Poll: Dragon Age - Should Anora count as a romance option?

[thejboy88]

Title says it all. In the game, Dragon Age Origins, you are given the option (if oplaying as a male human noble) to marry Queen Anora, the widow of the country's previous ruler. However, in spite of this she's never really counted amongst potential love interests for the player like the members of your party are.

So I would like to know whether or not gamers feel she counts as a romance option. And I would like to hear your reasons for your choices.

 

[Mikejames]

That was about politics, not romance.

 

[I.Muir]

and why would you want to

I married Alister to her to wipe that smug look off his face

 

[DementedSheep]

It?s not really a ?romance? because it?s a political marriage not out of love.

 

[Gunjester]

That was about politics, not romance.

It's a role-playing game, if your character is infatuated with her or in love with her it's a one-sided romance. It's up to you, technically, so yeah I'd say she counts as a partial one, just that she can't be considered anywhere close to the true romance options.

 

[omega 616]

'cos shes not in the game that much?

She has like 2 scenes in the whole game and you don't really get to talk with her that much.

The people in your party are with you for ages, I'm not exactly sure of how long it takes to go from the battle at Ostegar to killing the big bad but you have to imagine it's a couple of months.

You spend all this time wandering around this land with you're party and you have to imagine that they talk during these trips around the map. So as you talk in camp and on these walks, your character grows closer to one person and thus blooms a romance.

With queen Anora, you meet her 2 or 3 times then the game ends (or you play DLC). Unless you fall in love at first sight, it doesn't seem that believable.

 

[Dendio]

I always thought that beneath her politically honed demeanor she had a passion for my warden

 

[Vegosiux]

That manipulative, conniving wench? Hell, it only took three sentences from her mouth that I started being suspicious of her. Noooooo thank you. She can stay there with her little games I'll inevitably foil, not touching that one with any kind of pole.

 

[Mikejames]

That was about politics, not romance.

It's a role-playing game, if your character is infatuated with her or in love with her it's a one-sided romance. It's up to you, technically, so yeah I'd say she counts as a partial one, just that she can't be considered anywhere close to the true romance options.

Wanting to say that your warden has some unrequited lust for a character who marries solely for power, while offering little to no in-depth interaction, isn't what I'd classify as a romance story arc by any degree, but hey, your interpretation.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

If she actually CARED about me, then sure. However, as everyone has pointed out, it was simply a power play move. Which is a pity, because to me, Anora is probably the most beautiful out of all the women there. I was kind of hoping that you could get her personality to lighten up a bit, and apparently you can in Awakening if you choose the right dialogue choices, but she remains true to herself. Can't fault her for that I suppose.

 

[Raikas]

If she actually CARED about me, then sure. However, as everyone has pointed out, it was simply a power play move.

In Awakenings, if you import a married-to-Anora Warden you actually get an epilogue slide that implies that she's actually fond of her husband, so I actually do think you could make the argument for there being a (minor) amount of romance involved.

That said, the game had accomplishments/trophies for the 4 main romances, so from a meta/gameplay perspective it's a clear no.

 

[Gunjester]

Wanting to say that your warden has some unrequited lust for a character who marries solely for power, while offering little to no in-depth interaction, isn't what I'd classify as a romance story arc by any degree, but hey, your interpretation.

Yeah, how dare she marry someone solely for power like literally every other noble of the time. And lust isn't all one needs, he may respect her ability as a leader, her boldness against her father and so on. You judge her solely from the eyes of your modern-day self, which defeats the purpose role-playing.
If I'm raised as a Cousland, raised to believe that love grows with another person and that marriage is an arrangement for your pedigree, not an expression of love you might have a different opinion. This isn't about what you'd classify as romance, it's what your character classifies as one.

 

[Mikejames]

Wanting to say that your warden has some unrequited lust for a character who marries solely for power, while offering little to no in-depth interaction, isn't what I'd classify as a romance story arc by any degree, but hey, your interpretation.

Yeah, how dare she marry someone solely for power like literally every other noble of the time. And lust isn't all one needs, he may respect her ability as a leader, her boldness against her father and so on. You judge her solely from the eyes of your modern-day self, which defeats the purpose role-playing.
If I'm raised as a Cousland, raised to believe that love grows with another person and that marriage is an arrangement for your pedigree, not an expression of love you might have a different opinion. This isn't about what you'd classify as romance, it's what your character classifies as one.

Are you, unironically defending her character?

All we really know about Anora is her implied political prowess and by extension her unhesitant willingness to sell out and execute the people who helped her if she thinks for a second that it would benefit her.

 

[Frotality]

shes not a romance option because marrying her isnt a goal for the development of 2 character's relationship, its a simple means to an end to drive the plot forward, exactly what a political marriage is.

 

[Gunjester]

Are you, unironically defending her character?

All we really know about Anora is her implied political prowess and by extension her unhesitant willingness to sell out and execute the people who helped her if she thinks for a second that it would benefit her.

She never orders an execution, and only sells you out if you're a naive moron who's dumb enough to call on her when faced with the most dangerous woman in Ferelden.

 

[Mikejames]

She never orders an execution

Alistar: Your murdering father gets a place amongst the Grey Wardens. What else could you want from me?
Anora: Your life unfortunately.

and only sells you out if you're a naive moron who's dumb enough to call on her when faced with the most dangerous woman in Ferelden.

I already dealt with Flemeth by that point.

 

[AD-Stu]

If people really got into that union then good for them, but personally I'm with the "no" crowd for a mix of the above reasons. It's mostly politically driven, it's barely fleshed out compared to the other romance options, and she's only really a bit character. Even the Kelly Chambers "romance" in ME2 had more substance to it that this one.

 

[RJ 17]

Yeeeaaaah, no.

She's a *****, plain and simple. If you go along with her plan she intends to take the primary role of ruling Fereldin and you're just a political marriage since everyone wants you to be king. She has absolutely no interest in you as a lover or even as a friend, this is proven by how she behaves if you don't go along with her plan: she comes in the room and says you kidnapped her, siding with her father because you don't intend to let her rule. She even KNOWS that her father betrayed her former husband - costing him his life - and that he's the very cause of all the chaos currently engulfing the land, yet all that matters to her is the crown.

 

[mrhappy1489]

No I don't think it counts as a technical romance in the game, however from a role playing perspective it could count. But Technically no it doesn't count. Plus Alastair is my favourite side character in the game so I'd never not make him the king.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Although my "canon" and first character was a human noble, I managed to persuade Alistair through dialogue to marry her and become king.

He would do the ruling and she would take care of the politic side of things if I can remember correctly so in the end it all worked out well for my story at least.