What Are Some of Your Favorite RPG Quests?

Ryosen asks: "The current issue of PC Gamer Magazine has a rundown on the MMORPGs due out this year. Reading over the list of hopefuls and checking out some of the websites and comments, I continually ran across complaints from players about the tedium in a lot of the quests from various games. These are typically of the non-imaginative 'take this message to that person' variety, or 'go kill 4 of these creatures' sorts. Obviously there have been some great quests and plots in games of the past and, with so many new RPGs in development, I thought this would be a great time to reminisce over some of our favorites. Who knows? Maybe some of those designers might find some inspiration for their upcoming creations."

Comments

Involve players in the epic storyline

[Metasquares]

I used to GM an Ultima Online shard. The most successful quests tended to be the ones that involved players in the storyline, bringing all of UO's lore into play and allowing them to mold the shard's future lore. These quests tend to be deeper, darker, and more dangerous than your run-of-the-mill "kill these monsters" quests. You can drag some of these storylines out over multiple quests spanning long periods of time, too.

That's if you're talking about GM-run quests. If you plan on automating your quests, you're going to be kind of doomed from the start. Anything automatic will eventually become boring to players.

Re:Baldur's Gate 2

[Donniedarkness]

Agreed. Baldur's Gate 2 was so good that Neverwinter Nights DISSAPOINTED ME. The quests were interesting, the characters were interesting... I always got very into the storyline (and the comedy was such that it didn't feel out of place... Boo rox ^_^).

In my mind, Baldur's Gate 2 has not been outdone yet.

Best quest ever

[darthwader]

"Fetch a larva for the council."

It must be the best quest, since it appears in the two best RPGs ever written.

Re:Star Control 2

[antic]

Agreed - SC2 is a great game.

I don't really play RPGs but I wondered if there were any out there that used a more natural format for quests. So someone's talking in the town about a rising threat in a nearby area. It's not mentioned as a specific quest, but should you not decide to deal with it, the threat's power may develop at a later date to the point at which it is simple too difficult to defeat. e.g., take care of a brooding Sauron before he's amassed his power.

Or is the concept of a quest to finely engrained in the level-up, "I've achieved something" format of games?

Final Fantasy VI - The Opera

[zzz1357]

Celes's performance at the Opera House is the number one quest in my book.

It's so beautiful, but sad, and it foreshadows what happens during the second half of the game. Arguably the most famous sequence in the game, in 2002 Electronic Gaming Monthly declared the opera scene one of the "20 Greatest Moments in Console Gaming."

The Glow

[necrognome]

I will never forget the Glow in Fallout. The atmosphere and music were perfect, and I loved the way in which the veil was peeled away from the game's storyline.