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Esoteric Ebb is the D&Disco Elysium I never knew I needed, but more importantly it’s proof I’ll never be cut out for political canvassing
Rock Paper Shotgun's article discusses Esoteric Ebb, a role-playing game blending the dialogue-driven, skill-check style of Disco Elysium with Dungeons & Dragons mechanics. The writer highlights how the game builds a memorable side quest around the awkwardness of canvassing, tasking the player's character, The Cleric, with asking every resident of the fictional city-state Norvik how they intend to vote in its first-ever election, in exchange for special rewards.
The election follows the death of Norvik's dictatorial founder-god, Urth, and pits several factions against each other: the ruling Nationalists, the pro-capitalist Freestriders, and the socialist Azgalist Workers' Party, with a fence-sitting "nonpartisan" option also available. To engage meaningfully with the canvassing quest, players must absorb substantial in-game lore, including a past goblin genocide, a suspicious trading company's influence, the player character's own role as a de facto law enforcer, and a mystery involving an exploded tea shop shortly before the vote.
In short
- Esoteric Ebb mixes Disco Elysium-style dialogue with D&D mechanics.
- A quest has players canvass residents ahead of a fictional election.
- Understanding city lore and factions is key to forming in-game opinions.
Explained simply
Esoteric Ebb is a role-playing video game that blends the dialogue-driven, skill-based mechanics of Disco Elysium with traditional Dungeons & Dragons gameplay. The game is set in Norvik, a fictional city-state that is undergoing its first-ever democratic election following the death of Urth, its founding dictator.
A key objective requires the player to canvass Norvik's residents and ask how they intend to vote, exchanging this information for rewards. The election features several competing factions: the ruling Nationalists, the pro-capitalist Freestriders, and the socialist Azgalist Workers' Party, with a nonpartisan option.
To succeed, players must understand Norvik's deep history and complex politics, including a past genocide, a trading company's influence, and a mysterious explosion near the election. The game demonstrates how complex political narratives and mundane real-world tasks like canvassing can be integrated into interactive gameplay.