GamesRPGWarhammer 40kWarhammer CRPG opens up debate about good and evil paths, and many think doing the right thing shouldn’t lead to better rewardsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGWarhammer 40kWarhammer CRPG opens up debate about good and evil paths, and many think doing the right thing shouldn’t lead to better rewardsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Owlcat Games)
In the grim darkness of the far future, you’re not rewarded for being good, and many think that should be the case in games, too.
In a post on theSteam forums, they explain that despite trying their hardest to be nice - or as nice as they can be given that they’re, as they put it, “a colonial fascist officer for a religious-fascist empire” - Rogue Trader doesn’t appreciate their efforts. “The game punishes you with negative narrative consequences and even permanent debuffs on your character if you try to be MINIMALLY good,” they write. “[It] never shows the consequences of my ‘good boy’ decisions, unless they are bad consequences.”
Twitter user Erika Chappell argues that getting rewards for doing the right thing is “a huge problem” in RPGs as it can lead to players selecting the good option for the wrong reasons. “Rogue Trader does let you try to do right, at a cost,” they write. “If incurring costs from doing the right thing stops you, you aren’t actually as good a person as you thought.” They add that it’s simply not reflective of the real world: “In real life, most of the time, you don’t get parades and magic swords for doing the right thing, and it’s not always easy.”
a huge problem that a lot of RPGs have is that doing the right thing is ‘free’, or even explicitly rewards you. rogue trader does let you try to do right, at a costif incurring costs from doing the right thing stops you, you aren’t actually as good a person as you thought https://t.co/XmwqlRU8oqJanuary 4, 2024
a huge problem that a lot of RPGs have is that doing the right thing is ‘free’, or even explicitly rewards you. rogue trader does let you try to do right, at a costif incurring costs from doing the right thing stops you, you aren’t actually as good a person as you thought https://t.co/XmwqlRU8oqJanuary 4, 2024
And they’re far from the only one who thinks this way. User @400_Kay says, “I think more games should make the good road the hard road. Evil is selfish, benefitting itself and makes things easier. Good requires sacrifice, to give up something for the greater good.”
User @PlazmaBolt also reckons that more games should have good moral choices be “more demanding mechanically,” with the trade-off being that they are “more rewarding narratively.”
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Of course, there are some RPGs that don’t give you a free pass for being the good guy, such as The Witcher 3, Vampyr, and Obsidian’s 2016 RPG Tyranny, but they are largely the exception rather than the rule. Whether or not this trend will change in the future remains to be seen.
Meanwhile,sizing up Baldur’s Gate 3’s success, Warhammer 40k CRPG lead says “almost no developer has the same resources”.
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When making Kingdom Hearts, the “one thing” RPG icon Tetsuya Nomura “wasn’t willing to budge on” was a non-Disney protagonist
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League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane”
League of Legends co-creator responds to report that Arcane was a “financial miss,” says “people think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”