Recently, I have been looking at the CRPGs available on GOG, such as Planescape Torment, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, and so on. However, I've been reluctant to buy any of them, due to previous experience with other 'pen-and-paper' CRPGs.

I bought and played both Arcanum and Fallout 1, and with each, I had different experiences. I was attracted to Fallout, as I had played Fallout 3, and I wanted to give the original a shot. However, going into the game, I already knew how the game ended and a majority of what happened in the game. In addition, I found the gameplay to be too slow to my liking, and not that much fun overall. As a result, I got as far as restoring the water chip before I stopped playing.

Arcanum, on the other hand, was not as forgiving. I installed the game, then spent what must have been an hour or two trying to create my character, only to die twenty minutes into the actual game because my character could not hit anything. I then uninstalled the game, and instead watched a playthrough of the game online.

Now I'm not saying that Fallout and Arcanum are bad games. In fact, I have a certain fondness for the older Fallout games, as they have a certain charm to them. The problem is that I just don't seem to that good at playing pen-and-paper CRPGs (by pen-and-paper, I mean games that rely less on reflexes, and more on stat-building and such). As a result, I don't buy any.

But I guess there are other reasons too. Lately, when I've tried to play RPGs, I get annoyed with them by how slow they are. I had bought Mass Effect sometime last year, and I had been playing the game when for some reason or another, I abandoned it. Later, I picked it up, and spent two to three hours on some mission involving a giant insect queen or something. Because of my annoyance with the slow pace, and the my disorientation of not remembering what had happened previously, I decided to uninstall it, as it was eating up 10 GB of my hard drive.

I think the reason I've formed such resentment towards RPGs is because I've gotten more into the trend of playing more action based games, like Team Fortress 2 and the GTA games. However, I also think it's because I've been busy with college work , and so I haven't felt like I have time to play RPGs. However, I would really like to try to get back into the habit of playing them, as I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of really great games; not just the old ones, but newer ones like Dragon Age and the Mass Effect series.

So I guess my question is this: Should I try to start playing RPGs again? Or should I just abandon the notion?

Additionally, these were the games that I considered buying:

• Planescape Torment
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Gothic

Planescape Torment is almost an interactive novel of a cRPG, and I don't think it'll be to your taste. It favors lengthy expositional dialog, descriptive prose, and rhetorical puzzle-solving over combat (though, as with any IE game, that is, Infinity Engine, there is still a fair amount). If your experiences with Fallout and Arcanum have been sour I don't think PS:T will be to your taste either. Many GOG-ites, and myself among their number, love it to bits, but it's really a gaming investment. I swear I spent an idle spring/summer of my life originally playing it to death, ferreting out all its nooks, crannies, and secrets, and if you have an otherwise full plate of real-life obligations and responsibilities, I think you'll want something less demanding.

On this site, you may try Neverwinter Nights, because it's a fairly low-maintenance RPG-wise, certainly compared to the mechanics complicated and strategic Arcanum & Fallout's approach to combat, respectively. It's more action-orientated; you control one PC, and have one AI-controlled henchman, and the game is primarily geared towards brawny fighter types. Combat isn't twitch-based, as each combatant still needs to take their "turn" in order to complete their actions, but it's a simpler affair to Fallout/Arcanum and isn't quite as slow as those two turn-based affairs.

I can't speak to DA: Origins. I'm a Black Isle Studios/old-school Bioware fanboy, and am burned out on pure-fantasy cRPGs to the point I don't think I can ever warm to a new one again. I think Baldur's Gate 1/2 sort of perfected it, both in terms of writing, gameplay, and graphical implementation, and every other contender and heir apparent littering the landscape has been a letdown. I've read plenty about DA: Origins but from descriptions and YouTube vids it just fails to engage or interest me at all. Not to get too astray from your original question...

Speaking of which, Baldur's Gate may be another one you could possibly try. It's a modern-day classic, pretty much *the* high fantasy game which set the bar, and a pretty accessible introduction to the isometric IE games that ruled the world a decade ago. Combat is sort of bird's-eye squad based, real-time with a "pause" function, and it's pretty open-ended most of the time, adventure-wise. It *is* a pretty big game and your lower-level adventurers can be pretty vulnerable at lower levels, however.

Actually, what I think would be the best bet for you would be a gem of a game, by the same studio as Arcanum (Troika, also the creative heads behind Fallout by-the-by), Vampire: Bloodlines. Unfortunately, you can't buy it on GOG, though it's a game that truly belongs here for a multitude of reasons. It was one of the most rewarding, entertaining, engrossing, and plain FUN cRPGs I ever played. It's 3rd-perspective action with plenty of RPG decision-making, stat-building, and interactive choices to be made, and combat, once you get the hang of it, isn't too tough, nor does it becoming unreasonably challenging more as the game goes on.

You can buy it on Steam or hunt down a second-hand copy. Its setting is modern-day LA with Vampires, Werewolves, and various paranormal beasties lurking in the background and underground pulling the strings of ordinary mortals. It's based on a popular pen-and-paper RPG franchise by the same name (Vampire: The MAsquerade). But don't let either fact put you off on trying it; I can't recommend it highly enough. If you do, make sure you patch the game with something called the Vampire: Bloodlines True Gold Patch (google it), which is a fan-made project to clean up the myriad of bugs and unimplemented content the game originally shipped with, for the richest incipient experience playing the game.

Hope this helps.

It really depends on what you want in a game. If you want to have a fun time messing around with NPCs, each with his/her own individual persona, that's where Fallout shines. Truthfully it wasn't the combat that caught on with me initially (though I grew to like it the more I played), but the dialogue and setting.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the combat in Fallout. It's slow, but every kill to me was satisfying, and fights are often brutal affairs, but I would have preferred if the attack animations could have been sped up. Also, looting dead bodies after an encounter is always fun, especially since resources are awfully scarce early on.

Also, if you find yourself missing every shot or hit, the key is to specialize. These RPGs aren't very forgiving towards jacks-of-all-trades.

I love RPGs. I've always recommended the Jeff Vogel/Spiderweb's Avernum and Geneforge series to people wanting deep, immersive RPG experiences, and IWD and BG2 are among my most favourite games of all time.

But I have to say this, in all fairness, that maybe RPGs just aren't for you.

For me, the perceived slowness of RPGs is an inherent quality of their mechanics. A good RPG has to have you taking a lot of time building up and developing a character through NPC interaction and quest completion. The how and why differ from game to game but without the build up and development, there isn't much "RP" to be had in the "G".

Actually, on second thought, if you really are willing to try to get back into the RPG genre, it's worth perhaps looking at CRPGs like Diablo. Dungeon Siege is always a good classic - the plot and characterization are paper thin, but it's one of the few games I've played which promised wall-to-wall action and actually delivered. Torchlight is also another good game too.

There are also of course the RPG-FPS hybrids like Deus Ex, Bioshock, and NOLF 2, all much loved and highly regarded. They're not pure RPGs by any means, but they offer all of the faster action of an FPS game with the greater depth of an RPG experience.

From your description it would just seem, no offense, that you just suck at RPGs.

But, that's not really the issue I think. Because we're all noobs at one time or another, there will be starting points at which we start playing certain kinds of games and just have to get used to the kinds of games we play. I think the term is called being an adaptive gamer.

You've probably been so used to playing action games a lot, to where you're not quite so used to building a character, experimenting with dialogue and different character builds, going throught the role playing aspect of playing an RPG. The thing about an RPG is to truly experience all it has to offer, is to actually invest a bit of time into it and explore.

Whereas, more action oriented games generally set the path for you, you don't tend to save your game quite as much, you go more off of autosaves, they have multiplayer, going through a playthrough again would probably be much similar to the first, and there's not as much weapon variation/strategies needed as much as compared to RPGs, or to a different extent, Strategy games.

I think what you need to have is patience, and while you may already know what might happen at the end of the first and maybe second Fallout games, Fallout 3 is mostly unrelated to those two, so you won't know exactly how it all happens unless you looked up the story and spoilers before you played it. I actually played Fallout 2 first before ever getting to play the first one, but it hasn't really changed the great experience I've had playing the first one so far. I mean, in many ways, RPGs can be a heck of a lot of fun to play compared to other types of games, simply because of the fact that, well, its Role Playing, there are many different things you can try, you can ask on forums some of the different starting strategies you can try if you're struggling with your character build.

Early in the game with most RPGs you can't just throw yourself into the fight (unless you're a combat oriented character) because you're such a low level and haven't yet developed your character's fighting abilities yet. Early in the game with most RPGs, you have to think in the mindset more of playing Chess for example, you need to strategically position your pieces first before you strike. Similarly with RPGs, you need to try dealing with different strategies and forms of attack in different situations.

So all in all, once you get used to the mindset of how you need to play RPGs compared to faster paced, more action oriented games, then you should be fine, there's just an adjustment period of a week or two when you start playing those kinds of games again where you get used to the feel of them again. One last thing though, when playing an RPG, if you really want to enjoy it, don't just rush through to the end so you can beat it, otherwise you might miss some great things about the game, like sitting back and smelling the roses.

Hope this helps you out when you get to playing them. Don't be afraid to use forums if you're having trouble. If you want, just ask me if you have any questions about certain games and I could help talk you through it. I do agree with this guy though, if you want to ease yourself into the realm of RPGs to get used to the mechanics of them Diablo and Diablo 2 would be a good place to start. They're kinda like hack and slash RPGs.

I think the OP is more into action games than true RPGs, like some other posters said, diablo series , torchlight, dungeon siege or dark messiah of might and magic should be better for your playing style. Planescape, arcanum, fallout and similar games favor storytelling, lots of stat juggling and much slower pace which might annoy you. Return to these awesome games later when bloodlust vanishes from your system and you get tired from lamentations of their women ;)

I can only suggest, that you invest some time in reading (yes READING, not scimming) the manuals and not just hoping for a tutorial. As most modern games try to teach you everything with ingame tutorials, most people forget that back in the 90's reading the manual was still a mandatory step before playing a game.

I, for the most part, still spent one or two hours on a "trial" play to figure out how a game works after reading the manual.

Many rather easy games are today considered hard or hardcore not because not because they are difficult, but because they are compicated and rely on the documentation that game with the game. Realms of Arkania comes to mind. (Some documentation beeing rather bad didn't help).

From what I have read, the OP would like Dragon Age. It is fast paced for the most part and the ingame decription and explanation is excellent.

You should try Gothic 2. I rate it as the best rpg ever. It might be a bit hard to get into though, as you start out as a pretty weak character...

Dragon Age (buy the Ultimate version) is one of the best games in recent years, and you can get right into the action.

You've answered your own question, but if you're asking for us to tell you what you've told us, here it is: No. Don't buy GOG RPGs. You won't like them

You want action RPGs. You want an action game lightly basted in RPG sauce and allowed to simmer in the stultifying heat of a thousand levels of HALO. You clearly want your twitch reflexes to count toward your success, and you obviously don't want story to slow you down. So you don't want classic RPGs. Don't bother with Planescape. It's completely freakin' brilliant, and you'll hate it, because it's like playing a book. Dont bother with Gothic. It doesn't care what you want, and will revel in your demise. Don't bother with Dragon Age, because if you thought Mass Effect was too RPG-heavy, Dragon Age will laugh at you, and mock you, and savor your salty tears of defeat.

There are a lot of good old games you will enjoy, but you've made it abundantly clear that you will not enjoy the RPGs.

First off, why do you wonder whether you *should* play RPGs when your experience with them has been mostly negative? Games are meant to be fun, if they aren't for you, why waste your time with them just because others enjoy them? You told us what you didn't like about the RPGs you played but was there anything in them that actually interested you?

Anyway, even though almost all RPGs are based on stat building there's a wide variety of games, some more complicated, some less, some more story-oriented others more relying on action. If the stat building worries you, you can always search the web for a quick building guide; I was able to complete most RPGs just by reading a few short strategy tips and advices on where to best invest the points for the specific class I was going for (and without reading the manual from front to back, although it probably doesn't hurt).

Of the GOG games, you could try Divine Divinity. It's similar to Diablo in that it has action-oriented combat also relying on reflexes but with more story and quests. It constantly offers you the choice between an Action-RPG and a deeper role-playing experience. It doesn't have the most original story there is, like e.g. Planescape: Torment, but it does have a lot more action and less reading, if that's what you're looking for.

You could also try Arx Fatalis because the stat building in it is less complicated (if you don't waste your points on thief abilities and only go for melee and magic skills) and the combat is pretty simple and action-oriented (not necessarily easy though). Its main selling point is the great atmosphere. There are some puzzles and some back-tracking in it though that may slow the pace a bit.

And, as mentioned in the great post by MaridAudran, you could try Neverwinter Nights, too. Also because there's a great variety of free fan-made campaigns available for it that cater to lots of different playstyles, and because it's got a very active and helpful community that will help you with your stat building or any other issues that may arise. You could even go multi-player and learn the ropes directly from fellow players.

Apart from these games already on GOG, you could try the Diablo series, as mentioned by others, or pray that GOG will re-release Nox, Revenant and Silver one day, or buy a cheap PS2 and play Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, or subscribe to World of Warcraft , or just stick to the games you really like. ;)

In a bit of a rush at the mo, so no time to justify with any real weight but from scanning your first post I'd probably recommend you try Two worlds.

Its got the action/ speed you crave along with the character development and role playing aspect. (and un intenintentionally hysterical dialogue :P ) Give it a go, see if it scratches the itch :)

Apologies if this is way off what your looking for but thats the first that sprang to mind.

oh and as a fellow tf2 fan, i can happily inform you that there is a range iof stylish hats in two worlds as well!! d:D lol

Why not try the Elder Scroll games. Or maybe the new Fallout. They are action games with RPG elements under the hood.

Like others have said I would also look at Diablo, Dungeon Siege, and Torchlight.

You might give Spellforce a shot if you can bear any strategy/base-building in your game.

Not at GOG, but widely available elsewhere, Titan Quest sounds right up your alley.

As others have mentioned, NWN could also work for you, but you'll probably want to spend more time on online servers and fan mods than the campaign.

How about Deus Ex or System Shock? They combine action/shooters with Role Playing.

I loved the Gothic series (1-3, haven't played 4), but they're definitely not for everyone.