Romances in RPGs

[EnderAndrew]

[Give the rock the Hoff treatment]

[Llyranor]

Hay guys! Horns or tails?

[EnderAndrew]

Both.

[alanschu]

Not a big fan of the fanbois of the Bastila Lover's Club???

 

 

"The 'Lovers and Apprentice' lines are some of the best in gaming history" ROFL

[Musopticon?]

One of the reasons internet refuses to swallow nowadays.

[Mordrian]

The only great romance was the one in Bloodlines. Keep the bitch on a leash, and make her pay for you love.

[Guest GroinOfDespair]

To quote Al Pacino from Devil's Advocate, "chemically love is no different from consuming mass quantities of chocolate".

 

It is another lie we swallow down, sucking at the teet of false hope, only so long as the other person does not inconvienence us, and is willing to service us regularly enough for us to remain faithful for the most part.

[alanschu]

The only great romance was the one in Bloodlines. Keep the bitch on a leash, and make her pay for you love.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Are you referring to your Ghoul?

 

I wouldn't really call that a romance...

[Guest GroinOfDespair]

Many so-called romances are similiar fascimilies there-of.

[Mordrian]

The only great romance was the one in Bloodlines. Keep the bitch on a leash, and make her pay for you love.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Are you referring to your Ghoul?

 

I wouldn't really call that a romance...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What are you talking about!? She loved me..

[Guest GroinOfDespair]

Love is never having to say you're sorry.

 

Owning a slave is never having to say you're sorry.

 

Yeah, that's about right.

[Drakron]

There are no romances in Bloodines, Heather is like all ghoul jukies looking for their next fix.

[SteveThaiBinh]

The only decent or loving thing you can do with Heather in Bloodlines is tell her to go away and get on with her life, although I think she ends up dying anyway (bizarrely enough).

 

I have sympathy for designers who take the easy way out and have no romance option in their games. Nothing is as cheesy as a cheesy love story.

[EnderAndrew]

I've never been an addict, or really done any drugs, but there was a woman who made me feel like I junkie.

 

I wrote some lengthy, screwed up poem about her that would make Groin happy (relatively). In it I used the line "my veins itch for you".

 

Maybe it was that kind of romance.

[Lord Tingeling]

The only decent or loving thing you can do with Heather in Bloodlines is tell her to go away and get on with her life, although I think she ends up dying anyway (bizarrely enough).

 

I have sympathy for designers who take the easy way out and have no romance option in their games.  Nothing is as cheesy as a cheesy love story.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

How so? I don't think she's mentioned at all in the game after you send her away. :/

[SteveThaiBinh]

How so? I don't think she's mentioned at all in the game after you send her away. :/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought that even if you sent her away, she was still killed in the Sabbat HQ just the same as if you 'adopted' her. The only time I sent her away was my first playthrough, so I could be wrong, but I remember watching her die and thinking 'Hmmm. Who's that? Oh, her. What's she doing here?'

[EnderAndrew]

I thought that even if you sent her away, she was still killed in the Sabbat HQ just the same as if you 'adopted' her.  The only time I sent her away was my first playthrough, so I could be wrong, but I remember watching her die and thinking 'Hmmm.  Who's that?  Oh, her.  What's she doing here?'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a lovely thought for when your supposed romance interest dies.

 

[Laozi]

To quote Al Pacino from Devil's Advocate, "chemically love is no different from consuming mass quantities of chocolate".

 

It is another lie we swallow down, sucking at the teet of false hope, only so long as the other person does not inconvienence us, and is willing to service us regularly enough for us to remain faithful for the most part.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

So what is "chemically" the same as adhering to a wornout stereotype?

 

 

As for romances, I remember at the end of BG2 ToB and reading the Viconia ending with the romance and all, I got a somewhat similiar feeling as I had when I read For Whom The Bell Tolls. A bittersweetness, but maybe it was just the fact that I had completed a couple hundred hrs. of gameplay. Where as it certainly wasn't anywhere as powerful, just the fact that I was reminded about of it, to me, was an achievement.

 

Most rpg romances are pretty lousy though. I would like to see better romances, but most likely won't.

[SteveThaiBinh]

That's a lovely thought for when your supposed romance interest dies.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was my first playthrough. She was a minor character who I'd given blood to, who then approached my once and who I told to go away. I didn't even learn her name, I think, or that she was supposed to be a love interest. It would be like the Sabbat trying to get at me by brutally murdering the twit who said 'Awww maaaan!' all the time.

[Lord Tingeling]

How so? I don't think she's mentioned at all in the game after you send her away. :/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought that even if you sent her away, she was still killed in the Sabbat HQ just the same as if you 'adopted' her. The only time I sent her away was my first playthrough, so I could be wrong, but I remember watching her die and thinking 'Hmmm. Who's that? Oh, her. What's she doing here?'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I'm rather sure she only dies when you've taken her in. By the way, if you give her blood, you cannot send her away at the time you two meet (outside LaCroix's) regardless of what you say (or so I recall). You'll have to return to the hideout and kick her out. That might have been what you missed on your first playthrough.

[Darque]

That's a lovely thought for when your supposed romance interest dies.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was my first playthrough. She was a minor character who I'd given blood to, who then approached my once and who I told to go away. I didn't even learn her name, I think, or that she was supposed to be a love interest. It would be like the Sabbat trying to get at me by brutally murdering the twit who said 'Awww maaaan!' all the time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Poor Heather

[Musopticon?]

Heh

 

Heather was okay. I liked to see her reactions when the blood bond deepened. She was believable and that's all that mattered to me. I mean; the character is a freakin' monster. Whys hould he romance anything?

[Guest Fishboot]

I'm rather sure she only dies when you've taken her in.

 

Same. Although, thanks for spoiling me, thread!

[Corp]

Hi, long time lurker - very bored and had a thought on romances, so I'd thought I'd break the silence.

 

I can't actually remember playing a game where you started in a romance and then had to take it from there, but I think that would be interesting. For example; In Jade Empire, you and the girl next door ghost seeing girl (I forget her name) have some history, but it still takes the same amount of time to develop as if you pursue something with Silkfox (Think that's the correct name).

 

Perhaps if we're thinking of where romances could go, then that's a great example of a missed opportunity. Had you been involved (or had the option to state you were involved, ala what happened to Revan in TSL), then either remaining loyal to her despite other characters advances or breaking up with her and making off with others would have been far more interesting than having to work at getting to a smooch. When we have romance options, it really is just courting options, but that's perhaps only 1% of what relationships are really about.

 

Yes, probably a lot harder to write and implement, but still - working at getting just one kiss is really where romances are becoming stale. Maybe explore other aspects of them?

 

Thoughts?

[GhostofAnakin]

I think romances can add to a game, assuming they're done right. I admit I had fun with the Bastila romance, especially all the teasing and her reaction to it. But as long as the romance doesn't take away the focus of the actual game, I think adds to the flavor of the whole package.