Greatest RPG shop of all time

[MrMarbles]

It might be a personal thing, but I get a huge kick out of accessing a new area and finding a shop with interesting items. Conversely, opening a new area and finding out the shops sell the same generic crap is a massive downer. Shopping can often be an important ingredient of a solid RPG-experience.

Given a fairly robust item system, what is your favourite RPG shop?

(Games like PoE and NWN rule out any interesting shopping experience by having the shittiest item artwork and item modifiers of all fucking time, so they're disqualified). Lacklustre shopping in AoD was one of the few problems I had with it, but according to VD the sparse items were intentional so it gets a pass.

The obvious answer would be Vrischika's Curiosity Shoppe in PST. The diversity and background for the items is p. amazing, but so are many of the shops in PST. Best shop location and overall feel probably goes to the Adventurer's Mart in BG2, which also has good variety. Personally I think I still prefer the drow merchant in IWD2. Both because he has interesting items to sell and the fact that by listening to various clues he turns out to have been central for the development of the game world and background. Now tell me why I'm wrong.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Now tell me why I'm wrong.

Because it's also about the seller, not just the shop itself. The examples you list are a little lacking on the "seller" angle.

You want the best shop+seller I know of to feature in an RPG?

Look no further

 

[TigerKnee]

Look no further

But what does Infinitron have to do with anything?

 

[Malpercio]

Ribald is a great choice, then again BG2 item placement is great all around.

From Torment I prefer Fell tattoo shop.

 

[laclongquan]

Fallout 2 got many best shopping areas.

Vault City's Inner Court, ie the VC Proper instead of the outer yard. Two shops with a wide selection, a sight for sore eyes in wasteland.

New Reno's Commercial Row, with Renesco's chemical goods, and New Reno Arms and Upgrade.

NCR's Bazaar.

San Francisco's Chinatown shops.

 

[Orma]

Moira's craterside supply

 

[Necroscope]

Morrowind had the most memorable shops if you ask me. I liked how they teased you with all the equipment on display only so you could get yourself killed countless of times trying to steal it (Ghostgate lol).

 

[King Crispy]

One that deserves mention is Garth's Equipment Shoppe from the original Bard's Tale.

In a game (and an era) in which nothing was given to you -- there was no auto-mapping, there was no level scaling, there were no online guides -- to have a place like Garth's to tromp back to and to sell all your junk after a hard day of adventuring, well, you just didn't feel safe again until making it there on your way to resting up at the inn.

Garth was a friend and I look forward to seeing him again in IV.

 

[octavius]

I hate to break it to you, Crispy, but Garth was killed before BT3.

 

[GuiltyofBeingTrite]

Great question.

Off the top of my head: Darkwater's in Fallout
Renesco's in Fallout 2

Any of the "shops" in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, because I've never been creeped out before in a shop.

Bose Market in Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky: Packed with vendors selling realistic items one would find in a market, not just a giant building selling items just for the hero.

 

[Johannes]

Look no further

But what does Infinitron have to do with anything?

 

[imweasel]

The games with the best itemization always had the best shops. So BG2, Black Isle Fallouts, Icewind Dale, etc.

Dragon Age 2 is of course a shitty game, but it had a pretty cool shop called the Black Emporium where you could buy some insanely expensive and very good unique items. Great money sink.

 

[MrMarbles]

Now tell me why I'm wrong.

Because it's also about the seller, not just the shop itself. The examples you list are a little lacking on the "seller" angle.

Fair enough, but there is something more going on with the actual items.

I like the mechanics of multiple forms of "currency" in a game. XP is obviously an important currency, something you aim for. Reputation can be another, which was well done in AoD. Gold (or the like) can be the same, but in too many games you finish up with 18.7 million gold sloshing around your inventory and no real sense of achievement when you earn gold. You can try to increase the value of gold to the player by tying quests to it (BG2), but I think a better mechanism is shops with items that are usually out of your league when you first see them, but you can look forward to purchasing. Like imweasel says, a proper money sink, not like the Skyrimesque crappy home furnishing minigame.

 

[King Crispy]

I hate to break it to you, Crispy, but Garth was killed before BT3.

Ah, of course you're right. Poor Garth. Maybe his son will run the place in his stead.

 

[vonAchdorf]

The shops in Legend of Zelda: No frills, just what you need.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Great topic, I love shops in RPGs as well (or any kind of game that has weapons/armor/tools/vehicles). To remember them from all the RPGs I've played through the years is a different matter...

PS:T is actually a bad example, in my opinion. I understand where you are coming from, and the curiosity shop was awesome in its own way (the same weird way that PS:T was awesome as a game), but it wasn't that great in the typical RPG shop way. That's primarily because PS:T in its cliche-busting ways, largely did away with "loot". There were some weapons/tattoos/objects to buy/find, but most of them aren't particularly cool or powerful, so there is never that rush of feeling like a kid in a candy store in a typical RPG.

The one I really like:

- that famous Forgotten Realms smith's shop in Beregost in Baldur's Gate. If you followed the path early on, you would go from Candlekeep to Friendly Arm Inn and then south to Beregost, and come there with your party (PC, Imoen, Jaheira/Khalid, Czar/Montarron) dressed and equipped with rags and sticks. That shop would blow your mind with Plate and Full plate armors and +1 versions of all weapons. What made it special was how good the itemization was in BG1, with special items being very rare, at least for the first part of the game, so seeing those was very special. And then the prices were awesome, with Full Plate going for 9000 gold I belive, and Plate Mail for 900, which most parties wouldn't have at that point, so it made it into a goal.

None of the shops in BG2 were as impressive to me, because there was so much more magic loot in that game, shops felt lackluster. The Adventurer's Mart also sold a lot of game-breaking stuff like Robe of Vecna, which even though my main character was a mage, I never used because it cheesed the game.

 

[an Administrator]

Gun Runner's Arsenal

 

[felipepepe]

Not an RPG, but...

Spoiler

Whacha buying?

 

[Niektory]

what is your favourite RPG shop?

Would you like to take a look? My wares are in a house nearby.

 

[Dorateen]

Ribald is a great choice.

Ribald and his pet wyvern, plus he had paintings of the D&D cartoon on the wall's of the Adventurer's Mart.

 

[pippin]

Your enemies' guts. Rip&Tear(tm) is my favorite method of payment.

 

[V_K]

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Not a CRPG, but I don't know what kind of crap From guys were smoking back then, but...

Spoiler

...a small elephant as a shop owner in original Evergrace and THREE fucking elephants in Forever Kingdom?

Also, cool shop music in both games:

 

[NotAGolfer]

Look no further

But what does Infinitron have to do with anything?

The fee for this information is 120,000 Credits.


Favorite shop?
Hans' XXX shop in San Mona, JA2
Everytime I go there I want to get in through his back door so bad. A lot of fun things waiting there...

Wait, that came out wrong.

 

[Got bored and left]

It's probably stretching things (inb4 "What is an RPG shop" discussion), but I always had a soft spot for this guy.