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gdsgds okay sorry to the folks who already voted but I really wanted to rephrase the choices a little.
When playing a choice-based/roleplaying game, do you USUALLY...
actively avoid mean dialogue, try to make the most morally sound choices, etc
choose whatever seems most narratively satisfying on a situational basis
actively choose mean dialogue, make morally questionable choices, etc
I don't play RPGs/I just want to see the results
An alternative to making poison evil to use in RPGs
Lots of heroes used poison in old stories.
While it can certainly be evil, it does depend on the poison used and the target.
The thing is, poison was made “evil” for game balance reasons, so they couldn’t just use monster parts or stuff pillaged from assassins to easily take down enemies.
A better alternative?
Rules on skill check for careful handling so the PCs don’t accidentally poison themselves collecting or using it.
“But what if the poison must be ingested to harm?”
That would be where the real fun comes in.
Delayed events.
Say they did something stupid later like biting their glove in frustration...a glove they used to collect the poison.
tbh I think the responsiveness of a game like Disco Elysium would stress me out to the point of no longer wanting to make "bad" or antisocial decisions LOL the whole point of being unhinged in a video game is to indulge in the impulse to be terrible without any serious consequences, if the game is going to actually respond to my actions and make me defend them or take accountability... well now I have to be good 😳
hmmm maybe I shouldn't have included that third option, I feel like a lot of people are gonna default to that without interrogating whether there are specific trends in the kind of personalities they give their characters
Okay it's interesting to me that "I can't be mean to fictional characters" is most definitely a trend but it's kind of a distant second place to just. It Depends. Like the way people talk about playing RPGs always made me feel like the vast majority of people are playing them to just Be Nice and I was like "you can't possibly all be having fun like that??" But I guess it makes sense that's the approach that gets meme'd on because the alternative is just... playing in an adaptable/variable way that isn't particularly funny lmao
IM PUTTING IN MY TWO CENTS HERE because I think the entire conversation about why people choose certain potions and routes within non-linear choice based game,s, or any game that provides some level of illusion of choice. I remember talking about this extensively in my Psychology class for Game Design, and though of course theres a multitude of reasoning, I think what peoples idea of fantasy or even coping is largely at play. I know one of your thoughts on playing questionable or morally challenging characters is because you already conform to a societal expectation to "be nice" or an upstanding citizen, and Honestly thats super understandable! Im not here to analyze anyone, but a good chunk of other people I talk to have some sort of revenge fantasy and I dont mean that in a bad way! Rebellion to rules that plague reality and the ability to let lose, or just an interest in consequences for your playthrough that dont actually affect you is another reasoning, albeit the rarer of the two options. On the otherhand, as someone who loves to make The Most Morally Good Characters, and is also a big baby when it comes to being mean in most video games, My "revenge fantasy" IS being nice, because we are all forced to tiptoe around the same sociteal expectations but even those on the other side dont have much power in helping people on a larger scale that video games allow! To be The Hero that helps as many people as possible, that has to power to fundamentally change the world for the better, that is a unrealistic reward of its own. And I know you also mentioned briefly how you see it as limiting, and I think to some people this might ring true of them allowing themselves to cave and actually enjoy the "morally questionable" decision making, however I think for the other half its not limiting? Its Highly Rewarding. Theres also something to mention in how Linear people are themselves, its much more common to hear about people replaying one exact route despite there being 100000s choices vs those who do every route imaginable, so the more likely someone is to lean one side esp in their initial playthrough, the less likely they are to want to go the other way. I HOPE THIS DOESNT COME OFF AS LIKE...A REBUTTAL, Its not! I think this is a genuinely facinating phenomenon that ive had to think and write about in school, theres so many layers to it Id love to discuss and love to HEAR discusssed so youre so smart for actually starting that poll bc Ive been enjoying searching through the replies of it
hfdsgfsdg Javi your enthusiasm is a TREASURE it most definitely does not come off like a rebuttal. And I think your points are really cogent and in line with what I've kinda been angling at, which is that they're two sides of the same coin of "indulging in a fantasy." And it probably makes me a bit of a hypocrite that I'm like "I just don't get why other people can't see the appeal of Doing Bad Things as an escapist fantasy!" even though I would also say with my whole chest that being the big damn hero who saves everyone and changes the world for the better holds absolutely zero appeal to me LOL It is truly just a matter of taste.
It's probably beyond the scope of a tumblr poll but I feel like an interesting follow-up re: people not choosing to behave badly in games, would be to ask people why. Like there's the obvious "it's usually not written as well/doesn't let you have the full game experience" reason which is valid, but of the remainder I wonder how many people would honestly say it's just not fun to be mean, and how many would admit that it makes them uncomfortable because they still feel the need to conform to societal standards even in their fantasy world. (I feel like this reads as me passing a judgment on either stance and I'm not! Just thinking out loud. In text.)
also lmao
Oh man I forgot to touch upon this in my initial ask BUT tldr; yes I think games that present themselves as choice based and yet lean heavily towards one morality (usually the good Guys) and dont give second thoughts to the other side, defeats the purpose of allowing players to play how they want. I think this is actually why the only game I like being morally questionable in is fnv, bc both "choices" actually present interesting outcomes. Theres also something to say how in games the good side rewards more which I think is stupid.
You are SOOOO CORRECT I think whenever I'm like "I think I just need to spend like 60 hours or so being completely feral" FNV is the first place I go.
Hmm, ya know, I've never thought about playing roleplaying games *specifically* to try behavior I didn't want to do in real life, cus what I often do is try to cultivate an experience where I can do things *beneficial* that I can't easily do. Morally dubious actions *and* that though, now that sounds like an experience I need to try.
I do understand the reasoning of like, "I want to be the hero in the game because I often feel ineffectual in real life," but honestly it stuns me that more people don't see wanting to be confrontational, antagonistic, or outright the bad guy as just the flip side of the exact same sentiment. It's about being able to do something you can't or won't do in your own life, in an environment where nothing materially bad can actually happen to you as a result. You only really get to be one person in your own life, and generally that person has to be some variety of "civil and socially conscious," because if it's not you lose all your friends or end up in jail or something. So why wouldn't you change it up when you have the opportunity to do it with no consequences!
like genuinely how do you guys live like this lmao
