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chrissieGabriel

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Looking for an RPG with little emphasis on action

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So…a little introduction. I’m pretty much an AG purist. I’ve played a few Tomb Raiders and half an hour of Assasins Creed before my former laptop found out he couldn’t run it and the game crashed. But other than that very little non AGs. However as of late I’ve decided to broaden my horizon a bit. As it happen my roommate plays a lot of WoW and it looks very nice but I don’t really feel like playing it as it’s a huge timesuck and I’m behind on my reading, playing and viewing as it is. Still I’ve gotten a bit interested in RPGs but so far what I’ve seen (WoW and Skyrim) contains an awful lot of violence. And though I don’t want an RPG without violence. (cause that’s called an adventure game) I do wonder are there RPG that are less action oriented? By which I mean that they do contain some action but that it doesn’t make up for the bulk of the gaming experience. Prefarably fantasy themed as I love fantasy but any suggestion’s welcome.

Thanks in advance.

     
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Dragon Age: Origins (fantasy) and Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 (Star Wars universe), all available on Steam, might interest you. They do have numerous fights, but you can pause the game to give instructions to your characters, so they’re about strategy, not mashing buttons. And they have a lot of emphasis on story, choices, exploration and interaction with great, memorable characters (Kreia from KotoR 2 might be one of the most fascinating video game characters ever).

(Do note, however, that DA:O has a quite a bit of bloody imagery, if that’s a problem for you. I’m not completely clear on what you’re trying to avoid exactly. The thread title mentions “action”, which is a gameplay thing, but then your post talks about “violence”, which is more of a story/style thing. DA:O is definitely not an action game at all, but it is a bit violent and bloody.)

If you don’t mind older games, you might want to look at Planescape: Torment (gothic fantasy-ish(?); it’s on GOG). You can play it almost like an adventure game, and it has a very, very strong story and world.

Also, if you don’t mind even older games (and quite a bit of reading), then you can’t go wrong with good old Betrayal at Krondor (fantasy; also on GOG), which has tons of story, exploration and characters. Combat is turn-based, so once again no button-mashing here. (If you buy if from GOG, you’ll get Betrayal in Antara as well, which is mediocre at best, but Krondor is brilliant.)

And finally, there’s the Quest for Glory series, obviously.

     
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Frontiers is coming.

Also, let’s not forget The Sims Medieval Grin. It’s lite RPG, quite fun actually.

Most MMOs have a lot of stuff in them besides killing but often you have to know where to look as majority of quests are just whacking and slashing stuff. Will think about this question more later on, I’d like to play these kinds of games too. Though if the control scheme is as excellent as it is in WoW, the action doesn’t bother me at all, I even enjoy it.

     

Currently Playing: Dragon Age Origins: Awakening
Recently Played: Red Embrace: Hollywood, Dorfromantik, Heirs & Graces, AI: The Somnium Files, PRICE, Frostpunk, The Shapeshifting Detective (CPT), Disco Elysium, Dream Daddy, Four Last Things, Jenny LeClue - Detectivu, The Signifier

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Kurufinwe - 24 September 2013 04:16 AM

Dragon Age: Origins (fantasy) and Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 (Star Wars universe), all available on Steam, might interest you. They do have numerous fights, but you can pause the game to give instructions to your characters, so they’re about strategy, not mashing buttons. And they have a lot of emphasis on story, choices, exploration and interaction with great, memorable characters (Kreia from KotoR 2 might be one of the most fascinating video game characters ever).

(Do note, however, that DA:O has a quite a bit of bloody imagery, if that’s a problem for you. I’m not completely clear on what you’re trying to avoid exactly. The thread title mentions “action”, which is a gameplay thing, but then your post talks about “violence”, which is more of a story/style thing. DA:O is definitely not an action game at all, but it is a bit violent and bloody.)

If you don’t mind older games, you might want to look at Planescape: Torment (gothic fantasy-ish(?); it’s on GOG). You can play it almost like an adventure game, and it has a very, very strong story and world.

Also, if you don’t mind even older games (and quite a bit of reading), then you can’t go wrong with good old Betrayal at Krondor (fantasy; also on GOG), which has tons of story, exploration and characters. Combat is turn-based, so once again no button-mashing here. (If you buy if from GOG, you’ll get Betrayal in Antara as well, which is mediocre at best, but Krondor is brilliant.)

And finally, there’s the Quest for Glory series, obviously.

Thanks for the recommendations. I agree with you that I wasn’t clear on where the problem lies for me. My desire to not repeatedly use the same words got in the way of clerity here. Allow me to explain: My problem is with gameplay, not story. My motor skills aren’t all that great plus I don’t want to spend hours on end doing nothing but killing people. Bloody imagery I don’t have a problem with at all as long as it serves a purpose. My favourite tv show is Game of Thrones so I think I can handle a bit of blood and gore.

Dragonage: Origins has been on my radar for quite a while but I kinda lost interest when I saw the trailers which display nothing but action. However I love games with an emphasis on story, choices and exploration so I’ll definitely give it a go. KOTOR I’m somewhat less inclined towards playing because I’m not a big fan of Star Wars but if I like DA:O I might just change my mind.

Planescape Torment also sounds pretty good and actually pretty original too. I’m not sure I can run it on my Windows 7 operated laptop but perhaps a patch might help there. Also I don’t have GOG at the moment but that’s worth looking into. Do they accept Paypal?

Betrayal at Krondor is set in Feist’s world and I hate his books so I think I’ll pass on that one but thanks anyway.

 

     
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gray pierce - 24 September 2013 09:11 AM

Dragonage: Origins has been on my radar for quite a while but I kinda lost interest when I saw the trailers which display nothing but action. However I love games with an emphasis on story, choices and exploration so I’ll definitely give it a go.

The overarching story is definitely a very standard “let’s fight the evil monsters and save the world” business, with its share of big battle cutscenes (heavily inspired by Jackson’s LOTR), but the world itself is interesting (especially religion, the place of the elves, or the nature of magic), many of the characters are very memorable, and while the main story is derivative, the individual stories in each locations are better, as is the whole web of political intrigue layered over the monster invasion (that part definitely has a ASOIAF vibe). You should definitely give it a try.

(The DLCs and expansion are fine too, but whatever you do, stay away from the awful sequel.)

Personally, I’m not a big Star Wars fan, but I really liked the KOTOR games. I thought KOTOR 2, in particular, did a fantastic job of questioning and adding depth to Lucas’s shallow Light Side / Dark Side bullshit, and making the world much more interesting as such. So I definitely recommend them.

Planescape Torment also sounds pretty good and actually pretty original too. I’m not sure I can run it on my Windows 7 operated laptop but perhaps a patch might help there. Also I don’t have GOG at the moment but that’s worth looking into. Do they accept Paypal?

It works on Win 7, and there are unofficial patches that remove bugs / allow you to play with modern resolutions /etc.

And yes, GOG accepts Paypal.

     
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Hi, I’m from the Department of Redundancy Department, and the two best games I can think of when I read the thread title are: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Planescape: Torment

KotOR is in 3rd person 3D, with turn-based (if you alter the auto-pause settings, at least) combat, but a lot of emphasis on exploration, and light vs. dark (it’s Star Wars, after all). About 3/4 into the game, you get the greatest moment I’ve ever experienced in ANY game thrown in your lap. And the game was awesome even without that moment. If you like Star Wars in the slightest (and even if you don’t), you really can’t miss this game. Cool
KotOR 2 is of similar quality and might have even been better if they didn’t have to rush the ending to get the game in stores in time for X-Mas. A lot of content got cut and the ending feels unfinished, which was a shame because it was a lot more ambiguous than simply light vs. dark until then… Meh

Planescape: Torment is in isometric 2D, and has more text and choice than any other game in existence. You’ll be reading a LOT more than you’ll be fighting, and I really don’t think there’s another RPG that gives you as much choice in dialogues as Ps:T. At one point you have to answer the question “What can change the nature of a man?”. You have 30 answers to choose from - pick wisely. Smile
The game has some combat, but less than most other RPGs (and the choice is yours, really). And it sports one of the best-written stories ever in an insanely detailed universe. The game is simply brilliant.

Of course, starting with either KotOR or Ps:T will spoil all other RPGs you will ever play afterwards… Grin

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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TimovieMan - 24 September 2013 11:51 AM

and the two best games I can think of when I read the thread title are: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Planescape: Torment

Gray pierce explained, that it’s not “action” in the traditional sense, but combat as an activity that’s the main problem. So, it’s not turn-based vs. action-based combat. And in that light, I’m not sure KotOR is the way to go Smile

Well, maybe it’s possible to play it with very little combat, but with a balanced party, as I played it, the game felt like the definition of ‘Filler Combat’. In many areas I couldn’t move 100 feet without having to slash some easy and boring enemies.

I guess you could try to make a party, with very good computer hacking and stealth skills, but IIRC, in quite a few areas, you had to front the enemies more or less directly. I haven’t completed it yet, though, but that’s my experience from 30 hours of playing.

The story, characters and dialog also have problems, IMO, but I guess I’ll save that for an other discussion Wink

     
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I’m just going to sound like a broken record and mention Planescape Torment again because that game just deserves it. Play for the story, the combat is minimalistic.

In a more traditional fantasy setting the Baldur’s Gate series is probably the best. The first game has a slow intro but once you reach the big city it opens up to tons of different quests.

Witcher is also a very good series with a above average story, but it might be a bit action heavy .

     

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Divine Divinity.  How can anyone forget that?  It’s not Shakespeare, it’s fairly old school and there is a lot of hack and slash but it’s great fun.  Once you get out of the initial dungeon, there is a huge world of fantasy to explore and a lot of quests to go on.  Play on easy, normal or hard.  The interface is exceptionally easy to get used to and understand and you’re not limited to the skills or the equipment of the male or female Warrior, Mage or Thief you selected to begin with.  The only thing you must do in this RPG is remember the adventure gamer’s dictum:  Save early and save often!  Oh, and don’t leave your teleporter stone lying around.

My only real caveat is that they should have ended the game before they did.  The ascension to the Divine One should have been the end but…what?  They thought this very long game should be longer?  Aside from that, it’s wonderful.  My reflexes aren’t the greatest anymore so when I say you don’t need great reflexes if you work out a strategy and get the right equipment, believe it, you can play this ‘hack and slash’ and have a great time.

The dialogue in Divine Divinity is clever and often funny depending on the responses you choose and so are some of the results of your use of magic.  It’s a game I play over again every so often and always enjoy.  In fact, I think I’ll go turn some orcs into fountains of cinders right now. 

Gil.

     
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Okay so I bought Dragonage: Origins and as luck would have it for the next two weekends my schedule’s completely free. Which does beg the question: how long does it take to finish the game because from what I’ve seen it’s ridiculously lengthy. So considering I’m a complete n00b to the genre, how many weekends do I need to clear in order to finish this game? I do also play during weekdays but usually don’t have that much time then.

     
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Looking at my saves, my first playthrough took me about 80 hours + about 20 hours for Awakening + 2 hours each for the 4 DLCs.

But I tend to explore everything and do every single side quest. It’ll of course be shorter if you don’t do that.

     
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Yeah, 80 hours sounds about right for DA:O (including all the different origin chapters). I didn’t play any of the DLCs.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Pardon the double post, but I have one small addition: mages are overpowered in DA:O, imo.
Or, to put it better, all non-mages are underpowered. Only mages have any real capabilities of crowd control when swarmed by enemies, so if you want an easier time with the combat, select a mage. Wink
My playthrough was with a warrior/tank, and I had a REALLY hard time during some battles.
But really, don’t mind me, pick whichever character suits your style most. A lot of dialogues in the game have slight variations in them, depending on the character you selected at the start (for instance: as an elf you’ll be talked down to more whereas as a noble you’ll command more respect).

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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I have to agree that Planescape:Torment is best choice.
My second recommendation would Vampire the masquerade:Bloodlines but you have to install unofficial patch otherwise game is mess.
You might also want to wait around month and get Space rangers HD war apart(HD remake of space rangers 2: reboot) this weird hybrid games has little bit of everything in it including text adventures.
One other game that might fit is Expeditions:Conquistador strategy/rpg hybrid similar to kings bounty or older disciples games just not so much combat heavy.

     
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TimovieMan - 24 September 2013 11:51 AM

KotOR 2 is of similar quality and might have even been better if they didn’t have to rush the ending to get the game in stores in time for X-Mas. A lot of content got cut and the ending feels unfinished, which was a shame because it was a lot more ambiguous than simply light vs. dark until then… Meh

When this thread started, I had just begun replaying KOTOR2, and now that I’m done with it I wanted to post a few thoughts about it. As you said, a lot of content was cut then, but most of it has now been restored by fans, and that makes quite a lot of difference. Lots of bugs were fixed, numerous little scenes between the various characters were brought back, a whole new planet full of droids was restored (which makes up for the stuff on Korriban being so short), as was a nice solo adventure as HK-47 which affects the ending a bit (and is also hilarious; “As a meatbag would say, I have a bad feeling about this” is probably the funniest line in the game), etc., etc., etc.

With all these additions, the game really feels whole, instead of rushed at the end, and it feels like every character gets the final moment in the spotlight he/she/it deserves. It’s true that Malachor is still a bit disappointing because it has too many filler fights (at this point, you just want to focus on the big stuff, not slice through endless ranks of chumps with a lightsabre), and the final minute is still a bit abrupt. And of course it’s disappointing that the ending spends so long building up to a KOTOR 3 which never happened because LucasArts and Bioware decided to go and waste their money on SW:TOR instead. (I guess I should buy and read this, which is probably the closest we’ll get to knowing what KOTOR 3 would have been like.)

At the end of the day, KOTOR 2 is a magnificent game. Its story questions the whole Star Wars mythology in a deeper, more mature way than George Lucas ever could (or Bioware, for that matter: KOTOR 1 is a nice, polished and completely harmless piece of fan fiction, but little more), just as it questions the foundations of party-based RPGs. Many of its characters are superb, and the writing can be alternately philosophical, clever, funny or deeply poignant.

And then there’s Kreia. Honestly, I can’t think of a single video game character who’s as complex, as multi-layered, as fascinating and as deeply human (down to her countless contradictions) as she is. “Know that much may happen here, but above all, do not forget this—you may trust in me. We cradle each other’s lives, and what threatens one of us, threatens us both. And if you find you cannot trust me, trust in your training. Trust in yourself. Never doubt what you have done. All your decisions have brought you to this point.” That line is a perfect summary of Kreia’s character (and the game itself), and I get chills just thinking about it and the scene it’s in.

I think KOTOR 2 is the best RPG I’ve ever played. (I guess I’d need to replay Planescape: Torment to confirm that. There’s only one man in the world who may beat Chris Avellone, and that’s Chris Avellone himself.) It just doesn’t get any better than this. And so now that the bugs have been fixed and most of the content restored, I urge anyone reading this to play/replay this gem.

     
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Folklore on PS3 if you can hunt the copy.
Better story than Dreamfall presented in really unorthodox way.
Lots of action and fighting.

     

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