Entertainment · Gaming · 5 hrs ago

Why RPGs can be more fun when players are allowed to fail

Many videogame role-playing games cast players as capable heroes who are expected to succeed.

A PC Gamer columnist argues that this can make play feel predictable.

Tabletop role-playing games such as Mothership and Call of Cthulhu often make room for bad rolls and poor decisions.

The columnist says those setbacks can create funnier, more memorable stories than completing a quest without trouble.

Some computer RPGs also let failure shape the experience, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disco Elysium.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, dice rolls can bring failure, while the Dark Urge character can lead players to kill people by accident.

The column argues that games are more entertaining when players can be ordinary, foolish or unlucky, rather than guaranteed to be heroic.

Sources

PC Gamer · 5 hrs ago