'That's what we're trying to do, be a DM that enables any player's play style:' Check out the upcoming RPG that's trying to do Baldur's Gate 3 in miniature⁠—in more ways than one

GamesRPGPathfinder’That’s what we’re trying to do, be a DM that enables any player’s play style:' Check out the upcoming RPG that’s trying to do Baldur’s Gate 3 in miniature⁠—in more ways than oneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Big Eye looking down on party of adventurers with miniature bases in Pathfinder: The Dragon�s Demand

Indie developerOssian Studiosis a bit of a people’s champion for a certain brand of RPG sicko (I’m a certain brand of RPG sicko). Company founder Alan Miranda worked at BioWare on Baldur’s Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights before striking out on his own. With the exception ofan Android RPGreleased in 2013, Ossian’s work hasn’t strayed far from Neverwinter Nights' umbrella, with its portfolio mostly consisting of ambitious, unique RPGs built on NwN’s foundation⁠—expansions likeDarkness Over DaggerfordandMysteries of Westgatethat punch well above their weight.

But now Ossian’s going bigger than before, crowdfundingPathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand, a standalone CRPG it’s building from scratch, based on the new second edition rules for the Dungeons & Dragons-derived system. I spoke with Miranda, who is also the project’s director, as well as Ossian lead designer andlongtime Neverwinter Nights modderLuke Scull about the project and their ambition to make a highly reactive, Baldur’s Gate 3 or Divinity: Original Sin-style RPG work at a much smaller scale.

Scaling down

Image1of2(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Image1of2

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Tavern viewed from overhead perspective with multicolor plastic dice strewn throughout

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Crystal dice strewn throughout crypts battle between adventuring party and skeletons in The Dragon’s Demand

Like Owlcat’s Pathfinder adaptations Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, Ossian is adapting a pre-existing tabletop adventure. The Dragon’s Demand is a module (read: self-contained story) that takes characters from level one up to level seven. Even with Ossian adding an extra level to that cap (and reserving the right to push a little further in DLC), that’s a far cry from the 20-level high-power fantasy of Owlcat’s games or the 30-40 “epic level” caps in Neverwinter Nights. It’s also a very intentional choice.

“Baldur’s Gate 3 demonstrated that you can have a relatively low level spread, but still have a huge gain with lots of character choices, lots of build options,” explained Scull. “Owlcat was making adventure paths, which are basically three of these kinds of modules put together,” Miranda added. “We chose that smaller size module…to make it manageable for us as a small indie company to do.”

There are a few reasons I find that scope particularly exciting. Ossian has no shortage of ambitious goals for The Dragon’s Demand, and a corresponding sober realism in other areas of the project gives me confidence the studio will be able to get it all done.

It was always going to be a miniatures game.Alan Miranda

It was always going to be a miniatures game.

Also: Low-level RPGs rule. In addition to Baldur’s Gate 3, I point you to genre classics like Troika’s Temple of Elemental Evil (with a level cap of 10) or BioWare’s original Baldur’s Gate (8-10 depending on your class) for examples of low-level D&D done right. Lower levels often mean higher stakes, with characters lacking the inflated health pools and superhuman abilities of endgame builds. There can be a numbing effect to an RPG endgame swollen with overpowered abilities and magical items, leaking inflated damage numbers all over the floor.

But that’s not Ossian’s only deflationary target with The Dragon’s Demand. “As I’ve gotten older⁠—and you’ll hear this from other RPG players as they get older⁠—they don’t have time for 100-hour RPGs,” Miranda said. “It’d be much nicer if it was a 20 or 30 hour game. And we thought that’s something good to focus on.”

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Mini me

“You’re always looking for something to help differentiate your game,” said Miranda. “There’s so many games out there that are new versions of the original Baldur’s Gate or going all the way to Baldur’s Gate 3 with full 3D. It’s a crowded space.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 has raised the bar.Luke Scull

Baldur’s Gate 3 has raised the bar.

It’s also another place where resource allocation comes into question⁠—Ossian doesn’t have to maintain a high level of animation fidelity with this art style, which means the studio can instead focus on simulating tabletop features and player options that don’t often make it into videogame adaptations like flight, underwater combat, or a cover system: “A lot of that would be a huge effort—even for someone like Larian—to do all the character animations and sync all that up,” Miranda said.

Scull believes that this will “open a whole new breadth of options” for him in designing the game, and he cited infiltration options like crowbarring open windows or climbing down chimneys as the kinds of avenues he wants to give players. Miranda referenced immersive sim Deus Ex as a big inspiration, and hopes players will have to think “a bit in 3D” to overcome Dragon’s Demand’s challenges and encounters.

Image1of4(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Image1of4

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Miniatures swimming underwater near shipwreck in Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Little critter that crawled through mouse hole into room full of zombies in Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand.

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Avian dual daggers assassin guys one with torch on building roof at night in Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand.

(Image credit: Paizo, Ossian Studios)

Adventuring Party getting rowdy at tavern table in Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand.

Replicating some of the magic of Baldur’s Gate 3 (maybe themost imm simmy CRPG) seems to be Scull’s primary ambition with The Dragon’s Demand. He found that BG3 had “the best of two game styles,” with its open and interactive world as well as “the deep character writing and storytelling and encounter design of the very best traditional isometric RPGs.”

On the character writing front, Scull assured me that Dragon’s Demand won’t be an Icewind Dale or Fallout: Tactics sort of RPG where you have a party of blank slates, but will instead go for that whole hog BioWare-style experience with “companions, romances, character arcs, quests” and “surprising revelations” that weave into the main narrative.

Though Scull allowed that it will require “an incredibly large amount of writing and scripting,” he believes the team at Ossian will replicate that open-ended Larian magic at a smaller, indie scale. “Baldur’s Gate 3 has raised the bar,” Scull argued, “and I think players would expect more in terms of player options and world reactivity and world interactivity moving forward from the very best RPGs.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, be a DM that enables any player’s play style.”

Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand is currently working toward its fundraising goal onKickstarter, where you can still back the project. You can also follow Ossian Studios onTwitterorFacebook.

More about rpg

A Path of Exile 2 sorceress casting flaming skulls in a hellish landscape

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Double headed wizard man holding arms up looking sad

LatestThe 11 big FPS games of 2025See more latest►

Latest

The 11 big FPS games of 2025

Doom: The Dark Ages screnshot

The 11 big FPS games of 2025

See more latest►

Most Popular

This bizarre roguelike has a new take on the Vampire Survivors formula: letting you build your own custom weapons out of brains, eyeballs, and chimpanzee spines

18 games the PC Gamer team can’t wait to play in 2025

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Scaling down#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Mini me#

Scaling down

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Mini me