PCG Article I loved this article: "In RPGs I prefer reading books to slaying dragons"

[mainer]

In RPGs, I prefer reading books to slaying dragons | PC Gamer

I won't go so far as to say that I prefer reading books to slaying dragons (or other various creatures), but I can say that I love it when an RPG is detailed enough to have books, and lore that give a game a bit of life and background. This would include reading emails and messages on computers in a sci-fi or post-apocalyptic world. I was nice to see that Fraser Brown feels as strongly about reading/collecting books in games as I do.

As he mentioned in the article, Bethesda & Obsidian are two developers that actually take the time to do this. They aren't the only developers, but probably the most prominent ones (though Bioware could be mentioned as well, even going back as far as Baldur's Gate 1).

But the King (or Queen) of book reading/collecting is still Skyrim. Every playthrough I read and collect all the books that I find, arranging them in alphabetical order on the shelves in one of my houses. I've always wanted to read & collect every single book available, but there are so many, and I've yet to accomplish it.

Small section of one of my libraries (also using the 4k book cover mod Fraser mentioned

Spoiler: Book Cover Mod

Book Covers Skyrim 4K-2K at Skyrim Special Edition Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)

I know many players don't take the time to read books in games (let alone collect them), but it just adds to my immersion a game world's lore or insight into the story. How do the rest of you feel about reading books in RPGs?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I'm one who doesn't bother reading the books very often, unless I think they may give clues to my current mission. It's a pain in the backside in Skyrim to have to check a bunch of books because some of them have perks in them.

 

[Pifanjr]

I'll read all emails and log books and such that expand on the story and world, but there's far too many books in Skyrim to bother with, they're often too long to quickly read in between playing and most of them have very little to do with what's going on and aren't particularly well-written.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

When I was much younger, I loved reading all the lore books and flavour text in games. I spent as much time reading the Battletech lore on the CD as I did actually playing Mechwarrior 2, the Warcraft lore included with Warcraft 2 which was pretty extensive even before WOW and Warcraft 3. After Dawn of War came out I read a lot of Horus Heresy lore. The books and lore in Baldurs Gate and Torment too, of course.

The problem I have had since then is a lack of time and a desire to play a lot of different games. If an RPG is already 80-100 hours long there's no way I'm going to be able to spend a large chuck of extra time reading everything I can find about a universe. Like @Pifanjr I'll read the stuff that's more relevant to the direct story, but I'll skip the ancient history.

I'm sure it can make experiencing a game poorer for not becoming more absorbed in the world, but unfortunately its the way it has to be for now.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

In Skyrim, particularly, even though I don't bother reading the books, I still think they're very important. I'll just let other people do the legwork of reading them all and organizing the lore and information.

Here's a good example: In my current playthrough I just started, I've decided to either join the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks. I've never done that before, and I was having a really hard time trying to decide which side I thought was the right side to join. So I found some Reddit thread where people were discussing it. After reading a lot of long and well-written posts, I decided to go with the Imperial Legion. Those people have read the books and knew the lore inside and out. They brought up some really great points that I would never have known from my two previous playthroughs.

So I think they're important. I'll just let other people do the work for me.

 

[Colif]

Only books I read in games are skill books in Fallout. I guess they the same thing in Skyram

I thought Sacred has books but I was mistaken, its just the quest log

 

[mainer]

I've decided to either join the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks. I've never done that before, and I was having a really hard time trying to decide which side I thought was the right side to join.

(Going off topic here, but I felt the need to reply). That has always been one of the most agonizing decisions for me when playing Skyrim. I usually try to stay somewhat neutral, as you've done, and I didn't want to be locked into one side for the Civil War questline, because you end up having to attack people who've come to trust you. I can sympathize with both the Stormcloaks and Imperials as both groups have valid points (and also negatives).

For me, the true enemy of the Province of Skyrim, as well as all of Tamriel, are the Thalmor of the Aldmeri Dominion after the signing of The White-Gold Concordat. That treaty gave the Thalmor too much power and the right to abolish the right to worship Talos. I've always wanted a third option to be able to unite both the Stormcloaks & Imperials and go after the true enemy, the Thalmor.

 

[Brian Boru]

let other people do the work

Note to self: In the burgeoning crap books market, clear opening for CliffsNotes for RPGs.

2nd note to self: This is also a good reason to bring companions along on missions—or play co-op.

3rd note to self: At last, I have seen the light! Don't buy games, watch others on Twitch and YouTube—much cheaper and low stress. Thank you Woody, you're my new fav poster!

 

[WoodenSaucer]

(Going off topic here, but I felt the need to reply). That has always been one of the most agonizing decisions for me when playing Skyrim. I usually try to stay somewhat neutral, as you've done, and I didn't want to be locked into one side for the Civil War questline, because you end up having to attack people who've come to trust you. I can sympathize with both the Stormcloaks and Imperials as both groups have valid points (and also negatives).

For me, the true enemy of the Province of Skyrim, as well as all of Tamriel, are the Thalmor of the Aldmeri Dominion after the signing of The White-Gold Concordat. That treaty gave the Thalmor too much power and the right to abolish the right to worship Talos. I've always wanted a third option to be able to unite both the Stormcloaks & Imperials and go after the true enemy, the Thalmor.

So what I found was that on the surface, it seems like the Stormcloaks would be the right moral choice. But if you start digging below the surface, that is definitely not the case. The Stormcloaks are racist hypocrites. Their big thing is freedom to worship Talos, but then they turn around and try to force the Forswarn to worship Talos instead of their own gods. The problem with the Stormcloaks is that they are good at war and rebellion against the Empire, but Ulfric Stormcloak is a reckless renegade without a good plan for what to do to run the country afterwards. And his motives are actually selfish more than really for the good of the country.

The Empire, on the other hand, made the treaty with the Thalmor, and banned Talos worship. The reason the Thalmor want Talos worship banned is because they need Talos to not be empowered so that they can basically destroy everyone and become gods. So you're right that they're the real enemy. But the Empire isn't really siding with them, they're just protecting themselves to play the long game with them. If they can ever get past the civil war with the Stormcloaks (who are taking their attention away from the rightful enemy), the Empire will eventually attack the Thalmor and fight the real enemy, and they are way more equipped to do that than the Stormcloaks. So even though banning Talos worship is a bad thing, the Empire is ultimately the only real hope for the salvation and preservation of mankind.

 

[Colif]

3rd note to self: At last, I have seen the light! Don't buy games, watch others on Twitch and YouTube

its not like he only one who thought of that.

Youtube suggests a new game to me, I am disappointed to find its only just out and no one is playing it or has finished it so I can watch. I don't use twitch. I don't like watching videos where the player spends all his time talking to people, just play the game... its why I am here.

 

[mainer]

@WoodenSaucer - Without quoting your whole post, that is the best explanation I've seen about the differences in Stormcloaks and Imperials. It makes complete sense, as the Thalmor want dissention and turmoil in the Empire so they can dominate, and only a unified Empire has a chance. I'm hopeful that ES6 will address this situation. I feel the need to start a new game (been a couple of years).

 

[WoodenSaucer]

@WoodenSaucer - Without quoting your whole post, that is the best explanation I've seen about the differences in Stormcloaks and Imperials. It makes complete sense, as the Thalmor want dissention and turmoil in the Empire so they can dominate, and only a unified Empire has a chance. I'm hopeful that ES6 will address this situation. I feel the need to start a new game (been a couple of years).

Well, like I said before, I let everyone else do the legwork for me. That's just a summary of all of the various discussions I was reading. Haha.

But after researching that, it really does make me hope the next game will have something to do with that. Overcoming the Thalmor would be awesome. But I'm thinking political stuff like that is usually going to be side quests, and not the main story. I really can't wait until Starfield is out, and we can finally hear something about TES VI.

 

[Zloth]

I'm a little late to the party, but I'll normally read the books (or however the exposition lore is delivered). Elder Scrolls has more than I can deal with, but I read them all in most games.

 

[Hveðrungr]

Talos literally is a god in the Elder Scrolls lore. That was established in the Knights of the Nine DLC for TES IV: Oblivion. So the Stormcloaks are objectively correct to worship Talos and to insist that others should too. In the real world tolerance makes sense because we can't know for sure which religion (if any!) is correct. But in Tamriel there is a knowable correct answer and it is that Talos really is a god.