Game News Baldur's Gate 3 Panel From Hell: Release Showcase

[Roguey]

All those wizards and dragons that rode skateboards and said "don't have a cow, man!", or listened to Elf McHammer.

Modern D&D doesn't use zoomer slang either. It's about attitudes. D&D reflected the 20th century libertarian values of Gygax.

I very much doubt there will be rape in the game, not even Larian would go that far.

Yeah, you used to be able to steal characters' underwear and they took it out due to internal rebellion. ESRB details all the objectionable content:

This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of an adventurer on a quest to remove an implanted parasite. Players explore dungeons and towns, interact with characters, and complete various quests and missions. In most missions, players engage in turn-based combat against fantastical creatures (e.g., gnolls, orcs, goblins), using swords, axes, and magic spells. Large blood-splatter effects are seen on the ground as enemies are slashed and killed. Players have the ability to kill civilians and non-adversary characters, including chained prisoners in a dungeon. In one sequence, players can remove an exposed brain from a restrained character's skull. The game contains a brief sequence depicting a couple with exposed buttocks and breasts engaging in sexual activity (i.e., a man guiding a character's hand towards his groin)—the camera cuts away to characters' faces. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the game.

 

[Mebrilia the Viera Queen]

Again, I will say that the character writing in the Early Access' first release was fairly good compared to Larian's past work, and I disagree with anyone who says otherwise.

But this is garbage. I want to play a fantasy game. Back in the day, that meant that modern stuff like dating was rarely mentioned, or couched in older terms, not just blurted out.

Maybe there's a ton of precedent for this that I'm not thinking about, but you didn't see this junk in BG or PST.

That Dragonborn design is fucking awful. They look like badly modded Argonians. When a low budget MMO like Neverwinter does a better job of modeling Dragonborn then a big budget AAA game.
Also, I'm too am getting really sick of romances in these games. When I play a fantasy RPG I want to go on an adventure and fight the big bad evil in a magical fantasy setting. I'm not looking to go on dinner dates in the middle of a world ending scenario. This was made to appeal to women and by women I mean the worst kind of women. The women who are constantly coom brained and horny and spend all their days flicking their beans reading and writing slash fiction on A03 of fujoshi vampire elves getting fucked in ass by a bear. Never let it be said that women are less degenerate then men because they are not. They are far, far worse.

There is a difference i do believe. Argonians have boobs Dragonborn females don't i may be wrong but during the livestream when they show the female model was flat. Granted never liked dragonborn myself as a race.

 

[Immortal]

I very much doubt there will be rape in the game, not even Larian would go that far.

Doubly so for WOTC.
I guess we'll never know where half-orcs come from.

 

[DeepOcean]

You either die a hero developer or you live long enough to become Bioware, tragic.

 

[Immortal]

Yeah, you used to be able to steal characters' underwear and they took it out due to internal rebellion. ESRB details all the objectionable content:

This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of an adventurer on a quest to remove an implanted parasite. Players explore dungeons and towns, interact with characters, and complete various quests and missions. In most missions, players engage in turn-based combat against fantastical creatures (e.g., gnolls, orcs, goblins), using swords, axes, and magic spells. Large blood-splatter effects are seen on the ground as enemies are slashed and killed. Players have the ability to kill civilians and non-adversary characters, including chained prisoners in a dungeon. In one sequence, players can remove an exposed brain from a restrained character's skull. The game contains a brief sequence depicting a couple with exposed buttocks and breasts engaging in sexual activity (i.e., a man guiding a character's hand towards his groin)—the camera cuts away to characters' faces. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the game.

Maybe all the rebels quit / left because of crunch and work-in-office mandates though.
Are you basing this panty war just on that one glass door review by a fired employee or is there more context I don't know about? That shit was hilarious.

This ESRB rating seems to reflect the open access game. AFAIK they added genitals to the full release.. (Which in typical 'body type' 2023 fashion, are fully customizable on any gender) - but this ESRB rating doesn't mention that.

To be clear, I have no idea really what's gonna end up in this game. If it actually depicts anything approaching risky or "problematic" I'll be shocked.

 

[Frank R]

I know folks here wont be convinced but check out around the 11:30 mark in this video. I think folks will be surprised at this game once act 2 and later kick in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GqSYf4v_3I

 

[luj1]

Again, I will say that the character writing in the Early Access' first release was fairly good compared to Larian's past work, and I disagree with anyone who says otherwise.

But this is garbage. I want to play a fantasy game. Back in the day, that meant that modern stuff like dating was rarely mentioned, or couched in older terms, not just blurted out.

Maybe there's a ton of precedent for this that I'm not thinking about, but you didn't see this junk in BG or PST.

What's wrong little feller, not feeling the throbbing bear COCK of this brave and profound rpg writing?

wow cringe

looks like another romance infested game

we are indeed in the dusk of civilization

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I very much doubt there will be rape in the game, not even Larian would go that far.

Doubly so for WOTC.
I guess we'll never know where half-orcs come from.

Half-orcs come from orcs that suddenly decide to marry a human out of love.

One day, they're oogaboogaing in the forest, killing and maiming the innocent like generic villains. The next, they fall in love, shack up with some human and become model civilians.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Honestly consensual half orcs are not a crazy idea for a reagular fantasy setting, you know there are also ugly and dumb women out there. Just look at some human pairings. In a wild region where humans and orcs coexist, you bet your ass a woman will choose the slightly uglier strong dumb humanoid over a dumb human.

I think the Arcanum manual did something like this alongside rape.

Now the half ogre situation was another thing enterely as we all know.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Modern D&D doesn't use zoomer slang either. It's about attitudes. D&D reflected the 20th century libertarian values of Gygax.

Writing being influenced by a writer's values is not the same as inserting specific patterns of values from the modern world, and applying them as near universal morals of the setting.

Again, it'd be akin to Gygax inserting specific Christian terms, beliefs or values into the fantasy world. Instead, he came up with the alignment system, the system D&D is gradually abandoning. Instead of a single deity, he made a pantheon.

If he were to behave like these writers are, he would have done the opposite. Because these people just cut and paste their values in with minor alterations.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Honestly consensual half orcs are not a crazy idea for a reagular fantasy setting, you know there are also ugly and dumb women out there.

No, it's silly. People in the past usually didn't marry someone from a different culture, let alone a different race, let alone a different species known almost universally as brutal murderers of humans and elves.

In a wild region where humans and orcs coexist, you bet your ass a woman will choose the slightly uglier strong dumb humanoid over a dumb human.

Cuck mentality detected.

And "Slightly uglier"? lmao.

"Yeah, just marry the ugly, inhuman cannibal instead of some guy from your village. What's the worst that could happen?"

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Its orcs. They dont exist guys. It depends on the setting.

As far as I know its kinda like Neanderthals and humans, or shit that happens in Conans Hyboria. And its not like Lovecraft didn't did it as well. Degenerate half breeds.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

"Yeah, just marry the ugly, inhuman cannibal instead of some guy from your village. What's the worst that could happen?"

You are telling me some women would not do that?

 

[Immortal]

I'm pretty sure in older editions they clearly stated it was a non-consensual and the woman usually doesn't survive giving birth..
Or wait.. maybe that was Mul's in Dark Sun..

Too lazy to check.. trust_me.jpg

 

[SharkClub]

The wheelchair thing is nonsensical being that we are talking about a universe where it is somewhat banal to regrow limbs or even revive dead people. It still surprises me it is a thing. I assume even the wokest DM would ignore this unless some wheelchair bound kid decided to actually roleplay a wheelchair bound character for some reason.

The whole combat wheelchair thing really is the epitome of the woke virtue signalling in D&D.
How does one even begin to rationalize this in a setting that has spells that regrow entire limbs:

I struggle to think of even the most baseless inorganic cope that someone who is pretending not to be a woke virtue signalling tard would come up with for combat wheelchairs, wheelchair-accessible dungeons and people in the setting who would choose not to just get their fucking legs magically repaired. The reason the combat wheelchair meme exists is purely for woke virtue signalling, there is no other reason. If real life had clerical magic like D&D, the amount of wheelchair-bound people who would choose to remain wheelchair-bound if they were offered to get a spell cast on them to fix their legs would probably be like 0.00005% of the total wheelchair-bound population. The only time a wheelchair even makes sense in D&D if it's some poor old fuck that can't afford the handful of gold the local cleric asks for, or isn't persistent enough in his begging to get some altruistic good-aligned moralfag to do it for free, you absolutely would not be finding "Adventurers" in wheelchairs, they would be out of the fucking job as mercs if they were retarded enough to stay in a wheelchair for no reason, and the idea of a dungeon master big bad making his dungeon fucking wheelchair-accessible so that the people coming to raid his dungeon and murder him for his loot don't accuse him of being ableist is like the peak of clown world in any game or setting ever.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Its orcs. They dont exist guys. It depends on the setting.

"It's fantasy! Anything can be true!"

And anything can be false.

All of your arguments are moot too if you retreat to "but it's just pretend!"

Maybe the setting has every orc exuding a pheromone that makes them attractive in spite of their ugliness. Except they don't in Forgotten Realms, and that's just cope.

You are telling me some women would not do that?

In our modern, hedonistic culture, maybe. In some medieval culture, "wild" or not, where the woman would have to stay with the beast and raise its children, very unlikely. To the point that it would make half-orcs unheard of.

Some barbarian female cavewoman in the middle of nowhere (that you specifically make up to explain away orc rape) screwing an orc or a kobold does not a race make.

As far as I know its kinda like Neanderthals and humans

I'm tempted to write this off as bullshit too the more I see shit like Cheddar Man pushed. No, it's more like a human or a chimp mating with a gorilla. Which doesn't happen.

I challenge you to find a single woman who is willing to have a 600 pound furry monster potentially snap her neck for fun just to satisfy a kink. And there are 3.5 billion women to choose from. Now try to find that same woman in a small medieval village.

The real comparison you should be making is Indians and White settlers, or tribal Africans and their British masters. Except that Indians weren't muscle-bound monstrosities with green skin and fangs, and neither are most Africans.

The problem is, as you already pointed out, that Orcs aren't real. They aren't Indians or Africans, they're a monstrous caricature of a savage, beastial foreigner. There is no "beautiful orc maiden" who will stick her neck out for John Smith. They eat humans, keep them as slaves and sacrifice them on bloody altars. Even if you had an Orc that could fall in "love" with a human and do this, it's unlikely the feeling would be mutual, or well-received by the Orc tribe. Even if you could conceive of a single case, it wouldn't explain any significant amount of half-orc births.

Per 1E lore, half-orcs are likely the product of rape from humans in captivity. 2E tried to mitigate this by referencing a story of a blind man who married an Orc woman one time - because that's how freaking ugly they are, and even a passible half-orc is still an ugly human - but it was obvious cope, and little more than an exception that proves the rule. I'm sure you could even create your own tribal version of Beauty and the Beast (minus the wealth), or some cum bucket female wizard who artificially inseminates herself with orc semen, but that would still just be you projecting a sexual fetish into the world and not something that believably occurs in even 1% of half-orc births.

As far as I know its kinda like Neanderthals and humans, or shit that happens in Conans Hyboria. And its not like Lovecraft didn't did it as well. Degenerate half breeds.

How many human women today in Africa marry gorillas? Chimps? Just a percentage guess will be fine.

Again, in a modern, degenerate world full of decadence and diminishing morality, sure you might have one lunatic willing to do it out of gross perversion, but not in a medieval society and not when an actual pregnancy can result.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I'm pretty sure in older editions they clearly stated it was a non-consensual and the woman usually doesn't survive giving birth..
Or wait.. maybe that was Mul's in Dark Sun..

Too lazy to check.. trust_me.jpg

1E monster manual:

Half-Orcs: As orcs will breed with anything, there are any number of unsavory mongrels with orcish blood, particularly orc-goblins, orchobgoblins, and orc-humans. Orcs cannot cross-breed with elves. Half-orcs tend to favor the orcish strain heavily, so such sorts are basically orcs although they can sometimes (10%) pass themselves off as true creatures of their other stock (goblins, hobgoblins, humans, etc.).

1E player's handbook:

Non-Human Soldiers:
There can be various units of non-human troops available for mercenary duty, but this depends upon your milieu. It is suggested that as a general rule such troops be enlisted only where they actually dwell, and only if the player character champions their cause or is a minion of their alignment, religion, or the like, or is a racial hero.
The types of soldiers available depends entirely on the race (see MONSTER MANUAL for such information).
The less intelligent non-humans will serve for from 10% to 60% less cost, but these evil creatures will certainly expect to loot, pillage, and rape freely at every chance, and kill (and probably eat) captives. Dwarves will serve at double rates, or at normal rates if they are basically aiding a champion of their cause and people. Gnomes and halflings will only serve in the latter case.

Dragon Magazine article:

Tolkien:
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Half-orcs

It became clear in time that undoubted Men could under the domination of Morgoth or his agents in a few generations be reduced almost to the Orc-level of mind and habits; and then they would or could be made to mate with Orcs, producing new breeds, often larger and more cunning. There is no doubt that long afterwards, in the Third Age, Saruman rediscovered this, or learned of it in lore, and in his lust for mastery committed this, his wickedest deed: the interbreeding of Orcs and Men, producing both Men-orcs large and cunning, and Orc-men treacherous and vile.[4]

As I asked one Codexer a while back, Crescent Hawk, go ahead and explain the courtship process for an Orc male and a human female or vice versa.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

More to the point, orcs in D&D/AD&D are properly pig-creatures, as depicted in the AD&D 1st edition Monster Manual and in the 2nd edition AD&D Player's Handbook.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

A google search while I was trying to find screenshots of the manual etc. (I just gave up and copy/pasted from an old argument) gave me this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpghorrors...ied_to_have_orcs_rape_my_character_and_i_ask/

DM tried to have orcs rape my character, and I ask to just have them attack me normally. He replied "if it's conflict either way, what's the problem?" and wouldn't budge when I told him I have PTSD from an abusive relationship.
Okay, so, I'm a girl, and pretty new to DnD. Only been playing since September last year and it's not been super regular (maybe once every 2-4 weeks).
Anyway, I've found it's really fun to turn a side of myself into a full-fledged character. I love plants and botany, so my PC's entire backstory was about his life in the forest. And he relied far more on his intelligence than his physical capabilities - he was very gentle and pacifistic.
I recently joined a new campaign, with new players (all strangers) and decided to play the opposite - my new character is a human huntress. I'm travelling with a band of rogues, essentially, and we're in a forest filled with worse rogues, of a great many kinds, mostly packs of orcs. We're kinda the 'Robin Hood and his Merry Men' of the whole shebang.
Anyway, the DM rubbed me the wrong way in the first session. In-game everything was fine, but while all the players were getting to know each other he straight up asked whether I was a lesbian (I have short hair). I told him no, I'm bi.
Not too much later, he said "so I was on this tinder date, and it started really great. I'm making some dark jokes, she's joking back, it's a good time. But she must have been on her period or something, because suddenly she took EVERYTHING seriously. Like, I'm just having a joke, no need to be a total legbeard."
And like, maybe the girl was hypersensitive? But I was getting a vibe that he probably finds offensive things funny, and that's fine, as long as you know your audience. I have a few crack-up dead baby jokes, but I wouldn't tell them around anyone I knew who'd had a miscarriage or abortion.
Fast forward two sessions. We find a cave which appears to be empty, and seek shelter. But it turns out there's a cave behind the cave, and guess what? Orcs. And the orcs start fighting us... and two start trying to pin down and rape my character.
I object at this point. I say "can't they just ATTACK me two-on-one? Like, attacking me is cause enough for me to be fighting back and continuing the conflict."
And the DM goes "If it's conflict either way, what's the problem?"
And at this point, I don't feel very comfortable. But I tell the table that I was in an abusive relationship for two years and then I was raped again, by a date, two months after I left him, and I have mild PTSD. And I don't really want to have that triggered at a table of strangers.
"But it's not real," he replies. "And it's not as though the orcs have raped you. They're just trying to. You can still fight them off."
"That's fucked," I tell him.
One of the other players suggests the DM do as I said, and just have me fight the orcs, no need for rape in the picture.
The DM starts going on about how making everything politically correct ruins storytelling, and tells me if I can't handle it, I can go be hysterical somewhere else.
I hysterically shrug and gather my things, and leave with a curt goodbye to all the other players.
The DM has messaged me saying he was sorry because "didn't realise it would actually upset you" with the caveat of "I run pretty dark, gritty campaigns, which is something I told everyone ahead of time. And I'm sorry if it was too much for you - I tried to make it clear that things would get fucked up."
Which is basically blaming me for being too sensitive, instead of admitting he thought it was entirely appropriate to force a rape victim with PTSD to role play being raped. And like, it would have been completely fine if he'd just revised the way the orcs attacked me once I explained my discomfort.
But yeah, I'm not playing with that DM ever again.

This is how half-orcs are usually made.

The DM should have asked her why she was such a bigot, explained that it was for Diversity and that a strong, "slightly ugly" male would be a better father for her child anyway.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I challenge you to find a single woman who is willing to have a 600 pound furry monster potentially snap her neck for fun just to satisfy a kink.

I found some.


Timestamped (5:16:11 if your browser is shit)

 

[Immortal]

In nuu-forgotten realms, a DM can bash your head in until it's a gorey mess.. but if his dungeons don't have wheel chair access.......

 

[Worm]

A google search while I was trying to find screenshots of the manual etc. (I just gave up and copy/pasted from an old argument) gave me this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpghorrors...ied_to_have_orcs_rape_my_character_and_i_ask/

DM tried to have orcs rape my character, and I ask to just have them attack me normally. He replied "if it's conflict either way, what's the problem?" and wouldn't budge when I told him I have PTSD from an abusive relationship.
Okay, so, I'm a girl, and pretty new to DnD. Only been playing since September last year and it's not been super regular (maybe once every 2-4 weeks).
Anyway, I've found it's really fun to turn a side of myself into a full-fledged character. I love plants and botany, so my PC's entire backstory was about his life in the forest. And he relied far more on his intelligence than his physical capabilities - he was very gentle and pacifistic.
I recently joined a new campaign, with new players (all strangers) and decided to play the opposite - my new character is a human huntress. I'm travelling with a band of rogues, essentially, and we're in a forest filled with worse rogues, of a great many kinds, mostly packs of orcs. We're kinda the 'Robin Hood and his Merry Men' of the whole shebang.
Anyway, the DM rubbed me the wrong way in the first session. In-game everything was fine, but while all the players were getting to know each other he straight up asked whether I was a lesbian (I have short hair). I told him no, I'm bi.
Not too much later, he said "so I was on this tinder date, and it started really great. I'm making some dark jokes, she's joking back, it's a good time. But she must have been on her period or something, because suddenly she took EVERYTHING seriously. Like, I'm just having a joke, no need to be a total legbeard."
And like, maybe the girl was hypersensitive? But I was getting a vibe that he probably finds offensive things funny, and that's fine, as long as you know your audience. I have a few crack-up dead baby jokes, but I wouldn't tell them around anyone I knew who'd had a miscarriage or abortion.
Fast forward two sessions. We find a cave which appears to be empty, and seek shelter. But it turns out there's a cave behind the cave, and guess what? Orcs. And the orcs start fighting us... and two start trying to pin down and rape my character.
I object at this point. I say "can't they just ATTACK me two-on-one? Like, attacking me is cause enough for me to be fighting back and continuing the conflict."
And the DM goes "If it's conflict either way, what's the problem?"
And at this point, I don't feel very comfortable. But I tell the table that I was in an abusive relationship for two years and then I was raped again, by a date, two months after I left him, and I have mild PTSD. And I don't really want to have that triggered at a table of strangers.
"But it's not real," he replies. "And it's not as though the orcs have raped you. They're just trying to. You can still fight them off."
"That's fucked," I tell him.
One of the other players suggests the DM do as I said, and just have me fight the orcs, no need for rape in the picture.
The DM starts going on about how making everything politically correct ruins storytelling, and tells me if I can't handle it, I can go be hysterical somewhere else.
I hysterically shrug and gather my things, and leave with a curt goodbye to all the other players.
The DM has messaged me saying he was sorry because "didn't realise it would actually upset you" with the caveat of "I run pretty dark, gritty campaigns, which is something I told everyone ahead of time. And I'm sorry if it was too much for you - I tried to make it clear that things would get fucked up."
Which is basically blaming me for being too sensitive, instead of admitting he thought it was entirely appropriate to force a rape victim with PTSD to role play being raped. And like, it would have been completely fine if he'd just revised the way the orcs attacked me once I explained my discomfort.
But yeah, I'm not playing with that DM ever again.

This is how half-orcs are usually made.

The DM should have asked her why she was such a bigot, explained that it was for Diversity and that a strong, "slightly ugly" male would be a better father for her child anyway.

People can't appreciate exposure therapy now-a-days.

 

[MrBuzzKill]

Again, I will say that the character writing in the Early Access' first release was fairly good compared to Larian's past work, and I disagree with anyone who says otherwise.

But this is garbage. I want to play a fantasy game. Back in the day, that meant that modern stuff like dating was rarely mentioned, or couched in older terms, not just blurted out.

Maybe there's a ton of precedent for this that I'm not thinking about, but you didn't see this junk in BG or PST.

This actually bothered me a bit more than I expected. You put my thoughts into words, basically - the word "dating" feels very anachronistic here

Yep, it would be unfortunate if we are going to encounter a lot of characters like this, basically modern western city dwellers cosplaying as elves and tieflings

 

[Crescent Hawk]

"It's fantasy! Anything can be true!"

Okay you are being a bit of an asshole here.

I am not saying anything goes, its pretty clear ORcs vary immensely from setting to setting.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I am not saying anything goes, its pretty clear ORcs vary immensely from setting to setting.

Like I said, you can make whatever changes you want to the setting to justify them being just like humans, but with green skin and/or a pig snout, but that's you changing the lore to fit your preferences.

At that point, you're doing exactly what we're accusing WOTC of, not explaining it or justifying it. And you basically have to if you're going to explain away half-orc births as being consensual in any significant amount of cases.