“No, I am not playing Baldur’s Gate 3. I hate turn-based games.”
I’m pretty sure I said that exact phrase no less than a hundred times over the past 6 months, as time and time again friends and viewers would ask when I’d be booting up Larian Studios’ latest behemoth of a game. But I was steadfast and resolute in the face of the incessant questions, the sending of clips meant to entice me, and the memes meant for a chuckle. That, or, like my father always likes to say, because I’m “as stubborn as my Colombian mother.”
The gaming community over the past six months has felt a lot like that time last year when everyone was watching Squid Game, or even way back when everyone was reeling after the infamous “Red Wedding” (if you know, you know). My stubbornness and outright refusal to play Baldur’s Gate had nothing to do with whether or not it was a great game. I had zero doubts that it was (and is). But I’m also wildly particular about the types of games I like to play, and if it falls out of that box, then I’m not likely to pick it up. Or if I do, I most certainly won’t be finishing it, great and engaging story be damned. My stinginess with the types of games I play is wildly reminiscent of my stinginess over the types of wine I’ll drink; don’t even think of putting Cupcake or Carlo Rossi in front of me if you value your limbs. That Cabernet needs to make the back of my tongue burn like dragon fire.
All that said, it doesn’t mean I haven’t deeply enjoyed hearing the stories of friends that have played. Several close friends have been so deeply invested in the game since launch that at this point, they’re in double digit numbers of playthroughs. That alone has boggled my mind; no matter how great a game has been in my experience, no matter how many choices or pathways, I’ve never seen anything played more than a handful of times (or done so myself). So to say my curiosity was piqued from the get go would be an understatement.
Over the last year, I’ve also started to pick up the classic hobby of Dungeons and Dragons, both as a player and as a DM. As overwhelming as it can be for new players, I’ve really enjoyed learning all the lore, classes, races, characters, and everything in between. Being able to tell stories with all my friends is the coolest experience, and there’s something about building an adventure together and experiencing that adventure together that really creates a special kind of bond. And that’s exactly the kind of experience I crave.
So after kicking off a traditional “DnD” campaign with a few friends as a DM for the first time, the question of Baldur’s Gate once again came up.
A dear friend of mine, one of the moderators for my Twitch channel and also a streamer in his own right, straight up asked me if I’d be interested in doing a co-op campaign with him. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the co-op capabilities of Baldur’s Gate, and didn’t even realize it was possible to complete an entire campaign together. So then, I found myself at a crossroads. I was about to spout my “I hate turn-based games, you know this,” line, but found myself pausing. I hate playing turn-based games by myself. But what about with a friend? That was something I’d yet to try. So I threw caution to the wind and said “You know what, sure. Let’s give this a go.”
And boy oh boy what a go it’s been.
The character creator alone was basically like the most cathartic therapy session (and cheaper too). After over an hour of considering numerous possibilities, I settled on a druid gnome with purple hair and beard named Hersall Thornwind. Honestly, character creation would have likely taken much longer if I hadn’t already decided on my race and class before playing. In my actual D&D sessions, I am accustomed to playing my trusty tabaxi warrior Elsen Brightmane, a paladin in service of the draconian god Bahamut. I was excited about dipping my toes in another class and doing some crazy shenanigans with the forces of nature. Also wildshaping into a wolf sounded positively dope.
My friend opted for a gnome bard that looks straight out of My Chemical Romance, and off we went into our very own adventure. To say I’m grateful for his presence is an understatement. He is far more strategic and tactical, and has the chops to plan out turns based on a thorough perusing of the map as we head into dangerous areas. There’s definitely been some trial and error as we get used to our respective abilities (I may or may not have blown up a bridge as Astarion using the Burning Hands spell and promptly sent him down a bottomless chasm to his death) but we’re starting to come into our own. And every mistake we’ve made has felt productive, even if there were consequences (like how I definitely won’t be using Burning Hands on any precarious surfaces again).
Sundays, our designated “Baldur Days,” have become a ritual to which I now count down the hours. When we’ve both found ourselves with free time, impromptu sessions are the norm, and we’ve found ourselves burning away hours without venturing more than a few hundred yards from one spot. The game feels so dense with lore, opportunity, and adventure, that you could spend multiple days in one spot and still not exhaust every nook and cranny. I can confirm this through experience; we spent nearly 20 hours in the goblin camp in the game’s first act and still have more to do when we boot up again on Sunday.
I suppose the lesson here is rather obvious, but suffice it to say, it was a lesson I needed to learn. Over the years, I’ve boxed myself into a very specific niche of games I like to play, and it’s caused me to miss out on a lot of gaming experiences as the niche grows ever more restrictive. Having preferences is fine, and we all have them, but growth, as with anything, comes from trying new things outside your comfort zone. I spent years bashing Fortnite before realizing after actually playing it that maybe it’s not as bad as I thought it was. That’s growth. I tried pineapple on pizza once and can now speak on good authority how it is a crime against humanity. That’s growth.
So while I don’t think I’ll be picking Octopath Traveler back up anytime soon, I’m no longer going to be so quick to dismiss a potentially awesome game to play just because it doesn’t fit my particular box of enjoyment. I know what I like and what I don’t like, to be sure, so don’t get your hopes up that I’m going to demoralize myself again with more Souls-like games. But, if the promise of a good story is there waiting in the wings, I will certainly be more willing to listen. And maybe roll for Initiative.
