31 réponses à ce sujet

[DWSmiley]

Having spent many hours at the tvtropes website, I think all stories are cliched but I get your point.  My buttons are easily pushed, however.  It is interesting to see the range of opinion on favourite and not-favourite origins; a testament to the quality of the writing.  A big reason the human and city elf ones are my favourites is they add to the intensity of the climax.  The human is the only warden who likely cares as much about saving Ferelden as stopping the Blight.  And while the city elf probably couldn't care less about the kingdom, s/he does have a vested interest in saving Denerim.
What impresses me most about the writing is the innumerable bons mots sprinkled throughout.  Anyone who played the game only a reasonable number of times surely missed several.  Not me though.

[fgalkin]

Everything becomes cliched if you spend enough time on tvtropes. But some are still more cliched than others

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Corker]

bleetman wrote...

I think the only thing that sort of bugs me about playing a Dalish is how, for lack of a better term, un-dalishy a lot of what the Warden says can be. For someone who's spent their lives amongst their nomadic clan, they seem to automatically know a whole lot about how human society works.

Well, that and never using any elven words. I understand as to why that is, but it still niggles at me.

This is why I favor the unvoiced protagonist.  After about my second PT, I just started answering NPCs in my head, then looking for the available option that came closest to what I wanted to say.  Sometimes there wasn't anything that was a good match (*cough* DC facing down Leske *cough* ) but I could generally find something in the right ballpark.

[humes spork]

I will say the Dalish origin irritates me, above and beyond it simply being detached from the game's larger narrative whereas the other origins are not. The DE origin occurs almost entirely by accident and coincidence (the PC accidentally finds the Eluvian, accidentally contracts the Blight, Duncan coincidentally appears) and the PC is forced into becoming a Warden with no given or practical motivation other than not dying.

The other origins have motivations for the PC becoming a Warden that exist beyond mere survival, whereas the Dalish elf has none. The HN, DN, and DC can also seek revenge for wrongs done to them or others; the CE and mage can simply want to see the outside world, and have freedom; the DC, CE, and mage can want the equality that comes with being a Warden.

Add to that there's practically no callback, personal resolution or closure, to the origin story within the context of DA:O, which is a sorely missed opportunity in Nature of the Beast. Would it really have been so difficult to have linkage by dealing with the same Dalish clan? The closest thing you get is in the Witch Hunt DLC, for which you must shell out another $10...which is really the point at which apathy turns into irritation, for me.

[d3c0yBoY]

humes spork wrote...

I will say the Dalish origin irritates me, above and beyond it simply being detached from the game's larger narrative whereas the other origins are not. The DE origin occurs almost entirely by accident and coincidence (the PC accidentally finds the Eluvian, accidentally contracts the Blight, Duncan coincidentally appears) and the PC is forced into becoming a Warden with no given or practical motivation other than not dying.

The other origins have motivations for the PC becoming a Warden that exist beyond mere survival, whereas the Dalish elf has none. The HN, DN, and DC can also seek revenge for wrongs done to them or others; the CE and mage can simply want to see the outside world, and have freedom; the DC, CE, and mage can want the equality that comes with being a Warden.

Add to that there's practically no callback, personal resolution or closure, to the origin story within the context of DA:O, which is a sorely missed opportunity in Nature of the Beast. Would it really have been so difficult to have linkage by dealing with the same Dalish clan? The closest thing you get is in the Witch Hunt DLC, for which you must shell out another $10...which is really the point at which apathy turns into irritation, for me.

I also feel that the Dalish Elves origins make Duncan out to be a complete scumbag, by him tricking the PC that he will find a cure to his condition. I deleted my DE PC when I came to the realization that I've been duped into being a Warden with no motivation or reason to join forces with the shemlin. They are the most uninteresting of all the origins.

My personal favorites are Human Noble and Dwarf Noble. Their stories intertwine with the larger politics of the main story with characters like Howe and Bhelen which provides added importance. Mage would be my third only because I enjoyed how integral their stories are with the fade, Jowen and Redcliff.

[Fuggyt]

DWSmiley wrote...

It's the old "whatever it takes to end the Blight." Duncan badly wants a promising recruit. He initially accepts the Couslands refusing to offer their youngest child, probably to not anger such a powerful family, but now his other candidate, Ser Gilmore, is dead or soon to be. I found killing Howe a satisfying conclusion, even more so if you use the family sword, just as your mother urged.

I agree that the whole, "I appoint x to rule and they will marry me" stratagem should have provoked some response from the Landsmeet.

The response it should provoke is "Huzzah."  This part never bothered me in the least and in fact flattered my conception of my HN character no end.  It's obvious from the beginning that the banns are chafing under Loghain's rule.  You spend the better part of the game rallying Ferelden against him, crushing his civil war, conspiring with the Crows, and slaughtering his despised henchman.  The nobles all know what Howe and Loghain did to your beloved and respected family, and if the sample who frequent the Gnawed Noble is at all representative, they're deeply sympathetic to your cause. 

At the Landsmeet, Loghain stands exposed and reviled.  Even his own daughter has turned against him.  After a duel of honor which he loses badly, he is executed for his crimes.  (Yes, I know, there are other ways to play it:  the male HN can spare Loghain and exile Alistair, but he still needs Anora to become king; the female HN doesn't need Anora but can't spare Loghain.)   Reasonably enough, Arl Eaman and the Landsmeet turn to you.

And why shouldn't they?  As far as anybody knows, you're the last of the Couslands and the sole surviving teryn in Ferelden.   Rulers of the last independent terynir during Calenhad's consolidation of Ferelden, the Cousland name has ever since been second in the realm only behind Theirin.  If you're a male HN, though, it's clear the bastard stable boy from Redcliffe won't do.  The Theirin line having died out and Alistair stepping gratefully aside, a Cousland-MacTir dynasty seems just the ticket.  If you're a female HN, it's clear the usurper's daughter has no place and Alistair's Theirin blood, combined with the support of Redcliffe and Highever, will restore stability.  

The HN's accomplishments throughout the game have earned him the respect and gratitude of the nobility.  His family name and bloodline are revered and unquestioned.  His military prowess enables him to replace Loghain at the head of Ferelden's armies and his status as a Grey Warden uniquely qualifies him to lead the country against darkspawn at a time of unprecedented crisis.  I always felt if the HN didn't marry onto the throne, he might just be crowned by acclamation anyway.