Summary
The tantalizing appeal of the RPG promises the player that they will be able to do anything in the game. That includes maiming innocent bystanders, committing break-ins, rising through the ranks of shadowy organizations, achieving reality-bending powers, and more crazy stuff that most people don’t get to do in their ordinary lives.
However, despite the explosion in RPGs or RPG features in games today, there is one archetype that gets overlooked in pretty much all of them: the silver-tongued diplomat who could talk their way out of an exploding fortress on the event horizon of a black hole (even if they don’t actually talk in cutscenes). While other games train their players to use the art of the sword, these games (optionally) let their players master (and exploit) the gift of the gab.
Like the pen-and-paper games they were originally inspired by,Falloutentries always tend to give players who want to negotiate their way through the world viable options, even in a world of radiation-mutated monsters and peppy military killing machines.New Vegasfamously lets its players get by without firing a single shot.
Of course, they’ll need other skills to supplement their run (Sneak, for example), as many of the occupants of the Mojave and the monsters aren’t likely to drop their aim for a chit-chat. However, the number of options is impressive. If the player’s stats and skills are high enough, they’ll evenbe able to get the final boss to step down with words alonein a tense, heady conversation.
For anyone looking for a purely non-combat experience, a pure(ish)Shadowrunisn’t that. However, for those who might be interested in speech builds for snappy writing, this will be right up their alley. In particular, the best way to go inShadowrun(Returns,Dragonfall, orHong Kong) might be to go with the Shaman class.
Combat is a fundamental part of the cyberpunk-meets-D&D classics, and Shaman is more of a support class. However, going with Charisma drops some of the game’s best dialogue. Thankfully, creativemulti-classing is also a viable option for those who like to mix and matchtheir roles.
5Age Of Decadence
Just because there’s a way to play this game without resorting to violence, it doesn’t mean that the experience won’t be brutal all the same.Age of Decadencehas such a richly realized world that players will want to learn everything they can about the lore and the circumstances of the world they find themselves in.
Then again, while it’s entirely possible to make it through to the end, even with high stats, some find the diplomat route a little linear compared to the varied challenges of combat that the warrior type offers. Additionally, dialogue is skill-centric, meaning that while the player might know how to address the situation, the player character will be locked into a certain fate depending on their social skills (or lack thereof).
It might be argued that this entry is a little bit of a “cop” out, given that the gameplay inDisco Elysiumconsists of about 98% talking. Then again, just as it’s viable to go for a smooth-talker, it’s just as valid to opt for a bruiser build (although that kind of character still won’t be doing very much bruising) because perhaps the most impressive thing aboutDiscois that it creates conflicts outside of combat encounters.
As other RPGs might break combat skills down into nuanced parts, such as “initiative, heavy weapons, finesse weapons, and critical hits,“Disco Elysiumdoes the sameby breaking “charisma” down into its constituent partsas well. Authority and Drama might get the player what they want, but choosing one or the other will impact the proceedings of the conversation, meaning that not only is the personality stat viable, but it’s also richly complex, deep, and highly engaging.
3Torment: Tides Of Numenara
Torment: Tides of Numenarais a spiritual successor toPlanescape: Torment, a title that many fans credit as being one of the early great examples of games that flex real writing (some old-schoolers might even say that it’s a game about having incredible philosophical conversations with combat more or less tacked on). The developers behindTidesbuild their game around maximizing build viability. This means that (with a little build crafting magic) a player can complete the game with fancy $15 words alone, without having to resort to laying the smackdown (although chances are there’ll be at least a couple of fights).
A charisma-based character is also well worth trying, especially through the Nano. Certain abilities (like Mind Read) can yield special dialogue options. The setting itself (Numenara) is a fascinating place with layers of history. Those who prefer to delve deep into a world’s lore by actually playing the game and talking to NPCs will get a kick out of playing the face,especially if they’re tired of games that insist on random battles every other minute. That being said (besides stealing victory through well-placed words), butt-kicking (or kicking other body parts) is also a viable option inTides.
2Griftlands
Just as real-world events and activities can be abstracted in various ways in video games (such as turn-based battles like inFinal Fantasyor real-life perception checks like inPhoenix Wright), dialogue and negotiations can also be gamified. TakeGriftlands, a deck battler that presents each persuasion attempt as a tactical resource management challenge. Rather than attempting to hit the right branch on a dialogue tree, arguments, andpowerful rhetorical ploys can be played, defended, or attackedwith a great deal of room for lateral strategy.
Interestingly, the charisma “skill” (more like a deck) also takes into account the main character’s social standing with various groups, individuals, and social networks. Befriending one group or person might make a negotiation with specific people much more challenging later on, and vice-versa. When a negotiation fails, combat is always an option. The shift from eye-to-eye to hand-to-hand is seamless as duking it out as it takes the same deck-building approach.
Excellent options for diplomats are par for the course for Tim Cain et al. and Obsidian, whose track record includes other “yackity-yack” friendly titles, including the originalFalloutandArcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura. Players who invest heavily in the Charm attribute (and the Persuade, Lie, Intimidate, and Inspiration skills) will be able to engage in a productive parlor to their heart’s content, bypassing potential scraps and securing win-win scenarios left, right, and center.
Far enough away from the “civilized” areas, the planets inThe Outer Worldsare still dangerous. However, if they’re not up to sharpening their stealth skills (or they simply want to roleplay someone with bad knees), charismatic characters will be able to leverage high leadership abilitiesto command their comrades to take care of the bad guys on their behalf, enhancing their abilities through passive inspiration.
MORE:Zero To Hero: Great Games Where You Start As A Nobody
