Little details in RPGs that annoy you

[Crispy]

There are obvious ones like grammatical errors and things of that sort, but name something more intentional than that, something the casual gamer wouldn't necessarily object to or even notice, but would stick out like a sore thumb to you and drive you crazy.

For me, I can't STAND it when an RPG based on a medieval model includes any kind of modern language and/or phrases in it as part of its actual PC or NPC dialog.

"Oh, I think that's so cool, Sir Bingleswort. You totally owned that dragon," would be a blatant and supernova-inducing example.

Go.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Unrealistic combat techniques in medieval fighting:

- Power attack - this almost never works in any real combat - even in MMA, when some fighter tries to wind up and throw a really powerful punch, they miss 99% of the time, because the attack is telegraphed and the other guy has a lot of time to defend against it. It's even worse in swordfighting or weapon combat, when you have a sharp object, you don't need to hit that hard, just need to hit fast and accurately.

- Rolling - god I hate this. Compare rolling against a sword strike, which one is faster? Yeah, that's why this would never work in RL.

- Cleave - this doesn't make any sense in terms of RL combat. How would you cleave in RL? You would have to cut cleanly through the first guy's torso to hit the next guy. Yeah...

And so on...

 

[Monkeyfinger]

Power attack makes perfect sense in the context of fighting some kind of construct or beast, something with defensive technique in the area of extremely basic to nonexistent.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

For me, I can't STAND it when an RPG based on a medieval model includes any kind of modern language and/or phrases in it as part of its actual PC or NPC dialog.

this thread is about wrathfinder isn't it?


Something I hate is the complete separation of constitution & strength. If you watch a strongman competition, those men look like someone who has maxed out their CON scores to me. While not the same, they're clearly intrinsically linked with each other. I assume this was based on the idea of a bodybuilder compared to a strongman, but the latter would have both higher strength and constitution.

 

[Crispy]

What would your solution be for that, rusty?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

What would your solution be for that, rusty?

Linked attributes like Underrail's linked skills.

 

[Alphons]

When NPC doesn't say and I can't ask how much will I get for doing the quest.
Vague "enough for a job like thay" or "you'll see" is even worse.

Time is money. Just tell me how much you're going to pay.

 

[Tyranicon]

Similar to the OP: Applying modern values to medieval societies. Full stop.

Somewhat acceptable in fantasy settings. Completely unacceptable in historical settings.

 

[Arbiter]

Fake dialog choices that lead to the same outcome.

 

[lukaszek]

power attack makes perfect sense in a world centered around dice rolls

 

[Arbiter]

MMO mechanics in single player games:
- items with minimal level requirements
- cooldowns
- artificial barriers for defeating enemies of a higher level (e.g. attacks against stronger opponents miss for no apparent reason, but work as soon as you bridge the level gap)

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

power attack makes perfect sense in a world centered around dice rolls

But it's this kind of thinking that keeps DnD from feeling like realistic medieval combat. Power attacks, hitpoints, etc.

 

[lukaszek]

- items with minimal level requirements

are minimal attribute reqs fine?

 

[Arbiter]

- items with minimal level requirements

are minimal attribute reqs fine?

Yes, they make more sense because they are more plausible (a big sword requires significant strength to be used effectively) and reflect player's choices: some PCs will be able to use big swords early on if they invest in strength, others mid-game, others never. With a minimum level requirement, every player character gets to use an item at the same time, e.g. level 10.

 

[Arbiter]

Also stat bloat - you start with 50 HP and finish the game with 5000.

 

[Crispy]

But it's this kind of thinking that keeps DnD from feeling like realistic medieval combat. Power attacks, hitpoints, etc.

Porky, you do realize that combat in D&D has been purposefully, and by design, obfuscated by representative analogs in things like "hit points", "armor class", and the like, right? This was done to facilitate the mathematical resolution of combat in a relatively efficient manner.

Hell, even "character levels" are an arbitrary yet necessary representation in classic D&D.

 

[Maxie]

lack of choice between english and japanese voices

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

But it's this kind of thinking that keeps DnD from feeling like realistic medieval combat. Power attacks, hitpoints, etc.

Porky, you do realize that combat in D&D has been purposefully, and by design, obfuscated by representative analogs in things like "hit points", "armor class", and the like, right? This was done to facilitate the mathematical resolution of combat in a relatively efficient manner.

Hell, even "character levels" are an arbitrary yet necessary representation in classic D&D.

Yes, I realize this, but what you have to realize is that this choice has led to a lot of problems:

1. Because the DnD power curve approach leads to non-realistic outcomes (e.g. constantly growing health, damage, etc), it leads to a lot of boring combat. Once your character has 50,000 hitpoints and hits for 2,000 damage, most fights become trash fights, and non-trash fight between you and a dragon with similar stats take forever, while you exchange blows for 2 hours. Compare this to actual combat, which is always exciting and one blow can decide a fight, and you will see what I mean.

2. Things like Power Attacks never add anything of value to the combat. It usually comes with a penalty to hit chance, so you never use it while having low toHit, and then always use it once your toHIt is high. Real combat abilities should be more interesting.

 

[Crispy]

50,000 hitpoints and hits for 2,000 damage

 

[CanadianCorndog]

Story heavy games with a specific villain but with some random character you make that does nothing to fulfill the premise of the story.
If they want to have a specific story, I prefer a specific character with a more specific role.
If they want you to make whatever character with a bunch of random party members, make it story light or looser.
Fallout games are an example of where it's story light (relative to some other RPGs) and you end up with some different endings because your character can be different.
Almost all stories in games are terrible and pointless so I think the casuals don't really care all that much but I just need to tune it out.

 

[JarlFrank]

- Cleave - this doesn't make any sense in terms of RL combat. How would you cleave in RL? You would have to cut cleanly through the first guy's torso to hit the next guy. Yeah...

EDIT:
Wunderbar since you rated "citation needed": Ironclad, 2011. Decent little movie about the siege of Rochester. Enjoy.

 

[Crispy]

I'd call that a critical hit.

 

[markec]

Games that have low level enemies that look like giant dangerous monsters and high level enemies that look like small creatures that look harmless compared to low level ones.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

porko is right, I don't find power attack and such to be very interesting.

The most interesting melee mechanics to come out of any D&D material are the ones video games very rarely implement: grappling.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

When simple folks like peasants or farmers speak like scholars.