New player who bought several RPGs - where to start?

[null reference]

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.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Rogue
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Tales of the Unknown, Volume 1: The Bard's Tale
Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back
Pool of Radiance, Champions of Krynn, Eye of the Beholder
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Legend of Grimrock I & II
Age of Decadence
Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

 

[luj1]

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?

Chronological order of release

 

[null reference]

Baldur's Gate and P:T

if you want us to help you, its important you share more about your favorite moments.

Did you romance Anomen or Aerie?

Did you kiss Annah?

I haven't fully finished BG1 because I've restarted like 4 times to make new builds/characters. I'm getting there, though. And I have not played BG2.

The best part about P:T for me was, not surprisingly, the writing and interaction with NPCs. That, combined with the weirdness and spontaneity of the world, such as the Society of Sensation or talking to some guy in the middle of Smoldering Corps Bar about all of the different planes of the world made for a really interesting experience. It felt like there were so many things intricately hidden that would not show themselves unless you took the time to explore and try different things, both in-game and in-dialog.

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?

Chronological order of release

Sounds like a viable option. Chronological order even if it means skipping a game in a series to come back to it later?

Rogue
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Tales of the Unknown, Volume 1: The Bard's Tale
Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back
Pool of Radiance, Champions of Krynn, Eye of the Beholder
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Legend of Grimrock I & II
Age of Decadence
Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

I haven't heard of most of these. Will do some research. Thanks for the list!

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Why Icewind Dale 2 and not 1? Anyway, if you liked the combat in Baldur's gate and P;T, I'd suggest that. If you were more into the story I'd point you more toward V:TMB. Keep in mind, unlike Mass Effect and other console FPS/RPGs the shooting part starts off a bit crap.
Fallout 1 & 2 are vastly different in tone than 3. The first two are much more of a far future dark sci-fi deal than 3's just after the end (despite taking place later for some reason) feel. Its tactical combat isn't the best either, but you might not notice it yet.
Don't touch Underrail until you've at least given the Fallouts a chance.
I would suggest not playing Silent Storm until you've played Jagged Alliance 2. Yes, I know you didn't buy that, I'm still suggesting that.
Morrowind is an experience. Either you enjoy its strange world, or you're distracted by the graphical issues and its accuracy system. If you can get past those issues, it is amazing.

 

[curds]

Start with Fallout.

 

[Tigranes]

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

You've bought some remarkably good games, though not all may be to your tastes. One strategy is to think of the moments / elements you really enjoyed in BG / PST and go from there.

If you liked BG's formula a lot, then Icewind Dale will give you a variant of it with a crapload of combat.

Nothing is the same as PST in writing, but if you liked the thoughtful worldbuilding and a sense of making choices with actual weight behind them, go to Fallout 1 & 2 - after which Age of Decadence, VTMB.

Where you thought Skyrim was boring, Morrowind will give you a more flavourful world and more freedom. Gothic 1 & 2 will show you what an open world RPG looks like when they actually pay attention to what it feels like to be a prison camp guy trying to survive, and what a truly dangerous wilderness to explore feels like, as opposed to candyland where you can go wherever.

If you thought BG was fine but you want to cut your teeth on some really challenging and robust combat systems, Underrail.

 

[luj1]

Sounds like a viable option. Chronological order even if it means skipping a game in a series to come back to it later?

Yup. You need to experience it how it was back in the day. Making breaks between series and diversifying your repertoire will keep your artistic sense stimulated as well, so when you return to a franchise you'll be able to appreciate it even more with a fresh and balanced perspective.

 

[Garyxeao88]

I think you should start with Morrowind. Actually, Morrowind is the best Elder Scrolls in my mind.

I loved Morrowind because the game didn't really set many limits on itself. Players could get creative with spells, potions, and equipment to ascend to new levels of greatness. Morrowind is a true RPG environment as all characters main or otherwise can be murdered and you can live however you please. And the immersion of Morrowind is fantastic!

 

[Lawntoilet]

Lots of good suggestions already given, but:

I'd say Vtm:B, Divinity 2, and IWD2 are probably the most accessible and easiest to get into.
Arcanum, FO1, FO2, and AoD are my favorite games on that list for what that's worth, although I haven't played the entire list.
Kingmaker and Dragonfall are good games too.

 

[sullynathan]

How about you don't play them?

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

oooooooo

out of the OPs list i'd have to recommend Underrail

hard as nails though if youre new to that sort of thing; isommetric view, turn-based, tactical battles; did i mention it was hard?

 

[Ghulgothas]

You also ought to be aware of what games on that list are in need of Fanpatches to to be enjoyed to their fullest. For VtMB the Unofficial Patch is vital, everything else is tat with varying levels of quality and adherence to the original vision. Fallout 1 benefits from Fixt, and Fallout 2's Unoffical Patch is also positive. Though YMMV depending on whether you're looking for a "Purist" experience, as well as you're interpretation of what "Purist" means.

 

[Manny]

From all that list, I would start with Fallout. I think it remains, until now, the best created crpg. After that, it depends more on your tastes.

 

[Reality]

Use that "how long to beat website" - For me personally I think they always over-estimate RPGs, but other people say it's spot on
https://howlongtobeat.com/

Best method is to play shortest to longest imo - (Mostly same as oldest to newest except Shadowrun showing up short and Arcanum long for games in their time period)

If you want my personal take

Fallout 1 > Shadowrun DragonFall > Betrayal at Krondor > Silenst Storm > Arcanum > Underail > Pathfinder Kingmaker > Age of Decadence

I kind of have a bias of "try one of every subgenre to at least give it a chance to see if you like it" thing going on.
If I was really going to replay things myself (and keeping in mind retro action games and RTS competing for my time with CRPGS) I think only Shadowrun / Silent Storm / and Underail would be on my list.

 

[Agame]

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?

Chronological order of release

^

 

[Cat Dude]

Neverwinter Knight 1 and 2
Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor

If you like fps then
Deus Ex
System Schock 1 and 2

Or western made jrpg
Anaxchronox
Septerra Core
Undertale
Child of Light

 

[octavius]

Chronological order even if it means skipping a game in a series to come back to it later?

Rogue
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Yes, and start with one of these.

 

[Thac0]

I say play the Troika games first. First Bloodlines since it is more accessible, then Arcanum. Very good, some of the best writing in the Industry and they are not as hard to get into as others on the list.

Then you can play your new aquisitions. Kingmaker is the best post 2000 crpg, Shadowrun is a good tactical game in a stellar setting.

After that you can dive into the classics. Fallout, Gothic and Morrowind.

I suggest a more lenient order, since I suspect you played the Enhanced Editions of Baldurs Gate and Planescape Torment. Going from what is effectively an 2015 UI in those games to an end 90s UI for some of the older games might break you, when you are so wet into the genre yet.
Unless you play a lot of other retro games on the side, then you can go with the very monocled historical order suggested here by others.

 

[taxalot]

I don't see Skyrim in that list. It is nice to try to blend in with the cool crowd, but you should at least start with the classics.

 

[moleman]

I think Vampire, Fallout 1 and Gothic 1 are all good starting points.
If you like Fallout 1, you could also try Arcanum.

Since you are not experienced with RPGs I would not recommend Underrail.
It is a great game but also very punishing because you can fuck up builds very easily.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Since you are not experienced with RPGs I would not recommend Underrail.
It is a great game but also very punishing because you can fuck up builds very easily.

Age of Decadence is even more punishing in that regard.

I would recommend starting with Fallout 1 or Arcanum.
Lands of Lore 1 is good alternative if you want to try something different.

 

[DavidBVal]

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

I would go with Fallout because it marks the beginning of a generation of RPGs that pretty much peaked in sofistication with PS:T which you seemed to enjoy (it is fantastic). It is also fairly short, with 20h being enough to explore everything. From there you can dive deep into the true old school previous generation (Wizardry, Betrayal, Gold Box) or move forward (VtMB or the modern indies), depending on what you fancy. Just remember to have fun and break when it becomes a box-ticking exercise; there's a limited number of truly good RPG and not very far away in time you'll have played them all, so no need to rush them. Savour them.

 

[Neroon]

Of your list I'd consider Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines and Arcanum the two best. Both have fanmods that improve them considerably. Their PCgamingiwki pages should link to it, probably an also find them on this forum. In general whenever you play a classic, no matter which one you should always check out their PCgamingiwki pages for anything technical you should know.
So make sure you get them, chances are VTMB wont even start without it. Arcanum has the advantage that it allows you to choose whether to fight in turn based or realtimewithpause combat. Allowing you to figure out which style you prefer as a reference for future purchases.