Pentiment - Josh Sawyer's historical mystery narrative-driven game set in 16th century Bavaria

[Darth Roxor]

daily reminder he wrote pallegina

 

[Kem0sabe]

Josh Sawyer is the sole writer so it's going to live and die entirely on him.

This won't end well.

 

[FreeKaner]

daily reminder he wrote pallegina

Pallegina was one of the better companions in PoE1 in terms of having believable dialogue and central philosophy. As a no nonsense patriotic Paladin of the republics with a bit of conflict between duty and conscience but even in that only in service of the republics. Pallegina only became terrible in PoE2 becoming a confusedly written hysterical harpy.

 

[Roguey]

Pallegina only became terrible in PoE2 becoming a confusedly written hysterical harpy.

Unfortunately that's the Josh we're getting now. The old Josh is forever in the past.

 

[MajorMace]

I have a homebrew theory that there are actually 5 stages of Josh. Much more detailed than simply "old josh" and "current josh"

 

[Skinwalker]

He's making Disco Elysium?

 

[Abu Antar]

Josh needs Chris, and Chris needs Josh. Hatred gets their creative juices flowing

 

[KVVRR]

Is that a stock image? It has to be. At least tell me it's a placeholder or something.

 

[vortex]

If I remember correctly, Josh only played a couple of hours of Elysium.

Thank you. He even said in some podcast that he didn't like skill checks in Disco. I believe this game shall be like Pillars but more revolutionary in every aspect. This experimental gameplay I think they already made it in the game since Pentiment would be already released but they double down with new experimental stuff.

 

[Quillon]

Josh Sawyer is the sole writer

I remember he posted several times with Kate D's stuff in dialogue editor, I think she's also involved at least in a limited capacity, if so bad news... or worse news

 

[Infinitron]

arabian christian?

prester john, clearly

Clearly based on this 1800 drawing: https://www.alamy.com/english-prest...mperador-de-los-abisinios-image188271938.html

 

[Viata]

"clearly based"


Edit: It's not clearly, Infi. It's looks more like an ancient Egyptian artist trying to draw a western emperor.

 

[FreeKaner]

Supposed EVROPEAN HISTORY fans don't even know who Prester John is?

 

[Roguey]

Josh Sawyer is the sole writer

I remember he posted several times with Kate D's stuff in dialogue editor, I think she's also involved at least in a limited capacity, if so bad news... or worse news

She was just giving feedback apparently https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/obsidian-general-discussion-thread.84849/page-346#post-7237393

 

[Delterius]

"clearly based"


Edit: It's not clearly, Infi. It's looks more like an ancient Egyptian artist trying to draw a western emperor.

you call yourself brazilian and you don't know what prester john is

damn you to your seventh neighborly portuga baker

 

[Anthedon]

16th century Europe setting and some type of Prester John character(s) sound downright interesting. But:

Josh Sawyer is the sole writer so it's going to live and die entirely on him.

 

[mediocrepoet]

If I remember correctly, Josh only played a couple of hours of Elysium.

Thank you. He even said in some podcast that he didn't like skill checks in Disco. I believe this game shall be like Pillars but more revolutionary in every aspect. This experimental gameplay I think they already made it in the game since Pentiment would be already released but they double down with new experimental stuff.

Can't wait for Sediment, the RPG game with no combat, no skills, and no dice. Loosely based on a drunk reading of the Amber ruleset and with a UI and narrative resembling checking out wikipedia for 30 hours.

 

[Lyre Mors]

Damn dude, mediocrepoet, nice drop on the Amber ruleset. Got a good laugh out of me.

 

[FreeKaner]

The narrative rambling resembling checking out wikipedia for 30 hours really strikes at the heart of the matter. There will be no coherent themes or philosophy to this.

Josh Sawyer once wrote Joshua Graham, that sort of theme and philosophy coherence could make for a great 16th century murder mystery, touching matters of God, faith, betrayal, sin, deception, honesty and all else that one could expect from a murder investigation and confession, with possible conflicts of interest, with narrative and moral choices between truth or community for example. Yet I feel like this will end up being a completely incoherent wikipedia presentation of 16th century Holy Roman Empire and nothing more.

I would love a skillfully handled game set in Holy Roman Empire, especially touching the conflict between temporal authority and church authority, between aristocratic loyalty and konfessionalisierung. A game involving civil society and criminal tribunes, involving how Holy Roman Empire had several overlapping and sometimes conflicting courts like the reichskammergericht and the council in Vienna on top of local temporal and clerical authorities, as well as inquisitions, would be extremely fitting. It really is a perfect setting for murder mystery conceptually but alas I highly doubt a good game will be found here, let alone a competently written one.

 

[Starwars]

The idea is appealing but after seeing the direction of the writing in Outer Worlds, as well as the Microsoft takeover, it's hard to feel any excitment.

Still, if it actually follows through on the murdermystery stuff, it could be interesting. Will depend a lot on how safe they play it.

 

[Brancaleone]

Is that Rajon Rondo with a beard?

 

[Viata]

"clearly based"


Edit: It's not clearly, Infi. It's looks more like an ancient Egyptian artist trying to draw a western emperor.

you call yourself brazilian and you don't know what prester john is

damn you to your seventh neighborly portuga baker

I never said I don't know him. I'm saying the drawing is more based on shit ancient Egyptian art(even the feet are facing the same side) than the art above where the artist knows how to draw.

 

[c2007]

Why does every computer game have to tick the same boxes?

I enjoyed DE. Will play again, soon I think. There is comedy there, and introspection if you want (and the effacement that results) or actual RP to the extent it lets you.

Do I look for games, cRPGs in particular, that have good combat well-executed in style and substance? Most of the time.

I'm married to a woman, not a gaming genre. I sowed plenty of fields before then, so no regrets. Combat cRPG never equipped the ring on this finger.

Murder mystery has my interest immediately. It's all in the execution, and Sawyer as both Grand Vizier and High Mogul is a bold move. Let's see how it works out for him.

 

[Viata]

Why does every computer game have to tick the same boxes?

It doesn't need. But you can't just sell a VN/Adventure game and call it a RPG. No, maybe you can, given the reaction to DE here.

 

[c2007]

Why does every computer game have to tick the same boxes?

It doesn't need. But you can't just sell a VN/Adventure game and call it a RPG. No, maybe you can, given the reaction to DE here.

I thought about making a cRPG/RPG distinction before but felt my own inner tl;dr coming on so I stopped. The following is elementary to everyone, so forgive me for working it out simply.

RPG=Pen and Paper based game, has a ruleset (or many), and definitely has combat.

cRPG=Computer based. A derivative.

Disco Elysium does have dice rolls, and points invested in CC and through progress. There is combat, against a wall. And against yourself. A derivative.

I think your distinction is no longer accurate, despite a monacled appearance and being historically correct, for DE. Possibly this future Sawyerism either. DE was creative, and it felt like an RPG. I will have to do my second play and see if the outcome is different enough considering my choices will be wildly different in every regard.

There is a pretty solid line between VN and RPG, no arguments. Without a second playthrough and result of the jackass I intend to be, maybe it is less of an RP than I thought - if so, I'll own up to it on your wall. If it proceeds as comedically as I expect, but different because choices and build... how is that not a cRPG?