Any PC RPGs with more talking and persuading than fighting?

Honestly don't know how to search for it myself cause my request seems to be so niche that Google gives me nothing, so here's another one of my universally loved "recommend a game" threads. Hope you can help me out.

Recently, while replaying Fallout New Vegas, I found out that talking your way through quests and solving them peacefully can be incredibly fun, not to mention persuading people to get more/better rewards. Are there any other PC RPGs out there, aside from the most obvious one - Planescape Torment, where a diplomatic approach and intelligent, charismatic, speech-based characters are viable options? Games with complex dialogue system and large variety of dialogue options, where I can talk my way through most of the quests and only fight when absolutely necessary? Preferably morally grey (please warn me if your suggestion has a black & white morality), so I'd have to think twice before choosing any option.

Thank you in advance for pointing me in the right direction.

damn - I was going to suggest Planescape ;-)

I look forward to others' answers as well

The first RPGs that crossed my mind are Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.

Especially Fallout 2 which is one of my favorite old RPGs, I can guarantee that you can finish the game without drawing your weapon at all...

If you haven't played them, give them a shot.

Also I believe that you might find games like Baldur's gate (1 and 2) that have complex dialogue and a large variety of dialogue options.

I would say Icewind dale too, but I remember it having a lot of combat :P.

Sorry for the video, I couldn't resist :P.

@xxninja666xx: Yeah, the original Fallout games are the best suggestions. There are other, newer games with similarly complex dialog trees but few where you can avoid combat altogether. I'm also assuming that you are excluding stealth games where you can avoid combat by sneaking by everyone or knocking them out.

-Byshop

I thought to myself "well, a Dreamcast is cheap as hell now, so I guess I can just buy it", but then I looked at the price of Shenmue and instantly scratched that idea off my mind. Why the **** is it so expensive?! Are people out of their minds?!

I don't mind some combat, but mostly I want to play as a "diplomat" type character, not a mercenary monster hunter.

I never really found myself playing older Fallouts for long because of how hard the combat was, but I guess it's as good of a reason as any to give them another whirl. Maybe I'll just simply pussy out and set everything to easy to spare myself any trouble.

As I said, I don't mind combat, but I don't want to be forced to fight every time an opportunity arises, but rather be able to solve the problem by conversation in most cases.

I think KOTOR 1 and 2 are good options then.

There there are lots. Basically every Bioware RPG. Wasteland 2 also qualifies, where you have multiple "soft skill" stats you can use to talk your way into/out of a situation. Although it's more combat heavy, the same can be said of the Mass Effect series. Vampire Bloodlines was an FPS RPG that had complex dialog options and skills. Also, Alpha Protocol had a complex influence system where making people happy/mad could both have equal benefit.

-Byshop

+1.

I think this should be the best answer.

I'm confused....

Bioware games are littered with baked in trash mobs and combat. Maybe I am missing something but I never really found it possible, like it is in New Vegas (somewhat) or Fallout 1 and 2 (both of which can be completed without ever killing a thing) to completely talk your way out of combat in games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, KotOR, etc. In fact, I've never really found dialogue to have much of an impact in most of Bioware's games. You basically get the good, smart-ass, and Rambo dialogue choices, which ultimately are fairly meaningless in terms of the choices and options open or closed to the player.

Supposedly, it will be possible to complete the new Torment without fighting.

Pretty much what I wanted to say. Never have I experienced a situation where I could avoid a fight through careful dialogue choices while playing Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The most influence I had was convincing NPCs to have sex with my character.

Well I was mostly refer to old ones like KOTOR and Neverwinter Nights games where you can find fights that you can avoid with careful dialogues...

I also remember in KOTOR 2 you could finish the game without taking any side (this is for "Preferably morally grey").

Not EVERY BioWare games but some (like Jade Empire and KOTOR), if you put points into your character's dialogue options etc, then you could pass enemies without fighting.

@-wildflower-: Mass Effect's trees got fairly complicated. True, there is a lot of forced combat which is why I didn't mention them in my first post. You're right, though. The ability to talk your way out of a fight is less pronounced in the DA games. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc were all pretty detailed. KOTOR was one of the better examples of this.

-Byshop

Much as I love the old IE games, your diplomatic ability in the Baldur's Gates, Icewind Dales, and at least official NWN1 modules aside from Hordes of the Underdark were limited at best. Sure, there were a few fights you could avoid in dialogue, but they were very much the exception, not the rule. The Icewind Dales in particular are all about combat. However, there are plenty of user made modules for both Neverwinter Nights games that would fit the bill, and the aforementioned HOTU and Mask of the Betrayer feature more diplomacy than their parent games.

Yeah, they were nothing near the old school Black Isle games like Fallout. I guess you guys are right. I rescind my previous comment. Stick with Black Isle games and more detailed RPGs like KOTOR.

-Byshop

Shenmue on Amazon US for Dreamcast is only 25$ friend. Not expensive at all. You got me excited there for a moment, as I have a copy of Shenmue and thought I could make a couple hundred. How dare you!

@Byshop:

Did the KOTORs actually have much avoidable combat? I remember 2 had much better use of skills in dialogue but both had a buttload combat.

Anyways, I forgot to give an honorable mention to a particular moment in the Neverwinter Nights 2 OC. Although the overall it had a depressing amount of tedious filler combat midway through there is a trial that features the most impressive and satisfying use of dialogue skills I've ever seen in a D&D based video game. It seriously almost redeemed the entire (mediocre) campaign, but of course they had to ruin it by making the outcomes basically the same.

Age of Decadence gets my vote.

I think my Merchant character got through the first 2/3rds of the game without entering a single battle.

And why exactly do you assume I live in the US?

Interesting. Is it enjoyable regardless of being in Early Access?

Well GS is an American website, so it was a safe assumption to make. How expensive is it where you are?

Around 1/5 of an average monthly salary.

@xxninja666xx: Oh definitely. Age of Decadence is pretty much all about the replayability, so you don't particularly mind that the final chapter isn't complete yet - you could easily play through the first two acts 10 times and have wildly different experiences.

The game itself is essentially a more tightly-scripted, Roman-themed version of Fallout 1-2, with a harsher combat system (you're only human, so you will *die*) and really drastic story changes depending on your role and choices.

If you like Fallout 1 and 2, and want something with the same combat and arguably more roleplaying options (with admittedly less freedom and exploration), it's worth a shot. Then again, it might get a full release over the next few months, so if you're not desperate for something to play...

Alpha Protocol had an interesting conversation system

and i believe it's on sale for a few bucks on GMG right now

Any games by Obsidian and Black Isle

I am playing Divinity The Original Sin and there appears to be a good deal of talking and some action can be resolved by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.