D&D General Should BG4 be a new story or continue on from BG3's story?

[AlViking]

Personally I'd like to see a continuation of Karlach's story but I doubt it will happen or that another company could replicate the feel of BG 3. But that's part of the issue - I enjoyed BG 3 but it's adherence to the D&D game I actually play can be pretty tenuous at times. The other is that I don't think anyone should even attempt a BG 4, there are so many other D&D stories you could tell and creating a BG 4 would lead people to think it's going to be another Larian spin on the game.

 

[TwoSix]

Personally I'd like to see a continuation of Karlach's story but I doubt it will happen or that another company could replicate the feel of BG 3. But that's part of the issue - I enjoyed BG 3 but it's adherence to the D&D game I actually play can be pretty tenuous at times. The other is that I don't think anyone should even attempt a BG 4, there are so many other D&D stories you could tell and creating a BG 4 would lead people to think it's going to be another Larian spin on the game.

Agreed. Any suggestions I make are predicated on the idea that BG4 is a done deal and will be released by the end of the decade; my personal preference would be to let the property rest on its laurels for a generation and do another game in the 2040s.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The only way I would be comfortable with any of the characters returning is if they either hired their original writers (unlikely- I think they all still work at Larian and it's one of the few places in the games industry with job security, so fat chance poaching them) or maybe hired their actors to write the characters as well. I trust Newbon to be able to write the next chapter of Astarion's story, but I don't know if, for instance, Downie is quite identified with Gale as he is.

And also like... D&D and Forgotten Realms are big worlds. Yeah I like Astarion and Gale and the crew but I'm far more interested in seeing new characters that fit better into the plot and context of the game. I'm of the opinion that an RPG sequel should never have more than one or two recurring companions. It's really naughty word conspicuous that there were no gnomes, dwarves or halflings in the BG3 cast and that better be corrected for BG4.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I voted "No BG4" simply because there are a million other places to build great CRPGs in the FR.

To be fair it's not like Baldurs Gate 2 had anything to do with Baldur's Gate. Or Neverwinter Nights 2 having anything to do with Neverwinter.

You could call the game Baldur's Gate 4 and set it in Katashaka for all it matters. It's a brand.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Personally I'd like to see a continuation of Karlach's story

This could be done in a number of different ways that wouldn't need to be part of the Baldur's Gate series: an action game, a tabletop adventure, a novel.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

To be fair it's not like Baldurs Gate 2 had anything to do with Baldur's Gate. Or Neverwinter Nights 2 having anything to do with Neverwinter.

You could call the game Baldur's Gate 4 and set it in Katashaka for all it matters. It's a brand.

The city of Neverwinter did appear in the NWN2 core campaign.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The city of Neverwinter did appear in the NWN2 core campaign.

It's been a while since I replayed it, totally forgot. Does it have a smaller part in the plot than NWN? I do vaguely remember seeing an uncanny valley Alagondar model.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's been a while since I replayed it, totally forgot. Does it have a smaller part in the plot than NWN? I do vaguely remember seeing an uncanny valley Alagondar model.

It’s a significant location, but not quite as central to the plot as in NWN. You spend more time there than you do in Baldur’s Gate in BG1.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

New story, new origin characters. The origin characters are part of the appeal--genericized player-made characters won't feel as gripping. There's a reason basically nobody talks about "Tav", but lots of folks talk about the Dark Urge, and it ain't because the latter's daGiant in the Playground Forumsrk, it's because there's an actual character to them.

Self-insert characters are fine, but it's a damn sight harder to build a compelling game with only such characters playable.

Or, if you prefer? There's a reason most people don't play "I created five characters and my GM friend runs for me". We want to see, hear, and explore the stories of things outside ourselves. In the CRPG world, that means created characters.

It can still be a BG game and not be set in Baldur's Gate. BG2 and Throne of Bhaal don't take place anywhere near Baldur's Gate, so it's not without precedent.

Yep. Athkatla is about 320 miles south of Baldur's Gate. Hell, most of BG3 itself occurs at a fair distance from the city--first you're on a nautiloid in Hell, then you're crashed on the beach, then pushing through the Underdark, then passing through the shadow-cursed lands. Sure, Act 3 is the biggest act and has tons of stuff to it, but for being called "Baldur's Gate 3", you spend less than half the game actually in/near the city.

Sometimes, the name of a franchise outlives the context that started it.

 

[TwoSix]

As a total tangent, people often use "origin characters" as a synonym for "companion characters"; but "origin characters" are only a subset of "companion characters" in BG3.

Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Wyll, and Karlach are "Origin Characters" because you can choose to play as them as your "Origin" at main character creation. (You can also play as "Dark Urge" which has an origin backstory and questline but is customizable in appearance, race, and class. Or you can play as a "Tav", which is fully customizable but has no personal questline outside the main story line.)

Minthara, Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc are companion characters but not Origin characters.