Looking for an RPG

[Quintus Of Pompeii]

Hello all!

I'm still into my RTS's and still playing a RTW campaign. However in between I find myself being bored. I was wondering if there are any good FREE online and offline RPGs out there to play. I know WoW is a good game but I'm considerably cheap and do not want this monthly fee over my head. I have heard that a LOTR is being made, I think it's a monthly fee (anyone back that up?). Any advice would be obliged


-Q

[Sjakihata]

If you want a MMORPG with no monthly fee, you could try Guild Wars.

Note, MMORPGs (such as WoW) does not - imo - qualify as a RPG.

[UltraWar]

Getting Guild Wars is your best option if you don't want to pay a monthly fee.

[Whacker]

What he said. MMO != RPG.

As for free ones, I'm at a bit of a loss here. I don't really do games that require one to be online to play.

If you want an FPS with RPG elements, give Oblivion a shot. Optionally try Morrowind first if you haven't already, you can pick it up with it's two expansions for $10 at Worst Buy or Compusa.

The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 are both good fun, each has their strong and weak points. There's a restoration project by Team Gizka under way for the 2nd game that's nearing completion, when that comes out it should be good for replay options.

Heroes of Might and Magic V is a decent RTS/RPG hybrid, but it can get annoying. Apparently quite a bit of the "old guard" doesn't like the newer game, but I find it playable and enjoyable.

Also if you haven't, go find Fallout and Fallout 2. They're ancient by today's standards, but you'll be extremely hard pressed to find a better, more original, PC RPG experience.

[Kekvit Irae]

Baldur's Gate I and II, with their expansions. Minsc and Boo, nuff said.

Neverwinter Nights. Get it, along with the two expansions, Shadows over Undrentide, and Hordes of the Underdark. Completely ignore the NWN campaign and dive right into the expansion campaigns. The OC (original campaign) is mostly full of FedEx quests, especially the first chapter, and the cities and dungeons are pretty badly designed. However, the expansion campaigns just completely blow away the OC with plot, immersiveness, and playability. And if you've played both Baldur's Gate games, you may even compare Deekin, your little kobold bard, to Minsc and Boo. Good hilarious fun. Also, if you have a super computer, and a lust for everything Diablo, get the official addon "Infinity Dungeons" which is 99% hack and slash, and has plenty of replay value.

[AntiochusIII]

Neverwinter Nights. Get it, along with the two expansions, Shadows over Undrentide, and Hordes of the Underdark. Completely ignore the NWN campaign and dive right into the expansion campaigns. The OC (original campaign) is mostly full of FedEx quests, especially the first chapter, and the cities and dungeons are pretty badly designed. However, the expansion campaigns just completely blow away the OC with plot, immersiveness, and playability. And if you've played both Baldur's Gate games, you may even compare Deekin, your little kobold bard, to Minsc and Boo.

I don't know, the expansions are pretty short (at least compare to the epic Baldur's Gate saga) and feels sort of, how do I say it, predetermined. The plot throws me around too fast, I guess, and I don't like the idea of reducing the party limit from 6 to 3 (or *shudders* the whole one henchman ordeal of the original). I was needing breathing room even with the BG/Planescape's party size of six!

That and NWN really needs to adopt BG2's way of presenting the "game world" -- especially a city -- with a map. Feels much bigger and more immersive than little Neverwinter of five small districts that is supposed to be a city of over a million.

Oh, and I really really have troubles with the D&D rules. Whatever anyone else says, I find them sort of limiting adapted into PC, especially compare to, say, Morrowind's carefree rules. BG's were great games but I can't ever master the games gameplay-wise at all.

Mind you, I complain a lot but I love them all the same. I myself am looking for a good RPG as well! *wonders if his computer can handle Bloodlines* -- Bloodlines owners: is it demanding spec-wise?

[econ21]

Bloodlines owners: is it demanding spec-wise?

I think it uses the Half-Life 2 engine, if that means anything to you. The graphics - the facial expressions etc - are pretty amazing (I've never experienced HL2) so I think it will be fairly demanding.

[econ21]

You get what you pay for - there are no free RPGs I would spend my time playing.

Guild Wars is not free - you buy it like any other game, but it does not have a monthly fee. Pindar asked for opinions on it here recently - have a look at his thread. (I hated the game).

I agree with Whacker, if you are cash constrained and want scores of hours of high quality RPG gaming, consider some of the older CRPGs. I would add Baldurs Gate 1 & 2 to his list - you probably can get a compilation for a ridiculously low price and spend 100-200 hours playing it (and that's just on the first run through!). [EDIT: Kek beat me to it!]

The best recent CRPG in my opinion is Vampire Bloodlines.

[Bijo]

I recall this thread, check it out: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...light=9dragons

[Geoffrey S]

I found Vampire: Bloodlines for five euros, and it was money very well spent. Be sure to install the unofficial patches, then you're set for one of the best RPGs in years.

[Whacker]

OK, I'm pretty much convinced at this point to try Vampire Bloodlines based on what folks in these forums and other people are telling me.

On that note, I would like to add that I actually did enjoy (the patched) Vampire The Masquerade Redemption very much. Gameplay is quirky and can be annoying until you get used to it, but the story and setting is outstanding, esp. if you love medieval settings. Pre-patch the game is miserable, don't play it without the v1.1 patch.

Also would like to add my support to kek and econ's Baldur's Gate series recommendations. If you like hardcore D20-ness, you can't beat these things. Even if you don't, the games do an outstanding job of keeping that in the background so you can play the game without worrying about it (too much, you should still try to understand game mechanics to succeed). IIRC you've got 5 choices, Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Icewind Dale 1 and 2, and Planescape Torment. Each one plays a bit differently depending on what you want to do, such as roleplay/advance plot, hack 'n slash, or a combination of the two.

[TevashSzat]

Get Diablo 2 and LOD expansion. Most addictive RPG ever IMHO especially if you play it online. I still get addicted to it every once or so and just create a new character and spend like 50 hours on it. The game doesn't seem very addictive, but once you get hooked you can't stop playing it. I remember thinking as I was killing nightmare pindleskin that I'll stop after the next gold item. 5 gold items and 4 hours later, still farming him for items. Best character: lvl 89 hammerdin in act 4 hell. This is a purely SP character by the way with no cheap items or anything that is cheating.

[Sjakihata]

I once had a lvl 94 poison necro - he was mean in PvP.

[screwtype]

Dunno about free, but I recently got a copy of Might and Magic 9 and had a lot of fun with it. Definitely worth the $5 it cost me.