Poll: Would you play this game?

[Camaranth]

It seems to me that no matter what game you are playing the player character is the most important character in the story (for obvious reasons).

So my question is: if there was a game where you played the role of a support character instead of the hero destined to save the land would you play it?

Somethings for this game to work: the "Hero" takes you everywhere, NPCs talk to the Hero not you but you get to be the a snarky sidekick if you want, and you can choose specializations etc,

personally I think it'd be great to see the standard RPG story fair from a different point of view. What else would be required for this game to work?

 

[radioactive lemur]

Not my cup of tea cause I don't care for RPGs, but if that game were ever actually made I'd imagine it would be very popular.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

Might be a nice change of pace. I could see myself having fun as the obnoxious sidekick for a change. I'd be something along the lines of Max [Sam & Max]...annoying as sin, but equally wonderful to be around.


Also, if you die in battle, or something terrible happens in game, you can just blame it on the main character. I mean, they are the hero after all..

 

[cowsvils]

Probably not as I wouldn't have much control of the adventure, I'd just sort of be along for the ride. It would probably be a fun change of pace for a couple of missions, but I don't think I'd be a fan of losing the control of where I go.

Plus, there's the risk of the game just being a giant escort mission.

Although, come to think of it, if you did something where you were a soldier in some sort of company and you had to deal with different leaders everytime yours died it could be interesting

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Hmmm. Sounds interesting, I'd give it a shot but wouldn't shell out $60 for it. $20 max, maybe.

 

[MiKeSt3r]

I'd quite like to see something like that done. Even if it's not the same character all the time like cowsvils said it could be really cool. Getting to experience loads of different scenario's from a support role. Could even work for things like FPS' where one mission your a sniper providing cover, next your manning the escape vehicle and then your tending to injured soldiers or what not...Just hopefully no chef missions...

 

[josemlopes]

Actually, Modern Warfare 2 kind of does that in the end, isnt Price the true hero? He did more than what any other charater from Call of Duty did, but you still never get to play with him, and he is also the one that leads the way.

But still, MW2 isnt an RPG so its a different case

 

[Maldark]

Y'know what WOULD work. If it was like one of those movies/TV shows like Inspector Gadget. Where the hero is actually a bungeling moron and it's your job to make sure he doesn't get hurt/catches the bad guy without getting any of the credit yourself.

 

[GiantRaven]

I would play the crap out of that. I get kind of sick playing protagonists all the time. Sometimes I'd just like to be the lancer, you know?

 

[DEAD34345]

Hey, why not just go play the game: http://code.google.com/p/ioc/
Inversion of control, a pretty new rogue-like in which you play as the pet of the hero.

It seems half the ideas people come up with have already been done in rogue-likes, Yahtzee's leveling backwards already had a rogue-like too, in which you got weaker because you were reaching old age and it played as the last adventures of a great adventurer. Unfortunately i forgot the name of the game and haven't been able to find that one since...

 

[ten.to.ten]

Have you never played Final Fantasy X, OP?

 

[Ramrunner7]

That game sounds like final fantasy 12... but better! I'd love to play a game like that!

 

[Screamarie]

Interesting idea and it might work but I'd definetely want to rent before buying. I'd be worried that as a support character it might leave you with limited thinggs to do but...it could also provide possibilites. Like if you're the only one able to hack into computers or get passed security doors, well then you'd have quite a lot of responsibility.

Also, I love the Grinch reference.

 

[DustyDrB]

So I could be Varric, and be left out of the party sometimes? And in that downtime, I could get drinks at the Hanged Man? And ordering drinks in the game would make a nice Dogfish Head beer appear in my hand?

Yes, that's a great idea!

 

[random_bars]

Brutal Legend does this. The guy you play as is a roadie, who was used to setting everything up for the band, fixing problems and staying out of the limelight. Then, he's sucked back in time to the Age of Metal, and plays the same role but in a medieval warfare setting, both in story and in gameplay. Story-wise, Lars is the leader of your army and gets all the glory and credit, whereas you sort stuff out behind the scenes and stay out of the spotlight. Gameplay-wise, in the big battles your job is to co-ordinate your army, assist them with teamup attacks and guitar solos that give buffs and stuff, and work alongside them to destroy your enemy's stage - they're the heroic faces, but the one doing all the work. If you're after a game like you described I suggest you give it a look.

 

[Camaranth]

Have you never played Final Fantasy X, OP?

Nope. Does it use a similar mechanic/idea?

 

[ten.to.ten]

Have you never played Final Fantasy X, OP?

Nope. Does it use a similar mechanic/idea?

The main character of FFX, Tidus, is actually fairly insignificant to the story and it's another character, Yuna, who's the actual hero out to save the planet.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

It's an interesting change of pace, but I think that if that game was made it would have to give you some amount of autonomy from the "hero" character of the game. Otherwise the entire game would be extremely linear since it would drag you behind the hero character without letting you explore much.

The "hero" character of the game would really need to be balanced well too. If you make him powerful, the way a hero should be, it would take away any purpose for the player character to be there, but if you make him too weak, he wouldn't seem like the "hero" character anymore, since the sidekick would have to save his butt all the time (known as Green Hornet syndrome).

Still it's an interesting idea if it was fully developed, and I would definitely be interested (just so long as it wasn't another D&D style fantasy RPG).

 

[AlternatePFG]

Honestly I wouldn't mind it. If it was made interesting story wise, I think it could work out well.