As we creep closer and closer to the actual release date for Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s been an almost explosion of hype across the internet. Along with the standard screenshots from the Early Access, and the debates about companions and character builds, there’s also been a surprising amount of new players that are being brought into the franchise and are asking for help. A surprising amount of them have no prior experience in D&D, and feel more than a bit lost and confused on mechanics.
Baldur’s Gate is a franchise that takes place in one of the popular world settings for the D&D tabletop game- Forgotten Realms. Prior versions used different systems and mechanics, and now that the third iteration of the franchise has moved on to 5th Edition (5e) and the DOS engine (Divinity: Original Sin), some long-time fans are also more displeased with the fact that their beloved franchise is different than perhaps what they were hoping for. As much as I dislike Wizards of the Coast for their poor handling of the OGL and their edition issues, 5e is probably the best possible rules system of D&D to use for a computer game. It’s not as complicated and contradictory as older editions, it doesn’t have all that many moving parts, but it has enough character growth to feel good to play so that your characters feel like they can impact the world. And I say that as someone who would far rather play a Pathfinder 1e or 3.5e game if given a choice. 
It’s just that, for all the things I dislike in how the tabletop system operates, it actually translates really, really well to an RPG played on PC or console. The frustrations of not having all the options for character builds is actually a downside for coders and programmers, and even writers, because too many variables not only take more time to implement but they add in exponentially more ways that systems can conflict or interact in a, perhaps, less than favorable way. A more limited availability allows for better planning and tighter storylines, and if you have ever run a D&D game, you know what I mean. I highly doubt I’m the first person who has had an entire session’s worth of play completely avoided by the judicial use of spells or items. There’s also the Rest system, which works better than the “encounter” system for 4e (one of the least popular of the editions) by adding in scarcity and demanding a break and a pause but allows for some minor benefits to keep the days going by offering the benefits of short rests, which isn’t present in older editions, which required an entire night’s rest for any form of recovery. I actually got into a heated argument with someone about just how vital the rest system is in BG3 and I don’t regret my words (well, except for when I got a little …*ahem* too involved). Sending characters back to camp means you have an enforced time where you can talk to your companions, and it can also be used for storyline purposes via dreams and some of the companion storylines. It’s an excellent compromise and far better than simply having a series of cooldowns. The pacing is not only true to the genre but also reminds you that you’re not playing an ARPG or a MMO. You’re playing an RPG, where Role Playing is one of the game’s central pillars. Not an afterthought or an excuse for why you have to go kill x rats or deliver someone’s overdue library book. 
Of course, there are also skills, illustrated by having an actual d20 roll animated for you to see, which is a subtle delight for grognards like me, and you add whatever skills or attributes you have for a result based against a highlighted difficulty number. Why, other than the fact it’s a D&D IP, did they choose it? IMHO, it’s because the random percentile of 1-100 just, by dint of numbers, feels too much like math, and a hidden RNG-as is common in many games-would feel too arbitrary. Having it be a roll of 1-20 with skill points and attributes feels like there’s more impact, like every point matters. The roll is semi-kinetic as well; the visual lends a psychological subconscious response, or maybe just notalgia, just by being there. Of course, I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am, not after having played as many systems as I have. After playing all those systems, you start to understand that each atmosphere has to have a system that fits it. That works well with it and allows for things to be done in ways that highlight the kinds of characters you can play. A wider span of numbers can be daunting, but they’re a joy for those who like theory crafting and micro-management. Characters in such games generally feel more precise, more polished and specific. A game with less rules and more “rule of cool” implementation ends up feeling more free but also, somehow more dreamlike, with less visceral impact. And Miniature games, of course, have a more tactical feel to them.
Depending on what you want to run, that will determine what suits you best for a system. For something like Baldur’s Gate 3, 5e was an excellent option. Its limits make for easier planning, plotting, and design for the studio, but it’s still open-ended enough to allow for many choices and builds. The pacing enforces pauses where you’re subconsciously reminded that your companions are characters too, and maybe you should go talk to them, and the skills reinforce that you can be good at some things, but not all things, which encourages multiple playthroughs to see how having different skill sets can utterly change how you play. 
Like I said, I’m not happy with WotC right now, like many others, but Larian made an excellent choice. Given what I have seen of the rest of the game and the media that is allowed it should be expected. Baldur’s Gate 3 seems to be shaping up to be a game where many choices were given careful forethought before they were made, while keeping in mind how it would play and interact with the other choices that had already been made.Sure, we talk a lot about graphics and writing, but when it comes down to it, it’s the systems that are inherent to a game, and to a studio, that have the greatest impact on the quality of the games we get. A studio with poor systems for their people will always end up a bit on the short end, while a game with poor systems may hit a niche market, but for most remains utterly unplayable.
Some applause is certainly well deserved to Larian for noticing the things we don’t mention and recognizing that a game isn’t just graphics and one-liners, but it has to work and work well for what you need it to do. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am looking forward to their launch and to their future offerings with unabashed anticipation. Because if they can keep this up, then the threat that some Triple-A studios are feeling may very well be entirely merited.
