Avowed Has Everything It Needs To Make The Perfect Tabletop RPG

Made by the original creators behind the legendary Fallout New Vegas, Avowed is shaping up to be a story-rich RPG experience with a unique presentation of the genre. Taking heavy inspiration from games like Skyrim, Dragon Age, and even D&D, Avowed offers classic action-adventure gameplay set in a fantastical world that's crossed with the mutated horror of annihilation. While these combinations make for a unique gameplay offering, its fleshed-out inspirations leave the door open for a future adaptation with incredible potential.

Avowed offers both a first- and third-person perspective, allowing for more freedom when interacting with the game world and helping to provide more immersion than some of its recent competitors. Receiving a fairly positive reception so far, the game has already hit milestones on Steam before its full release, which already seems to be another success for the infamous studio. While the future looks bright for Avowed so far, it could achieve even greater heights by continuing the formula in an entirely new format.

An Avowed TTRPG Would Take The Game Full Circle To Its Origins

Giving Back To The Genre That Started It All

Avowed stands on its own as a unique entry in the fantasy RPG genre with its vibrant world and engaging combat systems, but its fantasy origins still shine through the cracks quite often. In the same world as Obsidian's previous Pillars of Eternity franchise, which was a spiritual successor to the beloved Baldurs Gate itself, Avowed's lengthy Dungeons & Dragons inspirations are clear as day. While Avowed's first-person perspective is a far cry from the bird's eye view of a tabletop, plenty of fair comparisons can be made to the legendary roleplaying game and its virtual adaptations.

A hooded character looking over the Dawnshore region and the city of Paradis in Avowed.

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Throughout Avowed's expansive region of Eora, players will encounter several unique characters and scenarios in their journey to investigate the mysterious plague ravaging the lands. Much like tabletop-inspired games of the past, roleplaying is an essential part of Avowed's experience, featuring significant choices that can have unique consequences or benefits further into the story. With the world reacting to player choice through forging alliances and rivalries throughout the vibrant landscapes, there's plenty of potential when creating a tabletop game inspired by Avowed's unique world.

Avowed's Tabletop Potential Is Already Being Realized By Its Voice Actors

Recognizing The Origins That Inspired Avowed's Development

Even Obsidian has recognized the tabletop genre that laid the groundwork for their latest release by partnering with Critical Role for an official collaboration. As announced in a post by the Critical Role on X, the iconic tabletop RPG group is hosting an Avowed-inspired one-shot to celebrate the game's release. Featuring several iconic voice actors from Critical Role and Avowed, the tabletop stream will be a great way to familiarize players with the game world before playing it themselves.

While the announcement is exciting news for fans of either Avowed or Critical Role with a ing interest in each other, it's not much of a surprise given its host, Matthew Mercer, has been a prominent member of the cast for both Avowed and the original Pillars of Eternity. Although Critical Role's Avowed one-shot will use the standard Dungeons & Dragons tabletop system to run the game, Avowed's unique game world and mechanics seem like it could make for a more than worthwhile independent tabletop RPG in its own right.

Offering A Unique Take On The Genre's Gameplay Mechanics And Worldbuilding

Providing A Level Of Player Freedom That Can't Be Matched

Although Avowed features familiar classes with the Fighter, Ranger, and Wizard offerings, the skill tree lets players customize their character with surprising variety. On top of the basic class options, Avowed also offers powerful Godlike abilities that can shake up combat significantly, becoming especially powerful when combined with the right character builds, which adds valuable flair to otherwise generic classes. The fast-paced first-person gameplay makes Avowed's RPG world come to life in its own right, but that doesn't mean its gameplay mechanics can't stand out on their own in a more traditional format.

Avowed is at its best when it comes to its world-building and quests.

The game world of Avowed itself is filled to the brim with a vibrant personality that deserves a physical format to experience, with its Dream Scourge allowing for plenty of creativity when it comes to creating uniquely horrifying creatures. Much like traditional RPGs, Avowed is at its best when it comes to its world-building and quests, rewarding players who take the time to explore their environments fully, both with valuable gear and a more enriching story experience.

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The limitations of a pre-made game like Avowed could be easily improved within a tabletop format, allowing players to customize their characters with more depth while adding even more options for new classes in a fraction of the time. The story itself can be taken to greater heights unobtainable in a game, with a personalized campaign that can adapt to any choices a player can make. While it might lack the same visual spectacle and intense action of a game like Avowed, hopefully, there will be more unique ways to experience the vibrant world of Eora in the future.

Source: CriticalRole/X