Hi, I can’t get enough D&D, so was wondering if someone could suggest a computer game that involves actual role-playing, like making a character with personality where interacting with the world based on that personality matters? I’ve tried some of the traditional D&D games (like DDO), and there is essentially no role-playing involved. You just build characters and run around and kill stuff. That’s the hack-and-slash version of D&D that I don’t enjoy. I’d preferably like games that aren’t super expensive; I think maybe WoW might fit my RP desires, but the $15/month subscription is too steep for me. And I don’t want a PvP game. Any suggestions? (Edit: Specifically I’m looking for PC and/or Android games)
Edit: Thanks for all the great suggestions. I’ve “wishlisted” a lot of them and decided to start with Disco Elysium. I expect to try a bunch of the others throughout the year!
Divinity Original Sin 2 is exactly what you’re looking for.
Baldurs Gate 3 will be out soon and is in early access. Check it out after DOS2.
This.
Original Sin and 2 were literally created to be video game adaptations of d&d. they didn’t have the rights so they made their own thing, but it essentially uses the rules of d&d.
Now they’re doing Baldur’s Gate, so they get to make the game we’ve all wanted all along.
Can you elaborate on this? Rules of D:OS games don’t resemble DND at all. They are classless systems.
Now that I’ve tried to find an official source stating it was dnd or that was the creator’s original intent, I realize I am probably just repeating internet rumors/lore.
My bad.
I would, however, argue that they are classless systems. You have a lot of freedom, but there are base stats and a leaning toward a specific role. Even dnd can be like this if you multi-class. There are homebrews from DMs that create all new classes (much like if you wanted to create a non-templates character in d:os).
It uses turn based combat based on initiatives, uses difficulty scores or ac scores to determine if you hit and damage done. It has an action and movement as your general turn (possibly a bonus action if there are leftover APs). It’s a story where you can do almost anything and there are consequences to actions.
I could be stretching some of this, but it definitely is trying to emulate a TTRPG experience in video game form.
IMO WoW is not a good game at all if you are looking for “role playing”. It’s a multiplayer online game and all the quests boil down to simple linear stories. There is very little player choice, and the other humans playing the game make it impossible to suspend your disbelief and actually imagine your character as a real person in the game world.
I would recommend Dragon Age: Origins. BioWare games in general have always been great at letting you build a character where role playing choices matter a lot. Other games I would recommend for RPGs with a capital R and a capital P:
Tyranny (choices matter a lot in this one. There are basically 4 or 5 distinct stories in the game depending on choices you make)
Fallout New Vegas (any of the fallout games are good, but this one has the best writing IMO)
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (play all three in order)
Pillars of Eternity 2
Pathfinder (Kingmaker or Wrath of the Righteous)
Divinity Original Sin 2
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Early access right now but should be releasing soon)
If price is an issue, my top recommendations are definitely Dragon Age Origins and Fallout New Vegas
Dragon Age: Origins is incredible, definitely one of the best RPGs ever.
Consider Disco Elysium.
Seconded, but do also strongly consider pirating it. The original devs have have been fired from their studio. Essentially Kombus and Haavel took out company funds and bought majority share of the company with it, then fired the original devs. Honestly it’s kind of fitting if you enjoy the game in a non-consumerist manner.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m going to start with Disco Elysium; it sounds really interesting.
Disco Elysium was inspired by Planescape: Torment, which is a D&D game! It’s got a really deep story and roleplaying so check it out!
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is for you!
Larian did an incredible job with that game and it’s truly a masterpiece. If you have friends, you can play online co-op and have a blast.
And if you have a SO, make sure to try it out as well! The split screen implementation for this game is amazing, and the controller support is second to none.
In fact, I switched from M+K to the controller just because it was so much better.By the time you’re done, Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate 3 will have been released (Aug 3rd), and it seems it’s going to 1-up every other RPG out there by a mile!
I hope they can implement the same controller scheme and split screen system with BG3 as well, since it’s so much better for couch co-op.
I have a couple of suggestions that I liked a lot.
-Disco Elysium, very well written. Get the directors cut version, it’s fully dubbed. One of the best crpg I played. There’s pretty much no fighting in the game. Almost everything is solved with discussion.
-Divinity Original Sin 2, great crpg with a “DM” mode and can be played in multiplayer. Great story and lots of different paths.
-Planescape Torment, such a beautifuly written game. The enhanced edition is currently on sale for like 5$
All three have a very different vibe to them. And I think all three are a must play for fans of the genre.
Gonna tack Pillars of Eternity onto that list. It’s so fucking good. The modern Pathfinder games are similarly excellent, as well.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m going to start with Disco Elysium; it sounds really interesting.
OG Fallout 1 and 2 are pen and paper games mechanically. Must plays.
Really you can’t go wrong with most of Obsidian’s games. Pillars of Eternity is a fantastically written game with excellent role playing. You can literally have an in-depth conversation with one of the gods of the world with a certain background that I thought was surely going to be flavorful only.
A certain character asks you if you are real and your response options are: -Yes -Yes (lie) -No -No (lie)
It’s absolutely incredible. There’s a ton of thought out into the world and often your class and background offer alternative dialogue options with characters.
I’ve also played Divinity Original Sin, and while it’s a great game for interesting combat interactions, there’s not a lot to bite into for role playing imo. You get some dialogue choices, but they aren’t very interesting or flavorful, and I’m pretty sure they don’t change based on any factors other than maybe if you failed a quest rather than succeed. It’s a fun game, but not much of an interesting story. It’s got couch co-op, so it can be a fun to play with a partner or a friend if you want a better role playing experience.
Most classic RPGs have lots of combat. What I don’t see mentioned here so far is Neverwinter Nights. Especially the first expansion of the second game. Mask of the Betrayer. Lots of combat of course, but a story that your behaviour has an impact on. Search for a cookie cutter build, lower the difficulty. You can skip through the combat parts quickly that way, if you don’t like them.
Also mentioning Planescape Torment again because it’s weird and not so combat focused.
You could look at the Bioware games (Mass Effect, Dragon’s Age, Knights of the Old Republic). The old Elder Scrolls games let you play the way you want. Final Fantasy has an extensive free trial as well
Came here to say this. Bioware has been a bastion of this type of game for decades. You owe it to yourself to check out their creations.
Lord of the rings online. Yes it’s old, but it’s still a beautiful game. You customize your race, appearance, class, etc. You can play solo or join a kinship (guild.) Some kinships are roleplaying exclusively, some are not. I’ve found the community to be more welcoming and friendly than other MMOs. There are multiple servers with different countries of origin and some servers have more roleplaying too. Check out lotro-wiki.com if you’re interested.
The Pillars of Eternity games provide some of what you’re looking for, as they’re heavily inspired by the old Baldur’s Gate games (which were themselves built on D&D).
Baldurs Gate would be just for you then. You can find 2 for real cheap, or wait for BG3 to release in…. Days? Weeks? Soon.
Maybe Wartales would work for you.
It’s a really good RPG, lots of content and customization so every game is different, your choices matter, and supports up to 4-player co-op. It’s fairly similar to TTRPGs in a lot of ways.
The Baldur’s Gate series has some roleplaying involved in that while the story is fairly scripted your characters behaviour affects the outcomes of various events (with some unique trees branching off). Additionally, the more your actions diverge from the team’s alignments the greater the odds members will outright leave.
It’s not perfect, but you really won’t get that from any game without multiplayer involvement. In the end almost all roleplaying in electronic games can be boiled down to simply making multiple-choice decisions that result in a predictable chain of consequences/output.
Mass Effect is similar to Baldur’s Gate in this respect though much more dialogue driven. Fallout Series is another that you might like too.
You might also consider MMOs. Theres always a few guilds that do the RP thing. Not my personal cup of tea but people seem to like it.
