

I’m going to take advantage of every chance to roleplay while I continue the Lord Captain Berry playthrough. In order to honor Shadows’ Cravensworth, I’ll descend down a few Medicae ranks to reflect Dr. Lucien Sanchez, and I’ll leave the door open for any potential relationship, even xenos. The lack of Blood Angels in this game is unfortunate, since some bloodsucking Space Marines would have been the last missing piece to the puzzle of Matt Berry.