Killing all NPCs

[Dangermouth]

You have to know if you've just knackered the game by killing someone, but no reason why you can't. On a first playthrough does seem self-defeating, however. I'd also like to know if I've lost out on a quest by inadvertently killing someone as well, especially if there will be limited xp available. I don't see any real reason to interact with the populace in the main and neither care for their welfare nor worry about their death in the main as they are (and should be) on the whole just faceless people. I prefer not to kill them as it's pointless unless your aim is to rid the world of all the pointlessness (kill everything then) but understand some people might just end up in the crossfire. So I agree with someone that there should be an option to allow you to kill anyone if you deliberately target them, but otherwise let the peons kick the bucket if and as and when but let the 'important' ones survive as long as they should BUT (hearkening back to a different forum) no futher xp for killing them to prevent silliness.

 

Think that covers it all.

 

TL/DR - I'm with them ^

[Coincidence]

I like the approach Morrowind had (if you can't tell.): Make everything killable, only bother to mention if you killed someone related to the main quest, and create a backdoor that makes the game beatable, but harder, if you killed an essential NPC.

[DCParry]

It seems a lot of "hard core" people want their cake and to murder it too.

 

If you want to murder everyone in sight, there has to be consequences. If you are stupid or psychotic enough to kill a major quest NPC, you should not be able to finish that particular quest.

[Continuum]

There's a lot to be said for being able to kill all NPCs, with the following caveats:

• Don't let people kill quest NPCs that they'll need to advance the game. They will do it, and then they will whine and cry on the forums, and will just need to undo it with console commands or such.
  
• There should be always be consequences to random killing. Appropriate guards/factions should react. Killing people in towns should generally get you in jail. Reputation with non-evil party members and NPCs should take a severe hit. Good people do not randomly murder people or tolerate people who do.
  
• Make absolutely doggone sure that the game doesn't let you ACCIDENTALLY kill friendlies. I hate it in games where I just push the wrong button or such and have to reload an earlier save because I just committed a terrible crime. Or I kill an innocent because their AI is so frigging idiotic that they wander in to the middle of a firefight that I am caught in. I don't want to commit horrible actions simply because of failed mechanics.
  

[Jojobobo]

Not having read the entire thread I don't know if this has been touched on, but anyway. I do think main quest NPCs should be killable, but I also think there should be multiple NPCs who you can progress the main quest with (ideally three or four). That way if you did find someone horribly insufferable then you could kill them and still progress. If you decide to kill all the main quest givers, then too bad, but why would you want to apart from maybe a single time for laughs?