The Chosen One

[eimatshya]

I thought being the Chosen One in Fallout 2 was pretty funny, given that from a meta-game perspective you knew from the beginning that you were just some random schmo. It also was fun to introduce yourself as the Chosen One and see people's reactions.

 

In general, though, I'm not a big fan of being told that some higher power has decreed that I'm the chosen one, destined for great things, blah, blah, blah. I think it can do interesting things for a narrative, but it usually doesn't. That said, I think there is an important distinction to be made between embarking on your quest because you're told that it's your destiny and embarking on an epic quest because of a variety of factors coming to a head and inducing you to do so (which still could be destiny, I suppose, but you and your character are not aware of whether this is or is not the case, and it doesn't factor into the narrative).

 

For instance, in the examples given by OP, you end up embarking on your quests out of necessity born from something your character had done prior to the start of the game (Torment and the Sith Lords) or something that had befallen your character (the shard getting lodged in your chest in NWN 2). In all of these cases, your supernatural condition forces you into an epic quest, but you aren't the chosen one. You're just the right person for the job. I don't mind this sort of "special" since it's your very specialness that both created the central conflict and that allows you to end it. In contrast, when you're a general hero who is told by the gods, or whoever, that he is destined to save the world, that seems superfluous. Why does he need the destiny? It's usually a better story if circumstances throw him into the conflict, rather than some higher power beyond his ken or control.

Edited September 24, 2012 by eimatshya

[Monkcrab]

Actually, with the plot of the game being what it is, I think that third option should've been 'just in the wrong place at the wrong time'....

[Wolfenbarg]

I think people are tired of the cliche, but being unique in a story doesn't have to be a cut and paste option like some people feel it has to be. The Nameless One and The Exile from this team's previous experience are great examples of someone being a core of the story and the only one who can stop the threat, but still not being trite. It's all about the kind of arc that a character goes through. Planescape: Torment wasn't about defeating an unstoppable evil. The game presented *you* as an evil that had to be stopped. It was all about self-discovery and catharsis. Kotor 2 was all about people wounded by war trying to heal and move forward. It even condemned destiny and said that those people who experienced such pain were the only ones who could steer the future of the galaxy.

 

I want a unique protagonist who stands out among their peers. However, I want that character to have an arc like I know this team can provide.

[Volourn]

"pretty much everything"

 

Nah. Many games don't have chosen ones stories. Why make stuff up?

[incubus9]

PS:T and KOTOR II aren't really *chosen one* stories. NWN2 fits a lot more.

 

Then again, you can easily argue *the regular guy* into chosen one as well.

 

Yeah, its pretty easy to turn the regular guy into the "Chosen One". Like this:

"Congratulations, you are our 1 Millionth Customer!"

[Ieo]

"i disagree that TNM in PS:T was the chosen one. he was "special", "

 

He very much was a Chosen One. He fits the description to a tee.

 

Nothing wrong with it eince the story should be focused on special chaarcters and 'chosen one' stories fit perfectly. That said, non chosen one stories can be awesome too.

 

I disagree. No, TNO is not a Chosen One: He chose himself to pursue immortality for his own reasons. The Chosen One trope stereotypically requires that whatever makes the main character special was beyond his/her control and was not "random." This includes heritage, blessing, prophecy, etc.--some external force. So TNO was not a Chosen One, but he sure was special in another way, and Ravel recognized that. (Gawd, I loved Ravel.)

 

Baldur's Gate was Chosen One... although there were kinda two of them in BG1, and the trope was actually dampened in ToB because you discover a bunch of other Bhaalspawn.

 

I don't think we need to worry about PE because the general plot update already tells us our PC is a victim of circumstance, which I much prefer over touching any of that One claptrap. It would really fall under #3 with a twist--"wrong place at the wrong time" given the update wording.

[Wolfenbarg]

"i disagree that TNM in PS:T was the chosen one. he was "special", "

 

He very much was a Chosen One. He fits the description to a tee.

 

Nothing wrong with it eince the story should be focused on special chaarcters and 'chosen one' stories fit perfectly. That said, non chosen one stories can be awesome too.

 

I disagree. No, TNO is not a Chosen One: He chose himself to pursue immortality for his own reasons. The Chosen One trope stereotypically requires that whatever makes the main character special was beyond his/her control and was not "random." This includes heritage, blessing, prophecy, etc.--some external force. So TNO was not a Chosen One, but he sure was special in another way, and Ravel recognized that. (Gawd, I loved Ravel.)

 

Baldur's Gate was Chosen One... although there were kinda two of them in BG1, and the trope was actually dampened in ToB because you discover a bunch of other Bhaalspawn.

 

I don't think we need to worry about PE because the general plot update already tells us our PC is a victim of circumstance, which I much prefer over touching any of that One claptrap. It would really fall under #3 with a twist--"wrong place at the wrong time" given the update wording.

Agreed. The original incarnation of The Nameless One certainly wasn't chosen or prophesized. He was simply a man who made a terrible mistake and wanted to buy enough time to make it right. That snowballed into a threat that potentially threatened the planes, but in the end it all came down to choice. Your Nameless One didn't have to end anything. You could go to the Fortress of Regrets and not even solve the problems that were present in the story. Definitely not a chosen one.

 

I'm not sure that your character being in the wrong place at the wrong time excludes you from being that sort of important character, though. Whatever it is that you witness could potentially leave you and the people around you fundamentally changed. Maybe you are jam packed full of souls, or maybe your soul is so badly fragmented that you should have ended up dead. There's still plenty of room for this story to take that sort of direction. We won't know until we get more details.

[Nakia]

Being the chosen one has become boring. It was fine in the early games when things were new but after game after game it is not a novelty. Even being born the Bhaalspawn didn't make you the Chosen One because there were other Bhaalspawn. You had to grown into the part.

 

I just want to start out a normal, ordinary guy and gown into being a hero, probably a reluctant hero.

[TrashMan]

I honestly dont' want ot be special in any way. No myseterious/unique heritage, no powers no one else has...

 

[KhaineGB]

Just a regular old guy/gal for me, please.

 

Getting a bit fed up of finding out my character is destined for greatness cos of x, y or z. Bhaalspawn in BG, Dragon Born, whatever else.

 

At least in Fallout 3 and even New Vegas, your character isn't special. In FO3 you have to run for your life because your Dad caused a load of crap, and in F:NV, it really was just "Wrong place, wrong time."

[Meshugger]

The chosen one works if it is interesting. The Nameless one, The Exile and The mask of the betrayer (or whatever characters "name" was) all were chosen ones where they had to choose their own destinies. Having a game where the whole world is there for the player by design, making him/her the chosen one is rather boring though.

[Nakia]

Interesting that people are saying The Nameless One was Chosen. Special yes. Unique Yes. When I played the game I just thought of him as someone trying to find out who he was. In a sense representing Every Man. (person)

[Terror K]

I'd prefer to be ordinary, and if there is a reason that my character is special, it is due to circumstances early in the game and happening to be in the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time rather than to fulfill any prophecies or anything like that. The whole "Chosen One" thing isn't bad per se, but it is just WAAAAY too overdone now. Something a bit more down to Earth that allows me to say who my character is rather than be told who they are would be a nice change.

[Volourn]

TNO was definitely a Chosen One. He is special and unique snowflake. Otehrs are attracted to him for no descernible reason but 'because'. He has a destiny he must meet no matter what choices he makes. That's the defintion of a Chosen One.

 

In fact, the Bhaalspawn of BG series is less 'chosen' since the PC is one of many Bhaalspawns and he/she has no more inherit right to the Throne of Bhaal than all the other Bhaalspawn. Hell, Sarevok, if you asked him, would claim he was The Chosen One.

[Nakia]

Volourn, I disagree. To be a Chosen One someone must choose you. TNO was driven by circumstances. Yes he was unique, special as I have said but no one said "You must do this. You have no choice." I agree the Bhaalspawn was not a chosen one. Said that in a prior post.

 

The heros of Dragon Age:Origin aren't Chosen Either at least not at the very beginning. Circumstances force them into making a choice. Once set on that path you could consider them chosen. That is how I see it. Fate does not choose me unless there is some guiding force behind that fate. I may be influenced by many things but I always have a choice. Always. Even The Chosen One. Theoretically.

[Slice0fLife]

Nowadays when I play game where I am Chosen One, this song starts to play in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVVNsrcbeQ

 

Ah so true ^^

 

LoL now I have a sudden desire to play Bards Tale again ^^

 

But personally I hope PE is not like BT, I would like it to be more series and dark.

[TrashMan]

Regardless if you're chosen by some god or you are the ONLY one with special abiltiy and the ONLY one who can save the word - it's equally bad.

 

The second you're the only one you are effectively a chosen one.

 

And the Exile...ngh..I hate the entire Exile concept.

[aramk]

It's really a moot point because I believe the general plot outline is already chosen, and I don't see them signficiantly altering the tone of the game. You will be somewhat unique in that some special event has marked you in some way, and you might have a specific trait that sets you above the average person (strong soul, etc.). It doesn't really matter too much as long as it is dealt with in a sophisticated way, and avoiding the most hackneyed expressions (prophecies, only you can save the world) etc. etc.

 

I don't think people should expect to be just some random person who picks up a staff and heads out adventuring. For narrative purposes (and this will have a strong narrative driving it), I believe your character will be a central figure of the story.

[C2B]

Regardless if you're chosen by some god or you are the ONLY one with special abiltiy and the ONLY one who can save the word - it's equally bad.

 

The second you're the only one you are effectively a chosen one.

 

And the Exile...ngh..I hate the entire Exile concept.

 

So according to you the moment something special with the protagonist happens in regard to the narrative it's *chosen one*.

 

Congratulations you just made everything ever a chosen one story.

[septembervirgin]

For the main character, I rather like the title "That Guy's a Jerk".

[Sordel]

I like to decide whether my character is the Chosen One or not. Some of my characters in Skyrim are The Dragonborn, but most of them are not. There's nothing worse than being pushed through a role-playing sausage machine.

[Gecimen]

Being special is only good if there's no other way the story could've been written as in PS:T. Otherwise I'd prefer to work my ass off to become a deity rather than learning I already am one as in BG2. I'm quite alright with being the normal guy though.

[Virgil]

As long as story is epic I don't care

[HangedMan]

One of my favourite twists on the chosen one trope was how Arcanum dealt with it. The narrative told you from the beginning that you were the chosen one, the reincarnated second coming of the messiah. Then you meet the guy who you were supposed to have been in your past life, to realize "oh snap, I'm just some dude who was at the wrong place at the wrong time!" That was glorious.

Yes! This. I liked this, too. This was awesome.

 

Then again, though, you were supposed to be the rebirth of Nasrudin's soul. Depending on your play style, you could have very well embodied all of his good, true traits. In which case, you technically could consider the prophecy to have come true, just in a non-linear fashion.

[GuybrushWilco]

I don't care too much as long as the game is good. However, I find it much more interesting if the player character just happens to be caught up in the game's events, rather than having some kind of divinely given destiny. Even in PST, your character wasn't really a 'chosen one' it's just that his actions made the game's events inevitable.