TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,975
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
RPGs have evolved by embracing their history, and we're incredibly lucky that they did.
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Welcome to Dungeon Master, PC Gamer's regular RPG column, where Online Editor Fraser Brown (and guests) delves into PC gaming's most beloved and enduring genre. Grab a seat in our badly-lit tavern and please ignore the goblin puke.
The journey made by the RPG genre over the last few decades is yet more evidence that time is cyclical. In the '80s and '90s, exceptional RPGs like Ultima and Baldur's Gate took the mechanics and player agency of tabletop games like D&D and deftly adapted them for (mostly) singleplayer romps, nestled inside our big, grey desktops.
But as RPGs became big business and tabletop gaming remained stuck as a niche (albeit a substantial niche), the genre was transformed. The isometric CRPGs designed by studios like BioWare, it was decided, were old school. It was time for them to be usurped.
Real-time, action-based combat became the norm, accompanied by cinematic storytelling and only the most epic of stakes. Console audiences became the focus, and even important PC gaming studios started making concessions. And, for a time, we were mostly OK with it.
But tabletop is back, baby! And it has been for a while. The ridiculous popularity of live play tabletop sessions and the increasingly low barrier for entry into game development has filled the sails of this venerable genre with a huge gust. And now, studios big and small are doing fascinating, creative things with their RPGs, and many of them—certainly the best ones—owe a debt to tabletop gaming.
My latest obsession is Esoteric Ebb, a D&D take on Disco Elysium—which itself functions very much like a tabletop game, full of skill checks for even mundane things, like kicking a mailbox, and an absurd degree of player agency. The sheer breadth of options in both these games, and their unparalleled reactivity, make them RPGs in their purest form.
Instead of just being tossed a few choices in regards to how we approach a given scenario—aggressive, sneaky, charming—these RPGs let us properly embody our character, offering up a bounty of possible (and improbable) solutions based on countless factors. If I want to ignore my important quest and instead try to eat my way through a mountain of apples until I throw up, I'm allowed (if discouraged) to do this.
Tabletop campaigns give us a framework t...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Welcome to Dungeon Master, PC Gamer's regular RPG column, where Online Editor Fraser Brown (and guests) delves into PC gaming's most beloved and enduring genre. Grab a seat in our badly-lit tavern and please ignore the goblin puke.
The journey made by the RPG genre over the last few decades is yet more evidence that time is cyclical. In the '80s and '90s, exceptional RPGs like Ultima and Baldur's Gate took the mechanics and player agency of tabletop games like D&D and deftly adapted them for (mostly) singleplayer romps, nestled inside our big, grey desktops.
But as RPGs became big business and tabletop gaming remained stuck as a niche (albeit a substantial niche), the genre was transformed. The isometric CRPGs designed by studios like BioWare, it was decided, were old school. It was time for them to be usurped.
Real-time, action-based combat became the norm, accompanied by cinematic storytelling and only the most epic of stakes. Console audiences became the focus, and even important PC gaming studios started making concessions. And, for a time, we were mostly OK with it.
But tabletop is back, baby! And it has been for a while. The ridiculous popularity of live play tabletop sessions and the increasingly low barrier for entry into game development has filled the sails of this venerable genre with a huge gust. And now, studios big and small are doing fascinating, creative things with their RPGs, and many of them—certainly the best ones—owe a debt to tabletop gaming.
My latest obsession is Esoteric Ebb, a D&D take on Disco Elysium—which itself functions very much like a tabletop game, full of skill checks for even mundane things, like kicking a mailbox, and an absurd degree of player agency. The sheer breadth of options in both these games, and their unparalleled reactivity, make them RPGs in their purest form.
Instead of just being tossed a few choices in regards to how we approach a given scenario—aggressive, sneaky, charming—these RPGs let us properly embody our character, offering up a bounty of possible (and improbable) solutions based on countless factors. If I want to ignore my important quest and instead try to eat my way through a mountain of apples until I throw up, I'm allowed (if discouraged) to do this.
Tabletop campaigns give us a framework t...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?