Originally Posted by Lake Plisko
Originally Posted by kanisatha
Originally Posted by Sozz
Don't let your narrow definition of what a game should be get in the way of a good time
The whole point of a roleplaying video game is for the player to interactively collaborate with the game's creators/writers to tell the story of the game through their player character. Go look up the words of any well-known RPG creator/writer, this is what they all say. If the game is going to narrate a story for you and you as your player character are largely along for the ride (which btw is exactly what out "Tav" looks like right now), then that's not an RPG. That's a novel or a movie.

Well that is kind of an interpretation thing though - right?

Being the main character of a story doesn't necessarily mean you are the most important, powerful or even impactful to the story. Though it will mean that you end up deciding a lot of things in the story because your choices are made to matter and influence things.

Geralt in The Witcher 3 is a good example. While he is the main character - I would not say he is the most important character. I don't even know if he ends up having the amount of influence or sway as Yennefer. He is certainly not as important to the story as Ciri - who you could say is the actual main character of the game. He doesn't hold as much power, sway or influence of Ehmyr. So I think you could say this about any story that is written well - unless it is an over the top power fantasy that would just be miserable to play (in my opinion). I think you could make the same argument for The Witcher 3 and be like...

"I wish I could just kill Ciri at the start of it. I am the main character of this story, WHY TF IS SHE THE ONE SAVING THE WORLD, TELEPORTING ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE AND TRAVELING TO DIFFERENT REALMS? WHY AM I RUNNING AROUND SEARCHING FOR HER LIKE SHE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME? WHY IS SHE STRONGER, MORE POWERFUL, MORE SOUGHT AFTER AND MORE CRUCIAL TO THE FATE OF THE WORLD?!"
Sorry but no. I mean, you couldn't possibly be more wrong. Geralt is the main character of Witcher 3, not Ciri. You are mixing up main character/protagonist within the game story versus a character's importance within the setting universe. It's like saying that in an RPG set during the French Revolution where our PC is the protagonist, that PC is not as important as Napoleon, when yes our character *is* more important than Napoleon *for the game.* So your whole post only serves to make my point, which is that Geralt is who is central to the story within that game, and without his actions - which is to say my actions as the player - nothing else would've mattered (within the story of that game). It's like saying in BG1 Elminster, who makes cameo appearances and who is way more powerful and important within the Forgotten Realms setting, is more important as a character than our 'Charname' PC. That's just flatout wrong.

Last edited by kanisatha; 22/11/22 10:19 PM.