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haxxiy said:
Man, I've been chasing that Arcanum high since the first time I played it in the mid-2000s. Larian's games came the closest of all, IMO, especially BG3. Arcanum being broken was part of the fun of it, it's like playing Marvel vs. Capcom to use a completely different genre as an example. I never did care for D&D rules much, TBH. I wished BG3 had some DLC or expansion upcoming to replay it, but I get Larian wanting to move on to a thing of their own. |
Yeah, not many CRPGs come close to Arcanum. I'll admit, I prefer Fallout 1/2 from settings standpoint, but Arcanum is both mechanically and worldbuilding-wise much deeper game. Tim, Leonard and all those Interplay's alumni, so to speak, really knew how to make them back in days - there is visible passion and ambition in those games, though often held back by smaller budgets and tight schedules.
D&D itself is quite divisive - 3e and onward are quite different games from what D&D initially was, and there is a reason why most popular trend for quite a few years in TTRGPs is Old School Renaissance (OSR), which are games that are made with TSR's D&D principles, or even compatibility, in mind. But they work much better at the table compared to video games - I'd say best D&D edition for video games is 3e, and Pathfinder games, as "D&D 3.75" really show that (though they not implemented anywhere near perfect).
But yes, there are much, much better systems, either established TTRPGs or those made specifically for CRPGs - I don't think it matters much what system Larian uses, for me it is more important if they stick to current D:OS design pattern, which is, from my POV, more suited to action-RPGs than CRPGs, or move away from it and expand in scope, while retaining best things about D:OS (that come from Vincke's obsession with Ultima VII and its interactivity - which is a good thing).
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