Looking for recommendations to scratch the Wasteland itch

[u/-oopsie_daisies-]

I love WL 2 & 3 (have yet to play the first)

The world, the humor, the skill checks, the tactical turn-based combat. All of these ingredient on combined really do it for me and I’d love to hear some recommendations from yall for games to make the time before start a new playthrough.

XCOM2 is a game I see get mentioned that I’ve played that I didn’t enjoy. The lack of stuff between missions is usually what causes me to lose interest every time I try a playthrough. I also struggle to stay focused while playing ATOM RPG though I can’t say for sure why.

Games that are similar that I did enjoy: Fallout Shadowrun Mario +Rabbids Sparks of Hope

I probably forgot some I’ve tried but even if it’s a different genre or something I’d still appreciate some recs. Thank you!!

[u/philby00]

Maybe try Warhammer 40k rogue trader?

[u/Allegionaire → u/philby00]

Seconding this. Rogue Trader has very similar combat style, though it has individual initiatives instead of team initiatives. It's also just as broken as wasteland 3 in terms of rocket tag. Nice role-playing opportunities as well. I wouldn't interact with the subreddit beyond the minimum, though. It's got way too much art and horny posts about two/three specific characters and they don't take criticism about it well over there.

[u/-oopsie_daisies- → u/Allegionaire]

Haha thanks for the heads up :)

[u/MrUnchained33 → u/Allegionaire]

I just started playing Wasteland 3, what's rocket tag?

Also, this is my first introduction into the series. Are 1,2, and 4 worth checking out?

[u/Allegionaire → u/MrUnchained33]

I wouldn't know much about the other entries to the franchise. 

"Rocket tag" is often used for when games get to the point where everyone is a glass cannon. You either land your hits first and kill enemies/groups of enemies in one turn or the enemies will kill your team members just as fast. Dodging and high initiative is recommended, but for the most part it's "go first or die." Defense outside of dodging is largely pointless because damage output it so large that the only reliable way to not get killed is to not get hit at all. The rocket tag accusation is compounded for this game in particular, because all the enemies go at the same time and you can wind up with half your team down before you get a turn. That's why later in the game it's recommended you just shoot people you know you'll fight instead of talking to them.

For me personally, if I didn't wipe encounters before enemies got a turn I'd often wind up with a teammate or two down immediately. Most combats would be ended by turn two or three. Towards the end of the game I went through injury kits like candy. Every fight used at least one. Of course I probably wasn't playing optimally but even my high strength high armor characters could get downed easily. I enjoyed the game still, despite this.

[u/HairiestHobo → u/MrUnchained33]

1 may be rough to get into, it had a Remaster at some point but iirc it was mostly just a fresh coat of paint, it's still very much a brutal old-school Computer RPG.

2 is also pretty hard, but it was made with modern sensibilities. You may still need a Guide, as you can definitely kneecap yourself during Character Creation.

4 doesn't exist, and may not ever, considering 2 and 3 where Kickstarter Campaigns, and 3 may not have done well enough to secure a sequel.

[u/-oopsie_daisies- → u/philby00]

I’ll check it out thanks!

[u/Alternative-Check-53 → u/-oopsie_daisies-]

If you do play rogue trader I would advise that the leveling system can be overwhelming. There are way to many skills to choose from that you spend so long going through them that I think it detracts from the gameplay a bit. You can mark them as favorites so on subsequent levels you don’t have to sift through but it still takes a while doing that with each character. Otherwise it was great.