Games where evil playthroughs don't suck

[Nammu Archag]

Been feeling goth lately. What games have satisfying evil playthroughs? I hear you miss a lot of the content if you do bad deeds in BG3.

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

[The_Mask]

Loved when the living incarnation of justice, holder of the highest court in all the lands, merciless executor of Kyros' law immediately bent the knee and betrayed Kyros to swear allegiance to me (while I was trying to be loyal to Kyros???) because my defence when put on trial was "sometimes the ends justify the means hehe"
Oh, and when the game just fucking ended for no reason with them never planning to release a sequel.
The magic customization was fun though.

So Tunon's story is the story of the betrayer, where he implemented tyranny (aka Kyros' Law) before (s)he even got to his part of the world.

It's basically an allegory to where you're supposed to understand that Law/Justice is not just blind, but ever-changing. Because society itself is always changing, and the Law needs to adapt to it. "Blind" and "Changing" is the reason why you can persuade him to become subservient to you.

Depending on the playthrough, but especially on the Anarchist Path, you're going to realize that you're basically the Archon of (Free) Speech. For example, reading Kyros' Edicts and ending them is described as rejuvenating. It's also underlined in the Rebel Path, when you give "an Edict" to one of Tunon (other) Fatebinders, they can read it, but can't proclaim it. And your character also seems to have a knack of finding information that is passed down in speech. Kills-in-Shadow's "antelope" dialogue is one such clue.

It all boils down to a very simple sentence: Free speech will always be the bane of tyrants. Which is why tyrants always want to dispose of free speech as soon as possible.

* * *

That being said, the game being unfinished, and the magic system being hailed as being fresh and charming is a well-documented opinion... to which I subscribe as well.

[Emphyrio]

So Tunon's story is the story of the betrayer, where he implemented tyranny (aka Kyros' Law) before (s)he even got to his part of the world.

It's basically an allegory to where you're supposed to understand that Law/Justice is not just blind, but ever-changing. Because society itself is always changing, and the Law needs to adapt to it. "Blind" and "Changing" is the reason why you can persuade him to become subservient to you.

Depending on the playthrough, but especially on the Anarchist Path, you're going to realize that you're basically the Archon of (Free) Speech. For example, reading Kyros' Edicts and ending them is described as rejuvenating. It's also underlined in the Rebel Path, when you give "an Edict" to one of Tunon (other) Fatebinders, they can read it, but can't proclaim it. And your character also seems to have a knack of finding information that is passed down in speech. Kills-in-Shadow's "antelope" dialogue is one such clue.

It all boils down to a very simple sentence: Free speech will always be the bane of tyrants. Which is why tyrants always want to dispose of free speech as soon as possible.

if this is really what the writers were going for... ugh. They got it almost exactly backwards.

[Bertram_Tung]

Vampyr does a decent job at it. The bad guy ending is the most rewarding and coolest IMO. And I really like the way you can strategically let the districts fall by embracing people.

And before anyone says it, yes, unfortunately there are some slight woke elements in the game but compared to the shit that comes out now it's almost nothing. Plus you can kill a lot of the woke-ish characters if you want, so it can be cathartic too. I'd compare the wokeness meter to something like RDR2, so not THAT bad, but certainly annoying when it rears it's head from time to time. The moments where it happens are annoyingly anachronistic for 1917 England more than anything, like an uppity feminist here and there (some can be killed), a gay couple (which i believe you can kill IIRC), and an annoying black reporter (I think you can kill him too but I can't remember for sure). Again - not nearly as bad as the current gen..

[BobT]

Carrion. You play as the googly woogly monster that eats people from vents etc, that you're normally fighting against in other games.

[Vergil]

Fable II had one of the few instances of the evil choice being very superior when you have to either sacrifice your character's youth and end up perpetually uggo or find some innocent (yea right) young woman to have the curse put on them instead.

[Oyster Sauce]

Got the bad ending in Metro Last Light where you just die because I racked up bad karma from refusing to save the guy who betrayed then tried to kill me and I got a lapdance.

[Adeptus]

Rimworld. You can do so many thinngs with enemies taken prisoners - food, clothes, source of organs and blood, slaves...

[Metalhead33]

Age of Wonders - has a satisfying evil campaign
Rimworld - organ harvesting is very profitable
Stellaris - galaxy-wide war crimes simulator, with slavery to boot
Crusader Kings 2-3 - You gonna kill a lot of innocent people to stay in power

[Breathe]

Been feeling goth lately. What games have satisfying evil playthroughs? I hear you miss a lot of the content if you do bad deeds in BG3.

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

[aweigh]

Forespoken. I mean, you're the bad guy in that, right? Your actions kill the studio.

[TKVNC]

Other than the ones mentioned already, I can't think of that many, most of the time the evil options are really mid, you're basically a bully, rather than say, actually evil.

Fallout 4 is the prime example of how dogshit 'evil' can be, I mean the Railroad is evil and they are lame as fuck.

[Nammu Archag]

Been feeling goth lately. What games have satisfying evil playthroughs? I hear you miss a lot of the content if you do bad deeds in BG3.

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

For kenshi or starsector

[Vergil]

Every time I see gameplay of Kenshi it looks like a fake game you would see in a movie from the early 2000s about virtual reality.

[rusty_shackleford]

Every time I see gameplay of Kenshi it looks like a fake game you would see in a movie from the early 2000s about virtual reality.

It's not really a game but a simulation. There is no win condition.

[Breathe]

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

For kenshi or starsector

kenshi

[Element]

Quite Kenshi after the first hour. Just too random an experience to stick with.

[rusty_shackleford]

Quite Kenshi after the first hour. Just too random an experience to stick with.

It's for men who were the kind of kid that could make up his own stories using action figures and have fun with it. That wasn't me.

[WhiteShark]

It's for men who were the kind of kid that could make up his own stories using action figures and have fun with it. That wasn't me.

I used to be able to do that without action figures or anything, just pure imagination while jumping on the trampoline or balancing on one of those inflatable exercise balls. Lost that ability around the time I was in middle school.

[Nammu Archag]

Been feeling goth lately. What games have satisfying evil playthroughs? I hear you miss a lot of the content if you do bad deeds in BG3.

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

Both are honestly more viable than being a trader due to the capital requirements. Lone Wanderer is really fun IMO but is pretty hard for beginners due to perma-death, so every battle can be the end of you if you aren't careful. Playing as a ronin or thief is still pretty popular nonetheless. Gang of raiders is completely viable as well, my latest playthrough was a gang of ninjas and pretty fun.

[Vergil]

Well if you're open to more sandboxy games, stuff like Kenshi or Starsector probably emulate it best. Working as a slaver and later for the slaver and trader guilds in Kenshi is one of my early game strategies for making money and building up my own trade dynasty, as it requires a low capital entry investment compared to other professions. In Starsector, it's kinda incentivized to smuggle if you don't have insider information or a big comparative advantage in the production of a given commodity, since tariffs in space neo-feudalism will often kill your profit margins. Privateering (piracy) is also a good way to make credits if you don't want to scavenge/explore the outer rim of the sector. Or you can be a space Islamist and join the Luddic Path.

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

Both are honestly more viable than being a trader due to the capital requirements. Lone Wanderer is really fun IMO but is pretty hard for beginners due to perma-death, so every battle can be the end of you if you aren't careful. Playing as a ronin or thief is still pretty popular nonetheless. Gang of raiders is completely viable as well, my latest playthrough was a gang of ninjas and pretty fun.

I saw that there was a big Star Wars total conversion mod. Do you have any experience with that?

[Nammu Archag]

What's the viability of being a lone wanderer who doesn't care to build any business (maybe just a gang of raiders)?

Both are honestly more viable than being a trader due to the capital requirements. Lone Wanderer is really fun IMO but is pretty hard for beginners due to perma-death, so every battle can be the end of you if you aren't careful. Playing as a ronin or thief is still pretty popular nonetheless. Gang of raiders is completely viable as well, my latest playthrough was a gang of ninjas and pretty fun.

I saw that there was a big Star Wars total conversion mod. Do you have any experience with that?

Yeah I tried it out but I didn't care for it since it isn't truly a total conversion, at least when I played it. No force, lightsabers don't really work, and blasters are just crossbows. It's just Kenshi and Kenshi mechanics with star wars armors. Was very WIP back then, idk about now though.

[Vergil]

Both are honestly more viable than being a trader due to the capital requirements. Lone Wanderer is really fun IMO but is pretty hard for beginners due to perma-death, so every battle can be the end of you if you aren't careful. Playing as a ronin or thief is still pretty popular nonetheless. Gang of raiders is completely viable as well, my latest playthrough was a gang of ninjas and pretty fun.

I saw that there was a big Star Wars total conversion mod. Do you have any experience with that?

Yeah I tried it out but I didn't care for it since it isn't truly a total conversion, at least when I played it. No force, lightsabers don't really work, and blasters are just crossbows. It's just Kenshi and Kenshi mechanics with star wars armors. Was very WIP back then, idk about now though.

I see. What little I've seen about that mod was the only thing giving me any potential interest in the game. I'm at a point where a game like that needs the hook of something I already like to draw me in as sad as it is to say.

[Nammu Archag]

I saw that there was a big Star Wars total conversion mod. Do you have any experience with that?

Yeah I tried it out but I didn't care for it since it isn't truly a total conversion, at least when I played it. No force, lightsabers don't really work, and blasters are just crossbows. It's just Kenshi and Kenshi mechanics with star wars armors. Was very WIP back then, idk about now though.

I see. What little I've seen about that mod was the only thing giving me any potential interest in the game. I'm at a point where a game like that needs the hook of something I already like to draw me in as sad as it is to say.

The three main gameplay paths for Kenshi, in my opinion, are base building, exploration/scavenging, and RTS-style small unit combat, on top of just the appeal of roleplaying a character within this setting. If none of these appeal to you, then I don't think you'd enjoy it, as mods at best can only enhance this and at worst mitigate the game's strengths.

[Vergil]

Yeah I tried it out but I didn't care for it since it isn't truly a total conversion, at least when I played it. No force, lightsabers don't really work, and blasters are just crossbows. It's just Kenshi and Kenshi mechanics with star wars armors. Was very WIP back then, idk about now though.

I see. What little I've seen about that mod was the only thing giving me any potential interest in the game. I'm at a point where a game like that needs the hook of something I already like to draw me in as sad as it is to say.

The three main gameplay paths for Kenshi, in my opinion, are base building, exploration/scavenging, and RTS-style small unit combat, on top of just the appeal of roleplaying a character within this setting. If none of these appeal to you, then I don't think you'd enjoy it, as mods at best can only enhance this and at worst mitigate the game's strengths.

The biggest turn off to me has been seeing gameplay of the combat. It looks very floaty and like you're just smashing your character/group against another and watching them do weird floaty animations in front of each other.

[Nammu Archag]

I see. What little I've seen about that mod was the only thing giving me any potential interest in the game. I'm at a point where a game like that needs the hook of something I already like to draw me in as sad as it is to say.

The three main gameplay paths for Kenshi, in my opinion, are base building, exploration/scavenging, and RTS-style small unit combat, on top of just the appeal of roleplaying a character within this setting. If none of these appeal to you, then I don't think you'd enjoy it, as mods at best can only enhance this and at worst mitigate the game's strengths.

The biggest turn off to me has been seeing gameplay of the combat. It looks very floaty and like you're just smashing your character/group against another and watching them do weird floaty animations in front of each other.

It works similarly to an auto battler with a bit more depth and reactivity, like throwing your pack off when you get ambushed to be quicker or putting your crossbows on a hill to improve their accuracy and prevent friendly fire, etc. but beyond that, it's just issuing your guys little commands. It's more fun to watch when it's your guys who you've spent time and money training and gearing up fighting for their lives vs just watching the combat itself.

[Acrux]

Quite Kenshi after the first hour. Just too random an experience to stick with.

It's for men who were the kind of kid that could make up his own stories using action figures and have fun with it. That wasn't me.

This seems like the kind of thing that could be a new thread. Does the way you played with action figures say anything about the type of person you are today? For instance, most of my time playing with action figures was organizing them and lining them up in a particular order. (Autism joke goes here.) I'm now the kind of person who likes playing with spreadsheets. (Second autism joke goes here.)

[Irenaeus]

In RotTK13, you can play as a Bureaucrat:



There's also a path for being a Bandit King doing clearly evil shit, but I haven't tried to see if it's fun. Probably is, it's a great game.

[Norfleet]

Rimworld. You can do so many thinngs with enemies taken prisoners - food, clothes, source of organs and blood, slaves...

I would argue that the enemies are the evil ones, being that they attack you unprovoked with the intent of murdering you for no good reason, and that therefore, my executing them as criminals is right and just, and the fact that I reprocess their corpses into usable resources is simply efficient, and therefore, good. Evil would be if you were to torture people. I just disassemble them for parts.

[OnTilt]

Rimworld. You can do so many thinngs with enemies taken prisoners - food, clothes, source of organs and blood, slaves...

I would argue that the enemies are the evil ones, being that they attack you unprovoked with the intent of murdering you for no good reason, and that therefore, my executing them as criminals is right and just, and the fact that I reprocess their corpses into usable resources is simply efficient, and therefore, good. Evil would be if you were to torture people. I just disassemble them for parts.

I imprison them and then "repurpose" their bodies one limb at a time, ensuring they stay alive as long as possible. Is that still good?