“Traditional” turn based RPGs or turn-based tactical RPGs - which do you prefer purely gameplay-wise?
It’s one of the biggest see-saws for me when turn based RPGs are in question. But let me tell you what I mean by turn based “traditional”
Baldur’s Gate 3 exemplifies this best. Party on one side, enemies on the other - all the weight is in builds, resource management, turn order, party synergy, and knowing when to burn the good spells instead of hoarding those spell uses like it’s gold. It’s what I love but also something I end up hating on so much in Pathfinder, particularly on harder settings where I have to pop 20+ pots and scrolls before engaging anything, not even mentioning the DLCs… But there’s a familiarity to it and it’s by far the easiest way to control your party. Safe to say, this is my favorite turn based “pacing”
It’s easier for me than RTwP - I only vibed with it in Dragon Age Origins and I kind of started liking it in Pillars of Eternity after I learned to play. It’s bulkier, more stuff going on and if you aren’t good, it can be unclear whose “turn” it is and if you’ve accidentally missed a good move. In general, I like RTwP but … haha, I just don’t have the skill for it to play optimally, ergo this would be my least favorite. Not the games that have it but the system
Tactical RPGs meanwhile always feel like puzzles to solve, more meticulous, less flashy usually and spacing and heigh advantage and all those micro details, terrain… all of it matters so there’s more strategy. Battle Brothers makes spacing, injuries, weapon reach, morale, and formation feel all so brutally important. Tactical Breach Wizards is the most puzzle like of all, where the fun is in finding the cleanest way to resolve a fight. I also tried some newer ones. Happy Bastards is one I’ve been watching because of the mid-fight party switching, which sounds like the kind of thing that could make party composition feel less locked-in and more reactive in battle. And indeed, the idea that you have a “roster” is pretty much something stemming from these games. Feels more like leading a whole troop instead of a classic RPG team, and that’s what makes them so interesting, straddling that line between RPG and strategy…
So purely gameplay-wise, I think tactical RPGs have the higher ceiling for me, because movement and spae add another layer of decisions that traditional turn-based combat usually has to replace with deeper systems elsewhere.
But!... I also think tactical games can become exhausting faster. A simple fight in a traditional RPG can be satisfying in two minutes. A simple fight in a tactical RPG sometimes still last half an hour or more. If you played Battle Brothers against the undead invasion superevent, you know what I’m talking about.
Do you prefer the cleaner party vs party style or the grid positioning and “heavy” tactical gameplay or smthing in between?