New player who bought several RPGs - where to start?

[Darkzone]

So, here's a list of what I got:

• Age of Decadence
• Arcanum
• Betrayal at Krondor and Betrayal in Antara
  
• Divine Divinity
• Divinity 2
• Morrowind (heard this is good... I thought Skyrim was quite boring)
• Fallout 1 & Fallout 2
• Gothic 1 & Gothic 2
• Icewind Dale 2
• Lands of Lore 1 & 2
• S2 Silent Storm
• Ultima VII
• UnderRail
• Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines

Do not play in the alphabetical order, despite the good quality of this games.
As many have written Fallout 1 & 2 should be the next games that you play. Then try out BG 2 (currently for 9.19 on GoG), Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil (currently for 2.79 on GoG). Icewind Dale series lacks for me the freedom that RPGs should offer.
Skyrim is boring as you have already written, but for me this applies also to Morrowind. Therefore i recommend Gothic 1 & 2, VtMB and Fallout: New Vegas (currently for 5.99 on GoG) over Morrowind. If you have played this games and you can play older Games, then Ultima IV, V, VI, Ultima Underworld and Wasteland 1, Pool of Radiance (Forgotton Realms: The Archives Collection II ) and Dark Sun (currently for 3.19 on GoG) are a must. Wasteland 1 was this year remastered and released, so you can play it with a "nice" graphic (currently for 10 on GoG). Wasteland 2 DC is not so good, but still playable.
Age of Decadence can be difficult for beginners so postpone it till you are fit for this.
Then there is also the entire genre of Dungeon Crawlers:
Bards Tale I II III (remasterd currently for 6.29 on GoG) IV (not as good as the previous once), Dungeon Master I & II, Eye of the Beholder I & II, Legends of Grimrock I & II and .... (some of the above mentioned games fall also into this genre)
And then there are the JRPGs...
With games like Final Fantasy 7 original and the remake (currently only PS4) which is only a part of the original with a third person view.

So welcome to the PC Master Race and RPGs are the Master of the Master.

 

[AW8]

You've played New Vegas so I would say, start with Fallout. The core gameplay is completely different, but a lot of the design is similar, with even more player freedom than New Vegas. It's short and sweet without filler, as DavidBVal said it shouldn't take more than 20 hours to go everywhere and do everything. It has an interesting setting and amazing atmosphere, and did I mention the player freedom to do what you want? Often hailed as a classic and an inspiration, sink 10 hours into it and you'll see why.

From there, Fallout 2. It's essentially the first game but with a lot more content and with some improvements. The writing is more uneven and the serious parts clash against the goofier elements where the game doesn't take itself seriously at all. But if you liked the design of the first game, it's essentially (much) more of the same. If you enjoyed the world of New Vegas, playing these helps you understand how the post-apocalyptic societies got to that point.

These games set the stage for Underrail, which is essentially a spiritual Fallout 3. It doesn't offer as much story and world freedom, but the core gameplay is very similar and a lot better designed. The way combat, perks, different items and abilities work is much more advanced and fun to play around with. The stealth system in this game is probably the best I have ever seen in any game, period. The early quest design is brilliant, and it remains good for most of the game, but I did end up disappointed by the main quest design later in the game. Still, exploring the Underrail is a fantastic experience that should not be passed up.

 

[Kaethar]

fallout 1 !!!!!!

 

[Nito]

Start with Fallout OP, it's a milestone of CRPGs and exemplifies great writing, mechanics and atmosphere. Pair it with a Morrowind playthrough as well, for similar reasons.

 

[AW8]

The virgin wall of text poster AW8 vs. the Chad one-liner Kaethar

 

[null reference]

I appreciate your feedback and suggestions, everyone. It sounds like the move would be starting with Fallout 1/2 and VtMB, and then from there either sampling some of the "sub-genres" of the RPGs within my list or playing in a chronological fashion, which would leave some of the more difficult games for a noob like UnderRail and Age of Decadence towards the end while getting to experience the oldies. I'm also going to look into some of the other games suggested that weren't on my list.

The codex has somewhat of a reputation in other places for being toxic, but regardless, you guys definitely know your shit

 

[null reference]

Do not play in the alphabetical order, despite the good quality of this games.
As many have written Fallout 1 & 2 should be the next games that you play. Then try out BG 2 (currently for 9.19 on GoG), Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil (currently for 2.79 on GoG). Icewind Dale series lacks for me the freedom that RPGs should offer.
Skyrim is boring as you have already written, but for me this applies also to Morrowind. Therefore i recommend Gothic 1 & 2, VtMB and Fallout: New Vegas (currently for 5.99 on GoG) over Morrowind. If you have played this games and you can play older Games, then Ultima IV, V, VI, Ultima Underworld and Wasteland 1, Pool of Radiance (Forgotton Realms: The Archives Collection II ) and Dark Sun (currently for 3.19 on GoG) are a must. Wasteland 1 was this year remastered and released, so you can play it with a "nice" graphic (currently for 10 on GoG). Wasteland 2 DC is not so good, but still playable.
Age of Decadence can be difficult for beginners so postpone it till you are fit for this.
Then there is also the entire genre of Dungeon Crawlers:
Bards Tale I II III (remasterd currently for 6.29 on GoG) IV (not as good as the previous once), Dungeon Master I & II, Eye of the Beholder I & II, Legends of Grimrock I & II and .... (some of the above mentioned games fall also into this genre)
And then there are the JRPGs...
With games like Final Fantasy 7 original and the remake (currently only PS4) which is only a part of the original with a third person view.

So welcome to the PC Master Race and RPGs are the Master of the Master.

I just picked up Ultima IV + V + VI, Bards Tale Trilogy, and Dark Sun.

 

[Edija]

I would start with Divine Divinity because its a good mix of hack and slash and classical CRPG thingies and it will ease you into the genre. Gothic games are rather unique and they do their own thing, not much prior experience needed. I'd dive into Fallout 1&2 and Arcanum after Divine Divinity. You should be good from there. I'd definitely not start with Age of Decadence or Underrail.

 

[overly excitable young man]

Do not play in the alphabetical order, despite the good quality of this games.
As many have written Fallout 1 & 2 should be the next games that you play. Then try out BG 2 (currently for 9.19 on GoG), Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil (currently for 2.79 on GoG). Icewind Dale series lacks for me the freedom that RPGs should offer.
Skyrim is boring as you have already written, but for me this applies also to Morrowind. Therefore i recommend Gothic 1 & 2, VtMB and Fallout: New Vegas (currently for 5.99 on GoG) over Morrowind. If you have played this games and you can play older Games, then Ultima IV, V, VI, Ultima Underworld and Wasteland 1, Pool of Radiance (Forgotton Realms: The Archives Collection II ) and Dark Sun (currently for 3.19 on GoG) are a must. Wasteland 1 was this year remastered and released, so you can play it with a "nice" graphic (currently for 10 on GoG). Wasteland 2 DC is not so good, but still playable.
Age of Decadence can be difficult for beginners so postpone it till you are fit for this.
Then there is also the entire genre of Dungeon Crawlers:
Bards Tale I II III (remasterd currently for 6.29 on GoG) IV (not as good as the previous once), Dungeon Master I & II, Eye of the Beholder I & II, Legends of Grimrock I & II and .... (some of the above mentioned games fall also into this genre)
And then there are the JRPGs...
With games like Final Fantasy 7 original and the remake (currently only PS4) which is only a part of the original with a third person view.

So welcome to the PC Master Race and RPGs are the Master of the Master.

I just picked up Ultima IV + V + VI, Bards Tale Trilogy, and Dark Sun.

Oh so you are in the phase where you buy them all?
If all works out according to plan you might play one of them in 5 years.

 

[null reference]

Oh so you are in the phase where you buy them all?
If all works out according to plan you might play one of them in 5 years.

I'm definitely in that phase. Luckily my backlog for other video game genres is not very large at all, but I will still probably be trying to clear my new RPG backlog until I'm laying in my deathbed if civilization hasn't already collapsed. All we can really do is accept and embrace this fate.

 

[overly excitable young man]

The easy thing is at some point you can just pretend that no good games are coming out.
That's one of the principles the codex was founded on.

Spoiler

The other is the purity of the white race.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

The easy thing is at some point you can just pretend that no good games are coming out.
That's one of the principles the codex was founded on.

Spoiler

The other is the purity of the white race.

Hi, Iren!

 

[Darkzone]

.... If you have played this games and you can play older Games, then Ultima IV, V, VI, Ultima Underworld and Wasteland 1, Pool of Radiance (Forgotton Realms: The Archives Collection II ) and Dark Sun (currently for 3.19 on GoG) are a must. Wasteland 1 was this year remastered and released, so you can play it with a "nice" graphic (currently for 10 on GoG). Wasteland 2 DC is not so good, but still playable. ....

I just picked up Ultima IV + V + VI, Bards Tale Trilogy, and Dark Sun.

You will not regret this decision, because this games are partly the foundation for the 90s RPGs. Btw.: Wasteland 1 is more than the spiritual predecessor for Fallout 1 & 2 (not from the game mechanics). I have just picked up the remastered of WL1, for the sake of replaying it again (for at least the 20th time). But i would recommend "Wasteland 1 the original classic" (PC) version for currently 2 Bucks on GoG, since i do not know if and how buggy the remastered version still is.
If have played and liked The Bards Tale Trilogy (not necessary through) then Dragon Wars is also a must play.
Dark Sun is in my opinion one if not the best Gold Box game, comparable to Buck Rogers and Pool of Radiance.

 

[Max Damage]

I think it would be best to start with Fallout and Bloodlines first, they both aren't very long. I would play Morrowind last, game's huge, and it will take you a long while to experience even half of what it has to offer.

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

I'd start with Fallout 1 and then go to Gothic 1, they are two of the most tightly designed RPGs ever made. Neither of them are really that long and they both have good sequels if you want more.

 

[aweigh]

For some background if anyone gives a shit (if not, skip to list below), I've been a gamer throughout my life of 25 years, starting out with console and progressing towards PC gaming in the last 5 years or so. I have never played any of the "classics" growing up, but I have played a few of what the average mainstream might classify as RPGs (Mass Effect, Fallout: NV, Fallout 3, Dark Souls 1 - 3, Bloodborne).

Gaming started to get pretty stale for me as time has gone on, feeling like I've "played everything good already" and have not been very interested in modern generation games.

However, there was a Steam sale on Baldur's Gate and P:T not too long ago, so I thought I'd give these games a shot since they were so far from what I normally play and a lot of people were writing really good things about them.

I quite enjoyed them and it felt like I was playing something new despite the games being so old. And with this experience, I discovered a new genre of video games and started getting really interested in cRPGs, the history behind them, the forerunners of the genre, etc.

With the GOG summer sale going on right now and a decent amount of money to blow, I ended up buying a bunch of cRPGs for a really good price. I decided which ones to buy just based off of whether they sounded interesting in the descriptions, GOG reviews, RPGCodex top lists and various forum posts I've lurked etc.

So, here's a list of what I got:

• Age of Decadence
• Arcanum
• Betrayal at Krondor and Betrayal in Antara
  
• Divine Divinity
• Divinity 2
• Morrowind (heard this is good... I thought Skyrim was quite boring)
• Fallout 1 & Fallout 2
• Gothic 1 & Gothic 2
• Icewind Dale 2
• Lands of Lore 1 & 2
• S2 Silent Storm
• Ultima VII
• UnderRail
• Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines

Buying the above games on GOG also gave me Elder Scrolls Arena and Daggerfall for free. I also received a good steam key deal for Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

So I have a shit ton of games to play now and I have no idea where to start. I've gotten a little past Act 1 of PoE which I'm playing right now but will probably drop it because I'm not that intrigued and start one of the above games instead.

Since I'm still somewhat of a noob with this genre, where do you recommend that I begin my journey for the best experience and in what order should I play them? Thanks for reading, RPGCodex.

Knights of the Chalice is a great tactical combat rpg, i also think you will probably enjoy Shadowrun: DRAGONFALL very much, seems like it might be right up your alley.

Definitely try out Vampire tM: Bloodlines, for sure, fantastic game.

All that said tho what you should be playing immediately is FALLOUT 1. Fallout 1 is the absolute peak of the isometric adventure-game hybrid style of RPG.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Fallout.

Unless you're OCD, then go alphabetical in a timely and orderly fashion.

 

[Tyranicon]

I'm kinda jealous, you've got some real gems in there. I'm not entirely sure what would appeal to a first time player but here's my order based on the games I've tried.

• Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines (probably the easiest to get into right away)
• Morrowind (like Skyrim but vastly better)
  
• UnderRail
  
• Age of Decadence
• Arcanum (old school CRPG)
• Fallout 1 & Fallout 2 (old school CRPG)
• Gothic 1 & Gothic 2
• Icewind Dale 2 (old school combat-focused CRPG)

 

[Ysaye]

I have just finished playing Lands of Lore again for the first time in about 20 years - IMO it holds up well as a real time blobber although near the end it drags on a bit; once you get to the white tower probably use a guide to avoid lots of backtracking for items you will miss / falling down holes that aren't fun set you back a bit. Patrick Stewart as King Richard adds a classy touch, and the character Dawn was probably unfortunate not to make the list of best Waifu's thread the other week although she never made it to party member status in the final cut of the game (she is pretty lazy too arpart from one battle) and your character can only go to bed with her at the end of LoL 2.

Ultima 7 is the game I probably come back to the most - not without flaws and was the start of some decline in the Ultima series but still very playable and you have to love the number of NPCs and general world building. And the Guardian has one of the best game entrances of any bad guy in rpg history.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

So, here's a list of what I got:

• Age of Decadence

OK for an indie game, but way overrated here.

• Arcanum

Mixed bag, very fun in some ways, very bad in others.

• Betrayal at Krondor and Betrayal in Antara

BaK is very good, but requires the ability to play through horrible graphics and UI. BiA is way worse.

• Divine Divinity

Fun game.

• Divinity 2
• Morrowind (heard this is good... I thought Skyrim was quite boring)

You heard wrong.

• Fallout 1 & Fallout 2

Yes, very good games.

• Gothic 1 & Gothic 2

Yes, excellent games.

• Icewind Dale 2

Hell no.

• Lands of Lore 1 & 2
• S2 Silent Storm
• Ultima VII

Special game in its time, has not aged that well.

• UnderRail

See AoD comment. Good indie game, but way overrated here.

• Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines

Mixed bag, same as Arcanum, just with different strengths and weaknesses.

What you SHOULD play:

Gothic 1, Gothic 2 + NotR, Risen 1, ELEX, Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, Deus Ex (with GMDX mod), Vulture (NetHack), Baldur's Gate Saga, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas (with mods), Kingdom Come Deliverance, Witcher 1-3, Breath of the Wild (on an emulator), Mask of the Betrayer.

 

[DalekFlay]

I'd start with Fallout 1. I played some RPGs before that, namely Lands of Lore, but Fallout 1 was the game that really turned my teen self into a massive RPG nut. It holds up well today, has a good widescreen patch, and is cheap and DRM free on GOG running well on modern machines. It's the whole package.

 

[null reference]

So, here's a list of what I got:

What you SHOULD play:

Gothic 1, Gothic 2 + NotR, Risen 1, ELEX, Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, Deus Ex (with GMDX mod), Vulture (NetHack), Baldur's Gate Saga, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas (with mods), Kingdom Come Deliverance, Witcher 1-3, Breath of the Wild (on an emulator), Mask of the Betrayer.

Forgot to mention I bought Ultima Underworld. I played Deus Ex as a child. All I really remember is having fun with the crowbar and looting stuff for interesting items. I've played BG1, but BG2 is sitting in my library unplayed. Fallout NV is one of my favorite games, especially with mods. The Witcher 3 + DLC was excellent, but the 1st and 2nd got gifted to me awhile back and they're sitting in my library unplayed. Kingdom Come Deliverance has been on my wishlist for a few weeks, haven't bought it yet.

And for anyone wondering, I've started Fallout 1 today per suggestions. Upon leaving the vault entrance and getting past the rats, I clicked on the world map in a random direction and soon realized the days were flying by as I "fast traveled" and started mildly panicking since I saw there is a time limit on the quest. Ended up in some random mountain valley. This will be a good experience.

Also, what is the consensus here on System Shock 2?

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Generally, people here like SS2. Most people do, because its genuinely one of the best games of all time. It doesn't have any of the usual problems plaguing FPS/RPGs. Your guns aren't a joke if you don't put points in their respective skills. (you merely can't use the better ones) The RPG mechanics aren't just tacked on. System Shock 1 isn't really necessary to understand anything in that. 1 is also a good game, but some people are terrible at video games have issues with the interface.

 

[Disciple]

And for anyone wondering, I've started Fallout 1 today per suggestions. Upon leaving the vault entrance and getting past the rats, I clicked on the world map in a random direction and soon realized the days were flying by as I "fast traveled" and started mildly panicking since I saw there is a time limit on the quest. Ended up in some random mountain valley. This will be a good experience.

The introductory cutscene with the Overseer's briefing contains a major hint regarding what direction to take after exiting Vault 13. The cutscene can be watched again through your Pip-Boy device (PIP → Archives → Overseer Briefing). The time limit will give you indeed a sense of urgency when travelling across the world map, but you must take into account that time runs more slowly in the hubs and caves, so you can explore those sites at a more leisurely pace if you want.

 

[Efe]

some of them are very similar to each other. you could use that to choose what you're going to play next.
definitely go for fallout as early as possible.

if you are looking to play entire series, sequel to divine divinity is beyond divinity.
and icewind dale 1 shouldnt be skipped.