The Age of Decadence
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The Age of Decadence  | ||||||
Series information
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The Age of Decadence is a role-playing video game by Iron Tower Studios, released in 2015 for Microsoft Windows.
The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by the Roman Empire, where numerous factions fight for dominance. Maybe one of the examples in the role-playing genre of video games that most closely match the definition of a Battle of Wits, it feature multiple possible solutions for each quest, most of them not involving combat. The available solutions depend on the skillset and past actions of the player, including their relationship with non-player characters. While it is possible to resort to violence, combat is optional and often deadly if the player is unprepared. Instead, it is possible to play the entire game relying only on what the game calls "civil skills". These represent all sorts of non-combat skills, including diplomatic skills like Persuasion, Trading and Streetwise, thief skills like Sneak, Lockpick and Steal, and scholarly skills like Lore and Alchemy. Although it is used in a small number of quests, there is even an Impersonate skill that allows the player character to wear disguises and pass themselves off as someone else. Having a sufficiently-high skill unlocks options when interacting with characters or the game world, allowing the player character to solve problems in clever ways, including tricking and manipulating those around them. The story of the game itself also fundamentally involves political maneuvering, as the player interacts with the different factions of the game. The choices and alliances that the player makes affect the course of the plot and the options available to them.
Characters
See also: List of The Age of Decadence characters
- Player character (Lead Mastermind): The player character can choose between eight backgrounds - Assassin, Thief, Praetor, Loremaster, Grifter, Drifter, Mercenary and Merchant - which define their relationship with different factions at the start of the game. At character creation and during the game, they can learn and improve both combat skills and civil skills.
