Baldur's Gate 3 - Community Update #1

Originally Posted by Carnifex
The gold box games did have stories, I guess it would be subjective as to how deep they actually were, but they had them. I found most of them quite compelling back when I first played each game.

Yeah I didn't mean to imply they didn't have stories, just that they were so simplistic that they wouldn't even come remotely close to being acceptable for a modern RPG. Pretty much all you have in those games is the barebones skeleton with which to craft a modern RPG's story.

Arguably most players go to the Goldbox games for the combat rather than the story. That said, the novelty in providing stories, clues, maps and narrative points via journal entries as something you read outside of the game I think is still useful and effective. Wasteland also used a similar idea. Players perhaps wouldn't be as receptive today (it might be immersion breaking for some) but I certainly enjoyed the anticipation of ticking off each entry at the time.

The Goldbox games also feature some of the greatest and most memorable combat encounters to grace AD&D games. Not too many games post NWN come close for me. For example, the Beholder Corps fight in Curse of the Azure Bonds, the Black Dragons in Hap, the orcs in Sokol Keep at low level is another memorable one from Pool of Radiance. There are plenty such fights in these games which recreated in a modern ToEE like engine could be experienced by newer players.

Baldur's Gate continued this tradition of having memorable combat design and I'd argue that it is integral to the core D&D experience that this continues. I'm not liking what I've read from Swen so far regarding dice rolls and missing as being "not fun" - this was also part of the experience of playing Goldbox games and to a lesser extent, the Baldur's Gate series. Precisely how they work around that facet of combat is going to be interesting.

Admittedly I have zero experience with 5E thus can't fully judge the degree to which the ruleset will be implemented and adjusted in the name of "fun", but reading about these updates and the justifications for them is going to be fascinating and no doubt controversial given the passion that these games inspire in some players.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
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Baldur's Gate continued this tradition of having memorable combat design and I'd argue that it is integral to the core D&D experience that this continues. I'm not liking what I've read from Swen so far regarding dice rolls and missing as being "not fun" …

If you want a game with no dice then play chess.

RPGs need the excitement of saving throws and other random dice elements.

Originally Posted by HiddenX
If you want a game with no dice then play chess.



RPGs need the excitement of saving throws and other random dice elements.

I think you misunderstood. Swen was hinting that they streamlined combat and left out (or decreased?) unsuccessful attacks (misses) resulting from dice roles.
And @Pessimeister does not like that. So I think you both have the same thoughts about it.

My statement was against Swen - I agree fully with Pessimeister

("you" habe ich im Sinne von "man" gebraucht, nicht "du")

I think that is a pretty key design element that we need to find out more on before we condemn them. If it is a glancing blow system (where some misses get converted to grazing damage) then it is probably fine. Glancing Blows are often used in homebrew D&D sessions i.e. if you miss the roll by 1-2 points then you can do one weapon dice of damage. 5E has the Glancing Blow feat which is somewhat similar.

Baldur's Gate 3 Full Stage Presentation - E3 2019

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It felt like the "presentation" ended just as I say down to start watching it.

Probably did since every video link is down on this site.