Which RPGs let you have slaves?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

And how do they compare to regular employees or party members? Do they attempt to escape?

[WhiteShark]

I know this isn't the tabletop section, but I feel obligated to mention that Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) has a chapter devoted specifically to slavery:

SLAVERY

Slavery was an all too common feature in ancient societies. Slaves might be indentured debtors, convicted criminals, or prisoners of war. The abundant supply of slave labor was a major component to most ancient economies, and the mass enslavement of defeated peoples was justified as more merciful than the alternative of slaughtering them. Neither ancient warfare nor ancient piracy can be economically understood without an understanding of the role of slaver.

They're cheaper because you only have to pay for their upkeep, not wages, but they generally have a substantial loyalty malus and are thus liable to flee or turn on you in a crisis. Otherwise, they're just as effective as normal hirelings with the same training and experience.

[maidenhaver]

In Pokemon Red version, you can train your slaves to fight, do manual labor like felling trees, and even transport you across the sea and sky.

[maidenhaver]

I know this isn't the tabletop section, but I feel obligated to mention that Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) has a chapter devoted specifically to slavery:

SLAVERY

Slavery was an all too common feature in ancient societies. Slaves might be indentured debtors, convicted criminals, or prisoners of war. The abundant supply of slave labor was a major component to most ancient economies, and the mass enslavement of defeated peoples was justified as more merciful than the alternative of slaughtering them. Neither ancient warfare nor ancient piracy can be economically understood without an understanding of the role of slaver.

They're cheaper because you only have to pay for their upkeep, not wages, but they generally have a substantial loyalty malus and are thus liable to flee or turn on you in a crisis. Otherwise, they're just as effective as normal hirelings with the same training and experience.

Where did the idea slaves weren't paid come from? Slaves have always been wagecucks. Instead of working for a future cow, or tenement, they're simply given stiff toilet paper.

[maidenhaver]

Followers should beg to be slaves instead of jobbers, in most settings.

[asf]

vagrus

[WhiteShark]

Where did the idea slaves weren't paid come from? Slaves have always been wagecucks. Instead of working for a future cow, or tenement, they're simply given stiff toilet paper.

Depends on the slavery in question. I read somewhere recently that Roman slaves could be paid, own property, and had a manumission rate of 10%/5 years. Pretty generous.

[UltraFan123]

I suppose Palworld would count as RPG? Your "pals" aren't really called slaves in-game but everyone pretty much knows that that's exactly what they are.

[Oyster Sauce]

[rusty_shackleford]

Kenshi. You can also be enslaved.

[Manny V]

Mount & Blade doesn't have slavery per se, but you can take prisoners and sell em off to a ransom broker (who has dialogue mentioning that some of em will probably be sold off to slavery) and you can forcibly conscript prisoners to fight for you

[MrTwinkls]

Atom RPG
Expeditions: Rome
Jade Empire
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Overlord
And so on. Depends on how you define slavery.
In RPGs it is usually some form of honor/magic bound characters. Plain old fashioned slavery is rare.

[Roderick]

Fallout 3

[Orvas Dren]

Kenshi. You can also be enslaved.

can't actually own slaves in kenshi sadly, they just become free and run away or join your party if you buy any

[gerey]

Colosseum: Road to Freedom lets you purchase male and female slaves, that boost your stats, or that you can take to the arena to fight with you.

[Wretch]

Kenshi. You can also be enslaved.

can't actually own slaves in kenshi sadly, they just become free and run away or join your party if you buy any

You can literally play as a slaver and sell people to the slaver camps.

[Orvas Dren]

Kenshi. You can also be enslaved.

can't actually own slaves in kenshi sadly, they just become free and run away or join your party if you buy any

You can literally play as a slaver and sell people to the slaver camps.

yup, but you can't actually own or have said slaves. Afaik Chris originally intended for the game to have it but didn't implement a player-side slavery system due the amount of work that would be required

[Wretch]

can't actually own slaves in kenshi sadly, they just become free and run away or join your party if you buy any

You can literally play as a slaver and sell people to the slaver camps.

yup, but you can't actually own or have said slaves. Afaik Chris originally intended for the game to have it but didn't implement a player-side slavery system due the amount of work that would be required

Mods change that. Even without the mods you can buy slaves. You can even put/ keep the chains on them. Sure, there is no mechanical separation between a slave and another party member but there isn’t for animals either.

[Orvas Dren]

You can literally play as a slaver and sell people to the slaver camps.

yup, but you can't actually own or have said slaves. Afaik Chris originally intended for the game to have it but didn't implement a player-side slavery system due the amount of work that would be required

Mods change that. Even without the mods you can buy slaves. You can even put/ keep the chains on them. Sure, there is no mechanical separation between a slave and another party member but there isn’t for animals either.

There is mechanical separation though for NPCs and for the player as a slave. All the slavery mods I have tried or looked into are generally broken and don't function well or as intended. The slaves you buy have like a 50% chance of just being registered as an ally and then running away (and cost a hefty sum). You can put chains on the ones who join your party, but they are the same as the rest of your party and don't have any of the quirks as NPC slaves, at which point they are just peasants or serfs with a massive debuff and not slaves game wise.

[DagothGeas5]

Conan Exiles is not technically an RPG, but it has recently added companions and apparently voiced dialogue with possible options that I yet have to try. It has thralls and a breaking mechanic after capturing them (beating with a crudgel, then tie and bring to a "Wheel of Pain"). They are different classes and a recent update added more life to them.
You can also free prisoners and they may join you willingly afterwards and function as thralls with dialogue where thralls, instead, just have basic sounds (like "shivering because it's cold" and similar).

You can also kidnap pups from animals you find to raise and train as your own or simply keep around (rabbits don't need to be pups to be captured). This can be done by crouching and then clicking to interact with them.

Another that comes to mind is Fallout 2, but it has been too long for me to say with certainty.

Morrowind also has slaves, but I am not sure if it's a mod I am using or not where they can function and buyable "hirelings".