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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   28725 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 28, 2023

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Let me give an example that I think really highlights NPCism.

If you've played any Bethesda role playing game, you've seen it. These games have hoards of NPCs, with a generic pool of NPC phrases. You'll hear dozens of random NPCs echoing the same 6 phrases in a given location over and over and over again. But we aren't to true NPCism just yet.

There will be a quest giver in this town. He is the specific NPC that tells you to act on one of the 6 or so "rumors" you've heard all the other NPCs repeat ad nauseum. Like maybe you've heard over and over again "I hope the princess is ok" muttered as you pass by various NPCs. You walk up to this guy, and he confides in you that the princess is dead, however for the stability of the kingdom, a lookalike has been found. You must escort her, secretly, into the castle. This must be done because an impending marriage/alliance requires a living princess. You close the dialog, about to partake on this important quest, and then the NPC mutters "I hope the princess is ok".

MOTHER FUCKER! WE JUST HAD A 5 MINUTE CONVERSATION THAT THE PRINCESS IS FUCKING DEAD!

This is true NPCism. And the number of times I have no shit had that happen to me in real ass life has black pilled me so fucking hard I'm beyond recovery.

…are there any elder scrolls games that actually have a princess?

CHECKMATE, MONARCHISTS.

Sir, this is an Empire.

I think Daggerfall certainly had. That game was a true gem, also the only game in the series as far as I know that had prostitution (without mods).

Daggerfall didn't have prostitution in the final release. At one point it was meant to but this was removed to lower the age rating. The assets themselves were kept, hence why whenever you walked into a temple half the characters therein were dressed in a priestly fashion and the other half weren't wearing any clothes.

I think princess Elysana of Barenziah fame.

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