Highlights
- Baldur's Gate 3 adapts its source material well, allowing both D&D and non-D&D players to enjoy it.
- The game provides a sense of nostalgia for fans and showcases the studio's dedication to the source material.
I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember. However, unlike some, I never developed an interest in tabletop roleplaying games during my childhood. This may be because I grew up in the 2000s, when tabletops weren’t as popular as they had been in the 80s or as they would become once more in the late 2010s.
That all changed when I happened upon a live episode of Critical Role’s first campaign almost a decade ago. From then on, I was very eager to try Dungeons & Dragons. The possibilities for mischief seemed endless, and the lore intrigued me. Surprisingly, I hadn’t played any RPGs set in Faerûn despite my passion for the genre. I played intermittently over the next few years, only finding a reliable campaign to participate in recently.
Along came Baldur’s Gate 3, and I admit that compared to others, I wasn’t too focused on seeing Dungeons & Dragons adapted to a modern-day triple-A. “Wow, I wonder how fireball will look…” I understood the appeal, but a lot of cRPGs are derived from Dungeons & Dragons, and I’d seen a lot of similar spells in other visually-impressive games.
However, I was surprised by how much my tabletop experience actually bolstered my time playing Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m not saying Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better experience for tabletop players; in fact, Larian has done an excellent job of filling a potential hole by making the game relatable to both D&D and non-D&D players. What I am saying is, as I played Baldur’s Gate 3, I could see how faithfully Larian was adapting its source material, and how I, as someone who is semi-knowledgeable about the source material, was able to appreciate that fact.
One of the first things I found useful was that I was able to circumvent a small sticking point for newcomers in that I immediately understood the action/bonus action method of combat. Larian does a fine job explaining what exactly constitutes a turn for those who don’t know, but this process was expedited for me. It’s distinct from Divinity: Original Sin’s take on turn-based combat (action points), so it may have come as a surprise to some.
The “vibe” of the game was also immediately obvious to me. Dungeons & Dragons' campaigns tend to lean towards ‘hi-jinks’ and humour. Yes, there’s a super serious world out there, and yes we have to save it, but we’re also going to push the boundaries of reality to see what wacky situations we end up in. I think Baldur’s Gate 3 does a good job of nailing this vibe, in the same vein as the recently-released Dungeons & Dragons movie. It’s emotional, and the stakes are high, but there’s plenty of humour in there, and it avoids the Disney-type quips that have become so common in media. Except for Gale—he speaks like an Avenger, to be honest.
If you’re familiar with the Forgotten Realms lore, then you’ll certainly recognise more of the locations, characters, and history than those who aren't. Heck, you’ll probably have more background lore from playing other D&D content than someone who has solely played previous installments of Baldur’s Gate. For example, the inquisitive scholar Volo is the author of Volo’s Guide to Monsters, a dungeon master supplementary guidebook that contains stat blocks and lore for various creatures.
Several Baldur’s Gate 3 characters have appeared in Dungeons & Dragons content, including Karlach, Shadowheart, Astarion, and more. Prerequisite knowledge isn’t necessary to fully connect with or appreciate these characters, but it’s an example of how Larian was willing to fully utilise its source material Larian didn’t take what may have been the easier option to exclude pre-existing characters from its story, and that’s refreshing.
In fact, while Larian could’ve told a story that was an insignificant blip in the history of Faerûn with newly-created characters, it didn’t. A standalone story would’ve given the studio the maximum amount of creative freedom, after all. Instead, the studio made the braver decision and incorporated characters from both the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons and also previous installments of Baldur’s Gate. Plus, the game thrust you into a high-stakes conflict for the future of Faerûn. This isn't some rural adventure about saving a farmstead; this story has deities, devils, and everything in between.
The talent to pull together all of this beloved pre-existing content while fleshing out a massive game is worthy of commendation. Larian has managed to create a game that’s both a love letter to existing Dungeons & Dragons fans while also being accessible and alluring to newcomers to the lore. It’s quite a feat.