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LEAST favourite time setting for an rpg (poll)

least favourite time setting for an rpg

  • Prehistoric era (cavemen and dinosaurs. RPGs like: ???)

    Votes: 25 19.8%
  • Classical/Antiquity era (RPGs like: age of decadence, titan quest)

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • High medieval era (RPGs like: skyrim, oblivion, morrowind, pretty much 99% of RPGs)

    Votes: 37 29.4%
  • Late medieval era (addition of guns and muskets and halberds. RPGs like: pillars of eternity)

    Votes: 7 5.6%
  • Steampunk era (RPGs like: arcanum)

    Votes: 12 9.5%
  • Early Modern era (early 20th century. RPGs like: ???)

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • Modern era (RPGs like: masquerade bloodlines)

    Votes: 14 11.1%
  • Post-apocalyptic era (RPGs like: fallout)

    Votes: 11 8.7%
  • Cyberpunk era (RPGs like: shadowrun, deus ex, copper dreams)

    Votes: 3 2.4%
  • Futuristic era (RPGs like system shock, mass effect)

    Votes: 7 5.6%

  • Total voters
    126
  • Poll closed .

KateMicucci

Arcane
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Sep 2, 2017
Messages
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I love them all, as long as they're done well.

Honestly, we haven't had many truly medieval RPGs done right, only faux-medieval high fantasy that is based more on cliches than on actual medieval stuff.
Have you heard of Eisenwald? It's okay.
 

DavidBVal

4 Dimension Games
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Honestly, we haven't had many truly medieval RPGs done right, only faux-medieval high fantasy that is based more on cliches than on actual medieval stuff.

Only one was 100% well done, at least that I can think of.

250px-Darklandscover.jpg
 

tomekumb

Novice
Joined
May 14, 2015
Messages
15
In the following order Post-apocalyptic Cyberpunk, Steampunk, Sci-fi. I just hate the future settings. Give me moar medieval-fantasy I can never get enough of it.
 

Azarkon

Arcane
Joined
Oct 7, 2005
Messages
2,989
Most Western CRPG fantasy settings - including Pillars of Eternity, Baldur's Gate, and Witcher - are a combination of High Medieval and Renaissance Europe, with the Witcher being closer to a strictly medieval setting than the others, but still the cities have a decidedly Renaissance atmosphere. Medieval settings not influenced by the Renaissance aren't actually that common - Diablo is the example that comes to mind, but the setting is all over the place, not restricted to Europe.

The early medieval period, defined as the time after the fall of the Roman Empire, but before the rise of stable Christian kingdoms in Europe, deserves more exploration in the context of fantasy CRPGs. The invasion of the Germanic tribes and their pagan gods, the loss of Classical learning and its replacement with a new warrior or barbarian ethos, the intense violence, superstition, and chaos associated with the age, etc. are all fertile ground for CRPG interactions, and are perhaps, more importantly, familiar enough that you wouldn't need to invent a completely different set of rules, as you would for futuristic settings, for example, and could still appeal to existing fans of fantasy.

The period between the 19th century and today is probably the most rare, when it comes to popular CRPG settings. It's not that it hasn't been tried - VtMB and Alpha Protocol are both examples - it's that it hasn't been very successful, probably because players associate modern settings with first person shooting games and stealth games, not CRPGs. It isn't easy, as such, to sell a modern period CRPG, because there are already so many modern period action and stealth games out there, that you don't actually fill a setting niche despite it being rare for CRPGs. Another setting that is explored often in other games, but which is relatively rare in CRPGs, is myth, either Greek or Norse. Again, games like God of War have put a virtual patent on such settings, so it's difficult to get people's attention with a CRPG set in the same world.

But I wouldn't say that setting repetition is the main problem with CRPG world building. The same period of history and cultural setting can produce works with vastly different tones. Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones are both set in the High Medieval period, but is anyone going to argue that they create the same experience in viewers? There's much that can be done to make an existing setting unique and fresh. It is not necessary to set a game in the Stone Age just for the sake of being different.

Also, I would advise against thinking that the popular fantasy settings are popular only because alternatives have never been tried. The media turns to medieval fantasy time and time again because there's a recognizable cultural connection between these settings and the Western audience. Why don't we love samurai and ninja stories, the way the Japanese do? Why don't we love Chinese historical epics? Both of these traditions are immensely popular in their home countries - the equivalent of medieval fantasy for us - but when imported to the West, they attract a niche audience, at best. The fantasy market demands new and original settings every day, but at the end of the day, it's the European inspired fantasy that gets them every time.
 
Last edited:

Sneaky Seal

Aurum Dust
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I think the issue here that games are secondary to other forms of art. Fantasy and Sci-Fi settings were popular in literature, they were the foundation for pen-and-paper and tabletop RPGs and that carried over to the cRPGs. There are some games that explored other settings (Silent Storm for example is a WW2 tactical game with RPG elements), but I think usually they fail to attract the core RPG audience.
 

Lurker47

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Texas
Steampunk often has a really obnoxious and cartoonishly exaggerated art style and direction. It also tends to have some pretty nonsensical world-building (intelligent AI inside of turrets running on oil?????) for its tech and how it relates to the setting. Of all the settings, steampunk seems to have the least good games under its belt (especially RPG's) and its setting is often a direct cause of this. Which is a shame, since it's a pretty neat idea despite the typical aesthetic being really rigidly defined, gawky, and just plain overdone.
 

Bohrain

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My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit.
I don't really give a damn about the time periods as long as it's executed well.
One thing I can't stand is snow. RPG's have an escapist element to me and I don't want to see the same thing from my window and my screen.
 

Tavernking

Don't believe his lies
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Steampunk often has a really obnoxious and cartoonishly exaggerated art style and direction. It also tends to have some pretty nonsensical world-building (intelligent AI inside of turrets running on oil?????) for its tech and how it relates to the setting. Of all the settings, steampunk seems to have the least good games under its belt (especially RPG's) and its setting is often a direct cause of this. Which is a shame, since it's a pretty neat idea despite the typical aesthetic being really rigidly defined, gawky, and just plain overdone.

You just made me realise all the good steampunk games have as little steampunk in them as possible
:despair:
 

undecaf

Arcane
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2
Anything pre-industrial era bores me these days, medieval/dark ages fantasy being the biggest offender.
 

pippin

Guest
Voted for High Medieval in the sense of High Fantasy, which is dull as fuck when it's done by the numbers. I think fantasy rpgs are in dire need of crazy esoteric settings, but westerners are cucks and muh heestoreee and all that crap.
 

Lurker47

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Steampunk often has a really obnoxious and cartoonishly exaggerated art style and direction. It also tends to have some pretty nonsensical world-building (intelligent AI inside of turrets running on oil?????) for its tech and how it relates to the setting. Of all the settings, steampunk seems to have the least good games under its belt (especially RPG's) and its setting is often a direct cause of this. Which is a shame, since it's a pretty neat idea despite the typical aesthetic being really rigidly defined, gawky, and just plain overdone.

You just made me realise all the good steampunk games have as little steampunk in them as possible
:despair:
The whole gears and smoke with a brown, yellow color palette gets old real fast so it's understandable.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
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Early Modern era (early 20th century. RPGs like: ???)
:whatho:

The Early-Modern Era consists of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (and probably throw in the 2nd half of the 15th century), i.e. everything between your "Late medieval era" and "Steampunk era".
 

Tavernking

Don't believe his lies
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Early Modern era (early 20th century. RPGs like: ???)
:whatho:

The Early-Modern Era consists of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (and probably throw in the 2nd half of the 15th century), i.e. everything between your "Late medieval era" and "Steampunk era".

That's probably right but not what I meant. I think it would be interesting to have a game where ideologies like communism and totalitarianism are just coming to fruition, where machineguns and fast reloading rifles exist, and the invention of tanks and fighter planes is right around the corner. I can't think of any CRPGs like this.
 

JarlFrank

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Early Modern era (early 20th century. RPGs like: ???)
:whatho:

The Early-Modern Era consists of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (and probably throw in the 2nd half of the 15th century), i.e. everything between your "Late medieval era" and "Steampunk era".

That's probably right but not what I meant. I think it would be interesting to have a game where ideologies like communism and totalitarianism are just coming to fruition, where machineguns and fast reloading rifles exist, and the invention of tanks and fighter planes is right around the corner. I can't think of any CRPGs like this.

Demiurgos

:negative:
 

Biscotti

Arbiter
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Voted high medieval. Not because I don't like it, I used to be all over high fantasy, but goddamn is the genre over saturated with it. I applaud any developer that dares giving it a unique twist, or tries out something different altogether.
 

Serus

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Not sure if it was said already but most of CRPGs are not set in any historical era at all. They loosely borrow elements from late medieval, middle medieval, renaissance, ancient and sometimes early modern European West (with sometimes Middle East/Arabic elements). All those elements are often glued together without any understanding or sense. So in fact we could use some more medieval (early and mid medieval especially) CRPGs - if they were in an actual historical setting. (existing example for late medieval = Darklands).

For the record - voted prehistoric era, never understood the (mostly American) fascination with dinosaurs (probable reason is relative shortness of their own history) and "caveman rpg" simply sounds stupid to me.
 

baud

Arcane
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RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
I don't really give a damn about the time periods as long as it's executed well.
One thing I can't stand is snow. RPG's have an escapist element to me and I don't want to see the same thing from my window and my screen.

For some people, snow is something rarely seen. So maybe a little more variety in the environnements?
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
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That's probably right but not what I meant. I think it would be interesting to have a game where ideologies like communism and totalitarianism are just coming to fruition, where machineguns and fast reloading rifles exist, and the invention of tanks and fighter planes is right around the corner. I can't think of any CRPGs like this.
Dieselpunk covers the first half of the 20th century, but it's extremely rare in any medium, and I doubt there's ever been a Western CRPG in a dieselpunk setting.
 

Tavernking

Don't believe his lies
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Australia
I just spent twenty minutes of my life reading about Demiurgos, seems like it would have been my dream game
 

nikolokolus

Arcane
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
4,090
I always thought Deadlands would make a good CRPG setting, and if not that Michael Moorcock's Oswald Bastable/Nomad of Time, alternate Earth could be great.
 

Jacob

Pronouns: Nick/Her
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Grab the Codex by the pussy
All settings have their merits, but for argument's sake, steampunk takes a fascinatingly ambiguous era and overdetermines its mechanical-scientific aspects, turning it into a compendium of gimmicks. It's also 'Murican as fuck, at least in my admittedly limited experience.
Everything with "punk" except for cyberpunk are lame. Seriously. I've only ever see them in cosplay and some video game reviews. Arcanum is a good setting, because its basic idea is taking the usual fantasy setting to the industrial era, not making shit up based on the genre "steampunk."

And it gets even worse once you get into the more niche punk punk subgenres. At least steampunk produces interesting looking cosplay...
 

Pentagon

Educated
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Jan 17, 2017
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69
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Cascadia
I think any historical era can be a good base for a video game, provided the setting draws from the values and perspectives of the era without inserting too much of a modern tone. How many high-fantasy RPG's give options for helping out the commoners at the expense of the nobles or don't treat oaths of fealty seriously? Usually, fantasy settings derived from history are just different kind of wallpaper for the same values and perspectives.
 
Self-Ejected

IncendiaryDevice

Self-Ejected
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Nov 3, 2014
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In terms of eras post-old then a great underused setting is prohibition mafia, either alcohol or drugs & etc. There are loads of opportunities to create recognisable RPG traits in a game where you have to go from new-recruit wet-face to gang leader via exp and questing. You could do it from the other angle as well and have a rookie cop grow into the head of the FBI. Or any similar comparable from any nation other than the USA.
 

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