Refreshing "new" pure roleplaying style for Baldur's Gate
BelgarathMTH
Member Posts: 5,653
Hi, I wanted to share this "Let's Play" series by a guy I've discovered on YouTube who goes by the name "Mynameisnotlilly". He plays a female character named "Lilly Black" all the way from BG1, through BG2, and Neverwinter Nights 1.
(Long review, then link.)
When he starts out in BG, he barely knows what he is doing, but if you skip ahead and watch some of his NWN videos, he becomes the most masterful roleplayer I've ever seen.
I've watched the first 100 episodes of BG, and about the first 50 episodes of Neverwinter Nights.
Right from the character creation screen in BG, the powergamer in me starts wanting to scream through the screen at him as he chooses stats for Lilly that give her absolutely no stat bonuses (gasp). He makes her a generalist mage (gasp). He explains her character, and then he absolutely sticks to that character through the whole series, even when the haughty, self-absorbed, and rude Lilly Black keeps shooting herself in the foot by giving "none of your business" dialogue answers, and getting penalized over, and over, and over. "She" misses quest after quest, and, here's the fun part - she doesn't care.
The powergamer in me wants to scream at Mynameisnotlilly again and again as he steadfastly refuses to take a hint from Jaheira and Khalid to go to Nashkel, and then when he steadfastly refuses to raise Khalid from the dead over about 25 episodes, (Lilly doesn't like men in her party), instead becoming obsessed with defeating Zargol and then Bassilus with his first-level three-woman party.
And I yell out loud and gnash my teeth while he consistently forgets to put helmets on his frontline fighters, getting them critical hit to death again and again, and musing into the microphone, 'Hmm, ha ha, I guess I wasn't paying attention - their armor doesn't seem to be doing them much good."
Yet, he takes a minimal reload approach, accepts the consequences of all the "mistakes", and plays forward with surprisingly few reloads.
And then, all of sudden, I find myself cheering aloud as he begins to figure out the game - like when he finally finds the Beregost Temple after three episodes of wandering around Beregost, or when he finally figures out that Jaheira can use a club for the same damage as a quarter staff, and then use a shield, and, oh yeah, she can wear heavy armor, and maybe it'd be a good idea if she put on a helmet.
I am finding this so refreshing and fun. Watching the tale of Lilly Black as she rises from petulant, ineffective girl to the goddess "Lady of Murder", then falls from deity and has to take a lowly job as an instructor at the Neverwinter Academy, (oh, the humiliation!), is inspiring me to start thinking about a new roleplaying alter ego for myself that I can roleplay over several video games. I've gotten into a rut, always trying to play myself in games, and doing what *I* would do.
@ZanathKariashi, you should like this, because he follows the style you advocate. @Quartz, I think you'd like it too, because it's vanilla BG1. There aren't even any labels over enemies, like "badly wounded" or "near death", to tell you how close enemies are to dropping.
Thank you if you've borne with me this far. Here's a link to the first series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR01akSU7Do&list=SP73B6586E4373F3B3
(Long review, then link.)
When he starts out in BG, he barely knows what he is doing, but if you skip ahead and watch some of his NWN videos, he becomes the most masterful roleplayer I've ever seen.
I've watched the first 100 episodes of BG, and about the first 50 episodes of Neverwinter Nights.
Right from the character creation screen in BG, the powergamer in me starts wanting to scream through the screen at him as he chooses stats for Lilly that give her absolutely no stat bonuses (gasp). He makes her a generalist mage (gasp). He explains her character, and then he absolutely sticks to that character through the whole series, even when the haughty, self-absorbed, and rude Lilly Black keeps shooting herself in the foot by giving "none of your business" dialogue answers, and getting penalized over, and over, and over. "She" misses quest after quest, and, here's the fun part - she doesn't care.
The powergamer in me wants to scream at Mynameisnotlilly again and again as he steadfastly refuses to take a hint from Jaheira and Khalid to go to Nashkel, and then when he steadfastly refuses to raise Khalid from the dead over about 25 episodes, (Lilly doesn't like men in her party), instead becoming obsessed with defeating Zargol and then Bassilus with his first-level three-woman party.
And I yell out loud and gnash my teeth while he consistently forgets to put helmets on his frontline fighters, getting them critical hit to death again and again, and musing into the microphone, 'Hmm, ha ha, I guess I wasn't paying attention - their armor doesn't seem to be doing them much good."
Yet, he takes a minimal reload approach, accepts the consequences of all the "mistakes", and plays forward with surprisingly few reloads.
And then, all of sudden, I find myself cheering aloud as he begins to figure out the game - like when he finally finds the Beregost Temple after three episodes of wandering around Beregost, or when he finally figures out that Jaheira can use a club for the same damage as a quarter staff, and then use a shield, and, oh yeah, she can wear heavy armor, and maybe it'd be a good idea if she put on a helmet.
I am finding this so refreshing and fun. Watching the tale of Lilly Black as she rises from petulant, ineffective girl to the goddess "Lady of Murder", then falls from deity and has to take a lowly job as an instructor at the Neverwinter Academy, (oh, the humiliation!), is inspiring me to start thinking about a new roleplaying alter ego for myself that I can roleplay over several video games. I've gotten into a rut, always trying to play myself in games, and doing what *I* would do.
@ZanathKariashi, you should like this, because he follows the style you advocate. @Quartz, I think you'd like it too, because it's vanilla BG1. There aren't even any labels over enemies, like "badly wounded" or "near death", to tell you how close enemies are to dropping.
Thank you if you've borne with me this far. Here's a link to the first series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR01akSU7Do&list=SP73B6586E4373F3B3 24
Comments
Because, like you said, it is pure roleplaying and doesn't care about all the powergaming stuff we so often pursue without even thinking about it.
I'm also trying to figure a roleplaying character like this for my next BG session, but i'm still unsure of what to do.
Powergamer? Hah! I left my boring powergaming long ago. I am... a roleplayer now.
So, @ZelgadisGW, I'm glad you saw and responded. Getting into Mynameisnotlilly's LP's made me think of you.
My biggest concerns at the moment however, are properly implementing as much PnP as possible, so that all possible options for a roleplay run will be there (being able to just charm people into giving you the information you need and avoiding combat entirely? Doesn't happen....hell there's really only one quest in the whole saga that has that as a hidden option, with no hints you can do it, since it requires meta knowledge of an obscure mechanic). It's do-able now, to an extent, but it could be SO much more.
But im starting to get there. I used that randomizer to make a character, and got a gone pure class Kensai, and I realised it was a lot of fun so now I'm doing a run with a Wise Dwarf Pureclass swashbuckler. But even with it when the game begins I cant stop myself from hardcore powergaming.
Also, on a related note... can somebody tell me what this forum's policy is on advertising your own 'Let's Play'? I see people post flavoured AARs, but I know some forums frown upon any self-publicity.
I have been quite inspired by mynameisnotlily, but it seems pointless to start my own Let's Play if I'd just end up talking to myself lol.
I really can't see myself following a similar approach, too power-gamerish. But I can always try to force myself to play a 75-roll character and try to take it easy...but with SCSII installed of course.
Just give the weaker NPC's a shot in an interesting party.... and don't Shadowkeep a monster PC or re-roll until you are brimming with 18's...viola...more difficult..no uber difficulty mods needed.
The reason that I thought publicising a youtube series might be banned here is cos that'd be an external link, as opposed to just using the forum to narrate an AAR.
How do all the Let's Players know each other? Is there a special external site or something, or some section of YouTube that I haven't subscribed to or found?
Edit: ninja-ed by over an hour. Go me!