Awesome. When you tear yourself away from the game every now and then, feel free to share screenshots. We loves them all, yes we do. (DAO screenshots very welcome, too.)
In that case, Koshka Brosca (I don't have a good shot of my Aeducans).
I think I might do a replay of origins now that I finished my first play through of inquistion. Question dwarf fans:
should I go for the dwarven noble or the Dwarven commoner?
Haaaaaard question. Let me toss out some perks that I remember from the top of my head:
- Brosca has the most epic conscription moment with Duncan when he reveals his prowess in the Provings. Aeducan is not as awesome, but just to be funny, you can stall and stall with Duncan with all the dialogue choices until he's like oh **** it, I'm conscripting you, let's go already.
- Female Aeducan has Gorim romance, which is one of the reasons why I prefer Aeducan overall. I like to think that even though she understood the caste system and why she could never be with him openly, that it definitely opened the door for thinking that maybe their way of life was likely outdated. (Bhelen was already on the same mindset for reasons of his own.) Once on the surface and seeing how much better it was for surface dwarves, easier for an attitude shift. For Brosca, I didn't like having to fight Leske in the end. Brosca is definitely an underdog story. Everyone loves Rica. A nice sweet counterpart to Aeducan's POS brothers. =p
- As an Aeducan, it was easier for me to take pride in dwarves, to read all the lore, to be proud of the empire despite the obvious flaws, to want to restore dwarves to their former glory. The first paragon was an Aeducan so there's pride in continuing to be a part of that legacy. For Brosca, there's pride in a commoner rising from the ashes, to transcend class and to have a real influence, but no real RAH RAH DWARVES due to being a duster, y'know?
- If Oghren is in your Brosca party when you enter Denerim for the first time, both Gorim and Oghren will acknowledge and insult each other. This does not trigger for Aeducan as far as I remember because that's replaced with Aeducan being thrilled to see Gorim again, to get dialogue about the father and to receive the Aeducan shield. As a bonus for Aeducans locked in romances before seeing Gorim for the first time, you have the option of telling him that you're in love with ... future king of ferelden, a bard, a witch, and don't remember the other description. Gorim will actually chuckle at the king of ferelden part because at least princess aeducan is consistent in her tastes. =p
- Aeducan has more flexibility in choosing who to side with in Orzammar. There really isn't a compelling reason to side with Harrowmont as Brosca. You can dig deep for it, but you'll need a bigger shovel.
Okay, so I attempted to make my dwarf Wardens in the DA: I engine.
Here's my Princess Kellen Aeducan, sword and shield warrior and former paramour of King Alistair:
And here's Brecca Brosca, good-natured scamp, former silver-tongued Carta Enforcer, and Leliana's main squeeze:
And, because the last one was in the 360 engine, here's my "canon" Warden, Prince Lochlyn Aeducan, also a sword and shield warrior, but he's all Zevran's (much to my dismay because I really don't like Zev......)
Those are awesome pictures. I love them! I will dig up mine later this evening. Have to start dinner and help with homework.
I won't even try to recreate Xanthos Aeducan, I think. The lack of good Dwarven-esque beards and the braided ponytail means that it'd just be disappointing.
Ten different types of buzzcuts but no satisfactory Dwarven beards.
Ahhhh, so much love for DC & DN after all these years! Makes me happy. And proud. Oh, dwarves...
As an aside, I love when the game actually acknowledges your dwarfiness, especially in regards to romance. Like talking to Gorim, or there being different kisses (doesn't Leliana kneel? And Zevran has different smooches/sex scenes for every race and gender combo, I think. BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES). Then there's Alistair's "too tall" comment. Are there any others? I don't think you can tell Rica or Kalah anything about your LI, though Morrigan does bond with Brosca over having a crappy mother, LOL.
As yet another aside (bc apparently I take "which origin should I play?" as NEVAR SHUT UP ABOUT DWARVES EVARR!!), I love how both DN & DC lend themselves to a character of either sex. Like, with the DN you've got extra content either way -- as a male, you have the noble hunters and potentially fathering a son, and that gets brought up later when you're deciding who to put on the throne. As a female, you get to be the apple of Endrin's eye and the star-crossed lovers thing with Gorim. SPLENDID.
And with DC, unf. As has been said, as a lady Brosca already stands out because no matter how you slice it she's the tomboy to Rica's girly-girl. The fact that Beraht finds you more useful as a thug than a concubine is... simultaneously flattering and insulting, depending how you play your character! (Personally, it's a relief. I don't think I've run a single casteless who wanted to be a prostitute.) When you kick everyone's arse at the Proving... as a lady, there's an extra F U to the whole affair since everyone keeps telling you you're only worth your womb. And it breaks my heart when Rica says she does what she does to keep you from having to buy your future with what's between your legs.
It's equally great as a guy, because you get told over and OVER that no woman will ever want you, you have nothing to offer anyone, you'll spend your whole life shaking down old men for money and then die alone in a gutter, and nobody's gonna miss you when you're gone. Rica says you've always tried to protect her, and she says it so sadly that you get the feeling that you've failed her, miserably, and knowing that is so painful UGH. Hell, Leske and your mom suggest the only way you'll ever get anywhere is if you find yourself a nobleman who likes casteless boys. Ahh, ripping that helmet off feels soooo damn good...
Wow, eheh. I have a lot of DC feels. >_____>
Hmmm, I never romanced Lel with a female dwarf, I think I need to test that one. Old game load time! But I kind of wish they'd gone with the kneeling in some scenes in DAI, I found it cute in DAO. Though the Inquisitor standing on something for the final scene with IB is priceless.
And I've found it very ironic since I first played a DC that one of the very few instances when a party member genuinely reacts to how you're treated is Morrigan, of all people, empathizing with you about your drunk, abusive mother. People can say all sorts of s**t to you and your party members, including LIs, don't react. In fact the only relatively dramatic reaction to something that happens to you is if you are a city elf and tell King Cailan that a noble raped your cousin. Wynne kind of reacts to the same thing. Alistair and Wynne vaguely react to the Cousland family having been wiped out.
@vertigomez -- Fantastic write-up. I could feel the nostalgia and love radiating from your post. I don't recall trying out a male Aeducan so I didn't know female Aeducan was the apple of Endrin's eye. Neat!!
@Tishina -- In ME3, Kaidan will lift up Shepard with her legs wrapped around his waist and carry her to bed. I always thought that would be a clever trick to use for a dwarf to sidestep any awkward "growth" scenes. Pity it didn't get utilized. I do give the game props for being an improvement over previous games.
Oh, hey, anyone remember Morrigan giving Alistair a verbal slap upside the head in Lothering when the dwarf asks where exactly Orzammar is and Alistair is like "what, you don't know?" Morrigan retorts, "She's never been on the surface before, fool." *fist bump Morrigan* Points for the apostate!
Aw, I loved my Brosca + Morrigan's friendship, because they were both cynical but also very inexperienced in the world, and neither liked showing that weakness, so they helped eachother out.
Morrigan friendship, cry.
@vertigomez -- Fantastic write-up. I could feel the nostalgia and love radiating from your post. I don't recall trying out a male Aeducan so I didn't know female Aeducan was the apple of Endrin's eye. Neat!!
@Tishina -- In ME3, Kaidan will lift up Shepard with her legs wrapped around his waist and carry her to bed. I always thought that would be a clever trick to use for a dwarf to sidestep any awkward "growth" scenes. Pity it didn't get utilized. I do give the game props for being an improvement over previous games.
Oh, hey, anyone remember Morrigan giving Alistair a verbal slap upside the head in Lothering when the dwarf asks where exactly Orzammar is and Alistair is like "what, you don't know?" Morrigan retorts, "She's never been on the surface before, fool." *fist bump Morrigan* Points for the apostate!
Too true! I wasn't thinking of that one, and I just did an Aeducan in Lothering recently.
I've seen a clip of that with Kaidan, yes, it would be a nice way to handle some scenes. And simply having people seated like the Josephine romance would be another solution.
Folks, I have a real problem.
I'm two hours in with her and I kind of am not feeling Agathe. I like that she's not really pretty and that she's tough. But she's really unlikeable. I had my qunari take the "diplomatic" nice options. And I had Graeme take the sarcastic funny options. So I wanted Agathe to take the "direct" aggressive options and I find myself eye-rolling most of what she says. Plus, the thought of spending 80 hours on a playthrough and not romancing either Dorian OR Bull is troubling me. I had this same problem in DA2 and ME 3. I just can't get into female protagonists if there is the option to be a gay guy. I was hoping Agathe would break the streak, but I don't think it's going to happen.
I'm not going to delete her because I really like the idea of her character. But I think I'm going to put her on hiatus and either remake my 'canon' qunari or make a male dwarf warrior instead. I'm bummed.
@vertigomez -- Fantastic write-up. I could feel the nostalgia and love radiating from your post. I don't recall trying out a male Aeducan so I didn't know female Aeducan was the apple of Endrin's eye. Neat!!
It's nice to be able to come to this thread and talk freely about these things. You practically get chased out of other parts of the forum, LOL.Oh, hey, anyone remember Morrigan giving Alistair a verbal slap upside the head in Lothering when the dwarf asks where exactly Orzammar is and Alistair is like "what, you don't know?" Morrigan retorts, "She's never been on the surface before, fool." *fist bump Morrigan* Points for the apostate!
Aw, I loved my Brosca + Morrigan's friendship, because they were both cynical but also very inexperienced in the world, and neither liked showing that weakness, so they helped eachother out.
Morrigan friendship, cry.
Pity Dave, but I understand. Do you think it might be the VA? Personally, I think Alix does a better job giving the more aggressive options some flavor, altho I do love Sumalee too.
I also can't stick to one set of options though...I have characters that are predominately noble/charming/blunt, but they tend to have more emotional variance than always selecting one tone.
Maybe some retooling of her character would help? Make her more interesting? Or perhaps just not for you. I find it easier to play male in this game, for some reason, but I couldnt do it in da2 or ME, so I feel that.
Yeah, I'm not sure if it's Sumalee's voice acting or not. I think it's okay. I've tried to mix up her tone a little, but it's just not gelling. I'm currently making a new hot guy dwarf (this one will be sword and shield). Maybe I'll try him as a mixture of sarcastic and aggressive (kind of like Dorian, actually). I could go for that. I'll give him a go and, if I can get him to the Hinterlands and still feel good about it, I'll post him up too.
I'll save Agathe. Maybe I'll come back to her. It's a shame because I love the idea of lady dwarves and lady qunari, but I just can't get into them in practice. Bummer.
I know how you feel, Dave. Though I was enjoying my female human play and Iron Bull's romance, I just found myself missing Cass too much, and my dwarf. Roleplaying and variety are good, but the point is to have fun - play what makes you happy. 
I find I can only go through a female run once or twice in most games because I just prefer playing males more. Plus I think Curry's ruined all other Inquisitors for me; so far I think he has the best range and emoting and I'm just drawn in by dat bass. 
Alix is a very close second, though.
Edit: Yeah, I can't play a dick for no reason either. It just seems... pointless to me. I've played grumpy or ammoral Wardens and Hawkes before, but there was always an underlying logic for it that made it make sense; they were never spiteful for its own sake. Even my morally dubious Brosca was a "loveable scumbag" sort of character.
Morrigan's friendship arc does things to me. With a lady it becomes very sisterly and close and funderful, and with a guy she's just astonished that there's a man in the world who genuinely cares for her and isn't trying to crawl up her skirt. BLESS.
YES. My canon Amell was best buds with Morrigan despite them being very different personality wise and I just... found her friendship with a male Warden so touching, more so than her romance (and I really liked that too!). It always gives me the warm fuzzies and I just love it when friend arcs are well done; romances are great, but sometimes the friendship love is the stuff that really sticks in your heart. 
currently trying to make an attractive Qunari female.
....it's hard. Not just because female characters are not my area of expertise (I have two different Lavellans right now) but also because the Qunari are hard to really customize I think.
lawd, the female Warden/Morrigan 'sisters' arc is something that is very special to me to this day. Hell it's probably the thing that's brought me closest to tears in the series, around the end of it.
*explodes with feelings*
The fact that it wasn't acknowledged in Inquisition was a crime, tbh.
lawd, the female Warden/Morrigan 'sisters' arc is something that is very special to me to this day. Hell it's probably the thing that's brought me closest to tears in the series, around the end of it.
Spoiler
*explodes with feelings*
The fact that it wasn't acknowledged in Inquisition was a crime, tbh.
Folks, I have a real problem.
I'm two hours in with her and I kind of am not feeling Agathe. I like that she's not really pretty and that she's tough. But she's really unlikeable. I had my qunari take the "diplomatic" nice options. And I had Graeme take the sarcastic funny options. So I wanted Agathe to take the "direct" aggressive options and I find myself eye-rolling most of what she says. Plus, the thought of spending 80 hours on a playthrough and not romancing either Dorian OR Bull is troubling me. I had this same problem in DA2 and ME 3. I just can't get into female protagonists if there is the option to be a gay guy. I was hoping Agathe would break the streak, but I don't think it's going to happen.
I'm not going to delete her because I really like the idea of her character. But I think I'm going to put her on hiatus and either remake my 'canon' qunari or make a male dwarf warrior instead. I'm bummed.
Taking a break from her isn't a bad idea. And don't try to force yourself to play something you don't feel. It could be the combination of a female quizzy, the voice and the aggressive personality that just too many things outside your preferences at once. I must have started at least 5 male wardens through at least the start of Lothering but never far enough into the game to get Zevran before Misha who made it through for a Morrigan romance. I still want to play through with a male warden paired with Zevran, I just have too many distractions at this point. Actually, hearing what people are saying about how a male friendship with Morrigan is different from the female friendship might be what pushes me to continue it. Morrigan's one of my favorite characters in all the DA games (I love what they've done with her in DAI, but they do miss a few opportunities with it).
Well I'm glad that I'm not the only one that has trouble with this part of the RP process. I'm just going to make a cocky and arrogant dwarf and let him and Dorian go at it. I'm still playing Graeme anyway, but I've only got about 30 hours left on him, so I'm starting to gear up playthrough three.
Thanks for the advice guys.
Maybe I'll retool her for a later playthrough as a more likeable lady. Who knows.
MORRRIIGGAAAAAAN
I guess I should actually be thankful she never dropped the word 'sister' when speaking about my Warden in Inquisition.
I'd probably be dead. OD'd on emotions or something. *breathes into paper bag*
I went artificer dual wield with my rogue. He now plays very similarly to Luka in DAMP, who's my go-to gal for multiplayer.
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