ACRPG that captures the flexibility of D&D
After making my adventurer in Unforetold: Witchstone (a roguish elf with a penchant for magic) and finishing up a tutorial fight at sea, the first thing that I did – standing on the docks, probably looking a bit damp – was intimidate the first random NPC I encountered, forcing them to join my party. I then proceeded to do the same thing to every other nearby NPC until my roster was full. Who needs charm when you can just be an arsehole?
These NPCs were not among the fleshed-out characters that Spearhead Games has designed to be your allies in this sandbox RPG, but you can recruit them all the same. Everyone in the game can be influenced in myriad ways, as long as the dice rolls your way and your stats are up to the task. Thus, I began my adventure accompanied by a raggedy band of rightly miserable refugees who absolutely did not want to be traipsing after some random dude they just met. Making NPCs my minions is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Influence system, as Spearhead’s co-founder and creative director Malik Boukhira explains: “So you start by determining something you want from that character, whether it’s just following you around, meet you somewhere, attack someone, give you something they have in their inventory or joining you as a companion even if you want – and then you pick an approach. How do you go about that? You can go sweet talk them, be charming about it, you can threaten them, you can blackmail them, you can argue with them logically, if you’re a smart character. If you’re a cleric, maybe you can convince them it’s the right religious thing to do.
MY SILVER TONGUE FAILED ME DURING A CONVERSATION WITH A PAIR OF GUARDS
“Depending on that character and that order, that approach might be more or less difficult. For example, a brave and courageous warrior might not respond very well to physical threats. But maybe they’re gullible a bit and maybe you can sweet talk them into doing certain things. Ordering a faction guard to attack their colleague maybe won’t go so well, but if you find someone they dislike, it might be easier.”
In most RPGs, the majority of NPCs are set dressing, existing to give locations the illusion of life. Trying to talk to them might only elicit a quick canned response rather than kicking off a conversation. But in Witchstonethere are no truly incidental NPCs – all of them have relationships, points of view and the potential to become a problemsolving tool. And by learning more about them and using your skills to gain insights into their personalities and desires, you can exert more influence over them.
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
A very early quest saw me trying to find a way inside a city’s walls
