The Necromancer's Tale: Character Creation That's Actually, Genuinely Good (No, Really!)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
*The Necromancer's Tale* has character creation that's surprisingly deep and engaging, with a choose-your-own-adventure prologue that actually makes you care about your character *before* you start swinging swords. Rock Paper Shotgun says the combat is nothing special, but the social intrigue and necromantic shenanigans sound like they could be a bloody good time.
Right, so Rock Paper Shotgun's Edwin Evans-Thirlwell (cheers, mate!) has been poking around in *The Necromancer's Tale*, a new historical fantasy tactics RPG from Psychic Software, and reckons the character creation is surprisingly brilliant. And, fair dinkum, I'm inclined to agree based on what I've seen.
We're not just talking about picking a class and assigning skill points here. No, no. *The Necromancer's Tale* throws you headfirst into a choose-your-own-adventure prologue that charts your character's life from infancy to adulthood. Each decision you make subtly (or not so subtly) alters your stats. Sounds simple, yeah? But here's the wizardry:
The writing is *good*. Like, actually good. Set in a sorcerous 18th century Europe near Venice (think courtly intrigue meets black magic, with a dash of emerging chemistry), the prologue is packed with evocative prose that doesn't drown you in adjectives. It's the kind of writing that makes you *want* to know what happens next, rather than feeling like you're slogging through lore.
But what does this *mean* for your stats? Well, that's the clever bit. The connection between your choices and your stats isn't always obvious. Do you fend off a stone-throwing girl with a stick, or try to talk her down? Do you feel angry, betrayed, or confused after being banished by your parents? It's not always clear how these decisions will affect your Strength, Agility, Constitution, or detective skills (Acuity, Knowledge, Investigate, Analyse, Impress, Convince). And that ambiguity is precisely what makes it so engaging. You're making choices based on character, not just min-maxing.
And speaking of character, *The Necromancer's Tale* dares to *remove* stats as you get older. Life throws curveballs, and sometimes those curveballs dent your stats. It's a clever way to cap player power while adding a layer of realism. Because, let's face it, none of us are getting any younger (or stronger, or faster... *sigh*).
Now, if all this sounds like too much effort, there's a tax-return-style option to manually adjust your stats. But, come on, where's the fun in that? Embrace the weirdness!
Evans-Thirlwell wasn't entirely sold on the combat, which is turn-based and hex-based with the usual melee, projectiles, and spells. Standard fare, apparently. The real hook, he reckons, is the social intrigue, which sounds a bit like *Vampyr*. The more time you spend with skelliwags and spectres, the more likely you are to get on the wrong side of the local townsfolk. Torchlit arrests, court proceedings, and brusque lynchings await necromancers who can't control their cadavers. Sounds like a right laugh, doesn't it?
There’s even an eventful encounter with Isaac Newton, who drops dead of old age after accusing you of being an agent of the grim reaper! I mean, fair play, Psychic Software. Fair play.
So, if you're looking for an RPG with character creation that goes beyond the usual stat-padding, *The Necromancer's Tale* might just be worth a punt. Find it on Steam and see if you can resist the urge to raise the dead (responsibly, of course).
Tags: RPG, Indie Games, Character Creation, Tactics, Historical Fantasy
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun