I just finished all the endings of Geneforge 2, so now it's time to get on to Geneforge 3.

Canisters: Should I, or should I not?

The only game where canisters have a consequence is gene forge 4. None of the other games have problems with them. In gene forge 4, you can have some serious issues happen if you go that route. In the other games, not so much. I don't want to give away anything else.

I was kind of a canister junkie in Geneforge 2 and the ending for Unaligned/Servant was kind of meh.

I've worked my way past the second island in Geneforge 3 (still straddling the fence) and have not used a single canister so far.

Philosophically the canisters just seem like bad mojo. From a character's perspective megalomania and total lack of self control seems like way too high a price to pay for some buffed stats.

I really dont remember the ending of Geneforge 1 for canisters as I didnt take too many. The games are ok but Im finding that Avadon is more fun for me (2nd time playing). There may be less character building options in Avadon but its a heck of a lot of fun. Avadon 1, Nethergate Resurrection, Geneforge 1 and 2, and Avernum 6 are all up there in having some of the best stories jeff has written. At least thats what the people on the forums think.

In Geneforge 1 it's assumed that in order to survive you have to use the canisters.

I do not have any of other series, hopefully one day I get to find out.

Can you drop items on the ground in Geneforge 3 without them being destroyed?

Yes you should be able to. Geneforge 3 while it is largely thought to be weaker story than g1 and g2, it has some system enhancements that are better than the 1st 2.

I still have not used any canisters. Does it influence the rebel storyline whether or not I use canisters?

After reviewing what it's supposed to do to people... I'm not sure if using them is such a great idea, Rebel or Shaper. Also, I heard that Rebel is the canonical ending, yet I find it difficult to sympathize with the Rebels so far.
I find it difficult to sympathize with the Shapers in general because of their Team America: World Police attitude towards everything, but since the Rebels are essentially a certain obnoxious faction from G2, I'm not sure.

Its possible, but I dont know as I never completed that game (only the 1st). Like I said, geneforge 4 is almost completely about the canisters as I got a third done with the game. Lol, I remember one of the lines I cant forget from a shaper to my servile-"Ah the freak, you been using canisters....no it appears not, you dont have that wild in your eyes that you rebels usually get." lol.

Even if I was a Rebel (who in Geneforge 3 are kind of d-bags), from a magic user's perspective, why would you want to go bonkers?

I believe that the main attractions are that it allows shapers/lifecrafters to learn new skills without having to spend years as an apprentice, pay large sums of money to an experienced shaper for training. The fact that cannisters seem to have a supernatural allure to them for those with shaping skills (just look at Greta's reaction when she first sees one), are increadibly addictive, and alter the user's mentality to the point where they no longer see any downside to using them is just icing on the cake. Since they also cause physical mutations, you can bet that any shaper who starts showing signs is going to be in ostracised at best means that once you start using them it becomes near impossible to stop.

Many creations and rebels (particulalry lifecrafters) will not respect rebel shapers that refuse self-shaping. Some will respect you more if you shape yourself because it is seen as becoming like a creation, and as a symbolic way of burning your bridges behind you.

Mostly though it is about the power, cannisters and geneforges allow any ordinary outsider to rapidly gain power that would take a shaper years if not decades to achieve through careful study, and means that they don't have to abide by shaper rules or restrictions. Basically, cannisters are a free ticket to near infinite power-a cannsiter character will always be more powerful than a cannsiter free character in a given geneforge game by the end.

AS for how it affects geneforge 3...most of the effects will be noticed within the game, rather than the ending. The difference between the cannister and no cannsiter rebel endings is microscopic, and the difference between the cannister and no cannsiter shaper endings is only slightly more noticable. Still, there is a difference, and while it might not be terribly noticable in the ending, your cannister addiction status will pop up from time to time in game, which is more than can be said for geneforge 1 and 5 (no effect whatsoever). Geneforge 4 is the game where cannsiters have the most effect on the story and ending (ironic, since the character is a rebel)

Personally, I have never played a cannister addict sicne the first time I tried it-in Geneforge 3. Even though the effects of using them are not huge in most of the games, I definately had the feeling that I was compromising not only my character's morality and mind, but their status as a human being. One of the main reasons I never play as a rebel is because of the inseperability of cannisters and the rebel movements. I would reconmend not using them, I personally get a great deal of satisfaction beating the geneforge games (even 5, where it had absolutely zero effect on anything), knowing that I didn't compromise my integrity in the journey there.

*Spoilers*

As tempting as the canisters are, I have continued to not use them in Geneforge 3. I was not really satisfied with the Unaligned ending in Geneforge 2 after being a canister junky, and I doubt I would be satisfied with it in Geneforge 3.

As I understand, the canonical ending of Geneforge 3 is that you join the rebels, but other than some vague rhetoric about helping serviles that have not really been encountered in a context outside of open hostility, I have not seen a very compelling reason to join them.
In Geneforge 2, I was not sure if I preferred the Awakened or Unaligned.

Also... should I kill the rebels in the swamp village? (as a pro-Shaper)

Yes, that is the canon ending to Geneforge 3, which is a real pity, because IMO the rebels are at their absolute least sympathetic in the entire series during Geneforge 3, and the shapers at their most relateable. It kinda felt like an episode of the twilight zone finding out what happened to the Geneforge 3 pc for me in Geneforge 4-like an alien with unfathomable motivations had been mind controlling my character, heh.

You have three options here, kill them, help them, or ignore the problem and go to the next island. I know that the first two will make people angry with you, and made (me) feel a bit dirty after choosing them. I intend to choose to ignore the rebels and continue onto the next island on my current playthrough, but I don't know exactly how that will unfold (you can get permission to leave before completing the quest, so it should be possible to not involve yourself in that insanity)

Maybe the canon ending is supposed to highlight the temptation of the canisters?
Even if I played rebel, I am not sure if I would use canisters.

With regards to the village, I chose to ignore them since there was no quest to kill them.
My question is: does it change the ending?
I am currently attacking the Geneforge labs, so I will have the opportunity to play through as a Rebel next.