OK, I love computer RPGs, but I have no strong connection to DnD or PnP in general.
BG2 was my first DnD game, I never heared of DnD or PnP before, I got it because other people said it is a good computer game.
I read the manual and learned that mages throw fireballs, clerics heal and have a god, rogues sneak and fighters swing weapons, so far so good.
I had to learn some basic concepts like thaco, AC and saving throws. The rest was just reading the descriptions and trial and error.
The story was that the bad guy kidnapped my girlfried to become a god and I have to kick his ass.
This was sufficient for me to play and understand the game.
Now I read about BG3 and I think " Hey, I killed this guy 100 years ago and that god was already dead and long forgotten back then. And now I meet them on the street."
I definitely do not want to live in the DnD world. There is a world changing desaster every decade were continents and whole planes shift, dead come back to life while others disappear and gods kill each other all the time only to come back after the next desaster.
For me "100 years later" simply means that the the world looks different ( maybe except some monumental buildings ) and I meet new characters ( except a few who live very long and who have NOT been killed in the previous game ), but the "laws of nature" remain the same.
So what do I need to know about BG3?
I have been kidnapped by illithids, first I have to get this toadpole out of my head and then I have to ass kick the ones who are behind this plot.
The rest is game mechanics I just have to learn.
If the main story is interesting enough to get me going forward and the game makes me care about my main char, my companion, other NPC and my decisions, I am happy. So far it looks very good.
Hey, totally agree with you on this. This is a perfectly acceptable way to approach playing a game (any game) that is supposedly part of a series. A well designed "sequel" game would allow for players who don't have any knowledge of the previous games or of the setting's canon lore to still be able to get into the game and fully enjoy it. I'm a Forgotten Realms lore junkie, and yet I myself would say to you: don't worry about what came in the past. Only what's going on in this current game truly matters to you. The rest is just fluff; nice to have, and maybe even interesting, but ultimately fluff.
It was exactly this way for me playing Witcher 3. I did not play either of the previous games, and had zero knowledge of the franchise and the setting and the books. But everything I needed to know to fully understand and enjoy the game was provided to me in that game. And that's all that matters.
