Baldur's Gate 3 is home to so many memorable characters, from the party members we adventure with, to the villainous figures we go up against, and the inhabitants we encounter who ask for our aid. But there's one NPC in particular that I gradually developed a great affinity for during my travels in the Sword Coast: Rolan. The aspiring wizard tiefling has some great character development, with a story arc that's woven into all three acts of the game depending on your choices. For an NPC who has a smaller part to play in the grand scheme of things, I was surprised by how invested I became in Rolan's personal journey – but it's no wonder when Larian makes it feel like your decisions impact his story as well as your own.
"I have to say, working with a character over a period with a real arc was really, really amazing," says actor George Taylor, who played the role of Rolan. "And it's been very interesting speaking to people online because they've made me realize things that I perhaps didn't cherish enough or kind of appreciate enough [about Rolan]. The relationship with the siblings [for example] and you know, as an actor, you often maybe bring the sides of your own experience to it. So I have two siblings, I have a brother and sister, so it's been really interesting to sort of access that. And then yes, going from quite an arrogant, very single-minded person to someone who does undergo a big change - depending on the choices the player makes - but a real change, that's very special for an actor."
"Because I see people's reactions, and I see how they talk about it, it's not only the siblings, it's the abuse side of it [from Lorroakan]," Taylor adds, "I think it's all sides to his storyline, lots of different parts of it have resonated with different people. It's been quite touching to sort of discover that and amazing to believe that I was able to be a part of creating that."
A wizard in the making
Baldur's Gate 3's most challenging trophy is also its most morally rewarding
The siblings Cal and Lia are what initially made me think twice about Rolan as a character. When you first meet him in the Grove with his brother and sister, tensions are rising between the druids and tiefling refugees, and the aspiring wizard can be heard trying to convince them to leave. That's where you can intervene with a persuasion check to get them to stay and help fight back against the goblins. In convincing his family to abandon the Grove, Rolan's approach leaves little to be desired – with an air of 'I know better than you' – but, over time, I could see that beneath his arrogant veneer was someone who's just trying to protect their siblings.
This can also be seen in Act 2, where you meet an angry and frustrated Rolan who tries, and fails, to save Cal and Lia after they're taken. Once again, the part I played in helping him and his siblings made me feel responsible for them – but it wasn't until Act 3 that I really understood just how much I'd come to care for Rolan; I felt genuine anger by Lorroakan's mistreatment of his new apprentice.
Rolan may appear arrogant and haughty at first glance, but there's so much more to him than first meets the eye. It's this character development that really spoke to me, and evidently so many others in the community. As well as undergoing his own evolution in-game, Rolan also developed conceptually as a character throughout the process of bringing the role to life. After auditioning for different character types, Taylor landed the part of Rolan, and with the help of a movement and voice director, they worked with motion capture - which involved everything but facial capture - to realize the character. Over the course, Taylor says "Rolan's journey evolved" as he worked with Larian.
"When I first got the brief, I think he was described as quite like the sort of high school Jock," Taylor says. "Sort of like a leader, quite arrogant, but you know, very, very ambitious. And it was interesting, because I think as we went on and worked together, the slides grew more sort of I wouldn't say sassy, but the slightly more grumpy side of him came out. The writers really worked with what was happening in the room and that kind of thing. And that's so dreamy, that's so cool."
Rolanda
"I'm just thrilled to see and to appreciate the love that the community has for this character"
George Taylor
The Baldur's Gate 3 community is nothing if not passionate, and the outpouring of love I've seen for various characters illustrates how effectively Larian's storytelling and the interactive nature of its world helps you feel connected to its cast - including NPCs like Rolan. I'm far from alone in my appreciation for the "grumpy" tiefling wizard, with his own share of fans who have created fan art and mods. There's so much appreciation for him out there; I've even come across a change.org petition calling for him to be a romanceable character.
For Taylor, who's been an actor for just over a decade with parts in both TV and film, it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to discover how much of a following Rolan has. And after engaging with the community, Taylor started playing and streaming Baldur's Gate 3 to really just try to enjoy the love Rolan is getting.
"I eventually started playing it recently, a month ago. And I mean, the main companion characters - Neil Newbon, etc - have been doing this for months. But I thought I am a mere cog in this wheel, in this machine, and I am an NPC, and I'm sure it's a lovely NPC. But I had no idea that there would be 'Rolanites', or a 'Rolan nation', or 'Rolan Empire', I had no idea. And so, having been in the business, so to speak, for sort of 13 odd years, if something exciting is happening, then why not be a part of it? So, I started to stream and some amazing people reached out."
"Suddenly I've got some lovely people who I work with. We've set up a sort of Discord server this week and we're on to part five of the playthrough on Twitch, and it's really cool because I should say, I myself am a gamer. I love losing myself in these games, and immersion is so important. But I wouldn't necessarily have gone to Baldur's Gate; I wonder if I hadn't been in it whether I would have picked it up," Taylor says. "But now I'm playing with other people, and it's really fun because it's sort of almost like doing a play, you're really in it right there. And you've got this lovely relationship with the people who are watching and partaking. It's really exciting to be doing this as a thing with other people."
Playing as a tiefling bard called Rolanda (a truly excellent name choice), Taylor speaks of his run so far, which the viewers describe as "chaotic". After hearing of an unfortunate event that led to Astarion's early demise, it certainly sounds like it is. But it's also evident from speaking with Taylor that being able to share the moment he actually met Rolan in-game for the first time made it so much more special than it would have been solo.
The beauty of games like Baldur's Gate 3 is how much freedom you have to make the experience your own, be it through the choices you make, the characters you create, or those you decide to romance. Larian has created a stage where we can direct our own story, and since its full release, it's lovely to see how it's brought people together in a growing community that continues to celebrate the game. And for Taylor, it's been heartwarming to see people share their appreciation for characters like Rolan.
"I love the community, I love the fanart. I haven't delved too much into the fanfic; I have delved up to a point, various clicks into certain fan art," Taylor says, laughing. "As a gamer myself, I love the mod scene and I love being able to tinker and tweak, and I've seen some brilliant videos of Rolan in some wonderful scenes which have just really made me smile."
"I saw this incredible fanart of Rolan as Mr. Darcy and I think it's absolutely brilliant," Taylor adds. "I'm just thrilled to see and to appreciate the love that the community has for this character, which I was very lucky to be able to, with the writers, with everyone else, bring to life. And I can't wait to see what more comes my way."
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