Rpg Starter Pack For Newbies.

During these years we also formulated a list perfectly fit for beginners. If you never played an Rpg before, we G.M.I.C made a list for you. We like to call it:

Rpg Starter Pack.

For beginners it is difficult to identify themselfs within the genre. This happens because the Rpgs are not very intuitive and they give only a few tools available to the player. At least this happens in games where the Role Play element is very predominant. Predominant in the sense where every logistic choice of gameplay, character building, character alignment, story progression and moral choices, leave the novice player a little undecided about what do. This leads the player to become discouraged as a result. Discouragement comes also from the need to dedicate many hours to the gameplay which must be managed properly. (Generally the RPGs range from 30 hours upwards).

Be aware that we are talking about CRPGs (Computer Role Play Games) which took a different direction than the forefathers PnP games. The CRPGs might be criticized by the pen and paper role-playing gamers. And for good reasons. For instance, CRPGs sometimes they focus the gameplay to a simple construction of a powerful character in order to face the storyline. The pen and paper players consider this, and quote, beign “powergaming” if you compare it to the "real" role-playing game.

Perhaps more importantly, it has been argued that it is imprecise to use the term "role-playing" to describe games that allow you to build a character but in which the player can not make any significant decisions "in character" and significantly influence both the personality of the character and the game progress. In games such as these, the player does not interpret but he simply limits himself to make gameplay choices. But we must not stereotype the CRPG genre taking into consideration the opinions of the pen and paper players, as absolute truth since the genre, which they have dedicated entire nights of fun, it is antecedent to that of the CRPG. There are many videogames provided with true "role-playing elements"nonetheless.

But we must also expose the reality that most of the CRPGs do not present more role-play opportunities than a movie or a book. Although the technology has limitations to ensure that a role-playing videogame can be opened and free as role-playing PnP, where the only real limitations are in your mind. Recent developments such as in games like Garry’s Mod, we can actually find the true PnP role-playing experience set into a multiplayer platform. These servers are called

RP (role play) Half Life 2 – Combine Control. We can surely mention servers like Nebulous that provided something close to the origins of the genre. We in G.M.I.C are convinced that the CRPG evolution stands within the multiplayer Role Play. We will talk about this later.

As for the Starter Pack, we can suggest the following games:

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines.

Who doesn’t know the PnP game called Vampire set in the World Of Darkness?

Even if the first incarnation of the PnP game in the CRPG world called “Redemption” is still a valid game which offers three different endings but the overall experience is linear since it is a “Story-Driven” Rpg, we still are convinced that Bloodlines is the best game in the franchise. Bugs a side, the game offers so many solutions to the gameplay. We have to say first and foremost that Bloodlines is a dialogue-driven Rpg. What does that means? It means that the game is focused on stats like charisma, seduction, intimidation, haggle, persuasion, manipulation and so on. You can build your character only to focus on these traits or be a mindless vampire with great fighting skills. But the core of the game is the dialogue. Every character has original reactions to the player’s lines (see the character clan Malkavian), the personalities (Therese < Janette), the influence of every decision and the conseguences that the player must suffer after a while. All of these elements make the characters so alive. In this game you must “be carefull in what you say” because the Npcs are so deeply developed that it looks like if they are organically realistic and fit for not just because a line is so fun but it is also because of the genuineness and authentic fineness charm of the personalities. The writing here is top notch and since we are talking about vampires, what kind of writing could that be?

Philosophic? “Hmm, Rabbits also flee… but sooner or later, their fate is a wolf’s jaw. And the wolf have your sent – you are coated in the blood of the ninth one.” - The cab driver (also known as Caine).

Satirical? “Democratic candidate Michael Redmonds has never publicly stated his opion on child pornography. Is it because he’s hiding something? Would you trust your children’s future to someone like that? VOTE REPUBLICAN SENATOR ROBERT THORN the candidate that is committed to locking up child pornographers.” - Radio. Poetic and semantics? “I’m confident no cure for my condition or that of my beloved wife lies within our figurative minds, waiting to be unlocked by the correct combination of memories recovered from our childhoods. And I am most certain it has nothing to do with the relationship between myself, my parents and my... genitals. Sorry, Sigumund, but I choose to stay my course. In time too, may your star fade and disappear... “ - Alistair Grout.

Yes, all of them. When you play Bloodlines, you have the feeling that you are talking to a real person. Not to mention the great immersive atmoshpere that you are set into since you walk into the streets of L.A at night where crime, prostitution, crazy apocalyptic cults, vampire secret societies (Camarilla vs Sabbat), “scary ghosts in hotels”, cannibal Nagarajas are the order of the day (night). It is also faithfull to the original PnP version with this 80’s punk style mixed with the gothic elements like “The last Round” bar and “The Confession” night club and not to mention that every playthrough is going to be different. The dialogues system in VTMB is probably the most ramificated in the game industry. Even now players after 14 years can discover hidden dialogues lines after had taken a specific RPG path. Vampire is probably the first RPG that a new beginner “must have” in his game collection.

Fallout New Vegas.

Everybody mentions Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 without giving too much credit to New Vegas. And that’s a mistake. New Vegas is considered an expansion to Fallout 3 but this game can actually give more than what Fallout 3 could ever offer. The Rpg element is probably where the game shines. Numerous factions that fight for the posession of a dam and you were just cought in the middle of this crossfire. You’ve got one choice to make. Which faction will you help conquering the Mojave Desert? The Californian army, The Legion or the mysterious owner of New Vegas?!

We also have to mention another game from the Fallout franchise: Fallout 2!

This game is probably one of the most important games in Rpg genre, despite being an isometric rpg, since Fallout 2 is a turn-based combat Rpg. The game has a lot to offer: from the setting and the large amount of content that are the main reasons why many people still love it. The amount of freedom the game offers, like remaking some decisions slightly differently, it makes the entire experience totally different from one to another. It’s one of the most replayable RPGs ever created. New generation gamers won't even touch a game like this because of the cluncky combat system, tedious long conversations with multiple choices and so on. But to those who grew up with this game will keep play the game quite often.

Gothic.

The legendary series that revolutionized the action-Rpg genre from its very roots, maintaining the original CRPG elements. It is surely a large world freely explorable without any kinds of invisible barriers or loading screens. Besides being able to go anywhere from the beginning, it gives a sense of freedom to the hardcore player.

The monsters are hard to put down at the beginning and this will force the player to proceed with caution and there is a certain sense of realism and consistency in the world. In fact, even if you can move anywhere you often find yourself facing monsters impossible to kill when you are low level.

The game’s genious design of natural progression borders, the realistic city npc behaviour; the organic quests set in a world filled with an involving scenario; charismatic characters; satisfaying exploration and a lot of other things. After Gothic, a lot of softwerehouses tried to copy the essence of Gothic but they never managed to embrace it in its entirety. Valid games but they are not the same.

Gothic was an hardcore game that has nothing to do with Dark Souls. The combat system is so challenging and so rewarding that other games in the same industry, pale in comparison. Not to mention the Rpg elements which are at the top. Here the player can actually feel the consequences of his actions and his decisions had never been so influencial. The series is definitely a “must have” - a unique experience that the new generations must rediscover.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repubblic 1-2.

If you are a fan of old school rpgs and you love the Star Wars saga and you are avid readers of the Expanded Universe, then these two masterpieces of Kotor are also a “must have”. You will immediately thrown into a science fiction environment that you already are familiar with. If you are familiar with Star Wars, you will be immersed in the plot right from the jump, just like any old self-respecting RPGs. And just like Baldur’s gate, Neverwinter and Torment, the game mechanics took inspiration from the father of all rpgs... DnD. Star Wars of course offers the traditional, long and compelling campaign, with many characters, allies and enemies. What else has this series to give, it is up to you to find out.

The Witcher I-III.

If you don’t want to approach to the old genre of isometric RPGs but do not know where to start and some titles discourage you from playing them, or maybe you are a veteran who’s looking for something new and different but at the at the same time you want to respect your tastes and contain the spirit and essence of the genre which you grown with, then you are clearly looking for The Witcher. You will live your adventures from the point of view of the famous Geralt of Rivia, a captivating character with a huge saga behind him. If you like atypical fantasy and you are tired of the usual benevolent elves, stories with a happy ending and the usual dichotomy between good and evil, while remaining faithful to the fantastic elements of the genre, this is the title for you. The Witcher is a great place to start. The The Witcher series is well known for its story-driven multiple choices; choices that will eventually shape the world but this system is based on a simple scheme of consequences pre-written by the developers. The nature of the player’s choices will effect not just the world itself but also the people around Geralt - shaping their fate. The Witcher is a great series, expecially the first chapter and the third. The quality of the plot, the multiple Rpg elements are top notch.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

You might not take it as the greatest “rpg” experience but Deus Ex has one of the strongest futuristic half dystopian settings. The eternal moral dilemma between evolution and instinct; technology and freedom; machine and human. Which moral and philosophical course will the player take? What will be the player's response to the mysterious and visionary plans of the caste of the Illuminati? Deus Ex is a cyberpunk game that highlights these choices but does not give the player the maximum freedom. Being a story-driven RPG, it doen’t leave much freedom (although in reality it seems to be very satisfactory) but in it return manages to give a great writing. Deus Ex is definitely a "must-have" but we remind you that it’ s a kind of Rpg much more subdued than other titles that we have mentioned and that we are going to mention in the future. Deus Ex is more focused on the gameplay and on the stealth mechanics and this is where the game shines. It’s not a perfect game since it has not so many good boss fights and some choices you make will ignore your past decisions.

Planescape: Torment.

We can not just abbandon one of the most iconic Rpgs in the videogame industry.

Torment is the living example of transcendental writing. In no RPG we can find such quality in the dialogues and narritive texts that flow into the screens of our

monitors like cold liquor. This game is just like that: strong booze that you have to swollow all at once and let it burn your entire neck untill your face turns red. The dialogues, just like any other non-dubbed isometric RPGs, have quite long texts with a narrative background that has nothing to envy to novels written on paper. The language used is not simple (for those who do not speak English well) and it also presents some expressions in medieval English. As for the quality of the RPG, it has nothing to envy from titles such as Baldur's gate and Fallout 2. Coming from classic standards of the D&D, Torment presents a set of characters really charismatic and unique in both appearance and personality. The characters are deep and they are also filled with personal lore easily accessible in the stats screen. Not to mention the concept itself: Torment is perhaps set in one of the most complex cosmic systems ever conceived. Just like Vampire The Masquerade, Torment has a gothic, sad, dark and violent style, and at the same time, a very incisive lore in the main plot and an unlinear gameplay (you can finish it without having any fights). We could keep writing about this milestone for hours but we just say that Torment is a "must have" in your computer RPG collection, since it is considered the best RPG of all times.

Shadowrun.

Shadowrun Dragonfall is definitely a valid title. It's a hybrid isometric RPG that takes a lot from Fallout 2 and Wasteland 2, with a combat system similar to XCom. Shadowrun is not an isometric rpg for purists, like the titles just mentioned before, since those games are able to offer a much more dynamic gameplay. Definitely better than its predecessor Shadowrun Returns in roleplay but unaltered in gameplay. Shadowrun is more user-friendly than titles like Planescape Torment and Baldour's Gate, proposing the same mechanics but at the same time staying on more sober and more direct standards, saving the player those readings of 15 minutes each.

Divinity.

Divinity is definitely a good game for RPG lovers. Divinity has a lot of depth to it and there is an interesting story going on with decisions that can affect the story. A small thing is the hidden content you can miss: many quests and informations that can be very detailed and meaningful sometimes but they can easily be overlooked, there is a perk called "Pet", with it, you can talk to animals, and literally EVERY animal you meet has something interesting to say, provided you have this perk, otherwise you'll miss a LOT, and that is just one if many exemples! The game also gives the ability to play the main quest with up to 4 friends.

Written by Frank, Diablo and Illidan.