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Combat focused CRPGs to play as a newfag to the genre

cloudropis

Educated
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May 25, 2014
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51
The only codex-core I've played are pretty much Fallout 1 and Gothic 1 and 2, I feel like playing more CRPGs and Pathfinder Kingmaker caught my interest but I realized I have jack shit idea about dice roll/DnD ruleset combat works, so I'd like to cut my teeth on the most introductory stuff.
What would you people suggest? So far I was thinking about IWD because I heard it has good combat, BG2 also caught my eye because it's recommended as an essential to play and more of a well-rounded complete package, and finally I read AoD's review by Darth Roxor and he praised the combat a lot but it seems to be more skewed towards experienced players.
Anything is fine, but I'd prefer something easy to set up: plug and play stuff (I guess BG2:EE qualifies as I read it doesn't really need bugfixes or modern compatibility patches) would be great, having to tinker with some mods to get it working is still fine, but please no ms-dos hidden gems or anything like that.
 

PEACH

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Jan 22, 2017
Messages
285
If you're already interested in AoD I don't see any reason not to give it a shot. It can be tough depending on your build and the choices you make but there's nothing in the game that you can't learn as you play and no outside knowledge is required. If you're only interested in the combat elements Dungeon Rats might be even better for you though.

Other games you might want to try:

Wizardry VII or VIII (or Grimoire)
Underrail
Divinity Original Sin 1
Temple of Elemental Evil
Knights of the Chalice

All of them should be incredibly easy to install and play from what I remember so give them a look and see what gets your attention
 
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aweigh

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ToEE's a great introduction to d20 and it has great in-game information, and on the plus side not only will you enjoy playing one of the best combat RPGs ever made but you'll also come out knowing d20/D&D/Pathfinder rules. Also, something most won't recommend in this thread but is chock full of combat and is very combat-oriented: Fallout New Vegas.
 

ItsChon

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Icewind Dale is great if you don't mind RTwP. I don't mind it at all, so I loved it. The soundtrack, art, and even the story is great as well, so I'd recommend giving it a look either first or later. Underrail is one of the best cRPGs of all time, and I'd say it's clearly better than IWD. If you're interested in sci-fi or don't have a preference towards either it or fantasy, I'd say play that immediately. Don't listen to the retarded fanboys that put it down over inane complaints. Other than those two, nothing immediately comes to mind that hasn't already been mentioned on thi thread.
 

Kyl Von Kull

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
If you want something that will ease you into D&D, you should start with Baldur’s Gate. You get a lot more out of Icewind Dale and TOEE if you already understand the systems.

You should start with BG rather than BG 2, because low level D&D plays differently than high level D&D and with BG2 I think you start around level 7. Plus, they’re good games and you’ll want to play them in chronological order.

I recommend holding off on most of what’s been recommended in this thread until you have more familiarity with the genre. You’re basically asking for baby’s first D&D CRPG here and that’s Baldur’s Gate.
 
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Lilura

RPG Codex Dragon Lady
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Wizardry 7 and JA 2 are not beginner games.

That's one way to look at it. But another way to look at it is that OP is fag for wanting a beginner game in the first place.

Tactics games are by default not beginner games. Just play the best.

And if he gets turned off by Jagged Alliance 2 or Wizardry VII, then again, it's just faggotry showing.
 

Kyl Von Kull

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Wizardry 7 and JA 2 are not beginner games.

That's one way to look at it. But another way to look at it is that OP is fag for wanting a beginner game in the first place.

Tactics games are by default not beginner games. Just play the best.

And if he gets turned off by Jagged Alliance 2 or Wizardry VII, then again, it's just faggotry showing.

Let the poor boy slowly ease himself in. He’s one game away from being an RPG virgin and his first time was Fallout, which is the RPG equivalent of “just the tip.”

Maybe he can take JA2 without a rectal prolapse (I’m not sure what that even means in this analogy, although it sounds bad), but would it be so wrong if he needs to stretch himself out first?

Also, where did your keen sense of marketing go? Hey, OP, the answers to all of your questions can be found at https://lilura1.blogspot.com/p/index-of-content.html?m=1

Think of it as a little lubricant to help the genre go down.
 

Doktor Best

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Feb 2, 2015
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Divinity Original Sin 1+2. Love them or hate them but they managed to pull in a lot of new age players without being complete popamole.

Underrail was great but many players get crushed at deep caverns, which might be a little offputting.
 

Darth Roxor

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underrail, dos2, toee, wiz7, silent storm

yeah great recommendations to make the newfag relapse all the way back to popamole

I would recommend going with Knights of the Chalice. It has extensive in-game documentation and great transparency and accessibility, which makes it excellent for learning, but unlike ToEE which shares similar qualities it's not mind-numbingly boring.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
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The only codex-core I've played are pretty much Fallout 1 and Gothic 1 and 2, I feel like playing more CRPGs and Pathfinder Kingmaker caught my interest but I realized I have jack shit idea about dice roll/DnD ruleset combat works, so I'd like to cut my teeth on the most introductory stuff.
Try either Pool of Radiance or Champions of Krynn, both using SSI's Gold Box engine and both starting with level 1 characters (who can ultimately be imported into the second game in each series). The Gold Box games are the finest computer implementation of Dungeon & Dragons ever created, and you can use the free Gold Box Companion for some conveniences such as automapping.
 

PEACH

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Jan 22, 2017
Messages
285
Let the poor boy slowly ease himself in. He’s one game away from being an RPG virgin and his first time was Fallout, which is the RPG equivalent of “just the tip.”

To play Devil's advocate here it's not as though any of the games listed are completely unapproachable without occult knowledge or months of carrying buckets of water down a hill for an old monk.

Nothing wrong with him starting with something lighter but anyone who actually wants to learn something like Jagged Alliance or Wizardry can sit there and figure it out (which is one of the best parts anyway) and you'd have to be actively trying in order to turn on Underrail or D:OS and draw a blank at almost any point during the learning process. Granted, BG1 is probably a good recommendation given what he's said for himself so far, but it doesn't hurt to showcase different options and assume he can handle it. I figure he knows his limits well enough to make an educated choice based on them + whatever initial interest he draws from looking up anything he's unfamiliar with.

I have a friend with 100+ hours in Underrail who had no experience with CRPGs other than Fallout when he started. My girlfriend's first CRPG was Grimoire. If something catches someone's eye they'll find a way to make it work.
 

Kyl Von Kull

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Let the poor boy slowly ease himself in. He’s one game away from being an RPG virgin and his first time was Fallout, which is the RPG equivalent of “just the tip.”

To play Devil's advocate here it's not as though any of the games listed are completely unapproachable without occult knowledge or months of carrying buckets of water down a hill for an old monk.

Nothing wrong with him starting with something lighter but anyone who actually wants to learn something like Jagged Alliance or Wizardry can sit there and figure it out (which is one of the best parts anyway) and you'd have to be actively trying in order to turn on Underrail or D:OS and draw a blank at almost any point during the learning process. Granted, BG1 is probably a good recommendation given what he's said for himself so far, but it doesn't hurt to showcase different options and assume he can handle it. I figure he knows his limits well enough to make an educated choice based on them + whatever initial interest he draws from looking up anything he's unfamiliar with.

I have a friend with 100+ hours in Underrail who had no experience with CRPGs other than Fallout when he started. My girlfriend's first CRPG was Grimoire. If something catches someone's eye they'll find a way to make it work.

Putting aside that none of those teach him how D&D works (and the fact that D:OS is pretty meh), I’m not really saying this stuff will be too hard or too inaccesible for a newby. But I do think these games are much more fun if you have more experience. He’ll like Underail more if he already has many hours under his belt fiddling with character creation. He’ll appreciate JA2 more if he has a better sense of what character progression feels like.

Look at it like this: here’s an RPG virgin who’s just gotten his first taste of the genre. He’s come to us for help. The question isn’t “what are some good games,” it’s “what is the optimal order to play them?”

I would recommend BG to IWD2 (he wants D20 exposure) to TOEE, and from there the world is his oyster.
 
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aweigh

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I agree that it is somewhat retarded this notion of wanting "beginner games". This isn't the first time I've seen a thread like this and I don't really understand its purpose since most of the people here played "complex" games when we were in our youth... mostly because games were simply more complex back in the day, period.

My dude, this shit isn't that complicated? Why not just play a good game and enjoy it? I mean isn't learning the game like half the fucking fun of the experience?

EDIT: Also forgot to include an obligatory 'just play Elminage Gothic'.
 

Jimmious

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I have a friend with 100+ hours in Underrail who had no experience with CRPGs other than Fallout when he started. My girlfriend's first CRPG was Grimoire. If something catches someone's eye they'll find a way to make it work.
:what:
Do you have her locked up somewhere? Should we call for help?
 

Ovg

Cipher
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Apr 25, 2010
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Potato
You will hate me, but darkest dungeon. It has buffs and shit and is a newfag game.

:edit:

Hey, he said newfag, nothing more newfagy than a streamlined game to start with and not be overwhelmed
 
Last edited:

Feyd Rautha

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Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
If you want something that will ease you into D&D, you should start with Baldur’s Gate. You get a lot more out of Icewind Dale and TOEE if you already understand the systems.
Agreed! BG1 is the number one choice.

Create a character by your own, leave Candlekeep, get owned and then restart creating a new improved character from what you've learned. Own experience is a great way to learn and BG1 is the perfect game for that.
 

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