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When it comes to RPGs, I see a lot of focus on things like stats, leveling up, and game mechanics surrounding combat, but in my opinion, one of the greatest aspects of traditional PnP RPGs is... Well, actual roleplaying, and the ability to come up with some rather unorthodox methods of solving a particular issue. Now, obviously we can't have the same freedom in a CRPG, since computer games by their very nature can't adapt to unpredictable situations, or allow the use of skills in situations they weren't designed for, even if it should be physically possible. For example, without a physics engine capable of fully destructible environments, you can't "accidentally" blow up a house with a stray fireball, causing debris to knock out a tower, killing the ogre you were fleeing from. Similarly you can't have NPCs comment on this rather strange turn of events, since it wasn't in the script. What we can have, however, are quests and scenarios designed around situations where these unorthodox methods of winning are possible. I think one of the developers touched upon this subject in one of the earlier updates, but reading through the "Unwinnable encounters" thread, I wanted to expand on the idea. Scenario time: Imagine a side quest involving two powerful creatures (e.g. dragons). You learn about these creatures from an inn keeper, who for whatever reason refers to them as Bob and Drake. Now, Bob and Drake doesn't like each other very much. Maybe Bob moved into Drake's territory. Maybe Drake completely trashed Bob's lair during a new year's party. Maybe he stole Bob's toilet paper, and decided to decorate the trees... Or maybe the inn keeper is just bitter about some past event, and is confusing the stories. Who knows. At any rate, you start hearing rumours about these two, their antics, and a legendary artifact which one of them currently has in their possession. You also hear about the numerous attempts at liberating this artifact from them; no one has succeeded. Indeed, it becomes abundantly clear that the only creature which could conceivably defeat them is another dragon. So, what do you do? Start a fight? Sure, with a massive amount of luck and skill, and more grinding than you care to admit, you could potentially defeat them... Or, you could use your non-combat skills to deal with the situation; turns out that they are just as willing to talk as they are to fight. You learn that while they tolerate each other, there is quite a bit of tension between them, which opens up for some interesting possibilities. Should you plant seeds of distrust until they end up in a fight to the death? Maybe you can persuade one of them to take on the other with your help? Whatever your choice, this quest can end in a number of ways: If you attack and somehow succeed, or if you manage to pit them against each other such that they both die, you get to loot both of their hoards. If you successfully befriend one of them and kill the other, you are forced to share the loot with the dragon you sided with, but you also gain access to his lair, and unlock additional conversations with your new scaled friend. Regardless of what you choose, you end up with the artifact you were looking for. The idea with this scenario is that it offers different rewards for different type of play styles. If you like challenges and more tangible rewards, you get a tough battle and more loot. If you care more for the story and roleplaying aspect of the game, you get more interaction with an NPC, and a sense of accomplishment beyond a checkbox in your journal. While the above is just an example, and not very fleshed out, I would like to hear people's opinion on the matter. Given a choice, how would you feel about scenarios where you can win battles way above your level by means of deception, diplomacy or other non-combat skills?