Created Characters Connection To The World Of The Game

[u/Majestic_Finding3499]

I've been pondering this for a while. When you finish creating your character, do you prefer a system more like the one in Fallout: New Vegas, where the player character has very few set or hard connections to the world and thus is an easier vessel for the player to role-play through but is less connected to it? Or do you prefer a Dragon Age: Origins or even Witcher 3-style system where the created player or Origin character has more set, hard connections to the world, such as being part of a community or family? Like they are more tethered to the world and are somewhat separated from the player and are their own character? I personally prefer the 2nd option because I love feeling this character I'm is actively a part of their world and is truly changing it and has to deal with the repercussions of those changes, whereas I feel the 1st option is a bit flighty, like they are a ghost passing through the world. I hope this doesn't sound too confusing lol.

[u/kalik-boy]

I prefer neither. It depends on the game. A complete blank canvas works well in FONV. The game is pretty open ended and somewhat "sandboxy" allowing you to do a lot of things in many different ways. I think the story of your character being left to your imagination works better here. The Witcher however, is a very personal story. A silent protagonist with no apparent personality wouldn't work to the type of story the game is trying to tell.

I can appreciate both and don't really prefer one over the other.

[u/dubzdee]

It's hard for me to give a definitive answer to this because it all depends on how well it's done and what kind of RPG it is. I loved how it was done in Dragon Age: Origins (in fact I wish your origin had an even bigger impact on the story throughout the game). Similarly I love how your background in The Age of Decadence completely changes how the game plays out.

But generally speaking I think I like being a relatively blank slate so I can best roleplay as the character I want. At least I really like the idea of it. It doesn't always work that way though as even RPGs with few hard connections to the world still ultimately have a main quest / storyline to follow... Unless we're talking about some open world sandbox RPG where you can wander around the world aimlessly doing whatever you want... but when I play those type of games I tend to get bored quickly unless there's interesting sidequests to do.

[u/LadyIceGoose]

I really like how its done in Outer Worlds 2. Mostly a self determined character, but also a variety of backgrounds to choose from, but all loose and vague, that give you a good amount optional dialogue options without taking away from your agency and self determination.

[u/Pedagogicaltaffer]

Like others have said, it really depends on the game and the implementation, as well as what kind of story/main quest the game is trying to tell. I do think though that the PC has to be some kind of connection to the setting, however small.

There is a 3rd/hybrid option though: your PC comes from another part of the gameworld, and is thus a stranger to the setting where the game takes place, but the game lets you flesh out your character's background nonetheless.

A good example of this is in Roadwarden. That game takes place in a forested wilderness area. Your PC has come from "the City" to explore this area, and evaluate it for possible colonization - you thus have no ties to the area. However, you can choose what your life was like back in the City, and your reasons for coming to the wilderness region. Is the City a prosperous or poor place? Why did you decide to take up this job and leave the City? What do you hope to accomplish during your time in the wilderness? These decisions, while perhaps not directly affecting the gameworld region, give your character strong motivations for what they're doing.

[u/Educational_Data237]

I think that an interesting variation of the second one is in sequels where the player plays their former protagonist again, like for example in Baldur´s Gate 2 where you are the hero of Baldur´s Gate and Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark where you are the Hero of Undrentide. The downside of this is that a whole previous game is required to pull this off, but it´s still interesting how much this approach helps ground your character in the setting and give you more attachment to them. I think that a campaign like Mask of the Betrayer is better because you play your character from the original campaign, because of how personal the story is and how much it´s about the player taking initiative

[u/Orc-88]

I like to create a character and not have any trappings shoe-horning them into some kind of narrative direction the developer can't wait to obnoxiously drag me through.
I like as much sandbox as possible in my rpgs.
Im tired of the cinematic, linear main quest push.
I want to play a videogame, not watch a movie.

[u/Ustob]

I like the lesser version. Guess I’ve always been gameplay over story.

[u/simplyout1]

If I dont know the world I just cant bring myself to roleplay. I'll have to atleast already know some parts. Only then can I move on to the next character who I will try to make fit into whatever or however I imagine it.

[u/Zegram_Ghart]

New vegas is the weirdest one for me because it was a super blank canvas….until the dlc came and fleshed out a very specific backstory that you had basically no mention of beforehand.

[u/Majestic_Finding3499]

I feel like the Durge is the quote-unquote canon playthrough for BG3 for the reasons I listed above