Poll - Fantasy Role-Playing Games

[Gahbreeil]

The atmosphere is either Good vs. Evil or Grimdark was my track of thought. Did you mean something like music?

Atmosphere isn't about morality, it's about imposing a particular mood or ambiance on the player, to set the stage in their minds in order to immerse them in the world. Music, writing, art direction etc. all serve whatever mood the game is trying to imprint on you.

Generally speaking, when people like the atmosphere in a game, they like that the game actually *feels* like what it's trying to represent, it's not a function of the morality "systems" the characters operate by.

Exploration is either the Established or Novel Setting.

Exploration is a part of gameplay, and has nothing to with the flavor of the setting. It has to do with the player's traversal of the world and their discovery of its different elements. It's true that exploration can include elements of storytelling, such as finding a legendary sword you've heard about at the end of an option dungeon or something of the sort.

Generally speaking, when people like the exploration in a game they like that the world is rich, full of things to discover (often both in gameplay and story) and they enjoy experiencing and traversing the world the developers have crafted, not simply the setting itself (though exploration can often help legitimise a setting if the world is crafted with care and intent).

Are you telling me what you think that I've asked? Sure. The setting is what you explore. The atmosphere depends on the setting's tone.

 

[__scribbles__]

Are you telling me what you think that I've asked? Sure. The setting is what you explore. The atmosphere depends on the setting's tone.

Your definitions of atmosphere and exploration are very different from most codexers. I'm trying to avoid confusion in the future by getting you to understand what most people take those terms to mean and how they aren't represented by the current poll options.

 

[Dark Souls II]

This:

 

[Gahbreeil]

Are you telling me what you think that I've asked? Sure. The setting is what you explore. The atmosphere depends on the setting's tone.

Your definitions of atmosphere and exploration are very different from most codexers. I'm trying to avoid confusion in the future by getting you to understand what most people take those terms to mean and how they aren't represented by the current poll options.

I've made the poll with a specific goal in mind. I know what I'm asking. If you want to, ask me what is my purpose in asking.

 

[Litmanen]

Using "artefacts" which I assume means "cool shit to find" as a stand-in for exploration as a whole. RPGs are about worlds and settings, exploration is the most meaningful interaction with that world.

Choice and consequences or reactivity are important, the player is supposed to feel like a part of the world instead of a passive outsider.

Character creation is key, and if you disagree, go back to playing popamole. Combat is essential as well, these two tie in to the point above.

The setting can be whatever it wants to be, but if it feels artificial and unbelievable in practice who cares? Just write a book at that point.

I would put two different options in the poll instead of "artefacts": "itemization" and "exploration".

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

What is the most important part of a Fantasy Role-Playing Game, according to you? You can post your ideas for what should be in the poll. You can change your mind, three votes per person.

Worthless poll without an option for exploration, which along with combat is one of the twin pillars of role-playing games.

 

[Litmanen]

Right, so far the leaders are 1. Combat, 2. C&C, 3. Character Creation.

I need to ask, what makes C&C stand out? I mean, Witcher I was crap. You save someone or not and you get a different Fallout outro to the chapter you were in. The characters might not be present anymore. The only C&C that I remember that was different was the one with the elven weapons and the bank heist.

What are the best examples of Choice & Consequence in RPGs?

The Witcher I, indeed, isn't the best example for a complex C&C system. Age of Decadence is one. Underrail and Pathfinder: Kingmaker, too. The Witcher I is like Vampyr: "oh, you have to make ONE choice so that we can bring you to the one of the two chapters we had in mind next.

Atmosphere.

That's either Low or High Fantasy.

Exploration is missing. Also the possibility of resolving encounters without combat, e.g. via stealth or speech.

Exploration is either the Established or Novel Setting.

I agree on the other point. I'd say Dialogues or Realism.

A setting with no Fantasy has no Atmosphere? What is the criteria?

Exploration: same thing: I do not agree at all with criteria and, plus, your mental connection do not make any sense, sorry.

 

[Butter]

Where is the bear buggery (kc) option? Delet tihs.

 

[Gahbreeil]

Atmosphere.

That's either Low or High Fantasy.

Exploration is missing. Also the possibility of resolving encounters without combat, e.g. via stealth or speech.

Exploration is either the Established or Novel Setting.

I agree on the other point. I'd say Dialogues or Realism.

A setting with no Fantasy has no Atmosphere? What is the criteria?

Exploration: same thing: I do not agree at all with criteria and, plus, your mental connection do not make any sense, sorry.

I'm asking about Fantasy video games. Yes, FANTASY video games. This means the atmosphere is either low (ie. Warhammer: Dark Ages) or high (ie. LotR).

Exploration... The Player explores the setting, what else can the Player explore in a video game?

 

[Dark Souls II]

As for the poll, I picked:

Low Fantasy: by this I mean both low fantasy settings, and lower lvl adventures in high fantasy settings. I generally want to kill some wolves and level up and buy some equipment so that I can go and kill some goblins. I prefer this to fighting Fhafs'fahsfa'awhsahzha the Death Dragon of the Void. Low fantasy also helps to curb the creativity of diversity hires from the story department, who can get completely unhinged in a high fantasy setting - the less tieflings, freaks, le quirky reddit pink-haired gremlins, fampyrs and assorted faggotry, the better. You know what I want to do? I want to see what's the deal with the iron crisis. I want to kill goblins, recruit the hot evil drow girl to my party, and drink ale with my vertically challenged dwarvish friends.

Artefacts: itemization is very important, I have more fond memories related to particular weapons and armor pieces from Dark Souls II than I have to recruitable party members from all the RPGs that I've played combined. Off my head I can list Chaos Blade, Berserker's Blade, Fume UGS, Red Iron Twinblade, Demon's Great Hammer, Havel's Set, Jester's Robes, Smelter Demon Helm, I could go on. Weapons and other items are extremely important because they are the intermediaries through which the player's character interacts with the game's world. Few understand this.

Mature Content: by this I do not mean that I expect to be able to rape every female NPC I encounter, like in Black Souls and Black Souls II (although I in fact DO expect this, and if I can't rape every female NPC the game does not have actual C&C, period). By mature content I mean the game not treating me like I'm retarded and my only cultural references are Marvel movies. Games like Planescape: Torment or Morrowind are examples of what I would consider intellectually mature content.

 

[Litmanen]

Atmosphere.

That's either Low or High Fantasy.

Exploration is missing. Also the possibility of resolving encounters without combat, e.g. via stealth or speech.

Exploration is either the Established or Novel Setting.

I agree on the other point. I'd say Dialogues or Realism.

A setting with no Fantasy has no Atmosphere? What is the criteria?

Exploration: same thing: I do not agree at all with criteria and, plus, your mental connection do not make any sense, sorry.

I'm asking about Fantasy video games. Yes, FANTASY video games. This means the atmosphere is either low (ie. Warhammer: Dark Ages) or high (ie. LotR).

Exploration... The Player explores the setting, what else can the Player explore in a video game?

My bad, I didn't notice the "fantasy" in the title. Sorry.

About the exploration, I still disagree. You explore the setting, true, but you must give depth to exploration.

 

[JarlFrank]

Out of that list, since I can only choose three:

- character creation
- combat
- choice & consequence

Everything else is secondary.

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

I need to ask, what makes C&C stand out? I mean, Witcher I was crap. You save someone or not and you get a different Fallout outro to the chapter you were in. The characters might not be present anymore. The only C&C that I remember that was different was the one with the elven weapons and the bank heist.

What are the best examples of Choice & Consequence in RPGs?

Choice & Consequence can include many things, from branching paths to joining factions to choosing between rewards. I count any optional action that permanently affects the world as parts of C&C as well, so for example being able to kill quest/named NPCs. Without C&C, CRPGs would be JRPGs but with character creation/more customization.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Poll does not have barbarians

 

[Oreshnik Missile]

Exploration is the most important.. and not even listed!

 

[octavius]

Combat system
Encounter design
Character and skills system/development
Loot and item system
Exploration

 

[BruceVC]

Are you telling me what you think that I've asked? Sure. The setting is what you explore. The atmosphere depends on the setting's tone.

Your definitions of atmosphere and exploration are very different from most codexers. I'm trying to avoid confusion in the future by getting you to understand what most people take those terms to mean and how they aren't represented by the current poll options.

I've made the poll with a specific goal in mind. I know what I'm asking. If you want to, ask me what is my purpose in asking.

Some people are going to over analyse semantics in your poll but most of us understand what your definitions mean

Can you change the poll so we can see what people voted for?

I voted for combat, plot and C&C but exploration should be part of your choices, unless it is under a different word?

 

[0sacred]

Character creation (for mechanical depth), C&C (for replayability) and dialogues (for immersion). Combat can be automated for all I care. In fact I wonder why there aren't many games where you just manage the strategic level and give a few pointers for tactics and then have the game auto-resolve combat.

 

[Reinhardt]

atmosphere is that thing that you breathe.

 

[Reinhardt]

best fantasy rpg game of last years is battle brothers btw. atmosphere, exploration, combat - all good. and romance, magic and other shit are not needed at all.

 

[Reinhardt]

Character creation (for mechanical depth), C&C (for replayability) and dialogues (for immersion). Combat can be automated for all I care. In fact I wonder why there aren't many games where you just manage the strategic level and give a few pointers for tactics and then have the game auto-resolve combat.

now THAT is some real gay shit

 

[Kabas]

Artifacts: give me dat cool loot. What's the point raiding dungeons and searching tombs if the treasure sucks?

Magic: gimme cool spells, abilities and tricks to learn and experiment with as i level up. Make me look forward towards next level so that i can learn Armageddon.

Character creation: gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
I want mechanically interesting and meaningful race and class choices, hopefully without too much options bloat and not too front loaded though. Very nice bonus if world and NPCs actually react towards your race and class.

 

[mondblut]

In fact I wonder why there aren't many games where you just manage the strategic level and give a few pointers for tactics and then have the game auto-resolve combat.

There is a plenty. They're called "strategy games".

 

[BruceVC]

This:

Romance is in his poll, you need to vote for it if its significant for you

 

[Dark Souls II]

This:

Romance is in his poll, you need to vote for it if its significant for you

I didn't mean romance. Romance is shit 99% of time in video games.

I meant the ultimate power fantasy of being a young man going on adventures in a fantasy world where there are no americans, no niggers, no jews, no income tax, no corporate office job, no HR lady, no Diversity and Inclusion department, no democracy or human rights, no 9-to-5, no processed food, no commuting, no microplastics, no age of consent laws, no social security number, no car insurance, no driver's license, no schools for the young and no factories for the adult and no hospitals for the old, and in this world women are not disgusting obese hambeasts but there are cute elf girls who are skinny and have nice FEET.

tl;dr fantasy RPGs are meant to represent the Aryan man's ancestral blood memories of the pre-modern world, and in a fit of genius I chose to represent that with this particular image.