I was thinking just now a bit more about the differences between TT RPG and cRPG in the approach towards Romance. Around the table top, I think there are certain expectations about what a D&D session would entail, and I just can't really imagine that anyone shows up expecting the campaign to be all about diving in bed with another Player Character in the party lol.

Like I mean I guess that could happen organically, or perhaps if it was some sort of torch romance themed campaign, but otherwise I think what people are more interested in that sort of context would be something more like a Wingman or a Wingwoman, than a romantic partner PC. You know, like so if the campaign is even trying to go there, that it would be more about the DM indulging that via NPCs, and the party compatriots are more like pals out on the town. That's just a way better fit in TT RPG. But in a BG3 cRPG type scenario we get something different, because is not really another person play acting next to us, but the computer, and the computer has zero hang ups hehe. Still I think that idea might have promise, especially for the Dwarves.

All that said, I'd still vote Sazza for a ridiculous torch romance, just cause I think it could get pretty entertaining and we're a bit short on villains. Like if team Goodness gets Barcus, I'd want Wulbren just for parity, even if he's a total asshole lol. Philomeen also might be interesting, picking up the pieces after everything goes thermal detonator, as a counterpoint to Thulla. Nettie and Thrinn might pair off as kinda the same, but different, in a similar sort of way for the Dwarves. They do have some standout bit characters that might step up.

I'd say Helia, but right now the visualization on Halflings wouldn't cut it for me. Just the running animations alone, I can't take anything there seriously, so it could only ever be a comedic thing right now. The Halflings in BG3 look like Xvarts to me heheh. Like legit just paint the BG3 halflings blue with that waxy haircut, and we might as well have had playable Xvarts here lol.

[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

They really need to give Halflings another pass before they're acceptably serious. I'd be very happy if they gave us Helia and made that their excuse to revisit the visualization.

Also, and this point again isn't necessarily shorty related, but I wish we had more gestural animations that would key off the sort of relationship we're in. You know maybe one character gets the fist bump, another gets the Lando with two hands to one thing, some other character just gets a nod, or a scowl. Mixed up more like that.

It would be really cool if they did rigging and animation for the portraits too, like where you could make a character smile or blush or giggle, or get all irate and have that reflected in the portrait. Like where it stays up for a little bit. If the characters are in a Romance, maybe they have different barks and idles, or if they get downed or die it prompts a specific sort of reaction from their partner.

Right now my PC wails out in agony when Karlach goes down, even though we really haven't spent much time together on this run, but when the actual romantic partner takes a dirt napping and there's like zero commentary from my Tav it's kinda odd lol.

ps. I think Goblins and Gnomes have the best visualization of all the short races right now, then Dwarves/Duergar, but Halflings are dead last and not even in the running. We need more heads, and smaller heads, and less wonk with the arm length. Seems like a thing they could pull off by adding an alt phenotype, basically the same way the standard humanoids have large, I think Halfling should have something smaller and just make that the one. It could be appearance 3 and 4 for that, fine with me, just something else to tool around with for the Halflings.

Last edited by Black_Elk; 14/11/23 07:26 AM.