# Another "Do Any Video Games Do This?" **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629 "2014-08-27T13:16:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/1 "2014-08-27T13:16:03Z")
Playing Titan Quest last night, I chuckled at one of the numerous times where you complete a side quest, an NPC says “Oh thank you! We’re a poor people with our homes ravaged by monsters but take our last magic amulet as a reward” and you immediately chuck it at a merchant, put the 15,000 gold into your sack and say “See ya!”. Tons of RPG-style games are the same. Get a turnip from a peasant or a golden shield from the king, either way it’s just moments from being pawned for some coin. The only game I’ve personally played that I can remember that punishes this was Princess Maker 2. If you won the contest rewards (magic paintbrush, magic sword, etc) and sold them, the King would say he heard you did so and is deeply disappointed that you thought so poorly of them and you’d lose a bunch of favor. Any other games that punished cashing in your heartfelt rewards? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/2 "2014-08-27T13:37:58Z")
All video games reduce to the same numbers matrix as the first teletype games, just with fancier graphics and more pseudo-interaction. You might swing your mighty Sword of Dragonish Flame and cut the Bograth in half, with giblets spewing and screaming hordes and the most realistic nipples under the princess’s gown you’ve ever seen and everything but the smell of the beast’s sweaty armpits… but down in accounting, it’s “800HP = 0LP + 500XP.” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/3 "2014-08-27T13:44:21Z")
I’ve seen a couple games, but don’t remember what they were, in which a quest reward item was needed later in the game to complete a different side quest. Borderlands 2 has a few Set Item rewards which reward you for keeping otherwise not-so-useful gear–kill the (evil) sheriff, you get a Deputy’s Badge. If you wear it, you get a bonus to various stuff which increases for each character in your group who’s wearing one, so if you’ve got 4 people with it, you’ve got 4x the bonus. Or another quest drops an item called “Law” and you get an additional bonus if you’re using another quest reward item named “Order”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/4 "2014-08-27T14:04:57Z")
I tend to hang on to anything that was given out as a reward out of guilt, only selling it once I’ve forgotten where it came from. Generally, though, I have a stash somewhere of such items that have outlived their usefulness. But as far as I know, I’ve never played a game where NPCs were actually shown to care whether I held on to their shit. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/5 "2014-08-27T14:09:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > But as far as I know, I’ve never played a game where NPCs were actually shown to care whether I held on to their shit. Yeah, that’s what I’m most interested in: negative consequences. I doubt it happens often and would make less sense in many games where the plot spans a vast geographic area. Princess Maker 2 more or less happens within a single town so when you sell the magic sword the king awarded you, I guess everyone knows you did it. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/6 "2014-08-27T17:19:09Z")
In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, selling an Ayleid Statue to any merchant will cause you to be contacted by an eccentric millionaire who sends you on a long, complex & highly rewarding quest to find the other rare statues. (Obviously an inversion of the trope, but I’m at a loss to think of _any_ other situation where selling quest rewards has any effect whatsoever.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/7 "2014-08-27T17:29:56Z")
In Divinity: Original Sin, a merchant will buy the painting you just stole off the wall behind her. I haven’t seen that since Fallout 1, in which I repeated pick-pocketed and re-sold a stack of SMGs to the librarian for those delicious skill books. I walked in a master pickpocket, and walked out a master sharpshooter. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/8 "2014-08-27T17:57:54Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, selling an Ayleid Statue to any merchant will cause you to be contacted by an eccentric millionaire who sends you on a long, complex & highly rewarding quest to find the other rare statues. (Obviously an inversion of the trope, but I’m at a loss to think of _any_ other situation where selling quest rewards has any effect whatsoever.) I wonder if, in Morrowind, there was a quest reward that did damage to the player character? The shopkeepers in that game would put on whatever piece of clothing & armor you sold them (if it was more valuable than what they were wearing, which was usually the case). If you sold them an item that did constant damage to the wearer, they’d put it on, and die, and then you could ransack the place with no-one the wiser. So, if there was a quest reward that did constant damage to the wearer, that would qualify… as far as that NPC is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/9 "2014-08-27T18:02:12Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I wonder if, in Morrowind, there was a quest reward that did damage to the player character? The shopkeepers in that game would put on whatever piece of clothing & armor you sold them (if it was more valuable than what they were wearing, which was usually the case). If you sold them an item that did constant damage to the wearer, they’d put it on, and die, and then you could ransack the place with no-one the wiser. So, if there was a quest reward that did constant damage to the wearer, that would qualify… as far as that NPC is concerned. Not that I know of, but there were the “boots of blinding speed” which allow the wearer to run really fast but also render the wearer blind. If a merchant puts those on, it might be easy to shoplift most or all of their merchandise. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/10 "2014-08-28T00:24:56Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I wonder if, in Morrowind, there was a quest reward that did damage to the player character? The shopkeepers in that game would put on whatever piece of clothing & armor you sold them (if it was more valuable than what they were wearing, which was usually the case). If you sold them an item that did constant damage to the wearer, they’d put it on, and die, and then you could ransack the place with no-one the wiser. So, if there was a quest reward that did constant damage to the wearer, that would qualify… as far as that NPC is concerned. I never used the trick, and Morrowind was a while ago for me, but I do remember reading about this one. I believe it was a property you could craft onto items. It may have also been possible to find weapons or armor with that property as rewards or loot, but I remember people talking about crafting expensive armor and then reverse-pickpocketing the armor onto merchants, who would then put on the new duds. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/11 "2014-08-28T00:47:15Z")
All I can think of is “save the shitty Wooden Sword and it eventually becomes the Might Sword of Slaying +10”. Constant Fire/Frost/Shock/Poison/Damage Health items are a known way to kill people in Morrowind without consequences. I hated that shopkeepers would do that and end up looking ridiculous (luckily I made a beeline for Caldera and became friends with the Creeper). This is similar to the Fallout series’ “heal people with several healing kits that cause slow damage later on.” Off the top of my head, there is also a ring that causes burden that is found at the bottom of a pond. I don’t think that will effect NPCs beyond the plot, though. I don’t think the Boots of Blinding Speed do that either, but: in Skyrim, you can block merchants’ sight by putting a basket over their heads! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/12 "2014-08-28T01:19:58Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Off the top of my head, there is also a ring that causes burden that is found at the bottom of a pond. The Ring of Burden is in Oblivion. It doesn’t actually cast the Burden spell, it’s just really, really, really heavy. Morrowind’s Tribunal expansion adds a Museum of Artifacts where you can donate some high-end unique weapons & armor for a (relatively small) finder’s fee. If you steal the items back and later ask the curator about them, she will give a funny speech about how she can’t seem to find them (if the item’s not in your inventory) or call the guards (if it is.) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/13 "2014-08-28T01:47:45Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Playing Titan Quest last night, I chuckled at one of the numerous times where you complete a side quest, an NPC says “Oh thank you! We’re a poor people with our homes ravaged by monsters but take our last magic amulet as a reward” and you immediately chuck it at a merchant, put the 15,000 gold into your sack and say “See ya!”. Tons of RPG-style games are the same. Get a turnip from a peasant or a golden shield from the king, either way it’s just moments from being pawned for some coin. > > The only game I’ve personally played that I can remember that punishes this was Princess Maker 2. If you won the contest rewards (magic paintbrush, magic sword, etc) and sold them, the King would say he heard you did so and is deeply disappointed that you thought so poorly of them and you’d lose a bunch of favor. Any other games that punished cashing in your heartfelt rewards? I saw the reverse of this in Guild Wars 2. There was an escort quest to help this guy find his family’s priceless relics and at the end of it he turns into a vendor and sells them to you. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/14 "2014-08-28T02:49:30Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > The Ring of Burden is in Oblivion. It doesn’t actually cast the Burden spell, it’s just really, really, really heavy. You’re right - I was conflating with “the Lady’s Ring” quest where you dive down to get her ring, then she attacks you with her Chameleon’d friend (or ignore the water and kill them both as you can see the friend Predator-style camouflaged). ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/15 "2014-08-28T06:55:53Z")
Actually in Titan Quest you should keep everything if your planning to play the “Elder Gods” sidequest. I seem to remember quite a few old style RPG’s where it was a good idea to keep everything. I think there’s one of the Assassin’s Creed games that’s similar. You’re supposed to use the items you’ve found in treasure chests to complete several sidequests ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/16 "2014-08-28T13:02:13Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Actually in Titan Quest you should keep everything if your planning to play the “Elder Gods” sidequest. I’m not sure what side quest you’re talking about (I’ve played through the game though and completed every quest) but I’m confident that the randomly generated +7 Intelligence ring you get for saving some dude’s farm in Act I isn’t going to play a pivotal role in the end game. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/17 "2014-08-28T15:32:43Z")
In Skyrim you find Dragon Priest masks. Some of them are very powerful and helpful and some of them have pretty useless abilities. But if you make the mistake of selling any of them off, you will regret it when you find the statue where you can mount all the masks to make the ultimate mask appear. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/18 "2014-08-28T18:43:26Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I’ve seen a couple games, but don’t remember what they were, in which a quest reward item was needed later in the game to complete a different side quest. In Skyrim you get the Coral Dragon Claw from having a conversation with a shopkeeper. If you sell it, you get more money. If you keep it, you get access to a nearby crypt. There’s nothing in the game that tells you that’s the crypt that particular claw opens, so if you sell it and go into that dungeon later, well, I hope you remember who you sold it to. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/19 "2014-08-28T18:51:56Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > In Skyrim you get the Coral Dragon Claw from having a conversation with a shopkeeper. If you sell it, you get more money. If you keep it, you get access to a nearby crypt. There’s nothing in the game that tells you that’s the crypt that particular claw opens, so if you sell it and go into that dungeon later, well, I hope you remember who you sold it to. Except the woman who sells it to you, who tells you to take it to Ygnol Barrow. Also, there’s a second claw in the barrow, so even if you do sell it, you can still open the door. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629/20 "2014-08-29T17:23:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I’m not sure what side quest you’re talking about (I’ve played through the game though and completed every quest) but I’m confident that the randomly generated +7 Intelligence ring you get for saving some dude’s farm in Act I isn’t going to play a pivotal role in the end game. Oops sorry wrong RPG, I was thinking about Arcanum. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-do-any-video-games-do-this/696629.md?page=2)