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Post by parsival on Jun 30, 2024 12:16:04 GMT
Listening to the English accent of the male voice actor on the gameplay sample, I was interested to note that it was far more gruff and 'common' than that of Nicholas Boulton as Hawke or Harry Hadden-Paton as the Inquisitor. It got me thinking that the character's social class seems to have been removed as an option. Remember how 'Noble' was an origin choice in Dragon Age: Origins? Hawke was the son of a noble mother and the human Inquisitor was noble too. Not any more, methinks!
Part of a 'progressive' push to dial down any accusations of encouraging forms of 'privilege'? I wonder.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 30, 2024 12:36:41 GMT
Part of a 'progressive' push to dial down any accusations of encouraging forms of 'privilege'? I wonder. More to do with the story they are trying to tell. They said back in 2020 they wanted Rook to be someone who starts from the bottom and worked up. I have to admit I had started to become a bit tired of the human PC always being from a noble background. It made for a contrast in what you experience compared with other races (although they dwarf could also be from a noble background in DAO) but even so it seemed as though they were shielding the people who always play human from the harsher side of life. The human noble in DAO can become Prince or Queen consort and they did automatically gain a status from being the 2nd most important family in the land after that of the King. Then in DA2 we were told the Hawke was a penniless refugee who raised themselves from nothing but that was not entirely true because once they had bought back the family estate they did have a kudos not available to the average peasant, let alone an elf. Then in DAI once again our family was prominent in the Freemarches with strong ties to the Chantry. It naturally seemed less out of place for them to be leading the Inquisition and they did start with an advantage at the Imperial Ball (or rather other races started at a disadvantage). I had really wondered how they were going to tell the person who started with no power narrative if they opted once again to make the human background a noble one. I had assumed they might make every race a slave background (which was feasible) However, it seems they have gone with a different option. Whilst we still await full details on how they tie us into the backgrounds we are forced to choose between, on the whole it does seem we are starting off from more humble origins. Nevertheless, I wouldn't discount the noble origin entirely yet. Normally those who serve as mages in the Grand Necropolis tend to come from important noble families in Nevarra and it is entirely possible they might do something similar for other human members of the Mourn Watch. Whilst it would be natural to assume our origins were as a poor kid plucked from obscurity to become part of the Crows, it is clear they do seem to have a class system in that organisation that could result in a "noble" background (born into the family of one of the leading Houses). Even to be a Shadow Dragon does not immediately preclude the PC from belonging from a noble Tevinter family. Ditto a Lord of Fortune from Rivain, who don't seem to care what family you are from but nevertheless probably do attract the occasional noble born dissatisfied with their way of life. That could even be true of the Veil Jumpers, since they have human as well as elven members (possibly even qunari) and Grey Wardens, where their members are meant to reject their former life when joining up but may still carry their status with them. So, I would wait and see what our backgrounds entail before accusing them of ruling out a privileged background. The rougher accent isn't necessarily an indicator. Sometimes people adapt their accent to those they commonly associate with so as not to stand out as different.
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Post by Kappa Neko on Jun 30, 2024 13:01:12 GMT
Funny enough, I have never chosen the human background before because the whole nobility thing was hugely unappealing to me besides how playing a human is boring by default because I am a human myself. So I'd rather play a different race.
While it's true that the Hawke family was never poor but rather impoverished, well off once, I still like Hawke best of all the PCs because it's a from rags to riches story. Hawke worked their way up to the champion. So Hawke to me is closest to Shepard, my absolute favorite PC ever.
I think I like the faction in DAV more than the social classes linked to race in DAO, on paper anyway. We'll see how it plays out. If we're really a nobody who becomes a hero through hard work and true leadership skills, I'll be happy. Would be a major improvement over the Ryder twins in Andromeda and also inky. Both were boring to me and didn't sound and act like real leaders to me. But maybe that's just me.
I wouldn't have minded Rook being a former slave though as a set social background. Or even an optional one separate from the faction. I'd be way more interested in that than being a human noble again.
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Post by gervaise21 on Jun 30, 2024 13:29:36 GMT
Funny enough, I have never chosen the human background before because the whole nobility thing was hugely unappealing to me besides how playing a human is boring by default because I am a human myself. So I'd rather play a different race. This was always my reason for not playing human initially. However, having worked through DAO with various other backgrounds, I thought I'd give human noble a try and role played it to the full as a pragmatic, slightly amoral younger son, who always had an eye on improving their status, so naturally bypassed Alistair as King (he'd not shown any of the leadership skills that my Cousland had) and then married Anora, which also gave me a reason for sparing Loghain. I did try a human mage in DAI eventually, making him more of a Chantry loyalist and beloved of Vivienne as a result but he was so unlike what I would usually role play that I actively started disliking him and gave up half way through. I definitely don't intend playing human initially with DAV and intend going elf on my first run, so it is unlikely to make any difference to me as they never have the elf PC from a noble background, although technically that is how the Dalish view themselves having descended from the families of the Emerald Knights that fled the country on the fall of the Dales. However, that aspect is not really referenced much in game, only in the lore books.
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Trouble-shooting Space Diva
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by melbella on Jun 30, 2024 15:01:38 GMT
Funny enough, I have never chosen the human background before because the whole nobility thing was hugely unappealing to me besides how playing a human is boring by default because I am a human myself. So I'd rather play a different race. Being from a noble family is just as much a fantasy for most people as being an elf or a dwarf. I don't see much difference.
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Post by Kappa Neko on Jun 30, 2024 15:21:59 GMT
Funny enough, I have never chosen the human background before because the whole nobility thing was hugely unappealing to me besides how playing a human is boring by default because I am a human myself. So I'd rather play a different race. Being from a noble family is just as much a fantasy for most people as being an elf or a dwarf. I don't see much difference. Oh I know. It's just a personal dislike for that particular fantasy. I would never want to be nobility. Makes you a prisoner in a golden cage. Always on display. Nightmare fuel. So I told Alistair fuck being king, sounds miserable. Stay a warden. In hindsight for his character arc that wasn't the best decision maybe but I found his situation very relatable. Few things look as unappealing to me as being queen. Would never do it if I had a wish to make. That's the worst possible kind of rich I can think of. That's all. Two things combined I don't care about. Judging by how popular human noble has always been, I'm in the minority.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2024 16:31:17 GMT
Too bad. I rather enjoyed being a lordling and having some fun with the elven maid in DAO.
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Post by Envisionary on Jun 30, 2024 16:44:13 GMT
Part of a 'progressive' push to dial down any accusations of encouraging forms of 'privilege'? I wonder. Please tell me who you think would bother accusing game developers of encouraging forms of privilege by allowing your character to be of a noble family.
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Post by parsival on Jun 30, 2024 20:51:01 GMT
Part of a 'progressive' push to dial down any accusations of encouraging forms of 'privilege'? I wonder. Please tell me who you think would bother accusing game developers of encouraging forms of privilege by allowing your character to be of a noble family.
Stranger things have happened in the current zeitgeist - look at the issues regarding the colour of Drow in D&D, or racial stereotypes of even orcs.
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Post by sageoflife on Jul 1, 2024 8:37:21 GMT
Funny enough, I have never chosen the human background before because the whole nobility thing was hugely unappealing to me besides how playing a human is boring by default because I am a human myself. So I'd rather play a different race. This was always my reason for not playing human initially. However, having worked through DAO with various other backgrounds, I thought I'd give human noble a try and role played it to the full as a pragmatic, slightly amoral younger son, who always had an eye on improving their status, so naturally bypassed Alistair as King (he'd not shown any of the leadership skills that my Cousland had) and then married Anora, which also gave me a reason for sparing Loghain. I did try a human mage in DAI eventually, making him more of a Chantry loyalist and beloved of Vivienne as a result but he was so unlike what I would usually role play that I actively started disliking him and gave up half way through. I definitely don't intend playing human initially with DAV and intend going elf on my first run, so it is unlikely to make any difference to me as they never have the elf PC from a noble background, although technically that is how the Dalish view themselves having descended from the families of the Emerald Knights that fled the country on the fall of the Dales. However, that aspect is not really referenced much in game, only in the lore books. This is part of the reason why when I choose to play human, it's as a mage. Amell doesn't even remember her origins and doesn't find out about her former nobility until some time after she already saved Ferelden, I imagine when her cousin stopped the qunari takeover in Kirkwall. I play Trevelyan as being rejected by his family when his magic manifested and so very much noble in-name-only. It did nothing to protect him from the dark side of the Circle, so he only concerns himself with it when others force him to. I haven't decided yet whether Rook will be a human or an elf. It will largely depend on whether I can play them as somehow being directly impacted by the events of Inquisition.
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Post by ClarkKent on Jul 1, 2024 11:53:37 GMT
It was most likely an artistic decision, sure. Tevinter is clearly being presented as a magical fascist society, and it makes some sense to be working against that system from the bottom.
It's probably not a progressive conspiracy though. We just had Andromeda and that was all about parental privileges.
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