Why Pentiment is an RPG and should be on this forum

[nimateb]

First of all, a brief personal RPG definition.

An RPG must have a narrative. The narrative must be interactive and react to the player's actions.
Also, an RPG must be playable through a customized character that can be altered through the course of the game in ways that affect the narrative and the gameplay.

By these definitions, games like Icewind Dale have customized characters but since the narrative changes very little with the players gameplay, the game's a hybrid (tactical RPG).

Games like Mario Bros have narratives (you must save the princess) but you don't affect it through your gameplay. You can also eat a fungus to change your character but that also doesn't affect the narrative.

Pentiment on the other hand has a narrative. You can play the game with characters that have traits defined by the user through the game. The narrative recognizes this, changing their possible actions and their consecuences accordingly.


So yeah, IMO Pentiment is an RPG and should be on this forum. Shadowbanning it (throwing it into the adventure forum) is unworthy of this site.

 

[Fedora Master]

Nice try Infinitron

 

[just]

no combat no rpg

 

[luj1]

See my signature and just replace "optional" with "no"

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

An RPG must have a narrative.

 

[Delphik]

no combat no rpg

Tell that to the Disco Elysium commies and see how much flak you get, can't believe this has become an unpopular opinion in the mainstream.

 

[just]

no combat no rpg

Tell that to the Disco Elysium commies and see how much flak you get, can't believe this has become an unpopular opinion in the mainstream.

i do it at every opportunity

 

[Nano]

See my signature and just replace "optional" with "no"

It's a silly quote. Combat isn't a required or main part of certain PnP RPGs, so why should it be different in CRPGs?

 

[luj1]

Combat isn't a required or main part of certain PnP RPGs

but its still a part

 

[Alex]

We discuss enough crappy RPGs without considering games that don't even claim to be one.

 

[Darkozric]

Shadowbanning it (throwing it into the adventure forum) is unworthy of this site.

I agree, return the Soyer fart to RPG. How many abominations the adventure forum can handle?

 

[nimateb]

Lol I love you guys

 

[Incognito]

Pentiment is a roleplaying game in the same way you putting on a gimp mask for your boyfriend is a roleplaying game.

 

[vortex]

But, should Pentiment have classes or classless system to be called an RPG?
Andreas could had been a monk, an outsider investigator, a rogue, an inqusitor ... and depending who he is gameplay and tactics would change.

 

[Serus]

First of all, a brief personal RPG definition.

An RPG must have a narrative. The narrative must be interactive and react to the player's actions

So about 98%* of games we are talking about in rpg discussions are not CRPGs or, at the very least, they do not posses half of the requirements?
You do now that in vast, vast, overwhelming even, majority of crpg there no reactive narrative and in the very few that have it, it is mosty fake? Right?


*number taken from my ass but certainly correct in order of magnitude.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Nope, my ass is more RPG than Pentiment.

 

[ropetight]

It is RPG in same way Hannah Gadsby's Nanette is stand up comedy special.
Quest for Glory is more RPG than this Movable Parts Book about medieval Europe for Californians.
More RPGs for you, enjoy.

 

[SunKing]

I agree with OP Pentiment should be classified as an rpg. Also it is a masterpiece by the great John Sawyer who is an amazing developer. Of course the trolls that dominate this board will disagree.

 

[laclongquan]

You can use this list of requirement for a RPG and tell me how many point Pentiment score.

That's official method these days. No need to argue~

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

You can use this list of requirement for a RPG and tell me how many point Pentiment score.

That's official method these days. No need to argue~

That list is heavily biased in favor of not only character-related elements but also extraneous story-related elements ("choice made by the player alters the narrative", "Character(s) interact with NPCs", "Optional quests") versus combat-related and exploration-related aspects.

Better list:

1. Character Progression (leveling up to become more powerful)
2. Character Customization (at least classes and attributes, though classes can be replaced by a skill-based system; party customization can substitute)
3. Equipment (weapon, armor, other things that give active or passive benefits; better equipment makes a character more powerful)
4. Inventory (items on hand that can be switched with equipment or consumed)
5. Character-Skill-Based (player chooses character’s action, but success of character’s actions depends on statistics and the game system, not the action of the player)
6. Deliberation (player has opportunity to consider character’s actions before choosing what to do; in real-time games at least a pause function)
7. Randomness (dice-rolls or something else to remove determinism)
8. Statistics (game system is coherent and transparent enough that player can weigh the numbers to gauge the chance of success in an action)
9. Exploration (player has control over character’s movement through the gamespace and can make meaningful exploration decisions rather than following a linear path)
10. Dungeons (a mythic underworld to explore; many RPGs have only a dungeon without an overworld, but it is more difficult to be an RPG with an overworld but no dungeons)
11. Openness (players have control over their characters’ movements and objectives in the world rather than being forced into particular quests)
12. Logistics (players must manage their characters’ resources, due to inventory limitations, encumbrance, stamina/fatigue, need for food, need for water, need for sleep, realistic lighting and a day/night cycle, Vancian magic memorization, weapon/armor deterioration and repair, etc.)

Which in turn can be grouped into character-related, combat-related, and exploration-related aspects.

 

[The_Mask]

If the pen is mightier than the sword, then Pentiment is one of the best RPGs of all tim--- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[laclongquan]

You can use this list of requirement for a RPG and tell me how many point Pentiment score.

That's official method these days. No need to argue~

That list is heavily biased in favor of not only character-related elements but also extraneous story-related elements ("choice made by the player alters the narrative", "Character(s) interact with NPCs", "Optional quests") versus combat-related and exploration-related aspects.
...
Which in turn can be grouped into character-related, combat-related, and exploration-related aspects.

Boy, the list say RPG overall, not crpg. Of course it has some bias toward that aspect~ Your list is too focus on non-storyfag aspects~ A game following YOUR list, once it's broken in storyfags aspects, will be total broken without fixing. No mods can fix it. But if it follow said reqs, if it's gone, it's mostly non-storyfags aspects that is broken. In which case, mods can fix it somewhat~

I dont particularly love pure storyfags games, but the list is developed that way simply to prevent broken storyfags game, which is numerous and unfixable~ There's a particular demand.

 

[Sunsetspawn]

Because it makes you breath minty-fresh!

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

An rpg doesn't have to have a narrative. Character customization just isn't enough either. Pentiment is simply a casual adventure game.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Here's a better argument: CD Projekt.

If their catalogue of Glorified Cutscene Simulators gets a pass, why not.