Uirebhiril

Man, both Aragorn and Han Solo are going to be really disappointed to hear that romance had no place in their story... (I'd still like the space ships.)

You know what, I'd be fine with a space combat minigame. I mean, come on! Starships! But using that to make a point is a bit of a stretch. It wouldn't be a thematic fit with the universe, whereas relationships with others would be. It's part of the human condition and would just be another option to select from. Much like how people can choose to see (or not) decapitations and spurting blood based on a setting. Or how you can choose to not recruit a particular companion if you really can't stomach them. They're there, but not forced. It's all a choice, and more choice in an RPG is always good. It is kind of too bad that specialized interaction between PC and NPC in games requires a relationship type of setting. Bantering and flirting, even if not seriously, would be fun to do in some situations even if it is never intended to become a romance. If Obsidian wants to develop more of the friendship aspect and wants to avoid all romance as has been said, that might be something to consider.

Well, really, it's not that big a deal if it's in there. Those who have no wish to explore that path with a companion need not click on anything remotely marked as a [flirt] and they will never see the content. There's room for both choices in these games, and that makes them more enjoyable to a wider market. Which isn't to say that only sad and lonely people play games for the romance. Some do like the roleplay aspect and do not self-insert, so it does add to the story and helps indiviuals to possibly relate better to the companions. I only have an issue when that's the only way to do so; friendship content should be available to anyone that earns it, and not just those that are sharing a bedroll. But in a game like this, I still hold with it being better for there to be only minor flirting and a promise to consider more when the bulk of the save-the-world adventure is over. Keep anything else to an epilogue slide. We don't need a fade-to-black sexy cutscenes in every game, I do agree.

I thought it was 50 years, rather than 15? Just how old is Aloth anyway? I'm a bit confused now.

At the risk of looking like a troll with a romance post being my first to the forum... I like romances in RPGs, but with a game like Pillars of Eternity the long-winded romantic discussions and cinematic cut scenes of sexual situations wouldn't work. I agree there should be something there, and probably the best way to achieve that is a bit of marked dialogue indicating interest, possibly a conversation about "...when this is all over," and then maybe an epilogue slide mentioning adventuring together or the characters finally pursuing their feelings. It really doesn't need to be more than that, but would still be enough to appeal to people who like a bit of romance to their entertainment. Any potential issue of representation can be avoided by picking two characters of each gender who would be sensible choices and making them available to everyone. Yes, that's the dreaded "playersexual" way of handling it, but again -- a game like this, you aren't delving that deep into things, and you don't really need to. Having a bit of text to flavor things would enhance the story. No need to smack people upside the head with it.