On Baldur’s Gate 3

Steam informs me that I have 101.5 hours in Baldur’s Gate 3, over the past three weeks, of which I spent maybe five hours or so idling with the game open, which is kinda necessary given that it takes a few minutes to spin up. In any case, much like no one warned me about Rimworld, no one warned me about BG3: I expect to put in 40 more hours to finish the story, and I might play more if not for the five games in my backlog.

Less than 10% of distinct games I’ve played are turn-based RPGs, and that number would be lower if you counted by hours spent playing them. This is for much the same reasons Scott the Woz discusses in You’re Not an RPG Guy: battles can feel like a slog or a grind that’s disjoint from the story, and it often doesn’t feel like there’s enough game to justify investing dozens of hours. Yet, some of my favorite games are turn-based RPGs, like The World Ends With You, Mother 3, and Chrono Trigger. They’re united by having interesting gameplay, and a story that’s good enough to justify spending time on it. BG3 appeals to me on the same axes.

The underlying systems of BG3 are built on Dungeons & Dragons, particularly 5E, though with a number of changes. I’ve consumed a decent amount of D&D actual play media, mostly Dimension 20. While I haven’t played much D&D myself, I’m familiar enough with mechanics and spells to be conversant.

And that brings me to character optimization, another part of D&D and tabletop gaming in general, that I’m a fan of. How do you build a party of characters that are as effective in combat as possible? While I’ve read a lot about 5E optimization, the BG3 metagame has substantial differences, though it leans a lot on the same principles: control, damage, initiative, surprise, saving throws. I enjoy shuffling items around to get the right mix of numbers, mixing classes to combine cool features, and crushing enemies in combat. BG3’s combat is rich and varied enough that I’m still interested in it, which says a lot after doing it for dozens of hours.

If the satisfaction of optimization is all I’m going for, though, I might play a deckbuilding roguelike instead, of which I’ve played and enjoyed many. The other thing I need to enjoy a turn-based RPG is a rewarding story. A fleshed-out setting, plot, and characterization is necessary, but not sufficient. There are many paths to crossing this threshold: The World Ends With You rewards players with a stylish and complex setting; Mother 3 with an elegant and charming plot; Chrono Trigger with detailed and relatable characters.

In terms of setting, BG3 leans on D&D’s Forgotten Realms, which is the kind of epic fantasy universe that I find unremarkable. The plot, so far, feels quite slow and predictable. These deficiencies are redeemed somewhat with its characters, whose attitudes and backstories unfold in deep and varied ways. But BG3’s strongest story strength lies outside these individual prongs. Rather, the game shines brightest in granting players a sense of agency.

Part of the appeal of a tabletop or live-action RPG is having a game master who is willing to improvise. Want to open a door by breaking it instead of solving a puzzle? Sure. Want to persuade an enemy to run away instead of fight? Great. Want to romance a bear? Why not! This is the kind of flexibility that video game versions of RPGs fail to capture in full. And while BG3 isn’t (and can’t) be perfect in this regard, it’s come closer than any other game I’ve played. I feel like I’ve only been told no once or twice.

Another thing BG3 does well, which also contributes to this sense of agency, is honoring your choices. Every option is attached with an implicit threat of shoring up some consequences later. This does mean that I’ll only ever get to play through a small slice of the extensive dialogue trees and delightful voice acting and stunning cinematics myself, but I’ve gotten over my completionist phase years ago. The game promises an experience unique to each playthrough, and it delivers.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to romancing a bear.