Josh Sawyer Says RPGs Need Limits, Not 100% Player Control
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 20
Josh Sawyer Says RPGs Need Limits, Not 100% Player Control
1 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 20
Summary
Sawyer said role-playing games work best when players can shape many outcomes but still cannot control everything, arguing that limits make choices feel more immersive and consequential.
Deadfire and Pentiment were his examples: players cannot stop Eothas in Pillars of Eternity 2, and in Pentiment they must accuse someone of murder without ever knowing the truth.
Those constraints are deliberate, he said, because many RPGs train players to expect they can defeat any villain or solve every problem, weakening tension and moral weight.
The comments matter because Sawyer is reportedly directing Obsidian's already announced Fallout game, suggesting it could emphasize hard trade-offs over all-powerful completionist play.