RPGs where you are not the saviour of the world/kingdom/town

[Whisper]

Age of Decadence

 

[Xelocix]

Age of Decadence

Read OP's post.

 

[Gargaune]

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Okay, hold on, put down the button - I know its protagonist isn't supposed to be an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, but they're also definitely not the saviour of the world/kingdom/town. In fact, most everything you do in Deadfire's main plot amounts to jack shit, really.

 

[Momock]

The only games I can think of that fit with OP's description are Lisa: The Painful and Recettear. Save your daughter

Spoiler

from yourself

, pay your debts and make a living. Pretty "low key" all things RPG considered.

 

[Readher]

I can recommend Tales From the Lake of Sorrows campaign for NWN2. Depending on your perception, I guess you become kind of a savior of the town at one point, but the whole story is very low-key (mostly taking place in a small fishing village) and has those Scandinavian thriller vibes (only in a fantasy setting). There are pretty good role-playing options and how you deal with townsfolk is acknowledged at multiple points in the story. One of my favorite RPG experiences for sure since I dread the "hero of the country" storylines and much prefer to play more sidelined characters.

If you don't mind dabbling into interactive fiction, there are two work in progress stories that have you in "important but not really imporant" roles. One is Arcadie: Second-Born, where you play as a sibling of the heir of a militaristic kingdom (and let me tell you, your sister is really something else, especially if you play a character that doesn't share her views) and are considered pretty much completely unimportant by everyone but your sister (and even that depends on your relationship with her) who overshadows you heavily. The second is I, the Forgotten One, where you play as a bastard child of a king and have been exiled to serve in the army, leading troops in a neighboring nation against common enemies and your country is now facing a crisis as the king dies. This one I find to be exceptionally well written. PTSD plays a key point in the story, there are some great character interactions, role-playing options, C&C, etc. There are a lot of changes based on your MC's gender alone, since it's mostly based on European Medieval times. Being female is acknowledged at various points in the game and it's usually not pretty (your looks i.e. height and such also affect this on top of gender choice). It's pretty lengthy too, especially the latest chapter. You end up as a military advisor to your sister in this one, and even though you have more agency over things than you should have (that's due to your sister being unfit to rule), the narrative makes it so you never really feel like a hero/savior. I suggest giving those "games" a try, especially the second one.

Since there's some info on I, the Forgotten One that's locked behind a semi-private forum, I'll post it here so there's an overview of various themes and mechanics present:

Spoiler

Intimidation System
Depending on your character’s appearance, characters will react to you differently. For example, if you are a tall, big bearded, heavily scarred dude, people will be frightened around you.

However, low intimidation is NOT a penalty. Low intimidation means you’ll be more of an underdog, getting underestimated until you pull out your skills and blindside the enemy.

To get the most intimidating character:

• Choose large beard / braided beard
• Scar over left eye / on cheek
• Calloused eyes
• Tall height

To get the least intimidating character:

• Choose any beard except long/braided, or be a woman
• Scar along the neck
• Anything except calloused eyes
• Anything except tall height

Gender
Both genders have their own unique set of challenges to overcome.

Men experience a sort of apathy to their condition. Men are expected to fight after all, and the mental effects of war are not widely known by this time. You also have to deal with people finding your guarded nature to a challenge to be and they try to “worm their way into your damaged heart”. Whether you find this romantic, annoying, or sickening is left up to choice.

Women experience disrespect and a sort of fetishization of their condition. Women are not supposed to fight, and you break this standard. Many will disrespect you or be afraid of you. You also have to deal with people trying to “fix you” because of your apparent lack of emotion. Whether you find this romantic, annoying, or sickening is, again, left up to choice.

Mental paths
There are three paths that the MC’s mental state can go down. There is no correct answer and none of these will lead to a “bad end”.

You can either:

• accept the fact that war has damaged you and try and seek help for condition, either reluctantly or openly
• accept the fact that war has damaged you and help yourself rather than relying on others
• accept the fact that you weren’t broken, but rather forged by war, and don’t want others to try and “fix” you

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Pool of Radiance.

 

[Cryomancer]

I could write VtMB and other games which people already suggested but Geneforge is a good example. You is a shaper who can create life and go to a island where some magically created creatures goes rogue, some worships your kind as a deity and some believe that you are equals. The endings are more "Shades of gray"

https://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/topic/22176-geneforge-1-ending-chart/

 

[Poseidon00]

Looks like people got ahead of me in recommending NWN modules.

Honestly, there is some good shit there if you don't mind the engines, and more importantly, a lot of it has much lower stakes than the typical rescue the world adventure.

I would go ahead and recommend the Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battle games as well. They all revolve around a single countries path towards military domination and the resistance to it.

 

[Shadenuat]

Atelier. Ez. Save shop from bankruptcy. Or go on adventure to find your missing mother. Or pass an exam in academy!

I want to be an ordinary man

Oh. wait.

Well, sure, I mean there is a
like for example

....fuck all these plots in rpgs are really same aren't they

 

[Takamori]

I dont have an issue of being part of a greater thing inside of the story orchestra I just don't want the game artificially sucking my dick calling me the chosen one or telling me that I'm the only that can do it, should be a more "realistic" approach of being an effort built by several characters in the story.
I know its a little off-topic but I fucking hate with heart and soul a narrative where you are running against time and at the same time you got several side activities rolling as if your character is not really concerned about anything, on top of my head is Pillars of Eternity 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 most recently are guilty in such attrocity. I have no issue with timed stuff as long it follows the timed and put pressure and challenge the player, that affects decision making and planning.

As for an RPG that you are ordinary man, I remember Dungeon Siege 1, you are basically a pissed off farmer that pick a pitchfork and go ham killing everyone in your way until you become god because you turn your enemies in to your crops for harvesting season.

 

[V_K]

There's Undercroft which is a darkly comedic blobber where your party starts trying to make up for a small fuck up, then fucks up more and more with each chapter. Pretty decent gameplay too, and the comedic parts are rather subtle anc not in your face (and dark; really, really dark). Not sure you can get it anywhere now though, at least not legally.
Speaking of comedic RPGs there's also West of Loathing - the main quest basically amounts to you helping build a rain track between two towns. That one is in your face though, at times outright slapstick. Although there's also a layer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror below all the slapstick, and major side quests can have an effect on the fates of the world.

 

[Poseidon00]

I'd recommend Beholder as an RPG where you are an ordinary man. You're a landlord in an authoritarian country whose job it is to spy and report on your tenants.

Keep in mind I mean rpg in the literal sense of the term. You play a role. There is no combat, short of watching the cops beat the shit out of whoever you snitched on, and no levels. Try snitching on your own family for lulz.

 

[buffalo bill]

Cataclysm DDA
seconding NEO Scavenger

 

[V_K]

And the Morrowind vs. Daggerfall thread just reminded me: you're not saving anything or anyone in Daggerfall. You actions are decisive in who gets to rule Iliac Bay, but the land is not under any threat; you're just participating in local political games.

 

[Erebus]

If you don't mind dabbling into interactive fiction, there are two work in progress stories that have you in "important but not really imporant" roles. One is Arcadie: Second-Born, where you play as a sibling of the heir of a militaristic kingdom (and let me tell you, your sister is really something else, especially if you play a character that doesn't share her views) and are considered pretty much completely unimportant by everyone but your sister (and even that depends on your relationship with her) who overshadows you heavily.

Currently giving it a try. The story's interesting, but quite linear, and too many options seem to have little purpose. Romantic subplots are obviously possible, but they seem really unnecessary to me.

 

[Nm6k]

If we are going to start recommending all text interactive fiction then I recommend the Infinity Sea series in which you are a Dragoon officer in a fantasy 18th century setting. Now in how it relates to the topic the main character is most of the time not the sole factor if a battle is won or lost at all. In fact they don't start having an impact on things until the end of the second book.

 

[Readher]

If you don't mind dabbling into interactive fiction, there are two work in progress stories that have you in "important but not really imporant" roles. One is Arcadie: Second-Born, where you play as a sibling of the heir of a militaristic kingdom (and let me tell you, your sister is really something else, especially if you play a character that doesn't share her views) and are considered pretty much completely unimportant by everyone but your sister (and even that depends on your relationship with her) who overshadows you heavily.

Currently giving it a try. The story's interesting, but quite linear, and too many options seem to have little purpose. Romantic subplots are obviously possible, but they seem really unnecessary to me.

It's one of the more character-focused games, so at least for now, the non-linear parts are mostly when it comes to character relationships. If you want a story that's less centred around relationships and romance, then "I, the Forgotten One" will definitely be more up your alley. That doesn't mean relationships are not important in that one, though the ones with your sister and brother are pretty much the only ones that that seem to have impact on the main story's development so far (if the game's code is to be believed, anyway).

 

[Axioms]

When is someone just going to make a cool game with tons of customization where you just delve some dungeons and it has nothing to do with saving the world?

 

[AdolfSatan]

^ Dwarf Fortress

 

[Lilura]

When is someone just going to make a cool game with tons of customization where you just delve some dungeons and it has nothing to do with saving the world?

What does it matter? A good dungeon crawl is a good dungeon crawl.

If you're so concerned about the grounds and consequents, then you're a storyfag.

And this is a storyfag thread because only storyfags care deeply about the wherefore.

 

[Communist]

Most players offer not just role-playing games, but the computer version of the RPG (a mixture of strategy, fighting game, etc.) By the way, there are purer RPGs, whose concept lies in the days when RPGs were not yet mixed with the wargame genre. This is the Sims series. You can play whatever role you want, and skill leveling is also present in these games. Grinding is present, but it is closely related to acting out, and is unobtrusive and enjoyable.

 

[Jason Liang]

Rance 01 and Rance 5D are both pretty nonepic. Rance is just trying to solve a kidnapping in 01, and escape a dimensional prison in 5D. Also 4.1 and 4.2 are fluffy too. Rance Quest also starts off pretty mundane.

 

[Cryomancer]

If you're so concerned about the grounds and consequents, then you're a storyfag.

I disagree. Mount & Blade Warband is a sandbox game with a lot of C&C and not exactly a storyfag game.